Everest report Essay

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the two Everest Simulations conducted by Group 10 of MGMT1001 Thursday Tutorial. This task required students to form teams consisting of five to six members whose goals were to summit Mount Everest. While it provided us with a rich experience in team dynamics and collaboration, it also enabled us to explore key managerial concepts taught in the course, consisting of: †¢Communication †¢Groups and Teams †¢Leadership In this report, we examine the effectiveness of Face to Face Communication (FTFC) versus Computer Mediated Communication (CMC), and the problems encountered through the utilisation of the virtual medium including efficiency of the feedback system, loss of personal focus and other emergent issues. It includes personal reflections on attitudes and perceptions, as well as group performance and strategies adopted in the second Simulation in order to create a more positive team experience. Theories which relate to interpersonal communication have also been integrated in the report to illustrate its relation to certain situations encountered during the Simulation. Additionally, we provide a multifaceted analysis on the notion of team cohesiveness and how it attributes to better performance outcomes. An overview on the different intragroup conflicts encountered in the Simulation has been included, examining the positive and negative impact that conflict had on team experience and performance, and how mutual agreements were reached through the compromising of personal and team goals. Finally, we conclude the report with an analysis of the different leadership styles including directive and empowerment. In our case, a consensus system was agreed upon, which granted equal authority for decision-making. The report also includes a copy of the team contract which briefly outlines our approach to problems and policies for decision-making.

Marxist View on the Family

Marxists Views on the Family There are three Marxists views of the family, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and Eli Zaretsky; they all see all institutions such as education, the media and the family as maintaining class inequality and capitalism. Marxism is a as conflict perspective as it describes a form of inequality where groups could potentially competes for power. Modern Marxist agrees that: * Families socialise children to be obedient and hardworking, which benefits capitalists; * Wealth is passed down families, perpetuating inequalities; * Families are too privatised, discouraging wage-labourers from uniting against capitalism.Community living is preferable; * A communist society in which all means of production, such as farms and factories, are collectively owned and workers receive a fair share of the profits should replace private ownership of businesses. Marxist say the family has three main functions for capitalism: 1. Inheritance of property- Marx called the earliest classle ss society ‘primitive communism’ at this stage there was no such thing as family. As society developed private property became important.Engels said the patriarchal monogamous nuclear family emerged (male dominated). In order to ensure the legitimate heir inherited from them. Marx said with the overthrow of capitalism the means of production would be owned collectively so there would be no need for the nuclear family to exist as a means of transmitting private property down the generations. 2. Ideological Function (The idea that family brainwashes us into capitalism)- Marxists say the family persuades people to think of capitalism as a fair, natural and unchangeable system.Families socialise children into thinking that hierarchy and inequality are inevitable. The family prepares people to take orders at work. Zaretsky says people are encourages to think of the family as a haven from the outside world but this is largely an illusion. As even in the privacy of our home we can subject to state control. 3. A unit of consumption- The family is an important consumer of products and has a major role in generating profits for capitalism.Advertisers urge us to ‘keep up with the Jones’. They encourage ‘pester power’ from children. Children who don’t have the latest products may be bullied. Thus Marxists see the family as performing several functions for capitalist society: the inheritance of private property, socialisation into accepting inequality, and a source of profit. According to Marxists these may benefit capitalism but not members of the family.

Grand Valley Dani Peaceful Warriors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Grand Valley Dani Peaceful Warriors - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the people of the Grand Dani are believed to have resided in this area of New Guinea for centuries, according to Karl Heider. The technology of these people is very limited and the only resources that were basically utilized in the 70’s era were stones and bamboo instruments. Also, their way of preservation deals almost entirely on horticulture for sustenance. Their culture and previous style of life have practically vanished away, due to Western missionaries’ encroachments and the degree of far-reaching variables in the environment due to World War II. The sociological structure of the Dani people differs greatly from American society. They are not totally united as a social network and do not necessarily have to rely on one another’s individual contributions to the clan in order to persevere. The main lifestyle objectives of the Dani women are kept separate from the men. While the men do more technical and constr uctive work, the women’s primary attentiveness is on tending to the children, gardening, tending and feeding the pigs, making salt, and weaving carrying baskets. The work among these people is almost always assigned to gender or in an age categorization. What unites them as a whole is the similarity that they have in regards to their values, beliefs, and rituals. Though it might be hard to believe, the men are the ones that normally weave the skirts that the women wear. Furthermore, they are the ones that also perform the myriad of ceremonies and rituals. The men also build the wood and grass houses and ready the fields by plowing, for the women to be able to plant the sweet potatoes (Heider 2004). One quite notable difference between the Dani people and American’s is the definite lack of specialized skills within their community. The Dani’s primary food source is sweet potatoes, although they do have other fruits and vegetables as well. Their only meat source comes from the pigs that they raise (Heidi 1970). The Dani Valley consists of a huge network of fields which the Dani improvise on and develop into harvested areas for gardening purposes. This is a year round process and there is always a field in the procurement of being harvested (Heidi 2004). Their irrigation technique involves constructing ditches around the fields so that there will be a proper route for excess water to drain. These same ditches are utilized to allow needed water into the harvested fields in the dry season of the Dani Valley. The social organization of the Dani is divided into two groups. The Wida or the Waija, which are the two designated social circles within the community. This simply means that each individual person is an aspectual part of their father’s moiety. They are required to marry outside the moiety that the reside in (Heider 1996). Though this works well for their people and their belief system, there are instances when complications arise among this type of social structure. For example, every Dani is born into the Wida moiety, no matter the specification, of which group, the father is bound too. The separation of social recognition does not occur until marriage, during the pigs feast (Heider 1996). In regards to the political aspects of the Dani people, there are different allegiances. Extended family compounds become part of a large confederation, usually equaling 1000 individuals (Heider 2004). It is the confederations that co-exist in a stable and peaceful, multi unit society. Although they might present more stability in family life, the allegiances among them often change (Heider 1970). There are no written laws or any real legal constraints, unless verbalized. Also, they share the same unique culture and belief system despite what group they are affiliated with. Their belief in marriage has a very distinct variation from an American perspective. They believe in Polygony, which is the custom of having more

PEST Analysis of Nike Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

PEST Analysis of Nike - Term Paper Example Political Analysis The US government has sought to create economical policies that are essential to foster the growth and development of business that either are situated or have their headquarters in the United States. Nike is a major beneficiary of these policies that have been implemented by the US government. In order to support the Nike brand, the US government has established fundamental measures that include low interest rates, an international competitive aspect of the tax system, stable economic environment, and vital economical resources for the benefit of the company. This has demonstrated to be a factor in the development of Nike. 1(Thottam, "A New Push against Sweatshops") The nature of the political situation in various countries is a vital factor that has played a part in the growth of Nike into a multinational company. The organization has expanded to China, which boasts of a highly stable government and political environment. It has proven to be a vital factor that h as motivated the US Company to establish a plant in the country to reach a larger audience, especially in the eastern region of the world. Political stability in a country is critical in terms of establishing a solid platform for business growth in a region. A lack of political stability will generate uncertainty regarding a business’ future and hence a company will not seek to develop in a country posing political uncertainty. Economic Analysis The biggest problem that serves to affect the level of a company’s business is recession. When the latter occurred, Nike was adversely affected thus reducing its growth. With the US economy facing a down turn, it has resulted to reduction in consumer purchases. Consequently, this has affected the sales volume for the company. Nevertheless, Nike being a multinational company is able to rely on sales from other regions, particularly Africa, which was not as much affected by the recession 2(Stepp, "Nike is Right"). The main proble m with the case of the recession is that it affected other regions such as Asia and Europe. Nike has a high volume of sales in Asia and Europe, in comparison to Africa. The fact that Asia has a high population density and Europe has popular sports brands, the sales level was adversely affected. Nike was among the companies that suffered from this recession. The recession limited the growth of the company, and may have resulted in the company having to close a number of stores in various regions to avoid continuous loses. Aspects such as labor costs and materials for production were increasing, which meant that Nike was constantly in the red (recording losses). If the situation continues with the weakening of the Euro and the Asian currencies, Nike may be in a recession as well based on shrinking growth, and Africa may not be the ideal solution in maintaining company sales (until Africa is eventually affected by the Recession). Society Analysis The general trend in society is the con cern on health. The major stereotype in the United States is the fact that there are an increasing number of obese individuals. This has led to the increase in individuals joining fitness clubs. Nike can seek to capitalize on this factor by selling merchandise that is essential to those seeking to join fitness clubs. Shoes, overalls and accessories such as water bottles

Contract Remoteness of Damages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Contract Remoteness of Damages - Essay Example Sometimes, breach are treated immaterially when the aggrieved party may not have actually suffered actual damage from the breach or may have and at other times, the other party is compelled to indemnify and perform accordingly to the agreed terms or pay minimal damages resulting to such breach. Other fundamental breach of contract treated as a grave offense against the agreement itself results to the termination of the performance of the contract thereby entitling the party to sue for damages. In anticipation of a probable breach, a party may sue for the termination of the contract and file for damages without the actual breach taking place. Consequently, the laws that provides a remedy for any breach of contract is commonly known by lawyers as the "rule of remoteness" that is determined by the contractual agreement, even when it is not covered in its express terms. Further the law has delegated and simplified the classification under non-pecuniary and pecuniary losses with the former commonly sought as a supportive argument in respect for personal injuries and deaths. Such differences are identified in a contract to measure the nature of breach of duty which the damage meant to undo and award is reflective in the underlying obligation. Sometimes, rather than argue for the actual obligation to take particular effect, the aggrieved party is keener on pressing charges with the pure knowledge of the allocation which the law has recognized. This has concurrently resulted and thereby pushed the limit to the losses for which the other party is actually responsible within at the time of conclusion of the agreement. This will i n fact result to people placing more emphasis in contract making which has been treated on the possible losses arising from its breach than the advantages gained from its performance. Law and jurisprudence dictates that in losses arising from the breach of contract, the remoteness of damages is governed by certain doctrines that treat the losses as fair and reasonable which in Hadley v. Baxendale [1854] is justified as, "according to the usual course of things" (non-pecuniary) and "supposed to be in contemplation of both parties at the time the contract was made" (pecuniary). Non-pecuniary damages are measured by the loss of bargain, wasted expenditures; and total failure of consideration under the Civil Liability (Contribution) Act 1978. A requirement common to both, of course, is that an injury must have been sustained by the claimant himself nonetheless, differs for while it is pecuniary in actual or compensatory damages, it is, upon the other hand, non-pecuniary in the case of actual damages. The actual loss under judicial discretion is a manifestation yet an assumption to be assessed under no accepted principle but upon which answers may be based. Under the question of significance, whatever reasonably appears to have been significant to the promisor in assuming the risk(Smith, 1997), setting the price and deciding in how much effort to expend in order to perform may be up to the value of an ordinary loss that was contemplated if in fact it did not occur. Guided by the principles of "quantum meruit", express agreements and fixed in a contract shall entitle the aggrieved to claim for what is agreed in

Ban driving of gasoline powered vehicles In U.S Essay

Ban driving of gasoline powered vehicles In U.S - Essay Example â€Å"To truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy†, says President Obama. For the last forty years, the Presidents of the United States have many times called for a reduction in the dependence of the country to fossil fuels. The consumption patterns of fossil fuels have utterly failed to honor the fact that the fossil fuels happen to be a finite and non-renewable resource (Borowitz, 1999). Stronger efficiency standards and high tax rates on motor fuels are some of the ways in which, the government has embarked upon to reduce this dependency. Though resorting to high efficiency technologies may make the cars go a few extra miles per gallon, eventually there will come time when the oil wells will go dry and the contemporary civilization’s dependence on non-renewable energy resources will jeopardize its survival. The need for a burgeoning investment on the research and development of the alternative ways of powering the means of transportation is to a great extent being withheld by the fact that nothing much is being done to wean off people from the gasoline driven cars. It is said that the necessity is the mother of invention. Research for alternative fuels will receive a shot in the arm; the day concrete measures are taken to discourage people from driving gasoline powered cars.

Disaster Relief Plan Evaluation of Effectiveness Essay

Disaster Relief Plan Evaluation of Effectiveness - Essay Example re always some issues that are specific to a particular country, which in our case is Thailand, here transparency of the utilization of the relief funds and corruption are considered to be the major issues by the foreign or domestic donor and relief agencies. Without the proper and adequate evaluation of these issues proper Disaster Management Plan could not be evaluated. The most important element when evaluating any disaster relief plan is the integrity, honesty, coordination and availability of the local administration. Relief work would be very difficult if these elements are not available. After that one should consider the accessibility and logistic support available in the affected areas, because it is necessary to determine to scope of relief work. And it should be followed by the availability of trained and qualified professional, who could coup with any particular emergency or disaster. Gathering the support and trust of the locals administration is also very important, this would ensure the security of the relief team and adds to the capacity building of the relief work. Collection, storing and distribution of supplies is of fundamental importance, a good plan must cover these issues, this could be easily achieved through the participation from corporate or private sector of the country (Jaffin & Bob, 2008) As discussed earlier, the misappropriation and corruption in the relief funds is the main issue which the international community closely monitor when considering any relief effort for Thailand. Lack of transparency would cause a sense of unrest and lack of trust in the Sovereign Government, by the foreign or domestic fund or relief agencies. This issue would be of utmost importance when considering any disaster relief plan for Thailand. Efforts to mitigate and reduce the corruption in the funds received for relief of those affected by a catastrophe must be ensured. The foreign and Non-governmental agencies involved in the relief work must ensure

Economic Background of Tesco Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economic Background of Tesco - Case Study Example As a group its turnover is 28 billion per year and even as a leader it continues to build market share because of its winning strategy.( Corporate Watch, 2004). In this paper we aim to get an insight into Tesco's economic strategy and analyse the different problems it currently faces and might encounter in the future. We also aim to present plausible solutions to tackle the stated problems. Tesco has an insatiable appetite for space, and relentlessly pursues the best new sites. When it comes to just number of stores and locations, Tesco leaves its rivals standing. In the 1960s, Tesco was buying up literally hundreds of grocery stores and small grocery chains around the country. It introduced 'Home 'n' Wear' departments into larger stores to carry higher-margin non-food merchandise, including clothing and household items, and opened its first 40,000ft 'superstore' in Crawley, Sussex. In 2002, it stunned experts and the competition by buying T&S, a chain of 850 convenience stores across the country. The deal doubled the group's store count in the UK at a stroke. The scale of it allowed them to capture quite an increase in market share, and they really caught the rest of the industry off guard. Learning from its past mistakes, Tesco diversified its level of products and prices to appeal to all income brackets in the same store. Tesco offers three distinct ranges of own-brand products, from Value to Finest, priced to attract all types of shoppers to its stores. Therefore in spite of its humble beginnings as a 'thrifty' store, Tesco now has more upmarket customers than M&S and Waitrose put together attracting 15 million customers per week to its stores comprising of the high and low income customer segments. Investing in Growth, Diversification and Expansion-Thinking Big: Tesco has multiplied its power and standing by reaching far and wide both in terms of diversification and expansion in terms of products and locations. It has expanded its grocery retailing at home in UK by finding innovative and energetic in finding ways to expand, such as making a large-scale move into the convenience-store sector, which the major supermarket chains have traditionally shunned. Tesco has found stunning success in its diversification to non-food business. In 1974, in a deal with Esso, Tesco began to open petrol stations on the grounds of its superstores. The idea was successful and by 1991 Tesco was the country's largest independent petrol retailer: it now accounts for 12.5% of all petrol sold in the UK. (Corporate Watch,2004).By late 2004 it was widely regarded as a major competitive threat to traditional high street chains in many sectors, from clothing to consumer electronics to health and beauty to media products. Tesco sells an expanding range of own-brand non- food products, including non-food Value and Finest ranges. Tesco has pioneered the concept of retail services. Tesco has taken the lead in its sector in

Variations of the Approaches to VET Systems Essay

Variations of the Approaches to VET Systems - Essay Example The form of the given skills is determined both by the market mechanism and decisions taken by individuals in order to enhance their careers or income. In the second model, the VET is incorporated into an educational system or a school system that is comprehensively made up to develop professionals. Clearly, the systems Ashton (2004) has in mind in relation to the first type is the systems in the UK and US, while he allocates the second type to the dual system of VET in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark. It is useful to place these two models on two ends of a continuum from a system based on outcomes to one based on inputs. England lies on employability whilst Germany mostly on â€Å"vocational training†. In Germany, the VET systems are put more emphasis on employability with occupations becoming less rather than more delineated and less, rather than more specialised, in line with requirements of the knowledge economy, but also, with a central focus on the occupational mobility of the individual. In England, the opposite is true where there has been a narrowing down of skills. A strong led-demand system ensures the production of narrow sets of skills suited to a low –skilled labour market. ... This contrasts sharply with the VET in England which has been criticised for neglecting general education (Harrison 2002). In addition, these systems are characterised by three important differences between them in terms of the balance between classroom and work place learning. It is only in Germany where a dual system that relies on integration of hypothetical knowledge with significant workplace experience can be found. On the other hand, there have been more advancement aimed at making Vocational Educational and training systems more practice-oriented. However, this contradicts with the English model which in the recent years has moved towards a ‘narrowing’ of skills dispensed with knowledge deemed unnecessary. The fact that it is difficult in the English language to differentiate types of knowing may reflect the suspicion with which abstract underpinning knowledge in VET has been treated in this country (Keep 2006). German distinguishes ‘knowing that’ or theoretical knowledge from ‘knowing how’ practical knowledge or know-how. In addition, the German language further distinguishes between systematic propositional knowledge and systematic propositional knowledge. Also, while in Germany, VET involves different types of knowledge to underpin practice in a rather broad occupational field, VET in England is aimed at acquiring task-specific skills with no or little underpinning knowledge. These types of knowledge are occupational, task-specific and industrial. Importantly, while skills in Germany are integral elements of holistic union, in England they are bundles of specific skills defined as learning outcomes of fragmented qualifications. The education system in

Culture And Crime Essay Example for Free

Culture And Crime Essay The crime rate of societies differs with each other. If the crime rates of European countries and American countries were compared, the results would be different. The same is true if countries from the East and West were compared in regards to their crime rates. This can be attributed perhaps to different norms and concepts on crime of different societies, as well as the overall way of life of the people in any given area. If this were analyzed further, it will be noted that culture plays a role in the way that crime is viewed in a given society. This essay deals with the concept of culture, especially in the way that it relates to crime. Culture, Society and Criminality Before juxtaposing crime and culture, however, it would be necessary to define the overly used and abused concept of culture. Generally, culture is the overall pattern of the way of life of a given community of people together with the structures of symbols and meanings that they attach to various aspects of their society. This also includes the morality of the society as well as the collection of acceptable and non-acceptable behaviors (Krober Kluckhohn, 1952). Since the moral system is included here, it impinges upon the conception of what is right, as well as the way that people in a given society view law, together with the commission of crimes. Given that culture affects the overall lifestyle of peoples in a society, it is inevitable that crimes are also affected by culture. For example, in a study conducted by Karstedt (2001), she mentioned that culture has been recognized by criminology as one of the factors influencing crime. The study took note of various social control means in Asian countries with low crime rate such as Japan. Karstedt called for the introduction of methods and ways through which cultures may be effectively compared to study the differences in culture and its impact on crime. By conducting an extensive survey in one of the Southern States in the US, Warner (2003) found out that cultural disorganization affect crimes. Her findings show that a prevailing culture conditioned by disadvantage in the society and the disconnection of social ties have significant impact on the level of social relationships and ties of the community. This in turn impacts informal modes of social control in the society. Without these informal social control, it would the tendency for crimes to be committed becomes stronger. On the other hand, Leonardsen (2002) investigated the apparent anomaly of Japan—an urban country with very low crime rate. In his study, Leonardsen pointed out to apparent loss of too much individualism in Japan while focusing on the overall community. He argued that although the loss of individuality can be seen in Japan, it has much to teach to Western countries, especially regarding identity, obligations and social connections. Conclusion Based on the studies mentioned above, it can be seen that indeed culture has a significant impact on crime. Crime cannot only be prevented through formal means such as law, police force, and the prison system. Rather, there are informal institutions and norms that help prevent or perhaps encourage the occurrence of crime. When social ties are severed and a â€Å"negative† culture of the disadvantaged spawns, social controls are weakened, thus increasing the likelihood of the occurrence of crime. A focus on the community’s norms, however, can result to a more orderly society with low incidence of crime. These studies are congruent with Black’s theory that if the culture and the means of informal social control in a society are weak, then the tendency for that society is to have laws that are more powerful as compared with other societies with stronger social control means (Black, 1976). A combination of effective laws and informal social controls, are however necessary so that order can be kept within the society. Reference Black, D. (1976). The Behavior of Law. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Karstedt, S. (2001). Comparing Cultures, Comparing Crime: Challenges, Prospects and Problems for a Global Criminology. Crime, Law and Social Change, 36 (3), 285-308. Kroeber, A. L. Kluckhohn, C. (1952). Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions. Cambridge, MA: Peabody Museum. Leonardsen, D. (2002). The Impossible Case of Japan. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 35 (2), 203-229. Warner, B. D. (2003). The Role of Attenuated Culture in Social Disorganization Theory. Criminology, 41 (1), 73-98.

My brothers cried Essay Example for Free

My brothers cried Essay Originally is a poem set upon the main themes of growing up. By looking at the poem in depth, I have come to a conclusion that Carol Ann Duffy is the persona who is writing with a childs perspective as when she was a child. In verse one, The poet creates a sense of noise and chaos by saying how each member of her family are making noise and moving. Mother singing My brothers cried both of these quotes contribute to the feeling of noise and chaos. Two metaphors, which are found in the poem by Carol Ann Duffy, could be fell through the fields miles rushed back. They show that they were in the countryside. It also shows that they are using some form of transport, which may be train or car. I assumed by reading the poem that the reader was a young girl, and when she is sitting down where on the journey, it feels like you are stationary so it feels as if everything is rushing towards yourself. This demonstrates the Childs prospective. On the last line of the first verse, the metaphor shows that the young girl is looking at one of her toys, which maybe a bear with button eyes, and as she has grown up a fraction more than she was, she may now understand that toys do not have feelings, and they are only buttons as the eyes so they cannot really see things. She makes us feel like a child is commenting here because when youre at such a young age, you think that toys really do live on their own world and they have the same senses as us. I. e. touch, taste, feel, hear, pain etc. I think that the whole poem focuses mainly on sudden interruptions because from each paragraph is a different age section of her life. You can also see by the poem that as each paragraph develops, the way it is written and the style of wording develops, as if the child is becoming increasingly mature and adult-like. The Childs vulnerability is shown in verse two by using such words as big boys eating worms and shouting words you didnt understand perhaps this is hinting that maybe the big boys who were eating worms were swearing or saying words which she was too young to have come across. The last word in verse two is italicised because the narrator (who is a daughter) is speaking and it also shows that she is missing where she used to live as a child. In verse three, the child is less vulnerable now she has settled in because she is now used to everything. But then you forget this shows that now the narrator has lived for quite a few years, she tends to forget her past easier. The narrator now speaks in a comforted tone and gives away the idea of being a lot more worried about life in general as compared to when she was younger and slightly unsure about moving. Now that she has fitted in well, she now understands how it feels like to be part of their community. The change is compared to the shedding of a snakes skin. They are compared with each other because it is in conjunction with her voice changing i. e. maybe she has changed language or they use a different accent. Or simply her voice could have just changed with age. Now that she is used to the changes, she feels as if she has completely lost her old voice I lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first space This could potentially be a good or bad thing but we assume it is for good because she prefers being accepted and fitting in when she didnt think she would ever. The person created in the poem, we could comfortably say that it is a girl, even though no evidence backs up this statement. I assume by reading between the lines that she is around the age of 8-12 because on the journey, she sees thing not as clearly as adults do. My voice in the classroom sounding just like the rest This also shows that she is a school pupil so she must be fairly young. The setting in the poem is created by the feelings shown by the young girl. Fell through the fields This shows that they used to live in the country side, but they moved to a rural area where flats and estates can be found Pebble-dashed estates So maybe the girl is unsure of the area when she realises that where she is moving to is a lot more busy and lively. The use of 3 verses is a very good idea for several reasons. For one, it defines the maturing of her age, which is put across using methods such as different tones of voice, and more complex metaphors and sentences. The whole poem could be mapped out as journey. The first verse demonstrates the beginning of her life and when the family move. Second verse indicating the actual journey, and the becoming older stage, whilst trying to get used to moving. With the last verse when she has settled in her new area, and it has a quote on the last line which demonstrates her socialising with her friends, and seems to have fitted in really well.

Business Intelligence to Maximise Profits

Business Intelligence to Maximise Profits Objective (Industry over view, BI summary) I have chosen this topic because the decisions made in oil and gas companies have a huge impact on global economy and overall environment. Requirements of the developed economy for liquid natural gas and oil both as fuel and as in raw materials for the chemical industry is steadily increasing. Demand lifting has led to sharp increase in the prices for oil and for hydrocarbon raw materials as a whole, which has caused increase in extraction of these products in all countries possessing deposits of hydrocarbons. The oil and gas sector became the main donor of financial resources for the state budget of the country. This topic will cover how Business Intelligence (BI) tools support management to consolidate procedures and to maximize profits, through cutting costs and data integration. BI along with data warehouses and business analytics represent that toolkit which allows oil gas companies to take a maximum of the information from the available primary data, to reveal the basic trend s and to construct forecasting models, i.e., finally, to transform the available company data into a source of additional profit. In addition to BI, terms like business performance management (BPM), business process management (also BPM), corporate performance management (CPM), and business activity monitoring (BAM), have also emerged. All of these are a part of BI. They are all dependent on BI tools, but it should be noted that BI is not dependent on them. In my understanding BI-projects need to be considered not only as object of reduction of expenses, but also as the tool of development which can bring profit to company. Functions of analytics and forecasting which are intended for the decision of strategic questions, will help to place priorities during crisis time, to define principal causes of expenses and potential sources of growth. Having found out them such company can work over deduction of favourable clients and increase of profitableness of business at the expense of attraction of the new. Only with the help of BI it is possible to carry out forecasting of situation, setting different conditions and receiving results of forecasts depending on the set parameters. The primary application of BI in oil and gas companies is to help management consolidate operations and cut costs. The basic goals have been to shorten the time required to create reports and analyses, improve the accuracy of information and create a single information repository. The most common application areas for BI have been to provide financial reports and analyses, and support business operations with a special focus on ERP. In our days the modern large oil and gas companies represent vertically integrated companies. Vertical integration describes the ownership or control by a firm of different stages of the production process, e.g., petroleum refining firms owning downstream the terminal storage and retail gasoline distribution facilities and upstream the crude oil field wells and transportation pipelines. It can be achieved through MA (mergers and acquisitions) or investment. Upstream is a term which describes the exploration and production sectors within the oil and gas in dustry. Downstream, in the context of the oil and gas industry, applies to the refining and marketing sectors of the industry. Oil and gas products are commodities and are, therefore, competitive based on price. This makes the industry cost-conscious and highly dependent upon the price of crude oil, the basic business driver in the industry and the raw material for production (Skriletz, 2002). Purpose of the research The increased requirements to efficiency and quality of accepted decisions at all levels of operations in oil gas companies leads to finding of decision-making support techniques. It assumes possession of the actual universal information on a condition and tendencies of development of business by methods and BI means. Thus the volume of the information which is necessary for considering for formation of optimum well-founded decisions steadily grows. It leads to a situation when it becomes effectively impossible to operate the company without use of modern means of information support. Transactional data is good for keeping track of what is happening in an organization, but is not well suited to finding out why things are happening or predicting future performance. In other words, after years of putting potentially valuable financial data into your corporate databases, it is now time to put the tools in place to get the data out of the same systems and organize it in useful ways to s upport the decision-making process. The purpose of the research is to show that BI is such a tool which gives the chance to the organisations to transform the accumulated data in the information on business, and then the information into additional source of profit. The research question is how the value of BI should be considered in the context of profitable business action. BI has become an expected business competency for improving decision-making effectiveness. Leading enterprises are establishing competency in aspects of BI such as decision modelling and support so that all workers, managers and executives can take the most effective action in a given business situation. Lacking worthy BI tools oil companies risks to stay competitive or even to sustain in a business. What is more I want to apply my research outcomes in KMG, the problem is that BI is not so developed in Kazakhstan, so I hope my knowledge will be gainful to my company as employer and to me as employee. Literature There is currently enough media attention focusing on this subject and about this topic. A majority of these can be found in IT magazines, newspaper articles and on the internet, but the credibility of these sources is questionable. They can also be written by people who dont know a lot about the subject and have formed an opinion based on minimum information. IT magazines articles are often written in a biased way in terms of being in favour of one vendor, such as company propaganda or from the point of view of the writer. This data can be misleading, articles written by Gartner and TDWI analysts have more credibility and raise important questions and viewpoints which I believe should be considered in my report. Below is the list of books and resources I am willing to use during my research: The Profit Impact of Business Intelligence (2007), Williams S., Williams N.. Morgam Kaufmann Publishers This book contains plenty of mini-cases and useful information for my project. Business Intelligence, The Savvy Managers Guide (2009), D.Loshin, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers This book provides a knowledge base for the decision makers to determine the value of integrating BI into the company. In this book I want to look at the modern view of the collection and integration of transactional and reference data as a valuable resource that can be used for analytical purposes. BI Success Factors: Tools for Aligning your Business in the Global Economy (2009), O.Parr Rud, John Wiley Sons Financial BI : Trends, Technology, Software Selection and Implementation (2002), Nils Rasmussen, Paul S. Goldy, Per O. Solli, Publisher: John Wiley Sons; 1 edition This book will help me to review how managers can quickly and easily analyse the financial data in the corporate databases in order to be able to make more intelligent decisions about the future. Consequently it will help me to analyse the impact of BI financial tools. TDWI Best Practices Reports Series This series is designed to educate technical and business professionals about new BI technologies, concepts, or approaches that address a significant problem or issue. Research for the reports is conducted via interviews with industry experts and leading-edge user companies and is supplemented by surveys of BI professionals. Gartner Inc. Gartner source is the most comprehensive collection of analysis and advice for the users and vendors of technology. Methodology In my research I want to follow multi -method, which will contain: Interview: To get more practical point of view I am going to interview those who work on implementation of BI tools and use SAP-ERP in gas transportation, to be more precise financial department in KazMunayGas and KazTransGas. KazMunayGas is the state-owned oil and gas company of Kazakhstan and KazTransGas one of KazMunayGaz subsidiaries responsible for gas transportation. Trend analysis: Phenomena that are or have been in the process of change are examined to identify and report the directions of trends and to make interpretations and forecasts. Literature: As I mentioned previously Qualitative data sources (TDWI and Gartner) will contain different cases in my research. Conducting qualitative research requires an open attitude in order to understand how others experience their situation. Qualitative research is characterised by the fact that the researcher works on the basis of an open question Qualitative research represents the general name for a group of investigative procedures with common characteristics. Also, qualitative research is empirical in the same sense as other recognized forms of scientific inquiry. It relies on observation. Qualitative research encompasses several forms of the investigation. They all share this characteristic: The data used do not accommodate readily to quantification, specification, objectification, or classification. Because of that, common statistical procedures cannot be used for data display or analysis. Typical of such data might be reports of participant observation or the texts of in-depth and relatively unstructured interviews. Project plan and schedule

A Clash of Cultures in A Passage To India Essay -- A Passage To India E

     Ã‚  Ã‚   A Passage To India is a classic example of how different cultures, when forced to intermix, misunderstand each other, and what consequences stem from those misunderstandings. All of Forster's greatest works deal with the failure of humans being able to communicate satisfactorily, and their failure to eliminate prejudice to establish possible relationships. A Passage To India is no exception. (Riley, Moore 107) To understand Forster's motive, it must be established that he is a humanistic writer. Harry T. Moore states "Of all imaginative works in English in this century, Forster's stand highest among those which may properly be called humanistic." (Riley, Moore 107) His main belief is that individual human beings fail to connect because the humanistic virtues, tolerance, good temper, and sympathy are ineffective in this world of religious and racial persecution. However, he also believes that personal relationships aan succeed, provided they are not publicly exposed, because values and noble impulses do exist within human nature. "Life is not a failure but a tragedy principally because it is difficult to translate private decencies into public ones." (Riley, McDowell 108) Forster is conscious of the evil that exists in human nature. Forster feels men do not know enough to control that evil, and he takes on the humanistic responsibility to secure internal and external order by utilizing reason. f orster depended on the individual's conscience and sense of identification with others as equal components of the human race as his basis for maintaining that order. He also gives the individual social, political and metaphysical worth, and favors the individual when in conflict with society. (Riley, McDowell 108) It is fo... ...ia University Press, 1979. Riley, Carolyn, ed., Contemporary Literary Criticism. 4. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1975. Bradbury, Malcolm, "E. M. Forster as Victorian And Modern: 'Howard's End' and 'A Passage To India',"     Possibilities: Essays on the State of the Novel (1973 by Malcolm Bradbury; reprinted by permission of   Oxford University Press), Oxford University Press, 1973. Riley, Carolyn, ed., Contemporary Literary Criticism. 3. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1975. Johnstone, J. K., "E. M. Forster (1879-1970)"" The Politics of Twentieth Century Novelists, edited by George      A. Panichas (reprinted by permission of Hawthorn Books; 1971 by the University of Maryland;)   Hawthorn, 1971. Riley, Carolyn, ed., Contemporary Literary Criticism. 1. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1973.   McDowell, E. M. Forster, Twayne, 1969.   

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr - Dr. King and the Dream :: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essays

Dr. King and the Dream The world saw him as a marching protest leader, an activist, spokesman, civil rights leader, and the conscience of a nation. With keen and sensitive insight, he so eloquently proclaimed that a profound social and human predicament faced our nation and the world. However, some of his greatest messages to us were not preached from a "mountaintop" before millions, but from a little pulpit back home at the Ebeneezer Baptist Church. Dr. King once said, "before I was a civil rights leader, I was a preacher of the gospel. This was my first calling and it still remains my greatest commitment. Just one month before an assassin's bullet found him, Dr. King went back home. For so long, he had lectured and preached to others about the magnificent dreams of unity, brotherhood, hope, and justice. He had taken his messages to the uttermost parts of the world and met with kings, queens, popes, rabbis, and archbishops. But now he was home for a time of reflection, reunion, and rest. This sermon was different. In this sermon, "Unfulfilled Dreams," he preached from the eighth chapter of first Kings and talked about its "cosmic significance because it says so much in so few words about life." It tells the story of King David, who had a dream to build a great temple to honor the Lord, God of Israel. Although the temple was never completed, God blessed David because the dream was in his heart. In this sermon, Dr. King talked about the shattered dreams of Mahatma Gandhi who dreamed about the independence and unity of India as one great nation moving toward a higher destiny. Gandhi labored for years through nonviolent revolution hoping to realize his dream. But the dream was shattered because the nation that Gandhi wanted so badly to unite was riddled with conflict between the Hindus and Moslems. President Woodrow Wilson dreamed of a League of Nations but died before the promise was delivered. The Apostle Paul dreamed of carrying the gospel to Spain but instead ended up in a prison cell in Rome. While reading this sermon, I remembered my own dream, that my children would never see the inhumanity I saw, would never feel the injustice I felt, nor would they taste the bitterness of bigotry that consumed this nation when I was a child.

The Underrepresentation of Women in Academic Leadership in the United S

The literature review for this study examines various researches imperative to understanding the context, nature, and extent of the problem of underrepresentation of women in academic leadership in the United States. Gender inequality still exists in leadership positions in U.S academia; â€Å"women are still struggling to be at the leadership table despite the progress the U.S. has made in recent times through the process of eliminating discrimination in the workplace† (Lapovsky & Slaner, 2009). The review also pulls resources from literatures dealing with assessing the root causes of underrepresentation of female Leaders in the United States, with regards to employment discrimination, societal roles etc. From this review, some notable topics emerged that pulls an in depth analysis of the various factors that influence the underrepresentation of women as leaders in the United States academia. Consequently, research has shown that the number of female presidents have not chang ed in the last 10 years (Lapovsky & Slaner, 2009). Keywords: women and leadership, Academic Leaders, US Academia, Leadership Characteristics. Are women underrepresented in leadership role in the U.S Academia? A Literature Review A report written in the American Association of University Professors, states that as women pursue academic leadership advancement, the lower the percentage of women in higher leadership roles become. For instance, the representation of woman in leadership roles are as follows: Fifty percent of women are lecturers and instructors, forty six percent are represented in Assistant professor positions, thirty eight percent and twenty three percent are college presidents (ACE, 2007). Furth... ...rative literature review: Guidlines and examples. Human Resource Development Review, 4(3), 356-367. doi: 10.1177/1534484305278283 Kiamba, J. M. (2008). Women’s activism for gender equity in Africa, women and leadership positions. Social and cultural barriers Due Billing, Y., & Alvesson, M. (1989). Four ways of looking at women and leadership. Scandinavian journal of management, 5(1), 63-80. doi.10.1300/J111v32n03_08 Fernandez, J. Race, (1998). Gender and rhetoric: The true state of race and gender relations in corporate America. New York: McGraw Hill. Recruitment, retention, and professional development of women faculty a report from the academic issues subcommittee of the provost's committee on the status of women. Informally published manuscript, John Hopkins University, Maryland, USA. Retrieved from http://www.jhu.edu/news_info/reports/womenfac/report.html

Stanley Park

City of Kelsey – Stanley Park Project Rachelle Bittle Abstract The City of Kelsey is considering and requesting community input on the propanol of the Stanley Park Project. This project is a park that will cover 60 city acres that will serve community members of all ages. City of Kelsey – Stanley Park Project The City of Kelsey is a community of 600,000 people. Geographically Kelsey covers over 200 square miles and is bordered by a river on one side and farmlands on another. Kelsey has a median age of 32 with a household size of 2. . (Apollo, 2011) The City of Kelsey was incorporated 78 years ago. Suburbs that house the headquarters of a major shipping company surround the City. The major services of Kelsey are the Cities Administrative Services, Police, Fire, Community Services and Development Services. Kelsey has a school district that houses over 71,000 students and employees over 90 employees. (Apollo, 2011) The proposal of the Stanley Park Project aligns with Kelse y’s goals to have to amenities of a big city while keeping the small town charm.They Stanley Park project would occupy 60 acres with in the city limits that would be accessible by one controlled city street. The city has some very important values. The city has Public Trust, Customer Service, Employees and Continuous Improvement as values that they have committed to. Stanley Parks setup has that large city feel. The park would include amenities to suite any community member’s desire. The park would include a police substation, dog parks, Volleyball courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, Aquatic Facility, Community Center and an outdoor area equipped with playground and picnic area. The administration of Kelsey will have to make sure that financially that Kelsey can stay up with the up keep of this project. The project seems to have many great things to offer the public. When presented to the public they will need to make sure that they focus on the services this par k will provide to the communities children and senior population. References Apollo Group (2011) City of Kelsey. [ONLINE] Available at: https://ecampus. phoenix. du/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Government/KelseyCity/docs/CityofKelseyCAFRJune2005V2. pdf. [Last Accessed November 25, 2012]. Apollo Group (2011). City of Kelsey. [ONLINE] Available at: https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Government/KelseyCity/citygovernment. asp. [Last Accessed November 25, 2012]. Lowndes, V. , & Leach, S. (2004). Understanding Local Political Leadership: Constitutions, Contexts and Capabilities. Local Government Studies, 30(4), 557-575. doi:10. 1080/0300393042000333863

Report on Digi Telecom Essay

Recently Digi Telecommunications company is ranked as one of the best Telco companies in Malaysia and this is a report with emphasis on their success strategy derived from a financial analysis of up to date financial highlights of Digi Telecommunications. As it is a firm that is continuing to grow strong financially and a firm listed on the Bursa Stock exchange of Malaysia this report contains a few helpful tips and recommendations for Digi to remain successful and keep improving on its financial management strategies. IntroductionThe purpose of this report is to give an analysis of the financial position of Digi Malaysia company, mainly providing essential highlights for potential investors. In this report the content will consist of results of the calculated accounting ratios relevant to reflect profitability and liquidity, a comparison of financial statements and an analysis of the major trends and changes that occurred during the year 2009 and 2010. Another function of this repor t is to enlighten the reader on the main function of financial management and to define the basic and essential terms used in financial management.Other content of this report are a clear indication of the application of appropriate techniques tan one may use in order to determine whether Digi Malaysia is a healthy company for investment. The conclusion of this report will serve as a guideline for improvement as it will consist of a range of suggestions that are meant to help the company to improve its operations and also boost its financial state and becom more effective and attractive to investors.

Critical Success Factors of Six Sigma Implementation in Indian Automobile Components Manufacturing Industries

Chapter 5 RESULTS & A ; DISCUSSIONS 5.1 Consequences and treatments This chapter shows the consequences of methodological analysis used to happen the CSFs, weightages of CSFs and barriers of Six Sigma execution in Indian car constituents fabricating industries. 5.1.1 Critical Success Factors of Six Sigma Table 5.1 Gap analysis of CSFs of Six SigmaCritical Success factorsImportancePracticeAManagement engagement4.42.8BacillusOrganizational substructure3.92.5CCultural alteration4.12.1CalciferolEducation and preparation4.12.5TocopherolVision and program statement4.12.5FAssociating Six Sigma to client4.22.4GramAssociating Six Sigma to concern scheme4.02.6HydrogenAssociating Six Sigma to employees3.82.9IAssociating Six Sigma to providers4.02.5JouleCommunication4.12.7KUnderstanding of Six Sigma4.02.9LiterProject direction accomplishments3.82.9MeterUndertaking prioritization and choice4.03.0This undertaking work presents the consequences of the study conducted to place CSFs of Six Sigma within a medium graduated table car constituents fabricating unit and the consequences are used to compare with the findings of other research workers. The study consequence is represent the spread analysis revealed that there is the important spread between the sentiment of the employees of the company and t he existent pattern of CSFs within the company. It is shown in table 5.1 and at that place graphical representation is shown in figure 5.1 Figure 5.1 CSFs of Six Sigma executionConsequences oforganisational public presentationTable 5.2 Organizational public presentation standards to mensurate the success of Six SigmaOrganizational public presentationMeanStd. DeviationProductiveness2.20.8Defects Reduction2.10.8Warranty claim cost as a % of entire gross revenues3.10.9Cost of quality as a % of entire gross revenues2.90.8Delivery on clip to client3.50.8Net income betterment1.50.8Gross saless betterment1.70.7The consequences and benefits of Six Sigma execution within the administration were assessed in footings of organizational public presentation and attitudinal/perception alterations in the employees and clients. The organisational public presentation component of Six Sigma focuses on quality public presentation, operational and concern public presentation indexs, the inside informations of which are provided in table 5.2 and figure 5.2. attitudinal/perception alterations shown in table 5.3 and figure 5.3 that all the sof t factors have got low evaluation from the respondents. The average values of factors are below 3, with occupation engagement and organizational committedness holding the lowest evaluation of 2.6. The highest evaluation of 3 for the acquisition factor shows that administration public presentation in footings of supplying preparation and coaching. Figure 5.2 Graphical representation of organisational public presentation Table 5.3 Attitude/Perception alteration after Six Sigma deploymentAttitudinal ChangeMeanStd. DeviationEmployee satisfaction2.90.7Customer satisfaction2.80.5Organizational committedness2.60.7Job engagement2.60.6Learning3.00.7Work environment2.70.6 Figure5.3 Attitude/Perception alteration after Six Sigma deployment 5.1.3 Impeding factors in the execution of Six Sigma The respondents were asked to place three largest issues that they have faced during Six Sigma execution. Several obstructions to the acceptance of Six Sigma programme were highlighted as shown in figure 5.4 Figure 5.4: Factors suppressing the execution of Six Sigma 5.1.4 Consequences of AHP analysis The AHP Analysis is performed to place the critical successful factor for Six Sigma execution in car constituents fabricating industries. For AHP attack 6 factors are selected, they are Education and Training, Associating Six Sigma to concern scheme, Cultural Change, Associating Six Sigma to client, Vision and program statement, Management Commitment and engagement. It is found that the Management engagement and committedness ( F ) has got highest weightage i.e. 0.2586 and it is in first precedence. The standards, Associating Six Sigma with client has 2nd precedence and Associating Six Sigma to concern scheme has last precedence as it got lowest weightage i.e. 0.1255. Table 5.4 Average precedence and weightages for Six Sigma execution in car industrySuccess FactorsWeightsPrecedenceAEducation and preparation0.143165BacillusAssociating Six Sigma to concern scheme0.1255356CCultural Change0.151264CalciferolAssociating Six Sigma to client0.16892TocopherolVision and program statement0.1524853FManagement engagement and committedness0.2586615.1.5 Barriers for Six Sigma execution Table 5.5 shows the barriers to the effectual execution of Six Sigma. The consequences of the analysis show that the six reacting companies felt merely fiscal restraint to be important at 0.1 degree of significance. This indicates the fact that it is easy to implement Six Sigma plan in the Indian car constituents sector, as merely one barrier is found to be important out of the eight. Table 5.5Barriers for Six Sigma executionBarriersMeanS.D.t-valueFiscal Constraint3.330.521.58Time Constraint, Difficulty in Understanding Complicated3.001.100.00Statistical Tools3.001.100.00Lack of Management Exposure2.001.10–2.24Work Force/Union Resistance1.830.75–3.80Improper Training1.830.75–3.80Expensive Consultation Charges2.000.63–3.87Trouble in Understanding Six Sigma Methodology1.830.41–7.005.1.6 Analysis of benefits with Six Sigma execution Table 5.6: Benefits of Six SigmaexecutionBenefitsMeanS.D.t-valueDecrease in COPQ4.170.417.00Increase in profitableness4.330.526.32Improved merchandise quality3.830.415.00Improved company image3.830.415.00Decrease in procedure variableness4.000.633.87Addition in productiveness4.000.633.87Decrease in client ailments4.000.892.74Decrease of rhythm clip3.831.171.75Improved work civilization3.170.750.54Improved employee morale/ motive3.000.630.00Improved gross revenues2.330.523.16Decrease in review2.330.523.16Table 5.6 shows the assorted benefits of the Six Sigma plan The consequences of the analysis show that, in line with the Six Sigma doctrine of bottom line consequences, these Six Sigma companies have besides derived important fiscal benefits through reduced Cost of Poor Quality ( COPQ ) . Increase in profitableness, a 2nd important benefit, is a natural result of the decrease in COPQ. 5.1.7 Statistical analysis of CSFs for Six Sigma execution Table 5.7: Critical success factors for Six SigmaCSFsMeanS.D.t-valueTraining4.670.527.91Associating Six Sigma to clients4.670.527.91Undertaking Prioritization and Selection4.670.527.91Project Management Skills4.330.526.32Cultural alteration3.830.415.00Management Involvement and Participation ( Leadership )4.000.633.87Understanding of Six Sigma Methodology4.000.633.87Associating Six Sigma to Business Strategy3.670.523.16Organizational Infrastructure3.330.521.58Associating Six Sigma to Employees3.170.411.00Associating Six Sigma to Suppliers2.670.821.00As shown in Table 5.7 preparation, associating Six Sigma to clients, undertaking prioritization and choice topped the list of CSFs, followed by undertaking direction accomplishments. Cultural alteration came following. Management engagement and engagement, and understanding Six Sigma methodological analysis stood at the 4th degree. Associating Six Sigma to concern scheme and organisational substructure are besides rated as important. Asso ciating Six Sigma to employees and providers were rated as non important. This shows that companies have non linked their Six Sigma plan to their employees and providers. 5.1.8Comparison ofcritical successful factors analyzedwith literature Table 5.8 Comparison of CSFsanalyzedwith literatureFactorPresent survey IndiaPrevious Study ( Antonyet Al. , 2010 in UK )RankRankTrainingISixAssociating Six Sigma to CustomersITwoUndertaking Prioritization and SelectionISevenProject Management SkillsFourEightCultural ChangeVoltEightManagement Involvement and ParticipationSixIUnderstanding of Six Sigma MethodologySixVoltAssociating Six Sigma to Business StrategyEightThreeOrganizational InfrastructureNineFourAssociating Six Sigma to EmployeesTenElevenAssociating Six Sigma to SuppliersElevenTenThese findings were rather contrary to the findings from the old surveies carried out by Antonyet Al. [ 51 ] in little and moderate-sized UK fabrication endeavors Results of that peculiar survey show that direction engagement and engagement, associating Six Sigma to clients and associating Six Sigma to the concern scheme of the organisation are the most of import factors for the successful execution of Six Sigma, followed by organisational substructure, apprehension of Six Sigma methodological analysis, developing on Six Sigma, and undertaking prioritization and choice. Table 5.8 gives the comparing of the present and old survey. This difference in the precedence attached to CSFs can be to due to the fact that India is a developing economic system and the industrial civilization and environment environing India are different from that of UK. 5.1.9 Model for Six Sigma execution Six SigmaEngagement of EmployeesOrganizational InfrastructureDevelopment of TeamworkFocus on CustomerFocus on Supplier RelationshipUnderstanding of Six Sigma MethodologyTop direction committedness and leadingAssociating Six Sigma to CustomersQuality Improvement Tools & A ; TechniquesTraining and EducationFigure 5.5 Model for Six Sigma execution The top direction demands to be proactive in implementing Six Sigma and concentrate on incorporating Six Sigma with TS 16949. Associating Six Sigma plan to employees will assist in acquiring better cooperation, improved work civilization and morale. Associating Six Sigma to providers will assist in bettering coaction, which shall ensue in the effectual execution of Six Sigma. Organizations can derive much by volunteering to implement Six Sigma instead than waiting for it to be imposed. Evaluation and comparing of CSFs of Six Sigma aid organisations in the sector to attach the needed importance to assorted CSFs. Barriers of Six Sigma execution in Indian car constituents fabricating industries ISM modeling is performed. The consequences of ISM modeling shows Lack of Management Exposure and Expensive Consultation Charges are at first degree. The consequences of the Statistical analysis show that the companies felt merely fiscal restraint to be important at 0.1 degree of significance. Th is indicates the fact that it is easy to implement Six Sigma plan in the Indian car constituents sector, as merely one barrier is found to be important out of the eight. Harmonizing to the analysis, pillars of Six Sigma are arrived and general model for Six Sigma execution is developed. It is shown in figure 5.5.

Restaurant Business Plan Essay

Entrepreneurs who start new restaurants may overestimate the size of the market in their area and not take into account the tough competition they will face from established restaurants with loyal clientele. Doing a feasibility study prior to investing the time and money to open a restaurant can help an entrepreneur make a more informed decision about the venture’s chances of success. Starting or running a restaurant? These practical tools can help.www.virtualrestaurant.com Obtain Market Statistics Studying demographic characteristics such as age and income will help you estimate the size of your potential market. If you are planning a mid-price, family-style restaurant for example, you need to know how many families reside in your area. A heavy population of singles or college students will probably not support your restaurant. The U.S. Department of Commerce Census Bureau website is a good place to begin your research. Evaluate Potential Locations A high-traffic location is preferable, one close to major streets with lots  of visibility to vehicle or pedestrian traffic. Make sure parking is ample and easy for customers to access. Look for businesses in the area that could create demand for your restaurant — large office complexes, hotels or retail centers for example. Be sure to consider the tradeoff between a location’s suitability and the lease cost. Saddling a new restaurant with a lease payment that is too high can make it extremely difficult for the venture to reach positive cash flow. Related Reading: Business Plan Vs. Feasibility Study Review the Competition Look not only at the total number of restaurants in your immediate area but also at the styles of restaurants that are prevalent. Consider whether your area is already saturated with restaurants similar to the concept you will be offering — similar cuisine, price point and target markets. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each major competitor and determine whether your proposed restaurant will stand apart from competitors and be memorable to customers. Study the Industry Join your state or local restaurant and hospitality organizations. Attend their meetings, talk with other restaurant owners and review any statistical information they publish about the growth and health of the industry. The National Restaurant Association also publishes studies and statistics about industry trends and growth. Decide whether given the current economic environment it is advisable to launch a new restaurant. Find out if any restaurants in the area have closed in the last two years and why. Look at Your Cost Structure Once you have a good idea what type of food you want to offer, break down the cost of each menu item. Determine who your major suppliers will be and ask them for pricing. Software programs are available to help you accurately calculate projected food cost. You may consider reducing the number of items on your menu to keep food cost down. You may also find that given the food cost projections, the prices you will have to charge are higher than your  local market will support. Evaluate Management Capability An entrepreneur contemplating opening a restaurant should take a hard look at whether he has the skill set and experience to make the venture a success. He should ask himself whether he has the eye for detail to maintain high customer satisfaction. He needs to be able to train and motivate staff members who may have limited experience or education. He needs to understand how to make the kitchen operation run smoothly. He may determine that it is not feasible for him to be the general manager of the restaurant’s operations and elect to hire a manager who already has a track record of success in the industry.

Human Resources in South Korea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Resources in South Korea - Essay Example (Zimmermann and Sparrow, 2008) To start, operate and close a business is well protected by South Korea's regulatory environment. Starting a business takes an average of 17 days compared to the world's average of 43 days. Obtaining a license will take less than the world's average of 19 procedures and 234 days. Closing a business is also easy. (Hesketh and Fleetwood, 2006) The investment climate is increasingly open. The government offers incentives such as cash grants and zero-corporate tax zones; has a one-stop-shop for foreign investments; and assigns an official to facilitate each project. Residents and non-residents may have foreign exchange rate accounts. (Hesketh and Fleetwood, 2006) Trade, fiscal and labour freedoms are relatively weak. Monetary score is hurt by government subsidies of several sectors. Non-tariff barriers are very common. The labour market remains rigid despite the government's effort to enhance market flexibility in recent years. There are burdensome employment regulations that hinder employment opportunities and productivity growth. The non-salary cost of employing a worker is low, but dismissing a redundant employee is costly. The high cost of laying off a worker creates a risk aversion for companies that would otherwise hire more people and grow. Regulations related to the number of work hours are not flexible. (Zimmermann and Sparrow, 2008) The... For outsiders language barriers and tight social or business circles make the Korean labour market difficult to enter. Business relationships have traditionally been built upon personal ties and valuable introductions. The South Korea labour laws are mentioned below: Foreign workers: pursuant to the immigration control act, professional or skilled foreigners can be employed in Korea after being issued with visas; in other particular occupations which include the hospitality and hotel industry (E-7) visa is issued. (Hesketh and Fleetwood, 2006) General procedures: the parties concerned sign an employment contract. A related minister makes a recommendation. The minister of Justice issues a visa issuance certificate. (Hesketh and Fleetwood, 2006) Working standards and welfare: the labour standards act, which stipulates minimum working standards for workers, covers all employees. However, some provisions (relating to employment contracts, restrictions on dismissal, working hours, leave, etc.) are not applied to work places with four workers or less given economic conditions and administrative capacity. (Hesketh and Fleetwood, 2006) Restrictions on dismissal: employers cannot dismiss employees without justifiable causes. If dismissed without justifiable causes, an employee can apply for redress to a labour relations commission. Employers may be subject to punishment for unjustifiable dismissal. If an employer is to dismiss a worker, he or she should meet strict conditions and procedures. First, the employer should have urgent managerial reasons, make every effort to avoid such dismissals, select those to be dismissed by rational and fair standards and sincerely consult with the trade union or workers' representatives in advance. Even when an

Glycosylated Haemoglobin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Glycosylated Haemoglobin - Essay Example In case blood glucose level is well within control and gives stable results, the test is performed every six months intervals. The long-term or chronic complications of diabetes are those that characteristically occur after years of high blood sugar levels. These are diabetic macrovascular and microvascular diseases. The long term complications correlate well with A1c levels.(Web ref 2). Wild and Bains (2004) cautioned clinical laboratories and point-of-care testing to be careful of the interferences produced in assays by variant Hbs. The majority arise from point mutations in the , , , or Hb chains. Herman et al (2007) also raised the important question of whether A1c can be used as a diagnostic test for diabetes detection and control in ethnic minorities whose mean A1c concentration vary significantly from whites. In the light of these observations the current project intends to analyse literature particularly on blood glucose tests, long term complications of high blood sugar and applicability of HbA1c test to ethnic diabetics. Studies have shown that glycohaemoglobin values in the "better ranges" correlate with less incidences of diabetic complications later in life (Table 1; Fig 1 b). Type 1 diabetics will typically have hemoglobin A1c levels determined every 3 to 4 months, while Type 2 diabetics will require measurements less often (Web ref 3; Web ref 1). It so because Red blood cells are replaced in about 90 days thus test gives blood glucose levels for that period. Normal blood glucose levels are below 6 percent HbA1c however these vary laboratory to laboratory (McCool and Woodruff 1999; Web ref 1) HbA1c levels compare well with blood glucose levels as shown below: Table 1. Comparison of HbA1c test and Blood glucose levels (from McCool and Woodruff 1999) HbA1c Level of control Blood glucose (mg/dl) 5 % 6% 7% 8% 9% 10% 11% 12% Excellent Excellent Good Acceptable Poor Poor Poor Poor 90 mg/dl 120 mg/dl 150 mg/dl 180 mg/dl 210 mg/dl 240 mg/dl 270 mg/dl 300 mg/dl The rapid fluctuations in blood glucose that normally occur are smoothed out and the long-term level of glucose is now available to clinicians as a HbA1c test, because glycosylated hemoglobin has been shown to correlate with the integrated average blood consumption of glucose over the preceding six to eight weeks (Nathan 1990). Moreover, No preparation is necessary. Fig1 b) Controlled and uncontrolled diabetes conditions. (from Web ref 1) Controlled diabetes, less blood glucose results in less glycosylated haemoglobin Uncontrolled diabetes, more blood glucose results in high glycosylated haemoglobin HbA1c is also a reasonably sensitive test for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) which occurs in pregnant women. The test when conducted on pregnant women, it could pick up 87.1 cases of GDM successfully. The study gives a good alternative to OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) which is inconvenient and requires fasting (Aldasouqi et al, 2008). The HbA1c test earlier done in laboratories only is now available in relatively economical home version as well (Web ref 4). The control of HbA1c and avoiding long term diabetic complications are discussed later. Diabetes: An overview The word 'diabetes'

Cubism and 3D Sculptures Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cubism and 3D Sculptures - Personal Statement Example The beginning is 20th century saw the emergence of cubism, a painting style that balances the geometry and reality of objects as seen in various dimensions. Cubism led to the abandonment of single viewpoint of objects for a more geometric and realistic 3D view of objects drawn on a 2D plane, where artists pursued beauty and attraction. Artists like Frank Lloyd, Giger, Robin, and Boccioni among many other creative brains curved sculptures to pass a statement of the value of cubism on the world of arts (Jaskiewicz, pars. 2-3). Drawing from the influences of these artists’ works on the modern day 3D environment, I have to admit that their sculptures have played critical roles in the production of 3D objects in videos and computer graphics. Its common knowledge that, in the present day, there are machines and computer programs that can create various 3D videos, largely by replicating actual physical objects carved out of wood, soapstones, clay, metal, and plastics. In my attempt to understand the link between cubism and 3D, I inverted pyramid of several boxes laid above each other. However, I realized that there was no balance in the dynamism of the boxes. Hence, I turned them over and drew the box down into two 4-point stars, each on top of the other. From this, I could visualize a wrought iron glass structure erected on a tall platform. From this dimension, cubism-inspired my imagination of a 3D sculpture.

Comparison of Neoliberalism and Structural Realism Essay

Comparison of Neoliberalism and Structural Realism - Essay Example Besides the role of sharing information, neoliberalism and structural realism have their similarity in belief in anarchy and differences on perceptions of international cooperation and the driving forces behind it. Both think that anarchy influences how states behave toward each other. They are different because neoliberalists believe that international cooperation is possible because states value economic interests too, not only military power, while structural realists think that this is difficult to achieve. Mearsheimer explained that realists believe that the state is the principal actor in international politics and states are concerned of balance of power. State activities are connected to their position in the balance of power, specifically use of military power (University of California Television, 2008). Structural realists do not think it is possible to have successful international cooperation in this context of desire for hegemony through military power. Neoliberalism dis agrees because international regimes can make this attainable, especially when economic interests through international cooperation are also essential for states. Neoliberalism assumes that states want to attain international cooperation primarily because of economic interests, while structural realism disagrees because world governmental authority cannot effectively enforce agreements among states. Neoliberalism believes that states want to share quality information through international organizations.

Future scope on China and the Gulf Cooperation Council relationship Essay

Future scope on China and the Gulf Cooperation Council relationship (GCC) - Essay Example USSR is a socialist Republic and has similar internal state policies as that of China, the policies of China closely follow that of Moscow which is then the seat of powers of the former USSR. However, in the effort to forge stronger alliances, China strived to reach out to countries like the United States and those countries surrounding the Persian Gulf. Unfortunately, talks of alliance during the meetings held in Bandung, China failed to create a strong alliance between these nations. Throughout the 1990s, there were many important changes that occur in the foreign policy of China. These changes in the Chinese foreign policies were triggered by global political changes following the collapse of Soviet Union. The collapse of the USSR heralded the end of the cold war and triggered global political changes. As the USSR ceased to be one of the world’s superpowers, the United States took on the role as â€Å"big brother† of smaller nations and took upon itself to serve and the â€Å"police and watchdog† of democracy and power. The shift in the balance of world powers ushered the changes in China’s foreign policies especially towards the countries around the Persian Gulf. Believing that the shift in world powers may eventually affect the stability of oil supply and production around the oil rich nations of the Persian Gulf, and that the slowdown in the production of oil may affect the economic activities in China, the Chinese government emba rked into the task of fostering stability in the area by advocating the resolution of conflicts in the area internally and without any foreign interventions. As the largest country around this part of the world, China has the power to influence the economic activities in this region. In the 1990s, the value of Chinese investments around this area amounted to more than 2.2 billion US dollars. This is twice the value of its investments in the region in the 1980s. Chinese importation for oil reached about $9.5 billion dollars in

Design for the real world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Design for the real world - Essay Example The advent of the 21st century has turned a new leaf for the design industry. Designing a fabric or a building has become easier because of the exponential growth of information and communication technology. The evolution of technology became more convenient for the designers as the graphical software and equipments started hitting the market. The calculations for measurement are now being performed automatically reducing the overall time required for completion of an architectural process. The selection of colours can also be performed with graphical interfaces that allow the fashion designers to analyse every pixel and select the most suitable colours for the dresses. These changes are considered to be a blessing for the 21st century designers. However, with benefits also come disadvantages. The primary disadvantage is the growing competition in the industry. Most of the firms needing design requirements are hiring permanent designers for working on their projects which is in a way curving the potential creativity options for the designers. The challenges faced by the designers also include the external threats such as the sustainability of the designs against the nature. Customers are expecting a safe apartment that can withstand earthquakes or other incidents such as fire and nice clothes which won’t get spoiled if drenched in rain. These are some of the basic concerns and needs of the consumers but in order to fulfil these fundamental requirements, the cost aspect of the designing process is mounting up by fuelling the competition.

Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 15

Journal - Assignment Example In the same article, the Los Angeles Times describes the action as seemingly a part of a series of disturbing behavior from the military stationed at Afghanistan, continuing to enumerate alarming acts of violence committed by military personnel against people in the middle-eastern country. Before he became US president in 2009, one of the promises Obama made was to pull out the troops in Afghanistan. I strongly believe this promise was one of the reasons Americans voted for him. America had already lost so many men and women to the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq before Obama entered the presidential race. The people wanted their fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, sons and daughters safe back home. It was therefore disappointing that after 3 years, that particular promise has yet to be fulfilled. There is no excuse for the misbehavior American troops are showing in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, for someone who is in a situation where getting to wake up each day is a gift, it is only a matter of time before the stress gets the best of an individual. If President Obama does not want a repeat or similar incidents like these to happen, he should start making good on his promise to bring the troops in Afghanistan back

Native Americans in the United States and African American Cowboys Essay Example for Free

Native Americans in the United States and African American Cowboys Essay APUSH, DAY-2-2 TO WHOM AND TO WHAT EXTENT WAS THE AMERICAN WEST A LAND OF OPPORTUNITY 1865 1890 During the year of 1865 to 1890, the American’s west land was a land of economic development for Native American, white settlers from the east across the Mississippi farmers, miners, ranchers and as well as African American cowboys and immigrants for Irish and Chines, moving west for goal of economic achievement and their position for profit. First, the Native Americans people opened the way of exploitation of the west land naturel environment. The Dawes Act, which turned Indians into landowners and farmers and distributed 160 acres for farming, designed Indians as individual rather than a group of tribes. The railroad made their trip easier, which Pacific Railroad Act was passed in 186, law allowed construction of new transportation systems. The Act also provided grants of land and limited jobs for immigrants’ worker on railroad, especially Chines immigrants worked for a lower wage and discovered millions of gold and silvers. The immigrants worked for a wealthy white settler in the west. Moreover, the railroad opened faster access for transportation for castles, miners and all the peoples, who were making money. Including the Homestead Act was passed; its offered 160 acres of land for any settlers live on the land for five or more years with little registration fees. It helped poor people to achieve economic business and farmers who needed more land, were permitted to purchase of up to 160 acres of land for $2. 50. The farmers took advantage of Westland by doing international market, which mostly depended on railroads for shipment. Even farmers had difficulties of weather conditions, the produced the agricultural business by the Bonanza farm. The farmers were hopes to getting rich soon. Together with the African American cowboys and cattle industry turned into a new marker as well. Because of Indians on to new reservation and the railroad opportunities bring them easier transportation anywhere in urban markets; without the railroads the new business were take a time to make money . In brief, west land was a place of a new beginning for people who were moving for seeking life and opportunities and hoping to get rich. The wealthy white settlers made the most profit in Westland.

The Ontology of Plato and Lucretius Essay Example for Free

The Ontology of Plato and Lucretius Essay Ontology is the science involved with the study of nature and the different aspects of being. It is an arm of the realm of metaphysics and is understood to be a mixture of two fields: science and philosophy. It can be considered as the primary philosophy as it serves as an instrument through which different problems regarding the relations of being and nature are examined. Ontology involves many different concepts and has evolved through the years to include many theories and evaluations established by renowned philosophers. It has grown to include a large body of knowledge. The specific ontologies to be tackled here, however, will only include two of the more popular philosophers involved in the field, namely, Plato and Lucretius.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Plato’s Theory of Forms states the different aspects of his ontology. The theory was first established in Plato’s Republic, as evidenced in the   Myth of the Sun, the Divided Line, and the Myth of the Cave and is composed of five basic characteristics. First, words are the names of things. This means that words or nouns are names of actual entities. Second, that Forms exist. This second characteristic expounds the first indicating that the words that name things or entities are particular to a certain form. Thus the entity takes form. This is part of Plato’s concept of dualism indicating the presence of two worlds: the sensible-where specific objects exist and the intelligible-where the Forms exist. The third characteristic stresses that the Forms of objects have more weight in reality than do ordinary objects. This is because of the stated fact that Forms are universal indicating more permanence and greater contribution to the identity of a particular object. Fourth, all particular objects in the sensible world are directly related to their counterpart forms in the intelligible world through a process coined by Plato as â€Å"participation†. This process was never expounded and remains problematic to this day. The fifth characteristic of the theory states that the forms residing in the intelligible world are the causes of or are the reasons for events occurring in the sensible world. Lucretius also stated his own ontology through his six-book poem entitled De Rerum Natura or On the Nature of Things. This epic poem is the only known work produced by this Epicurean poet. Lucretius first establishes his ontology through by restating the characteristics of the atomic theory: nothing comes from nothing, nothing becomes nothing, everything is composed of the indivisible bodies called atoms, and atoms are separated by empty space. Thus Lucretius believed that the basic units of reality were only the body, composed of atoms, and void, space between atoms. Everything that is perceived in reality simply stems from the properties present in these two basic units. Thus concrete bodies are simply aggregations of many atoms combined and space is merely extended to exist between these atoms. Thus it is only the combination of these individsible atoms that leads to the formation of more complex structures and beings. It should be noted that Lucretius did not make use of the word â€Å"atom†. Instead, he used terms such as the primordial rerum, seeds, and matter. These terms served the purposes of his poetry better and were more appropriate to the context in which these matters were discussed and used. Both Plato and Lucretius presented their ontologies through literary works. Both were able to maintain the beliefs established in their individual theological commitments in their ontologies. Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura was completely in line with Epicurean teachings. Plato’s ontology was also clearly in agreement with his theologies as it was often restated in many of his writings. References Watt, S. (1997). Introduction: the theory of forms (books 5-7). In Plato:Republic (15-16) London: Wordsworth Editions Englert, W. (2003). Lucretius, on the nature of things. Newburyport, Mass.: Focus. Ross, D. (1951). Platos Theory of Ideas. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Analysis Of The Vietnamese Tourism Market

Analysis Of The Vietnamese Tourism Market My friend and I have passion in tourism. My friend has several years of experience working for an international travel company in Ho Chi Minh City as a travel consultant cum tour operator. She have strong relationship with five star hotels and restaurants in Vietnam. I have chance to travel to many countries and study international tourism industry. I also have a part-time job as a tour guide for some travel companies. I understand what tourists expect from a knowledgeabe and friendly tour guide , quality service as well. Thus, combining her experience in Vietnamese tourism market and my understanding about international tourists demands, we decide to open a travel company, named Luxury Tour Co. in Ho Chi Minh City. Our target market is Spain. Within the next five year, we build Luxury Tour as the first choice for the Spaniard when they think of travelling to Vietnam. This name guarantees for best service,best choice as our slogan of Think nothing, let us. This marketing plan is desi gned to highlight significant steps and other related issues to run business well and meet the goal. Market Overview Tourism is considered as the key industry in the near future. Tourism involves three sectors, they are, domestic market, inbound market and outbound market (Helmut Wachwiak, 2006:48). Domestic tourism aims to local customers, while inbound tourism aims to attract international tourists to the country and outbound tourism aims to organising tour for local tourists who want to travel abroad. Among of which, inbound tourism is emphasized most. It not only creates more employment opportunities for the local people but also plays an important role to attract foreign investment in Vietnam as MICE tours becomes popular. Tourism is based on a lot of factors. Here is the list of some changes influencing tourism in general and Luxury Tour business activities ( Lloyd E. Hudman, Richard H.Jackson, 2003:24) Infrastructure in Vietnam . Understanding the contribute of the non-smoke industry, Vietnamese Government has invested in some projects, such as building metro, road etc. , and encouraged people take part in introducing beautiful image of Vietnam to the world ( Vietnam Tourism, 2010 ) Social behavior. For example, considering the tour price, it depends on the suppliersquotation. They are five star hotels, restaurants, transportation etc. In peak seasons when several tourists come to Vietnam, lack of commodation or waiters/waitresses is predictable. As the result, the tour price is higher, but tourists are served less. Increased gas/petrol price. That is to say, it leads to the increase of price in transportation, flight ticket etc. The rapid development of Internet and e-commerce. According to the CIA Factbook, in 2009, 50% of Spaniard use internet, and this number is increasing repidly. It push e-commerce developped more Stable VND-Euro currency rate makes tour price stable and more competitive than other markets ( Vietnam Central Bank, 2010) Stable politics makes international tourists feel safety while staying in Vietnam New tourism trend. According to ITB World Travel Trends Report 2010/2011, Southeast Asia is sparkling as an ideal destination to EU market. They prefer enjoying sun and beach and discovering Eastern culture Increased income. That is to say, more tourists want to spend their holidays at the highest standard Customer Information According to World Tourism Ranking, Spain ranks 11th in the world in terms of spend on international travel, but there has been significant growth in recent years in outbound travel. Growth is expected to continue as more and more Spaniards have holiday habits .Besides , Spanish long-haul travelers take advantage of very favorable Euro to VND exchange rate. The weakening of the VND could attract more interest in this destination .To understand clearly, here is the Spanish Outbound Travel Trend. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Destination: Some competitive destinations to Vietnam are: Fiji, French Polynesia, Australia, China, Japan, Mexico, and the USA . However, Europe remains the main destination for Spanish travelers , only 27 % of the outbound trips are far beyond the European borders ( World Tourism Organization, 2007 ) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Travel season : Most of the Spanish decide to travel abroad in August , September the time of summer vacations . However , short breaks are spread more widely through the year, in particular around public holiday times. The average length of stay for holidays abroad is around 9 nights. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Purpose : Leisure (54.3%) remains the main reason for travelling outside Spain , followed by business events or work related (20%). The key driver for taking overseas holidays is visiting other countries, learning about their culture and seeing and doing lots. Market Information According to Vietnam tourism, in 2010, there were 5,049,855 international tourists travelling to Vietnam, which was 34.8% higher than 2009. Most of them were from China, South Korea, Japan and other Asian countries. Obviously, compared to other markets, Western tourists have not known much about Vietnam. With the wave of Asian culture, Asia becomes an ideal choice, especially Southeast Asia. Following the new trend, Vietnamese government have encoraged travel companies to study and make plans to expand busiess into Western markets. According to World Torism Organization, in Europe, with 19.7 billion USD spent in international tourism expenditure (2007), Spain ranked 11th in the world . This number seems to increase annually. However, according to Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the number of Spanish tourists to Vietnam for leisure purpose is still low and recently, the government with promoting activities is aiming efforts at opening Spain market as our main target market in the near future In Vietnam, there are two major travel companies which target Spanish markets, they are, ASCO Lotus Travel and Exotissimo Travel. ASCO have years of experience for Western tourists to operate tour to Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia and ASCO while Exotissimo opened branches in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and Myanmar. They aims to high-and-above-income maket while Luxury Tour aims to serve mid and high income tourists with the highest standard. As a Vietnamese travel company, Luxury Tour understand Vietnamese business behavior. Thus it is easier to build strong relationship with local suppliers. Industry Information Nearly 1.6 billion is the expected number of international arrivals forecasted by UNWTOs Tourism 2020 Vision by the year 2020. Among of them, 1.2 billion will travel to other countries and 378 million will take longer trips. It is obvious that travel between different regions (outbound and inbound) tends to grow at a faster rate than intraregional travel (domestics) . In 2007, interregional travel increased by 8% as against a growth of 6% for intraregional traffic. According to Vietnam Tourism(2010), from October 10th to December 31st 2010, following Vietnam-your destination campaign, international tourists were welcome to Vietnam without visa. With this opened policies, Vietnam was successful in attracting inbound tourists, especially in Western markets. In 2011, it is expected that Vietnamese Government will consider its effectiveness and efficiency to making further decision better. Product/Service Information Luxury Tour wants to approach mid and high income Spaniards. Most of them are businessmen, specialists, and professors etc. who are too busy to enjoy their time. With the slogan of Think nothing, let us, Luxury Tour wants to be the useful right hand by bringing them into the most comfortable world with families and friends. We offer several tour packages with high quality. All customer requirements are satisfied perfectly. From the moment customers contact Luxury Tour to the end of the tour, customers will be serviced by friendly and professional staff, such as travel consultants, tour operators, tour guide and others SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS High-quality service Operational efficiency Experienced and highly customer-oriented staff Strong marketing and sales forces Strong relationships with both suppliers and Spanish travel agencies WEAKNESSES New brand name in the market Limited budget No representative office in Spain, so Luxury Tour can not contact directly to the target customer Depend on Spanish travel agencies OPPORTUNITIES Spain is a new emerging or developing market for Vietnamese tourism industry Less competition Rapid development of e-commerce Support from government (i.e.: opened policies to encourage tourism) Social changes: more Spanish want to travel to Southeast countries THREATS Financial crisis The increasing of potential competitors Social problems: there are many beggers who follow tourists from places to places Objectives The key objectives for Luxury Tour are: Within 5 years , Luxury Tour becomes the Vietnamese leading tour operator in Spanish market segment with 30% of share market . Integrated marketing services are established to present a unified image/brand identity of Vietnam as an ideal destination . The number of loyal tourists is increased After the first five year, Luxury Tour will expand business into other Western markets, such as the Portugal, the Netherland etc. Strategy With Luxury Tour, tourists will experience the finest service, enjoy the most delicious Vietnamese cusine and stay at the most comfortable hotels. Our efforts are to make tourists remember uniqueness and hospitality of Vietnam in general and Luxury Tour in particular. It is can be measured by the increased number of Spanish tourists coming back to Vietnam annually. What Luxury Tour try to sell is not only tours themselves but also benefits. A good tour operator knows how to control income factors and how to balance incomes and outcomes ( customer requirement) to satisfy three parties, that is to say, tourists are pleased with service, suppliers are happy to serve and Luxury Tour gets profits and more importantly, customer awareness. Product To be more competitive in the market , our tour itineraries are designed with two advantages : Quality and Customer service. *** In term of Quality :Tour itinerary is designed based on 5H model , that is the combination of Hospitality, Honesty , Heritage, History,Heroic **** In term of Customer Service : Speed :We have hotline served 24/7 to answer all customers questions and complain Flexibility : Tour itinerary can be re-designed to fit each customers requirement Reliability : all needed info is provided to customers before they book tours , including warning (if applicable ) Pricing Our target customer is from mid-income and above. They usually prefer to enjoy holidays in their own tastes and required to be served at the highest level. Thus we mix two price strategies, good-value pricing strategy and value-added pricing. Luxury Tour will design a basic package price which combines high standard, good service at reasonable price. From the basics, this tour is tailor-made to fix each customer demand. The price is changeable based on the seasons, supple-demand balance and other unforeseen situations. Normally our estimated price is around USD 2,200 / pax. Distribution For the short term , to perform activities to attract tourists from Spain to Vietnam and expand distribution channel to meet market needs and serve customers better, Luxury Tour has partnered with tourism companies in Spain. With this partnership, Luxury Tour has been in the big cities of Spain, such as Barcelona , Madrid , Valencia etc. For the long term, within the next 5 years , Luxury Tour opens one representative agency in Madrid to approach customers needs easily and efficiently Promotion Website: Luxury Tour launches and operates Internet site effectively as a virtual tourist office in which customers can find a lot of information about Vietnam and useful tips for their tour . The website is designed with friendly screen and easy-to-follow instructions. Besides, our online travel consultants are willing to help customers design suitable tour itineraries with reasonable price and support them during and after journey. Search Engines Optimisation: To be recognized among millions of tourism websites, we will corporate with some internet search engine sites such as : http://www.ivivu.com/ http://www.skydoor.net/ http://www.chudu24.com/ http://yeudulich.vn/ http://www.tourism-review.com/ Instead of buying a place on their website, Luxury Tour offer them a business corporation opportunity, this is, banner exchange. This is a win-win corporation Advertising: As a new brand name in luxury tourism industry, we decide to focus on bringing our image to the target customers. Our target customer segmentation is from mid and high income. Choosing a reliable magazine is the first choice. Among of which is Travel and Entertainment magazine the publication of Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism and the leading magazine in tourism of Vietnam. It is available in Vietnam Airlines, Indochina Airline and Royal Brunei Airline. Public Relations: To build strong relationship with Spanish travel companies as well as to prove them our outstanding service offered, Luxury Tour usually invites partners and Spanish press to have trips to Vietnam for free of charge. It is not only a normal business trip but also a chance to introduce Vietnam beauty and its tourism potentials as well. Besides, Luxury Tour also have budget to sponsor for community activities such as planting tree, building houses for the poor etc. to emphasize that Luxury Tour image is not connected to business only, it is the combination between social responsibility, environmental protection and business. Promotions: Luxury Tour usually takes part in some trade exhibitions in Vietnam and foreign countries. This form of promotional activity enables promotion directly to the consumer for creating word-of-mouth channel. We offer 10% discount for who books tours at exhibitions Branding: Luxury Tour wants to build a friendly image and impress current and potential customers by service quality. Our logo is design with the main color of green and the image of a typical tourist. Our slogan is think nothing.Let us. Operational Plan Sucessful tourism business depends on the service quality. Tourism is unlike other industries. We try to sell invisible products. The key points are how to persuade them to trial our service and how to make them feel undisappoited about their decision.To meet that goal, Luxury Tour must pay attention to setting up a quality control system strictly. Not only checking service from suppliers, employee force must be trainned to serve customer 24/7 . Any problems before, during and after tour need to be solved soon. After each tour, based on their feedback, Luxury Tour have some change to improve more and serve better. Sales promotion Dyring the first six month, Luxury Tour aims to attract customer awareness and introduce our service. We offer customers 5%-10% discount program. When customers know more about us, so discount strategy is not applied. Instead, we focus on added benefits, for example, booking tour to travel across Vietnam, tourists get one buffet ticket at Caravelle Saigon. Advertising Our target segmentation is mid and high income customers. Most of them are businessmen who usually travel by airplain. Thus in our marketing budget, there are amount of money spending to advertising on airline magazines, such as Travel and Entertainment . Public relations Public relation is a tool to improve company image positively. It needs long-term plan. Developing a brand name with the image of friendliness and hospitality, Luxury Tour will organize some special tours called community connection. Joining this, tourists do not only have chance to travel to Vietnam but also join community activities, such as teaching children, planting tree, farming etc. It makes tourists feel that their money is reinvested into society. Direct Marketing In term of direct marketing, there are many forms. To maximize marketing effectiveness, we suggest to combine direct mail, email marketing, social network, brochure and magazine advertising. To get the mid and high income customer database, Luxury Tour could buy from market research companies or take advantage of current database of Spanish travel agencies. Then we will send them our company profile and e-brochure to introduce our service and encorage them to log in our website to receive a 10%-discount travelling coupon for the first visit. Online Marketing Owning a well-designed and multi-function website is a tool to approach targeted customers. Our online travel consultants who comminicate well in English and Spanish are willing to assist customers to search info, design tour itineraries. Customers can book and pay online. The payment method is variable, from bank transfer to PayPal, Master Card, Credit Card etc. Once payment is done, confirmation, receipt, flight e-ticket and a package of Vietnamese information are sent to customers email box. Budgets and action plan Item Jun-11 Jul-11 Aug-11 Sep-11 Cost ( USD) Department / Employee name Measure of Success Making business plan, design logo, slogan and complete register documents 1st 1st 2,000 Nguyen Mai Ly The genaral Director Recuit human resource 1st 1st 1,000 HR Department recruit experienced employees Design tour itineraries and deal with suppliers 1st 31st 1,500 Operation Department Tour itineraries are design to meet Luxury Tour targerted market requirement and local suppliers are pleased with our request and agree to offer competative price Contact with some Spanish travel companies, pursuade them to corporate with Luxury Tour and sign the contracts 15th 15th 5,000 Operation Department At least 10 Spanish travel companies are interested in our offers and agree to cooperate with Luxury Tours Design Website and brochure 1st 15th 1,000 Admin Department The website is well designed , easy-to-follow and imformative Discuss with tourism websites for banner exchange 15th 15th 1,000 Sales and Marketing Department our banner is posted at all sites as listed Print brochure and distribute at luxury hotels, Tan Son Nhat airports and other entertainment centers 15th 15th 3,000 Sales and Marketing Department Our brochures are delivered to the targeted customers Advertising on travel magazines and newspapers 15th June 15th December 2011 700 Sales and Marketing Department Luxury Tour information is advertised for 7 months ( June December 2011) Organize tours for 10 major Spanish travel representative and 10 Spanish travel journalists to Vietnam 15th 5th 20,000 Operation Department All guests are pleased with our service and after this tour, ten articles will be written and published over the next month in major travel magazines and website in Spain Opening ceremony 8th 2,000 100 invited guests, including suppliers, Spanish travel companies, press, Spanish businessmen in HCMC and others TOTAL 37,200