Lucia St. Clair Robson`s Shadow Patriots A Reaction Paper Essay Example

Lucia St. Clair Robson`s Shadow Patriots: A Reaction Paper Paper Lucia St. Clair Robson’s historical novel, Shadow Patriots (2005) centers on one of President George Washington’s major spy operations, called The Culper Ring, out of New York City during the Revolution. The Shadow Patriots includes familiar names such as Peggy Shippen, George Washington, Benedict Arnold, Alexander Hamilton. The novel also focuses on the important participation of â€Å"355†, a female spy whose real identity has to date remained shrouded in mystery. 355 was the Culper Ring’s code for â€Å"lady†. Many historians believe that the female spy died for her country. In the novel, Kate and Seth Darby decide to take a stand in the armed conflicts in a tumultuous period. The hotheaded Seth serves his fledgling country in the army at night, while his older sister is more pragmatic and rational and pragmatic than her brother. Soon, however, circumstances force Kate to face the intrigues and temptations prowling outside her door. Over time, she becomes more impassioned and profoundly involved in the fight for the country’s independence. Invisible ink messages, secret codes, aliases, double agents, and espionage resulted in ever greater drama and danger during the Revolution, a decisive episode in the American history. The Shadow Patriots goes beyond these. It is estimated that almost 12 thousand American troops died in British custody. Robson also includes in her novel the â€Å"prison ship martyrs†, the betrayal of West Point, the intrigue in Philadelphia, the sufferings of the winter military camp at Morristown and Valley Forge, as well as the battles of Stony Point, Monmouth, and Brooklyn. Overall, the novel creates a plausible reality for the historical figures and events and the Culper Ring. This piece of history is something that many Americans do not learn about in the classroom. We will write a custom essay sample on Lucia St. Clair Robson`s Shadow Patriots: A Reaction Paper specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lucia St. Clair Robson`s Shadow Patriots: A Reaction Paper specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lucia St. Clair Robson`s Shadow Patriots: A Reaction Paper specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The way the historical figures and events are wrapped in with fictional characters and happenings makes Shadow Patriots very interesting. The novel makes the readers wonder whether Robson is writing fiction or historical facts. Sometimes, a statement or a gesture would cause readers to question, would that really happen in that period? Did mice really made some of the powdered wigs their home?   Were the women of that period truly so earthy and bawdy, usually wearing nothing at all underneath their hoop skirts? Did Quakers really treat their black servants with warm affections and familiarity? The author’s clear command of the subjects as a result of her extensive research efforts tells the readers that these are all precise and correct. Robson includes them in the novel because they are strange, true, and noteworthy. In addition, the author has made a name for herself in making genuine historical fiction. For one, she has a Master’s degree in Library Science, which explains her skills in research. The way the author weaves the historical figures and events with her fictional story is truly outstanding. Robson makes history come alive in Shadow Patriots. The readers learn how people spoke, dressed, and what colonial New York and Philadelphia smelled and looked. Robson’s descriptions of the setting move the narrative forward and offer the readers a quirky history lesson. For example, the American military camp at Valley Forge is luminously depicted. One of the minor flaws of Shadow Patriots is that Robson bombards the readers with so much information in a short space. While such information are very interesting, they are overwhelming. For example, in the first 35 pages or so, the author showers the readers with many characters from history: Washington, Hamilton, Hercules Mulligan, Rob Townsend, Benjamin Tallmadge, New York mayor David Matthews, William Cunningham, Elizabeth Loring, and General William Howe. Overall, the flaws in Robson’s Shadow Patriots are outweighed by its virtues. As lively, accurate, historical fiction, the novel succeeds, and as such, it is highly recommended to readers interested in the Revolutionary War History. However, one needs to review Revolutionary War history to appreciate the historical characters’ presence in the novel.

Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy

Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy The poem, "Barbie Doll", is about a girl who was growing up in a society which regard highly of female beauty. The title illustrates that most females were expected to be like Barbie dolls. These dolls cast pressure on the girl to be like supermodel. In this story, the girl failed to meet the standards of society and viewed as a “social outcast.”The first paragraph describes a growing girl who was presented with “dolls,” “miniature GE stoves,” “irons” and “lipsticks.” This will ensure that the girl will know which gender roles she should be and not too deviate from the accepted social custom. The mood of the poem changes when the author describes, “the magic of puberty.” Here, it refers to a time of emotional crisis that the girl went through as she matures. She is constantly teased for not looking like the typical Barbie dolls.The second paragraph began with mentioning the girls positive aspects, such as “She was healthy, tested in telligent,” “possesses strong arms and back” and “abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity,” These sentences portray the girl image (female) to male characteristics.English: Back cover of Barbie booklet about how to...The tome in the poem changes again when the author stated, “the girl went to and fro apologizing,” and everyone still say she had a fat nose and thick legs, the society again, scorn at the “ugly” appearance of the girl.In the third paragraph, line twelve to sixteen, the girl is expected to fake her natural behavior, emotion and characteristics. The “fan belt” was used to exemplify that one cannot endure the pressure placed by society to meet their standards and will wear out eventually. Consequently, she cut off her nose and legs. Therefore, the last paragraph expressed her death as “consummation at last.” Dont she look pretty? Everyone said.” In this...

Diversity in American Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diversity in American Society - Essay Example This racial group originated from North, South America, and Central America, and maintained tribal affiliation or community attachment. About 0.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives live on reservations or other trust lands. 57 percent of American Indian and Alaska Natives live in metropolitan areas, a lowest metropolitan percentage of any racial group. (AI/AN profile)). However, despite the gains of population and self-determination rights the AI/AN remains one of the poorest ethnic group. This is also an important reason for lower educational attainment and high rates of school dropouts. In the present essay, the programs to aid the community in these two important issues have been addressed. In the US census 2000, American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination with one or more races made up 1.5 percent of the total population. American Indian and Alaska Native alone represented 0.9 percent of the population. It was 110 percent increase in the total population of AI/AN while 26 percent increase in the population of AI/AN alone from 1990. The highest number of these people was in California followed by Oklahoma. The 19% of the population of Alaska had AI/AN followed by Oklahoma and New Mexico with 11% each. The Median household income for American Indians and Alaska Natives, based on a 1998/2000 average is $31,799 . ... The Population of AI/AN alone has 49.7% males and 50.3% females. In the same population the natives are 94.6% while foreign-borns are only 5.4%. Of the foreign born population 30.6% are naturalized citizen while 69.4% are not a citizen. (US census, 2000) Snipp (2005) reports that the poverty rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives, based on a 1998/2000 average is 25.9%. This rate was not statistically different from the rates for African Americans and Hispanics, but was higher than those for non-Hispanic Whites, Asians and Pacific Islanders. The median age of the total American Indian and Alaska Native population is 28.7 years. For people who report their race as American Indian and Alaska Native only, the median age is 28.0, suggesting that this group is somewhat younger. In contrast, the median age of the U.S. is 38.4 years. About 34 percent of the total American Indian and Alaska Native population is under age 18, compared with only 23 percent of the white population. The relatively young age structure of the AI/AN population reflects in part the population's high fertility rates compared with most other racial and ethnic groups. PART- 2 Important Community Issues 1. EDUCATION 1.1 School Attendance and Educational Attainment American Indians and Alaska Natives have not fared well by this measure. They have historically been one of the least-educated groups in the nation, About 93% of multiracial and 92% of single racial AI/AN children of 15-17 age group are enrolled in school. The 7-8% teens not enrolled in school require attention Snipp (2005). The census 2000 also indicates that in the age group of 18-24, 64.1 % AI/AN alone and 71.3% AI/AN in combination with one or more races

How to Reduce the Radiation Risk in CT Scan through Various Methods Essay

How to Reduce the Radiation Risk in CT Scan through Various Methods - Essay Example After attending classes at the university, I will get an opportunity of observing and practicing in CT scan at Perth Metropolitan Hospital. Perhaps, the most  important advance in diagnostic radiology over the years has been the use of CT. However, when as compared to conventional radiography, CT involves much higher doses. The widely prevalent practice of using CT as a screening technique even for minor complaints like a headache has added to the controversy.   Due to all these concerns, there is a pressing concern to incorporate various safety measures and techniques to avoid excess radiation dose from CT scanning. This is one of the reasons that I am composing this reflective journal, which would explore the methods to reduce radiation risk from CT scans. It is a well-known fact that the CT equipment produces radiation doses that are higher than those of conventional x-ray types of equipment. Since the CT scan operator directly controls technical factors such as x-ray tube voltage, the tube current, and rotation time, which directly affect the radiation dose, the scan operator plays an important role in the whole process. Radiation exposure (expressed in coulombs per kilogram) is defined as the total charge produced in dry air when all electrons liberated by photons in a unit mass of air are completely stopped in air. The absorbed dose, effective  dose, and CT dose index (CTDI) are some of the measures, which are used to describe the radiation dose delivered  by CT scanning. The absorbed dose is the energy absorbed per unit of mass and  is measured in grays (Gy). One gray equals 1 joule of radiation  energy absorbed per kilogram. The level of risk  to an organ in the body from radiation is determined mainly by the organ dose (or distribution  of dose in the organ). The effective dose is expressed  in sieverts (Sv).

Professional Growth Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Growth Plan - Assignment Example ental since the only way to understand cultural diversity is by learning the underlying differences, then embrace and integrate them into the already running system. Cultural proficiency is a developmental process that utilizes resources prior to the realization of an advanced outcome. Information is a vital resource in this process, and the advantage in this case is that vast information about cultural proficiency is readily available and accessible. From libraries to the internet, there are diverse and dynamic sources of information about cultural proficiency. Keeping at par with current information in personal development towards cultural proficiency is fundamental in learning and understanding cultural diversity in the world (Lindsey, Nuri-Robins, Terrell & Lindsey, 2011). On the same note, use of information as a resource will enhance cross-cultural analysis in an unbiased manner. Teacher-student interactions often require a culturally responsive learning environment. To create an environment that best accounts for this requirement, differentiated instruction becomes a fundamental strategy to use for the benefit of the students. Differentiated instruction will basically account for the diverse and differentiated students’ needs in the teaching and learning context. This will also enhance their academic understanding, over and above the realization that their various cultural differences are accounted for in the teaching and learning systems. Culturally responsive efforts are pursued at all levels, especially at individual and social levels. The primary interest is to enhance social coherence amid individual and social differences that are rooted in variant cultures. Colleagues or even the school at large can employ different efforts to enhance their cultural responsiveness. Personal change and transformation constitutes essential efforts that can be employed to improve and exacerbate cultural responsiveness (Lindsey, Nuri-Robins, Terrell & Lindsey, 2011).

Essay on Silence and its Importance

Essay on Silence and its Importance The key aim of this research paper is to draw attention to the importance of silence in general, for students in particular. Thus, the introductory part of this research is devoted to the definition of silence and its important in our noisy world. The second section focus on the key powers of silence as located by the Irish writer Tony Cuckson, the importance of silence for students, how could we improve our relationship with silence? And examples of when can we use silence. Finally the third part consists of the analysis of the questionnaire data and summarizing the key ideas of the research. What does silence mean? Literally speaking, the word silence comes from the Latin word silens meaning to be still, quiet, or at rest. In English, it still maintains some of these meaning as most modern dictionaries define silence as the condition or quality of being or keeping still and silent, the absence of sounds, stillness or as a period of time without speech or noise. However depending only on these definitions we just learn silences first fundamental sense. Hence the silence is more than the state of being silent; entire absence of sound or absolute stillness. The silence, this research paper is concerned about, is the silence that enhances concentration, promotes meditation and allows us to be in touch with our inner. In other words, the silence that has the power to get people to think and to act. The word silence has become associated in our minds with passivity boring and inactivity. Moreover, we see silence as intrinsically dangerous, anti-social or abnormal. We fear and hate silence and we do everything possible to avoid it. In her book A Book of Silence , Sara Maitland stated*: instant and constant verbal communication is experienced not so much as a pleasure, but as a necessity. Background music, even in shopping malls where there is already a great deal of noise, so that no one can actually hear the music, is ubiquitous. The length of an acceptable silent pause on the radio has been reduced steadily over the last decade. Silence in public places, like libraries or churches, is increasingly considered oppressive rather than valuable. The silence of mourning is being replaced by cheering. In this statement, Sara Maitland has tried to draw our attention to our strange fear-hate relationship with silence. She gives us some habits that we unconsciously used to do in the everyday life to avoid silence. Sara Maitland has also noticed that people try to fill the void of silence with needless chatter, with TV, with Music, with noise of some kind. She noticed that Silence has become disconcerting and make people feel uncomfortable and alone, thats why -according to Sara Maitland- the world is filled with TVs that have been left on when nobody is watching it, for just a background noise. Yet people forget that the great forces, by which we live, are silent. The vast immensity of space is silent, because sound waves, unlike light or radio waves, cannot travel through a vacuum. Gravity electricity, the warmth of sunlight, the turning of the tides are all silent. Organic growth, life itself, the division of cells is silent. Society just forgets about these facts, Sara added. To sum up we could say that we hate or fear silence because we do not perceive its true meaning. Silence is not a mere absence of sounds or noises, it is more than that. Silence is a natural phenomenon that could be a source of creative energy that we should all use and benefit from it rather than simply avoiding it. *Sara Maitland is an English writer. Born in 1950, she grew up in Galloway, studied at Oxford University and currently tutors on the Distance Learning MA in creative writing for Lancaster University and is the Mentor Co-ordinator for Crossing Borders. She has undertaken writer residencies at HMP Ashwell and at Lincoln Cathedral The importance of silence in a restless world (noise pollution) It is obviously clear that we are living in noisy word. Unwanted sounds and noises pursue us everywhere we go. In the street, restaurants, supermarkets and even in the places where silence is considered as a necessity like schools and hospitals are not exceptions. From the early morning we step out home till we come back, we encounter variety of terribly noises. Our lives nowadays tend to be so busy that we have become accustomed to a constant barrage of tasks, inputs, and general noise. How often do we come home only to turn on the T.V. just so we can have something going on in the background? We used to not esteem the value of silence in our lives. Mike Moore* has described this phenomenon in his book Living Life Fully by saying When you add lawnmowers, snow blowers, leaf blowers, jack hammers, jet engines, transport trucks, and horns and buzzers of all types and descriptions, you have a wall of constant noise and irritation. Even when watching a television program at a reasonable volume level you are blown out of your chair when a commercial comes on at the decibel level of a jet. A recent study conducted by the Cornell University** about the impact of noise on employees in an open area office space where people are constantly exposed to fax machines, telephones, office chatter, shredding machines, etc revealed that workers in an open area had high level of adrenalin*** in their urine. When these employees were compared to those in quiet offices the results were startling. Workers in quiet offices did not have the same high levels of adrenalin in their urine. Besides, they were much more relaxed and less stressed. Moreover, a puzzle demanding attention and concentration was given to both groups of employees. The results revealed that the open area workers were found to be less diligent in the solution of the puzzle. They easily frustrated and gave up much earlier than the employees from the quiet offices. Another striking results found by the study are about sleeping, digestion and the psychological state of the employees under study. The study has revealed that workers from the quiet office slept better at night, had better digestion, were much less irritable at home and felt better at the end of their workday than employees from the open area offices. It seems clear from the results of such studies that noise does not only affect our focus and productivity but also impact our physical and psychological balance. Noise pollution tends to increase stress levels which in turn can result in increased frustration and anger. There is no doubt that the results of this study should push us to revise and re-establish our relationship with silence. In other words, we must begin to establish a friendship with silence. *Mike Moore is an international speaker and writer on human potential, motivation and humour. You can check out his website at www.motivationalplus.com **It is an American university ***Is released by the body when under stress. It prepares us for fight or flight. The key 4 powers of silence Till now, we have seen and known -from the introduction- the type of silence this research is concerned about and its true meaning. We have also recognized the importance of silence in a terribly noisy world showing some startling facts and striking recent studies. In this chapter, I have managed to devote it to the key four powers of silence as located by the Irish writer Tony Cuckson*. In fact, Tony has located seven powers but I have chosen the most important ones that everyone could experience regardless of his/ here possibilities or where s/he lives. In his valuable article Enjoy the Silence Tony has summarized the benefits of silence by saying that: silence is creative, silence promotes the inner and builds trust, silence gives rest, and silence allows listening. In this chapter I will try to explain these powers of silence respectively. 1 Silence is creative: In his article, Tony has defined creativity as creating unprecedented and unexampled things into being. He expressed that Creativity is not found within the known. Creativity means to bring the new into being. * Tony Cuckson is a writer on learning to be enough in the 21st Century. He is author of the ezine -an electronic magazine- Irish Blessings Subscribe to Irish Blessings Matter ezine a FREE weekly input of inspiration to lift the heart and heal the soul. With this sense creativity is a required quality in all fields. We need creative employees, creative writers, creative teachersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and more importantly creative students. Man is creative by nature; however, we often destroy this quality by some unhealthy habits. For instance, doing a task, homework or writing an assay while listening to music or television, surely will affect our concentration and consequently will affect the quality of the work that we try to accomplish. Yet creativity needs silence and quiet environment. A quiet environment allows the creative person to develop his talent and to think deeper. Inspiration always comes in silent environment. For instance, intellectuals, thinkers, poetry writers, inventors and creators in all fields always seek absolute silence and quiet environment so that they could work comfortably and get inspiration. Imagination also springs from silence. Silence and quiet are to an artist, an author or inventor etc, what fertilizer is to crops. In conclusion, it can be said that Silence and creativity are one Tony asserted. By relating silence to creativity, he has insisted on the idea that silence is the wellspring of creativity. 2 Silence promotes the inner and builds trust: When we silence we turn our thoughts and focus inwards and gain the power we need to refuel our minds Steven Aitchison* has stated. Our ego** is temporarily switched off or at least made to be quiet for a bit, and we start to see the real world as it should be (he continued). Our thoughts get in the way of our reality sometimes and we dont see the beauty of the world around us. When there is silence there is time for introspection and to allow your true-self to speak, not the ego, not the conscious mind but the true-self connected to the flow of energy around us (Steven added in his online Blog). Tony Cuckson agrees with Steven Aitchison by saying that through silence we could trust our selves. Silence enables us to listen to our inner voice and to detect our unique methods of thinking. It gives us a chance to understand our selves better. Consequently, we improve and re-establish our relationships with our selves. We simply used to think that others know better than we do. We have been taught this for most of our lives. Listening silently to the promptings of our hearts we begin got know our own voices. We become our own masters. To put it more simply, we could say that silence helps us to find our values, understand our strengths, identify our tendencies, acknowledge our limitations, set our goals and then establish our direction. * Steven Aitchison currently lives in Scotland working as an Addiction Worker, helping clients with alcohol and drug issues. He has a degree in psychology, a sense of humour, and a down to earth approach to self help. ** The self of an individual person; the conscious subject 3 Silence gives rest: The lack of silence in our modern life results in lack of comfort. Anuradha Vashisht* has expressed this idea by saying: The fidgetiness, the restlessness we see in the majority of people these days indicates how far removed they are from the silence of the body Anuradha wants to say that people nowadays cannot be still or calm in one place for a considerable period of time mainly because of the hyperactivity phenomenon. The problem of hyperactivity is increasing as most people constantly need a prop for their bodies like shuffling feet, shaking a leg while sitting in a chair, swaying their bodies, inane scratching, constantly doing something with their hands, asking for tea or coffee to get over boredom, and so on. Most of the physical activities that have been described above often reflect the clatter and the noise one has in his mind which would prevent him from enjoying his rest. To overcome this hyperactivity we should devote a considerable period of time for silence in order to give ourselves a deep rest. In silence the *Anuradha Vashisht, Delhi-based journalist, researcher, writer and media professional, has over 15 years experience in the media. Having trained as a journalist with the Times of India Group, some of her major assignments were with Financial Express, Indian Express and The Pioneer. body slows. The rate of breathing slows. Our heart rate drops. We just forget about the past and future to live the present moment. We enter our essential self. There is no need to go anywhere. There is no place to go. This is our time for relaxation. This is our time for simply catching a breath and recharging our batteries. 4 Silence allows listening: Silence gives us the opportunity to listen to others and more importantly to ourselves. When others speak or during a conversation, silence could be used as sort of politeness and respect that would make the communication successful (we will tackle this idea in depth in the next chapter (Examples of When to Use Silence)). Yet the inner-silence also is very important. Since, it gives us a chance to listen to our inner voices. It helps us to turn our thoughts and focus inwards and live the present moment now not the past not the future. The inner-silence enables us to save our minds from the inane thoughts and eliminate all mental noises. Thus we make our minds calmer. Consequently, we can work and study more efficiently and our productivity will increase. The mental silence should be the prime goal in our daily life. If we can be mentally calm we can solve many problems of life and find ways to do difficult tasks. Finally, we could say that by listening to others we will gain respect and by listening to ourselves, we will not be afraid of the battles of life, because internally we will be very strong. By developing the virtue of inner silence, we should be broad like sky (tolerate others thoughts) and deep like ocean (where all life problems will be sunk). The importance of silence for students Besides all the silences powers that we have mentioned earlier which all are so important for all people, students can get much more from silence. As we know, our education system encourages students to get ahead of their competition and to get excellent marks so that they could conserve their chance to get a respectable job. Naturally when we are competing each other we can never be at ease. We become bound to be stressed and this pressure will keep on increasing with every passing day. Silence and meditation are the perfect tools to release this pressure and feel at ease with ourselves. In fact today every student- whether from engineering, management, business or arts- needs meditation more than ever. Connecting with ones deeper self leaves him refreshed and regenerated so that he can move forward in life without being exhausted or stressed. As any other part of our bodies; our minds need rest too. We must just think what would happen to our bodies if we keep on working for example for 16 hours or more per day and never get a chance to take repose? Automatically we will be tired, exhausted and unable to master any kind of work. Same is the case with our minds, they need break likewise. Thence, we could say that silence and meditation are more essential to students in particular as all their tasks demands great mental efforts. It can be concluded from what we have seen till now that silence is not mere an absence of sounds or noises but also a technique and a therapy that all people and students in particular are in-need of. After recognizing the key powers and benefits of silence, the question now is how could we reconcile and re-establish our relationship with it? This is what we will see in the next chapter. How could we improve our relationship with silence? Before starting this chapter we have to remember that people do not have an absolute control over all the noises they hear daily in the street or in places where they work, study etc; however, they do have control over their own private environment. In this private environment we can reorganize ourselves, reconsider our habits and attitudes towards silence. In our private environment we could cultivate a good friendship with silence following several steps. In this chapter, I have selected from Mike Moores advices the most important, simplest and applicable ones that we could -as students living in Meknes- easily follow. Firstly, we should change the negative image that we have in our minds about silence. In other words, we have to learn about and extend our knowledge about the value of silence. We can do that either through reading psychological books, asking the psychologists or searching in the internet about the benefits of silence. To put it more simply, we should prepare ourselves morally and mentally for practicing Mike Moore steps. After changing your attitudes towards silence, you should try to change some of your habits. For instance, when walking to school avoid using your MP3 player or any other such devices and try to walk in silence. When you read a book or prepare for an exam, do it in silence. If you used to read, write and prepare for exams while listening to music or watching television you should try silence. You will find it much helpful. When you are alone in your residence, try to turn off all noise sources for a specific period of time. Begin with fifteen minutes of silence a day and gradually increase the duration. If you succeeded to change your habits and attitude towards silence then you should enlarge your experience with silence by learning how to meditate. Attempt to schedule a ten minute for meditation and contemplation period once or twice a day. Then extend your meditation time gradually. Mike Moore concluded by saying: Soon you will begin to cherish the periods of silence you have built into your day and long for more. You will quickly discover that you are becoming more relaxed and less tense even in the midst of our noisy world. You will have made an invaluable new friend of silence, a friend which can comfort, heal and soothe your spirit. What a gift you will have given yourself. In conclusion, it can be said that if we followed Mike advices we would reconcile our relationship with silence and certainly would discover the restorative power of silence that students are in need of it. Examples of when to use silence Silence is often mis-characterized as unimportant or awkward. As a result the modern conversations become chaos in which two or more people racing to see who can speak more without paying any attention to the other. Yet, people forget that silence can be used as a technique of communication, kind of respect and as an anti-gossiping. I- Silence as a technique of communication As a technique of communication silence could be used in daily conversation, during arguments and job interviews. To get a better conversation, one must use brief pauses to give the other person a chance to think, get better understanding of the topic and then react effectively. Just as he needs in return a chance to absorb and process all that information the other person has just said. Another best time to use the power of silence is during an argument. For instance, when someone is shouting at you, looking for an argument you can literally take all the power away from him and save all your energy by simply looking back at them saying absolutely nothing. Yet it is extremely difficult to do but very powerful. Students also can use silence to their advantage in job interviews. Students often do not consider silence as one of the most valuable interview techniques that can be used both by the job candidates and the interviewers. For many interviewees, the silence of the interviewer is seen awkward because it tends to imply that they have been found lacking and do not satisfy or fit the interviewers standards. However, good interviewers use silence when listening attentively to what the interviewee is saying; so a job candidate should not be frightened if the interviewer does so. Also, a job candidate can use the same silence to demonstrate critical thinking skills and an ability to remain poised in difficult situations. Here are a few tips* to help you use silence in a job interview to your advantage. A Use brief pauses (no more than 15 seconds) when you need to collect your thoughts, recall the information the interviewer requested B Introduce a silent pause when several questions are asked in rapid succession before you have had a chance to answer the first one. Repeat the first question and answer it; then request the interviewer to ask subsequent questions. C Avoid any urge to fill the silence with unsolicited information about your background or experience. Many interviewees have lost the job by impulsively blurting out details that led the interviewer to ask questions for which the interviewees were unprepared to answer. D Finally, do not forget to remain mentally alert during the silence. *To get more information about how to use silence in a job interview follow this link: http://www.ehow.com/how_5093570_use-silence-advantage-job-interview.html 2 Silence as kind of respect Silence could also be used to show respect in many occasions. It has long been recognized by many religious groups as a key component of an ascetic path to spirituality. For example, we as Muslims we silence when we hear someone reading the Quran. We also recommend silence in the funerals. Moreover, silence has become a universal practice used in all over the world. As we used to held one minute of silence as a remembrance of the people died in a natural disaster or an important person died recently. During conversations silence also may be used to express admiration and esteem. Just let people talk and listen to them and use your facial expressions and movements to acknowledge that you are listening. Thus, you will imply that you are respecting them and you will gain their respect in return. In contrast, when you do not listen to or interrupt people before they have finished, you are essentially indicating that the other persons thoughts are not that important. What could be considered as a kind of impoliteness and discourage him/her to continue talking. 3 Silence as an anti-gossiping When there is a crowd of people in the workplace while the boss is absent or in classroom before the coming of teacher there are always gossipers who speak about other people. What makes gossiping dangerous is that it is contagious. When we dont like someone and someone else starts speaking about him we naturally tend to voice our opinion, Ive done it lots of times and have to stop myself. Try and stop yourself from catching the virus of gossiping and use the power of silent whenever it occurs. If you are a gossiper yourself and people around start to notice that you are not your usual self, do not give an explanation just ignore them or say that silence is golden. Be still and know the restorative power of silence. (Ideas we should keep in mind) Besides, isnt it nice to say nothing when you have nothing to say? We need to rediscover the power of attention and we do that through silence the concentration that we use in prayer can be used in everyday life, THE QUESTIONNAIRE 1-In few words, what comes to your mind when you hear the word silence? 2-Silence is golden Agree? Silence is boring Agree? Golden Boring 3-Do you find sometimes that you are talking just to break the silence? Answer options Never Sometimes Always 4-Do you think that silence is important for your health balance? Absolutely not To some extent yes Of course, yes Could you justify your answer? 5-Have you ever thought to get regular periods or moments of silence? Never I have 6-Do you actually allocate regular periods from your time for silence? Absolutely no from time to time weekly daily If you do not answer by no, could you explain why or for what purpose? 7-Do you prefer silence while preparing for exams or soft music? I prefer silence Soft music It depends on the subject being prepared

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury :: Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 4511 In the futuristic novel Fahrenheit 451, the author, Ray Bradbury, expresses several problems that influence the story. Many of these problems have to do with the behavior of the people in the twenty- fourth century society. One major problem is that firemen have been given the job of burning books in order to stop the spreading of ideas, and to cause all of society to reform and therefore be happy. Many people do not agree with this and they try hard to keep books alive, even though they may be killed for it. Guy Montag, who in the beginning of the story is a proud fireman, later doubts his job and joins those who preserve books. One person who teaches him about books is an old man named Faber who is a retired English professor. During a conversation between Montag and Faber, Montag states, â€Å"That’s the good part of dying; when you’ve nothing to lose, you run any risk you want†(pg.85). What he means by this is that he is willing to risk his l ife to help save books for others to read and enjoy. However, Montag’s wife, Mildred, does not care for books as much as Montag because she knows books are illegal and she fears for her life. Mildred tells Montag how afraid she is by saying, â€Å"They might come and burn the house and the family. Why should I read? What for?(pg.73)† Montag is upset when he hears this because he sees that there is a problem with burning books. Indeed there is a problem because books allow people to express themselves, learn, dream, and have fun. In a society such as the one found in Fahrenheit 451, people are not allowed to experience any of these things and they are less individual. Another problem found in Bradbury’s future is that some schools and businesses have been shut down simply because they encourage and promote reading and books. In the novel, books are made to be thought of as evil and are no longer produced. Book companies along with some schools and publishing agencies have been closed due to the ban of books. On page 75 Bradbury tells of the closing of schools by writing, â€Å"The old man admitted to being a retired English Professor who had been thrown out upon the world forty years ago when the last liberal arts college shut for lack of students and patronage.

Approaches to Management and Organizational Behaviour

205KM Management and Organizational Behaviour Report 1 Title: Approaches to Management and Organizational Behaviour: Pizza Hut and McDonald’s (Fill in the Name of Company A) (Fill in the Name of Company B) Student Name: HSU Ka Syn Syrus Student ID: 51878875 Tutorial Group: 2 Table of Contents Page Num 1. Objectives| 9| 2. Business Background| 9| 3. Organization Structure and Design3. 1 Organization Structure of Company A3. 2 Organization Structure of Company B3. 3 Compare the Similarities and Differences of Organization Structure between Company A & B| 10101214| 4.Approaches to Management & Organizational Behaviour| 15| 4. 1 Motivation| 15| 4. 2 Leadership| 16| 4. 3 Human Resource Management| 18| 4. 4 Culture & Diversity| 20| 4. 5 Information Technology| 22| 4. 6 Communication| 22| 5. Conclusion| 23| 6. References| 24| 1. Objective The purpose of this report is to find out the differences in the organization structures and approaches in management and organizational behaviour of two local restaurants, Pizza Hut Hong Kong and McDonalds Hong Kong.Besides, the report is to find out the information of the restaurants through identifying and analyzing the following: motivation, leadership, human resource management, culture and diversity, information technology, communication. 2. Business Background Business background of Pizza Hut: Pizza Hut, Inc. is an American  restaurant  chain and international  franchise  that offers different styles of  pizza along with  side dishes. Pizza Hut is a subsidiary of  Yum! Brands, Inc. , the world's largest restaurant company.According to the corporate website, there are more than 11,600 store locations in 94 other countries and territories around the world. About their history, the legacy of Pizza Hut began in 1958, when two college students from Wichita, Kansas, were approached by a family friend with the idea of opening a pizza parlor. Although the concept was relatively new to many Americans at that time, the two brothers quickly saw the potential of this new enterprise. After borrowing $600 from their mother, they purchased some second-hand equipment and rented a small building on a busy intersection in their hometown.The result of their entrepreneurial efforts was the first Pizza Hut restaurant and the foundation for what would become the largest and most successful pizza restaurant chain in the world. Hong Kong Pizza Hut provides dine-in, takeout and delivery service. At present, there are over 80 stores in Hong Kong and Macau. In recent years, McDonald’s has invaded the delivery food service market, so Pizza Hut’s market share has also been thinned. This is Pizza Hut Hong Kong was facing the challenge. Business background of About McDonalds:McDonalds Corporation is the world's largest chain of  hamburger  fast food restaurants, serving in 119 countries and more than 30,000 restaurants. From a neighborhood restaurant established in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955 t o today, more than 30,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries worldwide, McDonald's is the largest quick service restaurant organization in the world. McDonald's recognized that to be successful, it would have to be flexible and adapt to societal changes. In 1975, McDonald's opened its first drive-thruTM window in Sierra Vista, Arizona to accommodate a more mobile society.The company realized there was a need for a fast, quality morning meal and in 1973, the Egg McMuffinTM  was introduced. In Hong Kong, there are over 200 McDonald's restaurants, and more than 10,000 McDonald's staff. In few years, Hong Kong McDonald launched delivery service, officially invaded the delivery food service market. Although McDonald Hong Kong had a lot of charity work, moreover they established of the Ronald McDonald Houses, McDonald prominence has also made it a frequent topic of public debates about  obesity, corporate ethics and  consumer  responsibility. 3 Organization Structure and Desig n 4. Organization Structure of Pizza Hut Figure1. Hierarchy Division of Pizza Hut: Supervisor: A  supervisor is a team leader in a position of trust  in business. He / She always are an assistant to Manager. They have possession of part of the manager power, such as the allocation of the daily workflow, and void order of power. Restaurant General Manager: Restaurant General Manager is responsible for all problem of the restaurant. Not just manage all employees, but also they need to manage restaurant facilitates and service quality etc. In addition, they need to set daily sales target to fulfill organization goal.Operations Manager: They responsible for ensure that business needs to use as few resources as possible to meet customer requirements efficiently and effectively. Moreover, they need to establish operation policy to all operations department staff, included all restaurants manager. Chief executive officer: is the highest-ranking  corporate officer  (executive) or  administrator  in charge of total  management  of an  organization. An individual appointed as a CEO of a  corporation,  company,  organization, or  agency  typically reports to the  board of directors. At present, Hong Kong Pizza Hut chief executive officer is Henry Yip.Figure2. Functional Division of Pizza Hut: Finance department: Finance department is often simply defined as money management or the management of the fund. The major objectives of corporate finance are maximizing shareholder value. Marketing department: Commercial marketing  of individuals or organizations,  including  commercial enterprises,  governments and institutions  to  promote their  products or services sold  to other companies or  organizations,  in turn, resell  their practice,  and  use them as  components  in their  products or services, or use them to  support  their actions. . 2 Organization Structure of McDonald Figure3. Hierarchy Division of USA Headquarter McDonalds: Figure4. Hierarchy Division of Hong Kong McDonalds: Trainer: Trainer in McDonalds not the same in supervisor, they are same in senior staff to be an assistant to support Supervisor. Team Leader: Team Leader in McDonalds is the same in supervisor. Crew: Crew in McDonalds response for differences work in restaurant, it included Kitchen, cleaning, cashier, customer service representative and first line quality control. Figure5. Area division: Figure6.Functional Division of McDonalds: Human Resources Management Department: Human Resource Management is  an organization  of  employees  or  the management of human resources. This  attractive,  is  responsible for staffs election, training, appraisal,  rewards,  and  is also responsible for  organizational leadership and  culture,  and to ensure that  employment and  labor law. Held  in the employee's  wishes and  legally authorized  collective bargaining agreement, human re sources  usually  also  will serve as  the company's principal  liaison  with staff representativesPurchasing Department: Purchasing refers to the business or organization to attempt to obtain good or services, in order to achieve business goals. Although there are several organizations trying to set standards in the purchasing process, the difference between the processes organizations. 4. 3 Compare the Similarities and Differences of Organization Structure between Pizza Hut and McDonald’s Similarities of Organization Structure between Pizza Hut and McDonalds: Pizza Hut and McDonalds are the same using the Functional Division and Hierarchy Division.The relationship between the function is the position of the specialist, and other areas. In general, specialist will have the authority to adhere to the line manager, to achieve any of their instructions. In many large and global companies are always using Functional and hierarchy division to descript their company st ructure. In addition, these structures can make employee clear their job opportunities. Similarities of Organization Structure between Pizza Hut and McDonalds: Although the two companies are well-known company in the world, But in Hong Kong’s business size are different.Pizza Hut owned by Yum! Brands, Inc, but the business in Hong Kong is operated Franchise by Jardine Matheson. Region on district administration is relatively simple, because of only china regional business. On the other hand, Hong Kong McDonalds is not operated franchise of the way. Hong Kong McDonalds business was monitored by the management of the Asia (Figure5. ). Asia McDonalds Managed by the U. S Headquarters of non-Franchise operating worldwide business. So the difference of these companies is Hong Kong McDonalds was implemented area division models for global company structure. 4Approaches to Management ; Organizational Behavior 5. 4 Motivation Motivation is the degree to which an individual wants and c hooses to engage in certain specific behavior. People’s behavior is determined by what motivates them. Their performance is a product of both ability level and motivation. Therefore, the two companies are using the extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation methods motivate employees. In the past, McDonalds had to hire employees with too low salaries, so that McDonalds scolded by social. On the contrary, Pizza Hut’s hourly rate is high within the food service industry.Since Hong Kong Government has implemented a minimum wage, McDonalds has also begun to focus on the welfare of the employees. Pizza Hut was using two motivation methods: extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation to motivate employees. For the extrinsic motivation, Pizza Hut’s crew salary increased to HK$ 28 from HK$ 21 (After the implement of minimum wage). Moreover, Pizza Hut’s salaries included restaurant Tips, Tips depend on customers given to restaurant and divide by the total number of empl oyees of the restaurant. Not just salary, but also Pizza Hut given bonus to all full time employees per year.And then, Pizza Hut established the outstanding staff award to motivate employee. About the award recommended by the restaurant manager, the winner will have HK$ 300 bonus. In addition, according to Hong Kong’s legal, Pizza Hut also provided Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) to employee. Lastly, Pizza Hut provided differences fringe benefits for employees, included Medical benefit, insurance discount, and 20% off staff discount. Staff discount not just included pizza hut, but also is included all related Jardine Matheson subsidiary companies, for example: Maxim's Caterers Limited and Wellcome.For the intrinsic motivation, Pizza Hut will be timing implementation of the job rotation method to training staff. Employees not just learn their basic work, but also they have the opportunities to learn cashier or kitchen. Finally, staff can study the distribution of work managemen t to support supervisor. Give rise to sense of challenge, receiving appreciation and positive recognition. Moreover, the employee begin to work, supervisor will report the company’s new information to staff, and the daily sales targets.In addition supervisor will be highly praised the staff for good performance at the briefing. McDonalds was the same using two motivation methods: extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation to motivate employees. For the extrinsic motivation, McDonalds’s crew salary increased to HK$ 28 from HK$ 19 (After the implement of minimum wage). Moreover, the salaries included Profit sharing and restaurant cash incentive, like pizza hut tips bonus. And then, McDonalds established the outstanding staff award to motivate employee too. In addition, according to Hong Kong’s legal, McDonalds provided MPF to employee.Lastly, McDonalds provided differences fringe benefits for employees, included Group Term Life, Group Medical Insurance, Group D ental Plan, Education Sponsorship Program, and Professional Management Training both locally. About fringe benefits, McDonalds better than Pizza Hut. For the intrinsic motivation, McDonalds was the same in pizza hut intrinsic. In Fact, all of the food service industry company is using these methods to rise to sense of challenge, receiving appreciation and positive recognition etc. 5. 5 Leadership Hierarchy Division of Pizza Hut:Hierarchy Division of McDonalds: 5. 6 Human Resource Management Human Resource Management is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization’s most valued assets – the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objective of the business. The Human Resources Management Process: For the McDonalds in people philosophy, they have a specific people vision â€Å"To be the best employer in each community around the World. † Being the best means â€Å"opportunities, traini ng and development; satisfaction, rewards and recognition†.Moreover, McDonalds make a promise to their employee. To all their present and future employees, McDonalds’d like you to know that there are committed. â€Å"We value you, your growth and your contributions. On the other hand, McDonalds have in place 5 people principles to reflect McDonald’s values and commitment to their people. It includes: (1) Respect and recognition (2) Values and Leadership behaviors (3) competitive pay and benefits (4) Learning, development and personal growth (5) Resources to get the job done. About the human resources management, McDonalds focus on every employee more than Pizza Hut.Recruitment: Pizza Hut and McDonalds are using these methods to attracting applicants. Internet-based Advertisement / Print-ad in Magazines or newspaper / Employee Referrals / Applicant Initiated / Job Fairs / Employment Agencies Selection: The process of screening job applicants to ensure that the mo st appropriate candidates are hired Pizza Hut and McDonalds are use differences types of selection Devices. Pizza Hut: Application form -> interview (restaurant manager) -> Reference checks McDonalds: Application form nd Questionnaire -> interview (restaurant manager) -> Reference checks Orientation: New employee orientation effectively integrates the new employee into your organization and assists with retention, motivation, job satisfaction, and quickly enabling each individual to become contributing members of the work team. Pizza Hut and McDonalds: Introduction (Rules, Policy, Organizational Structure and Company information) and a tour of the workplace Training: A basic operation in the work of the manager is to develop people and to direct, encourage and train employee.Those companies are using these methods to improve the availability, quality and skills of staff. Pizza Hut and McDonalds are using e-Leaning of job description, establish Lesson for differences hierarchy level, such as crew need to study customer service standard, how to handling complain; senior need to study how to contribute work to another colleague; Manager need to study manage in restaurant etc. Performance management: Approach to developing the capabilities of employees Pizza Hut and McDonalds in addition will be kept by the supervisor to practice role play training to subordinate.Moreover, the two companies will also hire external Mystery consumer companies to measure restaurant can achieve the setting of customer service standards, developed training plan or to enhance the training program based on test scores. Another will be conducted annually upward appraisal, Managers are appraised by their staff. 5. 7 Culture & Diversity Organizational Culture between Pizza Hut and McDonalds: Organizational culture  is the collective behaviour of people that are part of an organization, it is also formed by the organization values, visions, norms, working language, systems, and symbols, it includes beliefs and abits.Strong culture can create a stronger employee commitment to the organization. As the result, every organization must have their differences organizational culture. For the Pizza Hut, the mission statement is â€Å"With Customer Mania corporate culture, we ensure every dining occasion is a delightful experience. We promise† and the vision are to be the Leading Casual Dining Restaurant in Hong Kong and Macau – bringing our customers enjoyable yet affordable European cuisine by capitalizing on our brand equity and to be the No. 1 Pizza Delivery Provider offering world class pizza delicacies always hot and on time.Slogan of Pizza Hut: â€Å"With Customer Mania corporate culture, we ensure every dining occasion is a delightful experience. † In order to fulfill its mission, Pizza Hut has develop some unique, policies, principles, rules, processes and procedures, the sum total of which from the Pizza Hut culture: (1) Open door Policy: Manage rs doors are open to employees at all levels, because the manager dose not just do all about manage restaurant. During the peak hours, manager will work with general staff together. Therefore, manager can easier to listen to the voice from the employee. 2) Role culture – Bureaucratic control: roles and job description is most essential than the individual and position is the main source of power, control by procedures and rules, coordinated by a few senior managers.On the Pizza Hut, everything always have their standard for staff to fulfill, such as food quality standard, dress and grooming standard etc. If their staff cannot meet the standard, they will blame by the manager. (3) Ethical Culture: Pizza Hut has a very powerful and positive influence on employee behavior, focus on means as well as outcomes. 4) Customer Responsive Culture: Since Pizza Hut is very focus on increase customer satisfaction. They hiring the type of employees, for example ones with a more interest are helpful and friendly personality to serving customer. Having great listen skills to have ability to listen to and understand messages sent by the customer. Providing role clarity to employees to reduce ambiguity and conflict and increase job satisfaction. Having conscientious, caring employees willing to take initiative even outside their normal job duties For the McDonalds, the mission and values statement is to be our customers' favorite place and way to eat.Our worldwide operations are aligned around a global strategy called the Plan to Win, which center on an exceptional customer experience – People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion. We are committed to continuously improving our operations and enhancing our customers' experience. In order to fulfill its mission, Pizza Hut has develop some unique, policies, principles, rules, processes and procedures, the sum total of which from the McDonalds culture: (1) Customer Responsive Culture: McDonalds same with Pizza Hut, th ey are focus on increase customer satisfaction.They hiring the type of employees, for example ones with a more interest are helpful and friendly personality to serving customer. Having great listen skills to have ability to listen to and understand messages sent by the customer. Providing role clarity to employees to reduce ambiguity and conflict and increase job satisfaction. Having conscientious, caring employees willing to take initiative even outside their normal job duties (2) Workplace spirituality: Recognize that their employees have an inner life, moisturize and nourish meaningful work, a place within the community.Since McDonalds focus on charity work, such as established Donald McDonald house Charities to offering a supportive environment, parents are able to care for their sick children during an incredibly stressful time. In addition, McDonalds often motivate employee to participate more about charity work. (3) People Orientation: Degree to which management decisions tak e into account the effects on people in the organization. Organizational Diversity between Pizza Hut and McDonalds: Managing diversity accepts that the workforce consists of a diverse population of people.The diversity consists of visible and non-visible differences which will include sex, age, background, race, disability personality and work style. It is founded on the premise that harnessing these differences will create a productive environment in which everybody feels valued, where their talents are being fully utilized, and in which organizational goals are met. According to the Hong Kong legal’s on eliminating age discrimination in employment, employers have the prime responsibility for encouraging equal employment opportunities and for eliminating discrimination in the workplace, so Pizza Hut and McDonalds are also comply with the law.Employees are Pizza Hut and McDonald’s greatest asset. But two companies have their own organizational diversity. For the pizza hut, there are more than 4,000 people, since pizza hut focus on customer satisfaction and customer service quality than McDonalds, so that Pizza Hut dose not employs any persons with intellectual disabilities in secretly. Contrary, McDonalds hire people not because of the people physical abilities and quality. For example, McDonalds staff Wong Man Yu awarded â€Å"Outstanding Disabled Employees Awards† by the Labour Department in 2006.It reflect McDonalds support their employees have any physical problem. 5. 8 Information Technology Information Technology is the use of computers and software to manage information. In some companies, this is referred to as Management Information Services (or MIS) or simply as Information Services (or IS). The information technology department of a large company would be responsible for storing information, protecting information, processing the information, transmitting the information as necessary, and later retrieving information as necessar y.Nowadays, many organizations are using information technology to increase work efficiency and effectiveness. Since information technology can increase business performance, better decision making based on information and greater accessibility to coworkers. So that, Pizza Hut and McDonalds are use many information technology to support their business: (1) Information Systems: accounting information system to record or calculate all about sales, salaries etc†¦ inventory system to monitor store inventory and though internet to purchase daily restaurants needs.Point of sales systems. Office automation systems, transaction processing systems, distribution systems, etc. (2) Electronic Commerce System: this part is very important in business, they’re use to selling, delivering, servicing and paying for products and services using internet. For the payment, Pizza Hut using credit card reader and Visa Pay wave; McDonalds using octopus and Visa pay wave. (3) Networked Computer s ystem: Linking individual computers to create an organizational network for communication and information sharing.They are using e-mail, instant messaging, Voice-mail to dealing with online delivery business, Fax machines to receive order confirm from food supplier. Electronic Data Exchange (EDI). Teleconferencing. Videoconferencing. 5. 9 Communication Communication between managers and employees provides the information necessary to get work done effectively and efficiently in organizations. Communication major functions are Control, Motivation, Emotional Expression and Information. Communication is very important part of business. Pizza Hut and McDonalds use interpersonal methods.For example: Face-to-face, Telephone, Group meetings, Formal presentation, Memos, Traditional Mail, Fax machines, Audio-and videotapes, Daily briefing, Hotline, E-mail, Voice mail and Teleconference to communicate with employee. Face to face, telephone and Memos are basic tools to connect employee and man agement. But about the organization contact restaurant, they are use daily briefing, E-mail to update information about organization. 5 Conclusion Through identifying and analyzing the following: motivation, leadership, human resource management, culture and diversity, information technology, communication. I found that:For the organization structure, the difference of these companies is Hong Kong McDonalds was implemented area division models for global company structure. On the other hand, Pizza Hut just implemented hierarchy and functional Division. For the approaches to management & Organizational behaviour, about the motivation, McDonald’s hourly salaries have been low for long. Yet, ever since Hong Kong Government has implemented the minimum wage, the corporate has no choice but to increase salaries of the workers. On the contrary, the average hourly wages of Pizza Hut workers are relatively higher than McDonalds.About the Leadership, Human Resources Management, Informa tion technology and communication, Since Pizza Hut and McDonalds are the same industry in food service restaurant, which means their organizational behaviour always the same. But about the diversity, McDonalds is better than Pizza Hut, it is because McDonalds hire people not because of the people physical abilities and quality. If Pizza Hut and McDonalds can solve above problem, they can improve their business more.

Word and Book Passionate Declaration Essays

Word and Book Passionate Declaration Essays Word and Book Passionate Declaration Paper Word and Book Passionate Declaration Paper Howard Zinns book passionate declaration, was very interesting in the first chapter American Ideology he talks about the end result of these instances was many if not all of these inferior people were killed. He also talks about how we favor the rich and neglect the poor and that it should be the other way around that life should be an entirely different way. That because of Reagan many issues came to be, Because of Reagan this country is the way it is! Although we live in a democratic country, The ideas of ethical behaviors that were formulated by our forefathers has condemned us to accept them as right. â€Å"Thus we grow up in a society where our choice of idea is limited and where certain ideas are dominant† which is very much true unless you have money your ideas will never be heard, it’s very rare where someone who is unwealthy is hear amongst millions. The only time you are really heard is where you die a tragic death. In chapter 2; Machiavellian Realism and U. S. Foreign Policy: Means and Ends. Howard zinn talks about, what kind of society we want? And how will we get it? â€Å" The instance of building more nuclear weapons when we already possess more than enough to destroy the world†¦ allowing the police to arrest any person on the street refusing to move on when ordered†¦ and consider how often a parent [usually a father] has said to a son or daughter: its good to have idealistic visions of a better world but your living in the real world, so act accordingly† This have all had an effect one or more times in my life. Some may refer to me as a hippie because I’m all about peace on this world or because I refuse to eat animals such as chickens, cows, goats anything with a heartbeat, but my beliefs are my beliefs. I do believe a world without weapons would be wonderful, a world where I don’t have to walk down the street and a cops going to stop me cause he believes I’m being somewhat â€Å"suspicious†. Of course I would love for this world to speak up and use our words rather that use our weapons or hands to harm one another. You ever see a person get called something and notice how one simple word such as â€Å"ugly† can completely set them off and just then you see this person react in a way that they use their words completely to prove a point on how, the specific word you called or used is in no way or fact them on how they spent all that time to prove one person wrong. I wish the world worked in words. I wish we didn’t have to tell our children that this is the world, so act accordingly. I was one of those children, whose father told them that, and my dreams were crushed instantly, I was 9.

Strategies for How to Improve English Listening Skills

Strategies for How to Improve English Listening Skills As a new English speaker, your language skills are progressing well grammar is now familiar, your  reading comprehension is no problem, and you are communicating quite fluently   but listening is still posing a problem. First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening comprehension is probably the most difficult task for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. The most important thing is to listen, and that means as often as possible. The next step is to find listening resources. This is where the Internet really comes in handy (idiom to be useful) as a tool for English students. A few  suggestions for interesting listening selections are  CBC Podcasts,  Ã‚  All Things Considered (on NPR), and  the BBC. Listening Strategies Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated  by your limited understanding. Here are a few courses of action you can take: Accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything.Stay relaxed when you do not understand even if you continue to have trouble understanding for a while.Do not translate into your native language.Listen for the gist (or general idea) of the conversation. Dont concentrate on detail until you have understood the main idea(s). First, translating creates a barrier between the listener and the speaker. Second, most people repeat themselves constantly. By remaining calm, you can usually understand what the speaker had said. Translating Creates a Barrier Between Yourself and the Person Who Is Speaking While you are listening to another person speaking a foreign language (English in this case), the temptation is to immediately translate into your native language. This temptation becomes much stronger when you hear a word you dont understand. This is only natural as we want to understand everything that is said. However, when you translate into your native language, you are taking the focus  of your attention away from the speaker and concentrating on the translation process taking place in your brain. This would be fine if you could put the speaker on hold. In real life, however, the person continues talking while you translate. This situation obviously leads to less not more understanding. Translation leads to a mental block in your brain, which sometimes doesnt allow you to understand anything at all. Most People Repeat Themselves Think for a moment about your friends, family, and colleagues. When they speak in your native tongue, do they repeat themselves? If they are like most people, they probably do. That means that whenever you listen to someone speaking, it is very likely that they will repeat the information, giving you a second, third or even fourth chance to understand what has been said. By remaining calm, allowing yourself to not understand, and not translating while listening, your brain is free to concentrate on the most important thing: understanding English in English. Probably the greatest advantage of using the Internet to improve your listening skills is that you can choose what you would like to listen to and how many and times you would like to listen to it. By listening to something you enjoy, you are also likely to know a lot more of the vocabulary required. Use Key Words Use keywords or key phrases to help you understand the general ideas. If you understand New York, business trip, last year you can assume that the person is speaking about a business trip to New York last year. This may seem obvious to you, but remember that understanding the main idea will help you to understand the detail as the person continues to speak. Listen for Context Lets imagine that your English speaking friend says, I bought this great tuner  at JRs. It was really cheap and now I can finally listen to National Public Radio broadcasts. You dont understand what a tuner  is, and if you focus on the word tuner  you might become frustrated. If you think in context, you probably will begin to understand. For example; bought is the past of buy, listen is no problem and radio is obvious. Now you understand: He bought something the  tuner to listen to the radio. A tuner must be a kind of radio. This is a simple example but it demonstrates what you need to focus on: Not the word that you dont understand, but the words you do understand. Listening often is the most important way to improve your listening skills. Enjoy the listening possibilities offered by the Internet and remember to relax.

Business and Marketing Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business and Marketing Management - Essay Example The company has a unique model with retailing and distribution operations. The company also has the "Inchcape Fleet Solutions" that is the UK's largest independent leasing company and it is managing a fleet in excess of 53000 cars. The company's vision is to be the most customer-centric automotive retailer group. According to them the cutting edge in the services industry is the quality of service provided to the customers. They believe that consistent provision of quality services increases loyal customers and also helps them achieve their financial and industrial targets. The company has 208 retail outlets and 85 distribution sites all around the world, each boasts of superiority and excellence in service. The company's strategy is simple and that is to focus on customer service and operational excellence to strengthen their business. They have four crucial elements to support their strategy. First are their people, since they believe that people and human resources are of prime importance to any businesses success. Second is performance management, since they have set the "best in class" gold standards to achieve excellence in performance. Third is their technology and service infrastructure, since they aim to improve the infrastructure to reduce cost and time in order to focus more on customer satisfaction. Lastly, is efficient allocation of capital in order to make good use of growth opportunities. They aim to work within the 7 P's namely; product, price, promotion, place, people, process (customer satisfaction) and physical evidence. Their strategic priorities are to strengthen their existing core business and expand in potential markets. Situation... The company’s strategy is simple and that is to focus on customer service and operational excellence to strengthen their business. They have four crucial elements to support their strategy. First are their people, since they believe that people and human resources are of prime importance to any businesses success. Second is performance management, since they have set the â€Å"best in class† gold standards to achieve excellence in performance. Third is their technology and service infrastructure, since they aim to improve the infrastructure to reduce cost and time in order to focus more on customer satisfaction. Lastly, is efficient allocation of capital in order to make good use of growth opportunities. They aim to work within the 7 P’s namely; product, price, promotion, place, people, process (customer satisfaction) and physical evidence. Their strategic priorities are to strengthen their existing core business and expand in potential markets. Situation Analysi sInchcape is very much capable of expanding their business in potential markets and also to strengthen their core business. Their main focus is operational excellence and their activities include retailing and distribution. Customer satisfaction is essential to them since they are aware of the fact that customers can easily switch to their competitors. In order to support their vision that is to become the most customer-centric automotive retailer group, the company has been consistent in investing in dealership premises.

MGM grand Fire Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MGM grand Fire - Research Paper Example What could occur if a Second annual computer conference COMDEX’80 would not be held in Las Vegas when the blaze started? I woke up to screams of â€Å"fire†. I got dressed immediately, but by the time I went to the hallway, I could not get out because the smoke was so thick †¦ I did not break my window because there was so much smoke outside. (Canon, M. p.17) The MGM Grand Hotel was constructed during 1972-1973 as a 23-floor building with 2100 rooms that was on top of the great ground-floor entertainment center that accommodated a casino, showrooms, get-together room, and sell space. When the MGM Grand was finished in 1972, it was the biggest hotel on the planet. Though similar to all other Vegas gambling places where slots and table games gather the profit, the stress was on getting it up and running so the returns would begin running in to reimburse for high costs prior to the expected earnings. Having that a main purpose, MGM Grand was allowed to open with almos t no fire protection at all, to the point that minor precautions, like fire doors, were installed only after insurers were about to list the place as â€Å"unprotected†. Later, after the fire, an investigation confirmed that the fire spread so rapidly due to many installations and design flaws. Sometime early in the morning of November 21, 1980, something caused an electrical ground fault. The electrical wiring, which was powering the refrigeration unit for a food cabinet display, sparkled inside the soffit. Hotel’s restaurant Deli was closed for the night so the fire burned for a while, undetected. When the hotel originally opened, the Deli was working around the clock. On that ground, MGM Grand also got an exception on installing sprinkler system. However, open hours have changed. Had the Deli be open, the fire would likely be detected and easily contained. As it was closed for the night, hours passed before the fire found fresh oxygen, and burst into a fireball cros sway the catwalk in the casino. Within only six minutes after the fire was discovered, the whole casino area was ablaze, and the fire was spreading very rapidly. The Clark County Fire Department Unit was alarmed at 7:15 AM, and firefighters from the station straight across the road came in just 4 minutes, in time to witness the fire burst. During the five minutes, fire destroyed plastic and other inflammable materials, and spread through the casino at a speed of nineteen feet per second. The fire burnt the manual alarm amplifiers prior to the manual alarm was activated, so the majority of visitors became aware of the fire only at the time when they noticed or felt smoke, saw fire unit apparatus, or were informed by other visitors. Because the construction was equipped with sprinklers only in some parts, there were not any sprinklers in the major casino area. No automatic smoke recognition or fire alarm system was installed, with only manual pull devices set up throughout the hotel. The area protected by sprinklers at the east and south sides of the casino aided in extinguishing the fire. Force from the fireball raged out the front doors of the hotel all the way down to the northwest side. Blaze ran into the roofed entrance and valet part, wounding several passers-by and destroying a number of parked vehicles. Because of the upright gaps with insufficient protection and the non-stop working heating, and air-conditioning system, smoke spread all the way through the building.