Health South Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health South Corporation - Case Study Example d risks associated with buying various businesses from HealthSouth and deciding whether it would be prudent of White Rock Capital to make such an investment. Of particular interest is the ambulatory surgery division, diagnostic centers and rehabilitation facilities earmarked for disposal. He is responsible for determining the nature and extent of the fraud case and the repurcusions of fraud. The cases under investigation involve fraud allegations against Healthsouth. In particular, Healthsouth is alleged to have billed group therapy as concurrent therapy. The concurrent therapy system was later (2002) abolished by the CMS upon the issue of a clarification requiring that all concurrent therapy services be reimbursed at group therapy rates. This policy change by the CMS was important to Healthsouth’s business interests as the concurrent therapy program generated more capital than the group therapy program. For eample, Healthsouth lowered its EBITDA by $172 million in the fiscal year 2002 as a result of changes in medicare reimbursements for its outpatient rehabilitation services. It is important for Nair to thoroughly scrutinise the suspect transactions carried out by Scrushy. One suspicious transaction is Scrushy’s decision to sell $74 million of his stock in may 2002 despite having previously announced satisfaction with analyst’s estimates of 39% grofit growth in early 2002. Another suspect transaction was Scrushy’s sale of shares in July 2002 to repay an outstanding loan he owed the company before the company’s profit warning. Despite the transaction being approved by the company’s Compensation Committee the shares of Health South tumbled 44% on august 27 2002 closing at $6.69 per share (Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell, 2013). Nair should also note that the initiative by Healthsouth to spin-off its ambulatory surgery division and the shedding of other assets was in the aftermath of a SEC request for documents. There was concern among analysts that

Homosexual Couples Essay Example for Free

Homosexual Couples Essay Children adopted by homosexual parents will become targets of homophobic bullying. According to a teacher’s association in the United Kingdom specializing on teaching issues, homophobic bullying â€Å"can affect any young person, for example, someone with gay family members† (Association of Teachers and Lecturers, 2006). The teacher’s association points out that having homosexual parents is enough to engage homophobic behavior. This form of bullying not only persists but worsens throughout the child’s schooling because it is one of the most difficult forms of bullying to notice. The effects of bullying are well known. Leading psychologist Victoria Clarke, among others, notes that homophobic bullying in particular â€Å"is a serious problem that carries many severe psychological consequences† (Clarke, 2006). Victims of teasing and bullying often are often shy and keep to themselves. Most victims of bullying have a hard time communicating to others and have many relationship problems, as a direct result of the the violence that they experience. What these children actually learn from their experiences is that self-expression can lead to actual physical harm. This necessarily puts a financial strain on the family of those suffering from bullying. It frames the self-esteem of these victims to such an extent that they fail to overcome a mindset where they think that they are victims. They then fail to take positive control of their lives and often spiral into depression. Those who support adoption by homosexual parents center their argument on studies that show that homosexual parenting has no negative effects on children. These arguments overlook the fact that what is important is the best interest of the child. These studies do not take into account the other indirect negative effects of being raised by homosexuals, like being more vulnerable to sexual abusers – not that the parents themselves would abuse their children – but these children are more likely to come into contact with other homosexuals who are sexual predators. According to the Family Research Institute, â€Å"all to almost all childhood molestations of boys are made by adults of the same sex with homosexuals accounting up to more than one third of the pedophiles under studies made as early as 1948† (Cameron, 2006). It is not far to imagine that of the many homosexuals that these children may be exposed to, at least one may try to sexually abuse them. This is a scary number that should not be ignored. Although I do not suggest that all homosexuals are pedophiles, it cannot be ignored that these pedophiles are almost entirely gay. This link between homosexuality and sexual abuse is well-documented by critics such as Charles Coughlin, who claims that â€Å"[a]s early as 1948, the Kinsey survey revealed that 37% of homosexual men admitted to having sexual relations with underage boys; and if gay men were admitting these crimes in 1948, when society was far more conservative, what would the numbers be today when people are more tolerant of gay relationships? † (Coughlin, 2006). The increasingly liberal attitude society has taken since 1948 points toward an even larger number of sexual predators who come into contact with our children. Thus, more lives are at stake than what we realize. We have to remember it only takes one encounter with a sexual predator before an innocent child’s life is changed forever. It is clear that allowing homosexuals to adopt children is not in any child’s best interest and should be disallowed. In no instance should a child be exposed to sexual predators. Children deserve to be brought up in a home environment where there is a balance of male and female influences. Finally, being adopted by homosexual parents exposes the adopted child to homophobic bullying which is not only traumatic, but harmful to a child’s proper physical, emotional, and psychological development. Sources:Hayton, Bradley, 1993. To Marry or Not: The Legalization of Marriage and Adoption of Homosexual Couples at http://radiance. m6. net/myrrh/doc-samesx. html Cameron, Paul, 2006. Child Molestation and Homosexuality. at http://www. familyresearchinst. org/FRI_EduPamphlet2. html Coughlin, Charles, 2006. 37% of Gay Men Admit Molestation at http://www. whitecivilrights. com/37-of-gay-men-admit-molestation_611. html Dailey, Timothy. â€Å"Homosexual Parenting: Placing Children at Risk,† Insight 238, Family Research Council, http://www. frc. org/get. cfm? i=IS01J3. Wardle, Lynn D. 1997. â€Å"The Potential Impact of Homosexual Parenting on Children. † Universityof Illinois Law Review 1997:833–919. p, 860 cited in (How) Does the Sexual Orientation of Parents Matter? † Judith Stacey and Timothy J. Biblarz at http://www. e-noah. net/ASA/MO/articles/stacey. pdf Sotirios Sarantakos. 1996. Children in three contexts: Family, education and social development, Children Australia, Vol. 21, No. 3, (1996): pp. 23-31 at http://www. acl. org. au/pdfs/load_pdf_public. pdf? pdf_id=586from=SEARCH Clarke, Victoria, et. al. 2004. Kids are just cruel anyway: Lesbian and gay parents talk about homophobic bullying. British Journal of Social Psychology, Volume 43, Number 4 Association of Teachers and Lecturers, 2006. Different forms of bullying. http://www. new2teaching. org. uk/tzone/Behaviour/pupil_bullying/different_forms. asp

The Law Of Evidence

The Law Of Evidence Smooth muscle is one of three muscle fiber types found in animals. Unlike skeletal and cardiac muscle cells, smooth muscle cells are not striated, and have single nuclei. Smooth muscles are typically under control of the autonomic nervous system, and do not contract voluntarily. Smooth muscle contracts slowly, and does not exhibit the characteristic twitch seen in skeletal muscle. In addition, smooth muscle is not prone to muscle fatigue, making it an ideal component of sphincter muscles. Smooth muscle is found in the gastrointestinal tract of many animals, and is responsible for peristaltic movements. Smooth muscle contractions are affected by calcium and potassium ions. Calcium ion influx into the smooth muscle cell initiates a contraction. Potassium ion concentration in the extra cellular medium affects the resting membrane potential of the cell, bringing it closer to or farther away from its threshold voltage. Neurotransmitters affect different types of smooth muscle differently, depending on the association of the smooth muscle with excitable cells. In general, acetylcholine increases the muscle cells permeability to calcium, while epinephrine decreases the cells permeability to calcium. Introduction and aim of the experiment The following report was to test a smooth muscle which was collected from the intestine of a rabbit. The main of this experiment was to see how the surrounding environment of the muscle could affect how muscle contracted. The experiment consisted of different environments and the muscle was monitored and results were recorded of the amplitude and the frequency of the wavelengths. The levels of muscle contractions and relaxations were measured using a transducer, a D.C amplifier, and a laboratory computer. Overview of experiment The smooth muscle was a small part of the intestine which was prepared correctly by trimming off the attached mesentery and fat. This experiment only required one piece of this smooth muscle and this was then placed into a beaker which was aerated and fed Ringer-Locke solution this is an aqueous solution containing the chlorides of sodium and potassium and calcium that is isotonic to animal tissues. The experiment only required one piece of small intestine, which had the length of 2-3 cm long. The intestine was held in place with a tissue holder, and was attached to the transducer via a piece of string. The transducer detected contractions and relaxation of the muscle, and via the D.C amplifier showed on the computer the frequency and strength of the contractions and relaxations. The solution that the muscle was placed in was kept at the temperature of 37 Celsius apart from when the environment condition changed was the temperature. This type of setup is known as in vivo preparation. This preparation of the smooth intestine allows a precise control of the environmental conditions. Brief description of test carried out The test which was carried out had six parts to it. The first part of the experiment was to gain initial control of the muscle this was done by having optimum conditions for the smooth muscle so it could achieve a steady rate of contraction and relaxation. This was achieved by adding Ringer-Locke solution and keeping it aerated. By having this set up it allowed the muscle environment to be very closely met to the ideal body environment where the muscle would have a good contraction and relaxation rate. The muscle was left in this preparation until the readings on the computer were constant (about 4 minutes) the initial control was labelled using the comment bar. The next environment was non-aerated this meant to turn the air supply off which was coming to the bath where the muscle was held. Then the Ringer-Locke solution was removed from the bath and fresh Ringer-Locke solution was then placed into the bath. The reason for removing the old solution was to prevent any inaccurate readings as the solution could still have contained oxygen which would have affected the results. This part of the test was recorded after every 5, 10, 15 minutes and the results where inserted into a table. The main purpose of using this environment was to see what the muscle contractions and relaxations are when there is a lack of oxygen. This part of the experiment was again labelled on the comment bar. The next part of the experiment was to remove the Ringer-Locke solution and replace it with 50ml of glucose free solution and again results were recorded after every 5 ,10, 15 minutes and recorded into a table. The fourth different environment was change in temperature. The Ringer-Locke solution of 37 Celsius was replaced with a Ringer-Locke solution that was cooled to 4 Celsius. The purpose of this environment was to test the muscle activity in a cold environment and to analyse the effects. The fifth environment involved the use of calcium free solution this replaced the Ringer-Locke solution. This was analysed for 5 minutes to see how the muscle activity was affected. The final environment was to do with changes in the pH. The pH was changed from pH7 which is neutral to a different pH. The solution with different pH was prepared before hand and the purpose of this environment was to see what effect a pH change would have on the muscle activity. After each part of the experiment initial control was established before moving on to the next part the reason for this being to keep the muscle running properly before each part of the experiment and to cause less damage to the smooth muscle. Also each part of the experiment was labelled on the comment bar this was done to show each different part clearly so it was not confused. (Clear methods are shown in the printouts) Results table for my experiment Firstly the results achieved ere done by looking at the different graphs and to work out the amplitude for the graph the following was done: Example (Graph not related to report) To work out the amplitude of the graph recording two figures were recorded one being the peak of the wave and the other being the lowest part of the wave To work out the frequency for each part of the experiment the amount of waves were recorded in a minute time period. The frequency in this case was how many times the muscles contracted and relaxed in a minutes. The amplitude was the strength of each contraction and relaxing of the muscle. The maximum and minimum amplitudes were collected for each environment and recorded; the amplitude chosen was picked at random as well as the minute where the frequency of waves was calculated. These are results are shown in the table below: Environments Frequency per Minute (min-1) Amplitude 1 Amplitude 2 Maximum Minimum Maximum Minimum Initial control 15 2.10 0.78 1.96 0.65 Non aerated 5 Mins 13 1.94 0.47 1.89 0.38 Non aerated 10 Mins 17 1.53 0.36 1.51 0.38 Non aerated 15 Mins 16 1.58 0.38 1.54 0.36 Lack of glucose 5 mins 17 1.34 0.47 1.49 0.41 Lack of glucose 10 mins 17 1.51 0.43 1.52 0.45 Lack of glucose 15 mins 17 1.37 0.45 1.43 0.46 Cold ringer solution 5 Mins 14 1.76 0.44 1.73 0.51 Calcium Lack 5 Mins 12 1.15 0.63 .95 0.47 Change of pH Flat No waves Discussion of results Firstly a diagram of the intestine is needed to show how it works and what different types of cells it contains. This is needed as it will help to understand why the muscle behaved differently when tested with six different environments. A diagram of the small intestine is shown below; The small intestine contains the 4 basic layers which are serosa, muscularis, submucosa, and mucosa. Small intestine wall is composed of the same four layers that make up most of the gastrointestinal tract: serosa, muscularis, submucosa, and mucosa. The mucosa is composed of a layer of epithelium, lamina propria, and muscularis mucosae. The epithelial layer of the small intestinal musoca consists of simple columnar epithelium that contains many types of cells. Some of these are the following: Enetrocytes these help with the transport of substances from lumen of the intestine to the circulatory system, synthesis of the glycoprotein enzymes needed for terminal digestion and absorption. Goblet cells these are unicellular mucin also known as secreting glands. Paneth cells these are located at the bottom of the intestinal glands. Their main function is their secretion of granules which contain lysozyme this enzyme helps breakdown bacteria also known as phagocytosis. Paneth cells may have a role in regulating the microbial population in the small intestine. Enteroendocrine cells these are mostly found again in the lower parts of the intestinal gland known as the crypt. The main function of these cells is to release several hormones. The main one beings cholecystokinin, secretin and gastric inhibitory peptide these help increase pancreatic and gallbladder activity. Intermediate cells these are young enterocytes and goblet cell which are able to withstand cell division. Apart from the smooth muscle many other cells and vessels make up the intestine. The small intestine also contains submucosal artery and vein, lymphatic vessel, submucosal plexus, circular layer of smooth muscle, and myenteric plexus. All these tissues, cells, and vessel combine to make the small intestine wall. The smooth muscle in the control environment was able to obtain a steady frequency through out its 4 minute period with 15 waves per minute. The waves which were seen were the smooth muscle contracting and relaxing. The amplitude levels of the waves were both quite high showing strong contractions rate the reason for this was that the environment set was to ideal conditions where the muscle could perform its best. It had a max amplitude of 2.10 and min amplitude of 0.78 which shows that having ideal conditions the muscle is able to behave normally without any problems. The effect of oxygen lack of the smooth muscle cause the small intestine to increase the frequency, at 5 minutes no aerated the frequency had first dropped to 13 and after 15 minutes the frequency of contraction and relaxations had increased to 17 the reason or this being without oxygen the smooth muscles started to have spasms as it was unable to contract properly without the oxygen supply needed. Also the amplitude levels decreased quite quickly from 1.94 (max) and 0.47(min) at 5 minutes to 1.58(max) and 0.38 (min) at 15 minutes. The reason for this was that without oxygen the muscle was unable to make the energy needed for strong contractions as the peak is lowered as can be seen on the traces. This was detected by the pull on the string that was attached to the transducer; the pull was not as strong so this was recorded on the traces. So without oxygen the muscle cells are still able to make ATP but a small amount. Only about 2 ATP are produced per molecule of glucose in glycolys is. If there is no oxygen present, the Pyruvate produced in glycolysis undergoes fermentation to regenerate the NAD+ used in glycolysis. This is known as anaerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration generates only two ATPs, and lactic acid is produced. Most lactic acid diffuses out of the cell and into the bloodstream and is subsequently absorbed by the liver. Some of the lactic acid remains in the muscle fibers, where it contributes to muscle fatigue. Because both the liver and muscle fibers must convert the lactic acid back to pyruvic acid when oxygen becomes available, anaerobic respiration is said to produce oxygen debt The next part of the experiment was to test how the muscle activity differed when placed in glucose free solution. From this part of the test the frequency of muscle activity stayed consistent throughout the 15 minutes. The traces show consistent movement and also the amplitudes levels differed as at 5 minutes (1.34) the maximum amplitude was low then at 10 minutes (1.51) it wet higher and at 15 minutes (1.37) it decreased again to a similar figure which was at 5 minutes. By looking at this result the results are not as accurate as they should have been, meaning they may have been some kind of inaccuracy when following the method as without glucose, ATP can not be made and the amplitude of the waves should have been lower. ATP can be made from glucose which is stored in the carbohydrate glycogen. Through the metabolic process of glycogenolysis, glycogen is broken down to release glucose. ATP is then generated from glucose by cellular respiration. Also ATP can be produced from glucose and fatty acids obtained from the bloodstream. When energy requirements are high, glucose from glycogen stored in the liver and fatty acids from fat stored in adipose cells and the liver are released into the bloodstream. Glucose and fatty acids are then absorbed from the bloodstream by muscle cells. ATP is then generated from these energy-rich molecules by cellular respiration. Without glucose the frequecny should hve increased but the amplitudes levels should have decreased as there was not a sufficient energy source which could supply the muscle so it could contract and relax. The next part of the experiment consisted of placing the smooth muscle into a cooled solution of 4 Celsius from a change of 37 Celsius. There was not much change to the frequency but it did drop a little bit due to the muscle not being used to these environmental conditions. The amplitude differed from the control readings as they had decreased but were still quite high as they had the nutrients in the solutions which helped them to contract. If this experiment was left to carry on then there would be further change as the solution would gradually heat up to room temperature and this would mean that the smooth muscle activity would increase. Calcium plays a big part in all muscle contraction as well as smooth muscle contraction which is different as it does not contain troponin. In smooth muscles calcium ions enter from outside the cell. They then bind to an enzyme complex on myosin; this then breaks up ATP into ADP and then transfers the Pi directly into myosin. By doing this it allows the myosin to activate and from cross ridges with actin. When the calcium is pumped out of the cell, the Pi gets removed from myosin by an enzyme this allows the myosin to become inactive and the smooth muscle is able to relax. This process is also known as myosin regulated contraction. In the experiment where calcium free solution was added it affected the smooth muscle immensely as the frequency of contracting and relaxing dropped to 12. Also the amplitude levels came down as the contractions and relaxations levels were not strong the max being 0.95 and the minimum being 0.47 if this was left for a longer period of time the frequency levels may have dropped more. Without calcium entering the cell the smooth muscle is unable to do the process which is described above. While making the Ringer-Locke solution it is not only the calcium ions which are important to the smooth muscles. Some others are potassium chloride and sodium chloride, the reason these ions are needed because it helps to portray an environment such as the body with ideal conditions. If only distilled water was used it would mean the cells in the muscles would up take the water and blow up. So these ions are used so they are able to keep a concentration gradient and allow everything to work correctly as it would in the smooth muscles natural environment. The final environment was the change in pH levels. The results showed that the muscle had stopped functioning and there was no reading on the traces. This meant that there was no muscle contraction or relaxing. The reason for this was the muscle had broken down the reason for this muscle fatigue was that the low pH had affected the smooth muscle as it was unable to perform in this type of environment. Also as the low pH solution was there for a certain period of time the muscle was unable to remove it and therefore caused the muscle to breakdown. The low pH may have affected the sarcoplasmic reticulum which may lead to the interfere of the intercellular calcium concentrations, this can lead to long term physical muscle damage as muscle fibers are affected. While preparing the isolated smooth muscle many precautions are taken so the muscle can avoid excessive pH changes. One of these precautions which are taken is to make sure that before inserting the small intestine into the bath. The solution will need to be tested with pH indicator test strips which will give a fairly accurate reading of the solution which the smooth muscle will be placed. This is very important as if the pH is incorrect it will mean that the smooth muscle will not perform to its full potential meaning the results achieved will be inaccurate. To gain accurate results all solutions which are used will need to be checked to see if they are the correct pH by using the ph indicating strips. After this test the smooth muscle was unable to reach the control again as the muscle had broken down. If this experiment was done again at room temperature the results would differ as the performance of the muscle would decrease. This is because the optimum temperature inside the body is around 37 Celsius and this temperature allows the muscle to work at an optimum rate. The lower temperature will mean that muscle contraction will be slower as there will be an effect on enzyme reactions as the more heat there is the more kinetic energy there is this will mean that the muscle activity will be good. If acetylcholine was added to the solution bath of the smooth muscle the membrane potential would decrease and the frequency of waves would increase. The muscle will become more active, with an increase in tonic tension and the number of rhythmic contractions. The effect is mediated by enzymes which increases the intracellular Calcium concentration. Another substance which could have been added was adrenaline. Adrenaline allows blood to flow more easily to your muscles. This means that more oxygen is carried to your muscles by the extra blood, which allows your muscles to function at elevated levels. Adrenaline also facilitates the conversion of the bodys fuel source (glycogen) into its fuel (glucose). This carbohydrate gives energy to muscles, and a sudden burst of glucose also allows muscles to strengthen further. Skeletal and smooth muscle muscles differences in structure and function There are many differences between the two types of muscles the differences are stated below: Snmooth muscles Skeletal muscle A smooth muscle fiber has no T tubules, and the sarcoplasmic reticulum forms a loose network throughout the sarcoplasm. Are long cyrindrical cells that contain many nuclei Smooth muscle tissue has no myofibrils or sarcomeres They are striated this shows their precise alignments of their myofilaments. This tissue also has no striations and is called nonstriated muscle. Thick filaments consist of myosin as thin filaments consist mostly of actin. Thick filaments are scattered throughout the sarcoplasm of a smooth muscle cell Each independent cell is stimulated by a motor neurone. Adjacent smooth muscle cells are bound together at dense bodies, transmitting the contractile forces from cell to cell throughout the tissue. Connective endomysium seprates cell Function Differences Smooth muscles cells are an involuntary action and can work slower so they do not have muscle fatigue. Skeletal Muscle contains both Fast Slow Twitch muscle fibers, that allow for a faster reaction where needed, and the opposite is true for the Slow as well Smooth muscle lines your arteries and airways and serves to contract or relax to help control blood pressure. skeletal muscles function almost continuously to maintain your posture making one tiny adjustment after another to keep your body upright They are also present in the iris of the eye to control the size of the pupil in response to light. By the use of the radial and circular muscle. Skeletal muscle is also important for holding your bones in the correct position and prevents your joints from dislocating. Some skeletal muscles in your face are directly attached to your skin They line the GI tract to move foodthrough the intestines. This is done by peristalsis. Skeletal muscle generates heat as a by-product of muscle activity. This heat is vital for maintaining your normal body temperature.

Joan of Arc :: essays research papers

Choose one of the women discussed and decide which of the â€Å"syndromes† you think society would have applied to her and why? Do you agree or disagree?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Joan of Arc the Patron Saint of France could have very easily been characterized under many â€Å"syndromes† by her society. Joan being a virgin and highly religious could have been viewed under the Chaste Syndrome, she may have been viewed under the Tomboy Syndrome for being a warrior and dressing like a man, or she may have been viewed under the Shame Syndrome for taking command of the French army leading them to defeat over England. Joan possibly could have been viewed by society under a culmination of all these â€Å"syndromes†, being called a Warrior Queen. It is difficult to choose just one of Joan’s abnormality’s or shall I say â€Å"syndromes† according to her society, but the Chaste Syndrome describes her the best from my view.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Joan being a virgin, which is none of my business or her community’s, and showing a venerance to God correlates closely to the image of the Virgin Mary. Joan being such a close resemblance to the Virgin Mary would allow her society to classify her under the Chaste Syndrome. Throughout the classroom reading assignment on Joan of Arc I get the impression she is pristine and wants nothing but to obey the voices of St. Catherine, and St. Margaret. When being interrogated she says, that the voices â€Å"told her to fight boldly and God would help her.† Joan’s society would have hopefully seen her under the Chaste Syndrome, she was one to be revered and emulated much like that of the Virgin Mary.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion my opinion stands in disagreeance with Joan’s society for one reason, a syndrome is defined as a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterized a particular abnormality.

History and Comparison of Windows, Linux, and Apple Essay

An operating system is a set of programs containing instructions that work together to coordinate all the activities among computer hardware resources. Most operating systems perform similar functions that include starting and shutting down a computer, providing a user interface, managing programs, managing memory, coordinating tasks, configuring devices, establishing an Internet connection, monitoring performance, providing file management and other utilities, and automatically updating itself and certain utility programs (Shelly p. 398). There are three major operating systems that exist today that are going to be compared to decide which operating system could be best for different user purposes. The three operating systems are Windows, Linux, and Apple. Windows operating system is developed and maintained by Microsoft in Seattle, WA. The Microsoft Company was developed by Bill Gates. The first version of the Windows operating system was released in 1985, and has been the leading operating system used by 90% of users (Satyam). It is used by the Server 2008 R2 (Satyam). Windows is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) which allows its users to manage files and run software programs easily on desktop and laptop computers (Satyam). On the desktop, icons are used to represent programs that are easy to find and can be clicked to easily access and run the program of choice. Windows is also very popular because of its user interface programs such as Microsoft Office, which include Microsoft Word, Microsoft Power Point, and Microsoft Office Outlook. Windows also has a great reputation for its high and efficient security. Some popular Windows editions are Win 98, Win 2000, Win Me, Windows NT, Windows CE, Win 2003, Win XP, Win Vista and Windows 7 ( Satyam). Windows 8 is now the new successor of Windows 7 and is now available. Linux (Linus’ Unix) is a leading server operating system, and is used for running the top 10 fastest supercomputers in the world (Satyam). Linus Torwalds created Linux, and is the current owner of the Linux Trademark (Satyam). LIndows, Lycoris, Red Hat, SuSe, Mandrake, Knopping, Slackware are the various companies that distribute the Linux operating system (Satyam). NASlite is a version of the Linux operating system that runs off of a single floppy disk and converts an old computer into a file server (Satyam). Some popular versions of Linux include Debian, Fedora, and Red Hat. This operating system is ranked just below Windows operating system, but is quickly becoming popular and is predicted to give future Windows some tough competition. Since 1984, Mac OS 9 had been Apple’s primary operating system, but has been recently succeeded by Mac OS X. Mac OS X is a sequence of Unix-based operating systems and GUI’s developed, marketed and sold by Apple (Satyam). Mac OS X is user friendly, and is popular for its plug-and-play support, which means the operating system automatically configures new devices as they are installed (Shelly p. 408). As stated in the beginning of this paper, Windows, Linux, and Apple are the three most popular operating systems with Windows as the most popular of the three with 85% to 90% of personal computers using this operating system (Satyam). Compared to Windows, Mac is used by fewer people, but is more reliable and less likely to fail than Windows OS because of Mac regularly monitoring and the software and hardware add-ons. Linux is the least popular of the three and is based on UNIX, which has been used for more than three decades that now powers about 90% of Web sites (Satyam). Compared to both Mac and Windows, Linux is an open source project, meaning anyone can modify the Linux Code (Satyam). Linux offers great security and flexibility compared to Windows and Mac, but it takes a great deal of knowledge to install and operate the Linux operating system. Linux is also very much less expensive or even free compared to Windows operating system. When using a server, Linux is much cheaper compared to Windows because Microsoft only allows only a single copy to be used on one computer. However, once Linux is purchased, it can be used on any number of computers at no additional charge (Satyam). Windows can make it difficult for users to store user information and settings and switch to a new computer, but Linux stores the user’s data in the home directory, making it easier to transfer from an old to a new computer (Satyam). In conclusion, Linux is much more secure, reliable, flexible, and more cost efficient than Windows or Mac, but much more difficult to install, understand and operate, it is ideal for industry sectors. Windows and Mac operating systems are much easier for personal use and require less knowledge than Linux operating system. Windows and Mac, however, are more expensive, but are more widely used than Linux, with Windows leading the three in popularity. References Shelly, G. B., & Vermaat, M. E. (2011). Discovering Computers 2011: Living in a Digital World, Complete (pp. 398-408). Boston, MA: Course Technology, Cengage Learning. Satyam. (2011, June 29). Windows, Linux or Mac OS A Comparison. In HackDigital. Retrieved September 26, 2012, from Google.

The Serial Comma is OK with Me

The Serial Comma is OK with Me The Serial Comma is OK with Me The Serial Comma is OK with Me By Maeve Maddox After a lifetime of being wishy-washy about the serial comma, I’ve reached a decision: I’m going to use it all the time. Such a momentous decision is, of course, a deeply personal matter. The pros and cons are widely, frequently, and hotly debated. Here is some information that may enable you to make the decision for yourself, if you haven’t already done so. serial comma: (also Oxford comma) n. a comma used after the penultimate item in a list of three or more items, before and or or (e.g. an Italian painter, sculptor, and architect). Penguin Writer’s Manual. Oxford comma: n. [after the preferred use of such a comma to avoid ambiguity in the house style of Oxford University Press] a comma immediately preceding the conjunction in a list of items. OED Some writers call the Oxford comma the â€Å"Harvard comma.† Heres a sentence with a serial comma: The Three Stooges are Larry, Moe, and Curly. Here it is without a serial comma: The Three Stooges are Larry, Moe and Curly. PRO serial comma The Chicago Manual of Style (2009) When a conjunction joins the last two elements in a series, a comma- known as the serial or series comma or the Oxford comma- should appear before the conjunction. Chicago strongly recommends this widely practiced usage, blessed by Fowler and other authorities 6.19 The Elements of Style (2000) In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. The stated rule seems ambiguous to me, but the examples that follow it are clear: red, white, and blue gold, silver, or copper Gregg Reference Manual (1993) When three or more items are listed in a series, and the last item is preceded by and, or, or nor, place a comma before the conjunction as well as between the other items. CON serial comma   AP Stylebook (2009) Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series: The flag is red, white and blue. He would nominate Tom, Dick or Harry. AP does allow a comma before and when ambiguity would result without one: Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series, however, if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction: I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast. Penguin Guide to Punctuation (1997) Note also that it is not usual in British usage to put a listing comma before the word and or or itself (though American usage regularly puts one there.) So, in British usage, it is not usual to write The Three Musketeers were Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. On the fence regarding the serial comma Penguin Writer’s Manual (2002) It is becoming more common in British English (and is usual in American English) to place a comma before the and that precedes the final item in a simple list (numbers one, two, three, and four). Fowler’s Modern English Usage (1965) In promoting the use of the serial comma, CMOS observes that the usage is â€Å"blessed by Fowler† among other authorities. However, when I looked up the topic in Fowler (1965 edition) I found this remark, which seems neutral at best: The more usual way of punctuating such an enumeration as was used as an example in the preceding section is French, German, Italian and Spanish; the commas between French and German and German and Italian take the place of ands; there is no comma after Italian because, with and, it would be otiose [having no practical function; redundant; superfluous]. There are, however, some who favour putting one there, arguing that, since it may sometimes be needed to avoid ambiguity it may as well be used always for the sake of uniformity. So there you have it. My choice is to travel the path of otiosity for the sake of uniformity. What’s yours? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Apply to, Apply for, and Apply withComma Before ButWhile vs. Whilst

Free Essays on Lee Iacocca

Biography of Lee Iacocca Lee Iacocca was a leader and now a historian of leadership qualities. Iacocca was born on October 15, 1924, at Allentown, PA, as the second child to Nicola and Antionette Iacocca. His birth name was Lido Anthony Iacocca, but he later known as â€Å"Lee." His father became known in Allentown as a hard-driving businessperson, opening restaurant and rental car company, among other interest. Iacocca worked and went to school, graduating in 1945 from Leigh University. In 1946, he earned a master’s degree in engineering from Princeton University. In that same year, Iacocca went to work at Ford Motor Company as a training engineer. After nine months, he decided engineering was not for him. He felt that being a salesperson at Ford would better suit him. This started his climbing to the top at Ford. At age thirty-six he was the general manager of the biggest division in the second largest automobile company. Iacocca organized the Fairlane Committee that consisted of young engineers and himself. He soon became known as â€Å"The father of the Mustang.† The Fairlane Committee and Iacocca made the 1964  ½ Mustang. After the creation of the Mustang, he worked his way through the company, becoming the general manager of Ford division and vice president of the company in 1960. Iacocca became president in 1970, but his relationship with Henry Ford cost his job in 1978. Soon after termination he secured a job as president of the struggling Chrysler, which at that time manufactured gas-guzzling vehicles during rising gas prices. The company faced bankruptcy, but Iacocca would not give up. He approached the U.S. Congress for financial assistance. Congress agreed to $1.5 billion in loan guarantees if Chrysler could raise another $2 billion in capital. It did, and the 1981 fiscal year showed a small profit. In 1984, Chrysler generated $2.4 billion in profits after reforming its vehicles and entire company. I... Free Essays on Lee Iacocca Free Essays on Lee Iacocca Biography of Lee Iacocca Lee Iacocca was a leader and now a historian of leadership qualities. Iacocca was born on October 15, 1924, at Allentown, PA, as the second child to Nicola and Antionette Iacocca. His birth name was Lido Anthony Iacocca, but he later known as â€Å"Lee." His father became known in Allentown as a hard-driving businessperson, opening restaurant and rental car company, among other interest. Iacocca worked and went to school, graduating in 1945 from Leigh University. In 1946, he earned a master’s degree in engineering from Princeton University. In that same year, Iacocca went to work at Ford Motor Company as a training engineer. After nine months, he decided engineering was not for him. He felt that being a salesperson at Ford would better suit him. This started his climbing to the top at Ford. At age thirty-six he was the general manager of the biggest division in the second largest automobile company. Iacocca organized the Fairlane Committee that consisted of young engineers and himself. He soon became known as â€Å"The father of the Mustang.† The Fairlane Committee and Iacocca made the 1964  ½ Mustang. After the creation of the Mustang, he worked his way through the company, becoming the general manager of Ford division and vice president of the company in 1960. Iacocca became president in 1970, but his relationship with Henry Ford cost his job in 1978. Soon after termination he secured a job as president of the struggling Chrysler, which at that time manufactured gas-guzzling vehicles during rising gas prices. The company faced bankruptcy, but Iacocca would not give up. He approached the U.S. Congress for financial assistance. Congress agreed to $1.5 billion in loan guarantees if Chrysler could raise another $2 billion in capital. It did, and the 1981 fiscal year showed a small profit. In 1984, Chrysler generated $2.4 billion in profits after reforming its vehicles and entire company. I...

How the USDA Has Addressed Discrimination

How the USDA Has Addressed Discrimination ​The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made significant progress in addressing allegations of discrimination against minority and women farmers both in the farm loan programs it administers and in its workforce that have hounded it for over a decade, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Background Since 1997, the USDA has been the target of major civil rights lawsuits brought by African-American, Native American, Hispanic, and women farmers. The suits generally accused the USDA of using discriminatory practices to illegally deny loans, delay loan application processing, underfund loan amounts and create unnecessary and burdensome roadblocks in the loan application process. These discriminatory practices were found to create unnecessary financial hardships for minority farmers.Two of the best-known civil rights lawsuits filed against the USDA Pigford v. Glickmanand Brewington v. Glickman - filed on behalf of African-American farmers, resulted in the largest civil rights settlements in history. To date, over $1 billion has been paid to over 16,000 farmers as a result of settlements in the Pigford v. Glickman and Brewington v. Glickman suits.Today, Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers who believe they were discriminated against by the USDA in making or servicing farm loans bet ween 1981 and 2000 can file claims for cash awards or debt relief on eligible farm loans by visiting the USDAs Farmersclaims.gov website. GAO Finds Progress Made In October 2008, the GAO made six recommendations for ways the USDA could improve its performance in resolving farmers discrimination claims and providing minority farmers with access to programs intended to help them succeed. In its report titled, USDAs Progress toward Implementing GAOs Civil Rights Recommendations, the GAO told Congress the USDA fully addressed three of its six recommendations from 2008, made significant progress toward addressing two, and made some progress toward addressing one. (See: Table 1, page 3, of the GAO report) Outreach Programs for Minority Farmers and Ranchers As early as 2002, the USDA committed to improving its support for minority farmers by releasing $98.2 million in grants to supplement its loan programs specifically for minority and small farmers and ranchers. Of the grants, then Sec. of Agriculture Ann Veneman said, We are committed to utilizing all resources available to help farm and ranch families, particularly minority and small producers, who need assistance. Besides the monetary awards, grants for minority farmers and extensive efforts to promote civil rights awareness and equality within the USDA itself, perhaps the most important changes arising from the settlements of the civil rights lawsuits have been the series of USDA outreach programs intended to serve minority and women farmers and ranchers. Some of these programs include: Office of the Pigford Case Monitor: The Office of the Monitor provides access to all court documents, including court orders and decisions related to the Pigford v. Glickman and Brewington v. Glickman lawsuits filed against the USDA on the behalf of African-American farmers and ranchers. The collection of documents provided on the Office of the Monitor website are intended to help persons with claims against the USDA arising from the lawsuits learn about the payments and other relief they are entitled to under the courts rulings.Minority and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers Assistance (MSDA): Operating under the USDAs Farm Service Agency, the Minority and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers Assistance was established specifically to assist minority and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers who apply for USDA farm loans. The MSDA also offers the USDA Minority Farm Register to all minority persons involved in farming or ranching. Participants in the Minority Farm Register are mailed re gular updates on the USDAs efforts to assist minority farmers.Women and Community Outreach Programs: Created in 2002, the Community Outreach and Assistance to Women, Limited Resource and Other Traditionally Under Served Farmers and Ranchers Program provides loans and grants to community colleges and other community based organizations for developing outreach projects to provide women and other under-served farmers and ranchers with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to make informed risk management decisions for their operations.Small Farms Program: Many of Americas small and family farms are owned by minorities. In the Pigford v. Glickman and Brewington v. Glickman lawsuits, the courts criticized the USDA as having an attitude of indifference toward the needs of minority small farmers and ranchers. The USDAs Small and Family Farm Program, administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, is an attempt to correct that.Project Forge: Another minority outreach ef fort of the USDAs National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Project Forge provides assistance and training to the primarily Hispanic and other minority farmers and ranchers in rural regions of South Texas. Operating out of the University of Texas-Pan American, Project Forge has been successful in improving the economic condition in the South Texas region through both its training programs and development of farmers markets.

Financial Report Degree Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Financial Report Degree - Case Study Example Monsoon plc deals in branded variety of clothing, footwear and accessories comprising two major chains i.e., Monsoon and Accessorize. The company caters to a wide range of customers young and old, male and female, babies and children. Apart from clothing and accessories, the company also deals in home ware for instance, bed and bath lines, curtains, and other home products (Company Info, accessed 06.04.2006). Blacks Leisure plc is a high street chain of superstores engaged in outdoor clothing and footwear business all over the United Kingdom having around 104 stores across the country. The company has a diversified customer market and its store design reflect this orientation. It provides clothing and travelling products to a wide range of customers of all ages and kind. It deals in several brands and provides a range of products relating to the outdoor activities and adventure most specifically clothing, tents, outdoor equipments, accessories and instruments The comparison and evaluation presented in this report is significant in the sense that it practically employs a wide variety of financial ratios to assess the financial position and performance of both the companies. ... This comparison would assist these users in forming a rationale for their major decision-making i.e., strategic planning, investment and funds lending etc. RATIO ANALYSIS- BLACKS LEISURE GROUP PLC & MONSOON PLC Ratio analysis is the best tool to evaluate a company's performance and identify problems (Meigs & Meigs, 1993). Riahi-Belkaoui (1998) comments that financial ratios are meant to make the information in financial statements interpretable for the various users of financial statements. Similarly, we will assess and analyse the financial position and performance of the two companies Blacks Leisure plc and Monsoon plc using a broad array of financial ratios from the viewpoints of management, lenders and investors separately. Analysis For Management Management needs to analyse its performance and efforts put into the corporate affairs through the company's financial results so as to realise their strengths and weaknesses. Riahi-Belkaoui (1998, p11) says, "the profitability ratios portray ability of the firm to efficiently use the capital committed by stockholders and lenders to generate revenues in excess of expenses". Therefore, the analysis from the management aspect has been done with the help of following profitability ratios: Ratios Blacks Leisure Plc Monsoon Plc Gross Profit Ratio 53.07% 61.51% Net Profit Ratio 6.54% 15.66% Return on Capital Employed 20.23% 42.76% The Gross Profit Margin Percentage evaluates the percentage of profit earned by a company on sales after the production and distribution activities (Mcmenamin, 1999). It shows how well the company manages its expenses so as to attain maximum profit out of its total sales. Monsoon plc's gross profit ratio of 61.51% reflects that the company

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 8

Human Resource Management - Essay Example It was only the people who could lead an organization in the right direction and could individually and collectively contribute to achievement of the business objectives (Armstrong, 1992) At present Human Resource management is a fast evolving field that has emerged as one of the focal points of any business. It is Human resource management that addresses the theoretical and practical techniques of managing a workforce. Many people have the perception that only job of the human resource management department is to consider present or upcoming job vacancies and fill them with suitable staff. Well, that’s not entirely untrue but human resource management entails much more than hiring firing decisions. (Armstrong, 1992) HRM includes many different functions which contribute to organizational value in a variety of ways. Some of these functions also contribute by reducing risk. In this essay we will firstly examine the major HR functions and then consider the extent to which these functions add value and reduce risk. (Armstrong, 1992) It is important to understand that the role of HRM as a department varies from organization to organization and also between countries. For the sake of simplicity we will assume an organization where there is a significant HR department. Generally the department will be considered to have the following responsibilities: Resource Management refers to the recruitment and selection of employees within an organization. The importance of effective recruitment programs cannot be highlighted enough. The HR department is the entry point or the funnel which channels the most valuable resource of an organization, so it is important that it is aware of organizational needs and requirements and work in tandem with other departments. Therefore resource management remains to be HR departments’ key roles; newer concepts such as knowledge management are linked to Resource management as well. One important

A vertical integration strategy and a corporate diversification Essay

A vertical integration strategy and a corporate diversification strategy - Essay Example First, it can reduce opportunistic threats from the firm's buyers and suppliers by making transaction-specific value-adding investments, e.g., by capitalizing on economies of scale (opportunism-based). Second, the firm can exploit any of its valuable, rare, and costly-to-imitate resources and capabilities, e.g., as part of the processes used to make its end-products (capabilities-based). Third, the firm can take advantage of stable or volatile business conditions to squeeze profits by reducing its costs as much as possible (flexibility-based). The value of adopting any of these three strategies would depend on how rare and costly to imitate these strategies are, whether the firm does something its competitors do not, the degree to which it exercises control, and the variety of uncertainties that it faces. Implementing vertical integration requires a high degree of control, so a functional or U-form organization structure is the most commonly used (aside from a good CEO), a necessity when adopting cost leadership and product differentiation strategies. The expected conflicts that arise from this structure can be resolved with the use of closely-managed budgets and management oversight committees.

Report on Greater Galago Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Report on Greater Galago - Essay Example Males have a penis that is 20mm in length with tip wellings (Anderson 326). Furthermore, the penis is enclosed in spines that reduces in size in the direction of the tip where the baculum end is observed (Anderson 329). Otolemur crassicaudatus mainly feeds on fruits, gums from Acacia karroo, millipedes, seeds, insects and nectar (Clark 588). This species of Galogos also consumes lower sepals from Adonsonia digitata (baobab) and Genius Combretum (Coe & Isaac 123). In Transvaal south Africa this species of Galogos feeds on dry fruits that are hard shelled and woody and also Zizyphus mucronata berries. Greater Galogos also feeds on anthropoids found in orders: Isoptera, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, Chilopoda, Odonata and Coleoptera (Harcourt 492).Moreover, this species feeds on termites of Macrotermes sp and millipedes using tongue and lips while walking (Happold & Happold 118).It does this by moving from one tree to another capturing insects and foraging on gum (Clark 593). Otolemur crassi caudatus sleeps in hidden thick mesh of creepers and twigs of trees 5-12m from the ground .Greater Galogos have many sleeping sites and during the day they cannot move away from these sites Otolemur crassicaudatus moves quadrupedally in bushes and forests. While on the ground, it moves using hind limbs only with a kangaroo gait and where both hind and fore limbs are used, it has portrays galloping gait. The hindquarters are in the air when it is either running or walking (Anderson 328). In terms of social behavior, Otolemur crassicaudatus is a nocturnal primate that displays the following characteristics; first, male and female move away from their birth localities, but males sometimes return to avoid dominant male. Male’s territory overlap with that of female with no overlap home ranges while the latter have overlap home ranges. Males do not keep out other male within their home but females have a tendency of keeping out other females (Clark 1985). Social interaction mainly takes place in overlap home ranges especially after feeding and, in some cases, the whole night. In mating period, females tend to associate with juveniles and males (Clark 585). Juveniles follow mature males at night to understand areas or regions where food resources are found (Clark 589). During reproduction, females make nests which consist of unreachable and middle-depressed with dense foliage leaves to provide shelter for the infants. Greater Galagos have a gestation period of 128 days (Ehrlich 192).The species gives birth to singletons, twins or triplets in a birth season which is usually early November (Harcourt 492). Sexual organs swell in the mating seasons in Otolemur crassicaudatus. The species has one mating season which takes place in June for a period of two weeks. The species gives birth at day time with female remaining awake when other Galagos go to sleep. There are visible contractions that are followed by frequent licking of genital before birth. Female do not pr oduce any sound at the time when they are giving birth. Infants weigh about 40g and are sired with open eyes. The infants spend most of their time in conduct with their mother who transports them orally up to when they are about five weeks (Ehrlich 198). At the age of seven weeks, infants begin to explore their environment and, in some cases, they play. Weaning takes place at the age of three month. This species is found in western Africa (central), Eastern and southern parts of Africa. In South Africa, it is found

Reaction Paper to Movie Hoop Dreams Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reaction Paper to Hoop Dreams - Movie Review Example This is seen in the movie as it entails the story of two high school students In Chicago who had a dream of becoming professional basketball players. The two African American teenagers; Arthur Agree and William Gate, studied in a white, Roman Catholic high school called St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois after being recruited by the schools’ scout (Joravsky, 1996). Despite the economic adversity, long hours commuting, change in environment and difficult training, Agree and Gates worked very hard to enhance their basketball skills despite the competitive industry in the job. Their families also played an important role in supporting them with the school basketball program. In the film we get to see Americas’ present view of education, race, economic diversity, social class and values. William Gates of the two students is obsessed to play in the National Basketball Association. Four years down the line William Gates progresses to the Nike All-America basketba ll camp. During the camp one of the coaches, Mr. Lee, informs them that the only reason they were in the camp was to make their schools win and make a lot of money. At the camp, the college coaches tended to overlook high school players. This reveals the relentless procedure in which coaches and recruiting scouts neglect to recognize such people like Arthur Agree and William Gates. The life of the two students seemed to be opening up smoothly where William is aiming for a stunning college career as well as the pro basketball view whereas; Arthur Agree seems to progress downwards. The two are engaged into a system that is not ready to take them in easily (Joravsky, 1996). The film was also used as a tool to express the social issue in the American community which it achieves and puts in even more important questions. It also portrays how money affected the society as well as major institutions, for example in the case scenario where ‘coach Lee’ gives advice to Arthur Agr ee and William Gates that everything they were getting involved was at it about money and even quoted; â€Å"the whole thing is about money† and tried to explain how they were being used by the school so that it would win and make a lot of money. He even went to further to tell them that, the only way that people like them, people from the poor black neighborhood, would defend themselves as well as their interests from such situation, was through being aware of the fact that it was not just about playing basketball but everything was revolving around money (Joravsky, 1996). Arthur Agree lived with his parents who broke up but later made u and were back together after Arthur’s father had a drug problem (crack) but managed to get over it. They lived in the Cabrini-Green housing project, whereas; William Gates lived with his single mother and his older brother called Curtis who had missed out on his own basketball career in college but didn’t give up but rather inv ested his dreams in his younger brother William Gates. He had so much trust in his small brother such trust in his younger brother such that he even made a comment saying he does not see how the brother, William Gates was not

The Missing Link in Conflict resolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Missing Link in Conflict resolution - Essay Example IGD also aims to identify differences across the groups brought together and to improve the capabilities of both individuals and groups to achieve social justice (Nagada and Gurin 2007, 35). This paper compares and contrast the conflict processes operative for Northern Ireland, South Africa and the Israeli/Palestinian conflicts. The object is to identify what if any of the IGD theories are reflecting in these three conflict resolution process. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is characterized as among the country’s â€Å"most effective† conflict resolution processes to date (Gibson 2006, 409). The TRC has contributed significantly to South Africa’s democratic reforms by influencing a â€Å"more reconciled society† (Gibson 2006, 409). The conflict resolution process in Northern Ireland takes a similar holistic approach in that the conflict resolution process is centered around policies and initiatives designed to foster equality and to â€Å"improve community relations† (Cairsn and Darby 1998, 754). The School of Peace approach to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict resolution is slightly different in that the process aims to heighten individual awareness of the conflict, their part in it and the facilitation of identities via intergroup interactions (Halabi and Sonnenschein 2004, 49). IGDs are built around bringing together between 12 and 16 students once a week for between ten and fourteen weeks. These students convene under the leadership of a â€Å"trained peer† who instructs from a plan that merges several learning initiatives which include â€Å"intellectual and effective engagement†; â€Å"individual reflection and group dialogue†; â€Å"individual intergroup and institutional analyses†; â€Å"affinity-based and heterogeneous groupings;† and â€Å"individual and collective action† (Nagada and Durin 2007, 35). IGD takes the position that the social justice education typically fails to implement tools of intergroup interactions

Report on Greater Galago Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Report on Greater Galago - Essay Example Males have a penis that is 20mm in length with tip wellings (Anderson 326). Furthermore, the penis is enclosed in spines that reduces in size in the direction of the tip where the baculum end is observed (Anderson 329). Otolemur crassicaudatus mainly feeds on fruits, gums from Acacia karroo, millipedes, seeds, insects and nectar (Clark 588). This species of Galogos also consumes lower sepals from Adonsonia digitata (baobab) and Genius Combretum (Coe & Isaac 123). In Transvaal south Africa this species of Galogos feeds on dry fruits that are hard shelled and woody and also Zizyphus mucronata berries. Greater Galogos also feeds on anthropoids found in orders: Isoptera, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, Chilopoda, Odonata and Coleoptera (Harcourt 492).Moreover, this species feeds on termites of Macrotermes sp and millipedes using tongue and lips while walking (Happold & Happold 118).It does this by moving from one tree to another capturing insects and foraging on gum (Clark 593). Otolemur crassi caudatus sleeps in hidden thick mesh of creepers and twigs of trees 5-12m from the ground .Greater Galogos have many sleeping sites and during the day they cannot move away from these sites Otolemur crassicaudatus moves quadrupedally in bushes and forests. While on the ground, it moves using hind limbs only with a kangaroo gait and where both hind and fore limbs are used, it has portrays galloping gait. The hindquarters are in the air when it is either running or walking (Anderson 328). In terms of social behavior, Otolemur crassicaudatus is a nocturnal primate that displays the following characteristics; first, male and female move away from their birth localities, but males sometimes return to avoid dominant male. Male’s territory overlap with that of female with no overlap home ranges while the latter have overlap home ranges. Males do not keep out other male within their home but females have a tendency of keeping out other females (Clark 1985). Social interaction mainly takes place in overlap home ranges especially after feeding and, in some cases, the whole night. In mating period, females tend to associate with juveniles and males (Clark 585). Juveniles follow mature males at night to understand areas or regions where food resources are found (Clark 589). During reproduction, females make nests which consist of unreachable and middle-depressed with dense foliage leaves to provide shelter for the infants. Greater Galagos have a gestation period of 128 days (Ehrlich 192).The species gives birth to singletons, twins or triplets in a birth season which is usually early November (Harcourt 492). Sexual organs swell in the mating seasons in Otolemur crassicaudatus. The species has one mating season which takes place in June for a period of two weeks. The species gives birth at day time with female remaining awake when other Galagos go to sleep. There are visible contractions that are followed by frequent licking of genital before birth. Female do not pr oduce any sound at the time when they are giving birth. Infants weigh about 40g and are sired with open eyes. The infants spend most of their time in conduct with their mother who transports them orally up to when they are about five weeks (Ehrlich 198). At the age of seven weeks, infants begin to explore their environment and, in some cases, they play. Weaning takes place at the age of three month. This species is found in western Africa (central), Eastern and southern parts of Africa. In South Africa, it is found

The Missing Link in Conflict resolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Missing Link in Conflict resolution - Essay Example IGD also aims to identify differences across the groups brought together and to improve the capabilities of both individuals and groups to achieve social justice (Nagada and Gurin 2007, 35). This paper compares and contrast the conflict processes operative for Northern Ireland, South Africa and the Israeli/Palestinian conflicts. The object is to identify what if any of the IGD theories are reflecting in these three conflict resolution process. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is characterized as among the country’s â€Å"most effective† conflict resolution processes to date (Gibson 2006, 409). The TRC has contributed significantly to South Africa’s democratic reforms by influencing a â€Å"more reconciled society† (Gibson 2006, 409). The conflict resolution process in Northern Ireland takes a similar holistic approach in that the conflict resolution process is centered around policies and initiatives designed to foster equality and to â€Å"improve community relations† (Cairsn and Darby 1998, 754). The School of Peace approach to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict resolution is slightly different in that the process aims to heighten individual awareness of the conflict, their part in it and the facilitation of identities via intergroup interactions (Halabi and Sonnenschein 2004, 49). IGDs are built around bringing together between 12 and 16 students once a week for between ten and fourteen weeks. These students convene under the leadership of a â€Å"trained peer† who instructs from a plan that merges several learning initiatives which include â€Å"intellectual and effective engagement†; â€Å"individual reflection and group dialogue†; â€Å"individual intergroup and institutional analyses†; â€Å"affinity-based and heterogeneous groupings;† and â€Å"individual and collective action† (Nagada and Durin 2007, 35). IGD takes the position that the social justice education typically fails to implement tools of intergroup interactions

Survey on Teenagers Pocket Money Essay Example for Free

Survey on Teenagers Pocket Money Essay Pocket Money is not just representing how much money that teenagers’ get; it also represents teenagers’ buying tendency, marketing size of teenagers, their finance method and possible reasons of stress because of financial problem. It’s worth to make a statistic on the topic teenager’s pocket money, for the reference of further studies on social research. In this report, the following data would be collected and analyzed. Firstly, we want to compare the pocket money teenagers how to spend their pocket money in past and that in nowadays (e. 2006 vs. 1999), then we should reveal the differences by our statistic figures like mean , mode etc, so that we can know whether they get more money or not, and other statistical information. Secondly, we also are interested in the relation between the teenagers’ ages and the amount of money they get, and then how this found out changes from 1999 to 2006. Thirdly, we want find what kind of things teenagers prefer to buy and whether they can handle their financial overload effectively by themselves. After that, we will try to find the reasons for those phenomena and then generate the conclusion. Objective To build up an online survey, to collect sample data about teenager’s pocket money, how they use it, and any financial problem they faced. Questionnaires In this project, we use internet survey instead of questionnaire survey in collecting samples from teenagers. There are few reasons for us to choose such survey method: First, teenagers are very sensitive to the money they own and they feel too nervous when other people ask about the amount of their pocket money. For those results, they prefer to refuse to answer this questionnaire by face to face method. Secondly, teenagers have a low incentive to do the survey on the street; they think it is wasting their time. This increases the difficulties in sampling from them directly. Thirdly, as a result, we choose internet survey which should be a more effective sampling method since teenagers are easier to access to computers and more willing to answer questionnaire as they feel that they can help other people. The online survey http://freeonlinesurveys. com/rendersurvey. asp? id=o2ve66ut8bs9gh7252868 was posted to HK newsgroup and forums to invite teenagers to fill the online survey since 1st December, 2006. We end the online survey and collected the data at 20th December, 2006. The Hard Copy of the online survey as follows: Result At 20th December, 2006, we collected 111 valid online questionnaires. Result of each question is shown respectively: Over 80% interviewers are in-range below 24, which stated that most interviewers are student. It shows most teenage have around $1000-$2000 pocket money, where around 36% teenage have $1001-$1500 pocket money. Around 34% students have $1501-2000 pocket money per month, which is second highest. 68% teenagers gain their pocket money from parents, where 29% teenagers gain their money pocket by part time job. The others which stated they gained by investment or gambling. But it seems there’s not reliable. In this chat rank 5 represent the highest value option to interviewee while rank 1 is refer to the lowest value option, it show that about 50% of teenagers put ‘studying’ as the last priority(rank 1) in their consumption, after that it will come to ‘saving’ at 25 %. On the other side, ‘entertainment’ is the option which people most willing to spend their money on it and it take 30% in rank 5, beside that ‘dressing ‘also an option that’s less prefer 25% in rank 5. 32% students think that they spent more than they get, which need to pay attention. In the 36 student who said that they spent more than they get, 52% of them would borrow from the money, 42% would borrow from friend. It is need to be concern that 6% of teenagers would borrow from financial company. 37% teenagers think that they can’t handle their financial problem effectively. This data seems reliable as from this survey, 32% cannot control their expanses. Calculation As it is important of founding out statistic factors of nowadays teenagers’ pocket money, calculation of sample mean, mode and median , standard deviation and coefficient of skewness and coefficient of variation are calculate as follows Assumption: Since we don’t know the exact number of â€Å"below $500† and †above 2000†, also number of this two sample is little compare with sample size, so these figures are neglect when calculation. Group Mean: = ? fimi/? fi = (750. 5*29+1250. 5*40+1750. 5*38) / 107 =1292. 5 Median = (107/2) = 53. th, so we know that the median should be in the class 1001-1500 = Lm + [(n/2-Cum Freq. )/f]*w) =1000. 5 + [(107/2 – 29) /40]*500 =1306 Mode Modal Class: 1001-1500 =Lmo+ (d1/d1+d2)*w =1000. 5+ (11/11+2)*500 =1423. 58 We are considering 107 samples. So sample standard deviation = 395. 2638 Coefficient of skewness =3(mean-media n)/standard deviation =3*(1292. 5-1306)/395. 2638 =-0. 1025 The curve is slightly skew to the left Coefficient of variation = standard deviation/ mean *100% = 395. 2638/1292. 5*100% =30. 5813% Discussion From the data posted by education department, mean of teenagers’ pocket money are 151*4 = $604 per month. Compared with sample mean we found, difference between two samples is 1292. 5-604=$688. 5. The difference due to change of HK economic environment and more teenagers earn their pocket money from attending part time job. It is advised that performing a larger survey if analyzing the relationship of teenagers and their pocket money more deeply. According to the survey data, it points out that teenagers are more concerned in materialism spending. And also, over 32% teenagers spending their pocket money is always greater than income, and teenagers are lack of ability to have their personal planning. Lower than 10% teenagers think that saving is important when they received pocket money. They spend a lot either entertainment or dressing. The government should pay more attention to this problem, and educate teenagers how to spending their money effectively, and prevent they will have the thought of ‘Using the future money’. Hong Kong teenagers usually have some part-time jobs income, to satisfy their needs on materialism. The main reason influences teenagers’ shopping style is brand, which is a teenager like to pursuit for famous brand name. Conclusion Via this survey, basically we has the expected proposes. We understand how teenagers get their pocket money and how to spend it, and also understand consumer behavior, including their mental characteristics. As a studies’ data, it can be used in the further studies in the social science. However, since the quantity of questionnaire is relatively few, so the result cannot fully reflect the fact of pocket money spending of teenagers.

Holiday Inn Strategic Management

Holiday Inn Strategic Management Management can be generally defined as a art and science of getting the things done from others. The previous definition explains that a manager plans and guides a particular work which is done by other people. In this assignment I will be discussing about different strategic management process. Strategic management process is one of the very important management process which are been used by different organisations. Strategy :- Strategy are the resources used by the managers to achieve long term objectives. In simple term, strategies are the ideas which are been used by the management. Strategic management : Strategic management is a conduct of drafting, implementing and evaluating cross functional decisions in enabling to achieve its long term objectives. There are different types of process involved in strategic management :- Marketing is accepted globally as a life blood of any organisation. In this analysis I felt that strategic management is at the same level as marketing which decides the future and prosperity of an organisation. Practicing the management of strategies is very crucial in the competitive world. Successful managers will have to know their business market situation and position and to implement the strategies when required. I kept these objectives in mind and invented some management qualities in myself while doing a research on this topic. I feel that I need more knowledge of the management practices. So in my research on strategic management I had a good understanding of strategic management and practices. Basically the concept of strategic management closely resembles elements of foresights; this means planning a head is a major element in the business. Strategic management is considered as a life blood of any organisation. This assignment on strategic management covers the change and development in the organisation. I have also understood that having a clear idea of strategic management is crucial in todays competitive business world. Companys now a days seek ways to achieve a competitive advantage with other players in the industry that they operate. The environment in which a company operates can provide circumstances where the outcomes may be positive or negative. Many organisational studies have presented numerous theories that help companies in taking new ways in dealing with their operations. Strategic management is one of those important management theories and process that has been employed constantly by any business to address their management and decision making needs. I have chosen Holiday Inn as an example to illustrate the adaptation of strategic management and its process. In this assignment I have written about how holiday inn hotels analyse and critically evaluate the organisation practice to solve the problem connected with implementing their strategies. Main body :- Now I will be giving a short history on Holiday Inn hotel. Kemmons Wilson initially came up with the idea after a family road trip to Washington, D.C., during which he was disappointed by the quality and consistency provided by the roadside motels of that era. The name Holiday Inn was given to the original hotel by his architect Eddie Bluestein as a joke, in reference to the Bing Crosby movie. In 1957, Wilson franchised the chain as Holiday Inn of America and it grew dramatically, following Wilsons original tenet that the properties should be standardized, clean, predictable, family-friendly and readily accessible to road travellers. By 1958, there were 50 locations across the country, 100 by 1959, 500 by 1964, and the 1000th Holiday Inn opened in San Antonio, Texas, in 1968. The chain dominated the motel market, leveraged its innovative Holidex reservation system, put considerable financial pressure on traditional hotels and set the standard for its competitors, like Ramada Inns, Quality Inn, Howard Johnsons, and Best Western. By June 1972, when Wilson was featured on the cover of Time magazine, there were over 1,400 Holiday Inn hotels worldwide. Innovations like the companys Holidome indoor pools turned many hotels into roadside resorts. The company later branched into other related enterprises, including Medi-Center nursing homes, Continental Trailways, Delta Queen and various related enterprises. Wilson also later developed the Orange Lake Resort and Country Club near Orlando and a chain called Wilson World Hotels. The family of founder Kemmons Wilson still operates hotels as part of the Kemmons Wilson Companies of Memphis. Wilson retired from Holiday Inn in 1979. Although still a healthy company, changing business conditions and demographics saw Holiday Inn lose its market dominance in the 1980s. Holiday Inns, Inc. was renamed Holiday Corporation in 1985 to reflect the growth of the companys brands, including Harrahs Entertainment, Embassy Suites Hotels, Crowne Plaza, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Hampton Inn. In 1988, Holiday Corporation was purchased by UK-based Bass PLC (the owners of the Bass beer brand), followed by the remaining domestic Holiday Inn hotels in 1990, when founder Wilson sold his interest, after which the hotel group was known as Holiday Inn Worldwide. The remainder of Holiday Corporation (including the Embassy Suites Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Hampton Inn brands) was spun off to shareholders as Promus Companies Incorporated. In 1991, Bass launched Holiday Inn Express, a complementary brand in the limited service segment. In 1994, Bass launched Crowne Plaza, a move into the upscale hotel market. In 1997, Bass cr eated and launched a new hotel brand, Staybridge Suites by Holiday Inn, entering the North American upscale extended stay market. In March 1998, Bass acquired the InterContinental brand, expanding into the luxury hotel market. In 2000, Bass sold its brewing assets (and the rights to the Bass name) and changed its name to Six Continents PLC. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) was created in 2003 after Six Continents split into two daughter companies: Mitchells Butlers PLC to handle restaurant assets, and IHG to focus on soft drinks and hotels, including the Holiday Inn brand. Business relationship with Gulf Oil In 1963, Holiday Inn signed a long-term deal with Gulf Oil Corporation in which the lodging chain would accept Gulf credit cards to charge food and lodging at all of its hotels (in the United States and Canada). In return, Gulf would build service stations on the premises of many Holiday Inn properties, particularly those along or near major U.S. and Interstate highways. Many older Holiday Inns locations (including some no longer part of the chain) still have the service station properties intact today, either still in operation or closed down. With the exception of a few locations in the eastern U.S., hardly any of the still-open stations are now Gulf outlets. The portion of the agreement which permitted Gulf credit cards to be used for payment of food and lodging at Holiday Inns was copied by competing lodging chains and major oil companies during the mid-to-late 1960s. Most of those agreements fizzled out with the 1973 oil crisis. The Gulf/Holiday Inn arrangement ended around 1982 . The brand name Holiday Inn is now owned by IHG, which in turn licenses the name to franchisees and third parties who operate hotels under management agreements. In January 2002, The Wall Street Journal reported that the company, led by Ravi Saligram, was producing a new 130-room Next Generation prototype hotel to rebuild the brand. It would include a bistro-like restaurant and an indoor pool. The first of these prototype hotels, the Holiday Inn Gwinnett Center, was built in Duluth, Georgia, in 2003. On 24 October 2007, IHG announced a worldwide relaunch of the Holiday Inn brand. The relaunch is focused on delivering consistently best in class service and physical quality levels, including a redesigned welcome experience and signature bedding and bathroom products The first relaunched Holiday Inn is expected to open in the USA in the spring of 2008. The whole relaunch process is planned to be complete by the end of 2010. In September 2008, IHG announced the creation of a new timeshare brand, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, a strategic alliance with The Family of Orange Lake Resorts. As told before strategic management is a set of activities undertaken in the order of time. One of the first tasks in strategic management is environmental analysis. Environmental analysis is the study of an organisations environment to pin point the environmental factors that can significantly influence the organisational operations. It provides a frame work for understanding an organisations environment with the aim of helping to find the key issues and different ways of coping up with the complexity and change. A business organisation operates in an external and internal environment. The factors which influencing the external environment is known as PESTEL. PESTEL stands for political factors, economical factors, social factors, technological factors, ecological factors and legal factors. Analysis:- The political, economical and social context stood as a big challenge for the organisation of Holiday Inn when they entered the market. the holiday inn operations are highly influenced by the policies set by the government in which ever territory or country they operate. Most of the Holiday Inn are controlled by regulations of operations and policies of individual properties. The Holiday Inn group will also focus on concerns such as health and safety employment, laws , worker protection and environment. From my studies I think all these elements are seen in the control of government that authorises licensing of hotels in different states. Being in a business environment they have to abide by the employment procedures and tax obligations where they operate. As the company is widely expanded and well developed they must co-operate with the practices set by political body. After my research I think this company should get full co-operation from the political power to succeed in local an d international market. as many private enterprise when holiday inn was opened the management had very informal sense of direction setting up a few long time goals without implementing proper strategy. How ever by implementing a new scenario in their strategy with set an international competitive advantage in hotel industry as tourist increased every where and the hotel accommodation was in demand after this the management of Holiday Inn realised the need and development of planning strategies. The management achieved a competitive advantage position and enhanced the holiday inn groups performance in relation to its competitor. Company have taken a very good advantage of this point and served this market segment all the time. They have given market what they want according to the expectations. I think by going through company history the Holiday Inn is spread all over the world. This vast expansion is because of its good economical stability. The company has its own concerns involving economic factors. The branches and franchise like Holiday Inn has the tendencies to experience the hard ships in instances where the economy of the respective countries is hit by inflation and changes in exchange rates. Because of the disposable income of the citizens in developed countries the holiday inn group gave prior importance in marketing their business because of the economic stability of these countries. Holiday Inn is a world wide chain and its international functional strategies will always yield profitable returns. The potential customers are from all over the world. It is been noted that the holiday inn company has given the market such as Europe, Asia, America with regards to their social-cultural needs. Holiday Inn, like all other hotels has established a good system in determining the needs of the market. The company uses the concept of product, personality, behaviour of the customer and purchasing to its advantage. Now I am going to talk about the technical factors influencing the company. This is because of the technical advancement due to which the company could reach in a very short span to many people about their various products and service information. Customers can contact Holiday Inn by many means such as emails, telephone, travel agents, website etc. holiday inn is providing their guests with all modern amenities and facilities to their rooms to provide the best accommodation experience. Their hotels all over are fully equipped with modern amenities and technical advancement. The above mentioned study helped me a lot to determine how much the elements of PESTEL were helpful and positive for the development of the company After the analysis of PESTEL and depending upon that outcome I have also carried out SWOT analysis of the company Holiday Inn which gives me exact position of the company in the market. SWOT stands for strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. These are the factors influencing the internal environment. SWOT analysis is extremely useful for understanding and decision making for all source of situation in business and organisation. It also provides a frame work for reviewing strategy position and direction of the company. I think it is therefore important to evaluate the environment opportunities in relation to the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation resources. Strengths: as mentioned in the history of the company it clearly states that the Holiday Inn Corporation is a well established organisation and industry leader in hospitality. Holiday Inn is well diversified hotels in the high end, business and mid priced classes in their product mix. Holiday Inn also poses a solid integration features such as owning the companies that manufacture its furniture and has invested in online reservation travel enterprises. It also has easy access to all its customers to get information and also has a excellent reservation system. Weaknesses: according to my research Holiday Inn may be narrowly focused making it susceptible to the down turn in the global economy and other world wide catastrophes that could limit global travel. Holiday inn hotels may also be venerable to employees strikes and crack down on undocumented workers. I think the aggressive expansion policies may put the company in trouble during the global down turn. Some of the branches or franchises do not follow the holiday inn set standards, recruitment process efficient accounting systems. Opportunities:- Holiday Inn corporation is a global pioneer in hospitality industry. Their position is strong financially and they are widely expanding all over the world. They offer an array of distinctive and specialised services to their guests. They also have an opportunity to expand or acquire a cruise line company. The holiday inn corporation should take advantage of emerging markets especially with business clients and mid priced markets. The holiday inn corporation has a strong affiliation with REIT (real estate investment trust) or similar organisation that provides a strong back up for hotels. It has a strong skilled work force all over. Threats: Like all other business, the major threat for holiday inn will be an emergence of a new competitor. The competitors will be more active in promoting the concept of global brand name. Holiday Inn has its own resources to sustain their global brand name. In general the hotel industry faces a threat from internet reservation channels which represents a growing share of hotel room booking. To overcome these threats Holiday Inn has its own centralised reservations system. Looking at strategic direction of the company the mission statement says GREAT HOTELS GUEST LOVE shows that holiday inn makes all efforts to exceed their customer expectation. This statement covers all aspects on hospitality firm in a brief manner. The vision statement and the values of the company states that year after year holiday inn (IHG) and the management will be regarded as the best and most sought hospitality group. From my personal experience while working with holiday inn group I can say that they are following their vision and mission statements. By observing their strategic formulation they have adopted cost leadership strategies. They are one of the lowest cost providers for their product. This makes many customers to become potential and loyal. They have targeted very broad market from high and society to middle and the lower one. While offering this wide variety of offers to the customers they have developed and achieved best value strategy. During my analysis on holiday inn I discovered the difficulties faced by them or in other words we can say their weakness. They faced great difficulties while entering the Asian markets. The reason behind this was they were not familiar with Asian market. To overcome this problem they had to take a strong action plan by signing a joint partnership with Asian hotel firms. This provided them a base to learn about the Asian environment and their establishment. Holiday Inns vision for the future was a property that delivers new levels of customer convenience by extending hotel systems for guest and employee access using the hotels wireless infrastructure. RECOMMENDATIONS :- From my analysis since holiday inn is expanding it is wise to deal with proper authorities in the respective markets where they intend to operate. The company has to accomplish and satisfy all the prerequisites for doing business. The company should also carry out a well conducted market research before penetrating the new segments of market. the company should always obtain relevant information from the target market in addition to the individual customers of organisation. A comprehensive market research is a must before granting a franchise. I think similar research should be made in areas like consumer behaviour and purchasing patterns of the market. Holiday Inn Corporation has to re-evaluate its internal environmental factors like Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and threats to overcome with a strategic direction adjusting its mission and vision and at the same time maintaining its values. These are the few strategies that holiday inn must adopt to attract more diversified clie ntele. Therefore in order to survive and maintain the brand name holiday inn corporation should be consistent with their excellent service being always innovative. They should also create the role of middle managers and let them to be more innovative. I think the biggest challenge for Holiday Inn is expansion and franchises. The main features of Holiday Inn Corporation should be put as a standard one for the franchisers to follow. Will the franchisers really set the standards followed by Holiday Inn Corporation? What are the efforts that are to be put for the franchisers to follow the standards set by Holiday Inn Corporation? Holiday Inn is also using its technology to its advantage. The interactivity and the real time effects of communication is a good way to find suppliers. CONCLUSION :- Successful strategies always demand a company to choose the market in which their unique capabilities will gain competitive advantage. However the adoptive and incremental context of strategic management means that the company starting point leads the firm to a stable position. Corporate strategies of Holiday Inn have been able to use strategic management to stay in the competition in the global market. I believe that the strategies as well as the leadership styles used by the management of Holiday inn have been the major cause of their competitive position in the hotel market. Though Holiday Inn is considered as a leader in hospitality sector there is a need of flexibility. Slight changes in the market can effect their operations of the business. They should not rely on their past success but instead they should innovative and ready for any future uncertainties. Holiday Inn Corporation focuses on services rather than accommodation itself. I truly agree that the true asset of the organisation is the staff. The staff are the one who represent Holiday Inn hotels through their excellent services. So there is a need to make sure that the staff is always happy with the behavioural integrity of work place. The corporate strategy of Holiday Inn has been able to guide the company from challengers and opportunities that appears in the market environment in order to sustain the competitive advantage. Therefore I think the leaders of the company should continue their style to motivate their employees and become a major asset for the success of the company.

Deviant Behavior Essay -- essays research papers

DEVIANT BEHAVIOR   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Just about everyone has done something that someone else disapproves of. In fact, almost all of us have done something we ourselves have reservations or second thoughts about. Perhaps we’ve stolen something, or told a lie, or gossiped about another person in an especially nasty way. Maybe on occasion we’ve gotten drunk, of high, or driven too fast, or recklessly. Have we ever worn clothes that someone else thought was out of style, offensive, or ugly? Have we belched at the dinner table, or did we ever break pick our nose in public? Maybe we failed to show up for an important class or read a crucial assignment, or permitted our eyes to wonder onto a neighbor’s answers during an exam. Do we like a television program that someone else finds stupid and boring? Didn’t we once date someone our parents and friends didn’t like? Maybe our religious beliefs and practices don’t agree with those of some other members of our society; it could be that they would regard us as too religious or not religious enough. For some people we may be too liberal, too conservative, or too much of a loser. Does someone else consider us too short or tall, too plain of exotic, to thin or heavy, too dark or to light skinned? The number of possible ways that what we believe, or do or are, could be judged negatively by others is infinite.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This means that almost any action or characteristic we could do or think of is approved in some social circles and condemned in others. Almost inevitably, we depart or deviate from someone’s rules, simply by acting or being ourselves, since we can’t conform to all the different sets of rules that exist. Sociologists refer to behavior that is regarded as wrongdoing that generates negative reactions in persons who witness or hear about it, as deviant behavior. Many definitions of deviant behavior exist. In the book titled Deviant Behavior by Alex Thio he states that there are many conflicting definitions for deviant behavior.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many theories about how the world came to be, was it the big band, evolution or creation? Well just like there are many different theories for this category, there are also different theories to the cause and origin of deviant behavior. I will mention a few and give a brief definition on what they state. Strain theo... ... with another person that thinks totally the opposite from us makes us weird, different, deviant in there eyes. Who are we to say what deviance really is? Maybe there is a lady who killed her children because she thought it was the right things to do because she lives in a third world country and her children were starting to die of huger and thirst. Maybe there is a teenager who goes to school gets perfect grades and works part time and wastes all his money on drugs and in prostitutes. Maybe there is a man who worships God every single second of his life and he will not talk about anything else but God. He has no eyes or ears for anything else but God that’s all he talks about and he refuses to talk about anything else. So my question is which of these persons is considered deviant? Is it the lady who killed her children, the adolescent who gets perfect grades, but is involved in drugs and prostitution, or is it the man who is obsessed by God and won’t talk of list en to anything unless its about God? Maybe the answer to this question may never be answered, because we all have our different opinions on the causes and the origin of deviant behavior.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚