Thursday, October 31, 2019

JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

JOURNAL - Assignment Example This concept shifts the businesses’ marketing efforts from being product-centered to being customer-centered (Borch, 3). After the purchase I went to my grandfather’s house where he showed me his collection of vintage cars. There I found one Ford car called the Model-T Ford. My grandfather told me that at that time they used to sell only this car which was available only in the black color (Brooke, 8). The marketing concept that came to my mind was Mass Marketing where the seller is involved in the mass production, mass distribution and mass promotion of one product for all buyers. Today I was watching television where I saw a news report about a chain of supermarket that is adapting its product range to suit the needs and preferences of the local communities. I immediately linked this news to the marketing concept called Geographic segmentation (McDonald, 121). This kind of segmentation is carried out by companies such as Walmart and Kmart in United States for the purpose of retaining their customers. I was reading a book about Indian economy and how it was in total disarray before the liberalization process in 1991. The book mentioned that after Coca-Cola was forced to make an exit from Indian market, Pepsi made a comprehensive attempt to win over Indian government and business (Bachmeier, 123). The success achieved by this helped Pepsi in entering the market and dominating it for a considerable time. This kind of marketing is called Megamarketing which depends on strategic coordination of economic psychological, political and public relation skills. Branding is a very important marketing concept. It simply establishes a link between the products and services with power of brand. Branding forms an image in the minds of consumers and gives them a reason to buy that product. When I picked up my Gillette razor in

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Assignment Example Introduction An organization can be analysed through various perspectives ranging from bureaucratic, contingency, cultural and political perspectives. Organization bureaucracy is witnessed both in private and public organizations depending on their structure and the culture. The system of bureaucracy is evident in DHL and it from part of the management structure and culture since it is a big firm with lots of activities carried on daily basis. Organizational culture can be considered as the basis for administration since each organization as its own set of rules that determine its behaviour. Every organization has their own unique cultures that are applied in their daily applications to achieve their aims and objectives. A proper organizational structure ensures that there is a smooth coordination and supervision of activities within the organization that hasten the performance of the organization (Spencern, 2010). The structure also acts as the foundation in which the standard opera tional procedures and routines are managed and determines which individuals participate in the decision making process. What is an organization? An organization is a mechanism for coordination actions of people in order to obtain something they desire by creating value .The vision of the company is to be a logistic company in the world, in their mission statement the company strives to simplify the life of customers and to make customers, employees and investor more successful. They make a positive contribution to the people around the by demonstrating utmost respect while achieving results (DHL, 2013b). The headquarters for DHL UAE is strategically located in Dubai since it is a world premier transhipment hub of the Middle East. The trade link amongst China and the Middle East increased to 190 billion dollars in 2010 and DHL is enjoying being part of the shipment and other related logistics. This paper analyses DHL Company in terms of contingency, cultural, bureaucracy and politica l perspective in order to understand their operations fully. What is the importance of the organization? The importance of the organization is to increase specialization and division of labour while using large-scale technology and proper external environment management. DHL in the UAE is a subsidiary of DHL worldwide express, a fast growing company in the enormous growth that is expected to continue in the near future (DHL, 2013c). The HR Department in collaboration with other departments is responsible for recruiting all the employees drawn from various backgrounds to provide the division of labour needed by the company. Administration and compensation benefits are the fastest growing areas of the HR department in the UAE Company. The salaries are being streamlined to match the regional standards of the company in order to minimize spending. The medical benefits, the employee leave, car allowance that was previously administered in ad-hoc basis are now formalized to bring them to regional guidelines. What is organization theory? This is the study of how organizations functions and how they affect and are in turn affected by the environment in which they operate. The requirements of organization theory are that managers select and manage aspects of structure and culture of the company in

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Consumer priority between cadbury and nestle chocolates

Consumer priority between cadbury and nestle chocolates In this research the product performance and buying behaviour of two famous brands of chocolates Nestle and Cadbury, which is use by people of all ages, is surveyed. This research involves interaction with people of PANIPAT. Conclusion of the research includes how people got these products on the change like advertisement, satisfaction, taste, packaging, price, quality, brand loyalty etc. and also which specialised brand of chocolate is most preferred by people of different age collections. In this research it is checked that how fast and how much chocolate they consumed, whether they buy small, big or family pack. Trend on changing basis their connection has been shown in the report. In this report it is tried to explain that the entire research and facts product wise. As already mentioned in this research the product performance and buying behaviour of two famous brands of chocolates Nestle and Cadbury, which are taking by people of all ages is surveyed. As consumers, everyone plays a vital role in the health of the economy international, local, national . The decision we make concern on our consuming behavior affect the demand for the basic raw materials, for the conveyence, banking, production; they effect the service of workers and decrement of resources and success of some few companies and failures of others. Thus marketer must understand this. PRIORITY (or taste) is a concept, used in the social sciences, particularly economics. It perceive a imagined or real choice between substitute and the probably of rank ordering of these substitute, based on gratification, enjoyment, happiness, satisfaction, utility they provide. More generally, it can be seen as a source of inspiring. In cognitive sciences, single choice enable choice of objectives/goals. The consumer significance not only emphasis on why and how consumers make purchasing decision, but also emphasize on why and how customers make some choice of the goods they make and their assesment of these goods after use. So for achieving of any company or product raise it is very necessary to take out its attention towards consumer preference. PROJECT BACKGROUND The source of chocolate can be captured back to the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations in Central America, who first enjoyed chocolate a much-prized spicy drink made from roasted cocoa beans. Throughout its history, whether as cocoa or drinking chocolate beverage or confectionary treat, chocolate has been a much sought after food. The initial proof of chocolate was over twelve hundred years ago in the central America rain forests, where the tropical mix of high rain fall combined with high year round temperatures and humidity provide the ideal climate for cultivation of the plant from which chocolate is derived, the cacao tree. Chocolate is made from the cocoa bean, found in pods growing from the trunk and lower branches of the cacao tree, Latin name theobroma cacao meaning food of the gods Cacao was corrupted into the more familiar cocoa by the early European explorers. The Maya brewed a spicy, bittersweet drink by roasting and pounding the seeds of the cacao tree with maize and capsicum peppers and letting the mixture ferment. This drink was reserved for use in ceremonies as well as for drinking by the wealthy and religious elite; they also ate cacao porridge. The first mention of chocolate being eaten in solid form is when bakers in England began adding cocoa powder to cakes in the mid 1600s. Then in 1828 a Dutch chemist, Johannes van houten, invented a method of extracting the bitter tasting fat or cocoa butter from the roasted ground beans, his aim was to make the drink smoother and more palatable, however he unknowingly paved the way for solid chocolate as we know it. Chocolate as we know it today first appeared in 1847 when fry sons of Bristol, England mixed sugar with cocoa powder and cocoa butter (made by the van houten process) to produce the first solid chocolate bar then in1875 a Swiss manufacturer, Daniel peters, found a way to combine (some would say improve, some would say ruin) cocoa powder and cocoa butter with sugar and dried milk powder to produce the first milk chocolate. ABOUT NESTLE The  Company  was founded in  1866 by Henri Nestlà © in Vevey, Switzerland, where our headquarters are still located today. We employ around 280 000 people and have factories or operations in almost every country in the world. Nestlà © sales for 2010 were almost  CHF  110bn. Nestle strategy Nestlà ©s objectives are to be recognised as the world leader in Nutrition, Health and Wellness, trusted by all its stakeholders, and to be the reference for financial performance. We believe that leadership is not just about size; it is also about behaviour. Trust, too, is about behaviour; and we recognise that trust is earned only over a long period of time by consistently delivering on our promises. These objectives and behaviours are encapsulated in the simple phrase, Good Food, Good Life, a phrase that sums up our corporate ambition. ABOUT CADBURY Cadbury is a company with a long history in New Zealand and a passionate commitment to making everyone feel happy. Cadbury strategy This 6 Point Action Plan will help us deliver our contribution towards preventing obesity and positively influencing consumer health: 1.Innovation Through innovation were investing in the development of new products within every category that will provide consumers with more choice. These include lower calorie offerings and new sweetening options. In addition, were reducing trans-fats and salt content in our products and have discontinued marketing products with embedded toys. 2.Marketing weve introduced a Global Marketing Code of Practice with specific reference to children. We will not advertise where children under eight years are likely to be the majority of the audience. It also defines the special care to be taken when advertising to children between ages eight and twelve. 3.variety we help our consumers by providing a broader range of options across all our product ranges, to provide greater choice and flexibility for how they consume our products. We are including new portion sizes and sharing information on our labeling. Where we have larger product formats, we provide serving size information to make it clear that these products are for sharing or multi-occasions. 4.Labeling were looking for ways to help people make more informed choices about what they eat, how much and how often. This includes providing nutrition information in a format that is easier to understand and responsible consumption messages. Were applying a new global labeling standard, called Be Treat wise, to help educate consumers about the role of treats in the diet. 5.Vending We dont vend our confectionery or carbonated soft drink products in primary schools and will only vend these products in secondary schools by invitation and in line with nutritional guidelines set by the school. Guidelines for vending are included within our global marketing code of practice. 6.insight we continue to invest in consumer research that helps build our knowledge of health concerns, including obesity. Were using and sharing our consumer research and expertise to help improve understanding of concerns, both within and outside our business. PROJECT AIMS OBJECTIVES This project is based on the relative study consumer performance towards Nestle and Cadbury chocolates. Objectives of the study are: To the customer satisfaction level linked with the product and the customer first choice level. To enlarge customer satisfaction and recall the market share by satisfying the customer desires. To study the factor distressing the utilization sample. RESEARCH PROGRAM In this the method of the study is describe. This project is based on data composed from primary resources. After the complete study, an effort has been made to show full study of utilization of Cadbury and nestle chocolates taken by the people. The data had been used for various aspect like utilization, consumers first choice and customers approval regarding Cadbury and Nestle chocolates. In collecting vital data and information concerning the topic selected, I went to the people of Panipat and composed the data. Survey design: The study is a stratum study because the data were composed at a single time. For the reason of this study a connected sample of residents was selected on the basis of expediency. Sample Size and Design: A sample of 500 people was taken on the basis of expediency. The actual customer were contacted on the basis of random sampling. Time period of the Study:- The research will be take around 6 month. Research Period: Research work is carried in 8-12 weeks. Research Instrument: This work is passed out through the making of questionnaires. The questions integrated were open ended and obtainable multiple choices. Data Analysis: The data will be analyzed on the basis of appropriate tables by using mathematical techniques. The technique that I will use is bar technique. This dissertation includes the following area of research CONSUMER RESEARCH: customer research deals with customer and their troubles and solution to the problems. PRODUCT RESEARCH: Under product research variation which customers wants as to the packing, shape, quality, color and quantity etc of their desired chocolate is studied. PRICING RESEARCH: This includes capability to devour, to pay for the product, how much a person can spend on his/her favorite chocolate. ADVERTISING RESEARCH: Under this It is accomplished that whether the advertisement appeals the customer or not. DELIVERABLES Dissertation proposal Comparative study of customer response for Cadbury and nestle Review of existing literature on Cadbury and nestle Review of current market situation for Cadbury and nestle Reason for customer preference between Cadbury and nestle. Situations that are leading to customer dissatisfaction Dissertation report RESOURCES Data Collection: The data, which is collected for the purpose of study, is divided into 2 bases: Primary Source: The primary data include data survey of relative study of customer behavior towards Nestle and Cadbury chocolates. The information has been taken directly from answerer with the help of structured and unstructured questionnaires. Secondary Source: The secondary data was collected from internet, References from Library.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Rape fantasies :: essays research papers

Written in 1977, "Rape Fantasies" appears to be a recap of a conversation among several women during their lunch hour, a few of them playing bridge, one--Chrissy the receptionist--reading aloud from a tabloid. When Chrissy asks the question, "How about it, girls, do you have rape fantasies?" the story unfolds with each woman's response, all retold from the perspective of Estelle, who's doing her best to deflect the entire conversation by concentrating on her bidding. The conversation is tragically ironic, moving from woman to woman, Darlene calling the entire subject "disgusting," Greta describing a Tarzan-like scenario, Chrissy describing hers in a bubble bath, when Estelle, ever the voice of reason, reminds them that what they're describing are sexual fantasies: "Listen . . . those aren't rape fantasies. I mean, you aren't getting raped, it's just some guy you haven't met formally who happens to be more attractive than Derek Cummins . . . and you have a good time. Rape is when they've got a knife or something and you don't want to" (104.) Estelle then describes her rape fantasy where she deflects her attacker by squirting juice from a plastic lemon in his eyes ("You should hear the one about the Easy Off Cleaner"), but also includes the one where "this short, ugly fellow comes up and grabs my arm . . . [and] I say, kind of disgusted, 'Oh for Chrissake,' and he starts to cry," which prompts a wave of sympathy in Estelle (106). And there are more, each with Estelle warding off her attacker through outsmarting him ("I've just found out I have leukemia"), or talking him out of it. As the narrative continues, the reader becomes aware that Estelle is addressing someone in addition to the reader--"I hope you don't mind me holding my nose like this . . ." (107) and that person is probably a man (twice Estelle says, "But I guess it's different for a guy"). As the story ends, we realize that Estelle all along has been in a bar, speaking to a man she has just met, worrying about the possibility she will be raped by him. "Like, how could a fellow do that to a person he's just had a long conversation with, once you let them know you're human, you have a life too, I don't see how they could go ahead with it, right?

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Deviant behavior Essay

The labeling theory and the social control theory are two explanations behind the concept of deviance. The labeling theory argues that society itself creates deviance by classifying certain behaviors or people as deviant. The social control theory, meanwhile, believes that deviance is a result of the failure of social institutions to enforce societal norms. Labeling and Social Control Theories Every culture has norms or standards that distinguish acceptable from unacceptable behavior. Actions or behaviors that go against cultural norms are referred to as deviance. To understand why some individuals resort to deviance, sociologists and criminologists first analyze how norms are created, modified and enforced. The labeling theory and the social control theory are just two of the explanations these experts have come up with regarding the nature of deviance. Labeling Theory The labeling theory argues that people assume deviant roles in society. No conduct or individual is inherently deviant – society itself creates deviance by classifying certain behaviors or people as deviant. Those who observe deviant manners acquire deviant identities by internalizing deviant labels that society imposes on them. Instead of finding the root cause of deviance, society will attribute it to particular behaviors or people (Kontos and Brotherton, 2008). Proponents of the labeling theory claim that the social group is the one responsible for deviance. It creates norms in order to differentiate conventional people from deviants. Norms, however, are detrimental in the sense that it does not recognize the difference between rule breakers or rule-breaking behavior and deviants or deviant behavior. A person is dismissed as deviant regardless of whether or not his or her actions actually violated any norm (Hamlin, n. d. ). The Stages of Labeling According to the American sociologist Howard Becker, a person undergoes three stages when he is transformed from being regarded as normal to being recognized and labeled as deviant. The first stage is the initial â€Å"public† labeling or the informal process of labeling that eventually becomes an official definition of a person as deviant. Examples of this are the shoplifter who is tried in court and is sent to prison as a â€Å"criminal† and the drunk whom the doctor or the psychiatrist diagnoses as an â€Å"alcoholic. † The process of labeling begins with just the doctor, psychiatrist and judge, and then finally spreads to the entire community (Slattery, 2003). The second stage involves the official label’s overriding of all the other statuses and symbols that a person previously had. Society will severe ties with this individual and deny him or her opportunities for advancement. The father who becomes an alcoholic, for instance, ends up being divorced by his wife and abandoned by his children. The ex-convict, meanwhile, is unable to buy a house or get a job because of his criminal record (Slattery, 2003). The third stage is characterized by the label severely damaging the self-esteem of the person involved. The â€Å"self-fulfilling prophecy† begins to take place – he or she may live up to the deviant label that society imposed on him or her by assuming a deviant lifestyle. He or she may also withdraw from â€Å"conventional† society by seeking support and status from other deviants who share similar lifestyles. An occasional drug user, for instance, may live up to his â€Å"reputation† as a junkie by going to underground bars and clubs frequented by drug addicts. The juvenile delinquent, on the other hand, may later become a professional criminal, in accordance to what society labeled him (Slattery, 2003).

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Bleak House Imagery of Bleakness

The Imagery of Bleakness and Disease in Charles Dickens’s â€Å"Bleak House† Having been referred to as one of Dickens’s best novel, â€Å"Bleak House† is a novel which stands out, not only through its narrative technique, but also through the complex imagery the author conveys, managing somehow to relate this imagery to the real world, namely the XIXth century England. Thus, in spite of some instances of humorous, ironical scenes and a few comic characters, the novel reveals the sordidness and disease which seemed to prevail in England during those times. From the opening sentence of the novel, the Court of Chancery is introduced, being associated with the symbols of fog and mud: â€Å"Never can there come a fog too thick, never can there come mud and mire too deep,†¦ holds, this day† The word â€Å"fog† appears thirteen times in one paragraph, and many times throughout the novel, the author conveying thus a bleak imagery, symbolic for the English society of the XIXth century. Making use of a special narrative technique, Dickens chooses to have his story told by two different narrators, an omniscient third-person narrator and a first-person narrator, Esther Summerson, who is presenting her life from her own viewpoint. Unlike the generalizing, highly rhetorical voice which opens the novel, Esther’s voice begins hesitatingly, almost self-deprecating herself. This manner of presenting her story is highly relevant as it is seen as a result of her life as an orphan in the sordid house of a cruel, merciless aunt. Thus, regarding the imagery of bleakness, Esther can be deemed to have passed through a series of symbolic â€Å"bleak houses† before she reaches the real Bleak House, which proves to be the least bleak of all. Consequently, it can be considered that the names of the two houses – â€Å"Bleak House†, is nothing more than Dickens’s irony which becomes obvious only in the end of the novel. With regard to Esther’s evolution throughout the novel, the first and apparently worse bleak house is that of her childhood, where she is raised by her cruel aunt who tells her that â€Å"It would have been better †¦ hat you had never been born†. The little girl is taught to make use of submission, self-denial and diligent work so as to compensate for her guilt of having been born. Another bleak house situated in Esther’s long evolutionary path is the house of Mrs Jellyby, an apparently philanthropic woman who is more preoccupied with Africa than w ith her own numerous family. This was meant as a metaphor of imperial England, which was so much engaged around the world in those times, that it became out of touch with the problems it had at home. The imagery of bleakness is here complex, revealing a dirty, unkept for house, with children running all around it, without having anyone to care for them. The imagery of bleakness and disease is also evident in the description of Krook’s rooming house, an emblem of waste and neglect. Krook is described as a ragged man who keeps documents, â€Å"the detritus of legal London†(Davis,42) in his bottle shop, while his apartments are the home for the victims of Chancery, little Miss Flite and the ill law writer Nemo, two characters who represent two powerful instances of the imagery of disease. What is interesting is the way Dickens chooses to relate the bleakness of these houses to the law and the system of injustice, which serves itself, but ignores the effects its actions have upon humans. But even the law is perceived inside a bleak house, namely Tulkinghorn’s house in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which is described as having been â€Å"let off in sets of chambers; and in those shrunken fragments of its greatness, lawyers lie like maggots in nuts†¦ Here among his many boxes labelled with transcendent names, lives Mr. Tulkinghorn. Everything that can have a lock has got one; no key is visible. † As far as the disease metaphor si concerned, this seems to be very complex in Jo, the illiterate sweeper, who is seen most of the time starving and begging. Given the society with no public education, Jo is allowed to know nothing, he is neglected by the system itself, being somehow forced to move on, regardless of his deprivations. The most seemingly bizarre expression of the disease metaphor is found in the figure of Krook, the illiterate rag and bottle merchant who seems to be the underworld equivalent of the Lord Chancellor. Just like him, Krook collects legal documents but he is not able to understand their content, and so they cannot help justice. As a warning for the established legal system stands the episode of Krook’s improbable death by spontaneous combustion, which is symbolic for legal England ending in fire, as â€Å"When the law becomes totally absorbed with itself and its own procedures, it is bound to destroy itself†, according to Dickens. In the light of the above-mentioned evidence, it can be said that the imagery of bleakness and disease in the lives of his characters is used by Charles Dickens so as to reveal the bleakness of England itself and how a sick system caused many injustices and perils for the poor, while the rich had a life of luxury and abundance. Works cited Primary sources: Dickens, Charles, Bleak House, Collins, London and Glasgow, 1953 Secondary sources: 2. Davis, Paul, Charles Dickens A Literary Reference to his Life and Work, Infobase Publishing, 1999, pp 41-45 3. Aubrey, Brian, Novels for Students, Gale Publishing, pp 84-86

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

walking through the gallery essays

walking through the gallery essays Walking through the gallery, the artwork of Ansel Easton Adams caught my eye; my favorite piece was his 1929 photograph of Tony Lujan. Adams is famous for his mastery in black and white photography. His photos contain vast scale as well as intimate detail. Adams was born in 1902 in San Francisco. His first love was for music as he trained to become a concert pianist. However, in 1916, Adams took his first trip to Yosemite National Park. It was there when his parents gave him a camera and he took his first photographs. Adams skill for photography grew with age. He published his first set of prints in 1927. In 1932, Adams formed a group of photographers that he named Group f/64. Their philosophy was to embody an approach to perfect realization of photographic vision through technically flawless prints. With the support and intervention of this group, Adams went on to develop many outstanding photographs and publish more than two dozen books. Adams main focus in photography was centered in California; more specifically in Yosemite. In 1984, the United States Congress established the Ansel Adams Wilderness area, between Yosemite National Park and the John Muir Wilderness area in California. Adams even had a mount named after him on the southeast boundary of Yosemite in 1985. Ansel Adams is described as an engineer of photography. Adams used science to perfect his prints and become a master of the whole process from shooting to development to print and even to reproduction. The piece I have chosen is of a Native American named Tony Lujan. This black and white photo captures many subtle tone and light changes. It is very detailed; even the smallest lines are visible in his face. Tony Lujan is wearing a native hooded cloth that extends down his neck and over his shoulders and chest. His facial expression is captured beautifully which moves the viewer to feel. ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

leisure and entertainment essays

leisure and entertainment essays In meiner Freizeit spiele ich FuBball , Kricket und Tennis. Ich hore Musik wenn Eminem singt.Am wochenende treffe ich mich mit meiner freunden und wir spielen FuBball und wir fahren rad. Ich bin sehr sportlich. Ich spiele FuBball, Tennis, Kricket, Tischtennis, Basketball und Hockey. Fruher habe ich fur die Schulmannschaft gespielt aber ich spiele nicht jetzt. Ich spiele nicht in einem Klub. Ich bin nicht so musikalisch aber ich hore Musik. Ich hore Dr DRE und Eminem gern. Ich gehe ins kino einmal pro woche um film zu sehen. Ich habe Scary Movie gern gesehen. Der letzte film, den ich gesehen habe war Any Given Sunday mit Cameron Diaz und LL.Cool.J. Ich gehe in schwimmbad einmal pro woche um zu schwimmen. Ich sehe jeden tag zwischen 5 bis 7 fern. Ich sehe Neighbours und Eastenders weil sie sehr interessant sind. Am wochenende gehe ich mit meinen freunden aus. Wir treffen uns bei mir zu Hause. Dann wir gehen zum Park um FuBball zu spielen. Letztes wochenende bin ich nach Springfield Park gegangen. Wir haben FuBball gespielt und chips gegessen. In den Sommer machen wir Familienausfluge nach Birminghham und Manchester. In Hackney kann man in Park FuBball spielen, schwimmen gehen, ins Kino gehen und Radfahren. Freizeit ist wichtig weil man viel Stress hat in der schule. Ich wurde nach Amerika flieigen, wenn ich die ganze woche frei hatte. Ich will meine Kousin besuchen. Das letzte Buch, das ich gelesen habe war Harry Potter von JK Rowling und es war langweilig. ...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Benefits of International Students In Canada

Pursuing study in Canada is a big achievement for international students. The education systems offer quality upbringing of their future. There are lots of Canadian universities where monwealth nation accepted degree has been given. The range of education and its variety is noticed in this nation. Degree, diploma, graduate, postgraduate and Ph.D. courses are provided in those educational institutions (canadim ). The quality education system, lower tuition fees and safe and secure institutions are the main attraction of the country. Tourists are attracted by the beauty of the nation but the academic facility that Canada provides to their internal and international students are noteworthy from the academic perspective. The country is leading the information technology from all around the globe also students are eager to join their universities for the development of knowledge and understanding of their future ou es. There are several opportunities that students have got and they grab those chances for their educational development. Quality education is provided by the Canadian universities is high in quality and students getting enough chances to maintain their academic standard by this process. For the successful academic career, high quality education is important and students in those universities have got those opportunities as well (canadim ). As Canada is in the western develop world so their education cost is petitively lesser than the other western counterpart (Gui et al.). There is some education coursed that need the high amount of money but most of the general courses and tuition fees are so affordable that international students can pay this amount of money. There are many universities in Canada like McGill University, University of Waterloo, University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia who has their education reputation in all over the world so defiantly students would go there for their education. Those universities provide the diploma certificate also which are globally recognized (canadim ). Canada mainly features English and French language as this is the major language that has initiated in the country. The assimilation of food and recreation is the major cultural collaboration that country has done for the blending of multi-cultural state (Gribble et al.). Ethnic rituals, study all these processes are mixed at one of time and students are the medium of this assimilation. In the education system in Canada, research opportunities are better than any other countries as there are certain areas like tel munication, agriculture, puter technology, environmental science, medicine where Canada is providing their bets knowledge and for that reason students from those universities have gained enough knowledge about the subject so that they can peruse the research also (Hawthorne and Lesleyanne). There are certain students who have to do some part-time work for their sustenance.   There are some other financial factor needs for the lifestyle so this is the reason; they have to earn money but most of the cases universities are creating the problem for students (Luo et al.). But in Canada, this problem is not validating as universities over there access permission to their students to work at their spare time. Figure 1: International student rate in Canadian Universities Some of the student who is doing their post-graduation and then tries to settle in Canada, for the Canadian government was doing the favor as they can access their permanent residence form with ease (Hawthorne and Lesleyanne). The application form accessed by the Entry immigration selection system and the system evaluates the student capacity and that ensure the certificate and the efficiency of the student. Job opportunities are high in Canada and almost 5000 global collaboration agreement has been initiated in the country. Therefore, international students can access the opportunity as Canada imposed their job opportunities in industry-specific jobs, so more students can involve this process and that impacted over the high employment rate in Canada (Urban et al.).   Canada’s International Education Strategy is the most important strategy that has been initiated by the Canadian government. The government has prioritized the education for the Canadian people and for that reason; all the people over the country follow the same. The perspective is important for the international students who are trying to allow in Canadian universities. Visa issue has been solved in an effective way and in any case, the visa is needed for the education accession, the government allows the case for a prime operation (Houshmand et al.). There are some legal stages that have been maintained by the students and certain decorum the student has to follow, other than it is quite an easy process to get a visa. Canada has four diverse seasons all the seasons are quite fruitful for the students. As the international students from different countries and their ecological balance are different so they can enjoy all these seasons in Canada and can grab the academic opportunities that will evaluate their future upbringing (Gui et al.).  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship is the world-class scholarship initiated by the Canadian universities for the international Ph.D. students. The scholarship almost grants $50,000 annually for three years. Concordia University Undergraduate Scholarship is another range scholarship system for the international undergraduate student and the process involves 193 students to pursue the program (Liang and Wenzhuo). Canadian monwealth Scholarship Programme has been funded for the international student to help them in foreign affair section and the programs offer $10,000 to each student who enrolled in this program. Canada’s economy is benefited for the accumulation of more international students in their nation as these students have spent almost $8 billion in Canada and that help in case of enhancement of Canadian economy. Canada also provides the world-class universities and safe and secure residential process for students that also support students to pursue their studies in Canada. Therefore, there are lots of advantages provided by Canada and their government is so supportive students can rely on the nation and this is the best part of the country.   Canadim . "BENEFITS OF STUDYING IN CANADA | INTERNATIONAL STUDENT CANADA."  canadim . N.p., 2017. Web. 1 Dec. 2017. Gribble, Cate, and Norah McRae. "Creating a Climate for Global WIL: Barriers to Participation and Strategies for Enhancing International Students’ Involvement in WIL in Canada and Australia."  Professional Learning in the Work Place for International Students. Springer International Publishing, 2017. 35-55. Gui, Yongxia, Saba Safdar, and John Berry. "Mutual intercultural relations among university students in Canada."  Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad  27 (2016): 17-32. Hawthorne, Lesleyanne. "Labour market ou es for migrant professionals: Canada and Australia pared." (2016). Houshmand, Sara, Lisa B. Spanierman, and Romin W. Tafarodi. "Excluded and avoided: Racial microaggressions targeting Asian international students in Canada."  Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology  20.3 (2014): 377. Liang, Wenzhuo. "Understanding the Role of Weibo in Health-?seeking Process of Chinese International Students in Canada." (2015). Luo, Jiali, and David Jamieson-Drake. "Examining the educational benefits of interacting with international students."  Journal of International Students  3.2 (2013): 85-101. Urban, Ewa L., and Louann Bierlein Palmer. "International students as a resource for internationalization of higher education."  Journal of Studies in International Education  18.4 (2014): 305-324.

Friday, October 18, 2019

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

Crimonology - Essay Example With the introduction of prisoner rehabilitation series, correctional officers’ roles changed to incorporate rehabilitation. The correctional officers were also required to maintain a social distance with the inmates and to use the discretionary rule enforcement. The correctional officer was no longer adequate as a guard, and their role was to ensure that inmates were transformed and equipped with skills necessary to help build the society. The management role of a correctional facility has also changed significantly. Previously, the administration would have appointed anyone to the position of a correctional officer. Training requirements were minimal or nonexistence (Law). The management role involved ensuring that the prisoners were locked away, and their rights were not significant. Currently, in the correctional facilities, the management has to place measures to ensure that programs are offered to produce a positive effect on the prisoners. The correctional facilities are required to work as proactive learning facilities, and outcomes are evaluated. The role of managing a correctional facility has also changed to include the training and education of correctional officers (Law). The management has to ensure that inmates’ rights are honored, and rehabilitation opportunities awarded fairly in regard to age, gender, and race. Law. "Prisons: Correctional Officers - Changes in The Correctional Officer Role." - Inmate, Inmates, Rehabilitation, and Custody. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2015.

Writing Style Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing Style - Research Paper Example For me, the writing process involves several challenges. The first one is organizing ideas. I am lucky to have a teacher in my primary years who emphasized the importance of organization in writing. That teacher taught me that in every composition I make, I should take the initial step of organizing my ideas. I could still remember the exercises we had on outlining, with the main topics and subtopics organized under some roman numerals and letters. This training in writing has been very valuable to me because it makes writing easy. An organized essay is easier to read and understand. In addition, teachers appreciate an organized essay with the main ideas carefully laid out in separate paragraphs. As I move along in schooling, I learned about the challenge of composing a thesis statement. I believe that training students to make plausible thesis statements should be an important aim of Writing teachers. Teaching students to make thesis statements will enable them to achieve emphasis and organization. Identifying the thesis statement goes along with outlining. The thesis statement serves as the guide in expounding a topic and composing paragraphs to make up the essay. In my experience, establishing the thesis statement allows me to expound on the topic without going beyond it. Nevertheless, I still have to improve the way I construct a thesis statement and introduce it in the first part of my composition. The next challenge is expounding ideas. Some people find it easy to expound ideas on any topic. Maybe they are gifted with a lot of information to write about. In my case, I find expounding ideas easy when I am interested in the topic. Personal experience, home decorating, gardening, and entrepreneurship are some topics I find easier to write about, whereas sports, statistics, and environmental issues are some of my waterloos. Academic writing, unlike other forms of writing, also challenges me to use outside sources.

Coca-Cola Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Coca-Cola - Essay Example Despite the popularity of the world brand, Coca-Cola has also faced much criticism Coca-Colarent groups, mostly concerning health effects issues, environmental problems and numerous business practices. Thus, in 2014 a brominated vegetable oil was found in Cocal Cola fruit and sports drinks, particularly in Fanta and Powerade. The Mayo clinic researchers reported that excessive use of BVO can impact negatively on the health, causing memory loss and skin and nerve problems. However, the company management stated that the level of BVO used in its drinks did not exceed the limits and was not harmful to the consumers. Along with it, public pressure and online petition to remove the BVO from the company’s drink was growing. Another issue that the company faced with concerned a new program that Coca Cola aimed bring to certain parks in UK as free fitness classes. It was challenged by the health campaigners. The controversy with the new plans to give twenty millions anti- obesity fitn ess drive obtained certain criticism, because the campaigners accused the Coca Cola in the indecent attempt to distract people from the fact that Coca Cola was fuelling UK with obesity problems.The report by Public Health England claimed that soft drinks and fruit juices produced by the Coca Cola provided the biggest amount of sugar for its consumers and some cardiologists stated that the company was trying to distract attention from its part in creating the obesity situation in the country.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Fascism discussion of this form of government Essay - 1

Fascism discussion of this form of government - Essay Example In the United States, all the political power rest on the people of the country. The people happen to be the only source for the power. The principle of the popular sovereignty is declared in the introduction of the declaration of independence where the people establish the constitution for the United States of America. Government draws the power from the people as the people are sovereign. As a matter of fact, the government can only govern under the consent of the people.Limited GovernmentThe principle of the limited government is to explain that the government is not powerful at all. However the limited government means a lot more to mention that the government can govern what the people would allow to govern. Limited government makes absolutely perfect sense because if the people are sovereign then the government cannot be powerful. The concept of the limited government can be expressed in terms of law also. The government should obey the law. Sometimes it is also referred to as constitutionalism. This refers to the fact that the law is above the government and not around it. Sometimes this is also referred to as the rule of the law (Spulber 305). Separation of powersIn a government that is presidential in nature like the US government, all the power is distributed among the branches which include the executive, judicial and the legislative.   This is also referred to as the separation of the power. The US government is divided into three branches.... Nazi Political theorist Cal Schmitt said that a strong state would always guarantee the totality of the political unity (Griffin 225). However there have been a lot of criticisms of Fascism. One of the most common criticisms happens to be fact that Fascism is actually form of tyranny. Fascism has been always regarded as non democratic. The original version of fascism i.e. the Italian Fascism has often been regarded as the unprincipled opportunism. Fascism has also been criticized for the ideological dishonesty. The American government – Its Principles The constitution is built upon six basic ideologies. Popular Sovereignty In the United States, all the political power rest on the people of the country. The people happen to be the only source for the power. The principle of the popular sovereignty is declared in the introduction of the declaration of independence where the people establish the constitution for the United States of America. Government draws the power from the pe ople as the people are sovereign. As a matter of fact, the government can only govern under the consent of the people. Limited Government The principle of the limited government is to explain that the government is not powerful at all. However the limited government means a lot more to mention that the government can govern what the people would allow to govern. Limited government makes absolutely perfect sense because if the people are sovereign then the government cannot be powerful. The concept of the limited government can be expressed in terms of law also. The government should obey the law. Sometimes it is also referred to as constitutionalism. This refers to the fact that the law is above the government and not around it.

Community College Issue Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Community College Issue Paper - Essay Example Later in the year 2000, the name of the educational institute was again changed to Atlanta Technical College (Atlanta Technical College, 2011). The purpose of the college since its establishment has been to generate awareness and facilitate access to better career opportunities through its contribution in the education sector, which can further facilitate the society to enhance lifestyle. The college thereby intended to benefit students by providing quality support services and programs that could ensure satisfaction among the learners assisting them with greater growth prospects. The college aims to develop the adult learners with efficient qualities to perform in the employment sector within the local, state, national and international contexts. It also aims to ensure the education quality of the institution with due regard to the external economic environment and the changes taking place in relation to the socio-cultural dimensions (Atlanta Technical College, 2011). The Campus Lay out The campus layout of the Atlanta Tech Area allows entrance from both the Southern Direction and the Northern Direction. The campus layout of Atlanta Technical College comprises the Cleveland L. Dennard Building and the Main Campus. The Cleveland L. Dennard Building further includes the Cleveland L. ... m. (Atlanta Technical College, n.d.). Undoubtedly, the university venue is spread in a vast area which increases the requirement of facilitating easy searching for buildings and classrooms. It is worth mentioning in this regard that the college directs its visitors through appropriate map of its buildings and the surrounding area in its official website enhancing the ease to find out the venue. Furthermore, students and visitors are also assisted with adequate information from the receptions which are present in almost every building of the college (Atlanta Technical College, 2011). The campus map has been illustrated below. Campus Layout of Atlanta Tech Area (Atlanta Technical College, 2011) Admission and Registration Processes Atlanta Technical College is open for all students who are eligible for admission in colleges and being devoted towards satisfying the needs of education in the modern society irrespective of racial, ethnic, and age based differences among others. The admissi on and the registration process practiced in the college can be identified as a multi-step procedure that attempts to examine the academic qualifications and competitiveness of passing high school degree to select the qualified candidates. The applicants for the admission procedure are therefore examined on the basis of certain criteria specified in the terms and conditions of the entrance tests. The college also practices transparency policies, in accordance to which, if applicants are found to obtain admission through false information, they would be terminated without the repayment of the admission fees. Additionally, as a punitive measure, the documents and related information of applicants are to be withheld by the college authority and restricting the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Coca-Cola Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Coca-Cola - Essay Example Despite the popularity of the world brand, Coca-Cola has also faced much criticism Coca-Colarent groups, mostly concerning health effects issues, environmental problems and numerous business practices. Thus, in 2014 a brominated vegetable oil was found in Cocal Cola fruit and sports drinks, particularly in Fanta and Powerade. The Mayo clinic researchers reported that excessive use of BVO can impact negatively on the health, causing memory loss and skin and nerve problems. However, the company management stated that the level of BVO used in its drinks did not exceed the limits and was not harmful to the consumers. Along with it, public pressure and online petition to remove the BVO from the company’s drink was growing. Another issue that the company faced with concerned a new program that Coca Cola aimed bring to certain parks in UK as free fitness classes. It was challenged by the health campaigners. The controversy with the new plans to give twenty millions anti- obesity fitn ess drive obtained certain criticism, because the campaigners accused the Coca Cola in the indecent attempt to distract people from the fact that Coca Cola was fuelling UK with obesity problems.The report by Public Health England claimed that soft drinks and fruit juices produced by the Coca Cola provided the biggest amount of sugar for its consumers and some cardiologists stated that the company was trying to distract attention from its part in creating the obesity situation in the country.

Community College Issue Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Community College Issue Paper - Essay Example Later in the year 2000, the name of the educational institute was again changed to Atlanta Technical College (Atlanta Technical College, 2011). The purpose of the college since its establishment has been to generate awareness and facilitate access to better career opportunities through its contribution in the education sector, which can further facilitate the society to enhance lifestyle. The college thereby intended to benefit students by providing quality support services and programs that could ensure satisfaction among the learners assisting them with greater growth prospects. The college aims to develop the adult learners with efficient qualities to perform in the employment sector within the local, state, national and international contexts. It also aims to ensure the education quality of the institution with due regard to the external economic environment and the changes taking place in relation to the socio-cultural dimensions (Atlanta Technical College, 2011). The Campus Lay out The campus layout of the Atlanta Tech Area allows entrance from both the Southern Direction and the Northern Direction. The campus layout of Atlanta Technical College comprises the Cleveland L. Dennard Building and the Main Campus. The Cleveland L. Dennard Building further includes the Cleveland L. ... m. (Atlanta Technical College, n.d.). Undoubtedly, the university venue is spread in a vast area which increases the requirement of facilitating easy searching for buildings and classrooms. It is worth mentioning in this regard that the college directs its visitors through appropriate map of its buildings and the surrounding area in its official website enhancing the ease to find out the venue. Furthermore, students and visitors are also assisted with adequate information from the receptions which are present in almost every building of the college (Atlanta Technical College, 2011). The campus map has been illustrated below. Campus Layout of Atlanta Tech Area (Atlanta Technical College, 2011) Admission and Registration Processes Atlanta Technical College is open for all students who are eligible for admission in colleges and being devoted towards satisfying the needs of education in the modern society irrespective of racial, ethnic, and age based differences among others. The admissi on and the registration process practiced in the college can be identified as a multi-step procedure that attempts to examine the academic qualifications and competitiveness of passing high school degree to select the qualified candidates. The applicants for the admission procedure are therefore examined on the basis of certain criteria specified in the terms and conditions of the entrance tests. The college also practices transparency policies, in accordance to which, if applicants are found to obtain admission through false information, they would be terminated without the repayment of the admission fees. Additionally, as a punitive measure, the documents and related information of applicants are to be withheld by the college authority and restricting the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Design-ICT Modelling CW Essay Example for Free

Design-ICT Modelling CW Essay I have completed my analysis of the current system; therefore I will be interviewing, observing and identifying the user requirements. In addition, the success criteria have been successfully accomplished. These steps will help me with the design of my new system before it is implemented: Worksheets: Most of the system will be based around worksheets. Here is a list of the ones that I will produce. * Main Menu This will be the menu giving access to all the worksheets stored in the system. * Ordering- This worksheet will be the most frequently used one because it is where customers choose the halls, the decorators, caterers, music artists, venues, bars. They want to buy as well as give their personal details and available budget. This worksheet will also give the individual costs of each item available for purchase and allow calculations to be made by the spreadsheet based on the products that are chosen. * Venues This will display details of all the different venues available that are available in different areas in London * Decorators- This will display details of all the different decorating companies available with the different designs available and at the different prices. * Caterers This will display details of all the different caterers company available with what food types are available. * Music Artist- This will display details of the different music artist available and the types of music they play and how much they will charge. * Drinks (Bar)- This will display details of all the different the drink the bar sells and how much they will cost. Graphs and charts: The new system will be used to display the results of the calculations it makes in an easy-to-read format. This is why graphs and charts will need to be made. They will be used to show the number of bookings in every month and the amount spent on refurbishing the venues and the bars. These will be used to give the profits made by the business every month so they know how they are progressing as a business. Macros: The macros will be used to navigate between different worksheets can be done faster if buttons are formed within every worksheet. These buttons will be the names of every worksheet so the user can click on the name of the worksheet to open it up instantly without having to open up a list of all worksheets as they will already be listed. Algorithms: Many calculations need to be made by the spreadsheet and this is only possible when formulae are programmed into cells. Formulae are needed because without them, the staff would need to make every calculation themselves which would take a lot of time. Therefore, formulae are the solution to this problem as they work out the calculations. Testing: Once the new spreadsheet system has been made and everyone is pleased with the worksheets, graphs, macros and formulae created, I will need to test my new system in order to check whether it accomplishes all the success criteria given. User documentation: When the new spreadsheet system has been implemented, successfully tested and I am sure that it works, I will need to create a user guide that will make it easier for the staff at JJ party planners to use the new system. The user guide will include instructions on how to program certain cells with formulae for making calculations and how to select items and change them according to a given budget. It will also come with a technical guide to help with troubleshooting in case the users face technical difficulties with the system. Evaluation: The last thing I will do will be to evaluate the system by checking how it works according to my specifications. Inputs These are the inputs that need to be put into the system for it to work: * Customers name, date of birth, address and contact number * Venue, decorator, caterer and music artist wanted , budget * Date of booking Processes The system should be able to produce the outputs by carrying out the following processes: * Search for the Venue, decorator, caterer and music artist available * Calculate total prices and recalculate when the booking is changed * Increasing the quantity of the Venue, decorator, caterer and music artist available * Collecting information and calculating the profits based on the number of sales and costs. Outputs The system should be able toproduce a number of outputs from this information: * An invoice for every sale which the company keeps. This invoice should give the name of the customer, the customers contact number or address and the bookings made and total price of the booking sold as well as the date of the sale. * A receipt after a booking is made to give to the customer. * Graphs showing profit made at different times so my client is aware of how the business is progressing. * Reports showing models that have been newly bought venues or contract with new decorator, caterer and music artists

Monday, October 14, 2019

What are events?

What are events? 2.1 WHAT ARE EVENTS? Events play a vital role in human society. The least excuse could be found for good forms of celebrations. Events are planned acts and performances, which originates from ancient history. Events and festivals are well documented in the historical era before the fall of the Western Roman Empire (A.D 476). They serve important function for the society, providing participants with the opportunity to assert their identities and to share rituals and celebrations with each other. Events have its stem from cultural and historical values. In the middle ages, events and ceremonies played a major role in ensuring that a dull daily existence was enlivened and that people was entertained. Since at that time there was no TV or Net for entertainment. People have traditionally celebrated religious festivals, Christmas, Easter, Cavadee, Maha Shivratree. They have also participated in other major events staged by rulers of ancient time. In the seventeen and eighteen century, Kings have organized even ts in a way to have control on the public. In modern societies, traditional religious and national festivals are no longer a key focus for celebrations and gatherings. They focus on creative events like weddings, anniversaries, award ceremonies, and so on.( Shone and Parry, 2004) An event is any gathering that occurs at a given time in a given place. It is an occurrence, a significant gathering that takes place in a social setting. However, there are no standardized definitions of what is an event. An event is â€Å"a unique moment in time celebrated with ceremony and ritual to satisfy specific needs†.( Goldblatt 1997 p. 2) The Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) industry glossary of terms (CIC ,2003) defines an event as, an organized occasion such as a meeting, convention, exhibition, special event, gala dinner, etc. an event comprises of many different yet related functions. Getz (2005, p. 16) argues that a principle applying to events is that they are temporary and that ‘ Every such event is unique streaming from the blend of management, program, setting and people. Modern events vary in terms of their scale, complexity and number of stakeholders involved. Small Event Massive Event Few stakeholders Many stakeholders Clear objectives Complex objectives There are different types of events that have been developed around the world to suit the needs of everyone. It ranges from individual to business events that bring together people around the world. 2.1.1The importance of events It is crucial for event organizers to address the needs of the stakeholders, the direct and indirect participants. Event organizers have to keep in mind his clientele. If for them it is the nth event they are organizing, they should keep in mind that this same event may be the first one, the dream and opportunity of a lifetime for its participants and spectators. Bearing this in mind, event organizers must organize each event with the same zeal, motivation and thrill as they organized the first one. Organizers have to address the precise nature of their tasks as each event has different characteristics and requirements. Moreover all events and their customers are important. They deserve the best treatment every time an event occurs. It is important for event organizers to offer the best treatment possible as a poor service will result in customer dissatisfaction and loss of business in the long run.( Watt, 1998) Events have a number of roles in a destination (Yeoman, Robertson, et al, 2004). Getz, 1997, identifies these as ‘attractions, image makers, animators of static attractions and catalyst for further development. They have the potential to reduce negative impacts of mass visitation and foster better host-guest relations. Events can expand tourists season, extend peak season or even bring in new season into the life of a community. The community development perspective on event tourism acknowledges the elements of community spirit and pride, corporation, leadership, improvement of community traditions, capacity to control development, improvement to social and health services and environmental quality. 2.1.2 Characteristics of the best events The elements that make best events are: A clear vision and an explicit reason for everyones work. SMART objectives to which everyone is committed. An adequate, flexible organizational structure competent to accomplish precise tasks, but retaining a large unity of purpose. Staffs that is committed and ready to ‘go the step beyond. Strong leadership to be able to manage the event. Exact thorough planning carried out and documented within an suitable timescale. A coordinated team effort that operates within financial plans, drawing on all accessible resources. Well-organized lines of communications. An excellent public image. Successful advertising and presentation, and built in contingency tactics. Full commitment towards customers. Efficient ongoing control and monitoring systems. An ambiance of harmony, focus and hard work, humor and interest. Good post event assessment. (Adapted from Watt, 1998) 2.2Event Concept All events start with an idea. The idea describes the event in its simplest forms. Concepts are clear statements that give meaning and parameters to an event idea. Defining an event concept is a creative process. The 5 Ws: WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN and WHERE, are tools used for transforming an idea into a concept. The Ws helps to know if an event idea is feasible, viable and sustainable. Those questions are crucial as they shape the event design and reflect the event purpose (Goldblatt. 2001). WHO: events bring together people who deliver the event experience. Those people include suppliers, stakeholders, audience, planers and so on. For events to be successful it is important to determine who is responsible for what. Also communication should flow smoothly among all people involved as events have impacts on wider communities. WHAT: Events experiences includes organizational teams that designs the contents of the event. This process is time consuming. By creating a mission statement specific goals and needs are set up. The mission statement defines the objective and assists in establishing the event in the wider external context. WHY: It is important to consider why an event is happening. Consider the purpose of the event. All events have a purpose, whether it is an inaugural ceremony, cultural festival or a political meeting. WHEN: Timing of events is a critical factor for its success. In the design and development stage, planning process, including research, funding, marketing and design has to be considered. In the event delivery process venue availability, production timelines, performers, customers, competing events and supplier availability needs to be taken into account. WHERE: the location of the event needs to be considered. The choice of venues depends on type of events, organizations budget and accessibility to the public. (Source: Robinson, Wale and Dickson, 2010) 2.3Event classification Events are generally classified according to their size and type. Firstly we will look at the event classification by size; which is mainly of three categories: Mega events Hallmark events Major events 2.3.1Mega Events Mega Events are very large events with crowded audience and a good management team behind its organization. Allen et al. (2005) defines mega events as ‘those that are so large they affect whole economies and reverberate in the global media. They include Olympic Games and World Fairs. Mega events require many years of organization and it targets tourists as well as the host population organizing the event. Mega Events look into every aspect of life at the destination during the event; transport, medical services in case of injuries, retail outlets. (Getz 1997) suggests that mega events should have more than one million visitors and capital cost amounting to at least 500 million. It should have a reputation of a must see event. Additionally he argues, ‘Mega events, by way of their size or significance, are those that yield extraordinarily high levels of tourism, media coverage, prestige or economic impact for a host destination. Till now, in Mauritius has not yet organized such mega events. 2.3.2Hallmark Events Hallmark Events are not on such huge scale. Such events take place repeatedly in the same destination. The term hallmark event refers to a recurring event that possesses such significance, in terms of tradition, attractiveness, image, or publicity, that the event provide the host venue, a community, or destination with a competitive advantage.(Getz, 1997) ‘Those events that become so identified with the spirit or ethos of a town, city or region, that they become synonymous with the name of the place, and gain widespread recognition, and awareness. (Allen et al. , 2005). The benefits of such hallmark events are the creation of new facilities, improvements to the infrastructure, an increase in tourism revenues. In Mauritius, the religious festivals, namely, Maha Shivratree and cavadee which are celebrated by the Hindus, attract many tourists and there is also media coverage. 2.3.3Major Events Major Events can involve more people than a hallmark event. Such events have great pulling power in terms of visitors, media and performers/competitors. They also generate significant economic impact in the host destination. Major events are a source of temporary employment for some people (for example, to work on food stalls, cleaning services, etc.). It also attracts a number of volunteers and media coverage. Many top international sporting championships fits into this category, and are increasingly being sought after, and bid for by national sporting organizations and governments in the competitive world of international major events. (Allen et al. 2002) It can be said that, in Mauritius there has been major events. One of them being les Jeux des Iles de lOcean Indien held in 2003 where a games village was constructed at ebene for the accommodation of the athletes. Now the government has sold those apartments. There has also been international media coverage of the event and medical facilities, retail outlets, transportation of athletes, etc were provided. 2.4Special Eventsand Festivals In recent years special events have become one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry. As stated by G. Bowdin, I. McDonnell et al, 2001, the term special events enclose specific rituals, presentations, performances and celebrations. Special events are staged to mark or celebrate a special occasion. The defining characteristic of a special event is its transience; ( Gilbert and Lizotte, 1998: 73). This suggest it would be impossible to tempt and maintain the same sense of thrill if a particular special event were to be held more often ( Yeoman, Robertson, et al, 2004). Special events include national day celebration, sporting events, and important civic occasions. An example could be, the Maha Shivratree festival celebrated by the Hindus in Mauritius. Getz (2005, p. 16) Defines special events from two perspectives. One from the point of view of the event organizer and the second from the eye of the guest. ‘A special event is a one time or frequently occurring event outside normal programmes or activities of the sponsoring or organizing body To the guest the ‘event is an opportunity for a leisure, social or cultural experience outside the normal range of choices or beyond everyday experience. Getz added that the characteristics of special events are specialness, it creates a mood of festivity among the guests, they are unique and authentic. They have specific themes. The word festival is derived from feast and implies a unique time for celebration. Festivals connect landscape to lifestyle and complex ways by introducing the human dimension. Those events entertain locals and offer recreational activity in and out season for visitors. Media coverage generated by events helps destinations build assurance and a positive image in the tourism market place. Festivals are striking to communities looking to tackle issues of civic design, local pride and identity, heritage, urban renewal, employment opportunities and economic growth. The more an event is seen by its host community as emerging from within rather than imposing on them, the greater that communitys approval of the event will be. Festivals and events generally represent the host communitys sense of itself and sense of place. Among the attributes that Getz believes makes an event special and unique are its festive spirit, uniqueness, quality, authenticity, tradition, hospitality, theming and symbolism. Conferences fall under the generic umbrella of the term event. Therefore, it is important to consider the MICE industry when talking about events. 2.5 The MICE Industry The Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) Industry is known as a service industry that combines trade, transportation, travel and finance. It is also known as business tourism whereby people come to attend conferences, for example. MICE Tourism attracts invaluable business to a region and in return brings high returns to local economies in the sense that business tourists spend more, not only on hotels and restaurants but even on leisure activities such as visits to retails and local attractions such as museums and theaters (Clark, 2004). Attendees of MICE activities are known as ‘high spend travelers that meet the needs of yield driven tourism strategies (Braun, 1992). The MICE industry is characterized by the 3 Highs High growth potential, high added values and highly beneficial innovations†. ; The â€Å"three larges large output, Large opportunities for employment and large industry associations† ; and the â€Å" three advantages advantage s over industries in human resources, technological knowhow and the efficient utilization of resources†. It has been cited that within tourism, meetings and conventions are one of the fastest growing segments (Weber Ladkin, 2003; Oppermann, 1996; Oppermann Conn, 1997). The MICE sector is considered to be the blue chip of the tourism industry. The stakeholders in Mauritius are placing special interest and investing highly in this lucrative business of conferences to attract MICE businesses from particularly high profile destinations. Meetings are structured events which bring people collectively to argue a topic of common interest, may be commercial or non commercial, may be attended by 6 or more people and may last a few hours or a week. What makes a meeting qualify as part of the tourism business is that it engages some of the service of the tourism industry, and is generally held away from the location of the organisation running it ( Davidson, 1994). There are various types of meeting that occurs in different settings and many goals or objectives for conducting a meeting (Boehme, 1999). Incentive travel is a universal management instrument that uses an outstanding travel experience to encourage and/or recognise participants for improved levels of performance in support of the organizational goals. (SITE, 1998) Conferences are participatory meetings that are designed mainly for the purpose of discussions, to find about a particular subject, to solve problems and consultation. Conferences are usually on a smaller scale and the flow of information is less complex. Conferences are usually limited in time and have specific objectives. The Meetings Industry Association (1996) defines a conference as ‘ An event involving 10 or more people for a minimum of four hours during one day or more, frequently held outside the companys own premises. Exhibitions. ‘Exhibitions bring suppliers of goods and services together with buyers, usually in a particular industry sector. (Allen et al. 2002:15) Recently there has been an initiative to not use the â€Å"MICE Market† label but instead â€Å"The Meetings Industry† as it encompasses every aspect of the MICE label. 2.6 Marketing of events and conferences Marketing is seen as an integrated process of producing, distributing and selling goods and services. Lyndsey Taylor sums up the key characteristics and messages that genuine marketing contains: Meeting customer needs Attracting new customers Reacting to market trends Keeping up with competitors Encouraging customer loyalty Targeting specific customers Identifying market opportunities Noting customer feedback Getting it right every time The event industry is seen as a service industry. Events have the same characteristics as services (Watt, 1998). They are: Intangible customers enjoy the benefits and enjoyment of the event, but they cant touch the event Perishable- the benefits and enjoyment cannot be stored and carried forward to a future time. It has to be enjoyed on the spot. Inseparable- it takes event organizers and customers to make an event happen Consistent- it is important to offer consistent products an services as todays customers are looking for consistency Lack of ownership- events do not belong to any one. They are temporarily enjoyed by many. Since events are the same as services it becomes important to market them. Marketing is a persuasive tool to attract people to an event. Event marketing is defined by: 1. â€Å"The marketing concept holds that the key to achieving organizational goals consists of determining the needs and wants of target markets (defined as the set of actual and potential buyers of products) and delivering the desired satisfactions more effectively and efficiently than competitors†. (Kotler, 2000) 2. â€Å"The functions of event management that can keep in touch the events participants and visitors (consumers), read their needs and motivation, develop products that meet those needs, and build a communication programme which expresses the events purpose and objectives. (Hall, 2000) 2.6.1 Factors in marketing Marketing can be affected by a range of factors, some controllable and some not (Watt, 1998). He further stated companies must be aware of them: Location; attractiveness and accessibility of the place as well as environmental factors like traffic and scenery. Social factors; the attitudes of those involved in making an event or conference to happen affects peoples attitudes to what is appropriate. Cultural influences; different groups in society; ethnic groups, social groups, will view events from different angles. Fashion; at certain period certain events will be in craze and will attract large attendees. Political factors; government will be in favor of those events that fits their beliefs. Economic factors; how much money is available to hold an event or conference. Is there a need for sponsorship? Philosophy; the beliefs and attitudes of people will affect the range of events provided. 2.6.2 Marketing Concept; theMarketing Mix The marketing mix is a combination of marketing tools that are used to satisfy customers. It is the parameters that are within the control of marketing managers. The marketing mix is dependent upon environmental scanning, market research, understanding users and offering quality products and services. The marketing mix can be adjusted on a frequent basis to meet the changing needs of target population and other dynamics of the marketing environment. In the events industry, event organizers take into consideration the changing needs of its customers to develop their marketing mix. Jerome McCarthy (1960), a famous marketer states that marketing decisions fall under four categories: 2.6.2.1 Product This is the end result the event; exhibition, show or conference. It also involves all ancillary contributions like programmes, presentations, quality production and customer care. 2.6.2.2 Price Can the event be provided at an affordable price? Can price packages be assembled to support group attendance or tourist rates? 2.6.2.3 Place Place has several aspects. These include: Venue, transport, accommodation, emergency access, car parking, geographic location, host town, catering location, environmental conditions, signposting, country, maps, region. 2.6.2.4 Promotion Promotion also has several aspects, including: Advertising, logo, pamphlets, displays, publicity, posters, merchandising. Appendix K elaborates on the role of promotion in the marketing mix An excellent event manager will balance these aspects to produce a fine marketing mix. The leading thought must be for people and their quality concern; all operations at each phase and at any level need to acknowledge the elements of the marketing mix. For some services, including events, another 4Ps needs to be considered. These include; People; they are the vital picture in delivering events and conferences, especially proper customer care and effective teamwork. Packaging; is concerned with the way events and conferences are being presented; whether as part of a holiday/ business package. Any marketing is dependent upon the packaging, e.g, a family package. Partnership; the help of others and their marketing presence is very beneficial to make the event or conference successful. Programming; when an event or conference is scheduled will be a main tool in its marketing. It should arouse curiosity and create interest by using extra projects around it. (Adapted from: Watt, 1998) 2.7Impacts of special events and conventions Impacts of events encompass a large number of positive benefits and negative impacts which arises because of an event taking place. Impacts can be positive as well as negative. It is the task of the event manager to identify and predict these impacts and manage them in order to achieve the best balance. Those impacts may be visible before the events actually take place, during the event and after the event and affect the stakeholders and the host population. Thus, it can be argued that there is inequity in the distribution of the impacts and benefits of events. (Hall. 1989) typically impacts from events fall under four categories, namely: Economic Impacts Physical and Environmental Impacts Socio cultural Impacts Political Impacts 2.7.1 Economic Impacts Researchers and industry professionals agree that special events and conventions contribute to regional and national economies (Rutherford Kreck, 1994). According to Crompton et al. (2001), economic impacts of events supplements the traditional financial balance sheets that do not address the issue of what the host population gets in return of those events. The economic benefits that events bring to host destination are diverse. They bring an increase in employment and high income among the community, increased tax receipts and infrastructure. Hosting events demand work force, therefore, the host countrys population benefit from temporary as well as permanent jobs. It can be said that it is more beneficial to employ people residing in the region the event is held because there is no transport cost incurred. But even if labor is not available in the region the event is being held this is not such a major issue. As Mauritius is a small island, one can reach the farthest distance from one place to another in one hour. Tourists and locals come to events to spend; they purchase the tickets to attend to entertainments shows, they spend on food and beverage and so on. Money spent is injected in the local economy. Hence, events enhance the quality of life of people since the positive changes brought to the locality will remain even after the ev ent has been held. The costs associated with the economic impacts of events are the exploitation of resources, inflated prices and opportunity costs. Sellers choose to augment their prices, making more profit to the detriment of the host population Customers of events make inefficient use of the resources. For example, in a sporting event, in a moment of excitement, they can damage the lightings. Once the infrastructure is damaged, people will no longer be attracted to the event. There will be negative word of mouth and they may choose to stop coming there. For a local economy that depends entirely on hosting events, its economy suffers. Also, tourists have high spending powers. 2.7.2 Physical and Environmental impacts Events are excellent way to showcase the unique features of hosts environments. In the interest of sustainability, sound strategic management, cost effectiveness and maximizing sponsorship/funding, it becomes increasingly important to consider environmental impacts of events. Todays customers are looking for eco friendly products. Events market the environment in which it is held. Hall (1989) states that selling the image of an event comprises of the marketing of intrinsic properties of the destination. The impacts will be fairly visible for events that are held in suitable purpose built venues, e.g, stadium, sports ground or conference and exhibition centres. Impacts will be much greater if the event is to be held in public areas not ordinary reserved for event purposes. An event requires an environmental impact assessment before permission is given by government authorities to proceed Events have positive effects on the natural and physical environments. The infrastructure at the destination is re organized, proper road network, lighting and scavenging facilities are set up to accommodate events. There is an improved transport and communication facility in the region. Many of Londons landmark venues have been the legacy of major events, including Crystal Palace (1851 Freat Exhibition) Negative environmental and physical impacts of events occur when the level of visitor use is higher than the carrying capacity of the region. Aspects such as crowd movement and control, noise levels, access and parking are crucial elements. Other important issues include wear and tear of the physical and natural environment, heritage protection and disruption of the local community. Events cause potential threats to natural and built areas. This put enormous pressure on the area and leads to impacts such as land degradation (erosion), increased pollution, discharges into the soil, loss of natural habitat. It often put a strain on water resources and in the long run can force locals to compete for the use of critical resources. The different forms of travel used by the delegates, attendees performers and organizers of events impacts on traffic congestion. Good communication and consultation with local authorities can help resolve of these issues. In addition, careful management planning is required to modify impacts. 2.7.3 Socio cultural impacts Hall and Getz (1997) points out that all events have direct socio cultural impacts on participants as well as host community. Events increase pride of its residents, which results from some community events, national days celebrations, and the validation of specific groups in the regions. Some events leave a legacy of greater awareness and involvement in sporting and cultural activities. Others widens people cultural horizons and uncover them to new and challenging people, traditions and values. For example, the melas held in Leeds every summer have brought about the powerful religious Asian traditions and cultural associations before wider audiences. Events have the art to challenge the imagination and explore new avenues. For example the installation of the Ice Cubes outdoor ice-skating rink at millennium square in Leeds. Moreover, events have the power to form the cornerstone of cultural strategies. Newham Council have developed its local cultural strategy, ‘Reasons to Be Cheerful at the centre of which is the vision that people choosing to live in Newham by 2010. In essence, events can become an o pportunity to improve social relationships, for strengthening peoples abilities to understand one another and for peoples wellbeing ( Kurtzman and Zauhar, 1997). The bigger and more high profile an event is, greater possibilities exists for things to go wrong, hence creating negative impacts. Major events can give rise to unintended social consequences like, substance abuse, unaccepted crowd behavior and an increase in criminal activity (Getz, 1997). If not managed well, these unintended consequences can hijack the agenda and determine the public perception of the event. English football clubs have successfully implemented strategies to deal with alcohol related bad crowd behavior in order to protect their reputation. Badly managed events can also have broader impacts on social life and community structures. These can include loss of amenity because of noise or crowds, resentment of inequitable distribution of costs and benefits as stated by (Getz 1997). Furthermore, commodification, staged authenticity and standardization are classified as negative impacts. 2.7.4 Political Impacts Politics as well as politicians play an important part in the equation that is contemporary event management. Politicians believe that events will keep its population in good health and themselves in power. This is because politicians use events as an indirect means to build their personal profile and gain political advantage. Arnold et al. (1989, pp 191-2) argued that ‘Governments in power will continue to use events to punctuate the ends of their periods in office, to arouse nationalism, enthusiasm and finally, votes. Governments are aware of the ability of events to raise the profiles of politicians and the areas that they lead.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Digital Art Technology Essay -- Technological Technology Art Artist Es

Digital Art Technology Technology is constantly growing and changing our ways of living. It makes life easier at times, and more interesting too. When one would think of art in the past, usually computers and technology did not come to mind. Now because of modern technology, the digital age is uncovering vast ways to create amazing works of art through computer tools and software. Art is now digitally created and can appear unbelievable to the modern eye. Digital art technology is in some ways, a form of art that can be constructed on a computer based template and still portray an artistÕs rendition but in a mechanical manner. Ã’As early as 1912, the futurists planned moving sculptures driven by machine, in which the machine was incorporated into the body of the artwork itself. Both movements advocated the artist as a user of technology and recognized the machine as art, ideas that would slowly make their way into the artistic mainstream in time for the arrival of electronic digital technology.Ó (55, Wolf) This was the beginning of years and years of transitioning into art technology. It was a slow transition because equipment malfunctioned during art exhibitions at times and the technology needed to be more sufficiently developed still. Inventions starting over 40 years ago began Digital Art technology. In 1963, a program for interactive computer graphics, called Sketchpad, was created by Ivan E. Sutherland. It facilitated the collaboration of drawing and computing. Ã’By the mid-1970s and throughout the 1980s, computer graphics improved tremendously, and a new kind of imaging was possible: visualizations of complex mathematical functions, three-dimensional graphics, and fractal imagery no artis... ...eating classical art has been and will continue to be a portal for artists to create masterpieces. Works Cited 1. Software: Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8  ©copyright 1996-2003, Amazon.com Inc. www.amazon.com 2. Software: Adobe Photoshop Element 2.0  © copyright 1996-2003, Amazon.com Inc. www.amazon.com 3. Software: Corel Painter 8  © copyright 1996-2003, Amazon.com Inc. www.amazon.com 4. Lieser, Wolfgang, Digital Art Museum  © copyright 1993-2003 Digital Art Musuem www.DAM.org 5. Wolf, Mark J.P., Abstracting Reality  © copyright 2000 University Press of America ,  ¨ Inc. Lanham, Maryland 6. Pickover, Clifford A., Visions of the Future  © copyright1994 St MartinÕs Press, Inc. New York, NY 7. Wilkens, Glen Painting with Pixels  © copyright 1999 Sterling Publishing Co., Inc New York, NY

Saturday, October 12, 2019

An Inspector Calls Essay -- miscellaneous

An Inspector Calls How does Priestley use the character of the Inspector to convey his own opinions and attitudes? An Inspector Calls, set in 1912, is a play with many social and political messages. J. B. Priestley believed a great deal in socialism and believed that many other people needed to be more caring about their community and the people in it. Priestley uses the character of the Inspector to convey his own thoughts, feelings and opinions about social issues. However, he also uses other characters, particularly Mr.Birling, to show the audience how cynical some people can be. It is possible that J.B.Priestley set this play in 1912 for a reason. Arthur Birling is a rich businessman who thinks very highly of himself, even though he is often wrong. Arthur's family respect him and listen intently to his ideas that 'there isn't a chance of war' and the Titanic is 'unsinkable.' As the play was written in 1947 and set in 1912, this is an example of dramatic irony and the audience would know that Arthur was very wrong in his opinions and might even think him to be stupid. When he says 'the way some of these cranks talk and write now, you'd think everybody has to look after everybody else', he explicitly says that he is strongly Capitalist and is narrow minded. Priestley wanted the audience to have a low opinion of Birling because he was discouraging his Capitalist politics and trying to show people like Birling to be at fault When Mr.Birling makes his speech he makes several points which Priestley himself disagrees with, he uses the Inspector as a medium to make a point to both the Birling family and the audience that we shouldn’t all â€Å"Look out for our own† which is how Birling describes it. According to Mr.Birlin g every man should put himself first, even before his family. We know this when he says â€Å"A man should look out for himself, and his family if he has one†; this shows just how full of self-importance he actually is. The timing of the Inspector’s entrance is immediately after Birling has made this speech. Throughout the play there are hints that the Inspector isn’t all he seems to be, is it possible that he’s actually just a fraud claiming to be an Inspector? The Inspector called himself 'Goole,' which could be a pun on the word 'ghoul' which is often referred to as some kind of ghostly being. Towards the end of this script it becomes appa... ...police saying that 'A girl has just died.... after swallowing some disinfectant' and a real Inspector will question the family. This is an unexpected twist. The fake Inspector was there to punish them on a moral level and to try and make them feel guilty enough to change their behaviour. This was accomplished with Eric and Sheila, but not with the others. The only thing that they would be affected by was a 'public scandal,' and the real Inspector would ensure that that is what they would get. Without this twist, it would seem that the Birling parents and Gerald would escape unpunished. The Inspector's main purpose is to teach. In the context of the play, he told the characters what had happened to a particular girl because they had each been guilty of selfishness. In regards to the whole of society, he voiced Priestley's opinions that we cannot make any progress if we do not work together. In my opinion, those watching or reading the play today would not gain as much from the story in regards to the moral teachings because most have now accepted the advantages of Socialism over Capitalism and so do not have as much to learn on the arguments of this issue as the audiences of 1947.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Strategic Operations Issues

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS ISSUES Elizabeth Kelly ABSTRACT This paper identifies an operational issue of a national food-chain. The problem is identified with the demonstration of the functional relationships and process flow analysis. With the use of concepts of operations and process management, the problem is analyzed and methods sought to provide recommendations and an implementation plan. TABLE OF CONTENTS Background of Hi-Lo Food Stores†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 Problem Identification†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 Background of the LINX Operating System†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦6 Analysis using Concepts†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7Recommendation and Implementation Plan†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 11 BACKGROUND OF HI-LO FOOD STORES Hi-Lo Food Stores is a supermarket chain operating in Trinidad since 1950. With 17 outlets spread throughout the length and breadth of the country, Hi-Lo Food Stores employs over 1800 employees. PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION At Hi-Lo Food Stores, which is considered a mass service process type (Slack et al, pg. 114) customers are afforded the option of different payment methods. Payment methods include cash, credit cards and debit cards.In an effort to continue to provide better options for settling of payments to merchants and customers alike, the company Infolink was formed. Infolink is a joint venture company owned by the four commercial banks of Trinidad and Tobago whose focus is to provide state of the art financial transaction-switching technology by way of debit card payment. In recent times, it has been observed that on peak commercial periods, Hi-Lo Food Stores terminals have not been able to process debit card payments. The message ‘No Communication Field’ is generated when debit card transactions cannot be processed.The customer is either forced to use a credit card or use cash. The nature of the business of Hi-Lo Food Stores would in some instances cause for a large sum of money at the check-out terminal. Customers, who do not have a credit card facility available, are then forced to leave their merchandise at the store and locate an Automated Banking Machine (ABM) to withdraw cash and then return to the store to complete the transaction. Hi-Lo Food Stores is then faced with the issue of storing in a secure manner those items selected and already bagged for the prospective customer and can only be delivered until payment is tendered.This then causes a storage issue since these items are usually placed at the termina l the customer was accommodated at. Sub-issues of pilfering and bottlenecking of check-out counters have also been evident. The second issue arises when the customer does not return for reasons such as, no ABM facility within range of Hi-Lo, and then causes the customer to leave to a more convenient supermarket. This leaves Hi-Lo with spoilage and re-stocking of the items already held at the terminals. Customer dissatisfaction sets in and an erosion of brand loyalty occurs.The impact on Hi-Lo Food Stores can then be summarized to include increased check-out times at terminals, customer dissatisfaction and decreased sales. BACKGROUND OF THE LINX OPERATING SYSTEM In 1992 saw the advent of the LINX shopping experience to Trinidad and Tobago. Infolink Services Limited is the facilitator of the LINX Network where debit cards from any commercial bank in Trinidad and Tobago would be processed at all Automated Banking Machines (ABMs) regardless of the commercial bank the customer so belonge d.This system led the way for merchants to employ the LINX Network at their Point-of-Sale terminals thus allowing debit cards issued at any commercial bank in Infolink’s Accredited Partners to be accepted at these participating merchants. While the LINX system proved seamless during its pilot project phase of operations, in recent times as the service became more widely accepted by the general public, LINX seemed to be unable to manage the demand of merchants. Evidence has not been offered on the number of transactions over a structured period, in order to ascertain the workload capacity of the Infolink Services Limited’s system.As the writer has evidenced at Hi-Lo Food Stores, the debit card payment system seemed unable to handle the workload during peak periods of demand. ANALYSIS USING CONCEPTS The use of technology to supersede traditional methods of payment can be seen to deliver great advantages and benefits to Hi-Lo Food Stores. The process design of the debit c ard system in its conception can be seen to provide great advantages to the mass service process type. This payment method can be seen as an internally supportive method of increasing operations capabilities.For example, in times prior to the LINX operations, Hi-Lo Food Stores terminal processing time was generally a longer process. This could have been caused by the customer having to present a personal cheque for payment along with a cheque guarantee card, if applicable. The second step would be for the cashier to examine both card and cheque for validity. In instances where the cheque was written in excess of the card guarantee amount, a supervisor would then be referred to for authorization.A process that would guarantee a longer turnaround time than the now widely used LINX service, debit card payment option. In analysis of the process however, we must measure the impact of the unreliability of the service and how it causes delays and decreased outputs. These delays then impact on the cycle time at checkout counters. In carrying out a process analysis, it is obvious that the LINX operating system has a process capacity which has not yet been determined. In identifying the system’s capacity, resources may be input into the process for improved reliability and performance.As can be seen the debit card payment system when effective can have a positive strategic impact on operations performance objectives. By firstly, impacting on the speed by which customers is processed at check-out terminals. When you have a quick turnover time you reduce the traffic and congestion in the supermarket which can result in breakage and accidents. Secondly, the LINX system has impacted on flexibility by allowing the customer the option of choosing a more direct form of payment as opposed to credit cards.Dependability can be seen as a performance objective where the system can be relied upon. The above performance objectives, speed, flexibility and dependability have bee n negatively impacted on as the debit card system has become unreliable during peak operating times as such the issues Hi-Lo has experienced relates to its inefficiency of its customer experience, its quality of service is risked, thus losing the trust and loyalty of some customers. RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION PLANIt is the writer’s recommendation that an immediate sourcing of an Automated Banking Machine (ABM) be allocated to all branches. This ABM facility will give the customer the ability to exact cash to the check-out terminal without leaving the premises. The ABM facility will have the effect of speeding up turnaround time at terminals for payment. The added advantage of the facility not only being available to check-out customers but the facility will encourage more traffic with customers who may need just the convenience of an ABM facility.The ABM facility will be strategically placed in an area just after the bank of check out tellers, but away from the main e ntrance point. This would force the person who came for the convenience of the ABM facility only to line up, surrounded by small convenient items that may encourage purchasing of candy, gum, magazines etc. In the hopes of a long term resolution, Hi-Lo Food Stores conduct a process design-analysis. This analysis will determine the throughput time and impact upon the flow rate of customers by measuring the number of successful or unsuccessful attempts using the debit card system.In conducting this analysis, list the customers alternate payment method used and whether immediate payment was affected. The system of process mapping can assess the processes for example, Hi-Lo Food stores must also account for those customers who are inconvenienced by having to visit an ABM to use cash as a payment method. List those persons who in fact will follow through and complete the transactions as against those persons who find it far too inconvenient to return to Hi-Lo.With the use of this data, Hi -Lo food stores will then be able to account for manpower used at the terminal for processing a void transaction, storage of items, spoilage of perishable items which may occur and hours of duty time spent re-stocking. Finally, Hi-Lo in conjunction with Infolink needs to formalize a structured plan of action to implement a larger capacity for processing of debit card transactions, and for Hi-Lo to ascertain its feasibility. ACTIVITY| TIME| OWNERSHIP/RESPONSIBILITY| 1. 1 Source a consultant | 2 weeks| IT Department| 2. 1 Identify number of transactions incomplete| 6 weeks| IT Department| 2. Identify time periods for ‘down’ time| 6 weeks| IT Department| 3. 1 Identify source of problem| 1 week| Consultant| 4. 1 Make recommendations| 2 weeks| Consultant| 5. 1 Implement changes and test| 6 weeks| IT Department| 6. 1 Gather feedback from customer| 2 weeks| Marketing Department| 7. 1 Make further recommendations| 1 week | Consultant| 8. 1 Implement and test| 3 weeks| IT Depart ment| | | | REFERENCES Slack, N & Chambers, S & Johnston, R & Betts, A 2009, Operations and Process Management, Principles and Practice for Strategic Impact, 2nd edn