Vocab In Context Questions and Strategies for SAT Reading

This is a daunting story about an abject old man whose requisitions made him wealthy but also forlorn. As a youth his life was fraught with anxiety and despondent treatment from his family. Isolated, he wallowed in his destitute self despair, which encouraged his spiteful nature and a need to become affluent. As he grew he gained an interest in making all those around him as unhappy as he was.Fueled by his dilapidated feelings he found him self in a redoubtable job in no time, he became an auditor. His primary job was to go from place to place and collect unpaid taxes, if not he would get to close their business or make requisitions of your belongings and domicile. This was of course a suitable job for someone who wanted to make other people miserable, and any attempts to pacify or allay him were dismissed with his abhorring smile.He was very famous for this smile, so famous in fact it was a well known joke among people who knew him that his smile could even assuage a feral dog. Once , on very quite winter day the old man was seen making his way down the austere street in what was considered one of the least wealthy parts of town. He dressed very formidably but that was overlooked by that nasty smile he held on his face. This was when he was struck by a lightning bolt wiping that dirty smile right off his face. By Zachary Clementz

Political Extremism and the Internet

Being able to reach voters n such a wide scale has had an astounding effect on politics in this country. The internet has allowed political extremism to flourish in the past decade. Those on the left side of the ideological spectrum as well as those on the right are able to access sites that share similar views, while simultaneously having the ability to block out opposing views. The impact that this has on the outcome of elections is something that simply cannot be ignored. The web is now one of the most effective tools in campaign arsenals.Those who do not use the internet for political reasons have also tarted to realize the ramifications that the internet can have on political extremism as well as politics in general. The increase in overall internet usage is leading to a rise in political extremism and is having a profound effect on the political discourse in America. Voters tend to have somewhat conflicting views on the use of the internet for political purposes. Most believe t hat the internet has the ability to present several different views on a particular issue, yet others believe it is hard to sort through all of the different sources (Smith).Some see it as a hindrance to the olitical process because of the way that inaccurate information seems to circulate freely (Smith). However, most people would agree that it is up to each individual reader to make the determination as to what qualifies as an accurate and reliable source. Fifty-six percent of all adult internet users say that they have difficulty determining which political stories are true and which ones are false (Smith). However, many users also find it convenient to connect with those that share similar political views (Smith).Left wing media outlets maintain a strong presence on the World Wide Web. Such sites tend to report both major and minor news stories with a left-leaning bias. This allows readers of these particular sites to only see one certain viewpoint on a story. The Huffington Pos t is one of the most popular liberal news outlets. It is run by Arianna Huffington who is the former wife of a republican congressman; she switched her political beliefs in the late 1990s (Huffington). The Huffington Post was recently purchased by AOL in 2011 for over three hundred million dollars (Huffington).The sale has not slowed the site though, as it remains as popular as ever. The Huffington Post covers a vast array of topics ranging from politics to comedy (Huffington). While there have been some attempts to produce a conservative website in the same style as The Huffington post, these efforts have not seen the same success as the Huffington t (Top 1 ) It maintains a large readership due to this wide variety that users have access to. However, political topics tend to dominate the front page, and are thereby seen by additional traffic from those Just using the site for entertainment purposes (Huffington).The way in which the Huffington Post displays its content creates a use r-friendly environment hat keeps readers interested. Its use of catchy, and oftentimes misleading, headlines allows readers to skim the front page of the website and get an over view of the leading stories of the day. However, the most serious issue with sites like the Huffington Post is their refusal to cover stories that portray liberals in a negative way. This bias was pointed out by Lee Stranahan who is actually employed by the Huffington Post (Stranahan).He was particularly troubled by the way that some stories were simply ignored by several liberal news media (Stranahan). He expressed he belief that this tactic is one that is harmful to nearly all voters, as it only fuels partisanship (Stranahan). It allows ignorance to perpetuate which is detrimental to all parties involved. However, the practice of selective Journalism seems to plague an equal number of both liberals and conservatives. Sites that promote news with a conservative slant tend to be somewhat more prevalent than those that have a more liberal leaning.This can be attributed to the belief held those on the right feel that the mainstream media is promoting a liberal agenda (Stanley). One of the most opular conservative websites is the Drudge Report. The Drudge Report was started by Matt Drudge in the late 1990s and consistently has over thirty million hits daily (Drudge). He has been able to achieve this success with a fairly low-tech website that relies on a religious-like following from his readers. Drudge first gained notoriety when he broke the Monica Lewinsky scandal during the Clinton Administration.He has maintained this success by grabbing viewers' attention with clever headlines that link to other websites that offer varying political views (Drudge). The Drudge Report is onsidered by many political insiders as the major driver of political news discussions in America as it directs its readers to other news sites (Sullivan). This leads to greater exposure for stories that are linked on Drudge (Stanley). However, it still is seen by many Journalists and political pundits as being biased.

Free Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Free Trade - Essay Example Privatisation; this means transfer of past public owned organisation services and goods to private sector Limited intervention; governments should not interfere with markets expect in building infrastructure. Unembroidered market prices; this implies that governments will desist from controlling market prices. Export - led development; this are development strategies that emphasize export and foreign trade instead of protecting domestic industry. (Dornbusch, pp.69-85) Do open market economies grow faster than closed ones Many studies on market economics have argued that open trade system enhances a faster growth of economy. The point for this strong favour in terms of open trade is based on studies and on a conclusion that outward- based economies realize faster growth rates than those economies that are inward oriented. However, this seems to be overstated, as Dornbusch, (pp.69-85) observers, currently the advantages of open markets are being oversold continuously in the related literatures and in the IMF and World Bank publications. Yet, it is hard to understand the advantages of liberalization of markets among market economies. Economists reports that the effects of openness are very complicated and general mixed as to what extend the trade polices impact the growth of economy. More so the fact that studies explain trade openness in different ways makes it hard to classify countries depending on their level of trade openness. Thus, it does not come as a surprise when different results are obtained when different measures are used. (Dornbusch, pp.69-85) The correlation between free market and the economic growth of a country is a hotly debated issue in the trade and development literature. Until now, this issue remains unresolved. It is important... This essay stresses that the correlation between free market and the economic growth of a country is a hotly debated issue in the trade and development literature. Until now, this issue remains unresolved. It is important to note that, many literatures on this topic have put a lot of attention on the correlation between trade policies and economic growth instead of emphasizing trade levels and growth. This paper makes a conclusion that free trade or open trade is characterized by removal of trading barriers between countries. This is meant to stimulate more trading between countries which is faster and without any hindrance. The policy makers of these policies argue that free trade leads to higher economic growth in countries. However, free trade policies advanced by the IMF and the WB has lead to poor and middle economic countries to experience more economic hardships brought about by stiffer monetary policies. Some of the economies collapsed or stalled. A good example is the Asian crisis. Keeping in mind all the arguments presented open trade definitely is a cause of concern and cause of slow economic progress amongst the populace of the world but it is extremely important to remember that it is not the only cause of concern, some of the policies undertaken by states are implemented incorrectly which result in growing poverty and economic hardship being witnessed in many countri es especially African states. However, it cannot be stated that liberalization or open market is the ONE and ONLY cause of increase in economic hardships amongst the world’s populace.

Subcultures of violence in american society Research Paper

Subcultures of violence in american society - Research Paper Example Generally speaking, subculture refers to those smaller groups of people who are the part of a larger culture and engage in a specific activity which other refrain from doing. Here the subculture is performing violence and assaults, and take it as honor and pride to indulge in them. It is widely seen that the people in lower class or poverty line engage in violence and assaults as compared to people in other classes. Violence is an integral part of human being and throughout history he has proven this fact. Where there existed a society or community there was a prominent presence of violence, fights and hatred. However, America being a fast moving city has given home to many law violators, aggressive criminals and illegal activist. According to(Time) â€Å"In the U.S. today, it seems to many that violence is in the ascendant over cooperation, disruption over order, and anger over reason†. More or less major population who engage is violent behavior is the black population of Am erica. Sadly, they become violent because of the vengeance and bitterness they harbor in their mind towards their family and the society, and little less is done by law abiders to pacify them. Being violent and involving in crime and homicides can also be connected to psychological and physiological problems infested among wrong doers. The root of all evilness in mind is coming from various problems occurred in their childhood or family life during the past. â€Å"Children who grew up in a family without a male presence are more likely to engage in criminal activity ,specifically interpersonal crime ,than those grew up in traditional family†(Dibich,20). It is found that children with a single parent are more likely to commit crime than one who has been raised in a whole some family. If a child during the early years of his life misses the love and caring from one of the parent, they tend to find relief by committing violent activities and crime. If one look or analyze the cri me scene of American society, it can be easily revealed that black Americans are indulging in violence than white Americans. The crime filled dark streets have eventually become the hard truth of American urban culture and law abiders are not seemingly doing much about it. The senseless killing and cruelsome attacks are reckoning to be the black image of the American city life. A fire arm possession has become a right of every citizen of America and thus over 50 million homes has guns in the name of self defence.Such large possession of fire arms are giving opportunity to violent people to conduct any sort of atrocities to a strangers or family members in a moment of rage. In America the Southern region has been distinctively tagged as the violent region than rest of the country. And many study has a shown that this region leads in assaults and homicides in the country. However, the reason for south to remain a violent state has been a question to ponder on by researchers and sociol ogist. Many believe that the historical background of the southern region is to blame for this kind of criminology while other believes that poverty and social inequality is the real culprit. There is also an accepted concept in the southern region of America that one can enhance their honor and reputation by engaging in violence and criminal activities. The culture of a particular individual has a major role in determining the way he conducts himself in day to day

Contemporary Issues In Business And Management Essay

Contemporary Issues In Business And Management - Essay Example A global industry can be described as an industry where all firms are competing within the global market in order to sustain and grow. A global strategy is driven by various factors. These can be cost drivers, competitive drivers, customer drivers and government drivers (Sakarya, Eckman and Hyllegard, 2006). We live in a global economy where the time required to cross continents has reduced to a bare minimum. With the help of advantage technologies, it is now possible to initiate conversations within no time. Because of these changes, there has been a shift in the business practices of organisations and more and more organisations are adopting a global strategy for growth and sustainable development (Aharoni and Ramamurti, 2011). A global strategy is the plan of an organisation to compete in these new realities of global markets. For example, in food manufacturing, organisations like Nestle, Cadbury and Kellogg’s have created marketing networks and global distribution based on marketing of their leading brands that are well recognised globally. Key aspects of a global strategy include: The global market should be treated as the domestic market. Establishment of a global marketing mix, differentiating between the national and regional differences such as language, culture and taste. Creating a global distribution and production system, for example establishing factories globally manufacturing goods for respective local regions (Vrontis, Thrassou, and Lamprianou, 2009). Concentrating on the most successful and most recognised products and brands. Since the global market is huge, a substantial amount of profit can be achieved by using economies of scale in terms of production, distribution and marketing. Rather than producing a large number of products, it will be more fruitful to manufacture those products and services which are well recognised and accepted by the customers round the world. Importance of Global Strategy The importance of global strategy ca n be understood from the flowing perspectives: Perspective of a Company With the international expansion, opportunity increases in terms of new sales and higher revenues. Sometimes, it might also happen that the profitability in the home country has reduced due to various unavoidable conditions. In such cases, revenues from the international market prove to be a saviour. At times which are turbulent, they might become the saviour in terms of profit. For example, poor growth and low profits in the domestic market in China were one of the main reasons that forced the Chinese company, TCL, to formulate a strategy with the aim of international growth and expansion. It has continued this global expansion strategy with new factories, new offices overseas and acquisitions with the aim of developing the positioning of its market particularly in the two markets for electronics goods, the European Union and the USA. Apart from opportunities such as new sales and profit expansion, global strat egies can take place because of various other reasons. Oil companies, for example, look for expansion with the objective of securing their resources, a strategy which can also be termed as resource seeking (Bellin and Pham, 2007). Industries such as clothing look for global expansion with th

Case Study Paper also referred to as the Applied Learning Theory Paper

Paper also referred to as the Applied Learning Theory Paper - Case Study Example In Kounin’s ‘Teacher With-it-ness theory’, the teacher must balance all of these aspects of childhood personality development and social learning methods in order to be able to control and transform the tensions that appear in the classroom and school. In this manner, a combined approach that takes the best of these theories and applies them to education and classroom management as Patricia P. Willems and Alyssa R. Gonzalez-DeHass do in â€Å"Educational Psychology Casebook† can lead to a more efficient learning process for both the teacher and students in public education or private schools. Development - Case 19: Erikson’s Personality Development Statement of Problem: â€Å"To Belong or Not to Belong† Mr. Turner is a 10th grade teacher is a three-year high school with both male and female students. The students have no dress code or uniforms, and come from a wide variety of diverse social backgrounds. Mr. Turner has a â€Å"Goth† stud ent in class who he identifies with in her inter-personal relationship struggles with other cliques in the school. Mr. Turner is not certain how to motivate the full range of his students or why they are not all preparing their assignments or completing the readings. He has a reputation of taking on large problems at the school and in teaching deep themes in English literature. Mr. Turner discusses the problems with the cliques with another teacher who advises him to take a more influential role in the character development of the students and to become more involved in building outreach to the community. Mr. Turner does not see the problem involving a wider solution outside of the classroom. Analysis: In Erik Erikson’s theory of human development, the girls are in the adolescent stage representative of Erikson’s 5th stage of personality development representing ‘Identity’ and ‘Identity Conflicts

Analyse performance management and performance appraisal in primark Essay

Analyse performance management and performance appraisal in primark london - Essay Example ns attributed to proper performance management but these broadly fall into direct financial gains, motivated workforce goals and improved management control (Daniels, 2006). When the sphere of organisational development (OD) is considered, performance can be seen as actual results achieved against the desired results wanted. In case that there are any differences between these, there is the possibility of performance improvement. Both performance management and improvement can be taken as a cycle where: The focus of this text will be to analyse the performance appraisal system and practices of an actual organisation. In order to deal with the issue better the performance appraisal system is outlined below against which the current review will take place. The typical performance appraisal is a developed method through which the job performance of an employee can be assessed for issues such as cost, quality, time, quantity etc. through an evaluation by the corresponding manager or supervisor (Patterson, 1987). This process is essential to guiding and managing the career development of employees whereby the employee’s worth to the organisation is obtained, analysed and recorded. Overall the performance appraisal process documents an employee’s personal strengths and weaknesses, their recent success and failures as well as their suitability for further promotion or training as applicable. The performance appraisal process also accounts for issues other than productivity alone in trying to assess an employee. The most common aims of a performance appraisal are: Engro derived itself from Exxon Mobil’s fertilizer venture that went online in 1966 in Daharki, Pakistan. After Exxon’s exit from the business in 1991 the company became the country’s first successful employee led buyout. Since then the company has kept on expanding from the fertiliser business into the food business, the industrial automation market, chemical storage jetties and the like. The

Future Food Trends Health Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Future Food Trends Health - Research Paper Example Introduction The purpose of this research of French Recipes and British Recipes in the USA is to identify food coming from the culture of France and UK, in order to see how their food have become acceptable to Americans. A little of each of the country’s background relevant to the recipes had to be included to give an idea of how such recipe became popular in the past and how such recipe reached the present or were changed to meet the demands of the present American society. In place of describing the colour and appearance in words, pictures of the selected recipes are shown. A.French Dishes La Salade Lyonnaise (French Appetizer) It will take about 20 minutes to prepare this salad recipe. Given the mixture of vegetables below, these are mixed with a little water, mustard, and vinegar along with Rapeseed Oil to serve as emulsifier. Notice that the specified gree vegetables are not specified. In order to utilize fresh American vegetables depending on whatever is available, this French salad is prepared in the procedures described bel;ow. a. Mixed Greens b. Lardons c. Croutons d. Poached Egg L’Assiete de Hors D’oeuvres 8 Lentil e. Celery Root f. Carrot Salads Water and white wine vinegar are boiled first. While the water and vinegar are simmering, eggs are cracked, poured onto the liquid, and stirred for 3 minutes. The eggs are then removed from the simmering liquid and cooled with fresh water. In a separate saucepan, water and bacon are boiled with high heat and boil for only 10 seconds. Bacon is drained. Thereafter, the bacon is transferred to a large frying pan and cooked some more for 1 minute under high heat, followed by a medium heat cooking time of 5 minutes while it is stirred. Before serving with the vegetables and dressing, the eggs are heated for 3 minutes with 90 degrees hot water. The salt and better amount will depend on the taste test. A recommended dressing would be made up of a combination of 20 grams of mustard, 15 grams of w hite wine vinegar, 5 grams of water, 45 grams of Rapeseed Oil, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, 10 grams of chopped Shalot, 20 grams or ? of diced garlic clove. (Blanc, R. n.d.) Figure 1 - Picture of Salad Lyonnais [Source: Google Search] Matsumoto, M. (2012) described the taste to be â€Å"like a fireworks display for your taste bud† while the eggs and bacon fat protect the tongue with too much taste and these ingredients add texture. The salad itself can be placed on a sandwich. Thus for Americans who love to eat sandwiches, this will make it very tasty. Mark Matsumoto was featured in USA Today, HY Times, and Wall Street Journal for his culinary expertise. To the French people, the Salad Lyonnaise is essentially fresh bitter vegetables with properly cooked bacon and eggs. At La Sardine in the USA, the price is $ 8.oo. L’Assiette de Charcuterie The term came the L’Assiette which means a plate, and the French word Charcuterie which refers to a 1930 shop of a pork butcher (Boogert, K.2012, p.149) reminds people in France about a moderate-priced but delicious food. The recipe itself may vary. Meat is usually from pork. But it can be from other meat sources like ducks. At La Sardine, it is made up of Duck Rillette, Peppered Salami, Beet Salad, and Cornichons. a. Country Pate b. Duck Rillette c. Peppered Salami d. Beet Salad e. Cornichons The preparation is very common

Common Assessment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Common Assessment - Research Paper Example As such, the process of job analysis requires as much information as possible that puts the job description that is the frequent outcome of the analysis together. Other outcomes may include the recruiting plans, advertisements and postings of positions, and the performance development plans within the performance management system The activities involved in job analysis include the following: one of the most fundamental activities here is the review of the current job responsibilities of the current employees of the Johnson Enterprises. This should be done with a view to making these responsibilities relevant to the current times while at the same time making the employees more efficient, effective and as productive as possible. The result of this is a competitive enterprise. Job analysis also involves doing the internet research and also viewing the sample job description both online and offline and highlighting those jobs that happen to be similar. Job analysis also involves the an alysis of duties related to the work of the employees in an organization, in this case, Johnson Enterprises. ... uccess of an enterprise since it ensures that the organization emulates positive attributes of another thereby leading to its upward movement and realization of its broad objectives. Another very fundamental aspect of the job analysis includes the articulation of the most significant results or contributions required from the position. Job analysis has to specify the major job functions or duties, common personal interactions, work tasks, skills or competencies, critical situations faced by incumbents, the work related knowledge, physical abilities, career paths, work environment factors and work experience requirements. Also, very significant is the decision making authority, training requirements, certification requirements, related job families, competency models, and determination of the hiring criteria and the definition of new positions (Jackson, Schuler, & Werner, 2011). The analysis should move forward to communicate the said job responsibilities and identify the training con tent needs while reconstructing jobs and businesses and determining appropriate measures for performance appraisals. Legal Implications of Job analysis There are certain legal implications related to the process of job analysis. Certain legal, uniform guidelines exist with respect to job analysis. A job analysis ought to describe every important work behaviors, the relative significance of these behaviors and difficulty levels. A validity study on job analysis should be based on review information about the job. Any of these studies ought to be based on a legal procedure that is acceptable by law. All the important work behaviors should be supported by law (Kleynhans, 2006). In a situation whereby the work behavior is not observable as should always be the case the analysis should identify

California Essay Example for Free

California Essay A couple of centuries ago California was distant wasteland with vast deserts and a long sandy coast, it seem unsuitable for living. Today it is a cultural hub of the United States and all its success can be attributed to the ethnic minorities that broke ground in California despite discrimination, violence, and imprisonment. California is unique in that it is one of the few place where industry (mining and lumber) came before agricultural. While the force which brought people to California was the Gold Rush in 1849, it was the lush fertile soil and moderate temperatures which kept people here. African Americans (Frankel 227 -240) In 1849 California was made a state. It was considered a free state which meant that slavery was prohibited. However, there were several â€Å"strings†, which effected African American civil rights, that went along with the title free state. After California became a state, one of the first actions by the state legislature was to deny black citizens the right to vote. Additionally they could not testify against a white person, they could not be formally educated, and they could not own land. Californias African American population was very politically active and held several meetings in the north in hopes of stimulating political change and freedom for black people in the state (1855-1865). The state of California also had a fugitive slave law. Which required slaves that were in California illegally to be given back to their owners. African Americans in the years leading up to the World War II were extremely active in the advance of mining, lumber, and agriculture. Black populations could be found everywhere in minor territory and many of the areas were named â€Å"Negro Bar, Negro Flat, and Nigger Ravin. these were obvious reminders of how their presence in these areas were not welcomed. This is a time in which African Americans had to use not just physical strength but intellect to protect what was rightfully theirs. Remember, African Americans could not testify in court. This means that if any white man should do them hard or steal from them, there was nothing that would be done. In many mines, blacks and whites, worked side by side. Many black men even owned their own mines that were extremely successful. Farming was the basis of Californias economy. When white Americans came to California and set up their experimental farms they targeted southern blacks for employment. They were a source of low waged labor and therefore African Americans were among the first farmers to work with the crops which have made California unique. In 1905 cotton fields were introduced to California. Blacks and Mexican immigrants exclusively worked these fields in Imperial County. The majority of these blacks had come from southern states and were not surprised by the racism that was presence in California. African Americans had to compete for jobs with Mexican immigrants. However, seasonal crop jobs were only a resting point for African American workers who wanted more. These contract jobs were only a means to help African American families move and establish themselves in California. Soon blacks moved forward becoming entrepreneurs, skilled workers, and farm owners. Black people opened business in towns that were flooded because of the gold rush. San Francisco was the hub of most African American businesses. These business flourished until the mining towns closed down and these areas where flooded with the white population who felt superior and opened competitive businesses. White patrons of black owned stores were force through societal rules to switch to white stores. Again, African Americans were told to go back to service oriented jobs. Systematic racism was back in full form by 1920s, restricting African Americans to specific living and working districts. However it is important to point out there African Americans migrated to California and settled areas which were deemed unsuitable for life. Once they prospered the whites would move in and push out the blacks. Based on this cyclic approach to development and grow California was created on the backs of talented and industrious black people who carved life into the deserts and wastelands that California originally was. Native Americans (Trafzer and Hyer 80- 91) In 1848 California became an official territory of the United States. Soon after gold was found and people from across the country came to California to become rich and have a better life. Most whites viewed Native Americans as a nuisance and on top of that as cheap labor they could exploit for their own gains. There was also a law against Native Americans testifying against whites. Between the years 1850 and 1863 could lend out â€Å"indians† who had been arrested. Essentially Native Americans were imprisoned and then used for free labor just like a slave. Ironic in that California was supposed to be a free state. Children were also kidnapped for labor because they were much easier to manipulate then adults. During 1850 through 1887 Indian Reservations were set up for the first time. The agreement that the Native Americans had with the government was they were allowed 7. million acres of land in California but just under 500k were given over to the Native Americans. Much of the reservations were infertile land that could not be farmed. It was not until after 1905 that Native Americans, specifically the next generation, wanted to take an active role in the decisions that effected them. Lost treaties were discovered which allowed Native Americans to claim land and rights that was theirs. These included the right to education, and citizenship. However, the United States government believed that because the Native Americans had not acted quickly enough those conditions were null and void. Essential the government said it was the Native Americans fault for not being pro-active when the treaties were originally drawn up (Heizer 232). It was the force labor or slavery of Native Americans which began Californias semi-feudal economy. Chinese Americans (Wyatt 50-100) The Chinese Americans living in California today have a long history of being residents of California. Some of them are from sixth generation Chinese Americans. Despite racial violent, restrictive legislation and almost no advancement opportunities, Chinese Americans have no just flourished but found a place in the California social landscape. Chinese immigrants came from China and move into San Francisco. There was a great deal of confusion over if Chinese immigrants could become citizens – some where allowed and some werent. Chinese immigrants who were not allowed to become citizens had no rights and therefore could not stake a claim during the Gold Rush. Many of the Chinese people reworked old mines because they could not have their own. In additional there was also a fee of $20 that foreign miners had to pay if they wanted to work a mine. The Chinese too were greeted with violet discrimination. In 1856, a group of white miners raced into the a Chinese American mining community destroying property and killing miners. Despite the violence and the inability to mine gold successfully, Chinese immigrants from work elsewhere – merchants, laborers, and laundrymen. Fishing was one of the industries which Chinese Americans helped promote. Early on there was almost no demand for shrimp in the states much of it was frozen and sent back to China. Soon there was a demand for shrimp in California and Chinese immigrants were pressured by the white competition to buy licenses, make Chinese techniques illegal, and several other things. Making it virtually impossible for Chinese fishermen to make a living fishing, while white fishermen thrived. Chinese immigrants were also the main workers in canneries. They open up and worked in the states first cigar shops and factories. Chinese Americans were also responsible for starting up the first wineries in California, and had the skills for growing and processing delicate crops like wheat, hops, apples, grapes, and pears. The Chinese also worked on the roads throughout California as well as the Central Pacific Railroad. There were several forms of legislation which subordinated the efforts of Chinese Americans in making new lives in California. On top of that the depression that occurred in 1870, was said to be caused directly from the cheap labor of Chinese workers. Following the depression there were several instances of racial violence which lead up to the anti-Chinese movement. This was done in attempt to squeeze Chinese run laundries out of business. It is clear that Chinese Americans played an important role in the growth of Californias economy and are responsible for the birth of the orange and grape crops that make California grape country . Japanese Americans (Chapman 31-42) The history of Japanese Americans in California and what they have contributed to Californias economy is often biased focusing heavily on the vast discrimination they suffered at the hands of the white majority. While their victimization is important it not more important then their vital contributions. Much of their reaction to the various forms of discrimination too the form of strikes, protests, and the constant fight against adversity to become successful in America. Japanese Americans were responsible for the establishment of the flower industry in California. They own, worked at, and grow almost all the flowers and plants sold in California in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They established still existed organizations including the Southern California Flower Market, the California Flower Market, Luck Produce, and the City Market in Los Angeles. Several Japanese business cater to agricultural workers supplying food, lodging, and general merchandise stores. They also helped the agricultural economy of California grow including grapes, fruit trees, strawberries, and several different strains of rice. Japanese Americans not only grew but also prepared and shipped produce across the state. It is clear that Japanese Americans were instrumental in pushing California semi feudal economy into the modern day capitalistic economy of California. Filipinos (Fehrenbacher 160 – 165) The history of Filipinos in California truly begins in 1848 when California annexed. During this time Filipinos found works as general laborers who were paid an extremely low wage. Often workers would have to travel farm to farm, as seasonal work came and went. Many Filipinos moved into larger cities in California but found little work because they were only skilled in agriculture. Due to discrimination and no education , Filipinos were pushed out of their unskilled labor jobs by the influx of immigrants from the Dust Bowl. This is one of the few instances were a ethnic group saw downward mobility in terms of work and then lifestyle. Filipinos have a rich history of being hat makers and tailors but in the hostile white dominating environment of late 1880s California, they existed no longer. Most Filipinos could only find work as ranch hands who were supervised by whites. While Filipinos males struggled in the economy of California, females flourished and were hired as domestics, farm laborers, laundresses, and cannery workers. As the job market for every ethnic group became smaller the white attitude toward Mexicans changed. Previously, Filipinos had been welcomed into the agricultural market as important components and contributors. But soon Mexicans were seem and treated like excess labor. Again Californias agricultural industry was built on the backs of these immigrants and when there was no more work for them, they were cast aside and considered (and it seems still considered economic liabilities).

Creating A Hotel Room Reservation System

Creating A Hotel Room Reservation System 2.1 INTRODUCTION The Hotel Management System is a hotel room reservation system and management control system. The purpose of developed this hotel Management System is to assist the management and also the receptionist staff to have a better and more efficient way of performing booking tasks towards the customer. It is very important for hotel to own an efficient system. A hotel business will be affected by how they manage the hotels and room booking process, as because normally customer will dislike to wait for a long time for the booking process to get their room, so the hotel should own a better managerial system and also a more efficient room management system. Booking a room considered is an easy task because the customer just need to walk to the receptionist counter and give them necessary particular and information. If the customer need to make advanced booking, the just needs to contact our hotel receptionist, and give them information and when they need the room to the receptionist staff. And also the customer booking room when the buy flight ticket by online booking. This system also help to reduce the time take to search customer information and room information, because with this new implement system the receptionist staffs just need to input the customer IC / Passport number to get the customers information if they are repeated customer. Compare to the paper work will consume a long time to search customer information and the paper work information may lose and torn due to keep for a long period. By having an efficient room reservation system, the time take to check-in and check-out time will reduce and the customer will get their room faster compare to paper work based. This system helps the management to manage their room rates due to different season. The room rates are fall into 3 categories which are low, peak and super peak. The management can change the rates anytime through the database. The management has the privilege to add, edit, or remove staff login, the management also has the privilege to change their password anytime. The receptionist staffs, able to perform task which reserve room for their customer, check in and check out for the customer, the staff also able to edit the customer information. The hotel reservation system gives and helps the management and receptionist staff by reducing their workload. 2.1.1 Problem face by the Current System Receptionist staffs need to do a lot of paper work to record the data. It takes a long time to search for the customer detail and room information. Sometime, their past customers details were loss, especially for those who return to stay in the resort after a long period. It also slows down the registration process when using the old manual way The costs for the room are difficult to calculate, especially in different season due to hotel having different type of room. Many customers in the resort were frustrated about having to switch rooms because of room allocation problems. 2.1.2 Scope Management Project scope management includes the processes involved in defining and controlling what is or is not included in a project. In ensures that the project team and stakeholders have the same understanding of what products will be produced as a result of the project and what processes will be used in producing them. The main processes involved in project scope management include:- Scope Initiation beginning a project or continuing to the next phase. Scope planning developing documents to provide the basis for future project decisions. Scope definition subdividing the major project deliverables into smaller, more manageable components. Scope verification formalizing acceptance of the project scope. Scope change control controlling changes to project scope. 2.2 STATEMENT OF WORK 2.2.1 Scope of Work For this project, the team will perform various activities to complete the proposed system. Firstly, the team will conduct a background study on the problem that occurs in that organization. To complete this stage, various methods to collect information will be performed, such as questionnaire, interviews, and observation. The information collected from these ways will help the team to accumulate as much information as needed for them to come to a solution. Once the team has reached to a final word on the suitable system, it is the next task to study an existing system which would reflect to the new system to be developed. By studying the similar system, the team would get an idea on how the new system should behave. Next, based on the information gathered, a database will be designed to integrate all the necessary details collected previously from the study and comparison conducted. Along with it, a prototype of the system to be developed is designed and shown to the client for approval. Once it has been approves, then the most suitable development tools will be finalized. The following development tools are required for the system: i) Hardware ii) Software Intel Pentium IV 2.0GHz Processor Visual Basic 2008 256 MB RAM MS SQL Server 2005 CD ROM Drive Video Adapter Card VGA Monitor 80 GB Hard disk Keyboard and Mouse The development will commence once the prototype has been approved. Later, the system will have to be tested using various test plans and finally it will be implemented once it is free from errors and satisfies the requirements. 2.2.2 Location of Work The work shall be performed at the residence of each team members .Meetings are carried out at Side Cafà © or Class room at a time agreed by every member. 2.2.3 Applicable Standards The applicable standard is the ISO, which the widespread adoption of International Standards means that suppliers can base the development of their products and services on specifications that have wide acceptance in their sectors. ISO 9000 is concerned with quality management. This means what the organization does to enhance customer satisfaction by meeting customer and applicable regulatory requirements and continually to improve its performance in this regard. ISO 14000 is primarily concerned with environmental management. This means what the organization does to minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities, and continually to improve its environmental performance. These two standards are important and need to be implemented. 2.2.4 Acceptance Criteria The acceptance criteria for this system would be Accuracy Deliverables shall be accurate in presentation, technical content Clarity Deliverables shall be clear and concise, computing terms shall be used, as appropriate. All diagrams shall be easy to understand and relevant to the supporting description. Timeliness Deliverables shall be submitted on or before the due date specified in the Schedule of Deliverables 2.4 WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE 1ST LEVEL Pangkor Island Beach Resort Analysis User requirement analysis System Requirement Analysis Identify project limitations and constraints Design 2.1 User Interface 2.2 Database Evaluation 3.1 Evaluate the design of interface and database 3.2 Investigate the design of interface and database 3.3 Confirm the design of interface and database Implementation 4.1 Coding of the system 4.2 Implement coding Testing 5.1 Preparation of test plans 5.2 Perform testing 5.3 Stub Test 5.4 Integration Test 2.5 PROJECT TEAM HIERARCHY scheduling Cost Risk kajen calvin Calvin Herma wati Scope Staffing kajen Kajen ,herma Herma wati Supervisor Hubert Tan Herma wati Communication Calvin Kajen Calvin Project Manager kajenthiran 2.6 RESPONSIBILITY CHART Task Introduction H H X Scope Management X H Scheduling Management H H X Staff Management X H Cost Management X H Risk Management H H Communication Management H X Person in charge H Helpers 2.7 COST BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE Setting up the resort reservation system Equipment Desk Chair Table Sofa Photocopier Fax Machine Personal Computer Etc. Labors System Analyst Project Manager Programmer System Tester Setting-up Expenses Programming Software Telephone Line Setup Software and Hardware Overhead Electricity Bill Telephone Bill 2.8 CONCLUSION As a conclusion we have learnt quite a lot of new thing which we need to do before we start our project. This part is consider the most important part because this part is the planning part, without a proper planning, our project will face high failure rates. In this chapter, we have to plan the statement of work, work breakdown structure, cost breakdown structure and also the strategic importance of the proposed system. We need proper planning for the three parts in this chapter. In this chapter, we have learned how to break the work package to include the person responsible for the package. We also set the start and finished dates and the relation of other tasks as well. We have also estimated the cost which needs to build up the system.

Beowulf Young and Old Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essay

Beowulf Young and Old Despite Beowulf’s almost supernatural strength, stamina and stature, he ages just the same as any other human being. In the human life cycle, one generally begins naive and inexperienced and ages into an adult of more wisdom and knowledge. Akin to others in his time, Beowulf starts as a young fearless warrior and grows into an aged prudent king. From the beginning of his life as a warrior to the end as a king, he gains and develops glory, responsibility and courage, all vital to his reign as a successful king. Beowulf’s responsibility differs from a warrior to a king. As a young fighter he has responsibility to his Geatish king as well as to Hrothgar. His king, Hyglac, relies on Beowulf to represent him and the Geats; Hrothgar depends on Beowulf to save his people from the aggressor Grendel. Beowulf professes to Hrothgar â€Å"To heighten Hygelac’s fame and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield,† (435-448), which shows his dedication and responsibility for the reputation of his leader. As he grows older and wiser, his responsibilities change from warrior to king. As king of the Geats he has a reputation to maintain and the responsibility to protect his people. When the dragon attacks, he sacrifices his well-being for the safety of the Geats despite his justified forecast of his own death. It is apparent that the older Beowulf has much more responsibility in comparison to the young Beowulf. He not only has to...

An Examination of the Second Meditation of Descartes :: Essays Papers

An Examination of the Second Meditation of Descartes Baird and Kaufmann, the editors of our text, explain in their outline of Descartes' epistemology that the method by which the thinker carried out his philosophical work involved first discovering and being sure of a certainty, and then, from that certainty, reasoning what else it meant one could be sure of. He would admit nothing without being absolutely satisfied on his own (i.e., without being told so by others) that it was incontrovertible truth. This system was unique, according to the editors, in part because Descartes was not afraid to face doubt. Despite the fact that it was precisely doubt of which he was endeavoring to rid himself, he nonetheless allowed it the full reign it deserved and demanded over his intellectual labors. "Although uncertainty and doubt were the enemies," say Baird and Kaufmann (p.16), "Descartes hit upon the idea of using doubt as a tool or as a weapon. . . . He would use doubt as an acid to pour over every 'truth' to see if there was anything that coul d not be dissolved . . . ." This test, they explain, resulted for Descartes in the conclusion that, if he doubted everything in the world there was to doubt, it was still then certain that he was doubting; further, that in order to doubt, he had to exist. His own existence, therefore, was the first truth he could admit to with certainty, and it became the basis for the remainder of his epistemology. In his "Synopsis of the Following Six Meditations," Descartes writes the longest paragraph by far on the Second Meditation. This is hardly surprising, since it is the one most critical to his methodology -- the one without which, his entire system of reasoning would collapse. In the first sentence of it, he presents exactly that conclusion which, as we have just seen, Baird and Kaufmann discussed: "In the Second Meditation," he says (p. 23), "the mind uses its own freedom and supposes the non-existence of all things about whose existence it can have even the slightest doubt; and in so doing the mind notices that it is impossible that it should not itself exist during this time." He goes on to say that this will enable the mind to distinguish itself from the body. At this point he spends a good deal of space speaking of exactly why he will not attempt to prove the immortality of the soul in this section, though perhaps some of his audience might have expected him to.

Restaurant Business Plan

Confidentiality Agreement The undersigned reader acknowledges that the information provided in this business plan is confidential; therefore, the reader agrees not to disclose it without the express written permission of . It is acknowledged by the reader that information to be furnished in this business plan is in all respects confidential in nature, other than information that is in the public domain through other means, and that any disclosure or use of this confidential information by the reader may cause serious harm or damage to .Upon request, this document is to be immediately returned to >. Signature: Name: Amanda Walsh David Cagney Date This is a business plan. It does not imply offering of securities. (1) Executive Summary The Grab: Do you want to expand your horizons when it comes to good quality Italian cuisine? The Taster offers you the opportunity to sample food before ordering off the menu free of charge. They recognized that people stick to their comfort zone when it comes to ordering food in restaurants and wanted to change this by letting the customers excite their taste buds.The Problem: A problem the restaurant is preparing to face is to distinguish between serious customers who have an interest in trying new cuisines and customers who come into the restaurant and take advantage of the service in a negative way and don’t appreciate the offer that is provided. This problem could have serious repercussions and affect the profit of the business significantly and therefore must be controlled. The Solution: The solve this issue the staff have to monitor the customers closely, allowing customers limited samples of the food to ensure they don’t fill up on free samples and leave.The chef’s responsibility is to ensure each customer only receives a bite size amount of the food, over indulging the customers will eat into the profits and defeat the purpose of the service provided. The Opportunity: It can be rather challenging to tar get different market segments simultaneously but at The Taster restaurant we are planning on catering to a wide customer base. We segmented the market according to Geographic, Demographic and Psychographic.Our market size is relatively small in comparison to world wide international restaurant chains for example the Hard Rock cafà © however we do have the potential to grow in the market and expand our business in Ireland and possibly the United Kingdom. Your Competitive Advantage: Currently there are six other restaurants in the area and it puts the Taster in direct competition with Casa Pasta & Pizza. The menus that the two restaurants offer are very similar as they are both Italian cuisines however the taster has an advantage over them as they have a potential unique selling point of sampling the food as mentioned above.The Model: The Taster aim to generate revenue from their target market by creating a ground-breaking, unique restaurant with a relaxed sophisticated atmosphere th at will clearly differentiate the restaurant from others. The main goal is to use nothing but high quality fresh Italian ingredients and to approach each customer with the highest standard of service imaginable all of the time with none expectations what so ever. This makes the restaurant scalable as it has the potential to generate growth in the revenues considerably faster than its cost base.The Team: The team at The Taster have the ability to achieve all the goals and succeed in the business and it grows and becomes more successful. When hiring staff for the restaurant only qualified, trained and experienced people will be made part of the team. Highly motivated and enthusiastic people will be favoured. Additional training will be provided as the restaurant wants the highest level of customer service and for customers needs to be dealt with before the customer even anticipates them to allow them to have an incredible dining experience.Financials: Our financial projections for the first five years are as follows. The key driver to succeed is that the company needs to successfully operate through the first year in order to provide adequate cash flow to be self-sufficient in year two. The Ask: The initial financing available to the company in addition to the capital contributions from the owners, will allow The Taster to successfully open and maintain operations for the initial five years of business and offer the customers in the Donnybrook area a unique dining experience.Start-up costs and initial financing are as follows. Jane Ericson will be investing $20,000 of savings and guaranteeing a loan for another $30,000 with personal assets. In addition, the business will receive an interest-free loan from a family member of $10,000, to be repaid within the first year. (figures to be changed) (2) Team and company The Taster was founded in 2011 by Amanda Walsh and David Cagney who are the two joint investors in the project. They created Italian restaurant that off ers customers fresh homemade Italian food at a reasonable price.There is also the opportunity for the customer to taste a bite sized amount of the food if they are unsure before ordering. They will offer a few different types of menus depending on the day of the week and time of day including lunch and early bird menus during the week and set menus and lunch menus at the weekend. The Taster will be open seven days a week, serving lunch and early bird menus Monday till Thursday and set menus and al la carte menus Friday till Sunday. What relevant experience has the team got? David Cagney has been working as a bar man for the past two years in the Aviva Stadium.He has recently graduated from the Aviva Academy which was a significant achievement as he was picked from a group of one hundred applicants out of two hundred. David has also worked as a part-time waiter in Foleys Bar, near Stephens Green and in Graingers along the Malahide road. Amanda has over two years’ experience as a chef and a waitress for the Bad Ass Cafà © in Temple Bar. As we have both have experience in the hospitality industry, their skills complement each other which makes it easier to occasionally share ideas and views on how to take their business proposition to the next level.What are the gaps in the team? Both members of the team are very weak when it comes to the financial aspects of setting up a business. They contracted professional accounts to help with this aspect of the business as it is a very important. The businesses needed someone to draw up a cash flow, profit and loss account and a balance sheet for their financial projections. Has the team worked successfully in the past? The team have not worked with each other in the past, except for the development of their feasibility study.Despite the fact that they have never worked with each other they are making significant progress and working alongside each other throughout the project. Are they well known in the industry? T he team are currently not well known in the industry as they have never worked with each other in order to make a name for themselves. They are confident that their ideas will satisfy customers’ expectations and will make their dining experience a pleasant one, one which they will want to go back and tell all their friends and family about. Who has the experience with solving this customer problem?The team will only gain this experience by actually going out and setting up the business, with the skills they have picked whilst working in the hospitality sector. Who has experience selling competitive offerings to this market? Both Amanda and David have limited experience on how to sell competitive offerings, although they have some knowledge in relation pricing strategies from their marketing studies.They believe that how they’ll price their menus as opposed to other Italian restaurants in the market i. e. , Casa Pasta and Pizza, will be vital in the early stages of thei r launch. 3) Product and market The opportunity problem: Value proposition: The Taster restaurant satisfies the customers’ needs of eating out and gives them the knowledge they need behind them when ordering food. Waiters can be very vague when describing the taste of the dishes that customers are curious about and a lot of times have never tasted the foods themselves. The Tasters gives the diners an opportunity to try the foods so they can have their own opinion and peace of mind when a ordering a new dish or something a bit different, so they know exactly what they are getting.This business goal could generate potential customers in the long run through word of mouth and effective advertising as it has many benefits to the customer. It allows customers to try new foods and avoids them been left with a full meal they won’t enjoy which saves them money on wasted food. The customer: The Taster has created a market for several different categories of customers. The indiv idual people that go for lunch or dinner by themselves usually during or after office hours. Families and friends who dine together for lunch or dinner usually on a Sunday, they intend to make Sundays a very family orientated day.Couples usually go out on a Friday or Saturday night for a romantic meal. To encourage as many couples as possible they plan on having a set menu for two people including a bottle of wine. And finally People on a budget, they took into consideration the recession and that a lot of people are on a budget now so they created an early bird menu from Monday to Thursday to cater for these people on a low budget and hopefully fill the restaurant during the week on nights that it wouldn’t necessarily be busy .The Market: The Taster is faced with the exciting opportunity of being the first restaurant to be able to sample the food before ordering. This concept puts them in a great place in the market and gives them the potential to become a huge success. Ther e isn’t a huge market as we can only reach a percentage of the country but there is huge potential for the market to grow at a steady pace as the restaurants expand, every five years if all goes to plan. There is no shortage of restaurants in the Dublin four area, which puts The Taster in a competitive market.According to Porter’s five force model The Taster is structurally attractively as they have an advantage over their rivals in relation to changing price with their set menus and the fact they can differentiate their product from others in the market with similar establishments. Market size: Market context: Here is the pest analysis for The Taster restaurant. All of these factors are inevitable and cannot be changed by the restaurant * The political factors include Government regulations for food preparation has been put to place to ensure the safety of customers in the restaurants.Food safety authority of Ireland has put a procedure called HACCP into place to regu late this. The government have full control over tax and vat rates. For the initial set up of the restaurant high interest rates might discourage us from borrowing money from a financial institution because it costs so much to borrow. * Economic factors are Inflation, which will increase the amount of wages for employees and automatically increase the business expenses as wages is one the highest expenses in a business. Eating ut in restaurants isn’t an essential it’s a luxury that many people in this economic climate cannot avail of as they have lack of disposable income. * Social factors include the huge increase in health awareness and people concern more about their diet and lifestyle.The Taster took this into consideration when creating their menu and included many healthy options to choice from. Over the past few years the media have put a lot of attention on healthy living and healthy life styles. The chefs had to take this into account when we are preparing the food in the kitchen.A lot of woman are now working full and part time and not staying at home so there is a huge decrease in the amount of people cooking at home as it is more convenient to eat out and get take- aways. * Technological factors in the restaurant have made significant changes for example when an employee puts a customer’s order into the till the order is sent directly to the kitchen so it saves time. The process of ordering food is made simply and efficient as the chefs can make food orders online. This allows them to order exact quantities of food at any given stage during the day even on weekends.Handheld computer devises also allows staff members to take orders quicker and not have to write it down, not only does this save on paper it also like the till sends orders directly to kitchen. Competitive positioning and advantage: The Taster’s positioning in the market will generate sales against the competition and give them a competitive edge over the oth er establishments. By offering the consumers a unique product, along with outstanding service, The Taster will stand out in comparison to the competition which is an attractive prospect for potential investors to the restaurant.Currently there are six other restaurants in the area and we are in direct competition with Casa Pasta & Pizza. They also have lunch specials and early bird menus to attract customers. The foods we are providing are very similar because they are both Italian so we have obvious similarities in the menus. The competitors will respond to a new restaurant opening in the market by been even more competitive with prices, quality and the service. They have an advantage over the direct competition that competes with what they are offering as they have a unique set up in the restaurant as it provides customers with samples of the food.They also have the advantage that they have a variety of food menus on offer to compete in the recession and cater for most people†™s budgets. The one disadvantage that The Taster has over the competition is that the other restaurants are well known and well established in the market place and have a regular customer base. Competitive Advantage: As mentioned above The Taster intends on competing with the competition by been unique, competitively priced, produce dishes from the finest freshest ingredients and serve the dishes with the highest standard of quality. Risk Factors: Risk| Comment/mitigation|What if there are customers that come in and try our food and samples and walk out? | We will not only rethink the way we produce our cuisine, but we will also rethink how we make our dining service more attractive. | What if a lot of disinterested passers are attracted by the offer and will go in and take the food samples and are generally being very messy? | They will have to look into hiring security in order to manage any antics that might occur from the disinterested people. | How will the restaurant fair wi th the Italian restaurant across the road and the ones in town?This risk is somehow too vague to consider quite just yet, although it will turn into a concern later on. | What will happen if the restaurant can’t manage to balance revenue from our expenses? | This is a possible problem that may occur in the early stages of the business if they don’t manage their expenses well. | What will happen if the main suppliers go out of business for whatever reasons? | They will have to figure out a way of contracting a back-up supplier in the likely event of something as unfortunate ever happening. | Exit StrategyThe Exit Strategy is one of the most important parts in the business. The company needs to ensure that the exit of the company and handing it over to another investor is successful. A plan has to be put into place to make the transition successful according to the company’s circumstances and any requirements that an individual shareholders of the company may have . Assuming The Taster turns into a successful business they intend on selling all of their assets and dividing the finance accumulated among the shareholders in proportion with the money they initially invested into the company.They are assuming they won’t be in debt and each shareholder receives a desirable profit from the business venture. The Taster exit strategy could be due to the liquidation of the company, the sale of the company or the strategic alliance with a partnering company. Although they are assuming they will be success they have to discuss all possibilities and outcomes with the investors to show them what will happen in the worst case scenario and inform them of all risks that are attached. The investors will review all risks and rewards and make a final decision if they want to invest into the company.

Competition for Tripadvisor

Competitor Analysis Know Your Options: TripAdvisor TripAdvisor is one of the largest travel sites with more than 40 million travelers reading and writing reviews each month. If you own or manage a hotel/accommodation, vacation rental, restaurant or attraction, you should claim or create a listing on TripAdvisor. Creating your business account will enable you to update your business details, showcase photos, promote specials and respond to guest reviews.TripAdvisor also offers a wide range of marketing opportunities and content solutions you may want to explore. Competitor analysis and identification: 1. Who is our  competition? Home Away inc,- founded in February 2005 Over the years, HomeAway CEO Brian Sharples and his family rented a variety of ski and beach homes, enjoying the space, availability of a kitchen and flexibility to invite others on vacation. However, he found that finding and booking a property online in the highly-fragmented vacation rental industry was not as easy as reserving a hotel.It was out of this frustration, that he realized the opportunity to transform the vacation rental industry and build the world's leading marketplace for online vacation rentals. HomeAway, Inc. was founded by Sharples and Carl Shepherd in February 2005. Orbitz Worldwide Inc,-Founded in 2001 Orbitz Worldwide enables travelers to research, plan and book a broad range of travel products, facilitating 1. 5 million flight searches and one million hotel searches every day. 4]  Orbitz Worldwide is a publicly traded company listed on the  New York Stock Exchange  following its initial public offering (IPO) in July 2007. Orbitz Worldwide’s largest investor is  Travelport, one of the world’s largest networks of travel brands, content and service offerings. Priceline. com Inc- Founded in 1997 Priceline. com is an Internet-based transactional service that offers products in two categories: a travel service that offers leisure airline tickets,  hotel r ooms, rental cars, packaged vacations and cruises; and a personal  finance service  that markets  home mortgages,  refinancing  and home quity loans through an independent licensee. 2. What is the profile of our  competitors? Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. operates as an online travel company that enables leisure and business travelers to research, plan, and book a range of travel products. It provides a set of travel products, including air, hotels, vacation packages, car rentals, cruises, travel insurance, and destination services, such as ground transportation, event tickets, and tours worldwide.The company owns and operates a portfolio of consumer brands, including Orbitz, CheapTickets, ebookers, HotelClub, RatesToGo, and the Away Network, as well as corporate travel brands, such as Orbitz for Business and Travelport for Business. HomeAway, Inc. operates as an online marketplace for the vacation rental industry. It offers an extensive selection of vacation homes, privately o wned residential properties, including homes, condominiums, villas and cabins, which can be rented on a nightly, weekly or monthly basis.Priceline. com Incorporated has pioneered a unique e-commerce pricing system known as a `demand collection system` that enables consumers to use the Internet to save money on a wide range of products and services while enabling sellers to generate incremental revenue. Using a simple and compelling consumer proposition – Name Your Own Price – priceline. com collects consumer demand, in the form of individual customer offers guaranteed by a credit card, for a particular product or service at a price set by the customer. . What are the business goals of our  competitors? -Orbits goal is to transform the way the world looks at travel -Home Away plans   to be part of a coalition being formed with a goal of standardizing rules governing the vacation rental market -Priceline’s   goal is to lead the industry as a world-class cust omer-centric company, with an infrastructure that delivers the best, personalized customer service experience is absolutely fundamental to our company's long-term success on the Internet. 4. What market strategies are being followed by the  competition  and what is the success rate? Marketing strategy for Price line is Introduction which is the one place where you can satisfy your every need (almost every need) at your price? Be it airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, mortgages, new automobiles, or even long distance calling time. 5. What are the strengths and weaknesses of our  competitors? Presented in SWOT Analysis) 6. What threats / opportunities do they pose? (Presented in SWOT Analysis) References: http://finance. yahoo. com/q/co? s=TRIP+Competitors http://www. bizjournals. com/austin/news/2013/02/25/homeaway-part-of-national-coalition. html http://essaymania. com/14492/marketing-strategy-for-priceline-com http://www. homeaway. com/info/about-us/company-info/corpor ate-faqs/why-founded

Free Time

There are lots of pleasure grounds all over the world. I think everywhere there are pubs, discoes, clubs, etc. We go out with my friends especially to pubs where we can chat, listen to music, dance and eat something. But the garden parties are more friendlier and cheaper. We usually organize barbecues with children, this time they can play and run in the garden. I usually go to a wellness-weekend with my husband once a year in winter because we work a lot all of the year.There are some well-known spas in Hungary, for example, Hà ©và ­z and Hajdà ºszoboszlà ³, and many people, including foreigners, go there. A hobby is an activity that you like doing and do quite often. Hobbies are a form of recreation. If you have a hobby, it’s easier to regain energy after a hard day’s work. Depending on the type of the hobby, you can also make friends. Unfortunately many Hungarians spend their free time at home watching TV. But there are some who do some physical activities regula rly, like swimming, aerobics or hiking.Nowadays many young people spend much of their time playing computer games either at home or in internet cafes. I think men and women usually have different kinds of hobbies, for example, very few women go fishing and they are not so interested in extreme sports, either. On the other hand, men generally aren’t interested in needlework or pottery. In my opinion both men and women do gardening but they tend to do different jobs in the garden.Women like dealing with flowers, they weed the flowerbeds, plant new varieties and they design the whole garden. Men usually prune the trees, trim the hedges and mow the lawn. Collecting stamps, coins, autographs, phone cards, beer mats or napkins, model building, doing needlework or woodwork, pottery, basketry, playing an instrument and dancing are indoor hobbies, while hiking, mountaineering, caving, sailing, fishing, canoeing and bird-watching are outdoor hobbies. My sister’s hobbies are coll ecting phone cards and diary writing.I like reading about feng-shui and I like to be an Avon consultant. I used to play handball for years, nowadays I only watch handball games on TV. As far as I know, the English like playing golf and cricket, and there are quite a few soccer fans among them. They often mow the lawn and wash their cars at weekends, while some British people go to horse races to bet or just to watch the race. Some Americans go to baseball and basketball games regularly to support their teams.But there are others who prefer staying at home and watching these games on TV while eating snacks. I think Hungarian people collect the same things that people like collecting all over the world, mostly stamps and coins. If we considered a sport that many people pursue popular, the most popular sport in Hungary are football, handball, hiking and aerobics. If a popular sport means a sport that many people watch, besides football and handball, the most popular sports are Formula 1 racing, water polo and boxing. Free Time There are lots of pleasure grounds all over the world. I think everywhere there are pubs, discoes, clubs, etc. We go out with my friends especially to pubs where we can chat, listen to music, dance and eat something. But the garden parties are more friendlier and cheaper. We usually organize barbecues with children, this time they can play and run in the garden.I usually go to a wellness-weekend with my husband once a year in winter because we work a lot all of the year. There are some well-known spas in Hungary, for example, Hà ©và ­z and Hajdà ºszoboszlà ³, and many people, including foreigners, go there.A hobby is an activity that you like doing and do quite often. Hobbies are a form of recreation. If you have a hobby, it’s easier to regain energy after a hard day’s work. Depending on the type of the hobby, you can also make friends.Unfortunately many Hungarians spend their free time at home watching TV. But there are some who do some physical activities regularl y, like swimming, aerobics or hiking. Nowadays many young people spend much of their time playing computer games either at home or in internet cafes.I think men and women usually have different kinds of hobbies, for example, very few women go fishing and they are not so interested in extreme sports, either. On the other hand, men generally aren’t interested in needlework or pottery. In my opinion both men and women do gardening but they tend to do different jobs in the garden. Women like dealing with flowers, they weed the flowerbeds, plant new varieties and they design the whole garden. Men usually prune the trees, trim the hedges and mow the lawn.Collecting stamps, coins, autographs, phone cards, beer mats or napkins, model building, doing needlework or woodwork, pottery, basketry, playing an instrument and dancing are indoor hobbies, while hiking, mountaineering, caving, sailing, fishing, canoeing and bird-watching are outdoor hobbies. My sister’s hobbies are collec ting phone cards and diary writing. I like reading about feng-shui and I like to be an Avon consultant. I used to play  handball for years, nowadays I only watch handball games on TV.As far as I know, the English like playing golf and cricket, and there are quite a few soccer fans among them. They often mow the lawn and wash their cars at weekends, while some British people go to horse races to bet or just to watch the race.Some Americans go to baseball and basketball games regularly to support their teams. But there are others who prefer staying at home and watching these games on TV while eating snacks.I think Hungarian people collect the same things that people like collecting all over the world, mostly stamps and coins.If we considered a sport that many people pursue popular, the most popular sport in Hungary are football, handball, hiking and aerobics. If a popular sport means a sport that many people watch, besides football and handball, the most popular sports are Formula 1 racing, water polo and boxing.

Self-Verification

Self-verification is a social psychological theory that asserts people want to be known and understood by others according to their firmly held beliefs and feelings about themselves, that is self-views (including self-concepts and self-esteem). Because chronic self-concepts and self-esteem play an important role in understanding the world, providing a sense of coherence, and guiding action, people become motivated to maintain them through self-verification. Such strivings provide stability to people’s lives, making their experiences more coherent, orderly, and comprehensible than they would be otherwise.Self-verification processes are also adaptive for groups, groups of diverse backgrounds and the larger society, in that they make people predictable to one another thus serve to facilitate social interaction. To this end, people engage in a variety of activities that are designed to obtain self-verifying information. According to self-verification, people prefer feedback that i s consistent with their self-concept even when that feedback is unflattering. They will not accept feedback that is at odds with their self-concept.In our hypothesis, men who chose to use urinals for urination are meant to be more confident and have a stronger self-esteem than those who chose to use toilet bowls. They have a stronger self-concept and hence stronger self-verification. They would consider that they did a good job and deserved a more positive feedback. Therefore, a more positive feedback would increase their motivation and performance. If less positive feedback is given to this group of people, they would not receive this feedback as the less positive feedback did not match with their self-concept.For those chose to use toilet bowl, which showed that they had less confidence and lower self-concept, a less positive feedback would cause a higher motivation and performance since they think they deserved less positive feedback. They would accept it and hence it satisfied t heir self-esteem. Once their self-esteem is satisfied, they would promote to a higher hierarchy: self-actualization. P. s. I dun know when to use self-concept, self-esteem, self-verification these suck words. Since I only got the fucking old both without these suck words and definitions.

Doctor Money and the Boy with No Penis Questions

Doctor Money and the Boy with no Penis A. The most tragic thing about this story is that David and his brother couldn’t make through in the end. After all the fighting they had both been through, the bad parts of their life took over the good parts and ate away at them until I suppose neither of them found life worth living. What struck me the most was probably that at the end of the documentary, David even asks if it will take them shooting themselves in the head for people to listen, and does exactly that.It is the most upsetting thing in the documentary, in my eyes. After all of the work the brothers had gone through to make their life as normal as possible, if all gets ruined and they cannot cope any longer. B. I feel most sympathetic to the family in the aspect of the parents having to keep what should have been their son’s life a secret. While I do not agree with the decision of changing baby Bruce’s sex, I cannot imagine how hard the decision would be to m ake, and then having to keep the truth a secret to a visibly unhappy child.Keeping a secret for a long period is hard enough, and to have it in the back of your mind that revealing the secret to you child will make them so much happier must have killed them inside. This life has been made so awful because of one decision endorsed by a psychologist. C. Flat out I believe that Dr. Money was so unbelievably wrong that I cannot fathom what caused him to make his decisions.To singlehandedly destroy two children’s lives, and not have it even phase him has me believe that he was driven crazy by the need to be right. I only wish that he could have realized just what he was doing. If only he knew how wrong he was and just stopped what he was doing before it was too late. Then maybe, the vows could’ve lived a happy life. D. My lesson from this documentary is that every child should try to have a relationship with their parents to where they can tell them anything.If little Brend a and her brother had the courage to tell their parents what Dr. Money was doing to them, then hopefully, the parents would’ve stopped seeing him. And then tried to fix what was happening. Not feeling like they should tell their parents really sealed away the idea to a normal life for either of them. It was not fair to them and I just wish that the whole situation would have ended differently.

Comparative Financial Trend Analysis of HSBC and Santander Research Paper

Comparative Financial Trend Analysis of HSBC and Santander - Research Paper Example Personal assets among the other services are provided by the bank in other parts of the world such as in Latin America. Although the banking group has been providing wholesale services, it unveiled its retail services in 2013. HSBC is a global banking group whose operations feature in many countries across the globe. The banking group is headquartered in London with its subsidiaries operating under regional company segments. The group is listed on the London, Hong Kong, New York, Bermuda, and Paris markets with its shares being held by about 220,000 people across the globe. While acting as American Depository receipts, the shares trade on the NY market. The dominant nature of the banking corporation ensures that it minimizes costs through economies of scale while maintaining its dominance. The over 8000 outlets of the company are distributed in about 88 countries across the Asia Pacific Region, the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Middles East. The company’s key contact is Peter Bull, the Head of HSBC operations in the community and Nick Robins, the head of Climate Change Center of Excellence. The management of HSBC works hard to employ the latest strategies to enhance its dominance as well as ensure environmental sustainability. To this end, the banking group perceives consumption of energy as its greatest environmental impact with the use of papers, emission of carbon from business travels of the company being perceived as significant impacts. This is the main objective of this paper with the focus being comparison of the financial performance of the two major banks. This section compares all forms of financial performance of the banks especially concerning their assets, liabilities, revenues, profits and owners equity among other aspects. The mission of the bank is to enable businesses to thrive and at the same time prosper economies. That can be achieved by people been able to fulfill their dreams and hopes and help them realize their

The New Safety Program Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The New Safety Program - Research Paper Example In this case, the physically challenged and clumsy people would be omitted as well as the illiterate and those that do not observe instruction with an aim of reducing accidents. In order to get employees to act safely at work, the employees should come up with rules to be observed and closely monitor the activities of the employees. Besides this, they should create a cut-off from the employees’ salaries for insurance in case of such risks at work. To ensure that those who need to wear goggle put them on; the owners should ensure their availability and educate the employees on the need for personal protection and safety (Shady, 2007). Owners should warn employees that in the case of an accident occurrence, should they fail to observe the safety measures, then they stand to bear the consequences and not the employing firm. Shady, K. (2007). An ergonomic look at facility laundry rooms: Kim Shady offers advice on creating a safe and employee-friendly laundry through ergonomics. Nursing Homes by Kim Shady, Focus on

River Woods TEAM Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

River Woods TEAM Assignment - Essay Example First and foremost, the plant manager should possess competent knowledge, skills and expertise in the various domains he/she is expected to oversee. Knowledge is power, goes the saying. Thus, if the manager possesses the knowledge and expertise required, people will seek out his opinion, they will listen to him/her and will always perceive him/her as an expert. This way, he/she will be able to gain authority. Secondly, the plant manager should have authority. He/she should be responsible and accountable for all the responsibilities under him/her. Thirdly, the plant manager must have courage and confidence. In simpler terms, the plant manager needs confidence so as to know that he/she has power, and needs courage to use the power. For personal power to exist, it has to be acknowledged and used. The plant manger should be in position to always do and say what is needed. He/she should have the confidence to ask anything he/she is in need of. Finally, the plant manager has to possess good interpersonal relationship skills. Thus, in order to prevent the looming unionization of the firm as a result of inevitable complains from the employees, the plant manager should be in a position to gain power through his/her relationship with them. He/she should be able to build trust and closer relationships with them, so as to make it easy to influence them. The fact that the plant is decentralizing its management structure, call for a plant manager who will be in direct touch with the employees.teh manager will be in regular contact with them, thus, he/she to develop a good rapport with them. This can only be done through ensuring the new plant manager is endorsed with the necessary power and resources required to command authority from the employees. Thus, In order to ensure that the new plant general manager is in a position to accomplish the assigned duties, the following actions have to be taken. First, legitimate/position power has to be

Macro Economics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Macro Economics - Coursework Example Demand curves are curves that show a relationship between the price of a product and the quantity demanded. It is shown when the values of price are plotted against the values of quantity demand. It shows what consumers are willing to buy at various prices. The demand curve has a negative slope (-5) which indicates that an increase in there is an inverse relationship between price and the quantity demanded. The demand curve therefore shows a negative relationship between the variables, which means that an increase in price causes a decrease in demanded quantity and a decrease in price causes an increase in quantity demanded. The two therefore have an inverse relationship. Increase in the income of consumers will lead to increase in demand for widgets. This is because widgets are normal goods and change in income results to a positive change to demand of normal goods. There will therefore be a shift in demand curve for widgets to the right as a result of the increased demand. The shift in the demand curve will cause to an increase in the quantity of widgets demanded at each level of price. The shift to the right will cause an increase in demand and therefore the demand value in the equation will increase with increase in income. A supply curve is a curve that shows a relationship between price and quantity supplied by the sellers. The supply curve slopes from the left to the right. This shows the direct relationship between quantity supplied and price. The slope of the supply curve has a positive value (+3.3). This indicates that there is a positive relationship between price and the quantity supplied. Price and supply are therefore directly related. Change in price of the input used to produce will result to a decrease in supply of the widgets. This will result to a shift in the supply curve upwards indicating a decrease in supply. Less quantity of the widgets will therefore be supplied at the same price levels to enable the suppliers

A Study on the Self-Perception of Young Female and Male Students from Literature review

A Study on the Self-Perception of Young Female and Male Students from Somali Ethinic Group in Britain Today - Literature review Example It will attempt to unravel current and pressing issues and problems of the Somali youths and delve into potential recommendations to improve their situations. a. Rationale Caught in unending violence and conflict situations which victimized thousands of Somali from their original home of abode, thousands of them immigrated to Britain to liberate themselves from seemingly unending atrocities and economic decadence. Such diasporas to better their lives and from wanton discriminatory chaotic situation of the past unfortunately resulted to identity confusion as new generation now lacked appreciation of their cultural and original identities. This is illustrated in the absence of direct and contextual experience in their homeland after years of enjoying relative peace as an asylum in Britain. Long detachment of these naturalized Somalis from their original homeland introduced young generation to British culture although there is no explicit claim of such identity as Brits are prominently known of their milky white skin, quite a contrast of Somali’s black skin-tone. Neither do they identify themselves with African lineage. As a consequence, there is a need to bridge intergenerational cultural gaps of adults and of the new generation, where the latter struggle to integrate themselves within British community. Youths and children felt that they are discriminated, as there is apparent perception of dearth of support to mainstream or socially accept them. To cite an example, youths and children felt that there is lack of educational support for them to learn English as language and they felt they are unfairly prejudiced in their daily affairs with other people. b. Significance This study is significant because it will empirically contribute to existing literatures and researches relating to the condition and perception of Somali youths as migrants within United Kingdom. It will also serve as evidence how conflict-situations compromised the identities of people and lost their very selves in a social quagmire and in an unending quest for peace. As part of the outcome of the study, researcher will attempt to make recommendations for policy advocacy and social action. It will also motivate government to look into the plight of Somali youths, prominently tagged as asylum seeker, to respond on their urgent concerns and problems. c. Motivation Youths are said to be the future of the world. There education and value formation are crucial to make themselves complete, instead of being fragmented due to confusion of identities while and at the same time marginalized by the system where it seek protection. Such dilemma will have serious implication to their worldviews, may frustrate them, and if not seriously dealt with will impact to desired societal interaction and to social fabric in the nearest future. Even in the simplest humanitarian consideration, language is important to communicate and to nurture mutual understanding. Hence, efforts should be m ade to bridge understanding, to educate them of their roots to inculcate better understanding of their identities, and to holistically develop them while in the process of integrating themselves in the British society. d. Potential Users This research study will be useful for the following: a. Professionals who are interested to know young Somali’s self-perceptions; b. Researchers and policy makers of the

Research three diverse faiths and compare the philosophy of providing Paper

Three diverse faiths and compare the philosophy of providing healh care from the perspective of each of these three faiths with that of the Christian perspective and your own personal perspective - Research Paper Example The only shortcoming here is that globalization has nurtured an overall society that is closely knit; meaning that the people that are likely to visit the facilities are from diverse cultures. Religion reveals much about one’s culture in many ways, and this fact will be utilized in this case in a clinical setting. The intent of this paper is to shed light on three religion in the context of health care provision. To what extent do these specific faiths affect how health care is provided to the people, and are they a manifestation of all other faiths. The significance of the Buddhist faith is paramount in this case because of one key factor; the massive following. A very large portion of the population of people of the Asian continent are devote followers of this faith. The religion was initially restricted within the Asian continent, but globalization has meant that its spread is anticipated. Clinical practitioners are in such a case expected to consider the individual cases of the Buddhist patients they offer their services to in the best way possible. The views held by some faiths differ from those of other, and this is a consideration that the health care providers have to mull over. Although it may be stated that most religions are based on foundations of fear of mishaps such as draught, floods, and so forth; Buddhism is claimed by many to be based on suffering. Fear is linked to external forces that one has no influence towards and hence people seek the help of Supreme intervention. Suffering is more specific in that it expound on all forms of difficulties experienced throughout the life of an individual. The argument here is that reality is within each individual, and cannot be found if one turns away as insinuated by faiths based on fear (Hirakawa, 2007). The faith emphasizes on the empowerment of each individual in ways to make them know that they have control of what happens in their lives (Hirakawa, 2007). The aim is to make

Managing Communications in the Garden Company Assignment

Managing Communications in the Garden Company - Assignment Example The Garden Company needs to upgrade its communication processes as well as its information and knowledge collection strategies. This can be done through the systematic evaluation of its key strengths and weaknesses. Basically, this paper has based the management of communications, knowledge, as well as information about the centre of focus being landscaping/gardening business. The Garden Company is the business title in this case. A number of decisions are needed in the organization in order to achieve long-term growth and profitability. These decisions should start with the need to enhance the communication processes in the organization. Communication processes should be able to use a number of strategies that can help to achieve the long-term goals within a short period of time. Furthermore, the goal should be to achieve the long-term strategic advantage with an emphasis on innovation. Communication processes should be strengthened for the benefit of the employees and the customer segments of the organization. Another critical area where decision making is required is that the information collection and management processes must be strengthened to ensure that customer loyalty can be attained. The organization must be able to devise a collaborative strategy for success (Gary, 2002: p. 4). The organization needs to have information regarding its critical goals and objectives. This is an important part of the decision making process. Furthermore, it needs to develop an institutional structure that can help to attain the critical goals within a short period of time. Planning and appraisal is another key area where success can be attained by the organization. Monitoring and evaluation are helpful in decision making as it helps to ensure the success of long-term strategies. These approaches should be based on a careful understanding of the external and internal environments. The external sources of information for the organization come by tracking the feedback obtained from the customers.  Ã‚