Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Children with Tramatic Brain Injury Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Kids with Tramatic Brain Injury - Term Paper Example These handicaps are showed in a variety of attributes relying upon the area and degree of cerebrum injury. They may likewise be lasting or brief in nature where they can either cause aggregate or halfway psychosocial modification or useful handicaps. For example, understudies with subjective disabilities experience the ill effects of long or momentary memory shortages hence recalling things and realities become very troublesome. Such understudies additionally experience the ill effects of debilitated focus and restricted ability to focus. Subsequently, they can't take part in any action for a significant stretch of time in any event, moving in class gets troublesome. Additionally, these understudies experience the ill effects of impeded recognition where sequencing, judgment and arranging present major issue. Moreover, such youngsters gravely experience the ill effects of correspondence issues which repress both their composition and understanding aptitudes. This is because of harm t hat happens on the frontal flaps of the cerebrum (Aimaretti and Ghigo, 2007). TBI likewise shows conduct and passionate attributes which incorporate emotional episodes, brought down confidence, narcissism, weariness, tension, sorrow, anxiety and crashed inspiration. They are additionally incapable to control their feelings as now and again they may unnecessarily cry or giggle. Therefore, they can neither self screen nor relate well with others. This emerges in light of harm that happens on the limbic framework in the cerebrum. ... Consequently, they can't take part in any movement for an extensive stretch of time in any event, gathering in class gets troublesome. In addition, these understudies experience the ill effects of weakened observation where sequencing, judgment and arranging present significant issue. Moreover, such youngsters gravely experience the ill effects of correspondence issues which hinder both their composition and understanding abilities. This is because of harm that happens on the frontal flaps of the cerebrum (Aimaretti and Ghigo, 2007). TBI likewise shows conduct and enthusiastic qualities which incorporate emotional episodes, brought down confidence, conceit, exhaustion, nervousness, despondency, anxiety and crashed inspiration. They are likewise incapable to control their feelings as now and again they may too much cry or giggle. Therefore, they can neither self screen nor relate well with others. This emerges in light of harm that happens on the limbic framework in the mind. Then aga in, the physical debilitation qualities incorporate tactile impedances just as vision, discourse and hearing issues. On the other hand, the understudies may experience the ill effects of consistent cerebral pains, loss of motion or paresis of either or the two sides, absence of appropriate equalization, stride hindrances, spasticity of muscles and seizure issue. They likewise need successful coordination particularly the fine engine coordination. These physical attributes emerge because of awkwardness that influences the cerebrum balance. This is a direct result of the improvement of the midline move disorder which further influences the weight, stance and float stance of patients with TBI. Thus, the patients don't see a straight skyline or divider they consider them to be inclined (Parikh, Koch and Narayan, 2007). 2 (a) Classroom Behavioral Management Strategies and Instructional Strategies However, in

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Loneliness Free Essays

Language†¦ Has made the word ‘loneliness’ to communicate the torment of being distant from everyone else. What's more, it has made the word ‘solitude’ to communicate the greatness of being distant from everyone else. † Does your investigation of writings bolster this viewpoint? Forlornness and isolation are firmly Juxtaposed to show the over all impact of going only it. We will compose a custom paper test on Forlornness or on the other hand any comparable theme just for you Request Now The incomparable Gatsby bolsters this viewpoint as it contrasts isolation and forlornness through the hero Nick Caraway and Jay Gatsby. Underneath the mists shows the parts of confronting Isolation when wild and controllable. The incomparable Gatsby features the statement through differentiating dejection and isolation. Isolation Is communicated through the hero scratch caraway, as he thinks about the significance of the story In which he had an impact In. Caraway Is Isolated In the general public of the â€Å"egg† were he lives In â€Å"a climate beaten cardboard home at eight a month†, contrasted with the chateaus of the western and eastern egg. An allegory shows how the incomparable Gatsby bolsters the statement as Caraways absence of riches makes isolation for himself were he misses the dramatizations of the rich indicating the brilliance of isolation. Disengagement in underneath the mists is both controllable and wild as observed through the choices or Vaughn and Lena. Lena and Vaughn both encountering the part of depression when there separation is wild. Allegorically the wall in the jail show the Vaughn has no control and his disengagement is uncountable. This concurs with the statement as the tree scene demonstrates Vaughn forlornness as he names a tree to be his companion, communicating the torment of being separated from everyone else. When Lens’s isolation is uncontrolled in the town with her being by her self and needing to leave yet returned by the hindrances of her age and conditions. She is desolate and her agony is communicated through the nearby shot of a butterfly being eaten by ants, were the ants are an allegory for her life being squandered by the town a wild condition of going only it. Isolation is communicated the brilliance of being distant from everyone else in underneath the mists. This Is appeared through Lena and Vaughn as when they decided to leave their conditions they experience joy of there Journey along the street. Sir these paragraph’s contain fundamental frameworks for my article I am yet to add proof to lift these focuses as Im as yet discovering It. BY reappeared shows the parts of confronting disengagement when wild and controllable. Isolation is communicated through the hero scratch caraway, as he thinks about the importance of the story in which he had an influence in. Caraway is confined in the general public of the â€Å"egg† were he lives in â€Å"a climate beaten cardboard cabin at eight a Solitude is communicated the magnificence of being separated from everyone else in underneath the mists. This is appeared back up these focuses as IM as yet discovering it. Step by step instructions to refer to Loneliness, Papers

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Essay on Speech for Freedom by Patrick Henry

Essay on Speech for Freedom by Patrick Henry Speech for Freedom by Patrick Henry Jan 11, 2019 in History Give me Liberty, or Give me Death by Patrick Henry Freedom, for sure, is one of the greatest values for every nation, society, state, and, of course, for every person. The importance of independence is equal to peace, love, friendship, family, and justice. What must society do when enemies occupy its land, cover waters, when invaders destroy the national identity? In this case, people must make a choice between two eternal values: freedom and peace. In 1765, Patrick Henry was elected to the lower House of Representatives in the colony of Virginia (House of Burgesses). In 1775, he presented an impassioned speech in the Parliament of Virginia in defense of the rights of American citizens. From that time, the phrase Give me liberty or give me death became classic. The young American lawyer Patrick Henry was one of the first who had understood a real British intention to capture American soil forever. Actually, he saw the only one way to obtain an independent, free, and sovereign state to fight. Henry was convinced that people had to battle for independence, honor, dignity, freedom, and country; they had to fight, because there was no other option.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Twilight Essay - 1938 Words

The Myth of the Vampire in Twilight The myth of the vampire existed in a multitude of civilizations and cultures under various names such is strigoi (for the Romanian territory), Apotamkin, etc. But no matter the name, vampires will always refer to gothic creatures that drain the blood of humans, thus being monstrous. The first writer to introduce the vampire in literature was Lord Byron in the eighteenth century, but the most significant writer to develop the myth was Bram Stoker. He is the „father† of the vampire as he gave a complete description of the vampire in his most famous book† Dracula†. After the release of the book, the myth of the vampire became extremely popular amongst writers and as a consequence the books whose main†¦show more content†¦Another particularity of the eyes of a vampire is that they show whether a vampire feeds on human or animal blood. This is best shown in the baseball scene when James and the other vampires come and disrupt the Cullen’s game. The camera focuses on the eyes of every new vampire( which , as we were previously shown, attacked humans) and we can clearly notice that their eyes are scarlet red. So the redness of the eyes is an indicative of the fact that these vampires are not† vegetarians†. The similarities stop here. There are definitely very few elements which are kept from all the previous books that present vampires, and to sum everything up we know that they have cold and pale skin, the fact that they drink blood and the fact that they are very fast and strong. The differences are way more numerous that the similarities and in this part of the essay we are going to present just that. Stephenie Meyer also introduces a lot of new elements. For instance the most important entirely new element is that blood has a distinguished smell, a smell which can trigger the vampires hunting instinct. Edward calls the smell of Bella’s blood „ a drug† and „his personal brand of heroin†. First of all there is nothing that indicates Edward as a vampire apart from his cold and white skin( and the fact that he shines like diamonds but only in the sun). But if this were a novel written by let’s say Anne Rice, the vampire would definitely have fangs. StephenieShow MoreRelatedThe Twilight Saga Essay example1571 Words   |  7 PagesThe movie Twilight was produced in 2008 by â€Å"Summit Entertainment† and was significantly successful in the box office, resulting in the â€Å"Twilight Saga† to begin on film: in fall 2009 New Moon was released and Eclipse is set to air this summer. The â€Å"Twilight Saga† is directed towards many people, mainly the hearts of young teenagers because it allows for them to believe that there is someone for everyone. Stephen Marche suggests the Twilight is a film about love between a homosexual male and a heterosexualRead MoreEssay on Twilight - A Thrilling and Enthralling Read512 Words   |  3 PagesTwilight is an absorbing, rapid moving read written by Stephanie Meyer. It was her first book and an international best seller. It follows Isabella (Bella) swan, a seventeen year old girl as she moves to the small rainy town of forks to live with her dad Charlie. The first day of her new school she meets the Cullen’s, a mysterious inhumanely beautiful family, â€Å"they were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine. Or painted by an old master as theRead MoreThe Twilight Saga: Redefining the Vampire Essay837 Words   |  4 Pagesthink of the traditional pale-faced, malicious bloodsuckers, sporting a cape and killing people when they’re sleeping. Wrong! Nowadays, the image of a vampire is a handsome, polite, and loving person who protects humans. The new cultural phenomenon Twilight is building a new degrading image for vampires that slaps the face of all previous authors, directors, writers, etc. who contributed to giving th e monster its unique image in the past. Simply searching through articles, databases, and other resourcesRead MoreLife Lessons in The Twilight Series Essay604 Words   |  3 Pagesmyself asking as I began reading Twilight. At first some may chose not to read the books or see the movie because they feel a story based on vampires and werewolves is a little unbelievable. Twilight is about more than fictional characters and that is what attracted my attention to the series. It takes us on a journey of discovering that when true love is amazingly strong one can overcome any battle. Since discovering these series Stephanie Myers the author of Twilight has become such an inspirationRead MoreComparison Essay Twilight vs Vampire Diaries1282 Words   |  6 PagesIt’s easy to compare  Twilight  and  The Vampire Diaries, partly because they do have similar premises (teen girls in love with vampires attending  high school. The Vampire Diaries  and  Twilight  really bring different things to the culture of young adult vampire stories Sex is one of the differences that are easily compared between both shows. Specifically, who’s having it and who isn’t. In the first three novels of  Twilight, there is no sex between the protagonist, Bella, and her vampire boyfriendRead MoreNegative Stereotypical Gender Roles in Twilight Essay1165 Words   |  5 Pagestraditional gender roles have changed; however, societies and cultures are powerful that they try to convince people to keep those roles. Similarly, many authors embrace and support traditional sex roles through their books and movies. Twilight is one of the examples. Hence, Twilight reinforces stereotypical gender roles by portraying a supernatural strong male vampire, Edward, who has the capacity to protect and control his weak and submissive human, Bella; as a result, the author tries to show us that menRead MoreTwilight: Book vs. Movie Essay example2328 Words   |  10 PagesTwilight: Book vs. Movie When comparing the book Twilight, written by Stephanie Meyers, with the movie Twilight, screenplay written by Melissa Rosenberg and produced by Catherine Hardwicke, there are multiple visual differences between the two. Some important scenes were changed or even omitted from the original text, leaving noticeable gaps in the movie’s plot. There are big and important differences, which are obvious, while there are also less important differences between them such as namesRead MoreLove Against All Odds in Stephanie Meyers Twilight Essay571 Words   |  3 Pagesaway from you.† –Bella tells Edward. Twilight is a romantic novel based on the relationship of a girl named Bella Swan and a vampire named Edward Cullen. The author, Stephenie Meyer, bases her story on the life of Bella and how she met and fell in love with Edward in the city of Forks, Washington. Stephenie Meyer’s inspiration for Twilight came to her after a dream on June 2, 2003, that involved a human girl and a sparkling vampire sitting in a meadow. Twilight was published in 2005 to great successRead MoreTwilight: A Waste of Time and Money Essay example1043 Words   |  5 PagesIn 2008, Twilight debuted in theaters across the county racking in a whopping $69,637,740 in just the first weekend alone (imdb, 2008). Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, Twilight is a movie based on the first in a series of four best-selling novels by Stephenie Meyer. The movies main focus is on a teenage girl named Bella (Kristen Stewart) who moves from Phoenix, Arizona to the town of Forks, Washington to live with her father Charlie (Billy Burke). On the first day of school, she meets Edward (RobertRead MoreThe Night Of Search Of Human Blood1452 Words   |  6 PagesKia Frazier-Humphrey Professor Livanis English 17 November 11th 2016 Essay #2 If you were to ask people 10 years ago what came to mind when they thought about vampires, you would probably get answers that described frightening creatures that lurk in the night in search of human blood. These perceptions are usually brought on from one of the most famous vampire stories ever written; Dracula. Bram Stoker’s Dracula tells the story of Count Dracula and his bloodthirsty journey from his castle in Transylvania

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

An Voluntary Control Over More Automatic Brain Systems

Pedretti, Pendleton Schultz-Krohn (2006) define attention as being this voluntary control over more automatic brain systems to effectively select and manipulate sensory or stored information briefly or for sustained periods. One component of attention is this term ‘sustained attention’, which is the ability to consistently engage in an activity over time without loosing concentration (Willard Spackman, 2014). Willard Spackman express that repetitive and predictable activities place less demands on sustained attention. Attention process training (APT) is a computerized training program that provides practice in five types of attention: focused, sustained, selective, alternating and divided (Park, Proulx Towers, 1999). Several research studies have concluded that specific components of attention need specific training and that with sufficient training it is possible to improve aspects of attention and other cognitive functions (Park et al, 1999; Sohlberg, McLaughlin, Pavese, Heidrich Posner, 2000). Before each task is completed, the requirements are briefly explained and usually take between 2-3 minutes to complete. A low level evidence †¦ by Park et al (1999) concluded that the APT program improved the functioning of specific cognitive processes underlying attention but not general cognitive functioning. The APT program was designed to last for 40 hours with an average of 20 sessions. If the participant were to make three or more errors these tasks were repeatedShow MoreRelatedHow The Body S ystems And The Components That Make Up That System1077 Words   |  5 PagesMusclar system/ thermoregulation †¢ List all of the organs and or components of the system. Today we will be discussing one of the body systems and the components that make up that system. I will be discussing the muscular system. In total there are about 700 different muscles in the body. All these different muscles fall into three different types of muscles. The three different types are visceral muscle, cardiac muscle, and the skeletal muscle. †¢ Explain what each organ and component does. TheRead MoreDrug Addiction1009 Words   |  5 PagesConstantly arguing at each other over what I thought at the time were the littlest things in life, I believe led to a younger brother choosing the wrong path to tranquility. My younger brother is 32 years old and has had a drug problem for at least the last 10 to 12 years. It started out with just drinking at parties and progressed to drugs. His problem has escalated to the point that he does not pay his bills and barely keeps a job. He has been arrested more than once on a drug related chargeRead MoreAlcohol Addiction Is The High Risk Of Relapse3791 Words   |  16 Pages2% of adults in the United States ages 18 and over have an alcohol use disorder. A variety of environmental and genetic factors contribute to the development of alcohol addiction. The variability in the causes of alcohol addiction generates variability in the response to treatment. However, what is common among all alcohol addictions is the high risk of relapse. This risk is potentially caused by the lasting changes in the brain that occur when voluntary alcohol use becomes an addiction. The neuralRead More Mental Healing: Does Positive Thinking Act Upon Brain Neurons to Improve H ealth?1390 Words   |  6 PagesMental Healing: Does Positive Thinking Act Upon Brain Neurons to Improve Health? Almost all of us have heard of a scenario such as this one: A woman battling cancer has lost almost all hope of recovery. She has not been able to turn to her family for support for fear of their reactions to her illness. One morning she finally breaks down and tells her husband about the cancer. Instead of being devastated and turning his back on his wife, the husband supports the wife, every step of the way, andRead MoreThe Effects of Alcohol on the Human Body1420 Words   |  6 Pagesin the future. Alcohol, specifically ethanol, depresses the central nervous system and it has many side-effects. Cell membranes in the human body have high permeability to alcohol, so alcohol diffuses into nearly every biological tissue of the body once it gets into the blood stream (Dasgupta 2011, pg. 88). It starts affecting the body and mind from the second one sips it. After taking it for a while, one starts feeling more sociable, but drinking too much makes basic human functions like walking orRead MoreScsd1374 Words   |  6 Pagesthat lie beneath it from  radiation, desiccation,  toxins, invasion by pathogens, and physical  trauma; (2) the regulation and exchange of chemicals between the underlying tissues and a  body cavity; (3) the secretion of hormones into the blood vascular system, and/or the secretion of sweat, mucus, enzymes, and other products that are delivered by ducts;  (4) to provide  sensation. Location of an Epithelial Tissue: Epithelium lines both the outside (skin) and the inside cavities and  lumen  of bodiesRead MoreA Motivated Tactitian3391 Words   |  14 PagesBackground A motivated tactician, according to Fiske and Taylor (2013), refers to people’s tendency to depend on relatively automatic processes or alternatively on more controlled ones depending on situational and motivational demands. This term implies that individuals elect social cognitive processes based on the circumstances of the situation and the amount of motivation present. It is important to note, however, that there is no stark line that differentiates these processes, rather they existRead MoreThe Scientific Arguments Which Contain Freedom And Soft And Hard Determinism3111 Words   |  13 PagesIt seems to us that we are in control of our mind and body as a unified self. It means that we have free will to act. We can imagine it is like a homunculus in the Cartesian Theater which is responsible for making every decision in our brain. However, unless we can prove there is a homunculus in our brain, there is no consciousness. Libet and Wegner challenge the view that we do not have free will. â€Å"We can’t possibly know the tremendous number of mechanical influences on our behavior because we inhabitRead MoreThree Types Of Synesthesia As A Phenomenon2315 Words   |  10 Pagesto better understand the way the brain works with people who experience synesthesia. This article will reference and analyze research that has been conducted on synesthesia in the brain when stimulating two senses at once, the time course in neural activity of these senses, and patients with color-music synesthesia in the regards to the intensity of white matter in the brain. It will also focus on synesthesia and music and understanding the mechanisms in the brain that allow certain people to seeRead MoreSynesthesia And Music And Understanding The Mechanisms2011 Words   |  9 Pageson synesthesia and music and understanding the mechanisms in the brain that allow certain people to see colors when listening or playing music. This review will also reference and analysis res earch that has been conducted on synesthesia in the brain when stimulating two senses at once, the time course in neural activity of these senses, and patients with color-music synesthesia in the regards of intensity of white matter in the brain. The article will review the procedures, methods, and results of

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

World Wide Web and E-commerce Winter Free Essays

string(1959) " Issues Channel conflict Occurs whenever sales activities on a company’s Web site interfere with existing sales outlets Also called cannibalization Channel cooperation Giving customers access to the company’s products through a coordinated presence in all distribution channels An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 23 Strategic Alliances and Channel Distribution Management Strategic alliance When two or more companies join forces to undertake an activity over a long period of time Account aggregation services Increase the propensity of customers to return to the site Channel distribution managers Companies that take over the responsibility for a particular product line within a retail store An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 24 12 Creating an Effective Web Presence An organization’s presence The public image it conveys to its stakeholders Stakeholders of a firm Include its customers, suppliers, employees, stockholders, neighbors, and the general public An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 25 Achieving Web Presence Goals Objectives of the business Attracting visitors to the Web site Making the site interesting enough that visitors tay and explore Convincing visitors to follow the site’s links to obtain information An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 26 13 Achieving Web Presence Goals \(continued\) Objectives of the business Creating an impression consistent with the organization’s desired image Building a trusting relationship with visitors Reinforcing p ositive images that the visitor might already have about the organization Encouraging visitors to return to the site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 27 Profit-Driven Organizations Toyota site A good example of an effective Web presence Provides links to Detailed information about each vehicle model A dealer locator page Information about the company and the financing services it offers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 28 14 Toyota U\." Introduction to E-Commerce Revenue Models Objectives In this chapter, you will learn about: Revenue models How some companies move from one revenue model to another to achieve success Revenue strategy issues that companies face when selling on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 2 1 Objectives (continued) Creating an effective business presence on the Web Web site usability Communicating effectively with customers on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 3 Revenue Models Mail order or catalog model Proven to be successful for a wide variety of consumer items Web catalog revenue model Taking the catalog model to the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 4 2 Computers and Consumer Electronics Apple, Dell, Gateway, and Sun Microsystems have had great success selling on the Web Dell created value by designing its entire business around offering a high degree of configuration flexibility to its customers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 5 Books, Music, and Videos Retailers use the Web catalog model to sell books, music, and videos Among the most visible examples of electronic commerce Jeff Bezos Formed Amazon. com Jason and Matthew Olim Formed an online music store they called CDnow Used the Web catalog revenue model An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 6 3 Luxury Goods People are still reluctant to buy luxury goods through a Web site Web sites of Vera Wang and Versace Constructed to provide information to shoppers, not to generate revenue Web site of Evian Designed for a select, affluent group of customers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 7 Clothing Retailers Lands’ End Pioneered the idea of online Web shopping assistance with its Lands’ End Live feature in 1999 Personal shopper Intelligent agent program that learns customer’s preferences and makes suggestions Virtual model Graphic image built from customer measurements An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 8 4 Flowers and Gifts 1-800-Flowers Created an online extension to its telephone order business Chocolatier Godiva Offers business gift plans on its site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 9 Digital Content Revenue Models Firms that own intellectual property have embraced the Web as a new and highly efficient distribution mechanism Lexis. com Provides full-text search of court cases, laws, patent databases, and tax regulations ProQuest Sells digital copies of published documents An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 10 5 Advertising-Supported Revenue Models Broadcasters provide free programming to an udience along with advertising messages Success of Web advertising is hampered by No consensus on how to measure and charge for site visitor views Stickiness of a Web site: the ability to keep visitors and attract repeat visitors Very few Web sites have sufficient visitors to interest large advertisers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 11 Web Portals Web direct ory A listing of hyperlinks to Web pages Portal or Web portal Site used as a launching point to enter the Web Almost always includes a Web directory and search engine Examples: Yahoo! , AOL, AltaVista An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 12 6 Advertising-Subscription Mixed Revenue Models Subscribers Pay a fee and accept some level of advertising Typically are subjected to much less advertising Used by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 13 Advertising-Subscription Mixed Revenue Models (continued) Business Week Offers some free content at its Business Week online site Requires visitors to buy a subscription to the Business Week print magazine An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 14 7 Fee-for-Transaction Revenue Models Businesses offer services and charge a fee based on the number or size of transactions processed Disintermediation Removal of an intermediary from a value chain Reintermediation Introduction of a new intermediary An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 15 Fee-for-Service Revenue Models Fee based on the value of a service provided Services range from games and entertainment to financial advice Online games Growing number of sites include premium games in their offerings Site visitors must pay to play these premium games An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 16 8 Fee-for-Service Revenue Models (continued) Concerts and films As more households obtain broadband access to the Internet, companies are providing streaming video of concerts and films to paying ubscribers Professional Services State laws are one of the main forces preventing U. We will write a custom essay sample on World Wide Web and E-commerce Winter or any similar topic only for you Order Now S. professionals from extending their practices to the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 17 Revenue Models in Transition Subscription to advertising-supported model Microsoft founded its Slate magazine Web site An upscale news and current events publication Charged an annual subscription fee after a limited free introductory period Was unable to draw sufficient number of paid subscribers Now operated as an advertising-supported site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 18 9 Advertising-Supported to AdvertisingSubscription Mixed Model Salon. om Operated for several years as an advertisingsupported site Now offers an optional subscription version of its site Subscription offering was motivated by the company’s inability to raise additional money from investors An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 19 Advertising-Supported to Feefor-Services Model Xdrive Technologies Opened its original advertising-supported Web site in 1999 Offered free disk storage space onli ne to users After two years, it was unable to pay the costs of providing the service with the advertising revenue generated Later switched to a subscription-supported model An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 20 10 Advertising-Supported to Subscription Model Northern Light Founded in August 1997 as a search engine with a twist Revenue model Combination of advertising-supported model plus a fee-based information access service January 2002 Converted to a new revenue model that was primarily subscription supported An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 21 Multiple Transitions Encyclop? dia Britannica Original offerings The Britannica Internet Guide Free Web navigation aid Encyclop? dia Britannica Online Available for a subscription fee or as part of a CD package 1999 Converted to a free, advertiser-supported site 001 Returned to a mixed model An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 22 11 Revenue Strategy Issues Channel conflict Occurs whenever sales activities on a company’s Web site interfere with existing sales outlets Also called cannibalization Channel cooperation Giving customers access to the company’s products through a coordinated presence in all distribu tion channels An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 23 Strategic Alliances and Channel Distribution Management Strategic alliance When two or more companies join forces to undertake an activity over a long period of time Account aggregation services Increase the propensity of customers to return to the site Channel distribution managers Companies that take over the responsibility for a particular product line within a retail store An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 24 12 Creating an Effective Web Presence An organization’s presence The public image it conveys to its stakeholders Stakeholders of a firm Include its customers, suppliers, employees, stockholders, neighbors, and the general public An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 25 Achieving Web Presence Goals Objectives of the business Attracting visitors to the Web site Making the site interesting enough that visitors tay and explore Convincing visitors to follow the site’s links to obtain information An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 26 13 Achieving Web Presence Goals (continued) Objectives of the business Creating an impression consistent with the organization’s desired image Building a trusting relationship with visitors Reinforcing pos itive images that the visitor might already have about the organization Encouraging visitors to return to the site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 27 Profit-Driven Organizations Toyota site A good example of an effective Web presence Provides links to Detailed information about each vehicle model A dealer locator page Information about the company and the financing services it offers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 28 14 Toyota U. S. Home page An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 29 Profit-Driven Organizations (continued) Quaker Oats Web site does not offer a particularly strong sense of corporate presence Site is a straightforward presentation of links to information about the firm Redesigned site is essentially the same as the previous version An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 30 15 Quaker Oats Old Home Page An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 31 Quaker Oats Home Page: 1999 Redesign An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 32 16 Not-for-Profit Organizations Key goal for the Web sites Information dissemination Key element on any successful electronic commerce Web site Combination of information dissemination and a two-way contact channel An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 33 Web Site Usability Motivations of Web site visitors Learning about products or services that the company offers Buying products or services that the company offers Obtaining information about warranty, service, or repair policies for products they purchased Obtaining general information about the company or organization An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 34 17 Web Site Usability (continued) Motivations of Web site visitors Obtaining financial information for making an investment or credit granting decision Identifying the people who manage the company or organization Obtaining contact information for a person or department in the organization An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 35 Making Web Sites Accessible One of the best ways to accommodate a broad range of visitor needs is to build flexibility into the Web site’s interface Good site design lets visitors choose among information attributes Web sites can offer visitors multiple nformation formats by including links to files in those formats An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 36 18 Making Web Sites Accessible (continued) Goals that should be met when constructing Web sites Offer easily accessible facts about the organization Allow visitors to experience the site in different ways and at different levels Sustain visitor atten tion and encourage return visits Offer easily accessible information An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 37 Trust and Loyalty A 5 percent increase in customer loyalty can yield profit increases between 25% and 80% Repetition of satisfactory service can build ustomer loyalty Customer service is a problem for many electronic commerce sites An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 38 19 Usability Testing Companies that have done usability tests Conduct focus groups Watch how different customers navigate through a series of Web site test designs Cost of usability testing is low compared to the total cost of a Web site design or overhaul to E-Commerce An Introduction Winter 85, 39 Customer-Centric Web Site Design Putting the customer at the center of all site designs Guidelines Design the site around how visitors will navigate the links Allow visitors to access information quickly Avoid using inflated marketing statements An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 40 20 Customer-Centric Web Site Design (continued) Guidelines Avoid using business jargon and terms that visitors might not understand Be consistent in use of design features and colors Make sure navigation controls are clearly labeled Test text visibility on smaller monitors Conduct usability tests An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 41 Connecting With Customers Personal contact model Firm’s employees individually search for, qualify, and contact potential customers Prospecting Personal contact approach to identifying and reaching customers Mass media approach Firms prepare advertising and promotional materials about the firm and its products An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 42 21 Connecting With Customers (continued) Addressable media Advertising efforts directed to a known addressee Also called mass media One-to-many communication model Communication flows from one advertiser to many potential buyers One-to-one communication model Both buyer and seller participate in information exchange An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 43 Business Communication Modes An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 44 22 Summary Models used to generate revenue on the Web Web catalog Digital content sales Advertising-supported Advertising-subscription mixed Fee-for-transaction and fee-for-service Companies undertaking electronic commerce initiatives sometimes Form strategic alliances Contract with channel distribution managers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 45 Summary (continued) Firms must understand how the Web differs from other media Enlisting the help of users when building test versions of the Web site is a good way to create a site that represents the organization well Firms must also understand the nature of communication on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 46 23 How to cite World Wide Web and E-commerce Winter, Essay examples

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Disaster Risk Reduction free essay sample

This guidance note focuses on construction design, building standards and site selection, and their role in the mitigation of risk due to natural hazards. The note provides general guidance for design professionals and funding organizations involved in development projects concerning the construction of new infrastructure, strengthening intervention on existing infrastructure and post-disaster reconstruction. It provides guidance for analyzing the potential threat posed by poor construction and inappropriate land use in hazard-prone areas. Only formal constructions (mainly buildings) are considered and some guidance is given on designing structural intervention (construction or strengthening) plans to help mitigate risk from natural shards to vulnerable people, their livelihoods and the local economy. No specific technical solutions for the latter are proposed as each location and hazard requires a solution tailored to local needs and resources. However, references for further reading on technical issues are provided.Hazard risk mitigation infrastructure is not covered by this guidance note. 1. Introduction A significant part of development assistance is spent on the construction of infrastructure in developing countries. However, these investments and associated development gains can be lost in seconds in the event Of a natural izard event (see Box 1). The majority of human and direct economic losses from a natural hazard event occur as a direct result of damage to the built environment and/or ineffective early warning and evacuation systems.The negative impact of natural hazards on communities can be limited by taking such hazards into consideration when selecting sites, designing new infrastructure and strengthening existing infrastructure. The exclusion of hazard mitigation measures in development projects is unacceptable in view of the increasing disaster risk in developing countries caused by environmental degradation (see Guidance Note 7) and growing arbitration, with the accompanying rapid increase of poorly built housing, uncontrolled use of land, overstretched services and high population densities.Consequently, development organizations should be accountable for the hazard-proofing measures they include in their construction projects, and for the losses resulting from their inclusion. This applies to projects where a han ds-on approach is adopted or where the work is carried out by others.BOX 1 Consequences Of ignoring hazards in construction The following examples show how the lack of hazard measures or reliance on coal best practice only can lead to large human and economic losses and set back development goals in the event of a natural disaster: ; In the years preceding the May 2000 floods, the World Bank financed the construction of 487 schools in Macaque according to local building practice. However, during the floods 500 primary schools and seven secondary schools were damaged or destroyed, 1 severely setting back development goals. World Bank.Hazards of Nature, Risks to Development: An GIG Evaluation of World Bank Assistance for Natural Disasters. Washington, DC: World Bank, Independent Evaluation Group, 2006. Available at: http://www. Workloads. Org/ gig/underestimates/ Gu i dance No et 12 The Caribbean Development Bank, the Limited States Agency for International Development (SAID) and the government of Dominica funded the construction of a deep-seawater port in Woodbine Bay, Dominica. The Delft Hydraulics Laboratory (Netherlands) carried out a specializes study of the hazards at the port and submitted a report. The contractors who designed the port ignored the maximum wave height indicated in the report and built the port to withstand waves of less than half that height. In 1979, one year fà ªte the completion of the project, port structures and facilities were severely damaged by Hurricane David. Repair costs amounted to ISIS 3. 9 million (estimated for 1982), 41 per cent of the ports construction costs. The Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Project (CDMA) determined that strengthening the port structures at the design stage would have cost only 10 per cent of the construction costs. The 2001 Bush earthquake in India led to widespread damage, including the collapse of 461 ,593 rural houses of rubble masonry construction. Good seismic codes of practice exist in India, but their non enforcement, combined with poor inspection procedures, led to the failure and heavy damage of 1 79 high-rise reinforced concrete buildings in Metadata, 230 kilometers away from the epicenter. Damage to port operations and industry resulted in approximately CSS$ 5 billion of direct and indirect losses. Hurricane Mitch, which hit Honduras in 1998, resulted in a loss equivalent to 41 per cent of the country gross domestic product (GAP). 4 Hurricane Luis in 1995 caused losses to Antigen and Barbuda equivalent to 65 per cent of their GAP. 5 In January and February 2001, two major earthquakes devastated II Salvador. More than 1 65,000 homes were destroyed and 1 1 0,000 damaged. In the most affected areas, up to 85 per cent of the houses were destroyed. The degree of destruction can be attributed to two main factors: the building material used and the quality Of construction and maintenance. 2. Current state of the art In past development initiatives involving the construction of infrastructure, the option of designing and building to reduce the vulnerability of infrastructure to natural hazards has often been ignored due to the perceived higher costs and lack of appropriate expertise. Furthermore, the selection of he location for services or critical facilities has often been made on the basis of land cost and availability, rather than from consideration of safety from potential natural hazards.Typically, development organizations rely on best local practices in hiring contractors to undertake construction work. Problems arise when best local practice does not incorporate the use of any building codes for hazard resistance or uses building codes that inadequately account for local hazards. The latter type Of code typically exists in countries where infrequent natural hazards occur or where there is an incomplete satirical record of past natural disasters. This results in hazard or zoning maps that do not adequately represent the frequency of occurrence or potential magnitude of natural hazards (see Guidance Note 2). Even when appropriate building codes exist, their correct application requires skilled engineers, architects and builders and effective enforcement and inspection procedures. Poor governance and corruption, leading to, for example, abuse of land use controls and building permits and codes, and illegal expansion of buildings, often exacerbate damage caused by disasters. In addition, most evolving countries lack certification and licensing processes for professionals and enforcement procedures are non-existent.Enforcement procedures have, however, also been found to be ineffective in some developed countries, as was highlighted by Hurricane Andrew (1992) in Florida, ASSAI, and the Commit earthquake (1999) in Turkey. The adoption of best local practice and of opportunity-based land use can, therefore, lead to a promotion of existing weaknesses in buildings and infrastructure. Funding and development organizations alike need to ensure that experienced hazard specialists and engineers coo rdinate or implement instruction projects (by either employing them directly or ensuring that the contracted work will be led by such people).This specialist (or team of experts, depending on the number of hazards and scale of the project) should set a framework for the design and construction, which may then be executed by other engineers, builders and workers. 2 3 4 5 6 2 COM. Costs and benefits of hazard mitigation for building and infrastructure development: A case study in small island developing states. Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Project publication series. Washington, DC: Organization of American States, 2004. Available at: http://www. As. Org/CDMA/document/ papers/items. HTML MAE. The Bush Earthquake of 2001. CD Release 01-04.Mid- America Earthquake Center Reconnaissance Report, 2001. Gunned-Jones, A. Land-use planning: How effective is it in reducing vulnerability to natural hazards? Institute of Civil Deference and Disasters Studies, 2006. Available at: http://www. Acids. Org/ Gibbs, T. How can the resilience of infrastructure be increased? Proceedings of the 82nd Hilton Park Conference, Weston House, West Sussex, England, 9-1 1 September 2002. Dowling, D. M. Adobe housing in El Salvador: Earthquake performance and seismic improvement. In Rose, W. I. Et al. (des), GSA Special Paper 375: Natural Hazards in El Salvador.Geological Society of America, 2004, up 281 -301 Oversimplifications-Disenfranchisements s aster Risk Reduction Contrary to common perception, the implementation of hazard-proof measures in building can be relatively inexpensive in terms of construction costs. What can be expensive is the provision of an effective framework for the take-up of these measures (e. G. , the provision of skills training appropriate hazard studies, research into low-cost strengthening solutions). However, if an effective mechanism exists for the enforcement of quality control and codes of practice, these costs will all be covered by the construction industry.The problem in many cases is the lack of legal mandating of building codes and consequent lack of their enforcement, which puts the onus on agencies commissioning and funding development projects also to provide the necessary research and development, training and education. However, CDMA found that the development and enforcement Of appropriate building codes and standards do not make development costs prohibitive. An investment in disaster mitigation can result in a manifold saving in disaster relief and development setbacks (see Box 2).Where development agencies have invested in the promotion of hazard-resistant construction, many of the projects have been well thought out and have shown large benefit (see Box 3). Box 2 What is the cost? The implementation of hazard-proof measures in building can be relatively inexpen sive and provide longtime benefit to development projects: ; The implementation of simple modifications to improve the cyclone-resistance of (non-masonry) catch or temporary houses in Bangladesh is only 5 per cent f the construction costs. ; Introducing earthquake-resistance principles (optimum layout, use of capacity design principles and more stringent criteria for the design of connections) in the design stage of modern infrastructure will increase the construction costs by 5 to 14 per cent. ; The retrofit for hurricane resistance of the Victoria Hospital (SST Lucia) in 1993 and the Princess Margaret Hospital (Dominica) in 1980 was estimated by Consulting Engineers Partnership to be, respectively, 1 per cent and 2. 2 per cent of their contemporary replacement costs. 9 3.Merging hazard-risk considerations in construction rejects An integrated and comprehensive approach is necessary to improve the safety of buildings from natural hazards. This includes investing in strengthening existing structures and promoting safer building in development projects and post-disaster reconstruction projects. In hazard- prone countries, it is essential that both funding and development organizations ensure that engineers specializes in hazard-resistant construction be consulted in the initial stages of construction projects.BOX 3 Some observed successes Ascertaining whether the use of safe building or strengthening techniques successfully provides adequate hazard resistance is not easy, a s the constructions have not been subjected to the hazard they were designed for. Some exceptions do, however, exist: ; In 1977, following a cyclone that devastated coastal areas Of Andorra Pradesh, India, a voluntary group, AWARE, built 1 ,500 houses in Krishna District. These houses followed the Central Building Research Institutes cyclone-proof designs, which consisted of concrete block (made of cement and granite rubble) walls with a reinforced concrete slab roof.Of these houses, 1,474 withstood the stronger cyclone that hit the region in 1990. 10 7 COM (2001 Lewis, J. And Chisholm, M. P. Cyclone-resistant Domestic Construction in Bangladesh. In Hodgkin, R. L. P. , Sera, S. M. , and Chuddar, J. R. (des), Implementing hazard-resistant housing. Proceedings of the First International Housing and Hazards Workshop to Explore Practical Building for Safety Solutions, Dacha, Bangladesh, 3-?5 December 1996. 9 Gibbs (2002); see footnote 5. 10 Sir, AIMS. And Reedy, IA S. The cyclone-prone coastal region of the State of Andorra Pradesh, India A state-government approach.In Susan, Y. Et al. , Developing building for safety programmer: Guidelines for organizing safe alluding improvement programmer in disaster-prone areas. London: Intermediate Technology Publications, 1995. In Peru, sheets of welded steel mesh covered in cement-?sand mortar were applied to the walls of existing adobe houses during a prototype strengthening programmer. When the Reequip earthquake shook Peru in 2001, these houses survived undamaged, while nearby houses collapsed or were severely damaged. Al Only two schools were left standing in Grenade after the passage of Hurricane Ivan (September 2004).Both had been subject to retrofit through a World Bank initiative. One of the schools was used to souse displaced persons after the event. 12 After the passage of Typhoon Asians in the Philippines in 1987, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, in consultation with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADAPT), constructed 450 housing units. They were designed with a core shelter consisting of concrete footings with steel post straps bolted onto four wooden corner posts and frames, roof frames and trusses. Indigenous materials were used for all roof and wall cladding.The houses resisted two subsequent typhoons without significant damage. 13 Between 27 August and 18 September 1 995, Hurricanes Luis and Marilyn caused damage to 876 housing units in Dominica causing a total loss of LIST$ 4. 2 million. The small wooden houses that were destroyed did not comply with local building codes. But all the buildings that had been retrofitted, which consisted of simple modifications to local construction, through the CDMA Safer Construction Programmer successfully withstood the hurricanes. 14 On 29 May 1 990, an earthquake of magnitude 5. Struck the Alto-Mayo in north-eastern Peru. The poor standard of construction (mainly houses made of typical or rammed earth) resulted in the loss of over 3,000 houses; 65 people were killed and 607 injured. Technological Intermediate (IT Peru)1 5 introduced an improved quinces house, which slightly modified traditional technology in order to reduce vulnerability to future earthquakes. When a second earthquake of magnitude 6. 2 hit the region in April 1 991, 70 quinces houses had been built and local people could see for themselves that they were more hazard resistant.A further 1, 120 quinces were built with aid from IT Peru over the next five years and later, local people built another 4,000 similar houses. In order to set the design criteria for a risk reduction project, the hazards, the rent risk and level of risk that is socially acceptable must be identified. A multi-hazard appraisal should be carried out at an early stage to identify the types of hazards, their likely severity and recurrence (see Guidance Notes 2 and 7). An evaluation of the current risk includes identifying locations most likely to become unsafe in the event of a natural hazard (e. . , areas prone to flooding. Landslides or earthquake-induced liquefaction) and assessing their land use, as well as assessing the ability of local construction to resist the identified hazards. A survey of existing buildings and infrastructure can identify significant vulnerabilities prior to the occurrence of a hazardous event. In a post-disaster scenario, lessons can be learned from the behavior of different construction types during the event. Post-disaster diagnostic surveys should be integrated into disaster reconstruction programmer.In order to determine the socially acceptable risk, 16 local and national building codes, 17 international legislation and good practice should be examined to obtain an idea of current accepted levels of risk for different hazards and infrastructure. For example, in the case of most earthquake engineering odes, Structures of normal importance are designed to withstand an earthquake with a 10 per cent probability of being exceeded in 50 years (i. E. , an event with a return period of 475 years). The local government and community should then be consulted and a level of risk determined for the design.It is important to note that the level of socially acceptable risk will vary according to the use and importance of the facility and the desired post- natural hazard event performance. Finally if, for the identified hazards, the level of current risk is greater than that which is socially acceptable, then the deed for hazard-proofing (and/or re-sitting) is established, and the socially acceptable risk and identified hazards become the design criteria for the new construction or strengthening works. 11 Blonder, Garcia and Breeze (2003). 12 World Bank. Grenade, Hurricane Ivan: Preliminary Assessment of Damages, September 17, 2004. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2004. Available at: http://stereoscopes. Workloads. Org/ANTISMOG/Resources/ grenade_assessment. PDF 13 Deacon, D. Typhoon resistant housing in the Philippines: The core Shelter project. Disasters, 16 1992. 14 COM. Toolkit: A Manual for Implementation of the Hurricane-resistant Home Improvement Program in the Caribbean. Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Project publication series. Washington, DC: Organization of American States, 1999. Available at: http://womb. As. Org/CDMA/document/toolkit/toolkit. HTML 15 Based on Maskers, A. The Alto-Mayo reconstruction plan, Peru -? an MONGO approach.In Susan et al. (1995) and in Ferreira, P. , Post-disaster housing reconstruction for sustainable risk reduction in Peru, Open House International, 2006, 31(1 16 Socially acceptable risk is the probability of failure (damage) of infrastructure that is acceptable to governments and the mineral population in view of the frequency and size of natural hazards, and the infrastructure use, importance and potential consequences of its damage. For example, it is unacceptable that a nuclear power station be damaged by any natural hazard event; the acceptable risk is, therefore, zero.In most cases constructing buildings and infrastructure that can fully resist the largest possible natural hazard is uneconomical (and often unjustified due to the rare nature of some natural hazards). Hence a limited risk is accepted. 17 Building codes are defined as standards and guidelines for the construction of alluding and infrastructure to a minimum level of safety for the occupants. See COM, Hazard-resistant Construction. Washington, DC: Organization of American States and Squids Unit of Sustainable Development and Environment, 2006. Available at: http://www. As. Org/CDMA/gabbled. HTML OVERCOMPENSATIONS Box 4 -Tools for Mainstreaming D Challenges, opportunities and good practice in post-disaster reconstruction Post-disaster reconstruction projects present a real opportunity for the introduction of hazard-proof measures in construction and land use planning. Heightened hazard awareness and increased funding for construction can be rareness to promote these measures and to achieve the legislative reforms required for regulating land use, hazard-resistant building code change, enforcement and construction quality control.Development and humanitarian agencies should take a coordinated approach to reconstruction in a post-disaster scenario. Furthermore, local or national governing bodies must support major reconstruction initiatives. It is important that viable institutional frameworks and appropriate funding partnerships are established. Reconstruction should not be precipitate. Immediate needs can be addressed with temporary measures and a realistic timescale sh ould be established which will allow hazard-proof design experts to be consulted and long-term goals to be considered in the reconstruction. Social needs, land availability and economic constraints mean that it is not always possible to secure land that is safe from all hazards in post-disaster reconstruction. However, it is still possible to reduce future losses from disasters through appropriate construction and planning measures. It is important to note that resources made available immediately after a disaster for reconstruction will probably not be available for longer-term opacity building or to bring about a change in practice.One solution, contained in the United Kingdoms Department for International Development (DAD) Disaster Risk Reduction policy paper, 1 8 is to set aside 10 per cent of disaster funds to reduce the impact of related future disasters. Throughout the project design and implementation it is essential that local stakeholders are actively involved. Local stakeholders include the direct beneficiaries, the wider affected community, local authorities, government and local academic and building experts. This will aid in the development of a rule sustainable technical solution (for infrastructure strengthening or reconstruction) and will increase acceptance of the project. A sustainable and successful project goes beyond site selection, the choice of a sustainable solution and training of local builders, to also involve issues of land tenure, finance, education for risk awareness and future maintenance (see Box 5). Box 5 Beyond building Proposing safe building or repair and strengthening practices is not sufficient to ensure take-up by communities.Integrated, community-based approaches for safer building should be promoted by: ; raising hazard awareness wrought education; ; community participation in developing the project, in decision-making and in design selection; ; developing locally acceptable, affordable and sustainable technological improvements; ; developing effective ways of communicating technical messages to target groups; ; skills development training for local builders and craftspeople; ; improvement of general living conditions; ; training architects and engineers (in both public and private sectors), building officials and building by-l aw enforcement officers; and ; community-based disaster preparedness planning. 19 Hospitals are critical facilities for post-disaster relief, and it is not only the loss of structural integrity that can compromise operation but also damage to hospital equipment and to surrounding infrastructure (e. G. , loss of access, water supply and electricity). Full structural, contents and systems network risk analyses should be carried out. The pan American Health Organization (PAPA)20 provides a series of guidelines for such analyses. Apart from the enormous emotional impact of student deaths, damage to schools and the loss of teachers have a negative impact on the education of survivors. Schools

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Managing high performance organizations

Introduction High Performance organizations (HIPOs) are usually characterized by a high performing workplace, which is established as a result of reinforcing the organization’s vision, mission, values, goals and objectives through an engagement of the employees.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing high performance organizations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Basically, a High Performance Organization embarks on strategies that are aimed at maximizing the best of the human resources found within the organization through the use of recruitment, retaining of employees and talent and performance management (Alkhafaji 2003). The underlying framework of a High Performance Organization is to align the human resource and capital towards the achievement of the organizational mission and values. This implies that HIPOs rely on integration of Human Resource practices with aspect of talent management, with the main objective of exploiting talent Return on Investment and enhance the success of the organization. Some of the core dynamics of HIPOs include information sharing, shared power and high employee i9nvolvement, compelling vision, ongoing learning, customer focus and energizing systems and structures (Arredondo 1996). This paper discusses roles and practices of HIPOs and the aspect of energizing systems and structures and it is effective in the context if Qantas Airways, which is one of the oldest airlines that has been under continuous operation. The paper lays more emphasis on supporting employee, process and structure and developing programs and function. In addition, the paper also outlines the Human Resource as a supporting system and process executive such as conducting an evaluation process for leadership, organizational learning and employee engagement. The Energizing systems and structures, processes and practices that are deployed High Performance Organizations are usually used in a such a manner that they facilitates the realization of the organization’s vision, goals and objectives and the directions of the organization’s strategic plan. This helps in making it easy for individuals within an organization to undertake their tasks effectively and efficiently (Blanchard 2009). In addition, the energizing systems and structures offer a framework through which the organization can deploy in order to address the barriers and opportunities in a timely fashion. In order to determine if organizational structures and systems are energizing, it is vital to ascertain whether the deployed structures and systems help individuals in an organization to complete their tasks with ease or whether they increase the difficulty of task completion, thereby reducing organizational efficiency and effectiveness (Blanchard 2009).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More An organization that aims at becoming High Performing should focus on supporting employees in order to enhance the production of sustainable results. This implies that people within the organization are perceived as assets of ultimate significance. The high performing organization does not embark on the philosophical approach whereby people in the organization are viewed as potential liabilities (Chartered Institute of Personal Development 2006). Therefore, a high performing organization should embark on finding its employees happier and are more successful and productive when undertaking their duties at the organization. Energizing systems and structures are important in the context of Qantas Airways because the offer the required tools for employee empowerment, which in turn results to valuable contributions that are necessary for the success of the organization (Drucker 2007). In addition, energizing systems and structures facilitate the creation of a workplace environmen t that is characterized by respect and diversity. With this respect, diversity is viewed as asset and a tool for enhancing innovativeness, creativeness and value addition. It is a moral and social responsibility of organizations and business enterprises to embrace diversity within their organizational workforce. Ignoring diversity can impose significant effects on the business performance of an organization, and can additionally impose huge costs regarding the damaged business reputation and compensation payments. Diversity can generally be described as valuing every organizational member as an individual (Goldsmith Hu-Chan 2003). With this respect, managing diversity is core to the effective management of people within an organization, and it is usually relevant to the all the business processes and functions. The significant challenge when managing diversity is to establish an organizational culture that meets the values of every organizational member, which is needed to foster e mployee productivity. Research studies report that organizations are faced with difficulties during workforce recruitment, as a result, business enterprises and organizations that do not emphasize on managing diversity are gradually risking in the increasing competition for available talent across diverse cultures. In the present business environment that is competitive, it is imperative that business enterprises explore all the potential sources that can be used to create a competitive advantage. The implication of this is that employers must have an in depth understanding of the aspect of diversity and its relationship with business performance, this offers a framework through which business enterprises can compete productively (Bolman Deal 2008).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing high performance organizations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The roles and practices High Performing Organizations are c entered towards enhancing the efficiency of their human capital. This primarily entails focusing on five roles and practices of HIPOs including strategy, leadership, talent, culture and market. Strategy involves the alignment of organization’s human resource with the business strategies, implying that each employee in the organization focus on the achievement of the same goals. Leadership involves communication of the performance expectations, development and promotion of the right human capital and informing organizational members the significance of their attitudes towards the success of the organization. With regard to talent, the organization’s HR strategy must be established in accordance with the business model with the main objective of ensuring that the selected human capital can facilitate the realization of the business value (Bolman and Deal, 2008). It is also imperative that the organizational culture at all organizational levels should be subject to alignm ent; this implies that the departmental leaders have to show the commitment required towards the development of aligned organizational culture. Market involves the employees having an understanding of the significance of customers, and how their jobs influence the success of the business (Blanchard 2009). The HR also has a significant role as a supporting system and process executive through avenues such as evaluation processes for leadership, organizational learning and employee engagement. The HR should focus on mobilizing teams within the organization, with the main objective of fostering cohesiveness. This can be achieved through the creation of a workplace environment that facilitates collaboration and teamwork together with a flat hierarchy organizational culture. This implies that employees have their say in the organizational operations (Chartered Institute of Personal Development 2006). The benefit of such an organizational structure in the context of Qantas Airways is maxi mizing the available resources in an organization through empowering individuals and providing them with opportunities to exercise leadership in their various fields of skill. The need for collective leadership is due to the increasing complexity in the dynamic of organizational activities; which become overwhelming for one individual to manage an organization (Blanchard 2009). The HR also has a significant role in people development and the retention of expertise in the organization. It is a challenge to retain people especially in organizations that do not show any progress.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Retention of high-impact performers is always constrained by a number of recognized trends including: the declined status of working for a large company, the repeated lack of association connecting pay and contribution, the increasing influence that technical experts have and the reduced number of titles due to restructuring of companies (Blanchard 2009). The leaders therefore must gain knowledge of how to manage human resources with the same skills they apply to manage financial resources. Some of the ways of retaining employees in an organization include showing them respect and dignity, creating a thriving environment, providing sufficient training to the employees, being a coach and appealing to the employees and rewarding and organizing employees’ achievements (Blanchard 2009). Conclusion An organization that is High Performing has the potential of remaining competitive through attaining a balance between meeting the requirements of inside and outside stakeholders. With the ever increasing evolution of organizational theories, the HIPOs model is one of the frameworks that organizations such as the Qantas Airways have to adopt in order to be successful in the present business context. References Alkhafaji, A 2003, Strategic management: formulation, implementation, and control in a dynamic environment, Routledge, London. Arredondo, P 1996, Successful diversity management initiatives: a blueprint for planning and implementation, Sage, London. Blanchard, K 2009, Leading at a Higher Level: Balanchard on leadership and creating high performing organizations, FT Press, New York. Bolman, L Deal, T 2008, Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, CA. Chartered Institute of Personal Development 2006, ‘Diversity in Business: How Much progress have employers made?’, Diversity in Business, pp. 3-15. Drucker, F 2007, Management challenges for the 21st century, Butterworth-Heinemann, New York. G oldsmith, M Hu-Chan, M 2003, Global leadership: the next generation, Pearson education Inc Prentice hall., New York. This essay on Managing high performance organizations was written and submitted by user Samiyah Suarez to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell It was good, it was bad ; it was a dream, it was a nightmare; It was justice , it was injustice. When white becomes dark , pens try to enlighten the way for those who are strays. Orwell's pen was one of those pens. His masterpiece Animal Farm revealed the truth for the simple people who sacrificed every thing for nothing.In Animal Farm, George Orwell uses farm animals to portray people of power and the common people during the Russian Revolution. The novel starts off with the Major explaining to all the animals in the farm how they are being treated wrongly and how they can over throw their owner, Mr. Jones. They finally gang up on their owner and he leaves the farm. Then they start their own farm with their own rules and commandments. Originally the two people in charge of the Animal Farm, are Napoleon and Snowball.Government spendingOld Major is a character in the book that leads the entire crew of animals; he is the ruler in society. Boxer is a cart-pulling horse that represents t he common person in real life. Benjamin, the donkey, is the critic in society. Napoleon is the challenger in society; he is the prodessor to his ruler. Snowball is the follower of the follower in society. He does not have a mind of his own; he is a second follower.All and all, the book was unrealistic, extremely static, not prone to a suspense factor, and plain boring. It was poorly written, and for those who do not understand that...

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

A Linear Programming Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Linear Programming - Math Problem Example In mathematics, linear programming (LP) problems involve the optimization of a linear objective function (i.e., maximize profit or minimize cost) subject to linear equality and inequality contraints. {"Linear Programming." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia}. Since the problem involves a production and distribution system, use of the Transportation Method in Linear Programming is the best way to solve this. {Heizer, Jay and Render, Render. "Production and Operations Management". pp. 373-399}. A dummy destination is required since the production capacity is greater than the demand. {Heizer, Jay and Render, Render. "Production and Operations Management". p381} .. FromTo Ashmum Branford Crackers Cookies Chips Crackers Cookies Chips Milford 20 50 30 Guilford 30 25 20 This recommendation will enable the company to minimize total operating cost at US$ 3,195,000 per month whilst efficiently supplying the requirement of each outlet. List of Cited Works {Heizer, Jay and Render, Render. "Production and Operations Management".4th Edition.p.240} {Heizer, Jay and Render, Render. "Production and Operations Management".4th Edition. Chapter 9. pp. 373-399} {Heizer, Jay and Render, Render. "Production and Operations Management".4th Edition. Chapter 9. p381} {"Linear Programming." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia}.

Monday, February 3, 2020

Last 2 religion journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Last 2 religion journal - Essay Example In the former, spiritual experiences are taken to be the result of the processes of matter. In pantheistic theology, both nature and mind (spirit) are considered to be manifestations of some divine principle, which pervades all nature but is ultimately not different from it. The view that nature depends on God can be either theistic or deistic. For me, both of these trends have one thing in common: They assume that nature is ordered and that the human mind is capable of tracing out that order. One could, therefore, try to unfold on an analytical basis the respective impacts of those various religious ideologies on the scientific enterprise. However, such an approach would, at almost every step, imply historical considerations about science, and all the more so as science has only gradually revealed itself as a strictly quantitative study of things in motion. It may, therefore, seem more logical to specify, from the start, those impacts in their historical context, because pantheism, theism, deism, and materialism represent also a historical sequence (Byrne 54). This opinion holds true in respect both to the formulation of a major scientific theory and to its subsequent interpretation. Hence, the relation of deism to science is a matter that is essentially different in its status before and after Newtons Principia. Before the appearance of that work, which preceded the robust emergence of deism in the Western world, pantheism and deism could play their respectively inhibitory and creative roles in science (Byrne 59). After the Principia, exact science had a broadly articulated mathematical, or quantitative, structure that safely operated within its own set of methodical canons and retained a very large measure of independence from participating scientists religious or antireligious motivations. And, as is well known, this distinction led to the deism, which

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Changes And Trends Of The Hospitality Industry

Changes And Trends Of The Hospitality Industry In the last few decades, the hospitality industry has gone through many changes. According to Go and Pine, (1995) and Guerrier et al. (1998), changes in the industry are mainly due to the globalization, the changes are mainly due to globalization. Supported by Barrows C.W and Power T. (2009) globalization, in a sense has become old news but with the falling of trade barriers brought on by the North American Free Trade Agreement and the European Community has made borders seem nonexistent. With North America and European countries having a major trading role with other countries, the ease of financial transaction and information is an important step in the restructuring of the hospitality industry. Besides globalization, the growth of multiple ownership of hotels and stronger hotel brandings in the late 90s and early 20s has affected the hospitality industry, especially in organizational structure. (Go and Pine, 1995 Guerrier et al, 1998) Moreover, in this day and time, while those changes are still relevant, there are many other factors that contribute to the ever-changing nature of the hospitality industry. World changing incidents such as the tragic terrorist events in North America, Madrid, London and Bali, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), hurricane Katrina, the economy downturn, the A (H1N1) influenza pandemic and political tensions of the past decade will have a lasting effect on how the hospitality industry will operate. While there are challenging issues in the past, never has the industry have to face with so many issues at one time. However, in the face of these challenges, the hospitality industry is set to beat expectations on economic recovery with Global Travel Tourism Economy real GDP growth is expected to rise by 2% this year beating the estimate of 0.5%, and thus creating an extra 946,000 job worldwide. (WTTC, 2010) High profile hospitality institutions have gotten together and hosted pa nel discussions and studies on the effects of these tragic incidents on the industry particularly on the terrorist incident of September 11, 2001. Both short term and long term effects are seen on the hospitality industries. These studies have identified different effects ranging from people not travelling for any reason to travelling for important needs and finally to somewhat normal travel patterns of the past. Surely but slowly the patterns will reach normal levels but the question here is when. Trends of the hospitality industry These days as more and more people travel the world be it for pleasure or business, they want somewhere as close to home to feel comfortable. However, there are other people who want otherwise, something different rather than having the same feeling at home, they want a different experience of living style which they can only dream off. (Weissinger, 2000) Therefore, there are many diverse types of hotels that sit under the umbrella definition of hotels. On that note, the front office department is often considered the nerve centre of a hotel and is unchanged in terms of roles to be played. (Bardi, J.A., 2007) According to Vallen and Vallen (2004) front office is defined in terms of role as the first and main contact point between a guest and an operating hotel. Generally the front office activities can include all functions that center around the reception desk and its allied areas. This can be simplified from greeting guests, providing of information, checking in and out, till the m oment they leave the property. Roldan (2004) states that the key to success of a hotel business starts off with the first contact between the guest and the hotel personnel. Being the first contact point, the front office staffs first impression upon a hotel guest is vital; the way they are received and treated can mean repeated patronage in the future. The future professionals of the industry have to analyze who their customers are and what they want. In todays day and age, Bardi J.A., (2010) and Barrows C.W., and Power T., (2009) supports Go and Pine, (1995) and Guerrier et al., (1998) in its changes of factors in the industry and moreover identifies additional aspects such as the different trends of customers that foster growth in the industry, the author says that, the trend towards the increase in leisure time and working less years is one reason behind the growth. The second factor would be the pleasure concept of consumers that was brought forth Barrows C.W., and Power T.,(2009) reinforced by Bardi, J.A.,(2010) stating that the work ethic of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries have greatly influenced the way Americans play, as recreation and leisure was were considered privileges. With that in mind, in the world today, as the current trend for discretionary income in the emergence of two-way income and family planning is booming, the hospitality industry is changing. Problem Statement The hospitality and tourism industry is an ever-changing industry with new technological advances and trends that comes in waves and then disperses. Hotels being a part of the industry have to adapt and change as well. The hotel front office is one area that has to constantly reorganize with the changes in the industry. In regards to the fluctuating environment of the industry, the industry is still making a comeback, stronger each year. Both the demand and supply for workers are present at state; however, the qualities of these workers are still in question. The high labour turnover experienced in the hospitality industry is common in this day and time and can be due to many factors such as long working hours, low pay, the wide array of job opportunities and many more. In the hospitality industry, especially in the hotel sectors, service is the key to retaining customers (Maxwell, Watson and Quail, 2004) and is what separates competition these hotels from one another. Therefore, it is not a problem to be taken lightly and this study aims to take a look at the people of the workforce itself. Research Questions What are the key skills and attributes needed to be effective in the front office department? Does graduating with a high school certificate, diploma or degree in hotel management make a difference in terms of performing? What are the future prospects of front office employees? What are the intentions of front office employees? What are the natures of front office work? How do the industry players retain its employees? Research Objectives To investigate and analyze the key skills and attributes to be effective in the front office department. To look into the subject of obtaining a high school certificate, diploma or degree in hotel management; does it make a difference? To further gain insight on the future prospects of front office employees. To investigate the intentions of front office employees and what they want. To investigate further the scope of front office work. A research into the whys of employee turnover reasons. With the informed data gathered upon answering said questions on top, the enablement of the hospitality industry players to estimate Hypothesis Human Capital > Internationalization Human capital positively affects the internationalization of an enterprise. Human Capital > Service Innovation Human capital positively affects the innovation of service employees in regards to their work. Internationalization > Performance Internationalization affects the performance of a firm whether it is financially or through guess satisfaction level. Service Innovation > Performance The innovation of the workforce leads to better performance and guest satisfaction. Theoretical / Conceptual Framework The original Degree of Internationalization Entrepreneurial Orientation Performance Service Innovation Human Capital The original framework was built for professional service firms especially small and medium enterprises (SME) (Radulovich, 2008). It was constructed to relate a service firms entrepreneurial orientation, human capital, the firms degree of internationalization, service innovation, and performance. This framework was constructed upon thoroughly examining in the aforementioned areas above. Adapted Framework Degree of Internationalization Human Capital Performance Service Innovation Skills and training (Human Capital) > Internationalization and Service Innovation > Effective workforce > Guest Satisfaction and Performance This framework has been adapted and changed accordingly to fit into the hospitality industrys index. The core conceptual framework is unchanged with the exception of excluding the Entrepreneurial Orientation aspect which is highly unlikely to affect the core concept and theory that is to be explained. As changes are made, Human Capital will now be the core driving force. Hypothesis Related to Human Capital and Degree of Internationalization In a study done by (Hitt, et al, 2006) concludes that human capital is a primary resource contributor to professional service international expansion. The theory here is that a firms degree of internationalization is closely related to the human capital of the organization. Key factors identified as contributing factors are knowledge (Autio Sapienza Almeida, 2000) and also top management characteristics (Bloodgood, Sapienza Almeida, 1996). This study also identified that the characteristics and experience of the top management team relates positively to the internationalization of an organization. Another more recent study also proves that there is empirical study which shows support for human capital resources as influencing degree of internationalization. (Hitt, Bierman, Uhlenbruck, Shimizu, 2006) Therefore it can be concluded that there is positive influence of human capital professional service towards the internationalization. Hypothesis Related to Human Capital and Service Innovation Human resources can be defined as interpersonal and business skills and is proven that there is a positive effect on a firms innovation strategies. In a study done in the US, human capital at both the individual and firm level is identified as a positive effect on service innovations (Zhou, 2007). Shane (2000) also recorded that prior knowledge affects an individual ability to perceive new opportunities and to contribute innovative solutions. To support this theory, an in-depth study was done with 8 firms conducting a study on examining innovation and opportunity recognition and is reported that prior experience affected their ability to perceive opportunities and innovate. (Edelman, Brush, Manolova, 2005). Furthermore, the prior knowledge and specialized knowledge of the internal human resources are significant contributors to the innovation of work speed and competition level as recorded in Taiwanese high-tech ventures. (Wu, Wang, Chen, Pan, 2008) Hypothesis Related to Degree of Internationalization and Performance Studies relating the degree of internationalization and performance are not new and there is empirical evidence to support this theory which positively affects a firms performance (Bloodgood, Sapienza, Almeida, 1996; Delios Beamish, 1999; Grant 1987; Hitt, Hoskisson, Kim, 1997). Studies also show that as a new venture firm gets into the international markets earlier gains better advantages over their competitors and improved performance. (Brock, Yaffe, Dembovsky, 2006). In the view of hospitality terms, a brand name can be created upon trust and loyalty which is an important factor for continuous visits. Hypothesis Related to Service Innovation and Performance Service innovation on service performance has been theoretically and empirically confirmed with studies done in recent years. It is confirmed that in differing context of globalization that innovation still improves performance of a firm. Zhou, Yin and Tse (2005) have documented this relationship in their study done in the emerging market of China. As China is a transitioning and developing market, it is only comparable to the market of Malaysia. The comparison of the effects of China to the economy of Hong Kong found that innovation plays a major role in both these markets. (Luk, Yau, Sin, Tse, Chow, Lee, 2008) Scope / Limitations Scope: In this study, the author has chosen to conduct the research in all 5 star hotels in the area of the city of Kuala Lumpur. This scope will help dictate and represent city hotels in Malaysia as it is busiest all year round, and the job scopes of the hotels are wide enough to obtain data. On a deeper level, a survey will be conducted to all front office staff (e.g. Front office attendant, bellboy, front office accountant, etc) in order to obtain information. Limitations: As for limitations, time restraints and resource limitations would be the biggest factor. As the author would only have approximately 6 months to collect and analyze the data, the depth of the research may not be too detailed. Besides that, there will be a limit to research options available to the author due to insufficient knowledge on research ways and as this will be the first research paper done by the author. Notwithstanding, being a student, there will be limitations in terms of access to data because of monetary issues and outlets to gain information in the industry. Significance of Study This research paper intends to analyze the different behavioural needs and wants of the front office workforce. By gathering the work backgrounds, studying the motivation factors and the intentions of this group, a better and effective workforce can be established to be in line with the transitioning aspect of the industry. Ongoing research is a must in this area because of the ever-changing prospects of the Hospitality and Tourism Industry, especially the front office department. Key skills and attributes are to be identified as a benchmark for structure when hiring by the Human Resource department. This paper would be a guideline for the hotel industry players to attain information on the behaviour of front office staff and their intentions for the future. Employing and constantly motivating a workforce is one of the hardest things to keep up in any industry. Without proper information on the behaviour and the intentions of the workforce, being in a labour intensive workforce and s ervice oriented industry, there surely will be a loss in terms of customer satisfaction and the profits of a hotel and this is unacceptable. Chapter 2 Literature Review Hospitality Skills and Nature of Hotel Front Office Work Jobs commonly retain a low-skill character, especially in the fastest-growing sectors Bradley et al (2002) (p.129) The hospitality sector is growing with a tremendous rate, especially in East Asia and the Pacific, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. These areas are forecasted to show a rate of 5% growth each year and 4.1% in Europe and Americas. (WTO, 2010) There has been long standing debate over the skills and nature of the front office work. It is widely characterised in both academic and popular press as a low-skilled job dominated by low skills profile. (Wood, 1997) In support of this theory, Shaw Williams (1994) first claimed that the hospitality industry workforce were uneducated, unmotivated, untrained, unskilled and unproductive (p. 142). Upon further research, the nature of front office work revealed by one side is in terms un-unique (Mullins, 1981; Lashley Morrison, 2000). Mullins and Lashley argue that the technical skills of the hospitality sector have relevance and can be applied to other sectors of the economy. Another dimension of why there is the public perception that the hospit ality industry is regarded as low skilled is because there are no real prerequisite for employment in terms of qualification (Huddlestone and Hirst, 2004). As far as the research of Baum Devine (2007) and Baum (2007) goes the educational attainment of a person is not an influencing factor to undertake the front office job. In terms of front office, the industry has considerable cross-over work of other sectors such as office administration, accounting, and IT systems management, these generic skills tend to overlap each other. In this argument, where is the uniqueness of work skill? By any means the hospitality industry is just borrowing a number of skill forces from different industries, in this case with a lower pay wage and a lower career development opportunity. This theory of unskilled labour in the hospitality industry does not go uncontested, in the forthcoming years after the thesis (Baum, 1996, 2002). Baum questions the validity of hospitality work as a low skilled job universally based solely upon the assumption of westernized, international hospitality work. It may be perceived so in general, but it is not applicable in the developing world whereby the technical demands and skills are lower than those of the developed countries. Another such example of a considerable contest comes from Burns (1997), Burns categorizes the labour force into two, skilled and the unskilled. Burns uses a very distinctive definition of skills in the hospitality for this saying: the different sectors that comprise tourism-as-industry take different approaches to the human resources, and that some of these differencesare due to whether or not the employees have a history of being organized (either in terms of trade unions or staff associations with formalised communication procedures. (p.240) Both these factors are separated by manpower planning paradigns for the manufacturing sector and as for the workforce, it comes in traditional power, organization. The workforce takes control through the use of trade unions and control the supply of labour through apprenticeship and training. Contributing factors worth noting are factors put forth by Seymour (2000) and Warhurst et al (2000), gives an added dimension to the work of hospitality employees. Seymour adds in emotional labour arguing that the added management of emotions as part of the day to day job is the difference between working in fast food as opposed to traditional areas of service work. The added emotional labour is there for the benefit of guest experience and that they are paid to do it. In Baum T. (2007), it is further perceived that there is the need for emotional intelligence (EQ) as defined by Goleman (1998) . . . the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships. (p. 317). Explained by Warhurst et al. (2000) and Witz et al. (2003) the added aesthetic labour to the tools of trade is indeed of importance to the hospitality workers, especially to front office staff. In describing aesthetic labour it is the skill required to look, sound and behave in a manner that is required for the job while meeting the expectations of the customers. They have to demonstrate the ability to engage in different aspects with the customers such as cultural, social, and economical matters. This on hand requires a certain level of education to be obtained. What industry wants: employers preferences for training. In the industry, while representatives state that they prefer industry skills and experience above education skills and knowledge, it is only realistic that a mixture of both these qualities are required, which is lacking in the workforce. (Smith Kemmis, 2010). In the hospitality industry most of the training is informal. Only a small portion (14%) of employees has gone through higher education in the respective industry. ( 2-1) The other 86% comes from the private sector and employer training in the industry. It was found out in a study that the National Vocational Qualification curriculum, found out that training in higher educational institutes would not cut it in the industry. (People1st,2009) In the same interview, two interviewees stated that on-the-job training is particularly the way to go in an industry that is interaction based in order for skill development. The focus on experience and skill over education is proved in a study done. vocational education and training (VET) practitioners Both industry groups felt that the most important skills and knowledge for trainers to possess were related to industry rather than education There was a lack of tradition of training in the industries compared with other industries, with relatively new qualifications for most jobs, and managers in the industries were underqualified , meaning it was difficult for them to drive high standards in training. Given these circumstances it is perhaps surprising not that training for the service industries exhibits many challenges, but that it does the job as well as it does. This observation was supported by hospitality employers who acknowledged the difficulties faced particularly by TAFE teachers, and were very ready to make excuses on their behalf. The recession, as in Australia, had provided opportunities for cross-fertilisation among industries as people lost their jobs in one sector and looked to move into other work where the skill set was similar (People1st, 2009). The standard of service in both industries was felt to be lower than required (especially in a situation where customer expectations were continually rising), with both industries also reporting a need for improved management skills. The hospitality industry had a skill shortage in chefs (People1st, 2009). Customer service is paramount in these industries; Maxwell, Watson and Quail (2004, p. 159) point out that for hospitality the customer reigns supreme, and Huddlestone and Hirst (2004, p. 6), for retail, state customer service is becoming the most essential employee skill. In a study of training in the Hilton chain, Maxwell et al. (2004, p. 269) note that a service culture is deeply imbued in organisational structures and practices, and cannot be added on simply by training individual staff. Chapter 3 Research Design and Methodology 3.1 Overview In this chapter of the sample proposal, an explanation on the research methodology and design is written. In the first part of Chapter 3, there will be a brief introduction on the purpose, aims and objectives and benefits of the study. Following that will be a discussion on the research design of the study. Exploratory details such as the population, sample and sampling procedures are discussed. On the third section of the chapter, there will be added explanation on the data collection procedures and data analysis steps. A brief explanation on the questionnaires will be given to give an insight on the questions asked. 3.2 Introduction The purpose of this study is to illustrate the current behaviour conditions of the front office. The information gathered will compose of the nature of front office work, education attainment level, skills, work background, attitudes towards the area of work and plans for the future. By analyzing these areas and acquired from these group of people in the hospitality industry will enable the industry players such as managers, policy and decision makers to get a more personal insight look at the wants, needs and future perspectives of these in demand people. Appropriate changes and more effective strategies in regards to high satisfaction levels can be developed and be used in the industry to decrease labour turnover and low level performances. 3.3 Research Design Population The study is intended to collect data on one of the most important workforce in the hospitality industry; the front office workers. The population of the survey intended will be Front Office workers in the area of Kuala Lumpur. Sample The sample population identified in the survey goes by the different distinct areas of Kuala Lumpur (Table 1). The sampling method that will be used is Cluster sampling. Having already divided them into different location categories, the target sample is then identified as the front office workforce in hotels. Name of Hotel Area/Location JW Marriot Hotel Bukit Bintang Park Royal Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang The Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang The Westin Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Golden Triangle Hilton Kuala Lumpur KL Sentral Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur KL Sentral Ascott Kuala Lumpur KLCC Crowne Plaza Mutiara Kuala Lumpur KLCC Hotel Maya Kuala Lumpur KLCC Hotel Nikko Kuala Lumpur KLCC Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur KLCC Micasa All Suite Hotel KLCC Pacific Regency Hotel Suites Kuala Lumpur KLCC Prince Hotel and Residence KLCC Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel KLCC Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur KLCC The Gardens Hotel and Residances Mid Valley Palace of the Golden Horses Mines Grand Dorsett Subang Hotel Petaling Jaya Holiday Villa Subang Petaling Jaya Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa Petaling Jaya The Saujana Kuala Lumpur Petaling Jaya Table 1 For this study, a survey will be carried out on all the 5 star hotels in the city of Kuala Lumpur. On identifying the 5 star hotels located around Kuala Lumpur, the works of KL-Hotels.com were used. This will be verified again by Upon identifying the sample population, a sample frame will be created to categorize the hotels into different location categories for the enablement of easier data managing. An invitation will then be sent out to the General Managers of each selected hotel for approval on participating with the survey. Upon approval, the questionnaires will be distributed among the front office staff of the hotels. 3.4 Data Collection Procedure Primary data The data collected from the questionnaire will be the main source of primary data. Secondary data much research has been done regarding the effectiveness of a workforce and how to improve. These sources are highly resourceful and will come in helpful when data analysis is been done. The theories and conclusions can be used to support and disregard some of the findings in this study. The secondary data may come from a number of literature forms such as journal articles, textbooks and written experiences. A formal proposal will be sent out to the General Managers of each of the selected hotels to ensure participation in the survey. Upon approval, the identification of all front office staff is indentified and recorded. As per identifying all the front office workers (night auditors, concierge, bellboy, front office assistant, etc) in the selected hotels, the questionnaire will then be distributed electronically to the head of the front office department; Front Office Manager. After the questionnaire is finished, the questionnaires should be collected and given back for data analysis. The data received will then be analyzed with the help of the SPSS data software. With the help of the SPSS program, bias answers and unreliable answers can be disregarded. As the data is sorted out and conclusions are done, comparisons will be done to reaffirm findings or to oppose them. 3.5 Questionnaire Design The goal of the questionnaire is to collect data from within the front office department. To achieve this, questions pertaining to the nature of the job, the work background, intentions for the future and key skills and attributes will all be posted. In regards to explaining the structure of the questionnaire in sections, there will be 4 sections. The first section of the questionnaire will be in regards to personal details. The second part of the questionnaire will be closed ended questions with choices to choose from. This part of the questionnaire is to get a response from the employees regarding their views on the hospitality industry. The third section of the questionnaire will be about the nature of the front office work, and also to get an inner look to their needs and wants. The fourth and final section is designed to completely give freedom to the respondents with open-ended questions regarding their views on management levels and their thoughts on training and skills in the industry.