Millennium Development Goals Essay

Abstract: Woman is a term usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent. However, the term woman is also used to identify a female human, regardless of age. This paper examines the place of vocational education as a means of women empowerment in Nigeria. How much a nation develops has a lot to do with the quality of human resources and educational attainment of its citizens. The impact of vocational education programme as a positive instrument for the empowerment of women in South-East, Nigeria was discussed. It was predicated on the assumption that vocational education acquisition is closely related to economic empowerment of women. This programme as well as the curriculum could be designed to take care of the needs of the learners in order to acquire skills necessary for employment, self-reliance and economic development. The acquisition of these vocational skills will greatly help to empower and transform women into self-reliant persons and make her economically viable. This economic empowerment will greatly help to ameliorate the incidence of prostitution,  kidnapping, and other social vices that are prevalent among women in South-East, Nigeria. Hence, it is recommended among other things, that government, private organizations and NGOs should adequately support the funding of vocational education programme. Keywords: vocational education, economic empowerment, social vices. INTRODUCTION Women play a central role in the socio-economic development of any society. In fact societal sustainable development is possible only if women are actively involved. Women must therefore be both participants and beneficiaries of development programmes. The United Nations Development Programme UNDP (1997) observes that women worldwide constitute half of population, perform two thirds of the hours worked, are registered as only performing one third of these hours, receive only 10% of the world’s income and have 1% of the world’s property registered in their name. This is injustice at its peak, and no sustainable development will take place in such situation of inequality. The Nigerian woman has not pressed hard to derive the full benefit of her economic activism and activities. Going by the 2006 census, almost 50% of the  total population of the country of over 170 million is women. The Federal Office of Statistics, (2006) reports that 70% of this population (about 59,500,000 women) reside and work in the rural areas. In the last few decades, a consciousness has been awaken globally that unless something is done to empower women as an interest group, global development will remain a mirage. Vocational Education has been recognized as â€Å"an instrument for promoting environmentally sound sustainable development† (FRN, 2004:30) as well as â€Å"a  method of alleviating poverty. † It is the basis for the full promotion and improvement of the status of women. Vocational Education empowers women by improving their living standards. It is the starting point for women’s advancement in different fields of human endeavor and a basic tool that should be given to women in order to fulfill their roles as full members of the society. Education of which vocational is an aspect, constitutes the single most important institutional boost to women empowerment. Vocational Education  especially is an excellent tool for bringing about individual and national development. However, a cursory look at the pattern of women’s involvement in vocational education in Nigeria reveals abysmal low levels. In spite of all the laudable goals and objectives of vocational education, Nigerian women still suffer a lot of constraints and inhibitions which militate against their personal and national development. Vocational Education focuses on the learner who is made to imbibe or acquire knowledge, skills, values and even attitudes that enable him to solve his and societal problems. Educated persons who acquire knowledge and skill can easily manipulate goods and services to create wealth for themselves and the society and thus create employment opportunities for others thereby reducing poverty. In absence of this, what is obtainable is a whole lot of women who lack skills, knowledge and appropriate value- orientation to survive in a knowledge-driven economy. They turn out to be societal misfits – prostitutes, armed-robbers, kidnapers, cause crises and upheaval in the society. This paper examines the importance of vocational  education as a means of empowering women in Nigeria. It investigates socio economic and political factors impeding this noble field. It presents a case for improved women’s economic status through greater participation in vocational education to fight hunger, poverty and unemployment through wage or self employment in the face of insecure and corrupt society we find ourselves. VOCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL IN NIGERIA FRN (2004:29) described vocational education as †those aspects of the educational process involving, in addition to general education, the study of  technologies and related science and the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes, understanding and knowledge relating to occupations in various sectors of economy and social life. † Fakes (2005) defined vocational education as that type of education that has specific relation with working life. According to Ogbuanya (2006), it is practical oriented and spans across areas like agriculture and related trades, building and wood work trades, commercial and related studies, electrical, textile and related trades as well as hospitality trades. Going by the above definition, vocational and technical education are interwoven as both are geared toward development of skills needed in the world of work, it is based in manual and practical activities which prepares one for gainful employment in recognized institutions and fields. Vocational education has passed through a series of trends ranging from pre- colonial era to date. Fafunwa (1991) noted that formal (western) education started in Nigeria in 1842, however, prior to this time, traditional and Islamic education have been holding sway in Nigeria. Traditional education has some  features of vocational education like smiting, building, craft to mention but a few. Even with the commencement of Christian missionary activities in formal western education in Nigeria, emphasis was not placed on vocational education in the formal education sector. Pure literacy as against vocational skill acquisition was the goal of education then. However, by 1863, it occurred to the missionaries that the plough and spade should go together. Hence this principle made some missionary schools to include elements of manual work like farming and bricklaying in their extra-curricular activities. Worthy of mention is that the attempts made by some of the missionary organizations towards industrial and agricultural education failed in most cases. Today, as pressure mounts in long unemployment queues, youth restiveness, high cost of living and insecurity in the nation, there is growing need to embrace vocational education as a tool for women empowerment for real national development Goals and Objectives of Vocational Education and Training The Federal Republic of Nigeria, (2004) highlighted what the goals of vocational education should be to include: ?Provision of trained manpower in the applied sciences, technology and business particularly at craft, advanced craft and technical levels. ?Provision of technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural, commercial and economic development. ?Giving training and imparting skills to individuals who shall be self- reliant economically. It is believed that trainees on completion of vocational education course will have employable skills, set up their own business and employ others or pursue further education in advance technical programmes or other  institutions of higher learning. Vocational education plays a vital role in improving the overall wellbeing of the people by empowering individuals through skill acquisition. UNESCO (2006) affirmed that since education is the key to any effective national development, vocational education is the master key that can alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life for all thereby achieving sustainable development through empowerment of women and youths alike. CHALLENGES OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION The importance of vocational education in both personal and national  development cannot be over-emphasized. Such type of education is paramount towards the grooming of the citizens that would not only be innovative and productive but having acquired general education could patriotically contribute towards the development of their respective societies. In contrast, in spite of the gain that could be sourced from vocational education, Nigeria is yet to attain the level of impressive satisfaction as far as formal vocational education is concerned. This situation could be attributed to the following factors: Inadequate personnel in vocational colleges: Vocational education in the formal education sector had not been yielding the expected dividends as a result of the paucity of teachers of the vocational courses recognized by the National Policy on Education. This has brought about a situation whereby the personnel readily available are made to take extra work loads which in effect is not beneficial for the development of vocational education. This practice had raped the official teacher-student ratio of 1:20 as provided by the Federal Republic of Nigerian in its National Policy on Education. Poor delivery and  reception of the expected skills has been a resultant effect. Another problem that had been undermining the development of interest towards the study of vocational education courses by individuals is the issue of lack of industries or job opportunities where the skills thus acquired could be meaningfully utilized (Mohammed 2009). It is obvious that most of the industries in Nigeria are winding up. In view of this, studying a course that will make an individual wallow in unemployment is not in the best interest of the individual. For this reason, individuals do opt for other courses where they have brighter job opportunities. This in fact would bring about the reduction in number of people who would be enthusiastic towards furthering their education along the line of vocational education. In addition, the proximity of the secondary schools to any university that is offering vocational education courses could be a factor towards the development of the zeal for studying vocational education courses. Lack of adequate materials: Vocational education is about the development of motor skills. This cannot be achieved where materials are not adequate. In the case of Nigeria, most of the secondary schools or technical and vocational  colleges do not have the workshops, laboratories and the materials cum equipment that would facilitate the teaching and learning of vocational education courses (Mbakwem and Anyanwu, 2013). This had led to the teaching of theoretical aspects of the courses thus making the learner deficient in the actual use or practice of principles delivered to them. As a result, the products of formal vocational education schools have failed to meet with the demands of employers of labour as they lack cognate vocational training. Sector-specific corruption and the crisis of funding manifested in grossly inadequate budgetary allocations as well as generally collapsed standards in virtually all levels of Education manifested in symptoms of mass failure, cheating, fraudulent and criminal tendencies in schools. These and other numerous obstacles do exist but this work had confined its discussion within the scope of the above stated. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT Empowerment is a call to action and it involves a process of fundamental change in quality of life of any material being. It is the ability to effect change  and make meaningful choices. Empowerment is investing legally or formally with power, authorizing, licensing, enabling, permitting, giving people more control over their own lives. Sako (1999) defines empowerment as the process of strengthening the existing capacities and capabilities of disadvantaged groups in society so as to enable them perform better towards improving themselves, their families and the society as a whole. It involves the provision of enabling environment for their productive and intellectual abilities to be realized. Wiki defines empowerment as not giving people power but letting  out the power in them. It opines that most women across the globe rely on the informal work sector for an income. If they are empowered to do more and be more, the possibility for economic growth becomes apparent. Ighodalo (1990) views women empowerment as a process of enabling women to develop the capacity to actualize their potentials. Ighodalo further adds that women should be looked at as individuals that possess some hidden potentials for greatness and so should be encouraged to develop such to the fullest. The process of empowerment must necessarily also include the  expansion of women’s access to educational opportunities, facilities for skills acquisition and positions of authority. Empowering the woman is empowering all of humanity. This is because the woman is the pivot of the family. United Nations was apt to capture this in this year’s international day for violence against women titled â€Å"From Peace in the home to Peace in the World†, it is believed that empowered women can do more to contribute to peace in the world. Empowerment is a drive towards realization of the innate potentials found in an individual. Thus, the potentials found in the woman can  be enhanced if empowered. Women empowerment involves issues like (a) How women perceive themselves and are perceived by intimate and distant others in society. (b) How women treat themselves and are treated by others. (c) Ability to make key decisions on matters relating to themselves and their children. (d) The kind of opinion they have in other aspects of decision making in the family. It must be noted here that all these are virtually impossible without proper and adequate training especially at the higher level which includes vocational education. BENEFITS OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT. Women empowerment could be likened to leveling the playing ground for women, and this would offer huge potentials to everyone. For example, UNICEF information sheet (2007) states that educating girls and women help develop self confidence, protection from sexual exploitation, improved health care, better child education and poverty reduction for generations to come. Women empowerment is a global topic. The United Nations included gender and women empowerment in its development goals as it is an important tool for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In Nigeria, a good  number of women are now found in many prestigious occupations such as law, medicine, architecture, the armed forces and so on and they are really living up to expectations. At the same time, an equally large number, especially those living in the rural areas are engaged in menial jobs to earn a living. Most jobs performed by women, according to Egunjobi (2005) have no economic values . Explaining further, Egunjobi states that all the work and activities which do not require financial reward are the responsibilities of women. This would explain the global call for women empowerment. There are high prospects in women empowerment. First the potentials of women will increase, resulting in building a virile nation, producing better women, better home makers, better future leaders and a better society. The contributions of females in top management positions revealed that females are up to the task. Women in leadership positions, especially in developing countries, have the responsibility and the potential to influence their society through leadership, particularly when they are enabled. Enabled women are empowered to aspire, attain and perform well in leadership positions while still carrying out the home front roles. Women are enabled when they are educated, exposed and economically emancipated. Throughout the ages and in all countries, women in leadership positions have impacted positively on the society. The history of mankind is replete with such women. The last century saw the emergence of great women leaders in various spheres of human endeavours, notable among who are Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and Winnie Mandela, who relentlessly battled the apartheid regime in South Africa  in spite of the fact that her husband was incarcerated at the time. Here in Nigeria such women include Queen Amina of Zaria, Idia of Benin, Moremi of Ile-Ife, late Professor (Mrs) Dora Akunyili, the former Director, National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and former Honorable Minister of Information and Communication, her Re-branding initiative is still fresh in our minds, the coordinator of Nigerian economy and Minister of Finance, Dr (Mrs)Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Prof Mrs Grace Alele. Williams the First Female Vice Chancellor in Nigeria, the Late Professor (Mrs) Jadesola Akande and even the keynote speaker of this conference, Prof. G. G. Agulanna, among others. Women from time immemorial have exhibited unparalleled ability in policy development and implementation. Education of which vocational education is an aspect remains a veritable weapon for women empowerment in all facets of life and a source of strength for national development. With vocational education, women will have greater self- fulfillment and would be able to contribute meaningfully to the social and  economic development of their societies. Again for economic reasons women no longer stay at home. The present economic recession has turned things round. Both male and female now cooperatively maintain the home even though the man is still regarded as the head of the family especially in the Nigerian Culture. In such instance, women with vocational skills will be able to earn additional salaries and support the husband and the standard of their living will be high and they can easily survive hard times. This will make for reductions in social vices like prostitution, theft and other corrupt acts perpetrated against and by women. In a situation where there is need for empowerment, vocational skills acquisition programmes is a sure means for women learners to gain basic education and or a vocational skill. The National Open University Centre for lifelong learning vocational skills acquisition programmes are designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of students, women included, for immediate employment whether in the private or public sector or be self employed. As at June, 2013, enrolment figures stand at 1066, 381 of this figure are females. These run their programmes in study centres in  the cities with the exception of Awa-Ijebu, Ogori and Gulak. Women of all ages deserve to be integrated into the mainstream of a national economy through training. (Olakulehin and Ojo 2006) CHALLENGES TO WOMEN EMPOWERMENT The importance of vocational education in both personal and national development cannot be over-emphasized. Such type of education is paramount towards the grooming of the citizens that would not only be innovative and productive but having acquired general education could patriotically contribute towards the development of their respective societies. In contrast, in spite of the gain that could be sourced from vocational education, Nigeria is yet to attain the level of impressive satisfaction as far as formal vocational education is concerned. This situation could be attributed to Illiteracy, according to Olakulehin & Ojo (2006), remains at the centre of women empowerment problems in Nigeria and that there is a palpable deluge of problems besetting the Nigerian women, all of them arise from illiteracy. Also, socio-cultural restraints such as limited parental resources, early marriages, pregnancy, childbearing, sexual harassment etc. negatively impact on women empowerment. In many societies, the education of women especially at the tertiary level is considered unimportant since they believe girls do not normally pay back in full measure the money invested in them. Again, religious practices of keeping women in purdah and the Shariah system (mostly in the northern part of Nigeria) hinder women from participation in education especially at the higher levels. In addition special protective measures aimed at protecting women and enhancing their effective participation has turned round to work against them. For example International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions ban women from night work, underground work and stipulate maximum weight to be carried by women. It also provides for maternity protection and welfare facilities at the work place. Some employers have capitalized on this to discriminate against women and spend less on training them. Added to the foregoing some have suggested that women are their own worst enemies. Some women married to wealthy men sometimes have lukewarm attitudes to education. Some women are lazy, lack proper education and are not making positive efforts to improve themselves. All these pose formidable challenge to the empowerment of women. MEASURES TO BE ADOPTED TOWARD EFFECTIVE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT The hub of development of any country lies on how productive and creative its population are, for a country like ours, where women constitutes a reasonable percentage, the government, parents and men in general have obligations to ensure that women are empowered to discharge their obligations to the society and to better their life. In the light of the issues discussed above, the following recommendations are proffered. ?Funding of vocational education should be taken seriously by the federal, State and Local governments. This they can achieve through increase in the budgetary allocation to educational sector which will reflect in the vocational education sub-sector. ?Vocational education should be inculcated into the school’s curriculum to promote human empowerment and development through vocational skill acquisition. It is a means of reducing unemployment since it is skilled oriented and employment motivated. All school programmes should be geared toward providing vocational skills. ?Government and other stake holders in education should embark on awareness programmes through workshops and seminars to educate girls, women, parents and general society on the benefits of vocational education for women. ?The private partnership and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) should be encouraged to participate in vocational education through funding or contributions in kind. This involvement should be seen by firms as a long term investment, and as an aspect of their corporate social responsibility to the nation. ? To empower women, federal government should provide enabling  environment and all the necessary equipment and materials for the teaching and learning of vocational skills needed for economic enhancement in Nigeria. ?The women should shun joblessness and criminality through the cultivation of vocational spirit and acquisition of relevant skills that will launch them into greatness and economic independence. Conclusion Vocational Education has been viewed in this paper as a panacea to the endemic problem of poverty, hunger, Prostitution and other corrupt  tendencies, paving way for women empowerment. When women are trained, they explore opportunities in their immediate environment instead of chasing shadows and uncertainties in the urban centres. The development of Vocational Education will go a long way in creating employment, give women the opportunity to develop their enterprising skills, empowering them to be job creators and not job seekers and by providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge to raise their output; income and wealth thereby ameliorate the incidence of prostitution, kidnapping, and other social vices  that are prevalent among women in South-East, Nigeria. Vocational Education would also contribute to improve the image and highlight the role of women in society. REFERENCES Egunjobi, L. (2005). Women Empowerment: Perspectives and Prospects. Ado-Ekiti Fountain Newspapers and Publishing Co. Ltd. Empowerment Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/empowerment. retrieved 17/10/2014 Fafunwa, A. B (1991), History of Education in Nigeria: New edition, Ibadan: NPS Educational Publishers Limited. Fakes, B. B. (2005). Technical Education: An Overview of the Learning Process. Capacity,  building workshop for lecturers in Polytechnics and Monotechnics in Nigeria for higher competency and productivity. Education Trust Fund. Federal Office of Statistics (2006), Annual Abstract of Statistics (2006 edition) Abuja Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). National Policy on Education: 4th edition. Yaba-Lagos: NERDC Press. Igbodalo, F (1990), Contributions of Women to National Development. Paper presented at the NAUW on Contribution of women to National Development. ILO (2004) International labour organization’s information sheet on the â€Å"convention on workers with family responsibilities. No. 156, 1981 – (July 2004). Mbakwem, J. N and Anyanwu, O. G. (2014) Assessing Qualitative Teaching and Learning Environment at Upper Basic Education in Imo State, Nigeria in T. A. Bolarin and G. C. Unachukwu (Eds) Education for All: Progress and Challenges. Proceedings of the 28th annual congress of The Nigeria Academy of Education (pp 225-232). Lagos: Toptune Educational Publishers. Mohammed, I. A. (2009), â€Å"Problems and Prospects of Vocational Education in Sokoto State. † Text Paper Presented at the Annual Conference of Federal College of Educaton. Gusau. Ogbuanaya, T. C. (2006). Vocational Education Training and Challenges of Human Resource Development. Nigerian Empowering the Youth through Technical and Vocational Education: A Panacea for Sustainable National Development. Journal of Professional Teachers 1(2) 207-214. Olakulehin, F. K. & Ojo, O. D. (2006). â€Å"Distance Education as a Women Empowerment Strategy in Africa. Turkish Online Journal of Distance education, 7, 1, 1. Sako . R. ed (1999) Women Empowerment and Advancement Manual , Kaduna: League for Democratic Women (Leads) UNDP (1997) Human Development Report 1995 , New York: Oxford University Press UNESCO (2006). Revitalizing Technical Vocational Education in Nigeria. Retrieved November 2, 2014 from. http://www. afrreorjo. org/pub UNICEF Information Sheet (2007) Nigeria Country Office. View as multi-pages TOPICS IN THIS DOCUMENT Vocational education, Higher education, Millennium Development Goals, Further education, Vocational school, Apprenticeship, Alternative education, Nigeria RELATED DOCUMENTS Women Empowerment †¦ Women’s Empowerment Source: www. undp. org UNDP promotes equality between women and men through ‘gender mainstreaming. ‘ The organization’s corporate strategy on gender is designed to integrate the promotion of women’s empowerment and equality fully in the organization’s core business. This strategy calls for gender mainstreaming to become everyone’s job – not the responsibility of a small number of specialists. It rests on three pillars:†¦ 4121 Words | 21 Pages READ FULL DOCUMENT Women Empowerment †¦ Empowerment of any section of a society is a myth until they are conferred equality before law. 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Quality of Healthcare Essay

In today’s consumer market, people are not only looking for the best price for what want, but also the best quality for his or her dollar; health care is no different. The consumer is more educated and particular than ever when determining where they would entrust their health care needs. Word-of-mouth is no longer enough, so people are turning to research firms to help them make their final decision in finding quality care. Consumers are also looking for as many perks and additional services they can receive. Why go to a traditional hospital that only treats the immediate problem then sends a patient back home without aftercare information and support? Specialty, additional, and non-traditional services provided can set a facility apart from others, and provide a higher standard of quality care in specified areas that may appeal to a patients’ need. How do health care facilities and staff improve upon existing services? Patient satisfaction surveys conducted by external research firms such as from DSS research (www.dssresearch.com) can help improve quality of patient experience from the entire facility experience down to specifics such including costs and treatment by staff. Results from research firms help consumers determine what facilities would best suite them with their current and future needs or those of a loved one they are responsible for. Surveys are not only conducted by patients, but also physicians, and staff also. For example, 32.5% of the scoring for the top 10 ranking hospitals in the U.S.in 2009 is based on physician input (Comarow,  2009). Every patient or staff member who completes these quality surveys provides facility administrators the information they need to focus on the areas needing improvement. These results may lead to additional staff training, restructuring, or improvements to the esthetics of the facility. When a patient is in need of emergency care for a cardiac problem, the emergency medical technician (EMT) may ask the patient or a family member what hospital he or she would prefer to be transported to if there is an option. An expectant mother sometimes has several choices of hospital to delivery her baby at through her provider. A person with a chronic condition may want to choose a specific facility to be seen at for his or her condition. Because patients do need to make these decisions, looking into a facility’s availability of specialty, additional and non-traditional services becomes very important to the quality of that patients’ care. Staffing availability and qualifications along facility affiliations affect quality of care. Informed patients want to be seen by doctors and facilities that have the specialty training in their area of need. Peace of mind adds to the quality of care if the patient knows there are options open to him or her through the affiliations between his or her doctors and the hospitals they are contracted with through insurance companies. Cooperative care between affiliated personal physicians, specialty physicians, and health care facilities through the use of current technologies also increases the peace of mind of the patient and reduces risks to the parties involved. Catering to patients’ personal preferences also adds to quality of experience in facilities. In recent years, doctors and hospitals and insurance companies have changed to their approaches to prenatal care and birthing. A family has numerous options open to them as far as what type of provider they choose for prenatal care and the type of facility and birth experience they want to have. As at Baptist Memorial Hospital, quite a few hospitals’ maternity rooms are used for labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum care (U.S. Health Care System, Axia), and some go even beyond to  include water birthing rooms with special atmospheric conditions, such as, lighting, temperature, and sounds. Quality is a subjective term, one person may highly recommend a facility or doctor, and another may have a negative opinion. The most important thing to do is to research beforehand, and give feedback through surveys after the experience. Health care quality can only change and improve with the help of everyone. Resources Axia College (2010), The U.S. Health System, p194 Dss research, www.dssresearch.com Comarow, Avery (7-15-2009), America’s Best Hospitals: the 200-10 Honor Roll â€Å"They’re the best of the best-the 0.4 percent of all hospitals with high scores in 6 or more specialties† written for U.S. News & World Report

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Transportation Before, During & After the Industrial Revolution (if Essay

Transportation Before, During & After the Industrial Revolution (if you have a better idea please feel free to use it) - Essay Example 213) wrote, mankind has used these five machines –lever, wedge, wheel and axle, pulley, and screw – for many years. What happened shortly before and during the industrial revolution was that scientists and inventors found ways to combine these machines, control their use, and improve the efficiency in the way these machines worked. The keys to these (Van Doren, 1991, p. 214-215) were the works of great scientists – Galileo, Descartes, and Newton in the 17th and early 18th centuries – that explained why and how these simple machines did what they did. On top of this radical way of thinking, a process now known as the scientific method, were built the early inventions of Arkwright (water frame), Hargreaves (spinning jenny), Crompton (weaving), Whitney (cotton gin), and others whose machines were powered by the steam engine, developed in England by Newcomen, Watt, and Trevithick and in the United States by Evans (Bergen, 2006). The industrial revolution was marked by changes in several aspects of ordinary life: the way people worked, where and how they lived, the new uses for raw materials mined under the earth, the creation of wealth, and how the money was stored and spent. From the etymology (OED, 2001) of the word â€Å"transport†, which combines the Latin words trans meaning â€Å"across† and portare meaning â€Å"to carry†, we propose a general definition of the transport industry as one that exists and develops to meet the growing needs of people to move themselves and their goods from one place to another. Movement or motion is one of the signs of life, and our human history chronicles the movements of peoples for different reasons: escaping from natural disasters, searching for greener pastures, trading with other people, or invading peoples and territories for enslavement, preservation of territorial peace, or the accumulation of power, among other possible reasons. In each of these examples, people moved their bodies and the things

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Business enviroment - Essay Example The micro level or the task environment consist of the competitive forces and the environmental uncertainty and external stakeholders of a business. The relationship of a company with its external environment is difficult. As such, it is important for all types of companies to have an understanding of the way in which the external environment functions and changes. The external environment of any company is an essential driver of the success or failure of the company because they support the five main objectives of any company which are survival, growth, profitability, efficiency and stability. The constraints and opportunities in the external environment of a business are significant factors that can impact a business. Also, the external environment is a multifaceted and dynamic environment which undergoes continuous change. So, in order to remain in competition and sustain, a company has to essentially analyse the external business environment in a regular manner. PEST analysis is an important strategic management tool used by companies to analyse the external business environment. The PEST analysis includes an analysis of the political, economic, social and technological factors in the external environment that may directly or indirectly impact the survival, growth and profitability of a company. Bianchi will uses the PEST analysis tool to understand the political, economic, social and technological environment prevailing in the United Kingdom. The company can also use the tool to calculate the opportunities and threats in the external business environment of the United Kingdom bicycle industry. PEST analysis is a necessary analysis to conduct by any business when it plans to enter into a new market. Therefore, it is also necessary for Bianchi to uses the tool before taking decisions for expanding its business into the United Kingdom market. The existing situations in the external business environment can

International marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

International marketing - Essay Example The second article is related to multinationals opening up their operations in different parts of the world, especially in the emerging markets of the economy. Discussion Article 1 The article titled â€Å"PayPal helps fuel revival at EBay† was published on October, 2012 following the announcement of the September financial results of EBay (The Wall Street Journal, 2012). The business of EBay had suffered during the first two quarters of 2012 but showed a revival in the third quarter financial results. The growth in the revenues of EBay was fuelled by the payments through PayPal. The revenue of EBay rose to USD 3.4 billion with an increase of 15% above the previous revenue generated by the business. The profits and growth of the company were further attributed to the launch of a new website and more developed features in worldwide listing and shipping services. EBay has successfully captured the global e-commerce market with its power shipping and same day shipping programs. T he shipping programs of EBay provide a significant competitive edge for the business over its competitors like Amazon.com and Wal-Mart stores. The new design of the eBay website was aimed at capturing more market share by offering user friendly services and fast checkout systems. PayPal was acquired by EBay Inc. in 2002 after which PayPal was used as the only electronic payments system for EBay in the United States market as well as in the global market for cross country transactions of goods and services. EBay had acquired Billpoint in 1999 to use its services for the electronic payment gateway. But Billpoint faced severe competition from PayPal which was the mode of payment for 25% of the auctions in EBay. So, EBay decided to acquire PayPal as an important corporate strategy to increase their market share and the growth of the company. The alliance of EBay and PayPal was a revolutionary alliance in the e-commerce industry which highly boosted EBay sales and attracted customers fro m all across the globe. PayPal was a main element which drove the success of EBay as an e-commerce giant in the international market. E-commerce is one of the most evolving features of globalization. EBay has enabled the users all across the world to research, buy and sell products on their site. The e-commerce site also is an important sourcing site for a number of merchants trading globally. EBay has evolved as a wide platform consisting of suppliers and buyers from different industries varying from clothing, food, accessories, furniture, books, electronics and everything else that is traded in the world. PayPal distinctively contributed to the revenue generation of EBay by increasing the customer bottom line and providing a delightful experience for the customers. In the light of globalization, EBay has successfully applied technological integration in its business processes. Article 2 The article titled Global Marketing: Local Heroes is related to the publishing of the book All Business is Local: Why Place Matters More Than Ever in a Global Virtual World by John Quelch and Katherine Jocz (The Economist, 2012). The article refers to the increasing importance of the locations for a business and the growing trend of the big companies trying to penetrate the untapped markets. The multinationals strongly targeting the emerging markets has made the world more interconnected. The companies

Alexander the Great--Vision beyond Conquests Essay

Alexander the Great--Vision beyond Conquests - Essay Example During the years of his fearless and ferocious life span, Alexander conquered almost a quarter of the earth’s total land surface area in a very young age. The world knows him only to be the war heroic icon; however, the actions and initiatives he had undertaken for the battles and the strategies he had framed for them reflect the political structure of the then western countries and the subsequent changes in the trends of administrative as well as cultural aspects in the past. This essay will focus on the merits and influence of the Great Alexander’s imperial majesty through an evaluation of events and incidents and their positive effects on the world history of politics and culture consisting of ancient European and West Asian provinces centered by the Roman regime. A comprehensive study of his warfare tactics and military surveillance strategy hopefully gives the best effect of the required material literature. The Making of a Conqueror Alexander, who was born to King Philip II of Macedonia and Princess Olympia in 356BC, was much luckier than a normal prince to see his father’s consecutive victories and continuous strive for administrative excellence. An otherwise wise Alexander was a genius in all the fields he had been trained by Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher. In his early teenage itself, he became a scholar of science, medicine, literature and philosophy, which later helped him in turning to a complete military think-tank. The incredible achievement streak of Alexander’s imperial life had a rather fantastic inception with his successful undertaking of his father’s army against the rebels of Thrace through a swift and successful power demonstration. Alexander’s thirst for supremacy over the entire European provinces then led him through conquering Greece and Illyria before he set his aim on Asia Minor. All through the battles fought against the powers across the southern belt of Asia Minor, Alexander had to face the resistance of the Greek army and entered the invincible Gordium. It is said that, â€Å"Alexander knew the legend that the man who could untie the ancient knot was destined to rule the entire world† (Alexander of Macedonia). Based on this fundamental approach, Alexander captured the power of Persia and began the expedition to the Asian mainland with an invasion through the Issus pass in northwestern Syria. The major credits from his philosophical abilities and the definite levels of leadership skills helped him unite and raise the morale of soldiers of the armies of all the countries he conquered. Marching towards the Persian Empire was not easy for him as expected with Darius’ mammoth number of soldiers blocking his way, but at the end of the Battle of Issus, success turned the Macedonian way. From then, the path became easy for him to Syria and Phoenicia except for a considerable amount of resistance from the city of Tyre, which he eventually defeated and c ontinued the expedition towards Egypt. The Spiritual Line The entry to Egypt was in fact the most specific period of Alexander’s time, as he had a spiritual route to the Egyptian culture. The passionate natives even believed him to be the divine ruler descended as their God’s own son. According to certain findings, â€Å"Alexander no doubt won great popularity with the Egyptians by conducting proper,

Character Analyses of Thomas More and the Common Man in A Man For All Essay

Character Analyses of Thomas More and the Common Man in A Man For All Seasons by Robert Bolt - Essay Example 94, 1960). This also defines the play's title in its true meaning; that More was a man "suited to all hours, times, occasions." (miller, 2005, from Whittinton's translation from the Latin) Using the play as primary source, this essay will first examine the character of Thomas More, then show how the Common Man can be seen to represent us all, across the divides of time, societies and history. Thomas More contended that a person's conscience, which tells him what he believes to be right, and that the individual must be true to himself; issues worth giving up everything for. By refusing to accept the premise, put by Rich, "But every man has his price!" and giving him a silver goblet, "It's a bribe Richard....Well, I'm not going to keep it and you need it." (Act 1 p.11 2), More declared that his conscience and honesty would over-ride any need for riches and status. No matter what pressures are brought to bear, he cannot compromise his beliefs. His refusal to agree with the King on the matter of his marriage, made Alice, his wife see the danger and beg him "Thomas, stay friends with him." (Act 1 p. 143) and his simple response stated his views clearly "But there's a little area...where I must rule myself." (p.143) In discussing the King's actions with Norfolk, regarding the Pope, he tried to make Norfolk understand his antipathy. "The Apostolic Succession...But what matters to me is...that I believe it to be true, or rather not that I believe it, but that I believe it." (Act 2 p 161). It was then that he gave up his office as Chancellor, and the money and status this entailed. He believed that secular law would protect him, and that sacred law was not to be abused. Alice was angry, worried about how they would survive, with no income and no career for what Thomas. She thought him a "poor silly man" if he thought he would be left alone to get on with life, and still did not understand his reasons. Already they could not aff ord good food and Matthew and the servants had to be found new positions, they could not pay their wages. Other signs of poverty were apparent when, during Chapuy's visit, Meg and Roper arrived with bracken to burn on the fire. More could have 4000 from the bishops, for his writing, even Meg wanted him to take it. Once more, he tried to make his family understand the dangers of his position, and ultimately theirs. He was concerned for their safety, as well as what his conscience dictated. "If the King takes this matter any further, with me or with the Church, it will be very bad if I even appear to have been in the pay of the Church." (Act 2 p. 173) Cromwell's arrival alerted Alice to the real danger, though she remained angry with her husband, mostly driven by fear for his welfare. Trumped up charges, allegations of bribery and treason, the force of the "Universities, the Bishops and the Parliament of the Realm" (Act 2 p. 67), and finally the threat from Henry himself "never could be so villainous a servant nor so traitorous a subject as yourself!" (Act 2 p. 177), none of these could sway him. In prison and finally facing death, Margaret tried to persuade him

Applications in Corporate Finance (Buidalot from a corporate finance Essay

Applications in Corporate Finance (Buidalot from a corporate finance perspective) - Essay Example The company lacks cohesion in terms of pulling the efforts of different subsidiaries together and this is the main reason why it is performing poorly. Therefore, there are certain issues that should be taken into account by Buildalot in order to improve its operations as going to be shown in the recommendations section of the report. 6 Market economy 6 Market competition 6 Equity capital structure of the company 7 PEST analysis 7 Major construction projects 8 Office building construction 9 House building construction 10 Business operational issues 11 Mayo project issues 12 Corporate social responsibilities 13 Financial statement analysis 13 Trend analysis 13 Ratio analysis 14 Recommendations 16 Referencing 18 Bibliography 20 Introduction This report deals with business analysis of Buidalot from a corporate finance perspective. This is an Ireland based Construction Company and it has been experiencing cash flow difficulties due primarily to the slow selling of houses and offices in th e Mayo development project. This study will assess the major issues affecting different sectors of business in this construction company. A detailed SWOT and PEST analyses of the situation of the company will be conducted to evaluate the causes of the problems it is currently facing. This study will also evaluate the financial situation of different projects being undertaken by the company through business strategy techniques and financial strategy techniques like re-forecasting, cost of capital, net present value and business valuation. Then appropriate recommendations will be provided at the end of the report in order to effectively deal with the issues raised. Background of the company Buildalot is a 50 year old construction company and it is based in Ireland. The company was incorporated 30 years back as a group of companies. This consists of different wholly owned subsidiaries that operate in different segments of the construction industry. The three major segments that are the main focus of the company’s business include the following: major construction projects, house building construction and office building construction. The subsidiary that operates in major construction projects is based in different countries but it mainly focuses on Ireland. Office building subsidiaries undertake projects related to office constructions. It operates in Europe and Middle East along with successful penetration in the home country of Ireland. The company House building subsidiaries also operate internationally. The company initially used to engage in residential house building in Ireland and it started construction of these major segments after incorporation about 30 years ago. Situation analysis (SWOT) Basically, SWOT stands for strengths (S), weaknesses (W) while on the other hand the external environmental factors are regarded as either opportunities or threats. The aim of performing a SWOT analysis is to critically analyze all the internal and external fac tors’ that may affect the operations of the organization (Strydom, 2004). The table below summarises the SWOT analysis for Buildalot. Strength Weakness 1. The current ratio of the company’s working capital is high 2. The fixed asset turnover of Buildalot is also high 3. Employees are able to deal with

The Nice Guy Essay Example for Free

The Nice Guy Essay Maybe he’ll say he’s ? nally ready to pass me the baton. out a way to ? nalize the data. Who was helping you out, Lynne or Aaron? †¦ Neither? Ugh. All right, all right. Call me when you’re on your way in to the of? ce, OK? See ya. † [Hangs up. ] Damn. This totally messes up my morning. Now I’ll have to try to hack my way through the spreadsheet before the meeting. I can’t imagine what it’s like taking care of a parent with a terminal illness. How awful. But Lisa’s really slipping. She was such a go-getter and a great operations manager, but her focus has been shot since her mother got sick. Instead, he was starting a â€Å"new media† company. The notion of leaving a great job at TRH and joining his team was the furthest thing from my mind, yet the crazy guy pitched me so hard I couldn’t resist. And he was right. He knew that companies would need a strategic partner that could provide creative ideas in all media – print, radio, TV, and â€Å"that information superhighway I keep hearing about. †Daner was going to be that partner. We’ve had our ups and downs, but it’s been an incredible ride. Up from ? ve people to over a hundred, a client list that boasts some of the biggest companies in the world. And the best part is, it’s just the beginning. Larry is still a tiger, but he’s getting a bit tired and wants to golf. I can’t blame him for that. It’s de? nitely time for him to retire. Lately I could swear he’s been doing the nudge-nudge, winkwink in my direction. George thinks he’s in the running too, but I think he’ll be cool with reporting to me. Wonder: Once I’m CEO, should I put George in charge of our European expansion? A footprint in Europe will make us even more indispensable to our clients. It will make us a global leader, not just a domestic shop. George has done well under Larry for the past two years. He was pretty psyched about his promotion to VP of business development. He’s great on the technical end of things, but he still needs more polish and experience with customers. He is feisty, though–always willing to take on anything. And he’ll challenge Larry at the drop of a hat. I’m surprised Larry puts up with it and doesn’t chop him off at the knees. Still, when it comes to people, Larry can really be so hard-nosed. His take- no-prisoners attitude is understandable when bidding on business but not when it comes to people. Like when Larry said Lisa’s become a liability lately; he even hinted about replacing her. Ugh. Lay off Lisa? I can barely think the words, let alone say them to her. She’s always been my right arm. She usually knows what I’m thinking even before I do. Sure, Jim or Andrea could eventually handle the role of operations manager, but there’s a steep learning curve. Note to self: Have another heart-to-heart with Lisa to discuss the possibility of reducing her workload for a while–or maybe see how she’d feel about taking a leave of absence that would let her focus on her mom. I really want the old Lisa back. 7:38 AM Passing Edgewater Park on the Shoreway This traf? c is ridiculous. If I leave by 6:00, I’m golden. But if I wait until after 6:30 to wake Sheila and the kids on my way out, I’m hosed. At least today I get to see an amazing sunrise. Bonus. Man, I could jog faster than this. I remember all those brainstorming jogs with Larry along the lake. It was great to compare notes and talk about the future. For an old guy, he did pretty well – up until his heart attack three years ago. I almost lost it last week when he said that he was going to start jogging again – and he’s aiming to run the Boston Marathon in April. Please, Larry, stick with golf and sailing! It’ll be fun to blow him away with the strategy and the numbers. It’s been a ton of work preparing for this, but now we’re ready. We can mobilize quickly once he gives us the green light. I’m a little surprised that he’s stayed away from our recent planning sessions. I thought he’d want to provide some feedback and direction. Perhaps it’s his way of pulling back and empowering me before handing me the reins. So, the million-dollar question is: What will he say? I think I know the answer. He’ll love the bottom line–that he can golf and sail as much as he wants. He’ll like his new chairman-only role so that he can step away from the dayharvard business review Between you and me, I’m not totally ruling out compromise, but you need to push back. Remind them how much business we’ve given them over the years, and remember we’re talking about a big chunk of change here. Besides, they should have caught the mistake. You can do this, Justin. Keep me posted. † I can’t believe this. More problems? Abbe Printing had to redo the whole thing because of their mistake, and now that rep Randy is trying to convince Justin that Daner should split the cost of the reprint with them? Forget it! I can’t stand it when people try to take advantage. I grew up in a print shop, for cryin’ out loud. Gimme a break! Justin does have a point, though. The murky print specs Lisa prepared on that job created a bit of a gray area in terms of culpability, but still – we give Abbe dozens of jobs a year. Over $2 million in revenues, I’ll bet! We could be hardnosed on this. Sticking us with a bill like this just doesn’t feel right. Still†¦maybe there’s room for compromise. I know that Randy is a good guy, and besides, they’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty for us many times. I really don’t want to torch that vendor relationship. a little after the kids go to school.

The Contemporary Hospitality Industry In The UK

The Contemporary Hospitality Industry In The UK INTRODUCTION OF HOSPITALITY hospitality in my own understanding is between guest and host it includes the venue or location and how to entertain the guest that provides the quality of service for the purpose of hospitality. It is also means that when and where there are foods and drinks operate in any establishment there is a hospitality means. Like in United Kingdom hospitality now a day change in so many ways because before establishments in food and beverages must close early before night comes and no one is allowed to operate so the effect for the hospitality means are low in terms of business income to every business owner and of course to the government of this country. But now a day hospitality in this country establishment like food and beverages, convenient store, bars and clubs also restaurants are a huge part of contribution in sharing a national income to the government of United Kingdom. And aside from the many varieties of hospitality establishment in United Kingdom th ey are allowed to operate more time some are till mid time of the morning but the security of the cities are become more strict in terms of caring and visualizing the people because some teenagers become more aggressive when they are drunk so for the concerned of the good citizens like policemen they keep on patronized to keep the peace and safety of every one. STRUCTURE OF THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY-3 from top to bottoms like a pyramid shape this is how I illustrate the structure of a business in hospitality industry from top of course is the owner then a big role from a called area manager or head manager or either deputy manager down to assistant manager then shift managers it is categorized in many sectors for the shift managers because under this there are so called leader shift manager, kitchen manager, accountant or accounting department manager, the head security and staff, logistic and human resource management, the maintenance manager under this are the apprentice and staffs, the front counter, crew members, crew trainee, kitchen staff, coordinators staff, security staff from this sectors are the bottoms of the structured phase of hospitality but from this sectors where in the lower position are the managers started to gain performances defend on their knowledge, talent, ability and skills on how they be graded to promote on the nex t high level of position till they reach the position as being manager because of their impeccable performances. But this is not an easy task for everyone because it is required the ability to show how dedicated you are in your workplace the experiences for every candidates to pass through, specially the difficulties on how to handling the unconditional problem situation of the duties and responsibility on how an employee manage the success of his/her responsibility. But with the regards to the operational structure of this establishment I want to elaborate the significant about the different of the two hospitality industry that I chosen the first one is the mc Donald restaurant which I am working now and the second one is the Reflex bar which is openly visit most of the week just for the pleasure of unwinding my long stay in this country as part of international student or let say because sometimes you can escape from thinking back how is the family in the country where I came from or as easily called just to ease the called Home sick. Operationally mc Donald restaurant operates usually with crew members, crew kitchen members and a shift manager while in functional the information technology, the human resources and the area manager are not seen mostly in the restaurant. While in the Reflex bar operational team member mostly in the establishment you can meet first is the security who check the identity of every customer to make sure that they are in the right age because the establishment serve liquor beverages then inside you will meet the second security who are assigned in taking the entrance fee of five pounds for every customer who visit the bar then in inside of the bar are the bar tender and the waitress and waitress their role gives more means to hospitality in the bar because they can contribute efficient service to the customer because I like their being polite and too generous to commit the needs of the customer like the way they manage the mixing of the wine with the style of their own creation. About the functional operation of the Bar the head chef cannot be seen in this establishment in which is the different from the mc Donald that you can see how the kitchen crew operates but they are equal in human resource and area manager and the owner as well in functional term. 1.1 I choose Mc Donald as part of my task, because this is where I work and also I can rely more of information I need to gather and it is also relevant to my course. Our restaurant is more on walk in types of restaurant and I find some information on the internet that Mc Donald restaurants are about to 30,000 restaurants, serving 52million people in more than 100 countries each days. Also that 70% of the restaurants are operated and owned by independence both male and female. Also in this field of business I can elaborate some scale of economies for this restaurant. The external economies that the cost per unit depends on the size of the industry and the internal economies that the cost per unit depends on the size of the individual firm, also in scale of hospitality it gives a big company access to a large market by allowing them to operate with a greater geographical reach. While in the scope of hospitality are cost Advantage that result when firms provide a variety of product or deli very of a single output. It can arise from the sharing or joint utilization of inputs and leads to reduction unit cost. In regards to the diversity of this restaurant products and service are complete in terms of meal deals from drinks to burgers and with a portion of chips or French fries. With regards for the accommodation of this restaurant the first thing people can observe is the five star remarks that stick on the front door of the restaurant showing the rate from the board of health and safety regulatory then also the warm welcome service of the crew member for being their politeness. Secondly the facilities are complete in terms of technology because we have the WI fi free internet connection for the customer also the clean and a nice place to eat and relax and a good place for the children especially for the family to visit. While in the Reflex bar the number of the customer compare to the number of the costumer of mc Donald restaurant are too far from the number of their c ustomer who visit in a day because reflex bar operate only at night time while the restaurant operate night and day. Also the mc Donald serve a variety of foods in terms of promotional offer in every month we have a rotational offer of the new product and with the big help of advertizing and the media as well it helps a lot to introduce the product to promote it with the part of a meal deal also. So the tendency customer are not feeling fed up for the burgers because aside from the promotional product they offer some free as well specially in the childrens meals this is the biggest different in part of the Reflex bar in which they only have a brochure to offer for the customer and most of their promo are only free entrance but with the regards to the food and drink are still in the same price customer can get. 1.2 1.2 The second choice that I pick is the Bar which I usually visit just located in reading town, THE REFLEX bar of the 80s I love to visit the bar every Saturday because that is the big night of the week. It feels unwind to me. Inside the bar you can feel their music, but the set up of the business is more focus on beverages and some foods too. But they were popular on the ambiance especially their sounds thats maybe the reason people love to visit the place. And I could also say, that because the tendency of the bar is focus more on the mature customer because 80s songs now a days are more likely to the 30yrs old up persons. Unlike some bars are fits for the teenagers only and the tendencies or the impact for social community are very strict and so complicated because of their youngest age while in the reflex bar is not because more of the customers are professionals. But also one of the things that I like in this bar is the strict of the staff and friendly as well and very polite to th e customer. But in regards to the services structure of this establishment there are various dissimilar and similar when it comes to operational and functional. Operational the mc Donald restaurant operates without the security personnel while in the reflex bar is required with the security staff because they serve different liquor beverages. And functional both mc Donald and reflex bar are similar in like human resource management, information technologies, and the maintenance management and of course the owner of the establishment. 1.3 People 1st is the sector skills council for hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism. We are working to transform skills in the sector, particularly in the areas of management and leadership, customer service and craft skills. We are committed to ensuring that public funds support the industry to develop only those qualifications and programs that meet the needs of employers. http://www.people1st.co.uk/ In my own understanding to this I think now a day the government of United Kingdom gives the skilled person the opportunity to have the better job benefits and also for the foreign student like us it is more beneficial when u meet the requirements the new program gives the international student to have a working permit visa as long as you finish the course in a diploma or a managerial course because according to the government in this country they ensure to support the public funds for the development of the industry. The British Hospitality Association has been representing the hotel, restaurant and catering industry for 100 years. The Association exists to ensure that the views of the British hospitality industry are represented in a forceful, coherent and co-ordinate way to government and policy makers in the UK and internationally, in order that its members businesses can flourish. The British Hospitality Association (BHA) was established in 1907 as the Incorporated Hotel Keepers Association. In 1910 it merged with a new and entirely separate organisation called Incorporated Association of Hotels and Restaurants, taking on the latters name. http://www.bha.org.uk/details.cfm?page=suppliers In this matter world wide support organization or rather known as globalization is the best I can explain because now a day every country share and support the needs of the industry specially the field of hospitality industry in this country. Like in mc Donald before they started from a few franchising then they come up to establish their own products like owning a huge farm for their potatoes and made their own French fries as well as the process of the milk from their own farm land as well to give support to the farmers of this country that is also agreed to the policies of the government in United kingdom. 1.3 The Institute of Hospitality is the professional body for managers and potential managers in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries is an internationally recognised management organisation with UK and international regional branches covers all sectors of the industry including hotels, contract catering companies, restaurants, pubs and clubs, as well as leisure outlets, theme parks and sports venues is a registered charity and has a worldwide membership with a wide range of benefits provides members with designatory letters which confer a respected acknowledgement of an individuals qualifications and specific industry experience enables members to  network with industry contacts, to develop professionally and to progress through the membership grades of the Institute. The Institute of Hospitality is a registered educational charity and works closely with all hospitality, leisure and tourism agencies, education and awarding bodies, and government departments, providi ng an interface between education and industry. Home Institute of hospitality in my own explanation, like in impact international college giving a student especially like us international student who are taking up higher national diploma in hospitality management are giving the chance to become a professional in the field of hospitality. Impact school is one of my examples as the institute of hospitality that help the international student gain both the education and a career diploma. Their instructor is highly skilled and trained profession that enhances us to more information about the world of hospitality and guided us to become one of them in the future. HND in Hospitality Management Unit 1 Task Two The Contemporary hospitality Industry 2.1 In this task still I choose the restaurant and a bar as part of the topic in my assignment the highlight of this two hospitality establishment are the restaurant that operates in day and night and the bar that is operates more on the night according to my chosen field. The mc Donald and the reflex bar. The big issues for this two is the restaurant roles and responsibility, the restaurant is more on training because it operates with the many structures of trainees that compose of both part time and full time and most of the participant are a variety of foreign workers. While in the bar, the staff is mostly hired in this country because it required most important of their English communication because the type of business is more comply on how you communicate to the customers for fast service quality. And the type of foods and drinks they offer in this establishment are very different because in the restaurant it is fit to eat and drink for the children and adult while in the bar, wine and liquor beverages are serve for the adults only and the types of foods as well are fit for the young and adults only. Also the dissimilar types of customer comes in this two hospitality establishment are in a huge differences the restaurant customers comes for eating accommodation only while the customers in the bar are comes for the pleasure of enjoying the music, dancing and of course a group of parties and an event of celebrating birth day parties for young and adults this is in more of drinking rather than eating. Another thing is the place or the site of the venue for these two different catering industries I observe most that the restaurant where sited in a place where more people visited like in the huge car parking space or most in the malls or near in the public places that most people visit unlike in the bars you can site them most in the town cities that are nearest in the police station that are intact to communicate in case of any violence happen in the scene. 2.2 In this sector the roles and responsibilities of the staff for each establishment are a very important for every business because this is the characteristic and the main highlight that asses and manage the business. The criteria for every individual qualification are in different requirement, I can describe that the head of the business is the store manager in a restaurant with the support of the assistant manager who impose the action taken from the order of the store manager. Then the assistant manager divided the special task for the shift managers in different schedule and different assignment so that every body can share their particular task and also train and develop the staff as well. They manage the information gather according to the order of the store manager and this is how my work place manages the team in our restaurant in mc Donald. With regards to my understanding in this task about how the staffing affect the issues for hospitality I can added that if you pursue to w ork hard definitely they will give you a priority to trust that will attain me more benefits in having more time to work, they also increase my hourly rate and a good recommendation that will promote me in the next level of achievement and this is how I attain my position as crew trainee and also they promote me as a role model crew member. Then they look forward on what is my back ground in educational attainment I take Hotel and Restaurant Management in the Philippine and now taking Higher National Diploma in Hospitality Management which I think, that in the future I can use it as one of my reference to get a better job. As a matter of fact they are looking forward for me to grab the opportunity to become one of their managers. But it is complicated to my time schedule in college because the slot of the schedule programmed for the trainee of managers will be conduct on the day of my college days. I use this field of my experience as part of my task because I believe it has a relev ant to the question. In added also about the roles of the staffs, this time is about the duties and responsibilities of the operational members for the kitchen staff they manage to control the foods they cook like the burgers it should not be more than the tabulated daily burgers must be made and they should follow the flow of business, if its busy on the unexpected days kitchen staff must be pro active on their duty to follow the good process of hot and good quality of burgers. In the chicken side is also the same process should the kitchen crew must follow and they should be connect to each other meaning if the chicken side is busy and the burger side or grilled side we called is not, then they should give assist to support the fast way of serving the customers. And for us the front counters we should follow the six steps for hospitality ways this are greet first the customers welcome them then take the order then take the money and assemble the foods then the fifth is present the foods and last greet goodbye to the customers. Must all be done in a lovely smile to serve every customers visit the restaurant? HND in Hospitality Management Unit 1 Task Three The Contemporary hospitality 3.1 In this task the standard operating procedures of the food safety first must meet the requirements of the health and safety regulations. Meaning for the small establishment at least meet the three stars not lower than that and for the big establishment like mc Donald, Kentucky fried chicken, burger kings and many other big establishments must be graded a five stars from the health and safety regulatory board. They put stickers on the front of the establishment that marks five stars to show to the public that they pass the requirement of clean and healthy foods requirements. Now in actual presentation I have the experience in organizing and preparing the needs of restaurant by the role of maintaining the cleanliness of the restaurant as a matter of fact my store manager is very proud of me when I do the cleaning. I remember when we have the expected big visitors from health and regulatory staff we are given a grade of 96 percent in cleaning because I have done the good quality of clea ning, organize the stocks in a proper way the freezer foods stock are arrange in an organize first in first out boxes, tables and chairs where detailed clean for the purpose and safety of the customer eat in the restaurant. As an operational team worker this is my contribution in my work place as well in this task. In legislative issues resulting from recent developments that affecting the hospitality industry the regulations that changes are No smoking inside the premises of the restaurant also no liquor allowed to drink in the premises. In the contrary of that the restaurant, gives free internet access to use for their guess while dine inside the restaurant. When it comes to tips not all the times or most are lucky to have the tips because its as fast food type of restaurant but in the drive thru I am popular because of my different strategy is diverting hospitality that makes most of the customer likes me and the result tends to receive me most of having a tips from the customer but, its not about the tips I am happy its the way the customer appreciates my service and I could also added this experience of mine as entertainment because the management found that when I am in the drive thru window customers keep coming because of my different entertainment to them. They love my being politeness. In understanding developments in managerial they give opportunity to each crew a training provided for any candidates who meets the requirements number one is the most achievements in dedicated hard working. Then follows every socs gained by the crew its the social oriented customer satisfaction. 3.2 The current image of the hospitality industry, before establishment in hospitality are very limited in terms of, time of business, types of business. Now a days I could really differentiate the big issues that changes the establishment in hospitality because now they can serve longer time for food and beverages industry even in the hotel accommodation as well. And that maybe the cause of increase in establishment growth in every cities and town, this are some example of the image happen now in the industry of hospitality the popular perception are happens now because of the increasing number of establishment growth in food and beverages and also the improvement of their quality in terms of fast growing foods trend because now a day people are more busy in their life style and the tendencies of their time to eat and cook are limited so they tend to prepare eating out and ordering take away foods that are now serving in most restaurant. Another trend that helps more impact to increase the expansion of foods and beverages establishment is the exposure of media. With the help of advertisement people easy inform about the new trend of product they offer in foods or even in the beverages as well.

Rousseau and the Positive Theory of Liberty Essays -- Philosophy

Liberty impacts two main areas of political thought; the state of nature and the social contract. This essay will examine wither or not it is proper to characterize Jean Jacque Rousseau as holding a positive theory of liberty. To determine to what extends this is true the following areas must be taken into account and explored; the definitions of liberty and freedom, Isaiah Berlin’s concept of positive and negative liberty, Rousseau understands of Liberty and also why Rousseau’s theory can be characterised as positive liberty. The main argument of this essay is that Rousseau does hold a positive theory of liberty. Jean Jacque Rousseau was born on the 28th June 1712 and died on the 2nd July 1778. Rousseau was a major Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century during the Romanticism era. His political philosophy was heavily influenced by the French Revolution and the American Revolution and also influenced his overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought. Some of Rousseau’s famous works include the Social Contract or Du contrat social (1762) and Emile (1762). Firstly before establishing withers or not Rousseau’s theory of liberty is characterized as positive it important to begin defining what Liberty actually is. The Oxford dictionary defines liberty as ‘the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s behavior or political views’ (Oxford Dictionaries ). Isaiah Berlin (1909-97) argues that there are two different concepts of liberty: negative and positive. He states the negative liberty is ‘namely freedom from constraint or interface’ (Warburton, 2004, p. 232) or in other words absence of coercion, barriers, restraint or obstacl... ...rieved 12 2010, 9, from Oxford Dictionaries : http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_gb0315030#m_en_gb0315030 (n.d.). Retrieved 12 2010, 9, from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/liberty-positive-negative/ Berlin, I. (1969). Two Concepts of Liberty. In Four Essays on Liberty. London: Oxford University Press. Haddock, B. (2008 ). A History of Political Thought . Cambridge: Polity . Replogle, R. (1989). Recovering the Social Contract. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc. Rousseau, J. J. (1923). The Social Contract and Discourses translated with an Introduction by G.D. H. Cole . Londan and Toronto: J.M Dent and Sons. Shklar, J. (1969). Men and Citizens: A study of Rousseau's social theory. Cambridge: Cambridge UNiversity Press. Warburton, N. (2004). Philosoph: Basic Reading Second Edition . New York : Routledge .

Oriental Art Essay -- Essays Papers

Oriental Art Oriental art is very distinct from other parts of the world. In their sculptures they still used such materials as clay, wood, and bronzes. However their art work promoted such things as goodness in nature, serenity, graceful balance, spiritual perfection, and a mystical harmony within themselves. There work avoided confusion, conflict and violent emotions at all costs. New or unprecedented experiments in their art work was never welcomed, and the expression of nobility and inner worth where demanded. Ultimately oriental art was said to be â€Å"a way of being†, but to understand this you must look at the words of the great Chinese philosopher Confucius who said â€Å"Raise yourself to the beautiful.† However not all Oriental art is the same, and to see the difference and the influences of their art you need to look at the area’s of China, Japan, and Korea. The Neolithic inhabitants of China were energetic in their pottery, and where the first to practice this art, in which China has remained supreme in until recent times. Not very much is known about the earliest Chinese craftsman or the society that produced them, other than the fact that they lived in pounded earth settlements in northern Honan, Shangtung, and Kansu. These early craftsman created fine pottery, and especially beautiful vessels for funerals which where used for food and other provisions for the dead. These craftsmen where taught to honor the â€Å"five rulers† who had taught their forefathers h... Oriental Art Essay -- Essays Papers Oriental Art Oriental art is very distinct from other parts of the world. In their sculptures they still used such materials as clay, wood, and bronzes. However their art work promoted such things as goodness in nature, serenity, graceful balance, spiritual perfection, and a mystical harmony within themselves. There work avoided confusion, conflict and violent emotions at all costs. New or unprecedented experiments in their art work was never welcomed, and the expression of nobility and inner worth where demanded. Ultimately oriental art was said to be â€Å"a way of being†, but to understand this you must look at the words of the great Chinese philosopher Confucius who said â€Å"Raise yourself to the beautiful.† However not all Oriental art is the same, and to see the difference and the influences of their art you need to look at the area’s of China, Japan, and Korea. The Neolithic inhabitants of China were energetic in their pottery, and where the first to practice this art, in which China has remained supreme in until recent times. Not very much is known about the earliest Chinese craftsman or the society that produced them, other than the fact that they lived in pounded earth settlements in northern Honan, Shangtung, and Kansu. These early craftsman created fine pottery, and especially beautiful vessels for funerals which where used for food and other provisions for the dead. These craftsmen where taught to honor the â€Å"five rulers† who had taught their forefathers h...

Consider how the poets of Lamentations and Bohemians tell us about the :: English Literature

Consider how the poets of Lamentations and Bohemians tell us about the way in which the army can be a brutal and demoralising institution. We all know that the army is surely very tough psychologically, but surely no one from our generation can understand the pains and sufferings that men would have had to go through fighting in the First World War. The army during this time must have been devastatingly hard to cope with and indeed a demoralising institution. Ivor Gurney, author of Bohemians, and Siegfried Sassoon, author of Lamentations, convey the ideas of demoralisation in these two poems concentrating on two different viewpoints. A ‘bohemian’ is someone who chooses to not follow the rules and regulations set by superior powers and lives his life according to his own rules. In the poem Bohemians, Ivor Gurney explains how these were the types of soldiers who would have made life uneasy for their superior officers. Gurney tells the reader how these â€Å"people would not clean their buttons/Nor polish buckles after latest fashions†. This conveys the idea that bohemians were the kind of people who were unfazed by the war and although it troubled them to be at war fighting, they lived life as they would if they were not there; â€Å"smoking without army cautions/Spending hours that sped like evil for wickedness†. These soldiers would have chosen to not become ‘model’ or what they would have considered to be ‘mindless’ soldiers. Gurney has written this poem almost in free verse, though certain words at the end such as ‘cautions’ and ‘promotions’ give the poem a sort of rhyme scheme. This portrays the notion that the bohemians would not have followed the rules whilst fighting at war, and not abided by the regulations set. Coupled with this is the comparative lack of punctuation that continues throughout the poem, except from commas. This enjambment proceeds until the penultimate line, in which the first full stop occurs. This accentuates the last line, which is the most poignant line of the poem, â€Å"In Artois or Picardy they lie – free of useless fashions.† This line shows that now they have died, they are finally free from having to tolerate the decrees set by the governing officers of the First World War. This is an ironic final line as through death, they are freed from the bonds of army expectations and regulations about behaviour and uniform. This poem is, to a certain extent, about the dehumanising effects of war â€Å"and wrenched/What little soul they had still further from shape,† and how the bohemians did not allow the war change their view on life

Course Project: Leadership and Organizational Behavior

My course project is based on organization of Creative Images, Inc. Creative Images is a California based company in computer graphic design studio who’s affiliated with Hollywood movie production companies. Creative Images work very closely with their clients and well known clients are Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Company, and many other animation movie makers. Numbers of intelligent computer graphic designers are working hard to meet the status quo on current animated production movies and projects for the customers in night and weekends. The company is all about providing highest quality of work to world giant animated movie production companies and its well getting recognized by their customers. But only problem is that employees’ at Creative Images are not satisfied with their current benefits of their job since many people are subject to provide the project status and meeting deadlines which it requires for them to work nights and weekends without getting over-time paid. I am a Human Resource analysis just recently got hired by Creative Images to provide the best quality assurance to employees so that all employees are satisfy with their jobs and benefits so that it increases employee’s morale. I will be reviewing current job duties and functionalities so that their compensation and benefits are competitive with current market as well as provide them with incentives and rewards so that it increases employee’s morale and reduce number of high turnovers. Problem Statement The problem that Creative Images faces employee’s compensation and benefits package which it makes the company is not competitive and enjoyable work place. According to Human Resource’s firm wide hiring analysis, they have been showing increases of job turnovers in the past 2-3 years. During their exit interview, number of employee reported complains of their stressful working hours and have not been compensated for their amount of work that they provided in after working hours. After working excessive hours, their team or department did not recognized their showmanship for delivering high quality work and company did not award them or no creases in bonuses either. Since Creative Images are known for proving highest quality of work to their customers, in seldom, several other design studios who’s competition to Creative Images are trying to offer a job to elite and talented individuals from Creative Images to get the best people of for them. It’s causing the huge headache to the firm since many of them who left company are key employees who bring revenue to the company. To avoid any high turnovers, we need to provide very competitive salaries, incentives as well as reward programs to keep the Creative Images employees and bring higher standards and morale.

Immanuel Kant on law and justice Essay

To be moral living human beings there must be a guiding action. This action varies depending on the degree of obligation: law, rule or maxim. A law should promote and protect the common good. Above all, a law must be just and reasonable to follow. A rule is a prescribed guide for conduct or action that indicates how we ought to act to behave in certain situations. Rules are not strictly legislated but are nevertheless obligatory guidelines for actions. A maxim is a general truth or rule of conduct. Immanuel Kant’s political teaching may be summarized in a phrase: republican government and international organization. In more characteristically Kantian terms, it is doctrine of the state based upon the law (Rechtsstaat) and of eternal peace. Indeed, in each of these formulations, both terms express the same idea: that of legal constitution or of â€Å"peace through law. Rechtsstaat is a doctrine in continental European legal thinking, originally borrowed from German jurisprudence, which can be translated as a â€Å"legal state†, â€Å"state of law†, â€Å"state of justice†, â€Å"state of rights† or â€Å"state based on justice and integrity†. It is a â€Å"constitutional state† in which the exercise of governmental power is constrained by the law, and is often tied to the Anglo-American concept of the rule of law, but differs from it in that it also places an emphasis on what is just (i. e. a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion or equity). In a Rechtsstaat, the power of the state is limited in order to protect citizens from the arbitrary exercise of authority. In a Rechtsstaat the citizens share legally-based civil liberties and they can use the courts. A country cannot be a liberal democracy without first being a Rechtsstaat. German writers usually place Immanuel Kant’s theories at the beginning of their accounts of the movement toward the Rechtsstaat. Kant’s approach is based on the supremacy of a country’s written constitution. This supremacy must create guarantees for implementation of his central idea: a permanent peaceful life as a basic condition for the happiness of its people and their prosperity. Kant proposed that constitutionalism and constitutional government ought to be sufficient to guarantee this happiness. Kant had thus formulated the main problem of constitutionalism: â€Å"The constitution of a state is eventually based on the morals of its citizens, which, in its turn, is based on the goodness of this constitution. † A Kantian justice system would thus solely focus on what was done, rather than on the character of the person who did it. No excuses regarding a criminal’s genome, upbringing, history of mental illness, or socioeconomic status can exonerate him from receiving punishment for the criminal act. The fact that a man was abused during his childhood does not justify his infliction of similar abuse on others later in life. Many duties are developed into laws because society has deemed them important for the protection of the individual. There are some laws that are written to safe guard the individual and others for the community. All laws must be written to uphold society which includes protecting the rights of all people in both the majority and minority consequently all laws must possess certain common traits. Immanuel Kant believed that all humans are born inherently bad and must try hard to be good. This model of thought is of immense help to understanding what actions Kant saw as necessary for the creation of justice within the real world, since, once again, every individual’s worldview is based upon that individual’s own set of experiences. â€Å"Pure reason is a perfect unity; and therefore, if the principle presented by it proves to be insufficient for the solution of even a single one of those questions to which the very nature of reason gives birth, we must reject it, as we could not be perfectly certain of its sufficiency in the case of the others†. (Critique of Pure Reason, 3) Kant on Contemporary Issues Contemporary Issue: A proposal by the government to legalize theft. According to Immanuel Kant’s theories and views he would try to oppose this law. The general definition of theft is the taking of another person’s property without that person’s permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. Immanuel Kant would consider this an immoral action on the individual’s part therefore resulting in punishment. When someone is punished for something it is because they did something abominable. Humans act not only on impulse as effected by laws of nature, but also out of conscience choice based on principles and these principles tell us how we ought to act. Our conscience as a capacity has a fundamental sense of value and personal responsibility. If theft were to be legalized, it would result in a never-ending chain of people committing evil actions to further their own need. People would become more selfish and greedy. Because Kant believes humans are born inherently bad we must strive every day to avoid temptation which we can only be redeemed by good behaviour and the grace of God. This would also go against Kant’s ideal justice system. â€Å"Nothing can escape our notice; for what reason produces from itself cannot lie concealed, but must be brought to the light by reason itself, as soon as we have discovered the common principle of the ideas we seek. † (Critique of Pure Reason, 5). Kant’s theory is his belief that it should always be possible, within our power, to do the right thing. Kant believes that rational humans are agents, they have plans, and they make deliberate choices. It is this fact about humans that Kant’s ethical theory seeks to enshrine and protect. Human agency should never be sacrificed for anything less valuable and everything is less valuable. Justice has a moral obligation to always do. The first duty of justice is to never treat people as mere means to one’s own ends. But treating a person as an end in themselves is to do more than respect this duty: it is also to assist them in achieving their morally lawful ends. For these reasons Immanuel Kant would not allow to legalize theft. Our government, justice duty and morality would all be altered if such a thing were to happen and that was Kant’s biggest fear that our humanity would be consumed by materialistic things. We need laws and peace in order for us, as people, to be rational human beings. Work Cited: â€Å"Germany. † – Understandings of the Rule of Law – Wikis Der Freien UniversitA ¤t Berlin. N. p. , n. d. Web. 21 Sept. 2013. Kant, Immanuel, J. M. D. Meiklejohn, Thomas Kingsmill Abbott, James Creed Meredith, Immanuel Kant, Immanuel Kant, and Immanuel Kant. The Critique of Pure Reason. Chicago: Encyclop? dia Britannica, 1955. Print. Rauscher, Frederick, Rauscher,. â€Å"Kant’s Social and Political Philosophy. † Stanford University. Stanford University, 24 July 2007. Web. 21 Sept. 2013. â€Å"Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Judgment. † Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Judgment. N. p. , n. d. Web. 21 Sept. 2013.