Part of Your World Essay

The song Part of Your World is from the movie The Little Mermaid and is sung by the main character, Ariel. This song embodies the ultimate goal of Ariel throughout the whole movie, which is to be a part of the world above the sea, land. As the song states, Ariel wishes to be â€Å"where the people are†. The title of this song comes straight from the lyrics themselves, in the chorus. In the song Ariel is singing to her friend, Flounder. She is trying to convey to him why she thinks the world on land is better than under the sea. She says â€Å"Flippin’ your fins, you don’t get too far, Legs are required for jumping, dancing,† this shows us some of what she would be able to do if she had legs instead of fins. She desires to be a human, not a mermaid. Another idea is that this song has a deeper meaning other than being a part of this world above the sea. As much as she is trying to convince Flounder of the beauties of the land, the metaphor of the song is showing us that to follow your dreams can be exciting. There are many other things to experience other than what is right in front of us. In this song there are many end rhymes; one specific example is this line â€Å"Isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you think my collections complete? † Neat and complete is an example of rhyming. Rhyming happens when there is a repetition of the concluding sounds. Neat and complete both sound like eat. End rhymes occur when the rhyming syllable is at the end of the line in the poem. This is a perfect example of end rhyme. Another poetic sound device in Part of Your World is repetition, which is found throughout this song. For example â€Å"Up where they walk, up where they run, Up where they stay all day in the sun,† the term â€Å"up where they† is repeated several times. Repetition is also found in this line â€Å"I wanna be where the people are, I wanna see, wanna see them dancin’,† I wanna is used throughout creating a beautiful poetic sound. This song makes great use of alliteration. Alliterations happen when a beginning consonant is repeated like in this example â€Å"Flippin’ your fins, you don’t get too far. The repetitive use of the letter f creates a fun and exciting poetic sound device. Rhyming, specifically end rhyming, repetitions, and alliterations are three important poetic devices that are found in this song. These help the song flow along smoothly and make the song more interesting for the listener. Previously I mentioned the use of a metaphor. Metaphor is an example of a figure of speech or figurative device. Another example of this is a hyp erbole. Hyperbole is used in this song to better emphasize just how much Ariel would like to be a part of this new world she describes. â€Å"Bet’cha on land they understand, Bet they don’t reprimand their daughters† is a hyperbole; hyperbole is an over-exaggeration used to better emphasize a point. Metaphor and hyperbole are two figurative devices used in this song. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, the writers of Part of Your World, use these various poetic and figurative devices beautifully in order to give you a better idea of Ariel’s desires and life goals. Jodi Benson does a beautiful job, as well, of conveying Ariel’s longing to visit this land above. One might believe the goal of this song truly is to allow the listener to look more broadly at his or her own life and decide if all needs are met. The figurative language in this song, hyperbole and metaphor, greater emphasize her goals and the poetic devices used make the song more enticing to the ear. This song gives the listener a hope for a greater future.

Assignment 1: Starbucks’ Strategy Essay

The purpose of this paper is to explore key elements for Starbuck pertaining to their success their approach to organizational culture and management’s role in the proven success it has experience globally. Next, to converse about decision-making strategies that Starbuck’s management has implemented to maintain it competitive position in the market place; share a competency that is used by management and why this particular competency assist in the company’s success regarding organizational culture. Lastly, share my opinion on long-term sustainability in the global industry; in addition could the company continue without Mr. Howard Shultz as CEO. Organizational Culture In business management it is imperative that strategies are created and implemented so the company can experience growth and increase there revenue; additionally they must consider competition advantage, short and long-term planning to continue to sustain their position in the market, include the global market if it is applicable. In looking at Starbucks as a company a global leader in their respected industry, management had to consider the business strategies previously mentioned. However, management additionally had to consider organizational culture as part as of their strategic planning, along with being culturally sensitive since they operate globally. According to research, â€Å"the concept of culture helps managers understand the hidden, complex aspects of organizational life† (Draft, 2012, p.75). When Starbuck’s management strategically design plans to for company success it requires them to look at various elements both internally and eternally. This is important because when dealing globally the must understand the beliefs, values, etc. before operating in a particular area. Furthermore, internally they have to ensure that their employees understand this information as 3 well; by doing this it will make the operation operate smoothly without any interruption to the operation. For instance, gaining an understanding observing things that are visible or tangible which can be critical to internal operation such as, observing employee, beliefs, values, and much more. This requires management to incorporate the company’s mission and vision so it will eliminate conflicts so the company can function, as management desires in order to be profitable and competitive in the industry. The other key element is to focus on external elements, which will attract consumers to their stores, which is important when competing in a global competitive market. An analysis must be conducted to understand the customer; competitor positioning, and marketing plans that will gain and allow the company to build its customer base; this may require understanding customs, symbols, locations, etc. Thus, will increase profits and reduce liabilities and risk. Based on research it describes adaptability culture in both internal and eternal segments. â€Å"Managers encourage values that support the company’s ability to rapidly detect, interpret, and translate signals from the environment into new behavior responses. (Draft, 2012, p.78). This type of understanding in organizational cultural behavior promotes achievement and consistency for Starbucks. Managerial Decisions Starbucks has been successful in their operation for many reasons because management is cognizant that customers need to feel welcomed and relaxed based on the facility layout and location. Additionally, this is back by employees who share in management’s beliefs and values. Furthermore, the company is effective because they offer a variety of products that caters to their customer base. Perhaps one of the best advantages that management offers to their customers are free services such as Wifi, reduced cost on music such as CDs and free musical downloads for electronic devices, along with diverse music that caters to all ethnic groups. Management effectiveness against their competitors depends on cost, technology, productivity, and much more. The long-term goal for any company is to increase profits and decrease there lost without compensating quantity over quality. This requires management to do business with quality producers of coffee from around the world so their customers can have a variety of good to select from. Additionally, the decision-making that management made to appeal to customers relies on technology and it has proven to be effective in their competitive advantage over the competition. Research suggests that, â€Å"technology should be acquired to support the company’s chosen competitive priorities, not just to follow the latest market fad. Also, technology may require the company to rethink its strategy† (Reid & Sanders, 2010, p.43). It is imperative that management continues to be innovative in this area because technology is always changing so they have to constantly look for ways to improve marketing, quality of products, and operational procedures. Key Management Competency A key managerial competency that managers should have at Starbucks understands that customer service and productivity enhances their capabilities as being global leader. The service that customers receive in a timely fashion will always be an important factor when operating a business, thus, having knowledgeable staff that understands the functionality of the operation will minimize wait times, products will be made to company standards, and much more. Furthermore, offering the customers more service that are free and accessible is a key capability that will help them to fit into various organizational cultures; the key is that customers are the priority; having great products; effective marketing and pricing strategies, and conducting a competitive analysis quarterly so they will know how to make adjustments that best suit the market conditions. Lastly and perhaps one of the biggest competencies management at Starbucks has and must maintain is good employees because they are an asset, they have the ability to take 5 directives, initiative, and produce a quality product that will keep customers satisfied and selecting them over the competition. These are all good competencies to have when operating a successful business globally. Long-Term Sustainability As a global leader in the coffee industry it can be said that the company has they proper structure and infrastructure to remain a leader globally even if the CEO, Mr. Howard Shultz were to be replaced. Senior management has a sound business plan in place that is long-term and it will maintain its profitability as long as the company keeps its core values, beliefs, etc. Along with this the company will have to be diverse in its operation and products. Furthermore, the business will continue to thrive as long as the employees embrace change and are given rewards to help to maintain a positive morale and atmosphere, especially when operating and interacting with customers daily. It is believed that long-term sustainability involves proper planning, along with this management must understand the organizational cultures both internally and externally and must be willing to adapt. Also, in order for long-term sustainability to occur management must make periodic marketing forecast and competitor analysis; always look for ways to improve and create new products; invest in better equipment and training for employees; make cost adjustments due to economic conditions, and much more. If the company continues to embrace and operate in this manner it will achieve long-term goals and objectives without the current CEO. Conclusion In closing, Starbucks is a global leader in the coffee industry and as previously mentioned, in business management it is imperative that strategies are created and implemented so the 6 company can experience growth and increase there revenue; additionally they must consider competition advantage, short and long-term planning to continue to sustain their position in the market, including the global market. One of the elements Starbuck’s understands the importance of organizational culture; the company has been successful with their management and training department to incorporate their beliefs, values, etc. into the skills needed to compete against others in the coffee industry and by doing this the company has been able to expand, and has experienced an increase in profits. This type of business philosophy is critical when continuing long-term in achieving goals and objectivities through effective business strategies. Also, management must be confident in decision-making and must be willing to adapt when there are changes in the market, this may include but is not limited to the following, making changes to symbols, slogans, etc. Finally, it is believed that Starbucks could continue to operate as a successful company if the CEO were to change. The company has a sound business plan and training program that appeal to internal and external components to organizational culture. Additionally, management in their operation comes from diverse backgrounds and the company has been able to capitalize on their innovative ideas and have implemented changes that have not only benefited the company but more importantly the customers globally. References Draft, R. (2012). Management (10th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Reid, D. & Sanders, N. (2010). Operations Management. An Integrated Approach (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Dickens presentation of the four spirits Essay

In ‘A Christmas Carol’ four spirits meet Scrooge and they haunt and warn him of how he disregards Christmas and how people look upon him. Dickens uses his own unique writing skills in portraying the spirits, making the appearance relevant to the purpose of the each spirit. The first supernatural being to visit Scrooge is the ghost of Jacob Marley – Scrooge’s deceased working partner. The appearance of this spirit is directly similar to what Marley wore in his first life when he was a slave to money – exactly like Scrooge. These same working clothes show how he is still chained down by the burden of money and that his afterlife has been made rather painful by being a slave to work. Marley’s ghost is warning Scrooge that if he doesn’t change his character, he will too be burdened in his afterlife. The spirit also foretells the appearance of three more ghosts. The chains ‘clasped about his middle’ and all the different items that are wrought to the chain all symbolize money and greed of the spirit. The cash-boxes and the keys all represent the hiding away of money and keeping the wealth to themselves and not sharing the abundance of money. The imagery of heavy objects such as the ‘padlocks’ and ‘steel purses’ show how laden the ghost is with the weight of the money. The ‘ledgers’ and ‘deeds’ show the detailed accounts of money and proper ownership and this is a symbol that everything has to be accounted for, no money can pass by the scrutiny of the accountant which is so true to Scrooge’s life. Apart from being immensely weighted down by his possessions of greed which held back his life, Marley was transparent. This was so obvious that Scrooge could see the two buttons on the back of his coat. This transparency conveys the sense that this person was never a normal human, he was a chilling figure who lacked some human qualities that most usual persons have. This is a ghost which freezes the presence around him with his ‘death cold eyes’ and his ‘chilling influence’, he is cold, like his life. He has no real substance and the only apparent clear images Scrooge can see of this spirit are the symbols of hoarding, selfishness and greed. The ‘Ghost of Christmas Past’ reveals itself to Scrooge, shortly after the affair with Marley, and the purpose of this ghost is to show Scrooge of the times of his past life which involve his school and family life as well as his relationships with Fan and Belle. The first line of the description portrays excellently the appearance of this unusual spirit: ‘It was a strange figure – like a child; yet not so like a child as like an old man’. Dickens shows that even though this spirit is a child, representing youth and looking back in to the past, it is strong bodied being able to be firm with Scrooge. This strength, and the indication of the spirit being old, shows that the ghost is wise and experienced, able to lift Scrooge out of the window with considerable ease and make the miser look up and pay attention. The spirit is also strangely attired with stark contrasts in its dress for the spirit has a holly branch in his hand and summer flowers lining the end of its dress. This displays the progression of time and the seasons which in turn reflect the stages of Scrooges past life and the progression of a mans life, which is slowly been clutched by the grasp of money. The spirit also possesses another unusual quality in that a ‘bright clear jet of light’ springs out from his head as well as having extensive description of the whiteness of its being. This clear whiteness and the jet of light symbolizes the simplicity of what the spirit is showing – It is making thing apparently clear to Scrooge. This ghost is not satisfied with a complicated face and bizarre attire for it also changes the form of its being from ‘being now a thing with one arm, now with one leg, now with twenty legs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and the changes vary so much that at one point the spirit has no head. This unusual distinction, I feel, represent the change in emotions and I think Dickens is trying to portray the alterations of Scrooges past and of all the feelings and events that changed him in to a tight-fisted businessman. The ghost of Christmas present is a bit simpler to understand for he represents the things and spirit of Christmas. His purpose is to show Scrooge the way people celebrate Christmas at present and to point out the abundance of Christmas joy there is in families, which is alien to Scrooge. The spirit is introduced with a large range of different Christmas foods such as long plum-puddings, mince pies, ‘cherry-cheeked apples’ and ‘immense twelfth cakes’, just to mention a few of the items layering the floor. The abundance and feeling of plenty is conveyed with the magnificent quantities of tangible items on display, with the ‘barrels of oysters’ and ‘wreaths of sausages’. Dickens eloquently describes the food making the reader feel tempted by these appetizing descriptions. All this is completely foreign to Scrooge. He has never seen this type of thing for he never shares his money to make these things happen, therefore this is appropriate so to open Scrooge’s eyes to the celebration of Christmas. The actual spirit is huge, happy and incredibly relaxed which is shown by his ‘easy state’ upon which Scrooge finds him. This peaceful, kind and generous spirit holds Plenty’s horn which is a sign of abundance and a richness of possessions and atmosphere. He is full of Christmas spirit and he knows what it is like to have a good time and a laugh, he is only haunting Scrooge with good things he has not seen before. The spirit is radiant, full of light for it pours on to Scrooge, he cannot escape the joyous plentiful atmosphere. He cant run away for the light is so strong it grasps him. The spirit is kind to Scrooge yet he is not passive telling Scrooge in a firm manner to look upon his wide, inviting eyes. The ghost has clothes of a simple nature with a ‘simple green robe bordered with white fur’. This shows just how relaxed and unpretentious the spirit is, he is even bare-breasted showing that he just wants to present himself as he is with no false attachments – even his feet are found without covering. The holly wreath which is seen on the spirit, is a symbol. Jesus once wore a similar wreath and he was peaceful and kind, just like the spirit who is compared to the son of God for they are both cheerful and immensely unconstrained. The ultimate peace of the spirit is displayed when Scrooge notices that in his scabbard there lay no sword but a hole of air polluted by the aging rust. The spirit is a provider, feeding his immense family of 1,800 well, with the full stuffing of Christmas spirit and all the joyous aspects this brings with it. This open hearted spirit is showing the true meaning of Christmas to Scrooge who has only ever lived for money seeing Christmas as a wasted day. There is a very stark difference between the ‘Ghost of Christmas Present’ and the ‘Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come’ for the spirit which foresees the future is firstly described as moving ‘slowly, gravely, silently’. This is more a haunting spirit, he is meant to be scary and menacing and he certainly is introduced in this fashion for he is to show the grim tales of Scrooges future which are not pleasant. The overwhelming fear in Scrooge is seen, in that he quickly bends down on one knee and the atmosphere disperses in to one of ‘gloom and mystery’. There is definite sense of fear for the words convey ghostly imagery such as ‘shrouded’ which is a dark word in that it is often associated with a funeral or a burial. The deep, piercingly solemn appearance of a hand is all Scrooge needs to fill him with ultimate fear for the ghost is incredibly hard to distinguish and the outstretched hand is all one can see. This mysterious invisibility makes the ghost even more harrowing for there is only one hand which brings about this dark and undistinguished presence, the ghost is a shape which is horribly not complete. As well as not being able to see all the parts of the ghoul, the spirit does not even talk which makes him even more fearful for it is impossible for Scrooge to communicate to this haunting phantom. Scrooge is desperate for the ghoul to utter a word but Dickens purposely does not let the figure talk for it adds to his mysterious and chilling demeanor. This spirit is one which people dread, it is of an appearance of a phantom which chills the surrounding air which others choke on in fear. The description continues, with Dickens using metaphorical speech to describe the ghoul: ‘but a spectral hand and one great heap of black’. The effect of the metaphor is once more of absolute fear and terror. The description ends with Scrooge requesting speech from the ghoul but it is not going to respond which rounds off the passage with a feeling of fear. Dickens shows skill in describing these ghosts so relevantly to what there immediate purpose is. Each ghost has its own specific meaning and Dickens presents this effectively giving each spirit a unique appearance which tells a story with a true moral which still applies today. Dickens is a storyteller with unique gifts and this is shown in these descriptions of the four spirits.

Causes Of Climate Change

Climate change is when the climate changes by warming up or cooling down over a period of time. Climate change is occurring now, the climate is warming up dramatically, and this is known as global warming. In the past the temperature has gone up and has gone down, and the climate has warmed up and then after a period of time cooled down. The first way that climate changes naturally is by the amount of energy produced by the sun and how much we receive. This varies over time, sometimes more energy is produced by the sun and sometimes less is produced.When the sun produces more energy the climate warms up and when the sun produces less energy the climate cools down, this is because when the sun provides more energy the earth receives more heat, and warms up the climate and when the sun produces less energy the earth receives less heat so the climate cools down, this all happens over a long period of time. The second way the climate changes naturally is by how the earths orbit around th e sun changes. The earths orbit can change from orbiting the sun in a spherical way to an elliptical way.When the earth orbits the sun in an elliptical way the earth is often warmer, because at some points to earth comes closer to the sun in its orbit, and when the earth gets closer to the sun the energy has got less distance to travel, and when the sun and the earth are close together the suns energy has a smaller area to spread over so the energy warms up the climate in that part. The third way that climate changes naturally is by the change in the earth’s axis. At the moment the tilt of the earth is at 23.5 degrees.When the earth tilts away the earth gets less energy, and makes the climate cooler, but when the earth tilts the other way the earth gets more energy and warms up the climate. This takes place over 41,000 years. The fourth way that the climate changes naturally is as the earth wobbles as it spins on its axis, as the earth wobbles, one side tilts closer to the su n than the other, so the side that gets closer to the sun, receives more energy from the sun, and the  energy only has a small distance to travel so it heats up that part of the earth and warms up the climate, and the other side of the earth that wobbles away from the sun has less energy received by the sun and the energy has more distance to travel, so the side that wobbles away from the sun gets cooler and then the climate cools down, as some of it gets lost in space.The fifth way that the climate changes naturally is by all of the Co2 in the air, all of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is trapping all of the heat, produced by the sun, and this causes temperatures to rise.Records show that temperatures rose from 8000 BC dramatically even though there were few people on the earth, the earths population was around the population of London. This shows that the climate can warm up with very few people on the earth producing Co2 In conclusion people don’t always produce al l the Co2 in the atmosphere or cause the climate to warm up; it could sometimes just be our earth itself.

Contribute to the Development of the British Empire

However, the other factors that occurred at home which reformed he world of money can be considered as the more significant factor as it aided the scale at which both companies were able to grow. The other various factors that occurred amongst the home front had a huge impact in the development of the British Empire, possibly acting as the most significant. Although having been present before, trading companies really thrived during this period.This was due to a series of revolutionary changes, most notably the change from the medieval regulated trading concerns system to the ‘joint stock'. This now meant that instead of investors pooling heir earnings into one single ship's voyage, they would be investing money in a whole company. This resulted in lower risk investments and due to the notion that smaller investments could be made; more of the population possessed the means to be able to do so, increasing the company's finances which subsequently improved the governments.Also t he development of factors who were the men in charge of the actual trade with the native population became the beginning of permanent European bases overseas whilst factories became the hub of local trade, spreading European influence in native society and economy (as Wilderness's theory states). Also, as London was beginning to become a major trading port it began relying on raw materials from overseas trade. For example by 1 720, 15% of all national import came from India alone. And so with this alarming dependency comes a natural conviction that this supply must be protected.This is significant because one way to protect something is to have control over it, and so it seemed like an almost convenient logic for the British to start thinking about gaining imperial power. These factors are the most significant in the development of the British Empire through trade and commerce. This is cause if it weren't for the ‘joint-stock' System, both companies may not have had the means to be as successful as they were which would have dimmed a development of Empire. Also, the dependency they acquired on foreign materials was one of the main benefactors in their want for imperial control.However, it can be argued that this reliance was caused by the successes of the trade companies such as the ICE and without these, there would be no dependency and so no need for hegemony. The East India Company is a definite factor in the development of the British Empire through trade and commerce. Starting off with simply the intention to read comfortably with the promisingly lucrative East, through its various successes the East India Company did prove to be the starting foundations of English colonialism in India.After a long termed desire to establish a trade with the east, the East India Company was finally developed and launched with an official charter in 1600. As hoped, right from the very start, the company was seeing extremely healthy profits. This then encouraged a 1 6 09 charter which gave the company permanent rights whilst a further charter in 1670 meant that the company could actually make its own laws with an army ND the ability to print money. Both of these events contributed to the development of the British Empire as they became the first signs Of actions which imitated the actions that may be expected of a colonial state.Another subtle indication of the company's intended permanency came through the building of Fort William. However, possibly the most evident way in which the ICE aided the British Empire came in their seek to be granted firm. Firm was mainly needed so that the ICE would have the rights to set up permanent trading bases and factories, both of which would have been essential for effective trade. This meant that through negotiations, they became drawn into local power networks, which politically strengthened their position in India.Also, the prospect of trading bases would definitely intensify the sense of European permanenc e in the East. After a few violent naval battles with the Dutch, the Moguls saw the British as superior and decided to grant them the firm they so desired. This had a couple significant effects. Firstly, it displayed a certain importance of military', but rather naval superiority in getting what is wanted. This was to become a huge factor in the actual placement and sustain of the British Empire.

HR Roles and Responsibilities Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

HR Roles and Responsibilities Paper - Essay Example HRM has since been ascribed an essential role in achieving the goals of organizations. Its rise had important implications on the recognition of workers. The competencies of employees have been given more notice in recruitment and selection as well as in training and development (Van Marrewijk & Timmers, 2003). Its strategic position as a sounding board for top management and facilitator and change agent in the restructuring and transformation processes of the company is equally balanced with its role as an important partner for employees. â€Å"Thus, the HRM function positions itself in two ways: as the architect of new organizational structures and work systems, and as coach in management development processes and companion of employees in turnaround processes† (Van Marrewijk & Timmers:174) Movement from traditional personnel management towards HRM is caused by factors such as â€Å"increased level of competition, less availability of trained workforce, less committed workforce, rapidly changing technology, increased level of downsizing and restructuring of organizations† (Budhwar:143). Further, the increased importance and interest in HRM may be enhanced by the introduction of the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), Investors in People (IIP) standards, increased pressure on training and enterprise councils (TEC) and the â€Å"welfare to work† projects. The ever-increasing functions of HRM have given birth to two practices – integration and devolvement. Brewster and Larsen (1992) define integration as â€Å"the degree to which HRM issues are considered as part of the formulation of the business strategy† and devolvement as â€Å"the degree to which HRM practices involve and give responsibility to line managers rather than personnel specialists.† (411-412). This paper will focus on the practice of devolvement. Unloading

What is the result of the credit crunch, a recession or a depression Essay

What is the result of the credit crunch, a recession or a depression Recession of 2007-2009 and Great Depression - Essay Example The effects of credit crunch were considerably destructive for the financial institutions. Most of the investment banks were suffered a lot. They had no choice either to reduce the value of their assets or to file for bankruptcy. For many investment banks, even the value reduction of assets did not prove to be sufficient enough to protect them for the severity of the global financial crunch. It looked as the investment banks were struggling to fight for their existence; they were trying to stay alive and remain a part of the financial world. But, for many banks, their lives saving attempts were insufficient to protect them from the effects of the credit crunch. As a result, many investment banks had no choice left in the period of 2007 to the year of 2009; willingly or unwillingly, many declared their bankruptcy. In the initial face of the credit crunch, the financial and investment banks faced the harshness and severity of the financial crisis, the entire situation was so disappoint ing that many disappeared from the international financial circle and mergers, acquisitions, liquidations, bankruptcies and nationalization were the only options left for them (The WTO Doha Round and Regionalism, 2009). ‘Recession is when your neighbour loses his job; depression is when you lose yours’ (Ronald Reagan (1980) as saying, quoted by Eslake, 2008). Interestingly, there is no official or generally accepted criterion to identify a difference between a ‘recession’ and a ‘depression’. ... On the face of it, the period of recession is comparatively less than the period of depression. For instance, some economists are of the view that the recession may occur and last for two to three quarters. And its impacts could be limited to some particular sectors of an economy. As a result, recession could put negative impact on the index of employment and may trigger some sort of unemployment in some specific economic sectors of the economy. On the other hand, the period of depression tends to be larger and wide spread. The Great Depression of 1929 did not continue for one or two years; rather it constantly showed its pressure on the economy throughout the decade on the 1930s. Additionally, depression tends to be wide spread in an economy. It almost hit negatively to each economic sector of an economy. Causes of the Great Depression The decade of 1920s considerably experienced consumers taking on more debt in America. In this period of decade, according to Bernanke (1983) the out standing amount of real estate mortgages sharply increased from the level of $11 billion to the level of $27 billion. The debt instalment also saw a sharp increase due to a wide spread availability of consumer goods. Due to the facility of credit and other forms of debt, many consumers facilitated their needs by increasing their purchases of household appliances, cars, homes and other basic necessities that they liked (Parker, 2007). This cause came from the consumer side that were mostly showing their consumer confidence on the economy of the America. On the other hand, the stock market was touching new psychological heights. And on each passing day, the stock market had something more than the previous day

Brownings Plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Brownings Plan - Case Study Example The operational efficiency and profitability of an organization is greatly related to its organizational structure. For the better functioning of the organization, the duties and responsibilities of each of the individuals in the organizations have to be clearly defined and implemented. The restructuring of the organizational structure will be capable of introducing new organizational culture in the firm. Division of work helps to avoid the waste of time and effort resulting from the inefficient operations of less experienced personnel. Thus by consulting with Howard, the firm is going for a restructure by implementing Likert Linking Pin Model. It is used to bring effective change in an organization by introducing team work. As per the model there will be several interrelated working units in the organization and these units will be linked through some individuals. These individuals are known as linking pins. The interrelated work units are formed in upper levels and lower levels. The member of a higher level unit will be the leader of the lower level unit. These people act as linking pins between the upper and lower groups. Thus he holds a dual task of leading his team and at the same time he has to represent his team and protect the interest of that team in the organization. Thus Likert Pin model focuses on the group relationship and these groups will lead the firm to progress. (Linking Pin Model). Organizational Culture, Planning and decision making: These three are the important factors for the success of an organization. When the organization is going through tough conditions, there is a need for organizational changes. Here Browning and Howard are going to implement Likert Plan. Selecting a plan for the restructuring is not a difficult task. But the implementation needs cautious steps. Here the organizational environment and culture has to play an important role. Every strategy will be changed according to the specific organizational climate. Otherwise there will not be desired output. Likewise the planning and decision making are other important factors. Implementation and controlling etc. should be done in this stage. Effectiveness of Browning's Plan in respect of principles of organizational culture: Organizational culture plays a very important role in human system. The culture of a group means the sample of some assumptions that the group learned and solved the problem of external alteration and internal amalgamation. In organizational culture, values are already declared and some values are assumable ones. In the society, the history of the group consists of many stories and mythology. In organization people interact with each other, with outsiders and the surroundings. The organizational culture concentrates on the human side of the organizational life and it creates the significance of suggest a system to promote the people jointly work together and accomplish the desired objectives. This approach needs members. The members consist of leaders. Leaders have a specialized skill and behavior. They recognize the impact of their behavior in the organizationa

Monet and his painting Water Lilies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Monet and his painting Water Lilies - Essay Example This essay tells us about the painting, â€Å"Water Lilies,† by Claude Monet, a great masterpiece, which carries several elements of expression to the spectator. More important, this particular painting uses different techniques and ideologies to make a statement within the society and the culture which Claude Monet was in. The different concepts which Monet used in this particular painting were a part of a series which was able to show a true reflection and impression of nature as well as the shifts which were occurring during Monet’s time. However, it is the aesthetics that Monet uses in this piece that allows it to become a masterpiece and which has allowed it to stand out from a variety of paintings for a longer time frame. The painting of â€Å"Water Lilies† is one which shows Claude Monet’s personal philosophies and which reflects the time frame. This particular painting was a part of a series of water lilies which were painted from 1906 to 1926. The others are placed in various museums throughout the world. The brush strokes that are used with this specific painting are thicker in texture and include wider and long strokes that create the reflection of the leaves, water and the look of the lilies. This is combined with the shading which is created through the use of the oil paints, specifically which can be seen in the layers of the piece. The shading of the painting is not from light and dark, but instead comes from a darker and lighter mixture with each of the colors used. Content The content that is used by Monet is of the water lilies that are by a specific water body. The piece works as an Impressionist piece, which was used commonly by Monet as one which was defined by a glance or look at a specific scene at a given time. The impression which was left with the main look was what was painted, as opposed to manipulating or changing the textures that were with the piece of work. The impression is important to note because i t defines elements that are not a part of the main expressions which an artist is trying to convey. Instead, the expression and message is sent through the natural scenery and the moment which is caught in the painting. It is this natural setting that is able to capture specific characteristics and relay a given message to the audience (Werner, 3). The Impressionism in this piece comes from looking at the water lilies and seeing the reflection and movement of the water. When looking at this piece, it can be seen that the impression was left with the water lilies, which stayed still in the water and which are seen by the layers of paint and color. The brush strokes of the water lilies are smaller and move upward, which creates a sense of stillness with the subject. The reflection of the leaves are seen with several layers of shading and with long brush strokes, which makes the eye move from one end of the canvas to the other. The portrayal of the water moves in the same way, which ma kes the water look like it is swaying or moving forward. Even though the water lilies are only on the right hand corner and left hand bottom corner, the changing brush strokes cause the eye to see the lilies as constant and not moving, despite the changing reflections and movement of the water. The content then leaves an impression on the natural elements and the characteristics, which show the lilies as a constant in the continuous changes of the water. Iconography The icons which are presented from the water lilies become important with this picture as well as the other subjects of water lilies which

Assessment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Assessment - Assignment Example From my review, it is evident that Mr. G’s condition with arthritis is advancing to a more chronic stage as he reports most of his activities around the joints having rapidly reduced. The subjective data is important in revealing the experiences of the patient from a firsthand account. On the other hand, objective data is important in determining the clinical status of the patient through examination and tests. During the collection of information, confidentiality and information safety is upheld. Upon assuring the patient that their information may be kept private, they can disclose some of the private information related to their condition. In addition, I do not engage in any further research concerning the patient without their consent in order to limit any chances of intrusion into their private information. Some of the patient assessment tools that bare within nurses, which are applied in assessing morbidity of the patients. These tools include the decision-making tools, which provide guidelines on the main approach to determining the morbidity of the patients including ruling out of some of the cases in relation to both the subjective and objective data of the patient. Nurses also carry within them education tools that allow them to consider the best technology for assessing patients at each level. Communication tools are also important in creating a rapport with the patient and thus establishing a proper assessment of the morbidity levels. Inspection involves application of vision, hearing, and smell to assess abnormal deviations and conditions within the body of a patient. An example of inspection is the observation for yellow eyes in an individual with jaundice. Palpation involves touching of the patient’s area of body under examination with varying parts of one’s hands, while employing different degrees of pressure. This can be employed when checking for cancerous lumps in the breast. In addition, Percussion requires one to tap their

Macroeconomics Problem Set 3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Macroeconomics Problem Set 3 - Assignment Example d. What will the capital-output ratio be at the Golden Rule steady-state? (Hint: recall from Chapter 3 that for the Cobb-Douglas production function, the capital-output ratio is related to the marginal product of capital). 1. In this question, we examine how the goals of the Federal Reserve influence its response to shocks. Suppose that in scenario A, the Fed cares only about keeping the price level stable whereas in scenario B, the Fed cares only about keeping output and employment at their natural levels. Explain how in each scenario the Fed would respond to the following: A decrease in velocity causes a downward shift on the aggregate demand. Prices are fixed in the short run meaning only output decreases. To ensure output and unemployment are at their natural rates Fed B should increase the money supply to attain the initial equilibrium where prices and output will be constant. Fed, A should also increase the money supply to shift the aggregate demand curve upwards since this is the only way to ensure stable prices at their original equilibrium. This results to an upward shift of the supply curve. To ensure stable prices, Fed B should hold aggregate demand constant since prices will rise in the short run and then fall in the long run achieving the natural rate of unemployment. This might however result to a recession. To keep output and unemployment at their natural rate Fed B should increase the money supply hence shift the aggregate demand curve upwards. This results to a new equilibrium at higher prices, but there is no loss in output. Based on the quantity equation MV=PY, if Fed reduces the money supply by 5% the aggregate demand curve will shift downwards. A decrease in M will hence result in a decrease in PY provided V is constant. In the short run, the assumption is that the price levels are fixed meaning that that the aggregate

Cloud Computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Cloud Computing - Essay Example Cloud computing has the aim of hiding the intricacy of IT infrastructure administration from its users (Bahga & Madisetti, 2014). Simultaneously, the cloud computing platforms offer enormous scalability, 99.999% dependability, and high performance, along with configurability that can be specified. These capabilities are given at relatively low costs when compared to devoted infrastructures (Erl, Puttini & Mahmood, 2013). I present an impression of Eveready’s cloud services as well as pricing to be employed in the calculations. Eveready has two appropriate cloud computing services. Foremost, Eveready gives the Elastic Computing Cloud service. This platform charges every hour a running instance, and it provides examples with diverse compute power as well as memory (Bahga & Madisetti, 2014). This application meets the criteria for an excellent application in this course. To begin with, I am interested in the application. As an IT manager, I realize that the cloud computing was maybe the single most significant finding this century in my field. As a man database administrator, I am as well intensely interested in the challenges and successes faced by other men scientists. Second, in juxtaposition with EC2, Eveready will provide the Elastic Block Store (EBS) service. This service gives reliable and unrelenting storage with a high IO performance. EBS rates per GB of storage as well as for each million IO transactions. Eveready will also offer the Simple Storage Service (S3). This is a service to provide access via web services to unrelenting data kept in buckets (one-level of directories) together with meta-data (key/value pairs). S3 rates per GB of storage as well as HTTP requests relating to it. Persistent FS will offer a POSIX-compliant file system by means of S3 and is debatably less costly than EBS for largely

Alternative explaination for any one of the follow technological Essay

Alternative explaination for any one of the follow technological failures - Essay Example Swissair 111’s electrical catastrophe â€Å"involved the wiring in the entertainment system located near the cockpit† (Scarry, p.1). However, military submarines and planes close by are believed to have generated electromagnetic transmissions that impacted the Swissair flight. The purpose of this paper is to select an alternative method of explaining technological failure. Thus, how Charles Perrow’s theory of normal accidents explaining the Three Mile Island Disaster can be used to explain the Swissair 111 accident which took place on the 2nd of September, 1998 will be examined. It will be investigated how according to Perrow’s theory failures interact with each other, and the tight coupling of the elements of the advanced technological system further multiply the chances of disasters taking place on unprecedented scales. It will be seen that instead of providing an alternative explanation, Perrow’s theory basically enhances one’s understanding of the technological failure of Swissair 111, explaining the reason for the crash to take place, as an inevitable or ‘normal’ accident. Apart from the original theory of electromagnetic interference that caused the crash of Swissair 111, Perrow’s theory of normal accidents that explains the Three Mile Island Disaster can be used for elucidating the Swissair accident. According to Perrow, when system characteristics have interactive complexity and tight coupling, the result will be an inevitable system accident or normal accident. â€Å"The odd term ‘normal accident’ is meant to signal that, given the system characteristics, multiple and unexpected interactions of failures are inevitable† (Perrow, p.5). This inevitability of failure is inherent to the system. Although system accidents are uncommon, they can produce catastrophes. The characteristics of the system make it innately vulnerable to accidents, hence the accidents are described as ‘normal’. Thus, the complexity of the

What impact did the Atlantic slave trade have on the nations of the Essay

What impact did the Atlantic slave trade have on the nations of the West African interior - Essay Example As the slave traders only left the old and the young behind, with the young and able bodied Africans all captured to be sold later, therefore it was very hard for those who were left behind to revive the economy and make a living for themselves, resulting, often, in starvation and more deaths. Those who were captured were transported by forced marches across the continent, further causing deaths. Moreover, not all who were captured were transported to other continents, which resulted in their displacement within the continent, which caused adverse affects to the region they were left in. There was massive relocation on the part of many communities, as they did not want to be within short distance of the slave traders’ route, which caused them to lose all advancements they had made in their present areas. Not only that, as these communities were more focused on saving themselves and trying to hide from the slave traders, they had little or no economic and technological development. As the Europeans were involved completely in the slave trade, they did not want the African states to centralize due to the adverse affects of this centralization to the slave trade. Due to this reason, the European powers did not allow much political progress to be made in the region. This also resulted in despotic rulers or elders, often if not always funded by Europeans, being placed over the people, who did not allow much interaction between the states, and who often, suppressed their own people and allowed the slave trade to go on. All of this caused the continent to be pushed back in time with little or no progress being made at any level. The African people were often disorganized with the whole continent lagging far behind in its economic, political and social growth. The slave trade was the first step, therefore one can say, in leaving the doors open for European colonialism in the African continent, which was a further cause for the problems of the

Hip-hop lyrics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hip-hop lyrics - Research Paper Example The degree of influence varies from one child to another. Experts are not unanimous in their conclusions. The influence of rap music, which is synonymous with hip-hop music, is intense on the minds of children and it can have mostly negative or some positive effects. The worrying factor is, hip-hop has become part of the popular culture. It has made rapid strides since it originated 1970s. â€Å"It is a known fact that hip-hop has taken over, in a sense, the mainstream youth culture,† said Emmett Price, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston, who teaches hip-hop culture. â€Å"So, the young kids from the age of being able to speak to going on to high school are influenced by hip-hop culture whether they listen to music or not.† (Killion†¦) Researchers are busy analyzing and trying to prove that a correlation exists between rap music and increased criminal behavior, sexual activity and drug use. Tricia Rose opines, â€Å"A key aspect of much of the criticism that has been leveled at hip-hop is the claim that it glorifies, encourages, and thus causes violence. This argument goes as far back as the middle to 1980s—the so-called golden age of hip-hop—when politically radical hip hop artists, such as Public Enemy, who referred to direct and sometimes armed resistance against racism ‘by any means necessary,’ were considered as advocates of violence.†(p.34) Young kids have a tendency to believe what they see over and over again, as truth. The wise saying goes—a lie repeated from a platform a thousand times, becomes the truth.’ In the present times of internet revolution, it is necessary that the young kids should know many things, but is highly desirable that they should not know some things. Their minds quickly receive information that may prove intensely harmful in the long run. Kids interpret what they see from the level of their understanding and without the proper contextualization. The issue is, children take what

Nike Research Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nike Research Plan - Essay Example However, the USA population that purchases apparels at Target stores might be too big to be recruited to the research study. Therefore, a sample population that is largely representative of the entire USA population purchasing apparels at Targets will be adopted. Nike suffered a great deal in sales and popularity decline, after the Tiger Woods personal scandal that saw the whole of the golf industry lose in sales and profits. There is no doubt therefore, that a need to improve both the image and financial performance of Nikes golf apparel exist. Thus, the research project has defined the research question as; â€Å"Could Nike’s diminished popularity within the golf community increase by introducing an exclusive line of low-cost apparel to be sold at Targets all over the United States?† The sampling method to be applied in this research study is the cluster sampling technique. Cluster sampling technique is the most appropriate for this research study. This is because; the study seeks to establish the population of customers who purchase apparels at Target stores in the USA, Thus making the group of customers at each Target store an already clustered population. The choice of cluster sampling as the method sampling technique is informed by the fact that the entire population that purchases apparels at Targets is unknown, while its characteristics of are also unclear. Further, the suitability of cluster sampling technique for this study is also informed by the fact that the sample clusters targeted by this study are geographically convenient (Ahmed, 2009). This research study targets to collect data from the population that purchases apparels at Targets, which then means that such clusters are conveniently clustered at the different geographical Target store location s.

Gangs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gangs - Assignment Example Membership to a gang is based upon many criteria, the most important being, socio-economic status, religion, race and culture. Gangs tend to cluster in high-crime, socially disadvantaged neighborhoods (Thornberry et al., 2003) In the sub-urban and rural areas there has been a spurt in gang membership. Gangs began to take root as many immigrants could not cope up with the culture of their adopted homeland and thereby could not assimilate themselves within the new society. These immigrants formed gangs to forge an identity for themselves and took up the role of alternative family providing support to the members. Such gangs also provided its male and female members protection. One of the very distinctive characteristics of gang members are that most of them come from the male minority groups such as Hispanic, African and Asian countries. Other distinctive characteristics are that such members come from poverty stricken areas, those who depend on welfare or those coming from single pare nt backgrounds. Qs. 2. Specific groups of youth and gangs Gang memberships are not a product of several specific risk factors, but the result of the accumulation of many varied kinds of risk factors (Krohn and Thornberry, 2008). One of the specific groups is the youth that are delinquent, are most likely to join gangs. Various environmental and personal factors lead to the joining of gangs. Initially delinquent youth join â€Å"starter gangs† and at a later point in time they graduate to joining serious gangs. Youth experiencing racism, find themselves being denied of resources and privileges. The absence of purchasing power and inability to fulfill basic needs leads to feelings of hopelessness and diminished self worth. Adolescents belonging to this category often form their own establishments. Exposure to anti-social influences and poor performance in school increases the risk of a person joining a gang. Socially maladjusted youths tend to join gangs. Qs. 3 Membership in re lation to age Most of the gang members are very young children between the ages of 10 to 18 years. They are at an impressionable age and thus peer pressure makes them gravitate towards gang membership. Gender is not an issue in relation to age. Both male and female gang members fell mostly within this age group and were expected to carry out their activities as required. Every gang has two or three leaders who head the gang and give out orders to assault, harass or steal from people. However, in Chinese gangs the ages range between 13 to 37 years. (New York City Police Department, 1983) Though some of the youth join voluntarily, others are forced by threatening and other crude methods. Qs. 4 Benefits and dangers of Gang membership Gangs provide psychological support to youth which most of the members do not get from traditional support system like family, religion and school. They are a closely -knit    cohesive structure which provide the members with a sense of belonging, more e specially in the case of immigrants. Lure of easy money entices many to join drug gangs. Gang members are benefited in more ways than one. For example, they are provided with an apartment and food in addition to ammunition to carry out their nefarious work. However, they face the danger of losing their lives in case an operation fails or when conflicts arise among the members themselves. Most of them do not have freedom to do as they want and they live in fear because they have to

Comparing the scientific method and the engineering method of problem Essay

Comparing the scientific method and the engineering method of problem solving - Essay Example Conversely, engineering is based on the tenets of coming up with new inventions that have not been in existence before. However, it is worthwhile noting that both scientific and engineering approaches may be integrated to solve a problem. Nevertheless, the need to create better understanding necessitates a comparison of scientific and engineering approaches in relation to problem solving. Due to objective differences, science and engineering follow different processes in coming up with solutions. A scientific approach begins with a question seeking answers to a particular phenomenon. This is then followed by a background research on the various studies related to the phenomenon at hand. The background research may touch on directly related studies considered to be standard or accurate. As such, a scientist is able to identify loop holes, if any, in the current studies giving guidance on the particular problem at hand. However, more importantly is that a background research enables formulation of an appropriate hypothesis. The hypothesis purports to offer a better explanation compared to already existing ones in relation to given problems. As such, before advancing further, the proposed hypothesis must first be tested against the existing ones. This implies that a new proposition must explain a phenomenon that has not been explained by the already existing ones. A valid proposed hypothesis is then subjected to a number of tests to prove its workability and validate its predictions. If the proposed hypothesis shows the predicted results, it is accepted and adopted as the new best hypothesis giving a solution to the particular problem in play. However, if a hypothesis arrives at already known phenomena it only increases credibility of already existing hypothesis rather than replacing them. Conversely, if a hypothesis fails to meet the predicted threshold, it is rejected. However, a hypothesis normally undergoes a couple of experiments to eliminate room for error.

Us Involvement in World War I Essay Example for Free

Us Involvement in World War I Essay US Involvement The US started to get involved in other countries during the Industrial Age, and we started using imperialism, which lead to World War 1. During the Industrial age, we were focused on getting more and more goods so we could run our factories. Trade was very important during this time because we couldn’t sell enough goods to the American public, so we traded them to other countries. When the US realized they could just take over another country and make them trade, this seemed a lot easier. Imperialism was partly based on, â€Å"My backyard is my business. † Also known as, the Monroe doctrine. We invaded Cuba, Puerto Rico, The Philippines, and we created a revolution in Panama against Columbia, and that is where we built the Panama Canal so we could use it for as a trading route, and a two ocean navy. World War 1 was caused by militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism. The US entered World War 1 because of three things. The Russian Revolution threatened the US because we didn’t want them to drop out of the war. The sinking of the Lusitania was another cause because not only did some Americans die, but we had goods on the ship and if we couldn’t trade with Europe because the Germans were sinking our ships with U-boats, we wouldn’t be able to run our factories because we had no one to trade with. And last, but not least, the Zimmerman telegram was given to us a month after it had been sent to Mexico. Germany was trying to get Mexico involved in the war by telling them if they won they would be able to get back Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona if they attacked the US. We realized that we had to take action fast so we entered the war. All of these were times when the US had to step out of their bubble and see what was going on the other side of their borders. The industrial age, imperialism, and world war 1 all made the US involved with someone outside of America.

Domestication of Dangerous Dog Breeds Essay Example for Free

Domestication of Dangerous Dog Breeds Essay Since the beginning of earliest civilisation, man has relied on and surrounded himself with animals, for both assistance with labour and companionship. The phrase ‘man’s best friends’ is often used to described one of the most loyal and popular of these animals, the dog. Yet, in recent years, under the continued influence of rising dog attack numbers and societal pressure, new legislation has been introduced, collectively known as ‘Breed-Specific Legislation’. Under these new laws, certain breeds of animal are restricted or deemed dangerous, simply because of stereotypes associated with temperament and aggression. While many believe that this legislation is the most suitable response to a rapidly accelerating concern, further anaylsis into both the legal and social aspects of the issue reveal that ‘Breed-Specific Legislation’ may not be the most effective solution to the issues surrounding the ownership and domestication of restricted dog breeds. The relevant legal proceedings for this issue is directly related to the structural legislative balance between the rights of the individual and the rights of the collective. Under Australia’s current laws, our views on this matter lean more favourably towards the rights of the collective community, preferring to cater for society as a whole, rather than to a select number of individuals. Under the QLD Animal Management (Cats Dog) Act 2008, a prohibited dog is defined as ‘A restricted dog is a dog of a breed prohibited from importation into Australia under the Customs Act 1901’, which is then further defined as the following breeds. The American Pit-Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino (The Argentine Mastiff), the Fila Brasileiro, the Japanese Tosa and the Presa Canario. Under this Act, anyone who is found to be in possession of, or declared the owner of, a dog determined by an authorised official to be of a restricted breed, is liable to severe legal implications and as a matter of course the dog is destroyed. However, there are no laws or recommendations in place, at least none accessible to the public, to determine what legal implications should occur. Any consequences are determined by precedent and circumstance, and often require mandatory legal representation in order to be settled effectively. This is predominately due to the provision under the Customs Act 1901, stating that it is the responsibility of the local governments to dictate the prohibition of certain breeds (or cross breeds) of dogs in their jurisdictions. These decisions are at the discretion of each local government’s law, and higher hierarchical authorities, such as the state government, have limited powers to intervene with these laws. This ambiguity means that there is no definitive response to be taken under criminal law, in the event of a breach. The responsibility falls to the local government to conduct the judicial proceedings and execute the consequences. As such, it is impossible to fairly and equally apply the current laws, when major decisions are left to the discretion of many individual stakeholders. The current breed-specific legislation also proves a difficult task to enforce. While there are set guidelines in determining a dog’s breed based on physical characteristics, according to the Australian Veterinarian Association ‘it is not possible to precisely determine the breed of the types of dogs targeted by breed-specific legislation by appearance or by DNA analysis. ’ As such, while an animal may contain genetic traces of restricted breeds, it can often be indistinguishable from other traits. In the same manner, however, animals completely free of restricted heritage traits may be mistaken for an illegal breed and destroyed, without reason. In the recent case, CHIVERS Vs Gold Coast City Council, 2010, the inability to definitively determine the difference between an American Staffordshire terrier and an American Pit Bull terrier, led to the erroneous decision stating they were ‘one and the same breed’. However, in September 2010, after further investigation into the matter, it was revealed that the two breeds can be distinguished and therefore, the Staffordshire terrier was not restricted under the legislation. This case study clearly highlights the ambiguity surrounding the defining of certain dog breeds, and explicitly emphasizes the inability of the legislation to make clear and accurate judging. Therefore, the current legislation cannot be considered an effective law, as it has been deemed ambiguous, unequally applied and incorrectly enforced. However, while the owner is liable to the majority of the consequences in the event of a breach, the current breed specific legislation only places restrictions on the certain dog breeds, rather than on the owners. A study conducted in Germany in 2008 investigating the concept of inherent aggression showed that 95% of test subjects had no evidence to show that agression was a result of ingrained breed-specific characteristics. It also proved that the inherent temperament of the restricted dog breeds, was similar and in some cases identical to the unrestrcited breeds. It then went on to summarise that the treatment and training of an animal in the early years of its life, far outways any ingrained tenacity for aggression. In the opinion of The American Kennel Club a national canine club dedicated to furthering the study, breeding and exhibiting of dogs. â€Å"If specific breeds are banned, owners of these breeds intent on using their dogs for malicious or illegal purposes will simply change to another breed of dog and continue to jeopardize public safety. As such, a qualified and competent owner cannot, under the legislaiton, own a restricted dog breed, regardless of their ability to control, train and rectify any behavioural instincts or tendencies. Whereas an owner, with no recognised skill or qualification in animal care or ownership may purchase an unrestricted dog, and either through lack of care, or deliberate conditioning, train it to exhibit behaviour and attitudes that are classifed dangerous. Upon analysis of Figure 1 (see appendix) , it can be seen that after the introduction of breed-specific legislation in 2005, while the number of attacks immediately fell approximately 40%, after less than a year the percentage of dog attacks had doubled and continued to rise over the next five years until attacks were occuring 6-7 times more frequently than before the legislation was introduced. While these statistics do not confirm that the legislation caused the increase in attacks, it does prove that breed-specific laws have had no long term positive effect on the total number of dog attacks since being introduced. There are two prominent stakeholders within the issue of animal restrictions. The owners, who should have the right to own a dog of their choosing, regardless of breed stereotypes, providing they can care for it properly, and the civic society, who have the right to live and interact within the community, without fear of attacks from dangerous animals. The main conflict of interest between these two stakeholders is the issue of legal balance whether the rights of the individual are balanced with the rights of the collective community. If an animal of any kind escapes control and is loose within the community, it is no longer only an individual concern. If the animal then attacks or frightens a member of the community, it becomes a threat to the collective society as a whole and therefore the issue of dangerous animals is both an individual and collective dispute and and must be dealt with as such. However, while it is conceded that dangerous dogs do pose a potential threat to community members, the restricted dogs highlighted in the Animal Management (Cats Dog) Act, as explained above, have been proven by both scientific and survey evidence, to not be dangerous or aggressive by nature. As such, they should no longer be separated from other canine species based solely on the breed-specific legislation. Therefore, until such a time as they are deemed individually dangerous, restricted dogs should remain an individual’s concern. Upon closer review many minor stakeholders also come to light. Dog breeders face limitations on the number of restricted animals they are allowed to breed, which causes a lose of income. Those specialising in the breeding and training of these restricted animals are unable to employ their qualifications to the best of their ability due to stereotypical restrictions. Also, if at anytime, the heritage of a litter is determined to contain traces, whether intentionally or unknowingly, of any of these restricted breeds, no matter how small, all animals from the lineage are seized and most often destroyed, tarnishing the good reputation of the breeders concerned. The local councils responsible for the regulation and specific restrictions surrounding this issue are also heavily involved stakeholders. The council, while considering the effectiveness of any agenda, will be primarily looking for the solution executed with the most ease, as animal management is not a high priority in comparison to other issues. While employing the idea that ‘segregation is better than rehabilitation’ may be the easiest solution, as discussed above, it is certainly not the most effective. Another group of stakeholders, though often overlooked, are the animal activists and veterinarians involved in these issues. They have conducted experiments and collected survey data and are in possession of scientifically provable and viable evidence, such as the information presented above, to explictly show that breed specific tendancies of animals are only one of many factors that make up an animals characteristics and behaviour. These lobby groups and experts could dedicate their time to more pressing scientific or social issues, but are instead having to fight legislation which has no basis in scientific or civic fact. If the restrictions are revoked and breed-specific regulations are reviewed, then viable alternatives must be proposed and considered in order to effectively control what would still be a delicate situation. One possible alternative is categorizing animals based on individual character and aggression tests. It is already mandated that animals are checked by a certified veterinarian before registration and during regular points throughout the animals life, so, if introduced, these aptitiude tests could be amalgamated into this process and thereby, introduced effectively and without additional labour or due process. Another possible alternative is to direct the responsibility onto the potential owners themselves. Regardless of whether or not a breed is considered ‘dangerous’, it falls to the owner of the dog to educate and train it in such a way that it acts in an acceptable manner. Restriction is thereby determined not by the ownership of certain dog breeds, but by the behaviour or potential behaviour of both the owner and the individual animal in question. A legislative amendment, stating that any attack by a domesticated animal, specifically dog/s, would incur both a criminal and civil liabilty to fall upon the owner, will add a significant amount of risk to the purchase of said animal breeds. In this way, with the legislation focusing primarily on irresponsible or unqualified dog owners, the element of risk would ensure that only animal owners who are proficient in the training and keeping of dangerous dogs would consider the purchase, thereby reducing the number of dogs becoming conditioned to attack others. â€Å"If we want to prevent all bites, there is only one sure way and that is to ban all dogs. That is of course as unrealistic as trying to prevent bites by enacting breed-specific legislation. † (Bandow, 1996) It is the authors opinion, that this statement is the most effective summary of the current breed-specific legislation laws. As long as society continues to accept and welcome dogs as companions, there will continue to be issues regarding, what is in essence, a wild animal. However, the studies and analysis continue to show that there is little, if any proof that the breeds currently listed as restricted have any inherent tendacies affecting aggression or behaviour, and thereby distinguishing them from other breeds. As such they have no place being banned from our society simply due to the ill-informed stereotypes, generated by breed-specific legislation. Therefore, based on the evidence and analysis at hand, the proposed alternatives would prove a far more effective solution in the effort to solve the issues surrounding the ownership and domestication of restricted dog breeds. APPENDIX BIBLIOGRAPHY Bibliography 2008 Act No. 74. (2008). Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008, 142. QLD, Australia. CHIVERS Vs Gold Coast City Council (The Supreme Court March 2010). American Kennel Club. (2011). Brisbane City Council. (2013, January 17). Dangerous, Menacing and Restricted dogs. Retrieved January 17, 2013, from Brisbane City Council: http://www. brisbane. qld. gov. au/laws-permits/laws-and-permits-for-residents/animals-and-pets/cats-dogs/dangerous-menacing-restricted-dogs/index. htm Hall, A. (2012, August 15). Vets call to end dangerous dog breed bans. ABC NEWS. Marinucci, E. (2012 . 2013, September 12). Aritcles: Examples of Typical Situations of Injuries Caused by Dogs. Beger Co. Lawyers. The Australian Veterinary Association Ltd. (2012, August). Dangerous Dogs – A Sensible Solution: Policy and Model Legislative Framework. Australia. Van den Burg, L. (2011, December 12). Dangerous Dog Breed Bans Wont Stop Bites Say Health Professionals. Herald Sun.

Memory Loss and Cognitive Impairment of the Elderly

Memory Loss and Cognitive Impairment of the Elderly CHAPTER V DISCUSSION, SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS LIMITATIONS AND RECOMENDATIONS This chapter deals with discussion, summary and conclusion drawn. It also clarifies the limitation of the study, the implications and recommendations given for different areas such as nursing practice, nursing education, nursing administration and research. Memory loss is unusual forgetfulness. May not able to remember the new incidents, recall more memories of the past or both .Memory loss can be distressing for the person affected as well as for their family. Mild cognitive impairment is a syndrome defined as cognitive decline greater than expected for an individual’s age and education levels but that does not interfere notably with activities of daily life. Age related changes in cognitive function vary considerably across individuals. Some cognitive functions appearing more susceptible than others to the effect of aging. DISCUSSION: The present study was designed to assess the memory loss and cognitive impairment for the elder peoples. The investigator adopted descriptive research design. The data collected for the study were analyzed statistically and discussed below based on objectives. i) Demographic Description: Demographic variables included Age , Sex , Education , Monthly income before coming to the old age home , Marital status , Occupation before coming to the old age home , Duration of stay in the old age home , Family history of mental illness , Source of income . Out of 60 elderly majority of the people 26 ( 43.33%) were between the age group of 76 – 80 yrs , regarding the sex 36 ( 60%) people are males ,regarding the educational status 50 ( 83.33 %) people had primary education , regarding the monthly income 46( 76.66%) people are getting RS ,3000-5000, 39 ( 65%) people married , 24 ( 40%) people are in private job , 30 ( 50%) people are staying 1-2 years in the old age home , 55( 91.66% ) people are not having family history of mental illness , 20 ( 33.33%) people are having source of income from the children. 1) The first objective of the study was to assess the memory loss and cognitive impairment among elder people. Among 60 samples 1 (1.66%) of them scored between 61-80 (Mild memory loss), 19 (31.66%) of them scored between 41- 60 (Moderate memory loss), 40 (66.66%) of them scored between 21- 40 (Severe memory loss), and there is no people in very severe memory loss among elderly. This study was supported by Chips .J Pillai., et al (2009), conducted a early assessment of memory impairment in people over 65 years old . Tests used for the early diagnosis with memory loss are Wechsler memory scale. They recorded 74.5 % of memory complaints for old age people. Memory consultations were assessed at clinical settings and improve the access to early medical and behavioral support. Among 60 samples 3(5%) of them scored between 21-25 (Mild cognitive impairment), 56 (93.33%) of them scored between 11- 20 (Moderate cognitive impairment), 1 (1.66%) of them scored between 0-10 (Severe cognitive impairment) among elderly. This study was supported by Cynthia Thomas et al ( 2005 ) , conducted the study on cognitive assessment for elderly ; A brief screening test for mild cognitive impairment. Mini mental status examination administered to all the participants. 94 Participants meeting mild cognitive impairment clinical criteria. The study concluded that 55%people detect mild cognitive impairment. 2) The second objective of the study was association between the memory loss with demographic variables: The chi square value for the association of age and memory loss among elderly is significant 0.001 levels. Hence, a significant association between age and memory loss. There is no significant association between memory loss with sex , education , occupation before coming to the old age home , marital status , income before coming to the old age home , duration of stay in the old age home , family history of mental illness , source of income among elderly. This study was supported by Gary .J Kennedy (2008), assessed the age associated memory impairment. 160 participants were selected with the age group of 70 -80 years. Used 4 computerized 3 non computerized memory tests. The participants score was low on two memory test. The data suggest that 80 % subjects had memory impairment. 3) The third objective was to associate the cognitive impairment with demographic variables. There is no significant association between cognitive impairment with demographic variables such as age , sex , education , occupation before coming to the old age home , marital status , income before coming to the old age home , duration of stay in the old age home , family history of mental illness , and source of income among elderly. This study was supported by John .M Starr et al (1999) conducted a study on age associated cognitive decline in healthy older people. Results were the study fails to support the hypothesis that cognitive decline can be attributed to age alone in healthy older people. They detected 57% older people had moderate cognitive impairment. 4) The fourth objective was to assess the correlation between memory loss and cognitive impairment. Mean value for memory loss is 38.3 and standard deviation value is 5.60, and mean value for cognitive impairment is 15.5 and standard deviation value is 2.89. Correlation of memory loss and cognitive impairment score is 0.407. It is evident that there is a positive correlation between memory loss and cognitive impairment among elderly. This study was supported by Noboru Habu., et al (2010). Conducted a cross sectional study on relationship between mild memory impairment and cognitive impairment. Results were the study there is a correlation of coefficient of memory loss and cognitive impairment(r = 0.391). There is a positive correlation between memory loss and cognitive impairment among elderly. SUMMARY The present study aimed to assess the memory loss and cognitive impairment among elderly at ST. JOSEPH old age home in Coimbatore. The objectives were to: 1) Assess the memory loss and cognitive impairment among elderly. 2) Associate the memory loss with demographic variables among elderly 3) Associate the cognitive impairment with demographic variables among elderly. 4) Correlate the memory loss and cognitive impairment among elderly. Review of literature facilitated the investigator to collect the relevant information to support the study. The researcher adopted descriptive research design for conducting this study. The conceptual frame work was based on Modified bio psychosocial model 1999. The researcher to identify the memory loss and cognitive impairment among elderly. 60 elderly were selected by convenient sampling technique .The tool used for data collection consists of Wechsler memory scale, mini mental status examination. The data was collected for a period of 6 weeks in ST. JOSEPH OLD AGE HOME Coimbatore. Based on the objectives, data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE STUDY: According to statistical analysis, 1(1.66%) elderly had mild memory loss. 19(31.66%) elderly had moderate memory loss. 40(66.66%) elderly had severe memory loss. 3(5%) elderly had mild cognitive impairment. 56(93.33%) elderly had moderate cognitive impairment. 1(1.66%) elderly had severe cognitive impairment. Chi square value for the association of age with memory loss is significant at 0.001 levels. So these findings indicated that as age progress the memory will get decreased. Chi square value for the association of cognitive impairment with demographic variables is not significant. Mean value for memory loss is 38.3 and standard deviation is 5.60. Mean value for cognitive impairment is 15.5 and standard deviation is 2.89. The findings indicated that the Correlation value of memory loss and cognitive impairment is 0.407. It was evident that there is positive correlation between memory loss and cognitive impairment. It can be assumed when memory loss get increased the cognitive impairment also will increase. CONCLUSION: That it is concluded that elderly are suffers from memory loss and cognitive impairment, there is a significant association between age and memory loss. As the age progress the memory will get decreased. And there is no significant association between cognitive impairment with demographic variables. There is a positive correlation between memory loss and cognitive impairment among elderly. IMPLICATIONS: The present study findings have several implications in nursing practice, nursing education, nursing administration and nursing research. Nurse can assess the problems of elderly and prevent further complication. Nursing practice: Increased attention towards family members regarding care of elderly. Nurses can provide memory training for the elderly. Nurses can advice the elderly to maintain the diary for remembering important matters. Nurses can provide counselling for psychological problems of the elderly. Nursing Education: Nursing educator plays an important role for preparing the nurses for caring the elderly and meets the psychological and physical needs of the elderly. Nursing educator Involve the students in memory training program. Nursing educator ways to improve and maintain cognitive health. Nursing Administration: Nursing administrator can plan and organizing community based classes to the community people regarding improving memory and cognitive impairment among elderly. Nursing administrator can encourage students to participate in health education and counselling programme for the family members. Nursing administrator can conduct in-service education, workshop, continuing nursing education to the nursing students and update their knowledge about needs (physical psychological) for the elderly. Nursing Research: This study can be baseline for future studies to build on. Nursing research provides evidence based clinical practice. LIMITATIONS: This study was limited to single setting. This study was limited to the sample size of 60 elderly. This study was limited to only assessment of memory loss and cognitive impairment among elderly. RECOMMENDATIONS: A study can be conducted to find out the needs of the elderly A study can be conducted in various settings. A study can be conducted to psychological and physical problems of elderly. A study can be conducted to compare the memory loss and cognitive impairment of elderly staying in old age home and staying in home. A study can be conducted in community settings. A study can be conducted memory loss and cognitive impairment can affect the activities of daily living and occupational functions of the elderly. ABSTRACT The present study entitled, study to ASSESS THE MEMORY LOSS AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AMONG ELDERLY AT ST. JOSEPH OLD AGE HOME COIMBATORE. The objectives of the study were to assess the memory loss and cognitive impairment among elderly, associate the memory loss with demographic variables among elderly, associate the cognitive impairment with demographic variables among elderly, and correlate the memory loss and cognitive impairment among elderly. Descriptive research design was adopted for this study. This study was conducted in ST.JOSEPH old age home, Coimbatore. The sample size was 60 elderly. The Conceptual frame work adopted for this study was Modified bio psychosocial model (1999). The study was conducted for a period of six weeks. The tools used to assess the memory loss and cognitive impairment is Wechsler memory scale and Mini mental status examination. The results of the study were Among 60 samples, 1.66% elderly had mild memory loss, 31.66% elderly had moderate memory loss , and 66.66% elderly had severe memory loss. In cognitive impairment 5% elderly had mild cognitive impairment, 93.33% elderly had moderate cognitive impairment, and 1.66% elderly had severe cognitive impairment. There is a significant association between age and memory loss .There is no significant association between cognitive impairment with demographic variables. Positive correlation between memory loss and cognitive impairment among elderly. The study concluded that as the age progress the memory will get decreased.

Intercontinental Hotels Group Analysis

Intercontinental Hotels Group Analysis Intercontinental Hotel Groups is an international hotel company that has a goal that it always aims at achieving is that to create Great hotels that the Guests love. Intercontinental hotels group which is also known in short form as IHG has more guest rooms available under their banner than any other hotel group. IHG has grown from a very small company to a massive company handling various branded hotel properties under its wings. IHG has more than 650.000 rooms in over 4,400 hotels across 100 countries the total stays that are done by guest in the IHG properties is over 130 million every year. 1(IHG website) With a clear view of what are its priorities, IHGs main purpose is creating Great Hotels Guests Love with everything done focused on the guest the staff. It operates hotels in three different ways as a franchisor, a manager and on an owned and leased basis. It also operates seven leading hotel brands InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. It also manages the worlds largest hotel loyalty programme in the industry known as the, Priority Club Rewards, which has 48 million members worldwide. IHG is molded around these three regions: The Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa; and Asia Pacific. 2(IHG Annual Report) 1 Strategic Corporate Development History of IHG: The formation of IHG has gone through various stages as any other company would have gone through which was taken successfully by William Bass who had a brewery in 1777 slowly but gradually entered in the hotel industry by acquisition of a breweries like the Mitchells Butlers in the 1960s which grew considerably large which when the government realized issued orders in legislations that breweries cannot hold on a large number of pubs which then made Bass reduce the pubs it owned dramatically which triggered a huge amount of cash flow which gave Bass an ability to develop an international hotel business which started with the acquisitions of a few hotel groups like Holiday Inn in 1988 also launched the Holiday Inn Express to be complementary to the Holiday Inn brand, side by side Bass grew his pub business side by side acquired The Harvester Chain of Restaurants in 1994 also launched its new brand of hotels known as Crown Plaza Hotels resorts climbing up to the upscale hotel mar ket. In 1996 bass tried to acquire  ½ of Carlsberg Tetley which again was hampered by the UK government which helps Bass to come back on line concentrate on the hotels pubs divisions leaving breweries aside. A year later in 1997 the hotel business focus becomes truly brand focused because Bass had already sold a few north American midscale hotels but held back to the brand name of the hotels through franchising agreements. Also that year Bass created launched a new brand of hotels known as the Staybridge Suites which was targeted at the upscale hotel market. Staybridge suites became the fastest brand in this upscale segment to reach 50 units in America. In 1998 Bass acquired the intercontinental hotel company, adding adding to its fold another upscale brand to its hotel portfolio. It was another considerable acquisition to cost saving synergies to the fold of hotel portfolio run by Bass. In 1999 Bass again acquired 550 handpicked high potential sites in UK also a strong 3500 strong pub estate from allied domecq. In 2000 Bass went on to acquire the Southern Pacific Corporation (SPHC) in Australia, which guaranteed Basss position as the leading hotel company in Asia Pacific. Later in the year Bass sold of his Bass breweries for 2.3 billion pounds. This was the final step by Bass to completely focusing on being the international hospitality retailer from being a domestic brewer a process which took a long period of 10 years to complete. Over the period of time Bass sold off name of bass and changed the name to Six Continents PLC. a name which it bettered into to reflect the global spread of the groups business. In the month of February 2001 Six Continents sold 988 of its smaller unbranded pubs for 625million pounds, which further funded the buying of the European Posthouse chain of hotels for 810million pounds. The acquisition of this company which had strategically placed hotels could be converted to Holiday Inn concentrating the Holiday Inn brand in UK Europe. Later that year it went on to acquire Intercontinental Hong Kong for 241 Million pounds strengthening its position in the Chinese Asia Pacific markets. On 1st October 2002 Six Continents Plc announced its separation of the groups hotel soft drinks businesses (to be called Inter Continental Group Plc) from the retail business (to be called Mitchells Butlers Plc) of which 700 million Pounds of the proceedings returned capital to shareholders. The whole procedure of separation was completed on the 15th of April 2003. Intercontinental Hotels Group Plc (IHG) from then on is a distinct, discrete company, listed in the UK US stock markets. In July 2003 IHG sold Staybridge Suites to Hospitality Properties Trust (HPT) entered into a 20year management agreement. Later in the year they added a midscale extended stay brand Candlewood Suites to its portfolio. In the year 2004 IHG announced the introduction of a new brand, hotel Indigo which focused on providing affordable boutique accommodation. In the same month, the group adopted new standards for selling and re-selling hotel rooms for guest stay through online travel companies. Following the success of the Up Scale market brand of Staybridge Suites North America IHG launched its extension of Staybridge suites to UK in April2005. Also in 2005 IHG went ahead disposed of its soft drinks 100% holdings in Britvic Plc. With this disposal IHG became a company with a pure hotel focus. In 2006 IHG went ahead signed a joint venture with All Nippon Airways (ANA), resulting the following projects IHG ANA hotels group Japan will be the largest international hotel operator in Japan, the worlds second largest hotel market. The deal saw the introduction of three new brands created for Japan. ANA-IHG, ANA-Crowne Plaza ANA Holiday Inn. In the year 2007 IHG announces that a worldwide relaunch of the Holiday Inn brand family, comprising Holiday Inn, Express by Holiday Inn Holiday Inn Express. The re launch was done with the intention of giving it a refreshed contemporary brand image. All the hotels were supposed to have completed the re launch in 2010 with the 1st re launch taking place in 2008. In the year 2008 after the re launches of Holiday Inn taking place Staybridge Suites extended its brand more in UK the first Hotel Indigo opened in London. In 2009 the1500th hotel was relaunched over the 40% of Holiday Inn Holiday Inn Express. Strategy used from the start to the current time period: Bass the main brain behind the whole formation of the Intercontinental Hotel Group has played a major role in the slow but steady growth of this company from a small company to a worldwide known company. Bass has grown this huge group through the basis of trial error round which he has experimented in various concepts of owning then selling then franchising finally managing properties. Bass has being following the linear model of growth through various acquisitions. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC was formed by the separation of Six Continents PLC (previously Bass PLC) on 15 April 2003. The restaurant and pubs part of Six Continents became Mitchells Butlers plc. However, IHGs brands trace their history back much further than 2003. Our Holiday Inn brand, one of the worlds most recognized was created in the 1950s by Kemmons Wilson in the US. InterContinental, another of our brands was created by Pan Am in the 1940s, when hotels were built in many of Pan Ams destinations. 3(ihg.com) Over the past few years, Intercontinental hotels group has maintained itself strategically to be more efficient and effective and make full use of their global status. A predominantly franchised and managed, fee-based business was the main focus of IHG. The strategy that IHG followed made their income stream predictable with a strong cash generation which allowed it to continue in growth because all their new hotels were funded by third-party investment. IHG went ahead and relaunched Holiday Inn in 2007 and although the unexpected economic circumstances that came by IHG during that time period, it went on and got on with the $1 billion programme because of the belief of the heads of IHG that it was exactly the right time to go ahead with the relaunches. The relaunch went on to building back peoples perceptions of Holiday Inn. The guest wanting to try Holiday Inn with IHG with its value theyre giving the Brand once down another try and liking and accepting what they found. Guest satisfaction was going up and owners could see the Revenue per rooms out perform. These economic circumstances might seem like a great reason to shy away from making such big changes, but time will show that it is both a very opportune and very effective initiative for this, our biggest brand, as quoted by the CEO of IHG Mr. Andrew Cosslett. 3 http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=40 Current strategy used by Intercontinental Hotels Group: Bass the main brain behind the whole formation of the Intercontinental Hotel Group has played a major role in the slow but steady growth of this company from a small company to a worldwide known company which currently has an operating strength of 4400 hotels with 130 million guests visiting a year and under its umbrella has and widely known and reputed hotel brands covering all the major segments of the market, also have a reservations system which consists of 10 call centers in 29 languages it has also strived to be the top leader in the market has been able to position itself through its strategy of growing doing retailing in hotel sector have been able to position itself among the 6 largest hotel market, much more than any other company. Intercontinental hotel group has also been able to make the no.1 website for its guests investors in 13 different languages. They also have a global sales team of 8000 to conduct the sales of the hotels situated all over the 100 countries that they have their presence. Intercontinental hotels also has a loyalty programme which offers priority club rewards which are largest in the industry for over 48milllion of the guests which has been planned so strategically that . It has been stated on IHGs website that We have moved from investing heavily in hotel properties to return to our roots as a hotel franchise and management company with only a few owned assets. This change of focus has led to an industry-leading asset sale programme. Since 2003 we have sold  £2.9 billion worth of property. Many of these hotels have remained under our brands with management or franchise contracts, thereby creating a future income stream for IHG 4 (ihg.com). Over the past few months, IHGs continued growth in new rooms has helped to put off some of the revenue lost from Revenue per room declines. Driving in coming revenue into the hotels had been a priority and its system is the key to delivering this. Their system comprises of world class reservations centres, websites, global sales teams and Priority Club Rewards loyalty scheme and delivered 68 per cent of rooms revenue to the hotels in 2009. Reducing the overall cost base of IHG was crucial to managing through the downturn. IHG was already reducing costs to run the properties more effectively but with the economic downturn they steeped up the pace of change that was being gradually run. While they were reducing costs by taking better advantage of their way of operation as well their spread being worldwide, this also forced them to make reductions in the number of staff which unfortunately impacted jobs of IHG staff all over in the majority of properties. All these actions were taken in 2009 to reduce costs, while it was a very difficult period of the economic downturn; it allowed IHG to save a lot of cash and continue its investments in those things that attract guests to come to its hotels and revenues to the owners. The great working relationship that IHG shares with the owners of their properties, both directly and through the IAHI, which is IHGs Owners Association, has also been major contributor to the quick recovery also to the massive expansion taking place. By working alongside with the hotel owners, IHGs able to focus on the guest experience and on delivering Great Hotels Guests Love. 5 (ihg.com). 4http://www.ihgplc.com/files/reports/ar2009/files/pdf/2009_Annual_Report.pdf 5http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=40 The 48 million members of IHGs Priority Club Rewards programme remained loyal though the economic downturn and had been most supportive during the difficult times. Not only did these guests stay with IHG more often, they spent more when they did. A guests loyalty can never be taken for granted it is something that can take years to achieve and seconds to lose. So IHG had made sure they have continued to add benefits to the loyalty programme right through the downturn, and made membership of it even more worthwhile. In 2009 it enrolled six million new members into the programme thats a significant number of people whose first choice will now be to stay in one of IHGs hotels. IHGs future growth will be achieved predominantly through franchising and managing rather than owning hotels which in turn will drive down costs increase profits by the fact that all the investment in the hotels would be done by third parties. Approximately 641,000 rooms operating under the Group brands are franchised or managed and 5,800 rooms are owned and leased. The franchised and managed fee-based model is attractive because it enables the Group to achieve its goals with limited capital investment at an accelerated pace. A further advantage is the reduced volatility of the fee-based income stream, compared with ownership of assets. A key characteristic of the franchised and managed business is that it generates more cash than is required for investment in the business, with a high return on capital employed. Currently 87% of continuing earnings before regional and central overheads, exceptional items, interest and tax is derived from franchised and managed operations. The Current Strategies followed by IHG Hotels Group: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 90% of deals signed in scale markets and key gateway cities; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 10 signings of Hotel Indigo and Staybridge Suites outside of North America; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 439 hotels opened globally. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Increased proportion of revenue delivery through IHG global reservations channels and PCR members direct by four percentage points to an average 68% of global hotel rooms revenue in 2009 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Major procurement savings made; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Increased use of offshore transaction processing; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Technology infrastructure developed to support owner management and loyalty marketing. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Continued to cascade Great Hotels Guests Love in hotels and corporate offices; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Meeting ongoing resourcing requirements to match hotel growth in scale markets; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Managing employee engagement; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continued focus on attracting and retaining talent. 1,697 relaunched Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels open around the world; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Industry-leading Priority Club Rewards (PCR) loyalty programme with 48 million members, contributing $5.6bn of global system rooms revenue à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Green Engage sustainability management system developed (patent pending); rolled out to over 900 hotels by 31 December 2009; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Extensive consumer research undertaken to quantify green opportunity with consumers; and (IHG annual report) 3 Future strategies to be used by Intercontinental Hotels Group: IHGs prime focus should be on growing faster by making its brands the first choice for both guests and hotel owners. We will do this by building the hotel industrys strongest operating system, focused on the biggest markets and segments where scale really counts. 5 (ihg.com). During these tough economic times, IHG had taken decisive action both to strengthen the efficiency of its businesses and to keep their course with its growth strategy. IHG should continue to invest in its staff, its systems and its brands, while moving even closer in working relationships with its hotel owners and partners. With momentum and a united, winning spirit inside the business, IHG is well placed to make the most of the upturn when it comes. As quoted by the CEO of IHG Mr. Andrew Cosslett. IHGs Ambition IHG should focus on its core purpose of creating Great Hotels Guests Love as the moto has always been, which is a growing crave to deliver among other key performance indicators (KPIs), closely enduring top quartile shareholders returns when measured against a broad global hotel peer group. For the three-year period of 2007 to 2009, IHG was fourth among its peers on Total Shareholder Return (TSR) and should always remain focused and try to come to the 1st position. Measuring IHG against a collection of specific KPIs aimed at delivering its core purpose, cascaded to the hotel level. Successful performance against various combinations of these metrics would result in higher profitability.. IHGs Future Strategy: IHGs strategy has seen significant development through 2009 as it moved to make its core purpose a reality, despite challenging economic circumstances. In 2009, IHG took a hard look at its operations and capabilities to focus on what really matters most to deliver Great Hotels Guests Love. It has backed this up with a major effort to align its staff and measure the most important drivers, resulting in a clear, target-based programme within the hotels to motivate teams and guide behaviors. IHGs strategy encompasses two key aspects: Where does it choose to compete; and How will it win where it competes? The Groups underlying Where strategy is that IHG would grow a portfolio of differentiated hospitality brands in select strategic countries and global key cities to maximise the scale advantage. The How aspect of our strategy flows from our core purpose and our research at the hotel level as to what really makes a difference for guests. In support of this overall strategy there are key priorities like Where we compete and How we win. To help IHGs hotels and corporate staff measure their efforts in achieving Great Hotels Guests Love, IHG provides clear metrics aligned with the four How we win priorities against which progress is gauged. The Group strategy also translates into specific regional objectives and priorities. . IHGs Delivery System:C:UsersdDesktopUntitled.png Driving demand IHGs operating system is made up of all the things we do to drive demand for our brands. This includes our advertising and marketing campaigns, our 10 global call centres, 13 local language websites, an 8,000-strong sales force, Priority Club Rewards the worlds largest hotel loyalty scheme which has 48 million members and all the advantages that IHGs global hotel distribution and scale brings to brand awareness. Hotel distribution IHG has over 4,400 hotels in over 100 countries worldwide. Our brands are in the top 3 in 7 of the 12 largest hotel markets in the world. When people travel, they look for familiar brands they know from home, increasing the demand for hotels that operate under our brands around the world. Advertising and marketing Each year, IHGs franchisees pay a fee into a central fund. This fund is used on their behalf for marketing and promotions to drive guest demand for IHGs brands. Brand sponsorships, television and print advertising campaigns and public relations activity across the globe are all ways in which the fund can be used. Priority Club Rewards IHGs Priority Club Rewards is the largest hotel loyalty scheme in the world, with 48 million members. Web presence The 13 local language websites take over 7.4 million bookings a year theyre a shop window for the hotels across the world under IHG,s banner, 365 days a year. www.holiday-inn.com is one of the industrys most visited websites, notching up 75 million site visits in 2005. The websites operate in the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. Reservation system IHG,s 10 global reservation offices are available to take hotel bookings from guests 24 hours a day in 26 languages including Arabic, Cantonese, Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog and Thai. They deal with 700 transactions per minute. Sales force IHG have a global sales force of more than 8,000 professionals throughout the world, talking about and selling the booking of hotels under our brands to individuals and companies. Considering the future strategy which is goin to be used to the growth achievement of IHG are as follows: Consumer understanding: As one of the worlds largest hotel groups, IHG has gained valuable insights into where and how consumers seek hotel information and make reservations across various channels and from various local, regional and global sources. This information has shaped the way we engage with our customers and enabled us to drive up returns for owners. Global Reservations System All IHG hotels benefit from the worlds most advanced reservation system Holidex Plus.The system links more than 230,000 terminals worldwide and processes over 130 million stays a year thats about 700 transactions per second. This is serviced by our 12 worldwide reservation centres which receive up to 14 million calls annually in 15 different languages. Global Distribution Systems (GDS) Our reservation systems also link with all the major GDS, the channel of choice for travel professionals and large corporate buyers. This gives us global around the clock access to the travel trade. IHG online Our websites continue to be a fast-growing reservation channel. They offer a comprehensive, customer-friendly and secure booking service in 13 languages and provide a low cost of sale. We receive more than 5 million unique web visitors per month and also benefit from the lowest clicks-to-book rate in the industry. Worldwide sales IHGs worldwide sales team is more than 8,000 strong. As well as generating new revenue, the team also manages key corporate and agent accounts and provides local hotel sales support to maximise revenue and keep IHG hotels top of mind. 6 (IHG.com) Some Of the Future Milestones to be achieved: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continue international roll-out of Staybridge Suites and Hotel Indigo; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Execute growth strategies in agreed scale markets; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continue to leverage scale and build improved strategic position during the economic downturn Increase global sales force effectiveness; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continue further procurement programmes to identify efficiencies; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Begin migration to next-generation revenue management IT systems; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continue focus on owned and managed estate margins and return on capital employed (ROCE), especially in our key InterContinental assets. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Drive greater efficiency and simplicity through better use of technology; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Focus on developing skills to support the key goals for responsible business, guest experience and financial returns. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Complete Holiday Inn repositioning roll-out; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continue to simplify brand standards process to improve owner returns without impairing guest experience; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continue to enhance experience for PCR members in hotels and across global reservations channels; increase IHG business from PCR members à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Continue to roll out the Green Engage sustainability management system to 100% of our owned and managed hotels and expand into the franchised estate in all three regions; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Focus on innovation within new and existing brands to deliver valued green related hotels and services to guests. (IHG annual report) 6 http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=293 BIBLOGRAPHY: 1http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=16 2http://www.ihgplc.com/files/reports/ar2009/files/pdf/2009_Annual_Report.pdf 3 http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=40 4http://www.ihgplc.com/files/reports/ar2009/files/pdf/2009_Annual_Report.pdf 5http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=40 6 http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=293