the eastern empire essays

the eastern empire essays The Eastern Empire is referred to today as the Byzantine Empire. The empire was located in Constantinople. The Empire, ruled by Arcadius, was wealthy and heavily populated. It was a Greek-speaking Christian state. This empire was very different from old Rome. Arcadius reigned from 408-450. He, despite his age and inexperience, fortified the empire. Justinian became emperor in 527. He was and able and determined ruler. He waged long wars against the Vandals in Africa, the Ostrogoths on Italy, and the Visigoths in Spain. (e.n) He also drove back the Persians who pushed down on the eastern borders of the empire. He regained much of the lost territory through these conquests. Justinian died, leaving his empire bankrupt. Justin II reigned from 565-578. Under his rule they had continued invasions by the Persians. The Persians had continued victories until Emperor Heraclius finally defeated them. A new enemy arose in the 600s, the Moslems. They won a series of land and sea victories, including Palestine and Syria. From 673-678 and 717-718 they besieged Constantinople but were defeated both times. The y did conquer Sicily and Crete in the 820s. They soon started to expand again. They continued to drive the Moslems back and regained the territory of the Balkans to the empire once again. This revival brought wealth and luxury to Constantinople. This expansion reached its peak from 976-1025, during the reign of Basil II. The Seljuk Turks appeared as another enemy during the late 1000s. They overran the greater part of Asia Minor when they invaded the east. Alexius Comnenus became emperor and though of a plan to protect his empire. He called on the Christians of Western Europe to help fight the Turks. Venetians led the Fourth Crusade against Constantinople in 1203. What was left of the Byzantine Empire was divided into many smaller states when the city fell in 1204. Michael Palaeologus,...

Welsh v. United States (1970)

Welsh v. United States (1970) Should those seeking conscientious objector status under the draft be limited to only those who make their claims based on their personal religious beliefs and background? If so, this would mean that all those with a secular rather than religious ideology are automatically excluded, regardless of how important their beliefs are. It really makes no sense for the U.S. government to decide that only religious believers can be legitimate pacifists whose convictions should be respected, but thats exactly how the government operated until the militarys policies were challenged. Fast Facts: Welsh v. United States Case Argued: January 20, 1970Decision Issued:Â  June 15, 1970Petitioner: Elliot Ashton Welsh IIRespondent: United StatesKey Question: Could a man claim conscientious objector status even if he had no religious-based grounds?Majority Decision: Justices Black, Douglas, Harlan, Brennan, and MarshallDissenting: Justices Burger, Stewart, and WhiteRuling: The court ruled that claiming conscientious objector status was not dependent on religious beliefs. Background Information Elliott Ashton Welsh II was convicted of refusing to submit to induction into the armed forces - he had requested conscientious objector status but did not base his claim on any religious beliefs. He said that he could neither affirm nor deny the existence of a Supreme Being. Instead, he said his anti-war beliefs were based upon reading in the fields of history and sociology. Basically, Welsh claimed that his had serious moral opposition to conflicts in which people are being killed. He argued that even though he was not a member of any traditional religious group, the depth of sincerity of his belief should qualify him for exemption from military duty under the Universal Military Training and Service Act. This statute, however, allowed only those people whose opposition to the war was based on religious beliefs to be declared conscientious objectors - and that did not technically include Welsh. Court Decision In a 5-3 decision with the majority opinion written by Justice Black, the Supreme Court decided that Welsh could to be declared a conscientious objector even though he declared that his opposition to war was not based on religious convictions. In United States v. Seeger, 380 U.S. 163 (1965), a unanimous Court construed the language of the exemption limiting the status to those who by religious training and belief (that is, those who believed in a Supreme Being), to mean that a person must have some belief which occupies in his life the place or role which the traditional concept of occupies in the orthodox believer. After the Supreme Being clause was deleted, a plurality in Welsh v. United States, construed the religion requirement as inclusive of moral, ethical, or religious grounds. Justice Harlan concurred on constitutional grounds, but disagreed with the specifics of the decision, believing that the statute was clear that Congress had intended to restrict conscientious objection status to those persons who could demonstrate a traditional religious foundation for their beliefs and that this was impermissible under the . In my opinion, the liberties taken with the statute both in Seeger and todays decision cannot be justified in the name of the familiar doctrine of construing federal statutes in a manner that will avoid possible constitutional infirmities in them. There are limits to the permissible application of that doctrine... I therefore find myself unable to escape facing the constitutional issue that this case squarely presents: whether [the statute] in limiting this draft exemption to those opposed to war in general because of theistic beliefs runs afoul of the religious clauses of the First Amendment. For reasons later appearing, I believe it does... Justice Harlan believed that it was quite clear that, as far as the original statute was concerned, an individuals assertion that his views were religious was to be regarded highly while the opposite proclamation was not to be treated as well. Significance This decision expanded the types of beliefs that can be used to get conscientious objector status. The depth and fervency of the beliefs, rather than their status as part of an established religious system, became fundamental to determining which views could exempt an individual from military service. At the same time, though, the Court also effectively expanded the concept of religion well beyond how its typically defined by most people. The average person will tend to limit the nature of religion to some sort of belief system, usually with some sort of supernatural basis. In this case, however, the Court decided that religious...belief could include strong moral or ethical beliefs, even if those beliefs have absolutely no connection to or basis in any sort of traditionally acknowledge religion. This may not have been entirely unreasonable, and it was probably easier than simply overturning the original statute, which is what Justice Harlan seemed to favor, but the long-term consequence is that it fosters misunderstandings and miscommunication.

Leadership Practice in Health and Social Care Essay

Leadership Practice in Health and Social Care - Essay Example From this study it is clear that skills theory is also another leadership theory. This theory highlights the fact that acquired skills are significant elements in securing effective leadership. It is the opposite of traits theory as it argues that more than inherited traits, acquired skills have a greater role in ensuring effective leadership. This type of leadership is favourable as it supports the notion that most anyone can become a leader.   Where the trait theory emphasizes on the fact that leadership is inheritable, the skills theory points out that individuals can work hard towards the establishment of skills needed in order to be good leaders. In health care leadership, skills are often learned in the practice. Practitioners have to undergo significant skills training in order to be good leaders. They are not born knowing the applications in the health practice.  As the report stresses  issues with this leadership theory come from the fact that there is a vague line bet ween trait and skills theory. The establishment of various skills are based on personal traits. For instance, social judgment and human skills are easier to establish for individuals who are naturally extroverts. Moreover, general knowledge and the power to secure skills are based on one’s biological traits.  The skills mode also does not provide explanations on why and how these skills impact on leadership. Instead, this theory highlights more the importance of identifying skills which are essential for leadership.... This theory highlights the fact that acquired skills are significant elements in securing effective leadership. It is the opposite of traits theory as it argues that more than inherited traits, acquired skills have a greater role in ensuring effective leadership (Marquis and Huston, 2008). This type of leadership is favourable as it supports the notion that most anyone can become a leader. Where the trait theory emphasizes on the fact that leadership is inheritable, the skills theory points out that individuals can work hard towards the establishment of skills needed in order to be good leaders (Marquis and Huston, 2008). In health care leadership, skills are often learned in the practice. Practitioners have to undergo significant skills training in order to be good leaders. They are not born knowing the applications in the health practice. Issues with this leadership theory come from the fact that there is a vague line between trait and skills theory. The establishment of various sk ills are based on personal traits (Johnson, 2009). For instance, social judgment and human skills are easier to establish for individuals who are naturally extroverts. Moreover, general knowledge and the power to secure skills are based on one’s biological traits (Johnson, 2009). The skills mode also does not provide explanations on why and how these skills impact on leadership. Instead, this theory highlights more the importance of identifying skills which are essential for leadership (Rowitz, 2009). The situational theory of leadership is yet another form of leadership which can be applied in the health care practice. This type of leadership indicates that various situations call for different styles of leadership

Why is Abraham Lincoln considered to be the nation€™s Essay

Why is Abraham Lincoln considered to be the nationâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s greatest president In your answer, be sure to analyze the essence of the Lincoln legacy and consider how he lives on in American memory - Essay Example because though he was from a poor family and had scant formal education, he saw to it that the nation held together during its worst crisis recorded in history. He not only won the civil war but ended the institution of slavery also. A leader with a fainter vision or a weaker will would not have achieved all these in such a short period. For these reasons, Lincoln is regarded by some people as ‘the great Emancipator’ and ‘the savior of the American Union’. He is even regarded as a martyr for the way he was assassinated. The Republican Party, of which Lincoln was leader, had campaigned against slavery during the elections and won the 1960 elections. This election victory resulted in seven southern states declaring their withdrawal from the U.S forming the confederacy which stood for Confederate States of America. In 1861, the confederate forces staged an attack on a U.S military installation to which Lincoln responded by calling for volunteer armies from all states. This call led to four more states declaring their withdrawal from the U.S. The civil war then started between the United States, known at that time as the Union, and the Confederate. In 1862, Abraham Lincoln made an emancipation proclamation which not only deterred the British from getting involved but also made the war have the goal of ending slavery in the southern states. The war continued with both sides reporting victories and losses. In April 1865 the Confederate suffered huge losses and surrendered to the Union. The war, being the worst war in American history, had claimed the lives of over 600,000 solders with an unknown number of civilians. The victory, under his leadership, of the U.S. resulted in the absolution of slavery to date, the coming together of all states and the strengthening of the position of the federal government. Abrahams Lincoln’s high status as the greatest president of the U.S. was well deserved for the way he led the war and won. Being a person of gentle

Particular audience Essay Example for Free

Particular audience Essay It is confidence building to remember that all experts were at one time students and entry-level members in their career fields. With this in mind it will help to alleviate some of the stress and anxiety you might feel when you first make contact with them. There are many possible avenues to locating and interviewing an expert. However, there are key tactics that can be utilized in order to increase your chances of landing your first choice. This brief essay will outline a plan of action in order to increase the odds of finding success with your expert interview. To begin, make a list of possible experts relevant to your subject. Some of the best ways to find these experts are in calendar of events in newspapers, magazines and on television. By keeping your options open you can rest assured that if for some reason one of the experts does not wish to participate, you will at least have back-up options. The next key, after locating your expert and establishing a method of contact – whether online of offline – is to establish your credibility. Tell them or send them a link to where they can find examples of your work, or of the institution that you represent. This will show them that you are legitimate and that your will reach a particular audience. Once you have established a working relationship you need to set a date and time. Remember that you are asking for their time, so be as flexible and accommodating as possible without compromising your deadline. When the interview comes, be prepared. Have your recording equipment ready and make sure you have done your research so that you can ask insightful questions. The more prepared you are, the more relaxed you will be. At the conclusion, let them know you will send them a copy of the interview for their records and thank them for their time.

The Shining :: essays research papers

The Shining The story take place in Colorado and begins with Jack Torrence, going to a place by the name of "The Overlook Hotel" to be the caretaker over the winter month's, because of coast of keeping a twenty-five mile road, in which it take to get to the hotel open, because of all the snow. To get the job as the caretaker of the hotel, he would be alone for five months, and have free food, and also free stay at the hotel, all Jack has to do is mantiance and handyman work around the hotel. He arrives for the interview and meets Lloyd (the manager of the Overlook Hotel) they discuss certain duties and jobs that will be needed around the hotel, and then Lloyd brings up a certain account that happened a couple of years back at the hotel, about a man that murdered his family from what you call "cabin fever" caused by seclusion and away from everything. Jack is stuned by what he hears and then quickly say's something to the effect of not having to worry about something like that happening, and that he needed the months off to get started on a book he was writing. Lloyd decides to let him have the job, and asked him to come back the next day. The next day Danny (his son) and wife Wendy and Jack left for the hotel. They arrive and get there bags dropped off, it is the last day the hotel is open for the season, and people are checking out, and workers cleaning up, so they can leave for the spring. Jack and Wendy goto meet up with Lloyd, and Danny leaves for the game room. Lloyd takes them around the hotel to look around and get a feel of were they will be staying, and shows them their rooms. They stop and meet up with the head cook Dick Hallorann, Lloyd ask Dick to show Wendy and Danny around the Kitchen as he takes Jack to see the rest of the hotel. Dick Hallorann goes threw the kitchen and shows Wendy what to do, and what to use, etc... all threw this time of the tour Dick keeps on using a mind signal, a voice to communicate, at first Danny does not realize it, but then as the tour wraps up, the family meets back up, and Dick offers Danny some ice cream as Lloyd takes Wendy and Jack to another part of the hotel. As Danny is eatting his ice cream, Dick is talking to him, and then talks about, what he was doing

Aims and Objectives for a Selected Business Essay

†¢Describe what is meant by SMART objectives. An objective that follows SMART is more likely to succeed because it is clear (specific) so you know exactly what needs to be achieved. You can tell when it has been achieved (measurable) because you have a way to measure completion. A SMART objective is likely to happen because it is an event that is achievable. Before setting a SMART objective relevant factors such as resources and time were taken into account to ensure that it is realistic. Finally the timescale element provides a deadline which helps people focus on the tasks required to achieve the objective. The timescale element stops people postponing task completion. †¢Choose a business and describe its aim and 3 SMART objectives for how they can achieve their aim. TESCO: oTesco want to be able to keep their carbon emissions down by making new buildings, they also want to make their business objects which have to follow this method Specific – this means that the business can make some specific objectives that the business wants to achieve, so if they want to hit a certain target of profit within a year they have to make a business plan or model to follow to achieve their goal. oMeasurable – this means that if a business wants to make some money, they can measure it in a certain amount of time, so if a business can make  £1000 pound in a month, then maybe next month they could forecast making an increase of that amount by studying the business activities throughout that month. Achievable – this means that a goal that the business can achieve with in a time period, so if a business wants to make  £1000 pound of profit in a month, then they could make it happen with the products that they might have to sell. oRealistic – this means that a business has to make realistic goals which that they can achieve, so things like making  £1,500 pounds in a week, this is a realistic goal because it could be made depending on the sales in the that week. oTime related – this means that each objective is set with in certain time, so it is like a dead line, if a business sets out to make and sell 5 computers in two weeks, then they now have time to create the product and then sell it within the time set.

A Multimedia Thesis Project Essay

During the 16th-17th century, when the Philippines was still under the control of Spain, the Jesuit Historian, Father Pedro Chirino, wrote in 1604 about the baptism of two deaf Filipino in Dulac, Leyte by Father Francisco De Otaco. Father Ramon De Prado, the vice-provincial priest taught these two deaf Filipinos and they were the first deaf Filipino who learned to use the Filipino Sign Language. The older Deaf, Raymundo shared his knowledge to five to ten deaf men during a mission. 300 years later, the first influence of American Sign Language came here in the Philippines thru Delight Rice, the hearing American teacher who established the School for the Deaf in 1907 in Manila (PDRC and PFD. 2004.) The school still exists today as the Philippines School for the Deaf (PSD) (HV 2474 F55 2005 Pt.1 from DLS-CSB). â€Å"Filipino Sign Language is certainly natural and a unique visual language of the Deaf Filipinos. The grammar, structure and syntax or arrangements of the Filipino Sign Language (FSL) are equal or the same as in the spoken language. FSL has its Filipino Deaf culture and identity. However, Filipino Sign Language is not a written system.† (Philippine Deaf Resource Center, Inc., Macky Calbay and Raphael Domingo) Sign languages communicate ideas through hands like spoken languages. However, sign languages do not need sounds and voice. It needs hands, face and other parts of the body to communicate in visual ways. The visual signs, helps the deaf to understand the message it conveys through the eyes. Signs must be clear in order to be understood in the eyes of the deaf, which the brain process, interprets and meanings comprehended. The basic parts of signs are hand shapes, location, movement, palm orientation and non-manual signals. Many people think of sign languages as a language of the hands but the research in linguistics revealed that sign language includes not only one or both hands, but also the different parts of the trunk, arms, neck, head and face. Hand shape, movement and number of hands used may be grouped together. A sign language follows many groups of rules. The parts of signs and their meanings, whole, signs, and the grammar of sentences are separate rules. Several words are put together to form a sentence, and the exchange of these sentence forms a dialogue. Examples of dialogue are conversations, stories, humor and poetry. When a sign is produced by itself, it may look different from when it is actually used in a conference. The important part of the sign language is the connection between two or more conversing people. Social factors are important in studying signs during the conference. It is because the sign language is not only for relaying messages but also for social interaction. The sign used for a word is influenced by one’s emotions. For example, the word â€Å"sorry† is signed in just one way, but when added with emotions, it could have different meanings. The signs are shown to the complexity of their grammatical function. In spoken languages, words act certainly according to their grammatical class.  In sign languages, signs may function differently depending on the sentence structure, and context of the conference. So, it is common for a single sign to shift functions as a noun, verb, or adjective in different sentences, conversations or contexts. Since sign languages are not written systems, the use of words came from a written language and the grammatical function of the sign must carefully avoid being perplexed. For example, a word for a sign that can be a noun in English, but the sign itself can function as a noun or adjective. In Grammar classes, there are the same kinds of grammatical groups are getting into sign language. In ASL, there are different classes of verbs that have been described. The verbs may include different kinds of information such as: where the action takes place, or who does the action (subject) and who receives the action (object). It can be same to some sign couples in FSL. Examples of these noun-verb/adjective couples in FSL are LOW-BATTERY, BATTERY-FULL. Sign languages are different from spoken languages or written. A sign may be used as a noun, adjective or verb that depends on the sentence. Sometimes, a single sign can already be similar a share of a sentence or even a whole sentence. For example, the single sign â€Å"observe† may already mean, â€Å"I observe her carefully.† There are classifiers in the traditional signs appearing in FSL. These can be easy classifier hand shapes to understand classifier predicates. The classifiers observed in FSL also have classifier hand shapes and movement roots like those described in ASL and BSL. An example is the sign LRT/MRT. The classifier hand shape is the whole object type — the hand shape looks like the rail transit car. The movement of the classifier is a process movement root. The LRT/MRT moves forward. The straightforward movement of the hand represents the forward action of the LRT/MRT. In Nouns, the signs included in a group have always been noted in a dialogue as nouns. The traditional signs included food, events, places, persons and various objects. It included also common and proper nouns. For example,  MANGO, ELECTRIC FAN, JOLLIBEE, HAPPY etc†¦ In Nouns/Verbs, the signs may switch in grammatical class that depends on the dialogue structure. The signs however, show to only have a single form unconcerned of their grammatical function. Most of them cannot be able to show always the movement repetitions strongly characteristic of noun-verbs pairs in American Sign Language. For example, AGREE, AGREEMENT, CONCLUSION/CONCLUDE etc†¦ In Nouns/Adjectives, the signs are noted to have nominal or adjectival functions. For example, BETTER, FAST, HOT, HAPPINESS, EXHAUSTED etc†¦ In Verbs/Adjectives, the signs are noted to be used as adjectival predicates. For example, CORRUPT/TO BE CORRUPT, PASSIVE/TO BE PASSIVE, SUFFER/BE IN SUFFERING etc†¦ In Lexicalized Finger spelled signs, the signs are aged which are more commonly noted among Deaf signers in their forties to sixties. Examples of Lexicalized Finger spelled signs are #AIRCORN, #TV etc†¦ In Lexicalized Initialized signs, the signs are from variant grammatical classes and used two or three decades. For example, ANYBODY, 13 PESO, GRADE VII etc†¦ In Structurally complex signs, the signs placed together since features of their structure are not as straightforward as the other signs shown so far. Signs included compound signs and agreement verbs. For example, HOW MUCH, DON’T KNOW, HARDHEAD etc†¦ In Semantically complex signs, the signs groups included idioms, belonging to variants of ASL, possessive pronouns, negations, various phrases, and classifier predicates (signer’s perspective). For example, DESTROY FOOD, PLEASE, RUDE etc†¦ (IDIOM) FSL signs showed to be adverbs. The non-manual signal noted in FSL signs that  moves of the tongue. The tongue of non-manual signs is same but their meaning is mixed-up, not clear or hard to understand. For example TEXT-GARBLED describes a text message that is hard to understand. In FSL, the pointing pronouns are noted in commonly using among Deaf Filipino signers which usually include the index finger. The signs use an open hand. They show ownership or possessions. The question is always used by FSL sign. The eye gaze is forward the person who asked the question. The first location of the hand is near the object being talked about. The last location of the hand, and its palm, faces the person being asked. One example of pronouns is the TOUCH-MINE. In space as time, the place where the signer stands represents the time now. The space in front of the signer shows the future and the space behind the signer shows the past. Signs related to time such as LATELY, NEXT DAY, LAST WEEK AGO, NOW are produced at different points of this timeline. One example of time is the TOMORROW-TOMORROW, LAST-TWO-YEARS etc†¦ In idioms, there are several signs that are called Deaf idioms in the book Love Signs. But, the need is more researching if the signs are all true idioms. It uses expressions unique to Deaf Filipino signers. For example, the sign ISTAMBAY of the literal meaning is a person who stands around for a long time. The figurative meaning can be a verb or adjective, describing a jobless person. A sentence is a group of words that completes ideas and can be followed by a period, question mark or exclamation point. There are two most important of English grammar; knowledge of writing and allows students to study the grammar of other languages completely. There are the most important elements of the sentence, the verb, subject, direct object, indirect object, complement, multiple-word modifiers, modifiers, clauses and phrases. Sometimes, many sentences have only a verb and a subject. It also includes the parts of speech; noun and articles, verbs and verbals, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions and conjunctions. A subject is the name of a person, animal, place, thing and event that the sentence about. For example, â€Å"The house is a big†. The house is the subject of the verb big, answering the question who or what big? Another example, â€Å"The tiger eats the animal†. The tiger is the subject of the verb eats, answering the question who or what eats the animal; he tiger eats the animal. A verb is a word that describes an action. For example, â€Å"The goat eats grass†. The verb eats describes the action performed by the subject goat. Another example, â€Å"Deaf people walk on the street†. The verb walk describes the action performed by the subject Deaf people. A direct object is the noun that receives the action. For example, â€Å"Everyone ruins your precious things†. What is the action? ruins. What receives the action? precious things, it is the direct object of the verb ruins. Another example, â€Å"Your friend got your ballpen†. What receives the action? ballpen. Ballpen is the direct object of the verb got. An indirect object is the noun or pronoun that receives the direct object. For example, â€Å"The professor helps his student’s education†. The direct object of helps is education. His student is the indirect object. Another example, â€Å"I give the laptop to you†. The direct object of give is laptop. You is the indirect object. Complement is the word or words that complete the meaning of verbs that express feeling, appearing, being, or seeming. Such verbs are classified as copulative or linking verbs. For example, â€Å"I am feeling sick†. The verb feeling does not describe action, but does describe a state of being. Feeling links the subject I with sick is the complement of feeling. Another example, â€Å"His family seems worried of you†. The copulative verb seems links his family and worried, the complement of seems. Modifiers may be a single word or groups of words, make the identity that describes a verb, subject, direct object, indirect object, complements or  other modifier. For example, â€Å"My brother eats quickly his dinner†. The verb eats is made more precise is modified by quickly his dinner. Another example, â€Å"They lost my new laptop†. The direct object laptop is modified by my new. Multiple-word modifiers are included of phrases or clauses. A phrase is a logical grouping of words that does not contain a subject verb, while a clause is a logical grouping of words that does contain a subject and verb. For example, â€Å"My sister who was the only who love me goes to my graduation†. In this sentence, the clause who was the only who love me modifies my sister; the phrases to my graduation modifies goes. The first multiple word modifiers have both subject who and verb love. For this reason, the modifier is a clause. To my graduation has neither subject nor verb, so it is a phrase. A clause is a group of related words that includes a subject and a verb. It may also include an object or complement, an indirect object and modifiers. If it makes a complete idea and can stand alone as a sentence, it is called an independent clause. On the other hand, if it cannot stand alone as a sentence, it is called a subordinate or dependent clause. For example, â€Å"My family and I eat our lunch together and then we go to the mall†. This sentence consists of two independent clauses. Each clause has its own subject and verb: My family and I eat, we go. Either clause can stand as a complete sentence. Each makes a statement that does not depend on the other. The conjunction here is and, which is classified as a coordinating conjunction. Other coordinating conjunctions are but, for, so, or, nor and yet. A phrase is a group of two or more words that does not include a subject and a verb. It has many forms and functions. It is useful to learn and recognize phrases and to identify their functions as modifiers, subjects, complements and objects. For example, â€Å"His hobby was playing basketball†. The phrase playing basketball functions as the complement of was, a copulative verb. Playing is also a gerund. Another example, â€Å"My classmates want to finish their project early†. The phrase to finish their project  early is the object of want. Notice that to finish is an infinitive, which is one of the three types of verbals. In Grammar classes, there are classifiers in a spoken language as nouns, verbs, adjectives or adverbs. It includes pronouns and prepositions that have a more limited meaning. They can display relationships between nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. In spoken languages, a word cannot be able to change its meaning. For example, if a word is a noun, it is always used as a noun. It does not develop into a verb, adjective, or adverb. In a spoken language, an idiom is a group of words with a unique meaning. It has two meanings, its literal and figurative meanings. The literal meaning is the independent meaning of the words, put together as a group, while the figurative meaning is the new meaning of the whole group of words. The new figurative meaning may not be related at all to the literal meaning of the words. Problem The Deaf students of the School of Deaf Education in Applied and Studies, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde has a problem on English grammar because they do not know how to use the structure of the English language. They also believe that the sign language’s structure is the same or similar to the written English. As a result, it is hard for them to communicate with the hearing people through writing. Solution Through the creation of websites that utilizes flash player to describe the structures of FSL and Written English which can be arranged in such a way that the visual animation highlights the difference between the FSL and the written English structures. This way, it will be more meaningful and can be easily understood, remembered and applied by the deaf and as well as the  hearing students in communicating with each other. Furthermore, the students can understand the differences in using FSL structure and English written rules. Description of the Project Objectives †¢ To encourage the deaf students to understand the structural difference between the Filipino Sign Language (FSL) and the written English. †¢ To help Deaf students know how to translate FSL to written English by conceptualization, and Hearing students to translate written English to FSL by conceptualization. †¢ To promote and encourage the hearing people to understand the structures of sign language (FSL) and use it to communicate with the deaf. †¢ To assist the Deaf people how to communicate with the hearing people through written English. †¢ To create the flash website visually that can help hearing and deaf people to understand easily the structures of FSL and Written English. Target Audience †¢ Deaf and hearing people †¢ College students Medium Websites that uses flash player. Adobe Photoshop is a graphic editing program that makes easily website which  it can support website. ( (I CAN’T UNDERSTAND THIS KUYA!!!!) Video or Adobe Premiere is a technology of recording that supports website to make deaf and hearing people easily understandable. Pre-Production Process Project Step 1: Brainstorming to choose good topics related to Deaf issues Step 2: Choose three best topics pertaining to Deaf issues Step 3: Submit to my instructor the topics pertaining to Deaf issues Step 4: Consultation with my instructor to explain to me how to write the document Step 4: Share the topics to my classmates to help me select the best topic Step 5: Consultation with my Coordinator for editing my topic Step 6: Ask my English and FSL coordinators their opinion and to suggest what is the best topic to be written Step 7: Approval of the chosen topic by my CG coordinator Step 8: Research on the books related to my selected topic Step 9: Consult with my English and FSL coordinator Step 10: Writing paper (context) Step 11: Review and edit the paper Step 12: Draft sample design that is related to my topic Step 13: Print the paper Step 14: Final presentation Conclusion Therefore, this paper can be the seed to help both the deaf and hearing people understand the difference in structures of FSL and written English in an easy manner. For Deaf people, this paper will help them how to translate FSL to written English. Likewise, it will help the hearing people on translating written English to FSL. Furthermore, it will also help the hearing and deaf people to communicate with each other easily. The creation of websites utilizing flash player as visual aids highlighting the difference between the FSL and the written English structures will assist both the deaf and hearing people in communicating among themselves and with each other. It will also enhance the communication skills of the individuals; provide greater opportunities in understanding the world of the silent people, knowledge, cooperation and collaboration for the greater and common good of the society. References Tiongson, Peripi A., Hermosisima, Jun, Domingo, Raphael and Bustos, Marie Therese A. (ED.) (2004). AN INTRODUCTION TO FILIPINO SIGN LANGUAGE: Part l. Understanding Structure | Easy – to – read version |. [pp. 1-160] Filipino: Philippine Deaf Resource Center, Inc. TRADITIONAL SIGNS. (2004), AN INTRODUCTION TO FILIPINO SIGN LANGUAGE: Part ll: Traditional and Emerging Signs [pp.1-154] Philippines: Philippine Deaf Resource Center, Inc. Estiller-Corpuz, Marites Racquel [ED.]. Filipino Sign Language; A complication of signs from regions of the Philippines, Filipino: Philippine Federation of the Deaf. Ehrlich, Eugene (2000, 1991, 1976). SCHAUM’S OUTLINES: English Grammar, American: McGraw-Hill companies, Inc. Annex Initial design (Website) Gantt Chart Daily TR

The Five

The Five The five-factor model employs five fundamental and important factors that are useful because organization and companies need to understand the character traits of their employees. Scholars and psychologists presume that the model elucidated by the five-factor theory represents all behavioral traits.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The Five-Factor Model of Personality specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to McCrae (2002), the five-factor model is very useful to many companies and organizations because it clearly explains different personality traits demonstrated by employees. The traits include neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness, and extraversion. Neuroticism personality trait has features like sensitiveness, nervousness, ineffective management of emotions, and feelings. In other words, individuals with the trait demonstrate emotional instabilities. The conscientiousness personality tra it is associated with interactive, accountable, organized, and objective people, whereas agreeableness trait has features such as teamwork and kindness. In addition, openness personality trait shows discipline, responsibility, organization, and self-control. Extraversion is a personality trait that is associated with characters such as excitement, talkativeness, and assertiveness. In this view, the term paper focuses on openness to experience and conscientiousness, which are two personality traits as elucidated by the five-factor theory. The five personality traits of the five -factor model are very important to organizations and managers as they enable organizations and companies understand how to handle people with different personalities and temperaments. Gully, Payne, Koles, and Whiteman (2002) argue that a good understanding of personality trait also enables individuals to understand and appreciate each other. Since the five-factor model presents five major traits of personalit y, individuals and organizations can employ the theory in managing their workforce. Moreover, it also enables people create good relationships, which are fruitful and productive, and thus enhance teamwork in a number of organizations and societies (Levy, 2013). The theory is consistent and encompasses a wide range of demographics. Furthermore, the model employs five factors to explain the different personalities of different individuals. Openness to experience is a personality trait that displays features like creativity, inquisitiveness, adventure, and innovativeness. Openness to experience shows the level of creativity, individual preference, and interest of an individual.Advertising Looking for term paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Cattell (2007), openness is a trait that depicts preferences of an individual towards a wide range of activities, which are performed regularly. Individ uals who have the trait are innovative and creative. Moreover, openness to experience is associated with high levels of curiosity and desire to engage in new experience and ideas. Furthermore, the personality trait makes an individual more adventurous and less conservative. Cattel (2007) states that people who have the trait are more likely to demonstrate relationships that are productive and reasonable. Additionally, individuals with the trait understand their feelings and express them in an assertive manner. Hence, openness to experience is an important personality trait, which is useful in distinguishing liberal and artistic individuals. Conscientiousness is a personality trait, which has features such as organization, efficiency, and commitment. Individuals with the conscientiousness personality trait are responsible, goal oriented, disciplined, and independent. In addition, individuals with the trait have good control of their impulses and are watchful of facts. People with the conscientiousness personality trait are usually smart, orderly, and organized. Furthermore, the trait makes people to be more watchful, thoughtful, objective, and determined. McCrae notes that conscientious individuals are responsible, committed, and critical as they perform their duties perfectly. The conscientious personality trait has two major attributes, namely, industriousness and organization. Industriousness is an attribute that depicts meticulous, neatness and systematic way of performing duties, while the organization is an attribute that shows determination, responsibility, and productivity. Hence, people who have this trait are good problem solvers and conflict managers. Additionally, these individuals can interact and socialize well with other members of staff, a factor that is important in understanding and minimizing workplace conflicts. Conflict Management in the Workplace Conflicts are ideological differences between two or more parties, the differences can lead to heated debates and emotional flare-ups. In extreme scenarios, conflicts can turn into violent exchanges. Conversely, when controlled and managed effectively, conflicts produce positive results that help the company grow and attain its objectives (Rahim, 2002). Negative consequences of conflicts take place when there are no control measures to solve or manage the disagreements in their early stages. Usually, conflicts spiral out of control and even result in riots.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The Five-Factor Model of Personality specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conflicts are common in every organization because individuals working in companies have different personalities, thinking capacities, and behaviors. Levy (2013) argues that conflicts take place when the individuals differ in terms of opinions, ideas, and points of view. In addition, conflicts take place when an individual or a party is not willing t o compromise and reason from the perspective of the other party. While working as a hotel supervisor, I witnessed a number of conflicts between the junior staff and senior staff, executive and staff, or between clients and employees. The conflicts started because of misunderstandings, poor service delivery, and failure to reach compromise on matters that relate to unfair promotions. According to Keith and Frese (2005), conflicts in the workplace are common, and thus organizations should formulate effective measures to reduce the negative effects occasioned by conflicts. The conflicts greatly affected the performance of the organization. Consumers received poor services, as many employees were in conflict with one another. In addition, the chain of communication was hierarchal and bureaucratic; hence, junior and senior staff could not present their grievances or complaints on time. Therefore, the firm could not effectively manage the difference of ideas and points of view among the m embers of staff on time. Furthermore, conflict management strategies were not efficient, as many members of staff did not get enough time to know and understand the characters of other employees in the firm as they had busy schedules. Additionally, teamwork, which is one of the important components of a successful organization, was no longer practical as many employees, management team, and the executives had frequent conflicts and disagreements. Therefore, many staff members preferred doing duties according to their own will and interests. The result was reduced productivity, poor product quality, dissatisfied clients, and frequent strikes. Poor working relationship among members of staff created a hostile environment for the employees, management team, and clients, which affected organizational performance. Keith and Frese (2005) argue that substantial conflicts transpire when group members disagree over a task or on how to perform the task. Therefore, the organization was experie ncing substantial challenges such as intra-organizational and interpersonal conflicts as the members of staff disagreed over crucial issues that are central to organizational performance.Advertising Looking for term paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Most members of staff were not willing to compromise with their colleagues so that they would arrive at workable solutions to challenges in the workplace. The unwillingness attitude further complicated the magnitude of conflicts among employees, management team, and clients, and thus hampered organizational performance. There was a need for the firm to devise strategies that would help in the resolution of conflicts. According to Rahim (2002), â€Å"conflict management minimizes the negative outcomes of conflicts and promotes the positive outcomes of conflict with the goal of improving learning in an organization† (p. 208). Hence, the firm had to quickly employ conflict management skills and provide realistic and workable solutions to the conflicts. This would not only help the management in improving the firm’s performance, but also enhance working relationships among the members of staff. Relevance of the Five-Factor Model Theory in Conflict Management The five-facto r model theory is very instrumental in providing solutions towards conflict management, which is the existing situation in the firm. The organization can use qualities of openness to new experiences and conscientiousness personality traits from the five-factor model theory to manage and resolve existing conflicts. Furthermore, the organization can instill features such as openness and encourage their employees to be assertive so that they can express their feelings without hurting others and without fear (Cattel, 2007). This will enable the human resources of the firm to present their views and opinions assertively without hurting other members of staff. Additionally, the five-factor theory of personality will help the organization and its employees understand different behaviors of individuals and the different ways of handling each personality. Therefore, an understanding of the personality traits is paramount in an organization because it helps in shaping organizational behavior. The understanding of personality enables human resource managers to hire individuals who are suitable for a given job. Furthermore, employers can also place people in various job positions basing on their traits, and thus become relevant as they can turn ideological differences into productive conflicts. In addition, Rahim (2002) states that conscientiousness and openness will help an organization and the members of staff to control their emotions, mind about others, attain smartness, and become responsible. These factors are very vital in ensuring that an organization achieves its targets. Furthermore, the individuals will work in creative a manner by turning conflicts into avenues for organizational growth. References Cattel, H. (2007). Personality Theory and Testing. London: Sage. Gully, S. M., Payne, S. C., Koles, K., Whiteman, J. A. K. (2002).The impact of error training and individual differences on training outcomes: An attribute-treatment interaction perspective. Journal o f Applied Psychology, 87(1), 143. Keith, N., Frese, M. (2005).Self-regulation in error management training: emotion control and meta-cognition as mediators of performance effects. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), 677-685. Levy, P. (2013). Industrial Organizational Psychology: Understanding the Workplace. New York: Worth Publishers. McCrae, R. (2002). An Introduction to Five Factor Model and its Applications. Journal of  Personality, 60(2), 175-215. Rahim, M. (2002). Towards a Theory of Managing Orgsanizational Conflict. The  International Journal of Conflict Management,44(5), 206-235. The Five Executive Summary The study of operational management has been around for decades. A general understanding of the nature of operations in management takes businesses to the next level.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Five-star Hotels’ Operational Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Any business has a number of operations divided by their functions, such as the accounting and sales divisions and in any operational unit, work processes exist to smooth operations and eliminate mistakes. All operations of a company are important. They complement and aid each other in the overall operations. This paper will analyze a historic five-star hotel’s operations. It will focus specifically in its current marketing operation. The marketing division is in focus because of the current setback the hotel is experiencing. The hotel used for this study has special features that provide information adeq uate for the study. Common operational management concepts are used to identify and evaluate the current system. Concepts from lectures and other secondary data are also used to describe, supplement, and reference previous research. Some concepts used are lean manufacturing, benchmarking and business process re-engineering. They were used to identify problems and challenges of the hotel. Potential problems and following recommendations were explored by the end of the paper. The main concern for the hotel is the decreasing number of customers because of the cheaper and quaint hotels in its vicinity. This information is the reason for selecting the operational unit focused on. Methodology The existing data available is provided. There are certain features in the information provided that will allow me to assume a number of things, such as the implications that being a historic hotel will offer.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can h elp you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The concepts used to analyze the data from the hotel and its operations were presented in a lecture during class. They will be discussed on the historic hotel to provide useful information for the improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of the operations of the hotel. Other secondary data will also be used. The method of analysis will be as follows. First, the current situation of the hotel and the specific operational unit chosen will be described and analyzed. Then existing problems of the hotel and the operational units will be identified and analyzed. Next, the paper will provide recommendations for solutions to the current problems identified. Lastly, the paper will provide potential problems, recommendations, and opportunities that the hotel can plan ahead for. This paper will refer to concepts presented from the class lectures and will aim to improve the overall operations of the hotel by the above method. Brief Description of Special Features Special features of the hotel are as follows: the hotel is historic, it was highly profitable and popular before the past few years, it is privately owned, it is a five-star hotel, it is near hotels which appear economical and quaint, it is strategically in the center of an international city that has a high level of tourists, particularly international tourists. A â€Å"historic† hotel means that the hotel was the setting of a historical event, whether it is a cultural or political event. Thus, it would hold a certain ambience prevalent to the culture of the country in that time of history. The hotel will have retained the architectural style of the period it was built in or at least influenced by it. We can assume that the hotel was popular throughout the years because of this and as suggested by the statement of its high profitability.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Five-star Hotelsâ₠¬â„¢ Operational Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More That the hotel is privately owned means it is not publicly traded in a securities exchange in the country (Privately owned n.d.). Depending on which type of economy the nation falls into, privately owned enterprises such as this hotel will have a number of implications. If it falls into a traditional economy, operations would be controlled and less dynamic than other systems. A command economy has strong government control while a free market economy has little government control. Mixed economies which combine elements of command and free market economies are the most common economies used by many countries today because of it provides an enough mix of public and private interventions on economic decisions and resource allocation and distribution. (Schmoop Editorial Team 2008). Since it was not stated in the problem what the hotel is like in its economic decisions we will assume it is under the most common economy which is a mixed economy. The historic hotel is described to be a five-star hotel. This means its standard for quality is of the highest ranking. Five-star hotels are expected to offer excellent service and the highest standards of comfort for their guests. Additional features of five-star hotels include originality in architecture and interior design, high quality construction, and special touches such as fresh flora as decoration. Space, services, and amenities are always sufficient and comfortable (Star rating system hotel requirements for four, five star etc n.d.). Analysis of Hotel There are several operational units in this hotel. These would include general management, front office, rooms division, maintenance, food and beverage, purchasing, marketing, human resources, finance, security and safety, and parking (Best practices n.d.). An overall process flow follows. Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The hotel’s processes are service types. They are considered service shops, which are characterized by medium levels of volume of customers, medium or mixed levels of customer contact, medium or mixed levels of customization, and medium or mixed levels of staff discretion (Slack, Chambers Johnston 2010). These characteristics put the operations between the extremes of professional and mass services. The implications provided by the description of the hotel are that the hotel’s design is not contemporary and the accommodations are pricey. The main problem of the hotel is in marketing their products and services to tourists amidst cheaper hotels in the area. The hotel is in an area where competition is high because it is located in an international city and in a tourist spot. It is essential that a new marketing strategy is applied to save the hotel from lesser profitability in the near future and possible bankruptcy in the long-run. Although not on the same level, com petition with the cheaper hotels is challenging and needs to be addressed immediately. The hotel’s marketing division, since this is the main concern, is the focus of the paper. Analysis of Marketing Operation I chose the marketing division as the operational unit to focus on because it pertains to the mentioned problem of the hotel, which is the decrease of customers. The marketing team is responsible in providing leadership on serving guests better. They provide insight on how to serve the hotel’s customers better by developing pricing, conducting customer surveys, contributing insights on product and service development, and examining competition. The team also supports other divisions in their operations. They support the general management and the purchasing division. Marketing is responsible for advertising and promoting the establishment. Different media are used to do so. Finally, the marketing team is responsible for managing relationships, whether with suppli ers, competitors, or customers (4 core marketing strategies n.d.). Below is a process flowchart of the marketing division. The hotel is said to have lesser customers due to the existence of cheaper quaint hotels around its vicinity. It is located in the middle of an international city and is a tourist spot. Tourists choose other hotels because of the price and charm of neighboring hotels over our hotel. This is not unexpected since tourists do generally vacation on a budget. Affordability is a major factor taken into account by most tourists (Tourists seek cheaper travel options 2012). It is, however, not the only reason as we will discuss later. What the hotel needs to do is ‘think outside the box’ and innovate their services to attract tourists to stay at their hotel regardless of the price. Although the hotel can be said to offer exceptional services as evidence of its five-star status, it needs to think outside the box and market what it can offer to customers that other hotels cannot. Tourists on a budget trip do not mind cheaper hotels’ lack of quality service and the competition in the area is the main challenge the hotel faces. What the hotel needs to do is to â€Å"think outside the box.† Jones (2001, p.82) says that consumers are increasingly looking for â€Å"solutions†, where product, service, advice and expertise are seamlessly integrated. Innovation is important in any industry. It is important for the hotel we are looking at. Innovation with products and services will give the business a competitive edge against competitors in the vicinity. It will give value and uniqueness to the product and services offered and it is up to the managers of the hotel to think of â€Å"solutions† for the customers. Once consumers needs are determined and agreed, then can the innovators work out precisely what to deliver to the consumers and when. It is sensible to learn from past mistakes. A lesson learned from automakers from the past is this – while western automakers focused on ‘adding luxury’ to their vehicles, Japanese automakers focused on ‘adding quality to everything’ (Tennant 2001, p. 4). It is a feature of any five-star establishment to be luxurious but the lesson the hotel can draw from this is to re-focus efforts not on adding luxury to the products offered but to the quality of existing products and services of the hotel. Continuing from this line of thought, the hotel can also do this – focus on quality – by adapting ‘lean’ principles in its operations. Lean principles state that expenditures of resources, if not seen by consumers as value-adding or worthy, should be eradicated (Holweg 2007). This practice reduces unnecessary costs and staffing requirements. For the management of a luxury hotel though, it can be hard to decide if the luxuries offered are reasonable. There is a fine line for five-star establishments between lux uries and those extras that should be eradicated because in definition, luxuries are extra indulgences conductive to pleasure and comfort (Luxury n.d.). The hotel can also do to benchmark. Benchmarking is identifying, analyzing, evaluating, and adapting the industry’s best practices for the advantage of the hotel (Boxwell 1994). The hotel has function rooms that can be used for all kinds of events, from weddings to conferences. Von Starck (2004, para. 3), a general manager of a five-star restaurant and a consultant on hotel marketing issues, particularly on food and beverage issues, says that the design and furniture of function rooms gives an establishment a big advantage. Socialites and brides, in particular, are heavily attracted to the appearance. Food and beverage is also important in drawing good reviews. Food, he says, should be imaginative, with good presentation. The service provided is also important. The quality of service will keep customers coming back developing good relations to clients. Von Starck (2004, para. 6), also said that hotels could really boost sales by working on their menus. By customizing the style, pictures, and look of the design, menus could target different audiences, separately and discretely. Another good marketing strategy practiced by hotels is to bring a personal touch to their websites. Von Starck (2004, para. 1) claims it a fact that the most visited websites are those that include stories and bios about employees of the establishment. The reasoning behind this is that people want to know about the people behind the business. In addition to what the business offers to its customers and what the staff is like, people want to know how these will reflect on them. They want to know if the business will coincide with their personality and lifestyles. They want to know if the business is worth paying and they base these off the websites. The internet is the most convenient and economically friendly media both for busine sses and consumers (Negi 2011). The hotel’s website is a helpful tool in marketing if used wisely. Studies showed that people are increasingly using the internet to book reservations (Crick n.d.). There may come a time when it will become the only media for information gathering that people will use. The hotel having problems with its marketing implies that the current marketing operation is not effective or efficient anymore. Another concept that might help the business in the long run is the concept of business process re-engineering. Business process re-engineering or BPR means that process or work flow of marketing operation will be scrutinized, analyzed and changed if its performance is not effective or efficient for the hotel anymore (Business process re-engineering 2001). The steps in BPR requires the analyst to first identify the processes in the work flow, review and analyze the data and information gathered, design a new work flow, test the new work flow, and after adjustments, implement it. Implementation of BPR is said to be difficult. The rate of failure of BPR is over fifty percent (Revenaugh 1994). The process of changing the work flow takes time and persistence because it requires participation and cooperation of everyone involved. Possible Difficulties and Recommendations It is daunting to face major challenges, especially in the large-scale. Innovation always comes with risk. Implementation of new strategies requires careful planning and attention. There should always a contingency plan or a backup for when going through with a new radical idea. When implementing new strategies, there will be risks of failure. There is a potential that the business would lose more money than they would have gained. When benchmarking and adapting new practices, there is the potential that the best practices do not go well with the particular establishment. Working on smaller projects for the hotel might be more difficult. When working on menus and websi tes, it is noteworthy to be meticulous. A potential problem for the management when looking to eliminate products or services that add no value is the risk of opposite results. When implementing a new work process, problems such as resistance or difficulty in transition of persons involved is expected (Allen Fifield 1999). Careful planning is important when acting on new strategies. To avoid losing money and other set-backs, management should take the time to test products before buying them in bulk and be certain that new services offered will perform to standard before applying them to customers. Management should have contingency plans and emergency procedures for retaliating on defects and errors to stop problems at the earliest time. Maintenance and constant monitoring is necessary to avoid accidents. Opinions and suggestions should be welcomed and taken into account. Resources should be used wisely to avoid loses (Lean manufacturing techniques 2011). Summary of Key Findings B y analyzing the given business using several concepts in operational management, this paper was able to discuss and evaluate the hotel. To start, the hotel needs to think outside the box and implement a new marketing strategy to increase profitability – a demand from any establishment when competition is high in its area. To do this, management needs to add value to their products and services to meet consumers’ ever evolving wants and needs. Instead of focusing on adding luxury to the products and services, management should look at the current quality offered by the hotel and work on improving that. The lean practice of operational management suggests that the establishment eliminates products and/or services with no value to the customers, therefore reducing costs and unnecessary actions. The hotel can benefit greatly by benchmarking. Learning from the best in the industry and adapting practices that suit the establishment will allow the hotel to grow and be competi tive amidst heavy competition. Improving the establishment’s tools is helpful. Paying attention to menus and websites will subtly improve the hotel’s marketing. Adding personality gives the hotel uniqueness and advantage. Finally, the business process re-engineering method would be helpful in the long-run but be prepared for the difficulties it would ensue. Reference List 4 core marketing strategies n.d., marketingplan.net/marketing-responsibilities/. Allen, D Fifield, N 1999, ‘Re-engineering change in higher education’, Information Research, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 104-110. Best practices n.d., bestpracticehotel.com/. Boxwell, R 1994, Benchmarking for competitive advantage, McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing, London, UK. Business process re-engineering (BPR) 2001, http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/business-process-reengineering. Crick, C n.d., Travel opinions – key influences on tourist decision making, http://ezinearticles.com/?Travel-Opinio nsKey-Influences-on-Tourist-Decision-Makingid=3296190. Holweg, M 2007, ‘The genealogy of lean production’, Journal of Operations Management, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 420-437. Jones, D 2001, ‘Thinking outside the box’, ECR Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 81-89. Lean manufacturing techniques for identifying waste 2011, http://manufacturing.hubspot.com/bid/30958/Lean-Manufacturing-Techniques-for-Identifying-Waste. Luxury n.d., merriam-webster.com/dictionary/luxury. Negi, S 2011, E-publishing: the most convenient, eco-friendly and 244 accessible online media, http://technology.ezinemark.com/e-publishing-the-most-convenient-eco-friendly-and-244-accessible-online-media-7d2dc205ae62.html. Privately owned n.d., investopedia.com/terms/p/privately-owned.asp#axzz1mirAxVZh. Revenaugh, D 1994, ‘Implementing major organizational change: can we really do it?’, The TQM Magazine, vol. 6, no. 6, pp. 38-48. Shmoop Editiorial Team 2008, Types of economic systems, shmoop .com/economic-systems/types.html. Slack, N, Chambers, S Johnston, R 2010, Operations Management, 2nd edn, Pearson Education Limited, England. Star rating system hotel requirements for four, five star etc n.d., cerf-resort.com/hotelstarratings.html. Von Starck, E 2004, Food and beverage: how caterers can cream hotels and what to do to get the business back, panetieremarketing.com/news_articles/caterer_beats_hotels.html. Von Starck, E 2004, Menus that work as a sales tool, panetieremarketing.com/news_articles/hotel_menus_marketing_tools.html. Von Starck, E 2004, Personality on your web site and why, panetieremarketing.com/news_articles/personality_sells_website.html. Tennant, G 2001, Six sigma SPC and TQM in manufacturing and services, Gower Publishing Company, England. Tourists seek cheaper travel options 2012, cruiseshalong.com/content/tourists+seek+cheaper+travel+options+/8/2856.

10 Fascinating Facts About Aphids

10 Fascinating Facts About Aphids As the joke goes, aphids suck. And while this is both literally and figuratively true, in some respects, any entomologist will tell you that aphids are interesting and sophisticated insects. Aphids Poop Sugar Aphids feed by piercing the phloem tissue of the host plant and sucking up the sap. Unfortunately, sap is mostly sugar, so an aphid must consume a lot of sap to meet its nutritional requirement for protein.  Much of what the aphid consumes goes to waste. The excess sugar is eliminated in the form of a sugary droplet called honeydew. An aphid-infested plant quickly becomes coated in the sticky excretions. Sugar-Loving Ants Tend to Some Aphids Anyone who has battled sugar ants in their kitchen can tell you that ants have a sweet tooth. Ants are therefore very fond of bugs that can poop large quantities of sugar. Aphid-herding ants will care for their adopted aphids, carrying them from plant to plant and milking them for honeydew. In exchange for the sweet treats they get from the aphids in their care, they provide the aphids with protection from predators and parasites. Some ants even take the aphids home to their nest during the winter months, keeping them safe until spring. Aphids Have a Lot of Enemies Im not just talking about gardeners, either. Aphids are slow, theyre plump, and theyre sweet to eat (presumably). A single plant can host hundreds or even thousands of aphids, offering predators a real smorgasbord of snacks. Aphid eaters include lady beetles, lacewings, minute pirate bugs, hoverfly larvae, big-eyed bugs, damsel bugs, and certain stinging wasps, among others. Entomologists even have a term for the many insects that feed on aphids – aphidophagous. Aphids Have Tailpipes Most aphids have a pair of tubular structures on their hind ends, which entomologists describe as looking like tiny tailpipes. These structures, called cornicles or sometimes siphunculi, seem to serve a defensive purpose. When threatened, an aphid releases a waxy fluid from the cornicles. The sticky substance gums up the mouth of the predator in pursuit and is thought to trap parasitoids before they can infect the aphid. Aphids Sound an Alarm When Theyre in Trouble Like many insects, some aphids use alarm pheromones to broadcast a threat to other aphids in the area. The aphid under attack releases these chemical signals from its cornicles, sending nearby aphids running for cover. Unfortunately for the aphids, some lady beetles have learned the aphid language, too. The lady beetles follow the alarm pheromones to locate an easy meal. Aphids Fight Back Aphids may look defenseless, but they dont go down without a fight. Aphids are expert kickboxers and will pummel their pursuers with their hind feet. Some aphids bear spines that make them challenging to chew on, and others are merely thick-skinned. Aphids are also known to go on the offensive, stabbing the eggs of predatory insects to kill their enemies in vitro. If all else fails, aphids stop, drop, and roll off their host plant to escape predation. Some Aphids Employ Soldiers for Protection Although not common, certain gall-making aphids produce special soldier nymphs to protect the group. These female guards never molt into adulthood, and their sole purpose is to protect and serve. Aphid soldiers are fiercely committed to their job and will sacrifice themselves if needed. Soldier aphids often have burly legs with which they can detain or squeeze intruders. Aphids Lack Wings (Until They Need Them) Aphids are generally apterous (wingless), and unable to fly. As you might imagine, this can put them at a considerable disadvantage if environmental conditions deteriorate, since they arent very mobile. When the host plant becomes a little too crowded with hungry aphids, or if its sucked dry and theres a lack of sap, the aphids may need to disperse and find new host plants. Thats when wings come in handy. Aphids will periodically produce a generation of alates – winged adults capable of flight. Flying aphids dont set any aviation records, but they can ride a wind gust with some skill to relocate. Female Aphids Can Reproduce Without Mating Because aphids have so many predators, their survival depends on their numbers. A quick and easy way to boost the population is to dispense with the nonsense of mating. Female aphids are parthenogenetic, or capable of virgin births, no males required. Like Russian nesting dolls, a female aphid may carry developing young, which are themselves already carrying developing young. This significantly shortens the development cycle and increases population numbers rapidly. Aphids Give Birth to Live Young You might expect a bug that seems so primitive to lay eggs like more other insects do, but aphids are pretty sophisticated when it comes to reproduction. There isnt time to wait for eggs to develop and hatch. So aphids practice viviparity, giving birth to live young. The aphids eggs begin to develop as soon as ovulation occurs, without any fertilization. Sources: Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity, by Stephen A. MarshallEncyclopedia of Entomology, 2nd edition, edited by John L. CapineraAphid Ecology: An Optimization Approach, by Anthony Frederick George Dixon

COST ACCOUNTING SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL Essay

COST ACCOUNTING SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL - Essay Example In order that the costing system is effective so as to support the management control systems, a consideration of various financial and non-financial performance measures is undertaken to introduce the costing systems. This so because the functions of the management control systems is not only to collect the information but also to act upon an analysis of such data and information to steer the organization towards success. Hence arises the need for these performance measures. Some organizations present financial and non-financial performance measures for their subunits in a single report called the Balanced Scorecard. Different organizations stress different elements in their scorecards, but most scorecards include Considering the incorporation of the financial and non-financial measures in the management control systems, an Activity Based Costing system (ABC) would be appropriate for the new online company as well as the existing merchandising division of the company. Activity based costing systems refine costing systems by focusing on individual activities as the fundamental cost objects. An activity is an event, task, or unit of work with a specified purpose; for example designing, setting up machines, distribution.