Canada national Park Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Canada national Park - Research Paper Example It was established in the year 1987 and governed by Parks Canada. The most important geographical features include the rocks, cliffs, and Grottos (caves). The dolomite rocks that can be seen in the park are important because it consist of the fossils of plants and animals. So, one can easily identify that Bruce Peninsula National Park is archeologically and ecologically important. Within Bruce Peninsula National Park, steep cliffs in Bruce Trail and the sea shore in Georgian Bay are some of the important geographical features. Koenig (2005), states that â€Å"The peninsula can be characterized as an out-of-the-way place in a cultural as well as an ecological sense† (p.11). Some of the important plant and tree species include Yellow Lady's Slipper, Maidenhair Spleenwort and Eastern White Cedar (tree). The wildlife includes wild animals like bear, birds, plants and reptiles. Besides, the most important quality of the Bruce Peninsula National Park is its closeness to Niagara Esca rpment area. So, the main features/ characteristics of Bruce Peninsula National Park qualify the same as an important national park which preserves flora and fauna without human encroachment and exploitation. B. Natural and cultural attractions at Bruce Peninsula National Park The natural attractions at Bruce Peninsula National Park are interconnected with its landscape (beaches, limestone cliffs, and forests). On the other side, the cultural attractions include the remaining of Paleozoic Era and the status as a World Biosphere Reserve within Niagara Escarpment. Besides, the facilities, natural and cultural identity, accommodation facilities and operation (proper functioning) act the role of a strong foundation to the natural and cultural attractions at Bruce Peninsula National Park. To be specific, some of the world renowned National Parks does not prove successful in attracting visitors and preserving nature. But Bruce Peninsula National Park is entirely different from other natio nal parks. I. Facilities Most of the facilities that are considered as an integral part of tourism are available at Bruce Peninsula National Park. For instance, tourists who are interested in adventure can enjoy hiking, canoeing and kayaking. The tourists who are interested in sight seeing can enjoy the flora and fauna of Bruce Peninsula National Park. Goodwin (1995), makes clear that â€Å"The Bruce’s reputation as a haven for some of the province’s rarest and most attractive plants has drawn naturalists north to the peninsula, and it is now recognized for an outstanding array of breeding birds as well† (p.77). The tourists who are interested in learning more about the national park can participate in the educational programs conducted by the park authorities. As the park is open year round, tourists can conduct different types of camps according to their interest. For instance, Front Country Camping (say, 242 campsites) is an important attraction at Bruce Peni nsula National Park. Other facilities provided by the park authorities include parking (parking lots), special care and attention for persons with disabilities and local community services (stores, groceries etc). From a different angle of view, the facilities provided by the park authorities are helpful for the tourists to choose facilities according to their needs. II. Natural and cultural identity Some of the most important places in Bruce Peninsula N

Service Request Essay Example for Free

Service Request Essay Riordan Manufacturing Company is an organization that manufactures plastic parts globally. With manufacturing plants in Georgia, Michigan, and China, Riordan employees well over 500 people and bring in projected annual revenues around $46 million. Riordan has a diverse customer base and services various industries such as automotive, aircraft manufacturers, the department of defense, beverage makers, and appliance manufacturers. The companys research and development is done at the corporate headquarters in San Jose. A service request was recently issued by the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Mr. Hugh McCauley to upgrade the Human Resources department’s information systems to a more sophisticated state of the art system. My goal is to define the business requirements for the development of an HR system and to support the objective of this request. I will create a detailed system design and a project implementation plan required to complete the project. Mr. McCauley would like the project to be completed in approximately six months, so the new system can be utilized in the second quarter of next year. Key Riordan Stakeholders To begin defining the business requirements for HR’s system I must first understand their current system and assess the growing needs and requirements of the department. Riordan’s current HRIS system was installed in 1992 and is part of the financial systems package that keeps track of their employee’s information such as personal information, pay rate, hire date, organizational information, and vacation hours. Riordan’s current system is time consuming and inefficient. Many departments keep their own records and there is no common sharing or cohesiveness between each department. The first step in designing a new more efficient system is to interview the key stakeholders involved in the decision making process and the users who will be using the new system. The first person that I would interview is the COO Mr. Hugh McCauley. Mr. McCauley is the person who  placed the service request for the new HR system. His primary responsibility is to direct, adminis ter and coordinate the activities of the organization in support of policies, goals and objectives established by the chief executive officer and the Board of Directors. Mr. McCauley’s input will be valuable in determining the overall goal for the HR department as they relate to the objectives of the organization. The next person I would interview is the Director of Human Resources Ms. Yvonne McMillan. Ms. McMillan’s role is to develop departmental policies, direct and coordinate human resources activities, such as employment, compensation, labor relations, benefits, training, and employee services. Her input will be valuable as she works with all of the departments that will be incorporated into the new system and will have specific knowledge of each role under her command. The other key stakeholders that would need to be included in the interview process are the payroll manager Silvija Peterson and payroll clerk Ana Richlich, training and development specialist Mari Carillo, the recruiter Eric Myers, employee relations specialist manager Andrea Gamby and employee relations specialist Carl Green, compensation and benefits manager Terri Carranza, compensation analyst Anne Pham. These employees will have firsthand knowledge of the current system, will lend valuable advice for improvements and will be users of the new system. Information gathering techniques and system analysis tools The first type of interviewing technique that I would use is the face to face interview. The interview is considered the primary technique used for information gathering during the analysis phase of the developmental project. The goal of the interview is gather information on the company, the particular job function, processes or activities, to uncover problems, to conduct a needs determination, gather opinions and user viewpoints; provide certain information, and to obtain leads for further interviews. The three primary system analysis tools that an analyst uses are interviewing, observation, and research. Other information gathering techniques I would use is focus groups, site visits, and Joint Application Design (JAD). Focus groups allow the interviewer to obtain different viewpoints in a group setting on the same subject. The group interaction provides immediate validation of the data gathered. Site visits can be used to gain firsthand  knowledge of the processes, activities, p hysical environment, and working conditions of the project. Site visits can be used to not only improve the interviewers understanding of the current working environment, but the interviewer may obtain additional information that wasn’t shared during the initial interview. The last information gathering technique is JAD. JAD allows a group of key stakeholders to gather in one place for a session or multiple sessions to discuss the goals and objectives of the project. JAD sessions start with identifying the mission and goal statements, and proceed to identifying the business requirements. One of the primary differences between a focus group and a JAD session is typically the participants in the focus group share similar technical and organizational levels whereas JAD groups are comprised of various users and key stakeholders. Key factors to help ensure the information gathering for project is gathered successfully Documentation is an extremely important part of information gathering and serves to clarify understanding for the interviewer. It also provides an audit trail or creates records which can be referred to at some later date which will serve as the basis for future decisions and projects. Making sure the information gathered is saved properly will allow the interviewer to retrieve the information when it is needed again. Project scope and feasibility The project scope is the part of project planning that involves determining and documenting a list of specific project goals, deliverables, tasks and deadlines. (Rouse, 2012). A project scope statement is a short document prepared primarily for the customer to clearly describe what the project will deliver and outline generally at a high level all the work required for completing the project. (Valacich, George, and Hoffer, 2012). A Feasibility Study needs to be completed as early in the Project Life Cycle as possible. When completing a feasibility study the best time to complete one is when a range of different alternative solutions have been identified, and one needs to know which solution is the most feasible to implement. The feasibility study analyzes and outlines and several alternatives or methods of achieving business success. The feasibility study helps to narrow the scope of the project to identify the best business scenario. References: Hofstrand, D. (2013). What is a Feasibility Study? Ag Decision Maker. Retrieved from: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/pdf/c5-65.pdf on October 27, 2014.Modell, M. (2007). The Interview And Other Data Gathering Methods. Retrieved from: http://www.martymodell.com/pgsa2/pgsa07.html on October 27, 2014 Rouse. M (July, 2012). Project Scope. SearchCIO. Retrieved from: http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/project-scope on October, 27, 2014.Valacich, J. S., George, J. F., Hoffer, J. A. (2012). Essentials of systems analysis and design (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education

Choosing between Family and Individuality in Kate Chopins The Awakenin

Choosing between Family and Individuality in Kate Chopin's The Awakening      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kate Chopin's The Awakening focuses on a woman's struggle to become an individual while still being a mother and wife. In the process of this journey, the female heroine discovers that establishing her own identity means losing a mother's identity. Edna looks to be the "brave soul," a "soul that dares and defies" (Chopin 61). Edna's society looked down upon females who seek anything other than attending to their children and husband's needs. Therefore, she is seen as an outcast and must turn inward as well as outward towards nature for satisfaction and approval.   Ã‚  Ã‚   At the beginning of The Awakening, Mr. Pontellier poses the question, "If it was not a mother's place to look after children, whose on earth was it?" (Chopin 7). He reflects the general belief of his time that women should be mothers who give up themselves for the more important needs of their children. He believes that women should be self-sacrificing beings who never take and always give. He thinks, just as other men believed during this time period, that she should be the "angel of the house," catering to his every need. Mr. Pontellier wants her to be one of the "ministering angels" (Chopin 9) who "idolized their children" (Chopin 9) and "worshipped their husbands" (Chopin 9). Mrs. Pontellier shows little interest in taking care of her husband and children, hinting that she seeks more than a life lived for others. She begins to "recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her" (Chopin 14) which inevitably becomes a curse in disguise. It crea tes a complicated inner conflict. Mrs. Pontellier ponders whether she should be defined as a mother and ... ...nature for acceptance and to her soothing childhood memories for forgotten innocence.    Works Cited and Consulted Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening." 1899. The Complete Works of Kate Chopin. Ed. Per Seyersted. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1989. Culley, Margo, ed. A Norton Critical Edition:   Kate Chopin:   The Awakening.   New York:   W.W. Norton, 1994.  Ã‚   Edwards, Lee.   "Sexuality, Maternity, and Selfhood."   A Norton Critical Edition:   Kate Chopin:   The Awakening.   Ed. Margo Culley.   New York:   W.W. Norton, 1994.   282-285.   Walker, Nancy.   "Feminist or Naturalist."   A Norton Critical Edition:   Kate Chopin:   The   Awakening.   Ed. Margo Culley.   New York:   W.W. Norton, 1994.   252-257. Wolff, Cynthia.   "Thanatos and Eros."   A Norton Critical Edition:   Kate Chopin:   The   Awakening.   Ed. Margo Culley.   New York:   W.W. Norton, 1994.   231-241.

Educational stages Essay

Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, research, or simply through autodidacticism. [1] Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts. Systems of schooling involve institutionalized teaching and learning in relation to a curriculum, which itself is established according to a predetermined purpose of the schools in the system. Schools systems were also based on people’s religion giving them different curricula. [edit] Curriculum Main articles: Curriculum, Curriculum theory, and List of academic disciplines School children in Durban, South Africa. In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses and their content offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults. A curriculum is prescriptive, and is based on a more general syllabus which merely specifies what topics must be understood and to what level to achieve a particular grade or standard. An academic discipline is a branch of knowledge which is formally taught, either at the university–or via some other such method. Each discipline usually has several sub-disciplines or branches, and distinguishing lines are often both arbitrary and ambiguous. Examples of broad areas of academic disciplines include the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, social sciences, humanities and applied sciences. [5] Educational institutions may incorporate fine arts as part of K-12 grade curriculums or within majors at colleges and universities as electives. The various types of fine arts are music, dance, and theater. [6] [edit] Preschools Main article: Preschool education The term preschool refers to a school for children who are not old enough to attend kindergarten. It is a nursery school. Preschool education is important because it can give a child the edge in a competitive world and education climate. [citation needed] While children who do not receive the fundamentals during their preschool years will be taught the alphabet, counting, shapes and colors and designs when they begin their formal education they will be behind the children who already possess that knowledge. The true purpose behind kindergarten is â€Å"to provide a child-centered, preschool curriculum for three to seven year old children that aimed at unfolding the child’s physical, intellectual, and moral nature with balanced emphasis on each of them. †[7] [edit] Primary schools Main article: Primary education Primary school in open air. Teacher (priest) with class from the outskirts of Bucharest, around 1842. Primary (or elementary) education consists of the first 5–7 years of formal, structured education. In general, primary education consists of six or eight years of schooling starting at the age of five or six, although this varies between, and sometimes within, countries. Globally, around 89% of primary-age children are enrolled in primary education, and this proportion is rising. [8] Under the Education For All programs driven by UNESCO, most countries have committed to achieving universal enrollment in primary education by 2015, and in many countries, it is compulsory for children to receive primary education. The division between primary and secondary education is somewhat arbitrary, but it generally occurs at about eleven or twelve years of age. Some education systems have separate middle schools, with the transition to the final stage of secondary education taking place at around the age of fourteen. Schools that provide primary education, are mostly referred to as primary schools. Primary schools in these countries are often subdivided into infant schools and junior school. In India, compulsory education spans over twelve years, out of which children receive elementary education for 8 years. Elementary schooling consists of five years of primary schooling and 3 years of upper primary schooling. Various states in the republic of India provide 12 years of compulsory school education based on national curriculum framework designed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training. Students working with a teacher at Albany Senior High School, New Zealand Students in a classroom at Samdach Euv High School, Cambodia In most contemporary educational systems of the world, secondary education comprises the formal education that occurs during adolescence. It is characterized by transition from the typically compulsory, comprehensive primary education for minors, to the optional, selective tertiary, â€Å"post-secondary†, or â€Å"higher† education (e. g. university, vocational school) for adults. Depending on the system, schools for this period, or a part of it, may be called secondary or high schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, middle schools, colleges, or vocational schools. The exact meaning of any of these terms varies from one system to another. The exact boundary between primary and secondary education also varies from country to country and even within them, but is generally around the seventh to the tenth year of schooling. Secondary education occurs mainly during the teenage years. In the United States, Canada and Australia primary and secondary education together are sometimes referred to as K-12 education, and in New Zealand Year 1–13 is used. The purpose of secondary education can be to give common knowledge, to prepare for higher education or to train directly in a profession. The emergence of secondary education in the United States did not happen until 1910, caused by the rise in big businesses and technological advances in factories (for instance, the emergence of electrification), that required skilled workers. In order to meet this new job demand, high schools were created, with a curriculum focused on practical job skills that would better  prepare students for white collar or skilled blue collar work. This proved to be beneficial for both employers and employees, for the improvement in human capital caused employees to become more efficient, which lowered costs for the employer, and skilled employees received a higher wage than employees with just primary educational attainment. In Europe, grammar schools or academies date from as early as the 16th century, in the form of public schools, fee-paying schools, or charitable educational foundations, which themselves have an even longer history.

Has Our Political System Succeeded Essay

The political system began with the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson on July 4, 1776. After that document the Articles of Confederation came out, which were adopted in 1777. The Articles of Confederation was the first attempt to set up a government in the US. Then our Constitution came out in 1787,it was made into three plans: the Virginia Plan, New Jersey Plan, and then the Connecticut compromise. Four things our Constitution accomplished were indirect democracy, limited government, checks and majority rule, and an outline of what the different branches of government do. The US two main parties are Republican and Democrat. The Democratic Party was founded in 1828, and the Republican party was founded in 1854. Our political system has succeeded in many forms. One form would be our checks and balances within the federal government and on a local level. Provisions have been improved over the years to regulate proper placement of funds and equal rights to citizens. The origin of our political system begins with congress. The main responsibilities of congress are making laws, overseeing the FBI and CIA, casework, representing their districts, setting an agenda, and conflict resolution. Our society has relied upon a bicameral system, where there have been a House of Representatives and a Senate. Some of the responsibilities of the House of Representatives include reviewing bills and beginning the impeachment process. The Senate’s duties include giving advice and consenting on treaties, conducting impeachment trials, and appointing upper-level judicial officers. Where I feel our political system has not done so well is with bureaucrats. Bureaucracy has some positive aspects like specialization, making sure rules and regulations are carried out, and neutrality. There are two types of bureaucrats. The first one is a civil servant who is hired based on merit, and the second one is a political appointee who is selected based on whom they know. It is a common issue that bureaucrats are given too much power and that they abuse those powers, which causes flaws in our political system. It does, however, seem that bureaucrats are vital for the functioning of any political system; they are generally not well liked, though. Several attempts to reform bureaucracy have been made, such as the Sunshine laws, which are laws that dictated that agencies have to be conducted in the public eye. Privatization is another reform where the government turns over more jobs to private sectors. A good change for our society was when the Government Performance and Results Act of 1997 were introduced. This sought to improve governmental efficiency by making agencies describe their goals and create mechanisms for evaluating their goals. Overall, our political system has proven to be stable and has succeeded. Of course, there are going to be positive and negative aspects, but, at the end, for what our nation has had to deal with in the past 228 years, we have done far better than any other country.

heart mechanics essays

heart mechanics essays The purpose of this experiment was to subject a rat cardiac muscle to different physiological situations and determine their effect on the twitch force and duration. Force-frequency relation show a positive trend suggesting that as frequency of stimulation increases (for the range of 0.2-0.8 Hz), the force increases. Also the extra cellular calcium concentration effects on the peak force were measured, showed an increasing trend when the [Ca2+ ]o was incrementally increased from 0.2 to 3mmolL-1. The rat cardiac muscle was also subjected to cardiac glycoside such as ouabain, which resulted in an increase in the diastolic force, inotropic agents such as isoprenaline, which increased the velocity of contractility, and finally the effects of caffeine were considered. We were provided with a ventricular strip of a rat heart muscle; it had the dimensions of (~20mm resting length, 5mm wide and 1mm thick). The strip was embedded in an oxygenated 1.5mM Ca2+ Tyrode solution (constant PH=7.4) with constant O2 partial pressure of oxygen is 760 mmHg, because the cell needs oxygen in order to survive, the strip mounted using threads to a force transducer and a stimulator (REF1), these were connected to power LAB (amplifier) which was connected to a computer, the Chart software was used to record the data. Note that the temperature the experiment was performed at was 14 C, and specimen was field stimulate at a voltage of 60V in order to make the whole muscle contract. Field stimulation is the stimulation of the specimen through a medium, so that the whole tissue is electrically stimulated, point stimulation is stimulating a single muscle cell. Measurements of frequency-force relation: We applied different stimulus frequencies to the muscle (ranges 0.1-0.8 Hz) and recorded the force response, each frequency stimulated the muscle for a short period of time (around 1 minute) until the force response seemed to be steady then 1 twitch was re...

Theanitx essays

Theanitx essays In his editorial American Propaganda,Theantix (the author's alias) argues that American propaganda "holds more water" than the Taliban's. He argues that American propaganda should take precedence over any information the Taliban releases. He also states that it should be taken in stride, that Americans should be skeptical of any information that recieve from the Government, US or otherwise. The author explains that propaganda should only be taken as truth if the information is congruent with the government's actions. He explains that a government should be judged by it's actions rather than it's apparent intentions. Propaganda is a system used by governments to influence a large group of people, usually for political gain. It is distributed through many different venues including advertising, debate, radio, television, and the news. Since governments have such large resources, propaganda can be distributes very effectively. Because of this, it is present in many aspects of daily life. Governments use propaganda influence the opinions of a specific group for a specific purpose. Every man has the right to free speech. Since birth Americans have learned it as a dogma. It is now fundamental to their survival, and as such is regared as absolute truth. The American clerisy has learned to use "free speech" as a mask for promoting propaganda. They have learned to use propaganda as a weapon, and as such gain influence over others. The author devotes much of his argument to how the two governments use propaganda. And how that although both The American goverment aswell as the Taliban government are releasing propaganda claiming less than ten civilian lives lost to thousands lost, respectively, each government is releasing information that is most helpful to it's cause. He explains that in the aphfganistan mind Americans were simply looking for someone to bully, and have found a victim in the Taliban. Furthermore, he also describes th ...

Napoleons Height Revealed

Napoleons Height Revealed Napoleon Bonaparte is chiefly remembered for two things in the English-speaking world: being a conqueror of no small ability and for being short. He still inspires devotion and hatred for winning a series of titanic battles, expanding an empire across much of Europe, and then destroying it all as a result of a failed invasion of Russia. He continued the reforms of the French Revolution (arguably not in the spirit of the revolution) and established a model which remains in some countries to this day. But for better or worse, the most famous thing most people believe about him is still that he was short. Was Napoleon Really Unusually Short? It turns out that Napoleon wasnt particularly short at all. Napoleon is sometimes described as being 5 foot 2 inches tall, which would definitely make him short for his era. However, there is a strong argument that this figure is wrong and that Napoleon was actually 5 foot 7 inches tall, no shorter than the average Frenchman.   Napoleons height has been the subject of many psychological profiles. He’s sometimes cited as the chief example of short man syndrome, whereby short men act more aggressively than their larger counterparts to make up for their lack of height. Certainly, there are few people more aggressive than a man who defeated his rivals time after time across almost an entire continent and only stopped when dragged to a very small, far away island. But if Napoleon was of average height, the easy psychology doesnt work for him. English or French Measurements? Why is there such a discrepancy in historic descriptions of Napoleons height? As he was one of the most famous men of his era, it would seem reasonable to assume that his contemporaries knew how tall he was. But the problem may have been due to a difference in measurements between the English and French-speaking worlds. The French inch was actually longer than the British inch, leading to any height sounding shorter to the English speaking world. In 1802 a doctor called Corvisart said Napoleon was 5 foot 2 inches by the French measurement, which equates to about 5 foot 6 in British. Intriguingly, in the same statement, Corvisart said that Napoleon was of short stature, so it may be that people already assumed Napoleon was small by 1802, or that people assumed the average Frenchmen was much taller. The Autopsy Matters are confused by the autopsy, which was carried out by Napoleon’s doctor, Frenchman Francesco Antommarchi, who gave 5 foot 2 as his height. But was the autopsy, which was signed off by a number of British doctors and in a British owned area, in British or French measures? We don’t know for sure, with some people adamant the height was in British units and others French. When other sources are factored in, including another measurement after the autopsy in British measurements, people generally conclude with the height of 5 foot 5-7 inches British, or 5 foot 2 in French, but there is still some doubt. Le Petit Caporal and Larger Bodyguards If Napoleons lack of height is a myth, it may have been perpetuated by Napoleon’s army, because the emperor was often surrounded by much larger bodyguards and soldiers, giving the impression of him being smaller. This was especially true of the Imperial Guard units which had height requirements, leading to them all being taller than him. Napoleon was even named the le petit caporal,  often translated as little corporal, even though it was a term of affection rather than a description of his height, further leading to people assuming he was short. The idea was certainly perpetuated by the propaganda of his enemies, who portrayed him as short as a way of attacking and undermining him.

Fire protection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Fire protection - Essay Example Presently about 95% percent of the fires in Europe are caused directly or indirectly by human activities and behavior. Negligence in private, industrial and public sector contributes significantly to incidence of fire. European Forest Institute (22) observes that among all fires with known causes; 51 percent are started intentionally, 44 percent results from negligence or accident while only 5 percent had been caused by natural causes such as lighting. However, the European Forest Institute (22) notes that there are variations across countries with negligence and accidental causes accounting for between 10 to 98 percent of all fires. These figures statistics clearly demonstrates the contribution that negligence in causing fires and therefore effective fire protection in safety management must include strategies for dealing with negligence. Negligence is described in common law as failure to exercise reasonable care that a cautious would exercise in a given situation. Yonder et al (221) explains that strict liability demands that a burner must compensate the victim for any damages incurred regardless of the amount precaution exercised when starting or managing the fire. They note that four states have imposed strict liability rule for fires including Connecticut, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Oklahoma. Moreover, they observe that twenty two states have implemented negligence rule in their statutory codes. Five of this states place the burden of proof on the burners by holding that fire escaped due to negligence. In contrast, sixteen states expect the plaintiff to prove negligence of the burner. In addition, eleven states view uncontrolled fires as nuisance and the land owners have the responsibility of paying public agencies the cost of fire suppression as noted by (Yonder et al 227). To ensure fire protection in industrial facilities that may arise from negligence, zoning laws

The ideal role of Abu Dhabi Police in improving the traffic safety in Essay

The ideal role of Abu Dhabi Police in improving the traffic safety in Abu Dhabi Emirate (Potential and challenges). (we can make - Essay Example There are also other traffic management centers tasked with the responsibility of ensuring traffic safety and management is well thought of. Introduction The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is contemporary adopting a comprehensive development plan in all aspects of life. It shows a huge interest in developing plans and measures for the renaissance through integration for a future vision for the emirate to 2030. The government has started to prepare the urban plan of Abu Dhabi city, which was adopted in 2007. Achieving this goal will help the government’s strategies to become one of the best five most leading and advanced governments in the world. The realization of the urban plan will require development and improvements of Traffic Management through enhancing traffic safety and improving traffic performance. The collaboration of vehicle and highway to provide transportation must be treated as a system as Rodney K. Lay (2003) suggested in his research. There has been a good effort in Abu Dhabi for the last couple of years between government stakeholders to develop road safety strategy, define rules and responsibilities, and increase a fully coordinated and integrated framework to deal with road safety. It is suitable here to say when you work to prepare a strategy for traffic management, it is very important to consider the most motivating factors for the safety as the humanitarian concerns, economic costs and benefits, and legal and regulatory considerations. The importance of the management in all aspects of the life is indeed consistent with service marketing literature which emphasizes that the ‘people factor’ is an important component of perceived service quality (Ganesh et al, 2000; Chiou et al, 2002). The Henri Fayol as one of the most influential contributors to modern concepts of management considers it to consist of forecasting, planning, organizing, commanding, coordination and controlling [2]. Other scholars, such as Mary Parker Follett, co nsider management as "the art of getting things done through people"[3]. Usually the transportation systems operating in a developing country may not be as economically, or as efficient as the ones in developed countries. According to my point of view the challenges that might be seen as a problem for the future development of Abu Dhabi can be the management and lack of coordination between all concerned parties in the operation. Here we can narrate what Stanley Pickett (1955), said "Think of the things you see in your own city which everyone wishes were otherwise. They might have been otherwise, if there had been careful planning in the past". The proposed study will focus on the development of a framework that will integrate elements of urban planning related to transportation. These will include traffic management systems, speeds management strategy on the roads, application of the principles of management on traffic safety for road projects, rules and responsibilities for the di fference departments involved, and the effective management of the integrated intelligent traffic systems with infrastructure to improve the road safety in Abu Dhabi. All the above will be integrated through the main domain of traffic management which requires an effective structure and organization. As many developing countries are interested in

Cultural environment of United Arab Emirates Essay

Cultural environment of United Arab Emirates - Essay Example This paper will focus on describing the cultural environment of the United Arab Emirates, according to the model described by Hofstede. The Five Dimensions of Culture It is of critical importance to describe the five dimensions that Hofstede described. The first of these dimensions is the power/distance, which denotes the degree of inequality that is evident in the society (Reiser 9). According to this psychologist, the people in the society have usually accepted that inequality exists, and realize their place. In cultures registering high scores of this dimension, uneven distribution of power thrives, with people in the system living within the limits of their place. Societies that have a lower score in this dimension exhibit a level of power sharing and dispersion and the members in the society consider each other as equals. . Societies that register high scores in this dimension have a hierarchical society whereby the gap between each level keeps widening. The second dimension is individualism, which denotes the depth of ties existing between people and their communities. Societies that register a high score in individualism have many people practicing autonomy, and the exhibit a high level of independence. Societies that have low scores in this dimension exhibit complex community networks and value the societal projects (Reiser 11). The people have an indomitable connection with their societies, a factor that makes them focused on pursuing community projects. The third dimension that he used to describe societies was masculinity, which denoted the society’s tendency to adhere to gender roles attached to both men and women. High scores in this dimension illustrates that a society holds onto the gender system that defines masculine and feminine roles, with men associated with the tough responsibilities. On the other hand, low scores reveal that a society has embraced gender equality and that women in that society can take up various careers, including those taken up by men. Low scores do not imply that a certain society exhibits reversed gender roles, but rather describes the changed attitudes towards the stringent gender system that has defines masculine and feminine roles. The fourth dimension that Hofstede defined was the uncertainty or avoidance index, a framework that relates to the society’s tendencies to avoid ambiguity or confusing situations. Societies that score highly in this sector usually avoid any form of ambiguity by setting up multiple rules and regulations that define the necessary action and option under any circumstance (Reiser 13). Low scores in this area indicate that a society lacks laws that define each probable situation, and that novelty is encouraged under different circumstances. The fifth dimension describes a society’s preference for long-term orientation. High scores in this dimension indicate that a society prefers to hold onto traditional values that define the society. Low scores are exhibited by countries that have lost an attachment to traditional values and are willing to adopt dynamic trends. Geert Hofstede Analysis for United Arab Emirates According to Hofstede, the United Arab Emirates exhibits a high score on the power and distance of 80 highlighting that the society is highly hierarchical. There are differential classes that define the

Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Review - Article Example Although the rates are low, the plan is continued to be criticized for its failure to maintain or raise the GDP and worsen the fiscal outcomes. The plan was only seen to raise the economic level at its initial stages of launch when the GDP increased by 8.3% in 2013-14 as compared to2010-11. It seems that the Prime Minister is trying to force this plan which not according to the opinions of the fiscal policy makers however much harm it might be causing to the economic development. The government should apply fiscal policy to come out of the economic problems it’s currently facing and the efforts to correct the situation without consideration of the fiscal policy will lead to the argument that discretionary fiscal policy is unnecessary. The fiscal policy is supposed to be sustainable and cyclic with adjustments to balance the economic situations. Like it had been experienced, criticism like those from Keynesians had brought back the economy to its recovery in the 1980 when the retail price inflation was seen to peak at 21.9%. This was reduced by the action of the bank which peaked its rate at 17%. By so doing, the rate of borrowing was raised hence only few people could afford to borrow funds. This reduces the money supply in the market which further raises the value of money thus reducing the inflation level. The prime minister should not expect monetary policy to achieve much since the debt of the country only changed from over-indebted banks to the over-indebted household borrowing. What the government should do is to use direct monetary financing of even larger fiscal deficits as this is seen to be more effective and less damaging than using looser monetary policy. The prime Minister however do not want to use the monetary and the fiscal policy to change the economy and this has made the UK economy by six times weaker th an it was

Foreigners Changing China, 1850-1980 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Foreigners Changing China, 1850-1980 - Essay Example This particular frame of mind can be considered as the main cause of their resistance in adopting other cultures and their values for millennia. They assumed that they are self sufficient in all forms of society and do not require foreign intrusion. But in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century China has undergone various changes in many parts of their core infrastructures that include politics, language, economics, culture and society. This is believed to be largely under the influence of the foreign countries such as USA and Britain. So what are the basic forms of modifications that have been implemented and what has caused these changes to take place that was resisted before for such a long time? Answer to this question is the main notion of this discussion. Among all the considerable changes that were brought up by the foreign influence, changes in the politics are most important and should be emphasized in detail. Ancient Chinese Society: To understand or clearly apprec iate any change we need to view the original form that was present before that modification was made. As we know from history that China was considered as a kingdom led by the emperors. These emperors and their dynasties were not chosen on their relationship to the people of China but their origin was more religious and mythical (Foster 2010). Any ruler or dynasty corrupted with the evil will be reflected upon by the nature’s anger in the form of earthquake floods or droughts indicating the change were imminent (Kornberg et al 2004). This was in contrast to the west where democracy was laying foundation of a strong government bodies. Despite China’s ruling being based on such religious foundations, it continued for a very long time. Starting from the Hans dynasty in 206 BC it remained intact until Qing dynasty collapsed in 1911 (Zinzius 2004). Arguably there needs to be a solid bond that united this nation on single platform. By looking at a bigger prospective it can b e concluded that the main reason for sustenance of such establishment can be traced back to the strong social values that hold the structure together for centuries. No other nation has ever been close to signify the theme of middle kingdom like Chinese did for centuries. They were proud of their existence in the middle while the rest of the humanity revolves around them and learn from them (Ford 2010). There is no doubt that the social system in these ancient dynasties was more localized on the families and tribe as a distinct entity rather than on a single individual. So there was a strong concept of nuclear family and relationships were given highest regards. From the economic point of view China was a self sufficient civilization. Most of the Chinese emperors were not open for trades with the western world because of the hierarchical system in China. The theme of middle kingdom were so deep rooted that they considered that no one else is worthy of given an equal status to them. A lthough in the nineteenth century there was a great demand of China’s silk, spices and other items among the western consumers. Similarly westerns also wanted to introduce some of their unique items and offered many trade agreements to the emperors during that time but all were put down. As we know that trade creates a great influence on any society but China was virtually immune to it. Therefore, no significant foreign influence was detected in the Chinese empire due to their isolation from the rest of the world. Foreign Penetration and changes in the Politics: The difference between China’

Book exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Book exam - Essay Example A union was created and demands were drawn. For instance, since the law stated a fifty-four hour work week, they posed a fifteen percent increase in their wages. With all of these happening, the employers insisted on not granting the demands of the laborers since they are gearing up to cost reduction. I should say that the strike was brought about by a number of reasons. As mentioned earlier, their work states are meager. Then, they don’t receive support from their employers when it comes to their labor rights, in fact; they received deprivation and discrimination from them. Even their own local official responded callously to their demands, sending militia units instead of negotiating in a civil manner to them. They applied force to the workers, even to women and children. The upheaval caught the attention of several states that expressed apparent aversion to the employers’ treatment of the mill workers of Lawrence. Honesty in wealth acquisition is somehow unlikely, especially when they get a hold of it quickly. It is improbable to obtain affluence without hurting people, physically or emotionally and tweaking rules, thus resulting to corruption. Allegedly, this happens to officials sitting in power, since their influence is immense and sad to say, some of them are even rule makers. On Father James O’Reilly’s account on the strike that it is not about the wages instead it is a war against authority, religion and home and themselves, I’d say that the people were not Anti-American in a sense that most of them, to start with, is not born and raised in America. Most of them were immigrants counting on the thought that they will be treated fairly and lawfully. Another point is that they are performing the strike to improve the work conditions of the people, not only the ones working on the factory, but the entire working community. They have expressed their will to eliminate discrimination in the work place. Their participation in the

Foreigners Changing China, 1850-1980 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Foreigners Changing China, 1850-1980 - Essay Example This particular frame of mind can be considered as the main cause of their resistance in adopting other cultures and their values for millennia. They assumed that they are self sufficient in all forms of society and do not require foreign intrusion. But in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century China has undergone various changes in many parts of their core infrastructures that include politics, language, economics, culture and society. This is believed to be largely under the influence of the foreign countries such as USA and Britain. So what are the basic forms of modifications that have been implemented and what has caused these changes to take place that was resisted before for such a long time? Answer to this question is the main notion of this discussion. Among all the considerable changes that were brought up by the foreign influence, changes in the politics are most important and should be emphasized in detail. Ancient Chinese Society: To understand or clearly apprec iate any change we need to view the original form that was present before that modification was made. As we know from history that China was considered as a kingdom led by the emperors. These emperors and their dynasties were not chosen on their relationship to the people of China but their origin was more religious and mythical (Foster 2010). Any ruler or dynasty corrupted with the evil will be reflected upon by the nature’s anger in the form of earthquake floods or droughts indicating the change were imminent (Kornberg et al 2004). This was in contrast to the west where democracy was laying foundation of a strong government bodies. Despite China’s ruling being based on such religious foundations, it continued for a very long time. Starting from the Hans dynasty in 206 BC it remained intact until Qing dynasty collapsed in 1911 (Zinzius 2004). Arguably there needs to be a solid bond that united this nation on single platform. By looking at a bigger prospective it can b e concluded that the main reason for sustenance of such establishment can be traced back to the strong social values that hold the structure together for centuries. No other nation has ever been close to signify the theme of middle kingdom like Chinese did for centuries. They were proud of their existence in the middle while the rest of the humanity revolves around them and learn from them (Ford 2010). There is no doubt that the social system in these ancient dynasties was more localized on the families and tribe as a distinct entity rather than on a single individual. So there was a strong concept of nuclear family and relationships were given highest regards. From the economic point of view China was a self sufficient civilization. Most of the Chinese emperors were not open for trades with the western world because of the hierarchical system in China. The theme of middle kingdom were so deep rooted that they considered that no one else is worthy of given an equal status to them. A lthough in the nineteenth century there was a great demand of China’s silk, spices and other items among the western consumers. Similarly westerns also wanted to introduce some of their unique items and offered many trade agreements to the emperors during that time but all were put down. As we know that trade creates a great influence on any society but China was virtually immune to it. Therefore, no significant foreign influence was detected in the Chinese empire due to their isolation from the rest of the world. Foreign Penetration and changes in the Politics: The difference between China’

Concrete mixing Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Concrete mixing - Lab Report Example e is influenced by the chemical composition of the cement, hydration as well as development of microstructure, admixtures, and characteristics of the aggregate. In addition, the quality is strongly influenced by placement, consolidation, as well as curing. The performance of the concrete throughout its service life is also largely influenced by the method employed in mixing, placing, curing and transporting the concrete. It is also necessary for the civil engineers to perform various quality control tests which should include slump tests, air content tests, as well as strength-gain-with-time tests. It is a well known fact that concretes which are considered as good and those considered as bad may have the same ingredients. The difference between good and bad concretes may come about due to the expertise of the engineer as well as the technicians who handle the concrete during construction. Concrete has been employed in many more applications in the past few decades due to the advances that have been made in concrete technology. It is necessary for civil and construction engineers to be aware of the available alternatives to the conventional concrete, roller-compacted concrete and fiber-reinforced concrete. The weight of air entraining agent should 0.05% of cement. Air is entrained in the concrete by the air-entraining admixtures which contain surface-active agents which are concentrated at the air-water interface. Bubbles are formed readily when the surface tension is lowered, and the bubbles stability remains after being formed. The mixing water foams with the air-entraining admixtures and the formed consequently locked into the paste during the hardening of concrete. The entrapped air voids are not the same as entrained air voids. This is because the air voids are formed by chance when air enters the fresh concrete during mixing whereas the entrained air voids are formed on purpose as described above. The size of the entrapped air voids can be as large as 3 mm

Insider Dealing in Hong Kong Essay Example for Free

Insider Dealing in Hong Kong Essay Although insider dealing has been a criminal offence under section 291 of Chapter 571, Securities and Futures Ordinance (SFO) in Hong Kong since 2003, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) was initially slow to prosecute offenders, commencing its first criminal insider dealing prosecution only in January 2008. Factors to be considered to commence criminal proceedings In deciding whether to commence criminal proceedings against an alleged insider dealer, the SFC will have regard to the guidelines in the prosecution policy of the Department of Justice, which require two basic factors to be considered: 1. Sufficiency of evidence The burden of proof is greater in criminal proceedings and the SFC will generally only recommend criminal proceedings where there is admissible, substantial and reliable evidence that an offence has been committed and there is a reasonable prospect of a conviction. Where there is a lack of sufficient evidence to meet the criminal burden of proof, the SFC is likely to initiate civil proceedings. 2. Public interest Whether, taking into account the circumstances of a particular case, it is in the public interest to bring a prosecution before the courts. First Criminal Case of Insider Dealing in Hong Kong In the case of HKSAR v Ma Hon-yeung (DCCC 229-240/2008) which involved Ma Hon-yeung, former Vice President of BNP Paribas Peregrine Capital Ltd, now known as BNP Paribas Capital (Asia Pacific) Ltd (BNP Paribas), an investment bank. The case is related to trading in the shares of Egana Jewellery Pearls Ltd (Egana), a listed company in Hong Kong prior to an announcement made to the market on 11 Jul 2006 aboutprivatization of the company. Ma Hon-yeung learned of a proposed privatization of Egana and tipped off his girlfriend, Ivy Lo Yuk-wah and three other family members, Sammy Ma Hon-kit, Cordelia Tso Kin-wah and Ronald Ma Chun-ho, within days of becoming privy to the proposed deal. All of them bought shares in Egana before the company announced a privatization plan and made a profit as a result. Between 1 June 2006 and 6 July 2006, trading in Egana’s shares ranged between HK$1.35 and HK$1.61 with average daily turnover of 636,630 shares. Trading in the shares of Egana and EganaGoldpfeil were suspended on 7 July 2006 pending an announcement. On 11 July 2006, Egana and EganaGoldpfeil made a joint announcement about a proposed privatization of Egana. The proposal offered shareholders a choice of receiving HK$1.80 per share or one share of EganaGoldpfeil for every 1.5 Egana shares or a combination of both. Following the announcement on 11 July 2006 the share price closed at HK$1.84 with substantially increased turnover of 25 million shares. The privatization proposal was approved by shareholders and by the court and became effective on 23 October 2006. Egana was delisted on the following day. Ma acted as a financial consultant for Egana during the privatization move, which he knew was confidential, price sensitive information. Ma had counselled or procured Ivy and Sammy to trade in Egana shares. He was convicted of insider dealing contrary to section 291(1)(b). Ivy, bought 1.51 million shares in Egana between June 20 and July 6, 2006. She was convicted of insider dealing contrary to section 291(5)(a). Ma transferred a total HK$1.7 million into Ivys account before the privatization announcement. She later sold the shares and transferred the money back to Ma’s account. Sammy , Cordelia and Ronald bought Egana shares separately from July 6. Sammy, Ronald and Cordelia traded in Egana shares having information through Mas connection to Egana about the proposed privatisation. Owing to their close family relationship between Ma andhis three family members, who received and made profit by utilizing such information, all of them were convicted of insider dealing contrary to section 291(5)(a) and (8) of SFO. Ma and Ivy were given custodial sentences of 26 months and 12months respectively. Ma’s three family members were ordered to serve 200 hours of community service. Fines were also imposed in amounts equivalent to the profits they had made while dealing in Egana shares ahead of the privatization which are HK$230,000, HK$210,000, HK$330,000, HK$110,000 and HK$17,000 respectively. The Court also ordered them to pay the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) investigation costs totaling HK$322,742. This is the first time any person has been sentenced to jail for insider dealing in Hong Kong. The family members avoided custodial sentences because they were merely opportunistic investors making use of the relevant information divulged by the vice-president. There was no evidence that they assisted him in carrying out his plot for personal gain by using insider information. The conduct of the girlfriend, on the other hand, warranted a custodial sentence as she was the person executing the plot on behalf of the vice-president. She was fully aware of his position of trust in the financial institution and had used her trading account to perpetrate the plot. As such, the court viewed her involvement in the misconduct as being much more serious than that of an opportunistic investor; community service could not adequately reflect her culpability. However, we continue to see obvious and flagrant breaches of the insider dealing laws, such as insiders and/or their families’ members will exploited the confidential information they obtained to make a gain on disposal of shares. One of the reasons may be that the punishment for insider dealing in Hong Kong is mild for the offenders.

The Contrast of Virginia Woolf and Alice Walker Essay -- Writers Moral

The Contrast of Virginia Woolf and Alice Walker After reading the four essays assigned to this sequence, it becomes interesting to contrast two author's points of view on the same subject. Reading one professional writer's rewriting of a portion of another professional writer's essay brings out many of each of their characteristics and views. Also, the difference in writing styles could be drastic, or slight. Nevertheless, the writers display how versatile the English language can be. Alice Walker was born in 1944 as a farm girl in Georgia. Virginia Woolf was born in London in1882. They have both come to be highly recognized writers of their time, and they both have rather large portfolios of work. The scenes the might have grown up seeing and living through may have greatly influenced their views of subjects which they both seem to write about. In her essay "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens," Alice Walker speaks first about the untouchable faith of the black women of the post-Reconstruction South. She speaks highly of the faith and undying hope of these women and their families. She even comes to recognize them as saints as she describes their faith as "so intense, deep, unconscious, the they themselves were unaware of the richness they held" (Walker 694). In a passage in which she speaks about the treatment and social status of the women of the sixteenth century, Woolf explains that a woman who might have had a truly great gift in this time "would have surely gone crazy, shot herself, or ended up in some lonely cottage on the outside of town, half witch, half wizard, feared and mocked" (Woolf 749). Her use of some of these powerful nominative shows that she feels strongly about what she is writing. Also for her, life growing up and stories she may have heard may have influenced this passage greatly. In her passage she imagines what it may have been like had William Shakespeare had a sister. She notices how difficult it would be even given the same talents as Shakespeare himself, to follow throughout and utilize them in her life. It is clear after reading further into Woolf's passage that obviously she lived in a different time period, only about fifty years apart though. The way she relates and tells a very similar story with an entirely different setting shows without the reader even knowing that she wa... ... Whether this style that Virginia Woolf uses is correct or not, it is powerful and it pauses the reader and , most importantly, helps the reader think in exactly the same manner as she was when she wrote it. The pauses she experienced in her thoughts when she wrote the story about the story about the writer's sister are simulated and relived when the reader crosses them. Both writers do a fine job of stressing the morals in their writing. The reader can, in Walker's essay, put himself in the first person and imagine the South very easily because of how descriptive she is in her narration. The reader of Woolf's essay clearly can understand and come to realize the unfairness and downright cruelty of the pure neglect of hidden talent among many women throughout time. She does this through simply telling a good story. This perhaps show that Virginia Woolf may have been fond of Walker's work. Woolf chooses to clearly state and agree with the same points Walker makes and shows the ideas in a different light because indeed she is a different person with different attributes. This shows up dominantly in her rewriting of Walker's "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens."

The Chrysanthemums :: essays research papers

1. The Chrysanthemums On Henry Allen's ranch east of Salinas Elisa plants yellow chrysanthemums as Henry is selling thirty head of cattle to agents of the Western Meat Company. After he and Scotty go to round up the cattle, a tinker shows up. He asks for work which Elisa says she hasn't. He asks for seeds for a lady on his route. Elisa gives him seedlings with instructions, and then she finds work for him which he does professionally. To celebrate the sale Henry drives her to Salinas for dinner at the Cominos Hotel and a movie; they drive past the tinker on the road and she privately weeps. 2. The White Quail Mary has her garden designed before its lot is bought, before she's married. She picks Harry because she thinks the garden will like him. After the house is built and the garden established Harry finds her perfect though untouchable. She doesn't care for his occupation (making loans for cars); it's unfair. She routinely locks him from her tiny bedroom on the garden. He tries the lock and leaves quietly. She refuses to let him have a setter pup since it might damage her garden. After a white quail visits the cement pond she fears a cat will come and asks Harry to put out poison fish. He refuses but will try to hit such a cat with his new air rifle. Next morning he shoots the white quail then tells Mary it was the cat he buried. 3. Flight Mama Torres makes Emilo and Rosy fish when they can. Pepà ©, who is beautiful but lazy, is sent to Monterey for medicine and salt. At Mrs. Rodriguez's he kills a man with his father's black switchblade knife. He returns before dawn, then rides into the high hills as his family bids him, now a man, adios. After a day's riding he sleeps and is awakened by a horse down the trail. He rides another day before his horse is shot out from under him. He exchanges shots and receives a granite splinter wound in his right hand. He runs on for several days and is finally shot dead. 4. The Snake Young marine biologist Dr. Phillips brings a sack of starfish from the tide pool to his laboratory on the cannery street in Monterey. The lab: rattlesnakes, rats, cats; killing a cat. Arrival of a tall, lean woman just as he begins timed work making a starfish embryo series. While she waits he begins embalming the cat. She wants to buy the male rattlesnake which she wants to keep in the lab. Her snakish behavior during the feeding annoys Phillips. The starfish series is ruined. She never comes back. 5. Breakfast A cold pre-dawn, by a country road, I see a tent with a lit campstove.

RSA Guideline

â€Å"Establishment of Operational Road Safety Engineering Units in the Road Authorities (Pads) of 2 Southern – States of India† Slash Chancre Triad, International Road Safety Specialist It is recognized that the in order to improve road safety it is vital for institutional strengthening, capacity building and reform to urgently take place in the road sector.The Tasks of Technical Assistance Services under two assignments as already addressed in Kraal-India (the World-Bank financed EST. I Project for PAD) ND are currently being addressed in Karakas-India (DAB financed PRAM Project for PAD) are: Road safety tools and techniques vital for roads to be safe and sustainable; Institutional strengthening and reform by providing adequate on and off training; and introducing well-proven and appropriate proactive and reactive engineering approaches / measures and educational aspects to improve road safety.The author will briefly address regarding various activities performed and topics addressed. Such as Safe Road Management System, 5 Pillars, Crash Data Collection, Database, Analysis and Reports for dissemination; Road Safety Engineering; Economics; Low Cost Counter – Measures and Program; Vulnerable Road Users; History of Road Safety Audit with Stages, Checklists and Report; Road Safety Review and Inspection; Operations Processes, Procedures, Manuals and Guidelines; Strategies and Policies; Road Safety Co-ordination and Action Plan; International Practices; Road Safety Engineering related Awareness Campaigns; InstitutionalStrengthening and Capacity Building: Organizational structure, Training Need Assessment, Job-descriptions; On and Off – the Job-Training and Standards; Monitoring and Evaluations; Innovations and developments In Traffic Control Devices (signs and marking materials); RAP; Procurement of road safety tools (such as book, code, software and equipment); Crash Barriers; School Zone Treatments; Case studies. Also discussions on th e most up-to-date concepts, principles and practices for Institutional reform In the road safety.

OXO: Satisfaction Guranteed Essay

OXO’s most profitable customers are those with dexterity problems like arthritis such as the wife its founder, Sam Farber, had when coming up with the idea of starting OXO. Now OXO designs products that are usable by as many people as possible. This means that men and women, young and old, left and right handed, and those with special needs can utilize their products (OXO, 1990). â€Å"Through market segmentation, companies divide large, heterogeneous markets into smaller segments that can be reached more efficiently and effectively with products and services that match their unique needs (Kotler & Armstrong, 2014).† Psychographic segmentation is primarily used by OXO in efforts to target a multitude of consumer’s with different lifestyles. Each OXO product â€Å"was developed based on the concept of Universal Design (also known as Inclusive Design), a philosophy of making products that are usable by as many people as possible (OXO, 1990).† Many of the com petitions kitchen gadgets from the research attempt to conform to the needs of consumers such as OXO has done. There are few that have reached the standard for universal ease of use. The value proposition that is extended to OXO’s clients is a satisfaction guarantee which is clearly stated on its website. â€Å"We guarantee everything we make! If for any reason you are not satisfied with an OXO product, return it for replacement or refund (OXO, 1990).† OXO’s satisfaction guarantee is similar to that of some of it’s competitors but not all. Companies such as CUTCO and CHEFS share the 100% satisfaction guarantee value proposition. In order for OXO to develop their product line to stand out from competitors â€Å"Smart Design’s first assignment was to come up with tools that were comfortable in the hand, dishwasher safe, high quality, good looking and  affordable.† OXO’s â€Å"designers divided tool types by wrist and hand motions: twist/turn (used to scoop, stir and peel), push/pull (graters and knives) and squeeze (scissors, garlic press and can openers).† 3 Levels of Product Core customer Value: What is the customer really buying? OXO’s customers are purchasing â€Å"wonderfully comfort–able tools that are easy to use (Corporate Design Foundation).† Actual product: brand name, quality level, packaging, design, features OXO’s hand tools are sold under the name Good Grips, chosen because â€Å"it communicates the major advantage of the line quickly,† explains Farber. OXO’s goal is to provide â€Å"budget–conscious consumers with tools that adhered to OXO’s principles of universal design, focusing on user comfort.† OXO makes grave attempts to use less plastic in packaging (Corporate Design Foundation). Augmented product: delivery and credit, product support, warranty, after-sale  OXO provides product support via email, phone, fax, and mail. The company’s satisfaction guarantee is a warranty within itself. Customers can return products for a replacement or a full refund. After researching OXO’s products it became very apparent that the company follows an intensive distribution strategy. Their products are found in many different shopping outlets such as JC Penny, Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohl’s, Amazon.com, and Sur La Table just to name a few. This type of distribution is very convenient for the company if they’re aim is to provide comfortable gadgets for all to use. Distributing to these types of stores appears to target all lifestyle groups. The pricing of OXO’s Good Grip products seem very reasonable in nature from the product prices I have seen recently. I’ve even purchased a few of the gadgets myself because the pricing and handiness. In comparison to like items, OXO adopted the correct pricing scheme and has made itself a viable competitor in the home goods market. OXO is doing what any other reasonable and profitable company is doing by advertising on social media sites. There is vast community of social media  users that can be pose as potential customers of OXO. Facebook and Twitter are the two most reputable social media sites and they OXO utilizes both to broaden its customer base. Facebook alone has: Over 1.15 billion users, one million webpages can be accessed with the â€Å"Login with Facebook† feature 23% of Facebook users login at least 5 times daily  47% of Americans say Facebook is the top influencer of their buying decisions On average, Americans spend %16 of each online hour on Facebook. 70% of marketers acquire new customers through Facebook. And Twitter: Now has over 550 million registered users and 215 million monthly active users Between 2012 and 2014, Twitter achieved a growth rate of 44% 34% of marketers use Twitter for lead generation (Romeri, 2014).† The vast amount of internet users speaks for itself. OXO is conducting business via internet and attracting a multitude of clients through social media and word of mouth. OXO has raised the bar for the kitchen gadget market with its Good Grips product line and its guarantee of satisfaction. They’ve even taken it a step further to cut advertising costs by advertising through social media sites and even creating a blog site in order to listen and respond to consumer thoughts and concerns on their products. References Corporate Design Foundation. (n.d.). Getting a Grip on Kitchen Tools. Retrieved from Corporate Design Foundation: http://www.cdf.org/issue_journal/getting_a_grip_on_kitchen_tools.html Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (2014). Principles of Marketing. Upper Saddle, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. OXO. (n.d.). Blogger Outreach. Retrieved from OXO: http://www.oxo.com/bloggeroutreach/ OXO. (1990). Our Roots. Retrieved from OXO: http://www.oxo.com/OurRoots.aspx OXO. (1990). Satisfaction Guarantee. Retrieved from OXO: http://www.oxo.com/Satisfaction.aspx Romeri, M. J. (2014, February 18). New Social Media Statistics You Need to Know. Retrieved from Social Media Today:

Case on Industrial Dispute Essay

Road Transport Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Corporation’), has been constituted under the Road Transport Corporation Act, 1950. The respondent which is a Trade Union of the appellant-Corporation, filed an Application before the Labour Court, Dehradun under Section 11-C of the U. P. Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 read with Section 13A of the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, praying for a declaration that the 15 persons who were appointed on contract basis as ‘drivers’ and ‘conductors’ as shown in the annexed chart, be declared as regular and substantive workmen of the Corporation. It was also prayed in the said Application that the concerned workmen be given all the benefits and facilities of regular employees. The aforesaid Application was allowed by the Labour Court, Dehradun by its order dated 19. 9. 2001. The Labour Court directed that the concerned workmen be given the minimum wages admissible to the regular employees in the pay scales of ‘drivers’ and ‘conductors’. The Labour Court also held that the said workmen are employees of the Corporation. It is not disputed that the concerned workmen were appointed on contract basis. Before the Labour Court, the Corporation had contended that Rule 2 of U. P. S. R. T. C Employees (Other than Officers) Service Regulations, 1981 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Regulations’) clearly mentions that these regulations shall not apply to employees working on contract basis. The persons working on contract basis filed Writ Petition No. 41349/1999 Kanchi Lal and others vs. U. P. S. R. T. C before the Allahabad High Court for grant of same benefits as the regular employees of the Corporation, but the said writ petition had been dismissed. However, the bjection of the Corporation was rejected by the Labour Court. It filed a writ petition thereafter before the High Court which was dismissed by the impugned judgment. It was contended in the writ petition by the appellant that the concerned workmen had not been selected in terms of the process of selection required for appointment of regular employees and hence they cannot be directed to be given minimum pay scales of regular employees. It was also contended that the Labour Court acted beyond its jurisdiction by passing the impugned order dated. In our opinion, the Labour Court could not have granted the relief it granted by the order dated 19. 9. 2001, as that could only have been granted on a regular reference under Section 4-K of the U. P. Industrial Disputes Act or under Section 10 of the Industrial Disputes Act. A perusal of the order of the Labour Court dated 19. 9. 2001 shows that it has not referred to any standing order of the appellant. On the other hand, paragraph 3 of the said order refers to Rule 2 of the 1981 Regulations which clearly provides that the Regulations do not apply to employees engaged on contract basis. In our opinion, the Labour Court cannot amend the Regulations while hearing an application under Section 11-C of the Industrial Disputes Act. As already stated above, the scope of Section 11-C is limited to decide a question arising out of an application or interpretation of a standing order and the Labour Court cannot go beyond the scope of Section 11-C of the U. P. Industrial Disputes Act. For the reasons given above, the appeals are allowed. The impugned judgment of the High Court as well as the order of the Labour Court dated 19. 9. 2001 are set aside. However, it is open to the concerned workmen to raise their grievances before the concerned authority under Section 4-K of the U. P. Industrial Disputes Act or under Section 10 of Industrial Disputes Act, as the case may be, and if the State Government refers such a dispute to the Labour Court or Tribunal, we hope that the same will be decided expeditiously. No costs

Friendship in Sula Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Friendship in Sula - Essay Example In the very first place, women are sexual products that, once used, can immediately be left behind. This male-female relationship is essentially a consumer-consumed relationship which is utterly in contrast with female relationship. This relationship is more of a friendship based on a sense of fellow-feeling and integrity that the male-female relationship lacks. Indeed Sula’s friendship with Nel represents the existing relationship among the women of Bottom. This friendship is platonic to a great extent platonic. Though both of them maintain relationship with men, and even though their approaches to men are quite different from each other, they continue a relationship between themselves. Nel’s approach to men is quite conventional and society-acknowledged, whereas Sula’s relationship with men is dominated by her sense of independence. This continuity of Sula-Nel friendship in the face of such contradiction essentially reveals that unlike the sex oriented male-fem ale relationship, Sula-Nel friendship is based on a sense of equality and fellow-feeling. The amity that Sula and Nel share with each other is different from other women's romantic relationships since their friendship presents a sense of integrity that the male-female relationships in Bottom lack. ... I just don‘t like her† (Sula 57). In the same manner, the women of the community of Bottom love their children and husbands; meanwhile, it is also evident that they do not like them since both their husbands and children are some necessary parts of their lives, but neither of them renders a sense of completion. Indeed the relationship between a husband and a wife in Bottom can be compared to the relationship between a host and its parasites. But a women’s relationship with other women is totally different from such host-parasites relationships. Female relationship or friendship exists because of the inherent symbiotic benefits that they receive from it. Again the heterosexual relationships or practices among the people of Bottom are in contrast to female friendships. Whereas female friendships are based upon affinity, the heterosexual relationships depend on the neediness of the men in Bottom. Though the traditional male-expectation in Bottom is that a woman must r emain under the supervision of their parents or husbands, Nel did not care for Jude till the last moment of her friendship with Sula. The difference between Nel’s friendship with Sula and her relationship with Jude is that though Jude needs Nel more than she needs him, he maintains a make-belief superiority to Nel. Though Jude is superfluous to Nel’s life, social conventions of Bottom hide this fact from her. He needs to marry Nel in order to prove his manhood when he was denied to work with the white road laborers; he needs Nel for mental support during odd days, and to bear his children in order to prove his masculine abilities. Yet Nel does not have the feeling of completion from her relationship with Jude because society imposed inferiority of Nel to

Interpret an Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interpret an Article - Essay Example Scientists have found out that Cave Denisova in the Altai Mountains of Siberia has been the home of Neanderthals, Denisovans and modern humans. Therefore this site holds great importance from an anthropological point of view. Denisovans and Neanderthals lived in Asia and Europe. Their genes had immunity to certain diseases and since modern humans carry a certain percentage of their DNA, it can be safely said that modern human’s ancestors mated with Denisovans and Neanderthals. This article gives birth to a lot of questions such as: How did this union take place? Did it bring any cultural exchange with it? How did the Neanderthals become extinct? And was this mating process romantic or aggressive in nature? Scientists have yet to answer most of these questions but they have certainly concluded the answers of many of such questions. Modern human ancestors and Neanderthals came across each other during their territorial expansion in Asia and Europe. This expansion was the result of environmental and cultural changes. It has been believed that the modern human ancestors eradicated the Neanderthals. This however, has not been proven otherwise either. ... Studies have shown that the ancient humans engaged in social networking just like the modern humans do. Amidst the fierce competition to ensure the survival of their progenies, ancient humans have shown the tendency to act altruistically and perform acts such as sharing food. This result was produced by Coren Apicella from Harvard medical school. She conducted her study on Hadza that is one of the last surviving ethnic groups of the hunter gathers in Tanzania. Researchers have traced the movements on land of Neanderthals due to cultural and socio-ecological changes. Human beings just like any other specie migrate to areas that have the best conditions for survival and they adapt to their new environment through culture. That is why the culture of a particular group of people can unveil a lot of hidden information about them. Moreover, the stone artifacts and tools, used by ancient people, give researchers an insight to the lives of the people who used them. This is how researchers ha ve been able to model the movements of Neanderthals on computers. Their results have shown that the movement of Neanderthals changed during the last ice age but the contradiction here is that Neanderthals have been known to avoid long distances from their homes. The general conclusion that can be drawn from this article is of immense importance; There may be many other groups of humans whose existence may have ceased but their genes and cultural knowledge may have been passed on to the modern human and the modern human may not even be aware of it. Works Cited Arizona State University (2012, February 7). Neanderthal demise due to many influences, including cultural changes.  ScienceDaily. Retrieved

Operations Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Operations Management - Assignment Example It also recognizes the potential of its competitors and therefore keeps on reviewing its strategies to ensure that its is able to achieve its objectives in a reliable way. It has over time developed polices that promote good farming practices for its producers with an aim of ensuring that they constantly increase their production capability, which would in return impact on the company’s processing ability and eventually the supply to the market. With such an enhanced mechanism, the company no doubt makes a good case study for operation management processes. In order to get an overview focus of this study, it is important to understand what process management is all about and how existing literature looks into it. Some scholars have looked at this process as the manner in which a given procedure is controlled and directed with an aim of transforming inputs into finished goods and services(Melao and Pidd,2000).). It has also been looked into as the process related with creation operation and control of transformation system which absorbs inputs and resources and in the long run produces outputs which are classified as either goods or services and are essential to the customers (Pritchard and Armistead, 1999). From these descriptions, it is deducible that operation process is primarily focused in producing goods or services that customers can enjoy. Lin and Pai (2002) assert that operations management deals with looking it what resources are needed where, how, in what quantity and for what purpose, as well as how these resources will impa ct on the final expected product. From the company overview given above, it is evident that the company has a rather complicated structure that is significantly segmented for easy management. There are several interdependent departments that undertake specific tasks with an aim of reaching the overall company objectives. The process selected for

Chinese literature paper 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chinese literature paper 2 - Essay Example eturn, there is an understanding of the accepted identity of the time frame, specifically as it relates to the cultural and social concepts that are a part of China. Questioning how identity is formed and how it relates to other aspects of the culture not only provides a story used through this time, but also shows a deeper meaning of the concepts associated with the lifestyle of this time frame. The Story of the Stone is known as a unique literary work because of the time frame it was written in. The story was written in the mid 18th century at the height of the Qing Dynasty. The story is also known to be based on the biography of the writer and his lifestyle during this time with regard to the memorial of those that are around him. The focus is on the women that Cao knows through his lifetime and the identity that they hold within his life and in society. This is specifically associated with the Qing Dynasty, which was known for changing the social and economic status into the present day. The dynasty was built on establishing a centralized system and reached the golden age of the emperors from the establishment. The social construction that is a part of this leads to contradictions of the past traditions as well as the movement into more contemporary establishments. The foundation of the social standing begins to change with specific aspects that are linked directly to th e movie and the social reform that was continuing to accommodate to society at this time (Rowe, 5 – 30). The Story of the Stone is one that is representative of the transitions of the Qing Dynasty and shows how the identity of the characters in the book reflects the transitions. The women that are in the book reflect both the traditions of the old dynasty as well as the newer and modern reforms that were a part of the social changes of the time. The stories and the autobiographical recounts of the author are able to display the lifestyle at the time, the sense of identity that is

Hw4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hw4 - Essay Example If you are not satisfied with the job selection at any job site, choose another job board. Excellent communication skill in both oral and written English – I have a decent communication skill in English but I still need to improve on it because the job requires excellent communication skills. 11.6 Surviving a Social Business Function The idea of attending a social business function provokes anxiety in many businesspeople. What should you talk about? What should you wear? How can you make sure you maintain your professionalism? Your Task. In groups of two to four, discuss appropriate behavior in four social situations. Decide appropriate attire, suitable topics of conversation, and other etiquette guidelines that you should follow. Present your decisions regarding the following social functions to your instructor in a memo or e- mail: Different occasion has different set of propriety in terms of attire, topic of conversation and other ethical consideration that one must observe to remain appropriate. In a company picnic, it would be proper to wear comfortable casual clothes such as t-shirt, jeans and rubber shoes. It would be nice to talk about pleasantries during this event. During holiday party however, it would be more appropriate to wear smart casual clothes such as polo and a nice slack. It would be appropriate to talk about family and friends during this kind of event. During formal dinner however, one is expected to dress up either in a nice elegant suit or long sleeve polo with equally elegant slacks and leather shoes. It would be appropriate to be witty during conversation because each party is expected to impress the other party. During business luncheon however, one is expected to dress in coat and tie and conversation is expected to revolve around business

Importance of Advance Directives Essay Example for Free

Importance of Advance Directives Essay The Importance of Advance Directives Tara J. DiDonato Axia College of University of Phoenix The Importance of Advance Directives While most people do not speak about end of life issues either because of their background or religion, it is not only for the elderly, we should all make our wishes known. According to the Pew Research Center, (January 2006), â€Å"42% of  Americans have had a friend or relative  suffer from a terminal illness or coma in the last five years and  for a majority of these people , the issue of withholding life sustaining treatment came up†. Although many people feel it is taboo, all adults over the age of 18 should think about what their healthcare wishes would be if they could not speak for themselves. These wishes should be documented in an advance directive, so that loved ones know what they are. Power of Communication According to the Mayo Clinic (2005), â€Å"The issues surrounding serious illness and death are not easy to discuss. Decisions are much easier on our loved ones if we have an advance directive in place before we are faced with a serious illness or accident†. Without communicating our wishes, we might find ourselves in a condition that we are unable to communicate the medical treatment we wish to receive, such as resuscitation or life support. Having a conversation with loved ones is important to clarify medical wishes. We should explain our wishes and explain how our values have shaped our decision. Types of Advance Directives According to the Mayo Clinic (2005), â€Å"Advance Directives are written instructions regarding your medical care preferences†. There are various types of advance directives, such as; a Living Will, Durable Power of Attorney, Healthcare Proxy and Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR). Durable power of attorney and living wills have limitations, they do not include instructions for every situation, which means that we need to trust that the person we have named will make the decisions which are in our best interest and are what we would have wanted. A DNR order is a form that is commonly discussed with a physician. A DNR order alerts physicians and emergency medical personnel that if a patient’s heart stops beating or if the patient stops breathing, there should be no attempts to revive them. Another advance directive is a Healthcare Proxy (HCP). This document allows patients to choose an agent to act on their behalf if they are temporarily or permanently unable to make healthcare decisions on their own. According to Fell, Kukula and Taylor (2005), as with other advance directives, â€Å"it is very important to discuss, in detail, all of your wishes with your surrogate and make sure they clearly understand and are willing to make these decisions on your behalf† (p. 4). Everyone should have a voice, not just the elderly Advance directives are not just for the elderly, anyone over the age of 18 should have one. Unexpected situations can arise at any age and there might be end of life decisions that needs to be made. In the event that a person does not have an advance directive in place, according to Fell, et al. (2005), â€Å"you will receive medical care to the fullest extent appropriate for your condition†. Without an advance directive the patient might receive more treatment than he or she would have wanted. The biggest misconception about an advance directive is that people think that having one means â€Å"do not treat†, this is incorrect. Frequently used medical terms

Importance of Customer Service in Hospitality

Importance of Customer Service in Hospitality Exceptional Service Quality in the Hospitality Industry: It’s Role in Good and Bad Times Abstract Customer satisfaction is widely acknowledged to be causal in driving repeat and new business of hospitality enterprises and is considered to be integral to their success. With the delivery of service quality being vital to customer satisfaction, hospitality enterprises make great efforts to maintain, improve and distinguish their service quality through the adoption of corporate strategies and operational policies and procedures. Recent years have seen enormous expansion in the hospitality industry and the introduction of sophisticated technology, not just in areas of computerisation and Internet, but also through the use of various applications that aim to increase the comfort, convenience and safety of guests. With competition in the industry having become intense and advances in technology having become available across the spectrum of hospitality organisations, delivery of exceptional service quality is considered crucial for achievement of competitive advantage. Again whilst the last two decades have been a period of growth for the industry, current global developments, namely the astonishing increase in prices of oil, worldwide inflation in food and commodity prices, the banking crisis, the credit squeeze, and the impending recession in the United States indicate the onset of very difficult times for the hospitality business. The spectre of lower occupancy, lesser rates, and higher costs stares the industry in its face and the prospect of an industry shakeout, accompanied by the closure of inefficient units and the survival of the fittest is imminent. Whilst such situations could possibly entail cost cutting exercises by industry members, along with reduction in services offered to guests, providing of exceptional service quality may well be vital to maintenance and improvement of competitive advantage and be the key to riding out difficult times. This dissertation investigates the phenomenon of customer service, its importance in the success of hospitality organisations, and its role during periods of economic downturn. Table of Contents Introduction A. Overview Achievement of customer satisfaction is widely accepted by business leaders and academics to be the most significant criterion for shaping the quality of products or services that are deliverable to customers, both through the actual product or service, and the corresponding service.[1] With the intensely competitive nature of the modern customer-centric business environment ensuring the elimination of businesses that dissatisfy their clients with their products/services, customer satisfaction is vital not just for corporate growth, and profitability, but for the very survival of today’s corporations.[2] Customer satisfaction, which is greatly dependent upon the quality of the customer service provided, is recognised to be critical to business success, primarily because of its role in driving future sales from both new and existing customers. Numerous studies have corroborated the theory that it costs five times the amount of time, money, and resources to attract new customers as it does to retain existing clients.[3] Losing existing clients very clearly is among the worst things that can happen to business firms. Customer satisfaction is also accepted to be one of the cheapest and most effective ways of promoting goods and services; with no form of advertising being as effective as word-of-mouth publicity and actual customer endorsements. Satisfaction strengthens affirmative feelings toward the product or service and leads to a superior probability of repurchase; dissatisfaction on the other hand leads to downbeat perceptions and reduces the probability of repeat purchases.[4] â€Å"Or as others put it: if consumers are satisfied with a product or brand, they will be more likely to continue to purchase and use it and to tell others of their favourable experience with it if they are dissatisfied, they will be more likely to switch brands and complain to manufacturers, retailers, and other consumers about the product.†[5] Achieving high levels of customer satisfaction poses intense business challenges because of the ambiguity embedded in the concept as well as because of its abstract nature. With the actual manifestation of the level of satisfaction varying both between individuals, and between products and services, satisfaction levels depend upon a range psychological and physical variables that evidence positive correlation with behaviours indicative of satisfaction, like repeat purchase and recommendation rate.[6] Such levels of satisfaction can also depend on other options available to customers and on the qualities of other products or services against which the organisation’s products or services can be compared.[7] Despite the very broad range of parameters involved in its assessment and determination, customer satisfaction is overly dependent upon, related to, and driven by customer service. â€Å"Substantial empirical and theoretical evidence in the literature suggests that there is a direct link between service quality and behavioural intentions (Bitner, 1990; Bolton and Drew, 1991a). Among the various behavioural intentions, considerable emphasis has been placed on the impact of service quality in determining repeat purchase and customer loyalty (Jones and Farquhar, 2003). As pointed out by Bolton (1998), service quality influences a customer’s subsequent behaviour, intentions and preferences. When a customer chooses a provider that provides service quality that meets or exceeds his or her expectations, he or she is more likely to choose the same provider again. Besides, Cronin and Taylor (1994)† also found that service quality has a significant effect on repurchase intentions. [8] The delivery of quality service is expected to be a major challenge that is likely to confront hospitality managers in the immediate future and will be vital for achieving success in the intensely competitive modern day global markets.[9] Hospitality service experiences are overly complex because they range from the exceedingly trivial to the extremely vital.[10] They differ to a great extent in their character and may be straightforward or multifaceted, standard or bespoke, low or high technology, distant or responsive, little or highly skilled, or recurrent or infrequent.[11] They can furthermore concern the execution of obligatory utilitarian actions or can involve grand and highly-strung hospitality events.Hospitality encounters, as distinct from material products or pure services, consist of a fusion of products and services, and satisfaction, (in such situations), represents the sum total of satisfactions with the individual traits of all the products and services that make up the experience.[12] B. Elaboration of Problem The last few decades have witnessed enormous growth in the hospitality industry. Driven by a range of technological, social, economic, and political developments like the tremendous advances achieved in communication technology, the ever-increasing use of the internet, the breakdown of the Soviet Union, the formation of the European Union, the crumbling of travel barriers, economic liberalisation across countries, the proliferation of budget airlines, cheaper travel, and the opening of numerous new travel and tourism destinations, the hospitality industry has expanded like never before and that too across the world. New hotels, new restaurants, new resorts and new spas have mushroomed in near and distant locations to provide people with numerous hospitality options. Whilst the industry has been buffeted by events like the September 11 bombings, the London Tube explosions, and the SARS and Bird Flu epidemics, the steadily increasing economic affluence in the western countries, as also in the countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim, in the last two decades, has ensured that such setbacks were overcome and the hospitality sector remained vibrant and prosperous. Such a period of inexhaustible growth now appears to be coming to an end. With oil prices having neared USD 140 per barrel and currently hovering at around USD 125, the days of cheap air travel appear to be irrevocably over. Whilst local and international airlines had started ringing alarm bells when the price of oil crossed USD 70 per barrel last year, the events of the last few months have shaken up the whole airline and travel and tourism industry, cast doubts on the survival of several airlines, and led to the cancellation of thousands of airline bookings and hotel reservations. Apart from the price of oil, the disastrous denouement to the risky home mortgage policies adopted by major international banks, followed by thousands of home loan bankruptcies, billions of dollars in banking industry losses and a credit squeeze on business and personal lending have also contributed to the onset of a recession in the USA. The deepening recession in the United States, the biggest global consumer of goods and services, accompanied by cut downs in jobs and mortgage bankruptcies, is bringing in a global economic downturn that is expected to bring extremely difficult times for the hospitality industry, not just in the United States but also in the UK and in other countries. â€Å"More than one in three hospitality businesses in the UK are feeling less confident about economic prospects over the next 12 months than they do now, according to research launched by American Express. The survey also found that overall confidence has decreased in the last 12 months, with only 29% feeling more confident about the economic environment, down from 38% in 2007. Among hoteliers the number feeling confident has dropped to 34% from 41% a year ago. In comparison for restaurateurs the figure is only 24%, a fall of 10%. For pubs the picture is similar with only 20% stating that they feel more confident about the economic prospects facing their businesses over the next year than they do today.†[13] Whilst the probability of a shakeout in the industry seems to be imminent many veterans in the business appear confident of riding it out on the strength of enhanced customer service and total customer experience. â€Å"Kathryn Pretzel-Shiels, Head of Hotels and Restaurants at American Express explains: ‘Like any other the hospitality sector is not immune to prevailing economic conditions, so it comes as no surprise that Britains hospitality industry feels more circumspect about business prospects than it did last year. The economy is forcing the agenda to a certain extent but the industry is fighting back. There are still opportunities to make money by providing a quality product and memorable service, as consumers are still willing to dine out and are doing it more than ever before.’†[14] A hotel chain like the Ritz Carlton, (the winner of two Baldridge quality awards and a byword in the area of service quality), which has weathered several economic downturns and has yet grown from strength to strength over the years, provides an outstanding example of the importance of exceptional service quality. â€Å"The Ritz-Carlton is well-known for providing consistent service throughout all of its properties. The company began its commitment to quality in 1983 with such simple touches as fresh flowers throughout its hotels, white ties and aprons, and gourmet cuisine. It also established its Gold Standards for customer service—which include its credo, motto, employee promise, three steps of service, and the 12 service values—leading the company to repeatedly outperform its competition, increase customer loyalty (the average guest spends $250,000 at a Ritz over his lifetime), and win the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award twice†[15] Whilst the Ritz Carlton is of course the most well known example of a customer-centric and service quality oriented organisation in the hospitality industry, a number of other establishments like the Four Seasons, the Mandarin Oriental, The Marriott and the Red Carnation provide brilliant examples of how focus on exceptional customer service can increase the competitive advantage of organisations and ensure performance, business and profitability during the worst of times. On the flip side, whilst most business managers are aware of the need to maintain if not improve quality during economic downturns, the actual picture on the ground becomes significantly different in many establishments; where quality programmes are cut down or even abandoned; very often at the cost of quality. â€Å"When economic troubles loom, weve found the usual knee-jerk reaction is to sacrifice programs associated with quality and the customer experience training, quality assurance and mystery shopping programs, guest research, etc.†[16] C. Determination of Objective With the price of oil showing no sign of rebating to previously unimaginable levels of 80-90 US dollars per barrel and the global economy caught in a cleft stick; of severe inflation in prices of food as well as commodities like steel and cement on one side and an impending and long-lasting recession in the United States on the other, all indications point to difficult economic times and squeezes on travelling, holidays, discretionary spending, hotel accommodation and restaurant visits. One of the most important routes to achieving competitive advantage in such difficult and worrying situations is through enhancement of customer service quality to superior levels and improvement of hospitality experiences of customers, not only when compared to previous experiences in the same establishment, but also in comparison with that available elsewhere. Whilst the truth behind this theory is widely accepted and beyond doubt, embattled organisations, challenged by dropping revenue figures, higher costs and lesser margins, frequently adopt the opposite route, taking action to reduce and even abandon quality improvement programmes and actions in order to effect organisational economies and cost savings. This study aims to examine the components of customer service with special emphasis on the hospitality industry and the ways and means in which it can be enhanced in times of economic downturn to increase the competitive advantage of organisations. 2. Literature Review A. Service Quality The key objective of organisational and marketing strategies of business firms in today’s intensely competitive and fast changing business environment is to make profits and further organisational growth. Customer satisfaction, quality and retention have become global management imperatives that are important for all organisations. With the maturing of different industry sectors high quality service has increasingly become an important tool in business success. The hospitality industry and its various components, mainly different types of hotels and restaurants, are certainly not exempt from the challenges of increased competition or rising consumer expectations of quality. Researchers have defined service quality in different ways â€Å"There are many researchers who have defined service quality in different ways. For instance, Bitner, Booms and Mohr define service quality as ‘the consumer’s overall impression of the relative inferiority / superiority of the organisation and its services’. While other researchers view service quality as a form of attitude representing a long-run overall evaluation, Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry defined service quality as ‘a function of the differences between expectation and performance along the quality dimensions’. This has appeared to be consistent with Roest and Pieters’ definition that service quality is a relativistic and cognitive discrepancy between experience-based norms and performances concerning service benefits.†[17] Other researchers have conceptualised customer satisfaction as â€Å"an individual’s feeling of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a product’s perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to his or her expectations.†[18] Conceptualisations of satisfaction are of two main types, i.e. transaction-specific satisfaction and cumulative satisfaction, transaction specific satisfaction being the customer’s evaluation of his or her experience and reactions to a particular service encounter and cumulative satisfaction being the customer’s overall evaluation of the consumption experience to date [19] The satisfaction level of a service encounter arises from differences between the expectations of customers and the actual experience from the provided services, the perceptions of service encounters being vital factors in creating long-term loyalty, customer satisfaction and quality awareness.[20] Whilst the Nordic conceptualisation of service quality was developed in the mid 1980s by Gronroos and emphasised the role of technical and functional quality on service encounters, Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry developed a new model of service quality, called the SERVQUAL model in 1988.[21] The SERVQUAL model has five dimensions, reliability, responsiveness, empathy, assurances, and tangibles, which together form a basis to measure, quantify, and assess the service experience and to determine the ways in which the viewed and expected service would influence the perceived service quality. Reliability is the ability to perform the promised services dependably and accurately. Responsiveness is the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. Assurance is the knowledge and courtesy of employees as well as their ability to convey trust and confidence. Empathy is the provision of caring, individualised attention to customers. Tangibles are the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel and communication materials.[22] The SERVQUAL model views service quality to be the gap between the expectations of customers (E) and their perceptions of the performance (P) of the service providers. â€Å"According to Parasuraman et al. (1985), service quality should be measured by subtracting customers perception scores from customer expectation scores (Q = P  ± E). The greater the positive score represents the greater the positive amount of service quality or vice versa.†[23] Whilst the model has been the subject of criticism, mainly because of its inadequacy in quantifying and thus in measuring expectations of service from customers, it has nevertheless been used as the basis for investigation by other researchers who have developed modified versions of the model. Despite the essentially theoretical nature of the models discussed above most quality conscious organisations take actions across a wide front of organisational activities to follow their underlying principles and take actions for minimisation of negative customer perceptions and strengthening of positive hospitality experiences. â€Å"Companies that achieve high levels of customer satisfaction display a zeal for superior service from the very top of the organization chart. This dedication constitutes the foundation of customer-centricity. Without the values and culture that leaders inspire, none of the other principles can be effective for long. Customer-centric values and culture inform the hiring process and animate the systems of training and rewards. Instilling values of this sort may be the ultimate test of leadership. Leaders of customer-centric companies clearly articulate what kind of organisational culture they want and consistently sell employeeson its key principles, leaving no doubt about the significance that members of senior management attach to customer-centricity. More important than communications, however, is the leaders’ willingness to take action when the primacy of high-quality service is challenged.[24] B. Routes to Achievement of Exceptional Service Quality The relationship between quality of service and successful hospitality establishments is frequently noticed but rarely recognised as a causal relationship. Reppa and Hersh (2007) report that interviews with 40 executives of truly successful companies operating in intensely competitive environments during a study by Booz Allen suggest that these organisations are distinguished by superb levels of service, which very often are viewed not just as being integral to the organisations but also as their important differentiators. Most such companies consciously route their organisations towards customer-centric behaviour and constant enhancement of service quality. Companies known for high levels of customer satisfaction exhibit an enthusiasm for providing better service from the very summit of the organisation.[25] This commitment makes up the basis of customer-centricity. Corporate strategies that are exclusive of the principles and mores of their leaders cannot really be effectual for long. Customer-centric values and traditions drive the recruitment processes of such companies, provide vitality to training, motivation and reward systems; experts state that building value systems of this type can well prove to be the definitive criterion of leadership. Leaders of such businesses are eloquent about their requirements of organisational culture and leave no doubt about the importance they attach to service quality.[26] Whilst most organisations by and large follow their own strategies for achieving of exceptional service quality, certain principles, policies, and strategies are important for the continued success of all hospitality organisations. i. Human Resource Policies Whilst strong HR policies are accepted to be utmost importance for achievement of high levels of service quality, especially so in the hospitality industry where interaction between organisational employees and guests occur at various points, actual HR practices leave much to be desired in many establishments, and much of the hospitality industry, especially in the middle level and economy level hotels and restaurant segments, is characterised by low wages, part-time workers and high turnover.[27] This is especially true of the London budget hotel and restaurant segment, which is peopled by workers from East Europe and Asia, many of whom are paid low wages, have essentially temporary jobs, and are weak in communicating in English. Staff turnover in many hospitality establishments is often as high as 100 %.[28] Hotels Chains like the Marriott, the Four Seasons, and the Ritz Carlton, on the other hand, are obsessed with issues concerning employee selection, training, remuneration, and retention, believing and very rightly so, that the quality of service is predominantly dependent upon employee calibre. [29]Such organisations populate their establishments with superior staff who are specifically chosen for their natural predispositions for caring for people. The Marriott recruitment philosophy of â€Å"get (ting) it right, first time† conceals a complex and well thought out strategy of recruiting people with great care in order to provide for near perfect fits. Again most such establishments pay as much attention to training, motivating and developing employees as they do to selecting and recruiting them.[30] â€Å"Ritz-Carlton uses a process that may set the standard for methodical rigor. It evaluates each applicant using scientific, behaviour-based assessment tools developed by the human resources consulting firm Talent+, tools derived from statistical analysis of top performers’ behavioural characteristics in each job category. Potential hires are tested both for cultural fit and for traits associated with customer service excellence, including what Ritz calls an innate ‘passion to serve.’ Says John Timmerman, vice president for quality and program management: ‘The smile has to come naturally.’† [31] The interview process furthermore requires candidates to spend time with hotel staff whilst they operate on their regular functions, giving prospective employees a practical picture of the rigours and responsibilities involved in the job and the opportunity to withdraw in case of any apprehensions or misgivings. With in-house company research indicating that wrongly recruited employees could cost the organisation many times their annual salary, the Ritz tries out initiatives like these to minimise attrition. The company’s staff turnover, which is less than 15 % of the industry average, adds, both to stability and to profitability. [32] ii. Essential Areas of Focus Whilst service quality is integral to customer satisfaction, its delivery, in the hospitality industry and elsewhere, is essentially multifaceted and subjective, and thus far more challenging than product quality. The issue has become more complex because of the fact that whilst hospitality clients have until now been satisfied with basic and fundamentally simple products and services, the technological advances of recent years have introduced new dimensions of comfort and convenience that have come to be regarded as part of high quality service.[33] Despite a plethora of innovative products, services and technologies now available in hotels, people still share a basic set of requirements critical to their experience. The top five factors that drive loyalty across all industry segments are (a) value for price, (b) room cleanliness, (c) employees â€Å"can do† attitude, (d) friendliness of the front desk staff, and (e) comfortable bed and furniture. [34] These factors play key roles in the provisioning of service quality and all successful hotels are fanatical about issues like guest comfort, cleanliness, and housekeeping. At the Mandarin Oriental, which won the highest ranking for Housekeeping in the Market Metrix Hospitality Index ranking for 2006, Barsky and Nash state that customers expressed their appreciation on various facets of housekeeping services like twice a day turndown of sheets and carefully chosen flowers. iii. Technological Advances and Service Quality Recent times have seen incredible progress in technical knowledge, expertise, and know-how, and their use in across almost all areas of human action. Hardware technology, software development and the expansion of the World Wide Web have provided new facets to the hospitality sector. Technological development has led to improvement in efficiencies, reduction of expenses, heightening of customer satisfaction, expansion of revenues, and increase in competitive advantage of members of the hospitality industry. The emergence and the progressive adoption of the Internet by millions of individuals across the world has opened up new dimensions in human connectivity and influenced the actions of all business sectors. â€Å"The Internet, as a collection of interconnected computer networks, provides free exchanging of information. Over 400 millions of computers on more