Forgiveness A Mental Health Perspective Essay - 721 Words

From a mental health perspective, in order to be able to forgive others one must have self-forgiveness. When a person feels like they have been â€Å"forgiven by God predicted a greater tendency to forgive others unconditionally† (Bassett,Carrier,Charleson,Pak,Schwingel et.al, 2016 para. 13). Forgiveness is now being researched and explored in many different fields of study such including mental health, politics, criminal justice and even business classes and forgiveness will continue to be topic of new studies because of the ways that it can affect one’s life. Looking at forgiveness from a psychological standpoint and being able to give forgiveness can at times be difficult on a person’s mental health, yet most if not all of the studies relate back to a biblical worldview. There was a study/research trial that took place and probably is still being done so today, it is called The Stanford Forgiveness Project where they gather people to participate who have unresolved conflicts in their lives and provide a weekly session where they can talk about the conflict and why is seems to be unresolved. They talk about such things as being able not hold in the anger or harbor resentments against others, that one should not have pity parties where they are only thinking about themselves or continually portray themselves as a victim, or that the conflict only affected them, focus on what is ahead as the past is already done and one cannot go back and redo it rather one should accept it,Show MoreRelatedBenefits And Benefits Of Forgiveness1308 Words   |  6 PagesOne the other hand, there are various benefits from forgiveness. An individual who is more opt to forgiving is more likely to have better mental, physical, and emotional health. When an individual grants forgiveness, it is seen to build on the core of empathy which involves positive emotional, behavioral, and cognitive responses (Witvliet et al., 2001). Bringing upon a more positive and healthy mental, physical, and emotional well-being. When an individual forgives another, they release themselvesRead MoreWhen It Comes To Forgiveness, Because There Really Is No1401 Words   |  6 Pagescomes to forgiveness, because there really is no set and stone definition of forgives, there are no specific steps to forgiveness. Forgiveness is not an easy task, and it takes time for an individual to heal (Rotter, 2001). There are many different aspects that play into forgiving a situation. While forgiveness is seen as an attempt to overcome a situation that has caused unhappy feeling and thoughts, change requires a few different thing. There is no specific set of steps to forgiveness, each modelRead MoreOutcomes Of Alternative And Complementary Therapy On Older Adults Receiving Palliative Care1653 Words   |  7 Pagestherapeutic relationships, well-being, and provides older adults with a higher holistic perspective. Nursing practice also benefits from identifying complementary therapies because this medicine is feasible, safe, well tolerated, and provides patients with efficient self-care skills. This research paper explores the effects of integrating CAM on palliative care and patient well-being. Strategies to Promote and Protect Health A medical research database was used to gather three articles that supports theRead MoreDifferent Religions : Yoruba, Hinduism ( Karma ) And Buddhism1711 Words   |  7 Pagesaddress is how to response to diverse faith within our healthcare practices. This essay serves to compare these three different religious philosophies: Yoruba, Hinduism (karma) and Buddhism, to a Christian’s perspective. These religions have wide perspectives but one will key in on health management and what to expect from healthcare point of view while caring for these patients. Yoruba religion is based on nature worshipping and is rooted deeply on respect for the environment. Their divinitiesRead MoreJournal Article Review Essay846 Words   |  4 Pages Self Forgiveness: The Step Child of Forgiveness Catherine Demere’ Bowen Liberty University June 28, 2012 Journal Article Review 2 Self Forgiveness: The Step Child of Forgiveness Summary The general topic of forgiveness has received a magnitude of attention and research on a conceptual level in recent years. Hall and Fincham consistently noted, however, that self-forgiveness had little toRead MoreResearch Methods Used in the Research Process1256 Words   |  6 Pagesproblem statement. The early stages of forgiveness research focused on self, dispositional, relational forgiveness interventions. However, very little is known about forgiveness interventions in relation to older adults. Thus, investigators of this study seek to examine the effects of brief forgiveness intentions in the context of this developmental stage. purpose statement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the effects of brief forgiveness interventions via group psychoeducationalRead More A Perception and Motivation Study Among Married Adults Essay1629 Words   |  7 PagesResearch Article Critique: Forgiveness: A perception and motivation study among married adults Abstract The article is endeavors to observe the possible correlation between general forgiveness (actually forgiving) and perceptions of forgiveness (a belief in the concept). This is a summary analyzing the credibility of the article. The summary includes a brief overview and critique of the title, abstract, literature review, methodology, a review of results and discussion, andRead More The Effects of Forgiveness on Mental Health Essay2475 Words   |  10 PagesForgiveness has been defined in many ways by psychologists and researchers with no one universal definition. Hill (as cited in Maltby, Day and Mackaskill 2001) state that it is widely agreed that forgiveness involves a willingness to abandon resentment, negative judgement and indifferent behaviour towards the person who has hurt them Although research is recent, from the last 15 years, it has helped develop our understanding of forgiveness . Research has shown that forgiveness gives positive mentalRead MoreDifferences Between Yorub a, Hinduism ( Karma ) And Buddhism1590 Words   |  7 Pagesaddress is how to response to diverse faith within our healthcare practices. This essay serves to compare these three different religious philosophies: Yoruba, Hinduism (karma) and Buddhism, to a Christian’s perspective. These religions have wide perspectives but one will key in on health management and what to expect from healthcare point of view while caring for these patients. Yoruba religion is based on nature worshipping and is rooted deeply on respect for the environment. Their divinitiesRead MorePSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION AND MENTAL HEALTH: SACRAMENT OF PENANCE IN PERSPECTIVE3120 Words   |  13 PagesPSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION AND MENTAL HEALTH: SACRAMENT OF PENANCE IN PERSPECTIVE BY OKOJIE EHINOMHEN PETER epo4escriva@yahoo.com January, 2014 INTRODUCTION Between psychology and religion, any connection? For one who considers religion as having no manifest behaviour, the answer cannot be in the affirmative. As far as can be chronicled of man’s history, religion has always occupied and influenced human behaviour. Through history, we find scholars who at one point or the other made allusion

French and American Criminal Justice Systems Essay

French and American Criminal Justice Systems There many different criminal justice systems in the world today. Some that consists of many of the same policies and some that are considerably different. In the case of France and the U.S. there are a lot of similarities, but I will be focusing on the differences between each of their systems. The aspects that I will be comparing are police, courts, the legal profession, legal education, criminal procedural law, corrections, and juvenile justice and the advantages and disadvantages of each. The policing system in France is a lot different than the one in the U.S. In France there is one big centralized police system run by the government. Unlike the fragmented police model, which is†¦show more content†¦In France they have the Constitutional council which has nine members serving a nine year term, they are responsible for election complaints and the legislation made in parliament. The advantage of this is that it reduces the conflict of jurisdictions. But the disadvantage is that our Supreme Court has a longer term than the Constitutional Council which allows more constant laws and fewer laws that will contradict each other. The aspect of legal profession and legal education is also extremely different. To become a judge in France you must first obtain a law degree from a university law school. Next you must gain admission to the National School for the Judiciary at Bordeaux (Terrill 236). After completing this school, the candidate is now qualified to become a judge. The French system allows judges to begin their profession at an early age which could be a disadvantage because of lack of experience in the system, where judges in the United States are usually older and more knowledgeable. The legal education is noticeably different from America. In France, students enter a university when they are approximately 18 years old, after they have completed their high school education with an award of the baccalaureate diploma (Terrill 242). In America you must go through undergraduate and graduate law school, and then pass the bar in order to get your law degree. It’s an advantage because students in France start their career aShow MoreRelatedTraditional Assumptions Of The Civil Justice History865 Words   |  4 Pagestraditional assumptions.† American correction page 34. I must say, that period was the most important in the Criminal Justice history. Through that era, revolutions occurred in America as well as France, science made great advances and Industrial Revolution gained absolute power. This Age of Reason was like a stand against those with power. This reformation ended the reign of the Catholic Church and the writing of Martin Luther and John Ca lvin encourage new emphasis on the individual alongRead MoreCriminal Justice System And The Crime System Essay1704 Words   |  7 Pagesthe 5,695 victims of the Bronx criminal court system even though the only evidence that was had was the memory of the alleged victim (Gonnermen 1). As discussed in class, the Criminal Justice System can be looked at as a contract within itself that contains two parts of its social contract, part one as crimes with the punishments to those crimes and part two as the due process to how the legal system handles the suspect of a crime. Even though the Criminal Justice System has been studied and trainingRead MoreCourt Systems in China and the United States994 Words   |  4 PagesCourt Systems in China and the United States In both China and the United States, the judicial system is composed of courts that contain several different levels. However, there is a basic structural difference between the Chinese and American legal systems. In America, the three branches of government are supposed to be separate, so that the court system is supposed to be beyond party politics and partisan antics. This separate system of checks and balances does not exist in China. On the contraryRead MoreThe Criminal Justice System and Courts in America973 Words   |  4 PagesDescribe a court and its purpose. Courts are established social, political, and judicial institutions necessary for the manifestation of justice and the maintenance of law and order. The courts are part of the judicial branch of government, as outlined in Article III of the United States Constitution. Courts are the arenas in which the law is tried and applied. Judges are the presiding officers of the court. 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The history of its criminal justice system is no different. This is more so complicated in that this particular country, Romania, is in a relatively new post-communist era. To increase the understanding of the evolution of lawRead MoreThe Japanese Criminal Justice System1203 Words   |  5 PagesFor some time now, the Japanese criminal justice system has been regarded or perceived to be a successful justice system model. The success is mainly attributed to Japan’s culture and even embedded in the language itself (Goold, 2004). The success has drawn interest among criminology scholars and practitioners either for the purpose of broadening their knowledge or to emulate its criminal justice system (Ebbe, 2000). The interest is based on statistical data that indicate low levels of criminalityRead MoreAbstract. This Memoir Employed A Mixed Me thods Design To1562 Words   |  7 Pagesdesign to evaluate the current system of justice for minors in Haiti. The problem is several juvenile participants became involved in the formal justice system currently set up for adults, with no intervention effectiveness for juveniles. There are remedies that will prove effective. In the latter sections propose interventions in the Juvenile Justice system in Haiti that will reduce the rates of juvenile delinquency when implemented. Examination of juvenile reform systems across the globe includingRead MoreThe Current Japanese Justice System1045 Words   |  5 PagesThe current Japanese justice system encompasses traditional Chinese law and some elements of the American justice system. This is not to say that the systems are similar, far from it. They are quite different due to the perception of the purpose of a justice system based on history and differences in culture. Japan: Pre- World War II â€Å"Modern† Japan is predominantly known as the Meiji Era in 1868. Before this era, Tokugawa governments (between 1503 and 1868) adopted Confucianism and were mostly based

Bringing Fun to an Organization Free Essays

string(74) " it takes hard work and creativity, mostly from the organization leaders\." The typical workplace is set up to enhance productivity and accomplishments. As such, most employees know the workplace as a place where they go to earn a living to earn a living, while accomplishing the goals set by the employer. Without putting specific effort at bringing fun to the workplace, only a small percentage of workers find some enjoyment or job satisfaction from their jobs. We will write a custom essay sample on Bringing Fun to an Organization or any similar topic only for you Order Now Seeing that this is common across many workplaces and directly affects the job output, employers have nowadays adopted ways of creating fun workplaces as a business strategy (Jeffcoat Gibson 2006). The best way to start-off in bringing fun to the workplace is recruiting employees who have a sense of humor. According to Narisi (2008), the perfect way to gauge whether a job candidate poses a sense of humor is by watching the way he or she responds to interview questions. One of the important questions that the interviewer should answer is, is this person taking him or herself too seriously even in questions that do not require much seriousness? Narisi (2008) suggests the use of ‘dumb’ questions like, ‘why aren’t you married yet? ’, ‘what do you think of the paintings in our office? Among others. Greenwood (2009), states that a survey on 700 American CEOs revealed that 98 percent of them preferred interviewing job candidates with a sense of humor. Most of these CEOs attested to having a passion of not only attracting upbeat candidates, but also admitted to recruiting such and working hard to retain such in their respective organizations. After settling down with the workforce who satisfies the humor criteria, Ryan associates (2004), suggests that employers should introduce other things like dressing for fun on specific days. Despite having the ‘dress for fun’ days in the office, the employer can encourage the staff to wear something frivolous that does not have to be visible, but serves to remind them that they should not take themselves too seriously. According to Urquhart (2003), it is the responsibility of managers to orchestrate fun in the workplace, but he or she should be cognizant of the fact that the employees create fun in the workplace. As such, the managers should act as facilitators to ensure that employees have all the resources and freedom needed to transform the workplace in to a fun place. There is controversy among analysts of just how productive a fun-filled workplace is. To this, Urquhart (2003) argues that a depressed mind is less productive than one that is jovial. In addition, fun creates a positive mental state, where employees learn to love their work and create a bond between employees who share jokes thus creating stronger work teams. Scientists also claim that fun and laughter stimulates the production of oxygen and endorphins to the brain, which results in increased creativity and clear thinking among employees (Urquhart, 2003). In the allbusimess. com (2008) website, employers are encouraged to allow the employees to have flextime in their job schedules. The website states that this shows the employees that the employer is concerned about their welfare. Accordingly, the employee perception motivates them leading to a less stressful and more productive workforce (allbusiness. com, 2008). This perception is backed up by countless other websites, which advocate for the use of fun in the workplace as a sure way of relieving stress, improving the individual health of employees and boosting the overall production of the organization. According to a study conducted by Karl Peluchette (2006), and published in the Journal of Leadership and Organizational studies, employees who worked in fun environments had more confidence in their jobs and were able to serve their clientele better. This argument is backed by Jeffcoat Gibson (2006), who agree that fun in the workplace results in lower downtimes, increased productivity, better job satisfaction and low absenteeism. This gives employers even more reasons to find ways of incorporating fun in the workplace. According to Lynn (2005), bringing fun to the work place is not as easy as many people might wan to believe. This is especially the case where employees and their managers have had conflicting paths regarding flexibility in the workplace. To beat the odds, Lynn (2005) suggests that employers need to create a trusting environment before adopting fun in the workplace. If they fail to create a trusting environment, chances are that the employees will reject any efforts to create fun in the work place. Trust in the workplace can be created through effective communication and respect, which wipes out negative emotions such as fear, hostility and scorn from the employees. According to jobsdb. com (2009), the major responsibility of bringing fun to the workplace lies with the manager. He or she is supposed to schedule breaks, during which employees can engage in fun-filled activities. In addition, he or she can seek employee opinions regarding cultivating fun in the workplace. Such could be by holding contests, celebrations or team-building activities. Another approach of bringing fun to an organization would be the use of morale officer’s who interact with the employees at all times, checking if there are any morale needs that needs to be addressed (Stafford, 2000). The Morale officers’ sole responsibility is to ensure that employees have a reason to look forward to the work environment with renewed anticipation each day. Fun is the one guaranteed way to achieve this. They may seek employee opinions on how best to achieve the organization objectives over lunch or tea. This breaks the office formality and leaves the employees more relaxed. To be successful in making the workplace a fun place, Stafford (2000) suggests that the morale officers should work on five pointers namely, i)feedback from employees, ii) humor, iii)bringing employees together, iv) a reward process for the employees and v) Sticking to the organization’s mission by engaging in creative and innovative work. As noted earlier in this speech, the fun in the workplace is not an easy thing to achieve. According to McGarvey (2006, fun in the workplace does not happen. Rather, it takes hard work and creativity, mostly from the organization leaders. You read "Bringing Fun to an Organization" in category "Papers" To bring fun to the work place hence requires the direct participation of the managerial leaders in the company. As such, it would be futile for the top organization management to issue orders for the employees to have fun, if they do not lead and demonstrate how fun in the company should be modeled. Even employees agree that the best fun trend in the workplace is set from the top management. A perfect example is the CEO and founder of Cognex Corporation, Dr. Robert Shillman, who indulges his employees to creative bonuses, where rather than giving them token money, he looks for fun alternative ways through which they can enjoy their benefits. Shillman is renowned for his work hard and play hard style of management (cognex. com, 2009). To him, the adage â€Å"all work and no play make Jack a dull boy† stands true. The same spirit of leading from the front was exhibited by Wal-mart’s founder, Sam Walton, who not only wore a hula skirt, but also led employees in the giant retailer for a dance along Wall Street (Greenwood, 2009).. Shillman’s management style is celebrated by Joe Neulinger (quoted by Greenwood, 2009), who states that people who do not see the need for fun in the workplace are less likely to become CEOs. This observation is shared by Fry (2001), who states that managers who scores poorly on the fun scale are bad leaders whose lack of ‘a funny bone’ is evident through the unmotivated and less productive teams that they lead. Fry’s suggestion to managers is that they should begin meetings on good cheer, by maybe saying something nice about the workforce, the day or by creating a fun-filled challenge for the group. According to Fry (2001), the possibilities of how much fun the managers can create in the work environment is limitless. However, as indicated elsewhere in the speech, it requires working on. As such, it will require a deliberate effort from the managers to create a fun workplace. Some of them might however dismiss this by saying that people should just do what they were hired to do. For this, the answer is just as blunt; managers, who expect their employee to do nothing else but work while at work, will most likely get less than the expected results. On the other hand, those who induce fun activities in the job environment ends up with an increased bottom line, without having to pressurize employees in to working harder (Fry, 2001). It is thus upon managers to choose, which of the two ways best suits them. Weinstein (1997) suggests that fun can be brought into the work place by doing things differently. For example, instead of generalizing the reward systems such that every employee gets the same reward, a little creativity can infuse fun in the reward program. When such happens, Weinstein, who is also the President PlayFair Inc reckons that the reward scheme becomes more personalized and memorable to each recipient employee. In addition, the employees take pride in not only the reward, but also the means through which the reward was presented to them. The employee can for example take the employees to a shopping mall, hand them money and instruct them to purchase personal gifts in a specified time limit. From such an activity, the employee not only appreciates the reward, but the shopping experience. However, it is not the responsibility of the managers to bring fun to the organization. The individual employees too have a responsibility that they enjoy their jobs, which is the most likely way to achieving job satisfaction amongst them. This however is partly dependent on whether the environment at work place allows them to indulge in fun activities. Hemsath (1997) reckons that in the environment where employees are required to be optimally productive despite the stressful environment that the conventional workplace is, it is incumbent that employees find fun in the workplace without necessarily waiting for the employers hell-bent at changing nothing about the old workplace to affect the fun-changes for them. The best strategy for employees as stated by Hemsath (1997) starts with one self. Here the employee sets to become the fun-catalyst in the office and enliven the spontaneous spirit between him and his co-workers. This can be as effortless as changing one’s title, to take up a more funny title. Secondly, an individual employee can set it upon himself to inspire fun in his colleagues. This is done through encouraging them to take-up fun activities, recognizing and supporting their efforts at creating amusement. If the work environment allows, individual workers can carry toys, play funny music and even post colorful pictures that boost their spirits when at work. The employees can also influence the management to create rooms where the environment is less tense. Another way that individual employees can contribute to fun in an organization is by looking for humor in their situations (Hemsath, 1997). Every situation has its dark and lighter sides. An optimistic employee will concentrate more on the brighter sides of everything, which is more fun than the gloomy downside. To make the workplace comfortable for everyone however, the management and the employees must distinguish between beneficial fun, and jokes that may be deemed offensive by some parties. As such, Vikesland (2007), suggests that the workplace should have some fun rules that distinguish between what is acceptable and outright breach of company policies. As such, the employees should be made to understand that fun is not mocking, mimicking or teasing other co-workers or management. Off-color jokes, sexual innuendos, deception, sarcasm, dark humor and ethnic jokes do not qualify as fun in the workplace too. Conclusion The modern day manager realizes the benefits of bringing fun in an organization. With the countless resources propagating the benefits of bringing fun aboard the organization, well meaning CEOs, Managers or Corporate Strategists will no doubt try incorporating fun into their management styles. While there are countless ways to have fun in the workplace, the general guess however remains that some employees may be too distracted by the fun and hence loose out on the productivity. However, the success stories of same management styles that have adopted fun in the workplace indicates that there are variable ways of ensuring that despite the fun, employees not only meet their targets, but also exceed them. Companies like Google have demonstrated that fun and productivity can go hand-in-hand (Bryant, 2007). What Google offers – play station games, free food, scooters and pets among other things- are just an example of what organizations can give or allow their employees to indulge in. A peak of what life in the Google offices is like can be viewed at http://www. cnn. com/video/#/video/business/2007/01/05/fortune. best. cos. to. work. for. cnn. cnn According to Bathurst (2008), fun in the work place has more than simple benefits. Besides improving productivity, organizations are using it today to battle employee turnover. This is because employees who enjoy the work environment are more likely to stick in the same job for longer than disgruntled employees are. Besides, employees today have more choices and can easily change jobs than was the case in the 1950’s. In conclusion, fun in the workplace has become the new business management trend that people believe encourages employee creativity, morale, satisfaction, productivity and increases employee retention. As such, fun has undeniably become an integral part of the modern corporate culture. References Allbusiness. com. (2008). Making the Workplace Fun. AllBusiness: A D B company. Retrieved 06 May 2009 from http://www. allbusiness. com/human-resources/employee-development-team-building/11357-1. html Barthurst, Patricia. (2008). Having fun at work increases Loyalty, Productivity. AZcentral. com. Retrieved from http://www. azcentral. com/business/articles/2008/06/01/20080601biz-funatwork0601-ON. html Bryant, Steve. (2007). Perks du Soleil: Fun-Loving Google named Best place to Work. Retrieved from http://googlewatch. eweek. com/content/inside_google/perks_du_soleil_google_named_best_place_to_work. html Cognex. com. (2009). Cognex Corporation: Senior Management. Retrieved from http://www. cognex. com/CognexInfo/Leadership/default. aspx? id=210 Fry, Ann. (2001). Just Having Fun at work can boost productivity. Austin Business Journal. Retrieved http://austin. bizjournals. com/austin/stories/2001/06/04/smallb4. html Greenwood, Ramon. Are you Having Fun at Work? Career Know-how. Retrieved from http://www. careerknowhow. com/guidance/fun. htm Hemsath, Dave. (1997). Are we having Fun Yet? Journal of Quality and participation. Retrieved from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qa3616/is_199711/ai_n8773216/pg_2/? tag=content;col1 Jeffcoat Gibson. (2006). Fun as Serious as Business: Creating a Fun Work Environment As an Effective Business Strategy. Journal of Business and Economic Research. Vol. 4. No. 2. Retrieved from http://www. cluteinstitute-onlinejournals. com/PDFs/2006321. pdf jobsdb. com. (2009). Making the Workplace Fun. JobsDB. com. Retrieved from http://th. jobsdb. com/TH/EN/V6HTML/Home/humanresource_editor26. htm Karl Peluchette. (2006). How does Workplace Fun Impact employee Perceptions of Customer service Quality. Abst. Journal of Leadership Organizational Studies. Vol. 13. No. 2. Retrieved from http://jlo. sagepub. com/cgi/content/abstract/13/2/2 Lynn, Harland. (2005). Attitudes toward Workplace fun: A Three-Sector Comparison. Journal of Leadership Organizational Studies. Retrieved http://www. allbusiness. com/buying_exiting_businesses/3503649-1. html Narisi, Sam. (2008). HR’s Funny side: What Kind of Fruit would you be? HR Recruiting Alert. com. Retrieved 06 May 2009 from http://www. hrrecruitingalert. com/hrs-funny-side-what-kind-of-nut-would-you-be/ McGarvey, Robert. (1996). Comic Relief- Having fun at Work. Entrepreneur Journal. Retrieved from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m0DTI/is_n10_v24/ai_18726422/pg_2/? tag=content;col1 Ryan, Kevin. (2004). Humor in Business: 16 ways How to cite Bringing Fun to an Organization, Papers

Liability Facing Auditors due to Global Financial Crisis

Question: Describe about the Liability Facing Auditors due to Global Financial Crisis. Answer: Executive Summary The contemporary worldwide financial crises have escalated lasting debate relating to professional accounting as well as financial press regarding the reasonable nature of the liability of the auditor as well as the possible risk which fruitful lawsuits against auditors of a failed financial services organization and banks might serve to reduce a known audit companies (Anderson 2008, p. 56). The principle of privity of contract has been dominance in the legal arena. Under such a policy, auditors appeared vulnerable as they were liable to contractual entities like the user Corporation or main beneficiary outlined in the agreement of the audit. The literature on auditor liability has previously emphasized individual issues isolation. The paper has integrated the key issues while considering, cost as well as implication of the audit liability regime. It has also overviewed the contemporary calculus utilized in the assessment of damages as well as reform suggestion to limit liability. The results show that the current audit liability regime applicable to auditors is severe as it inequitably imposes enormous costs on auditors (Baker and Prentice 2008, p.34). It can be argued rightly that a better intervention would seem to be the introduction of a professional liability regime coupled with a mandatory need which directors hold professional liability insurance alongside reformation of the calculus utilized in the assessment of damages. Introduction The array of operators to whom inspectors owed duties of care extended progressively and consequently hit the degree where liabilities claim might be affected by practically any participant sensibly regarded to depend on opinion of audit (Quick 2013). The scope extension emerged as an appropriate mechanism to encourage the professional conduct of auditors as well as a reaction to the rising civic requests to reasonable innocent third party service. Liability of auditors during the financial crisis is a critical issue that face auditors as they audit the financial statements of corporations. Like any other expert advisers, auditors frequently be indebted duties of care to their auditing clients (Rajacic, Rajapakse and Webb 2000, p. 48). The liability entails a responsibility in law that requires auditors to undertake their works with the skills as well as competence which society as well as end-users need to be entitled to anticipate. In the case of the existence of this duty of care, and an auditor fails to undertake the auditing work out of the standard required, the end-users have the right to sue such an auditor for compensation for the loss caused by an auditors negligence. Understanding Auditors Liabilities Liability of audit is tied to the manner it needs, adjustments and corrections for making financial statements. The auditors must make corresponding changes to the financial declarations of the opinion of auditors to cancel the reservations. It, therefore, trails that an existence of direct link to liability as well as obedience with reporting of the accounts regardless of whether it is a sole managements responsibility of the inspected company (Kachelmeier, Schmidt and Valentine 2015, p.59). The management responsibility of the auditees is critical than that of auditor responsible for the grounding of financial statements for adherence to the financial reportage structure accounting for the manner he planned as well as operative internal control system, the statement of line which provides the assessor. Accordingly, it remains essential to pronouncement of conformism as it settles that managing supply the auditor with the required material. During the volatile market crises period particularly the market of real estate succeeding the fair value estimates is regularly fairly hard and more problematic hence the examiner lacks indexes on the estimates dependability made by the company (Hodge, Martin and Pratt 2005, p.63). Auditors reports need always to consist of a section on parts of accountability of the auditor alongside management, explicated the kind of audit as well as statements affirming the reasonability of the opinion to assurance rather than outright assurance that the financial statements remain safe of any substantial misstatement. Rationale for Audit Liability Exposing auditors to such a liability is always viewed a good thing as it concentrates the advisers minds thereby driving quality and customer care. The auditors might cause severe dangers to corporations where they are not motivated by the prospect of the retribution for the substandard work. This is because it will give most advisers a gap thereby failing to exercise the right level of care and skills. No one is, therefore, advocating for freeing auditors for this reason from liability for the mistake auditor commit and which lead to poor quality audited reports (Pitts and Wale 2008, p.40). Responsibilities of Auditors that trigger Liability The responsibility is hence leadership and pronounces all associated parties as well as transactions between the parties. The auditors needs to take this declaration seriously in his work. Surprisingly, the auditor cannot verify very the accuracy of these operations and hence constrained when reporting in different audit report paragraphs (Gaver, Paterson and Pacini 2012, p.53). The auditor is responsible for the formulation of an opinion on the financial statement affirming their correct and fair reflection in all factual facets as well as dealings of trading period to which it denotes (Free 2009, p. 54). The auditor, in some conditions, may not express any opinion, particularly when the missions scope is restricted or where the auditor lacks the capacity to consider all the needed standards to provide a view. The auditor also has a responsibility for making sure that there is quality control of work as well as audit work by having an effective teamwork. The rationale of cooperation as a display of quality control is that working in teams; one will be able to check works done by another giving collaboration a kind of quality control auditing of the expert services. The quality control is a critical aspect in auditing since individual audit firm or Cabinet has to make sure that whatever is undertaken is done effectively. Controlling quality is primarily prearranged since they exist adequately comprehensive printed processes that are appropriate as well as reliable to decrease or even get rid of the risk of error during the audit mission. The financial review ensures quality by completing as well as signing all the sections relevant to the program of the audit (Davies 2011, p.171). It is also achieved by financial audit signing as well as dating all the working document of the entity who has made as well through the analysis as well as synthesis to prove individual element of balance as well as by analyzing all the significant amount of loss or profits. The financial auditor has a responsibility evaluating as well as using the control system and they are required to account for its position in the audit work. In case the internal control system is inexistence or improperly established, the auditor might fail to recognize much risk of error and fraud which are the two critical misleading information in auditing work (Burton, Wilks and Zimbelman 2013, p.65).). It is typical that the target users of any financial statement do recognize error and fraud, however, it is the responsibility of the auditor to consider fraud in an audit of the financial statements. The financial auditor will, however, not held responsible for the prevention of error and fraud, but bears the sole responsibility for planning as well as performing the audit thereby obtaining reasonable assurance that the financial statements are meaningfully accurate on both fault and fraud (Brown, Majors and Peecher 2014, p. 40). It is, however, a challenging task if the auditor is required to uncover all the fraud and errors to establish threshold of errors. This is, indeed the relative significance of the financial auditor which find their view articulated. Vulnerabilities of Auditors Joint and various Liability Debates exist pointing out that in some cases, rules regarding liability of auditors can be unreasonable and culminate into undesirable consequences. The reference here is based on joint and various liability which exist in the United Kingdom and several common law-oriented jurisdictions globally. Under such a system, an individual who has been owed a duty of care, and who subsequently claims to have a damage, enjoys a right to take a legal action against any or all auditors alleged to have triggered the loss (Pitts and Wale 2008, p.47). The critical matter is that in case an individual party is regarded to be able, and thus more probably to be in a situation essentially to compensate the compensations demanded, the plaintiff has an option of choosing to sue just that party while the rest let off effectively. The deep pocket Syndrome The deep-pocket syndrome further makes the auditors the most vulnerable group since they have professional indemnity insurance hence perceived as the best targets. The situation is likely to collapse in two undesirable outcomes (Persellin 2013, p.65). In case auditors are so confined by the threats of being sued, the auditors will choose to remain reluctant to participate in any innovative work which might actually generate real benefits to stakeholders. Auditors as Admission Tickets Auditors have, therefore, been admission tickets for both creditors and investors. Many have contended that creditors and stockholders tend to view collapse or failures of businesses as failures of auditors. They, therefore, frequently look to the auditors whenever they search for a flush party from whom losses can be compensated. Even though auditors may be comforted by the latest decisions linked to liability to third parties, the potential liability scope to entities as well as liquidators remain vast (Asay 2014, p. 43). This is because when an auditor accepts a contract to advise the client who employs her, she owes a duty to exercise that standard of skills as well as care relevant to such a professional status. Accordingly, the auditor will be liable both in tort and contract for all the losses suffered by the Client because of any breach of such a duty. Limited Expression of Opinion The auditor needs to be careful when expressing his opinion since in case of an adverse auditors opinion unfairly and incorrectly confirming the correct reflecting of reality, the responsibility of the auditor will derive from his perception. The liability of the auditor in this case will increase as a result of the potential occurrence of event following the date of the balance sheet (Elliott, Rennekamp and White 2015, p. 65). The management of the audited entity will regard the materiality of the facts before making a decision on whether it is essential to modify the financial statements. Here, it remains hard for the auditor to control whether following such alterations, the items value included in the financial statements are properly created. Auditors as Subjects to various heads of potential liability Auditors are also subject to various heads of potential liability as they discharge their statutory roles. This responsibility stretches to liabilities as reflected in subsection fifty-two and seventy-four of the Trade Practices Act of 1974 alongside many state Fair Trading Acts (Auditor's Legal Liability to Third Parties. 2013, p.145). Weakness in Auditing Standards Auditing standards, however, makes no difference as to the statutory auditors liability in the detection of errors from the financial burden of the auditors in discovering fraud (Beever 2012; Zisa 2013, p.45). Financial auditor is needed to acquire as well as deliver reasonable assurance that the financial statements lacks erroneous information for both fraud and error. It is, however, a common knowledge that it is challenging to acknowledge fraud than detection of the unintentional errors being concealed by the managers and employees who have committed a fraud. Nevertheless, the responsibility of the auditor for successful financial audit management remains unchanged even in the face of this difficulty. Threats of Litigation The auditing profession has been criticized and accused quite often over the years of being too conservative and of couching reports in defensive and legalistic basis to escape litigation. The resulting problem is that auditors are currently needed to expand the scope of their work, but this is restricted unless the threat of litigation is eliminated to avoid auditors destruction (Pl, 2010, p.30). Threats of litigation has various undesirable consequences to both auditors and their clients: Impairment of company risk management The restriction thus means that regulatory bodies and stakeholders functions such as provision of assurance by auditors on new areas such as companys risk management effectiveness is impaired as no auditors will be willing to take up such expanded tasks. Disincentive to smaller companies to acquire services of an audit of large corporations The other unfortunate consequences of auditors reluctance which is linked directly to matters of completions are the possible disincentive to smaller companies to acquire services of an audit of large corporations due to the threat of being sued (Messier, Quick and Vandervelde 2014, p.59). A small firm might be compelled to refrain from seeking the assistance of a large audit firm even if it regards to have the competence, resources, skills and experience to tender an engagement if the financial risk linked to audit failure would be adequate to collapse the company. Recommendations Auditors and firms should embrace a school of thought that emerged after Anderson collapse. The failure followed the Enron scandal ruining its name that reputational risk is equivalent financial risk as an inducement to provide the finest guidance. Academics and practitioners alike should lobby for separation of responsibilities between management and auditors regarding identification of fraud and errors to reduce liabilities since audit responsibility has been a matter of escalating concern. Audit firms and institutes in Australia, Europe as well as North America should lobby for alterations in the law emphasized on the concept of joint as well as several liabilities. This will address the significant claims alongside skyrocketed cost of indemnity insurance cover. There is a need for refocus on matters pertaining corporate governance as well as general viewpoints requiring directors to embrace a proactive undertaking in the corporate management thereby elevating the issues circumventing the limitation of auditors liability. The theoretical problem of an auditor liability must be one which designs an optimal measure to provide incentive to an auditor rather than shirking without culminating to extreme burden. References Anderson, A.P., 2008. Accountants' Liability to Third Parties for an Audit. Marquette Law Review, 52(1), p.158. Asay, H.S., 2014. Horizon-induced optimism as a gateway to earnings management. Available at SSRN 2274180. Auditor's Legal Liability to Third Parties, The. W. Res. L. Rev., 7, p.145. Backof, A.G., Bamber, E.M. and Carpenter, T.D., 2016. Do auditor judgment frameworks help in constraining aggressive reporting? Evidence under more precise and less precise accounting standards. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 51, pp.1-11. Baker, C.R. and Prentice, D., 2008. The origins of auditor liability to third parties under United States common law. Accounting History, 13(2), pp.163-182. Beever, J.R., 2012 Zisa, J.W., 2013. Guarding the Guardians: Expanding Auditor Negligence Liability to Third-Party Users of Financial Information. Campbell L. Rev., 11, p.123. Brown, T., Majors, T.M. and Peecher, M.E., 2014. The impact of a judgment rule and critical audit matters on assessments of auditor legal liabilitythe moderating role of legal knowledge. Available at SSRN 2483221. Burton, F. G., Wilks, T. J., Zimbelman, M. F. (2013). How Auditor Legal Liability Influences the Detection and Frequency of Fraudulent Financial Reporting. Current Issues in Auditing, 7(2), P9-P15. Davies, M., 1991. Liability of Auditors to Third Parties in Negligence, The. UNSWLJ, 14, p.171. Elliott, W.B., Rennekamp, K.M. and White, B.J., 2015. Does concrete language in disclosures increase willingness to invest?. Review of Accounting Studies, 20(2), pp.839-865. Free, C., 1999. Limiting auditors' liability. Bond L. Rev., 11, p.i. Gaver, J.J., Paterson, J.S. and Pacini, C.J., 2012. The influence of auditor state-level legal liability on conservative financial reporting in the property-casualty insurance industry. Auditing: A Journal of Practice Theory, 31(3), pp.95-124. Hodge, F.D., Martin, R.D. and Pratt, J.H., 2005. Audit qualifications of income-decreasing accounting choices. Available at SSRN 574222. Kachelmeier, S.J., Schmidt, J.J. and Valentine, K., 2015. The disclaimer effect of disclosing critical audit matters in the auditors report. Available at SSRN 2481284. Messier, W.F., Quick, L.A. and Vandervelde, S.D., 2014. The influence of process accountability and accounting standard type on auditor usage of a status quo heuristic. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 39(1), pp.59-74. Pl, T. (2010). The impact of the economic crisis on auditing. European Integration Studies, 8(1), 131-142. Persellin, J.S., 2013. The influence of PCAOB inspections on audit committee members' judgments. Behavioral Research in Accounting, 25(2), pp.97-114. Pitts, M. and Wale, J., 2008. Comparisons are odorous(Shakespeare): financial performance and management competence at four Scottish colliery companies, 190046. Accounting History, 13(4), pp.511-543. Quick, L., 2013. When less is more: The effect of reducing auditor liability on auditor judgments in principles-based and rules-based environments. Rajacic, M., Rajapakse, P., Webb, E. (2000). Impact of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) on the Liability of Auditors, The. U. Tas. L. Rev., 19, 205. Rajapakse, P. J. (2015). A review of financial reporting liability lawsuits in Singapore. Jindal Global Law Review, 6(2), 207-230. Rose, J.M., Rose, A.M., Norman, C.S. and Mazza, C.R., 2014. Will disclosure of friendship ties between directors and CEOs yield perverse effects?. The Accounting Review, 89(4), pp.1545-1563. Samsonova, A., Humphrey, C., Kokkali, S. (2010). Re-thinking auditor liability: The case of the European Unions regulatory reform. In Asia Pacific Interdisciplinary research in Accounting (APIRA) conference, Sydney, Australia. Todea, N., Stanciu, I. C. (2009). Auditor liability in period of financial crisis. Annales Universitatis Apulensis: Series Oeconomica, 11(1), 218.

Informative Speech Outline Global Warming Essay Example

Informative Speech Outline Global Warming Essay Title: Global Warming Specific Purpose: To inform the audience about three issues of how global warming is affecting our weather, animals, and our future. Thesis: According to National Geographic Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit around the world since 1880 and by 2050, rising temperatures could send more than a million of Earths land-dwelling plants and animals down the road to extinction. Introduction I. Open with Impact: Is the climate warming? The impacts of global warming will be felt across the globe. A. The effect of global warming driving animals into extinction B. A rise in the amount of extreme weather disasters C. The change it will cause to the earth in the future II. Connect with the Audience: Do you think Global Warming poses a threat to you? According to National Geographic Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit around the world since 1880 and by 2050, rising temperatures could send more than a million of Earths land-dwelling plants and animals down the road to extinction. We will write a custom essay sample on Informative Speech Outline Global Warming specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Informative Speech Outline Global Warming specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Informative Speech Outline Global Warming specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer III. Credibility Statement: Studies of Global Warming have gained my interest within the past few years due to the extreme heat and natural disasters around the world. IV. Preview: Today I will be talking about the affect of Global Warming driving our animals in to extinction, a rise in the amount of extreme weather disasters around the world, and the change it will cause to the earth and our family’s future. Transition: Let’s begin with my first point – Body I. Main point: How the effects of Global Warming will drive our animals nto extinction, increase the amount of extreme weather disasters, and the change it will cause to our future. A. â€Å"Global Warming Fast Facts† (National Geographic News, June 2007) 1. Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit around the world since 1880. 2. Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. 3. Wildfires,  heat waves, and  strong tropical storms, are also attributed in part to climate change. 4. In July of 2006 heat waves contributed to the deaths of at least 225 people in North America. 5. Warmer temperatures could increase the probability of drought 6. Warmer temperatures increase the energy of the climatic system and can lead to heavier rainfall in some areas. Signpost and transition: Now that you know what effects Global Warming is having on our weather I will be telling you about how it will affect our animals. II. Main Point: The reason for animal extinction is because our animals can’t adapt to rising climate changes. A. These are some of the facts (nrdc. org, 2008) 1. The predicted range of climate change by 2050 will place 15 to 35 percent of the 1,103 species studied at risk of extinction. 2. Increasing global temperatures are expected to disrupt ecosystems, pushing to extinction those species that cannot adapt. 3. Some polar bears are drowning because they have to swim longer distances to reach ice floes. B. Global Warming will drive our animals into extinction Signpost and transition: The final aspect of Global Warming that I will be talking about is the effect it will have on our future. III. Main Point: Our future is in for a drastic change from what we call normal today. A. Rising sea levels could flood many South Seas islands and swamp large parts of Southeast Asia. B. Researchers predict the earth’s temperature may rise to an additional 5 or up to a drastic 12 degrees Fahrenheit. C. Warmer water in the oceans pumps more energy into tropical storms, making them stronger and potentially more destructive. D. Greater evaporation, particularly during summer and fall, could exacerbate drought conditions and increase the risk of wildfires. Transition: Let’s review what we learned today about Global Warming Conclusion: I. Summarize: The world is in store for a major change. Rising temperatures are having major effects in several different areas and aspects of the world. An increase in more powerful tropical storms, wildfires, and rising water levels will change the world that we live in today. A. We should familiarize ourselves with what the effects of our everyday lives are having on our future. B. Are you contributing to the destruction of our future? C. Life as you know it will never be the same II. Close with impact: No matter how much you try to ignore Global Warming the earth as we know it is in a lot of trouble. Without change we are heading down a road of destruction. References NRDC. (2008, December 10) Wild Life. Retrieved July 20, 2011, http://www. nrdc. org/globalwarming/fcons/fcons1. asp National Geographics News (2007, June) Global Warming Fast Facts. Retrieved on July 20, 2011, http://news. nationalgeographic. com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming. html Koshland Science Museum (2011) Global warming facts and our future. Retrieved on July 20, 2011, http://www. koshland-science-museum. org/exhibitgcc/index. jsp

Power Of the Internet †Business Essay

Power Of the Internet – Business Essay Free Online Research Papers The Power of Internet Feedback Business Essay Internet feedback is the new wave as far as getting feedback from customers, A company cant create advocates without a true understanding of customer preferences. Not surprisingly, much of the innovation and groundbreaking techniques for listening to customers is coming from the Web world (Griffin.) This is why Internet feedback is one of the most useful and resourceful tools a business or institution can have at its fingertips today. II. Literature Review and Findings The literature I found to be most relevant to the type of information that I deemed most important covered a websites ability to satisfy a customer having specific feedback goals from the website. In an essay written by Jakob Nielsen and Marie Tahir called, Design Usability: Keep Your Users In Mind Incorporating Feedback at Several Stages into an Ongoing Design Process Will Help a Site to Thrive. In this article the authors describe how the Web, like nothing else, has taught people how easy it is to walk away from a poorly designed product. The truth with the person who could easily and swiftly go to your website they can leave just as fast. A person who has invested the time to drive to a mall might be willing to suffer through a long checkout process much more readily than a Web customer, who can just as easily click over to the competition. And Web customers dont have the same incentive of time invested to keep them faithful to a Web application or Web service as they do with software. Up-front investment in a software package is a tremendous motivator to get users to learn and stick with a product theyve paid for. On the Web, the onus is off the user to make it work and on the Web site to get users to stay. Usability and the notion of simplicity keep users on Web sites. Websites that are easy to use and respond to customers needs end up being the most successful. In an essay on response times by Jakob Nielsen and Marie Tahir they mention a study, which states three important time limits (Miller 1968; Card et.al 1991.) These limits are: 0.1 second is about the limit for having the user feel that the system is reacting instantaneously, meaning that no special feedback is necessary except to display the result. 1.0 second is about the limit for the users flow of thought to stay uninterrupted, even though the user will notice the delay. Normally, no special feedback is necessary during delays of more than 0.1 but less than 1.0 second, but the user does lose the feeling of operating directly on the data. 10 seconds is about the limit for keeping the users attention focused on the dialogue. For longer delays, users will want to perform other tasks while waiting for the computer to finish, so they should be given feedback indicating when the computer expects to be done. Feedback during the delay is especially important if the response time is likely to be highly variable, since users will then not know what to expect. In cases where the computer cannot provide fairly immediate response, continuous feedback should be provided to the user in form of a percent-done indicator [Myers 1985]. As a rule of thumb, percent-done progress indicators should be used for operations taking more than about 10 seconds. Progress indicators have three main advantages: They reassure the user that the system has not crashed but is working on his or her problem; they indicate approximately how long the user can be expected to wait, thus allowing the user to do other activities during long waits; and they finally provide something for the user to look at, thus making the wait less painful. This latter advantage should not be underestimated and is one reason for recommending a graphic progress bar instead of just stating the expected remaining time in numbers. Although this type of feedback deals with the response time of a website to keep a customers interest I think it leads into the important questions like how long it takes the average person to view, navigate and respond to your website. Others dealt with the wide range audience the Internet has provided businesses with. Finding new clients and new client bases is not always an easy task. The Internet is a ready base of several million people from all walks of life. One can easily find new customers and clients from this massive group, provided that your presence on the Internet is known. In a study conducted it was found that the usability of twenty E-commerce sites: ten of the worlds highest-grossing sites and ten other sites that sell the same kinds of products, but have substantially smaller revenues. The ten high-selling sites complied with 40% of our usability guidelines for search whereas the ten less-selling sites only scored 27%. Even the best sites on the Web are far from having perfect search, but it is still remarkable to note the difference in search quality between sites that sell well and sites that sell poorly. Of course, rule #1 of E-commerce is: if the user cannot find the product, then the user cannot buy the product. To read more about this study you can visit the site at nngroup.com/reports/ecommerce. Another study I read dealt with the idea that awesome customer service is the best niche. The principles and guidelines for great customer service are timeless. Someone can easily replicate your product, price and location. Customer service is too hard to copy. Make that your niche Leichtling.) Because of customer service people become more loyal to a brand or service. If there is a problem with something they bought from your company and it is resolved in a timely manner and at the same time with courtesy. I myself base many of my purchasing decisions on my past experiences and if I get good service I will use that product again if not I am sure I could find a brand that would rather me be their customer. There were also articles that dealt with actual advertising, public relations, and marketing available through the Internet. These articles stressed the stage of relative infancy of the Internet to web advertising, public relations, and marketing and introduced the idea of interactive marketing on the Internet. From the marketers point of view, interactivity, is the convergence of three main advertising functions or activities: direct marketing, sales promotion and conventional above the line advertising Interactivity allows the opportunity to track individual customers once at a time and to build individual relationships with each customer (Steyn 1996.) Public Relations online are very important to the clients being able to give useful information back to the business. A well developed website would have upcoming products or events that have to deal with your company. If posted in advance there will always be somebody with a comment, good or bad. But by getting that comment a business could add something insignificant to some but the difference in a consumers choice. We also need to examine the effects of feedback in relation to an integrated marketing communication program. First we need to define what an Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) program does. According to sources I have read I feel the best definition for IMC is the process of developing and implementing various forms of persuasive communications programs with customers and prospects over time. The goal of IMC is to influence or directly affect the behavior of the selected communications audience. IMC considers all sources of brand or company contacts which a customer or prospect has with the product or service as a potential delivery channels for future messages. Further, IMC makes use of all forms of communications which are relevant to the customer and prospect, and to which they might be receptive. In, sum the IMC process starts with the customer or prospect and then works back to determine and define the forms and methods through which persuasive communications progr ams should be developed (Shimp 17). The use of Internet feedback plays right into the hand of an IMC program. Customer information will be gathered around the clock, analyzed instantaneously and acted upon. In effect, for most manufacturers and service companies, it will be the first time that feedback can be turned into new instructions, overnight or the same day, for how one operates on the factory floor, in a service center or out in the field (Steinert-Threlkeld.) Another useful study that showed the importance of feedback to college students is a study that has been being conducted at the University of Houston System at Fort Bend. In the study one of the top administrators Sharon Baca has created an online site where, students logging into the Web site for the University of Houston System at Fort Bend are greeted by a photograph of Clara, the smiling virtual administrator whose job is to listen and take care of you, our students, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Students are invited to tell Clara their opinions, discuss problems, make suggestions, or praise someone. The five-month-old experiment in communication has been remarkably successful, Ms. Baca says, especially for gathering information from students that can be used to plan class schedules. Students have requested that specific courses be offered, and have even listed the times their work schedules permit them to take certain courses. This idea of using the web to g et feedback from college students I feel will become very popular. There are other types of Internet feedback that are important to businesses such as online surveys and focus groups. As of right now the response rate on online surveys surpass those of direct mail and telephone. The business world should utilize the online services available to them before the so-called novelty of the Internet wears off. Internet feedback also is needed to produce the most affluent website available for your product. One way of doing this is by using site visits to help you identify and prioritize the tasks users are trying to accomplish. Watching users work through these tasks not only deepens your understanding of the users goals but also helps you to identify the obstacles and difficulties inherent in their current way of working. This type of information helps represent opportunities to improve the current solution. And, not only do you get to see the users entire approach to solving a problem, you also get to see how the users surroundings affect their work or their private life. Site visits also help you to identify problems you didnt know needed solving. Without customer input and data from observations of users at work, its easy to create laundry lists of user problems and feel like you have to solve all of them. The problem is that these lists are often based on your companys preconc eived understanding of what the problems are, and so cant tell you what you dont know about your users. Another factor that site visits bring to the table is that they account for the human side of a trend, not only statistics. This way you can create a customer profile for your consumer. This is an important part of Internet feedback because you are not going by what people say they do but what they are actually doing, giving you stronger statistics with less room for error. Listening to users can be misleading according to Nielsen and Tahir. For example, we recently completed a major competitive study of a group of B2B sites selling certain complicated equipment. For good measure, we asked users to state their opinions; the subjective ratings came out very high for one vendor that has a particularly good name in the market. Sure enough, another vendor, who is known as a low-quality provider in the real world, got low scores. But when we looked at what users actually did on the sites, they were much more successful shopping on the site from the vendor they didnt like. The site from the popular vendor provided very poor support for the shopping process. Thus, a company that wanted to start a new B2B site in the same space would be better off emulating the features offered by the unpopular company and avoiding the mistakes made by the popular company. Relying purely on user opinions in this case would result in a site where shopping was difficult. A popular company might survive a difficult site; a new company would be dead on arrival. III. Conclusion There are many ways in which we can use the Internet as a form of feedback. Even such things as chat rooms can be used as feedback as long as it is structured the right way. The Internet is vastly growing and will present us with more options everyday. As shown above the ability to satisfy a customer is the so important to a business and by having a website you will first be able to satisfy customers with specific goals. But this can only be done by having a website that is usable and simple because it keeps users using your products and on your web page. Now that you are on the Internet you will have a wide range audience that only the Internet can provide businesses with. Then you need to make sure you are not making the same mistakes others have made on their sites, or that you have the optimal website for your businesss goods or services. Now that you have Internet access, advertising, public relations, and marketing become more available at a cheaper price. And by h aving awesome customer service as your niche, you will sure to secure yourself loyal customers who will in return help you out on things like online surveys and focus groups. But one of the most overlooked ways I found to be was the importance of feedback to college students. With so many colleges beginning to do online classes and other related material, such as, online registration. There are always going to be worthwhile suggestions by students, which can either prove to be right or wrong that colleges need to at least look at. For instance, if WVU were to offer a list of bands that they could bring to Fall Fest they could best represent the students interests by sending out email surveys and those who reply will be rewarded and the school would be rewarded. The students would be more likely to attend Fall Fest and the school would be able to gain knowledge about the likes and dislikes of the students. and Consulted: Special Report: Design Usability Keep Your Users In Mind Incorporating Feedback at Several Stages into an Ongoing Design Process Will Help a Site to Thrive by Jakob Nielsen and Marie Tahir. Collecting Feedback About Your Websites Search Interface. By Jakob Nielsen and Marie Tahir. http://webreference.com/new/searchinter.html Web can help you hear comments from clients. By: Griffin, Jill; Austin Business Journal, 04/28/2000, Vol. 20 Issue 7, p24, 1/3p, 1bw Online. Chronicle of Higher Education, 03/17/2000, Vol. 46 Issue 28, pA45, 1/4p Customer service still makes the difference. By: Leichtling, Ben; Denver Business Journal, 02/11/2000, Vol. 51 Issue 26, p43A, 1/2p `Knock your socks off service requires customer feedback. By: Basile, Frank; Indianapolis Business Journal, 3/13/95, Vol. 15 Issue 51, p43, 2p, 1bw Research Papers on Power Of the Internet - Business EssayAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Project Managment Office SystemIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalOpen Architechture a white paperStandardized TestingPETSTEL analysis of IndiaNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceTwilight of the UAWEffects of Television Violence on Children

Henry Kissinger 1971 secret trip to China Thesis

Henry Kissinger 1971 secret trip to China - Thesis Example 1 As manifested by historical events, Kissinger’s trip to China could be considered as an essential factor that strengthened the U.S-China relations. Fergusson further noted that the substantial matters discussed during his trip in 1971 enabled the United States’ opening to China, and at the same time, China began to open its relations with the United States, which was actually driven by â€Å"Mao Zedong’s fear of encirclement.†2 Under such circumstance, a potential argument could be justified such that if it was not for China’s opening to the United States, China would not emerge to be America’s largest foreign holder and as to how it would utilize its present economic power is a crucial matter that needs to be addressed, wherein Kissinger, who had a long period of diplomatic relations with China, could offer a better insight regarding the issue.3 In addition, Hanhimaki and Westad mentioned that one of the primary objectives for the opening o f relations was to use China as a support against the Soviet Union towards a triangular diplomacy between Washington, Moscow and Beijing.4 Another significant issue is on the implication of foreign policy, wherein Hamilton emphasized that Kissinger recognized the rivalry between China and Russia, which could indicate that the Chinese would possibly welcome improved relations with the Americans that may cause much trouble to the Soviets. 5 Similarly, Xia also pointed out that Nixon, being a foreign policy president, was firm on restoring and enhancing the United States’ status in world affairs, where he gave an extensive value of improving its relations with China.6 Finally, Kissinger’s secret visit stimulated China’s expectation to gain political benefits, where it would have greater chances to enter the U.N., and as expected by Kissinger, China used its influence

The Financial Incentives within the SWDC Case Study - 11

The Financial Incentives within the SWDC - Case Study Example The Solid Waste Disposal Company is an organization popularly known for its successful services of providing land for waste disposal. It is one among other companies fighting for environmental sustainability. It provides a disposal ground, which can receive all types of waste products from all customers. The landfill, however, is far from the main company approximately 100 miles away. The distance from the landfill to the main company forced the manager, Don Morgan to organize a team of drivers who operate back and forth to the landfill area. The main challenge, which the drivers face is the limitation subjected to them concerning the financial incentives even if one exceed the expected number of tonnes set on the carriage. The way Don treats his employees is not just because he only considers one driver called Tim McGhee to be loyal and gives him a chance to work closer to the company. Although Tim is a loyal driver, it is not right for Don to fail to recognize the hard work of the other drivers. He has to recognize the struggle of other drivers to motivate them towards pleasing performance. Dealing with several teams as a manager in a company is challenging especially for one person. However, one can manage by ensuring equal treatment of all employees. Don experiences the challenge of balancing the incentives for his employees. He must ensure that the three team s receive equal incentives although, he should also consider awarding the best and loyal drivers, but in a fair manner. To better the teamwork of the drivers, he has to involve them when awarding the loyal employees; this will motivate the other employees to work hard to get the reward during the next event. The SWDC Company provides some incentives that do not cover the entire needs nor satisfy the employees’ requirements. The case of Tim shows that the employees have to struggle so much to meet their needs. He has to work overtime to get enough money for the bill for his hospitalized child.  

5 Different Definition of Stem Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

5 Different Definition of Stem Education - Essay Example According to Veenstra et al, (2012), STEM education includes majors in natural sciences, engineering, science, health, and technologies. Many leaders have consistently created concern for the increasing number of STEM students who get well-paying jobs as compared to other degree holders. Though STEM is widely used throughout the education system, certain fields receive more attention in this more than others. Such fields include engineering, computer sciences, and the physical sciences. As a result, examination of STEM participation and resulting outcomes from examining narrow fields come up with differing conclusions as opposed to when a broader definition is used altogether. STEM education is an important interdisciplinary approach that incorporates various academic concepts with other real-world lessons, as the student is able to apply the four disciplines of STEM education. As a result, they are able to connect between school, global economy and community work thus developing STEM literacy giving the students a competitive advantage in the economy (Beatty, 2011). Educators seem to consider this concept from an educational perspective increasing the importance of succeeding in science and mathematics and increasing the integration in engineering and technology when needs arises. STEM education involves a study of sciences, mathematics, engineering and technology courses and having adequate knowledge to apply the skills and knowledge gained in the real world (DeBoer, 2011). The reason is that the competitive nature of every country requires that there is a strong educational program that is able to prepare innovative scientists and other engineers who are capable of providing innovations that can flourish the economy of a country. However, various educators involved in preparing students for important careers in STEM courses find the term

External Factors And Influences On The Hotel Industry Tourism Essay

External Factors And Influences On The Hotel Industry Tourism Essay A business does not function in a vacuum. It has to act and react to what happens outside the factory and office walls. These factors that happen outside the business are known as external factors or influences. These will affect the main internal functions of the business and possibly the objectives of the business and its strategies. Main Factors The main factor that affects most business is the degree of competition how fiercely other businesses compete with the products that another business makes. The other factors that can affect the business are: Social how consumers, households and communities behave and their beliefs. For instance, changes in attitude towards health, or a greater number of pensioners in a population. Legal the way in which legislation in society affects the business. E.g. changes in employment laws on working hours. Economic how the economy affects a business in terms of taxation, government spending, general demand, interest rates, exchange rates and European and global economic factors. Political how changes in government policy might affect the business e.g. a decision to subsidies building new houses in an area could be good for a local brick works. Technological how the rapid pace of change in production processes and product innovation affect a business. Ethical what is regarded as morally right or wrong for a business to do. For instance should it trade with countries which have a poor record on human rights. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No Task 1- Mission, Objectives and Responsibilities of an Organisation 1a) Mission, Values and key objectives of the hotel group 1 And interests of the stakeholders 1b). stakeholders objectives and extent to which 2 The hotel achieves these objectives 1c). key responsibilities of the hotel group and the strategies 2 Employed for achieving them Task 2 Economic, Social and Global Environment (LO2) 2. A) the fundamental features of planned and mixed economic 4 Systems n impact on the operations of the hotel group 2. B) social welfare policy and industrial policy measures in the UK 5 2. c) Impact of two macroeconomic policy measures in the UK 6 And the US since the year 2011 on the hotel group Task 3 -Behaviour of Organisations and the Market Environment 3. A) shortcomings of two market models relevant to the hotel group 7 And show how they can affect the profitability of the hotel. 3b) factors of supply and demand income, price, weather, and substitutes impact 9 On the activities of the hotel group 3c) behaviour and competitive strategies employed by organisations in the UK 10 And the rationale for regulating the behaviour strategies Task 4 International Trade and the European Dimension 4a) the pros and cons of trade between the UK and other countries 11 4b) the impact of two European Union policies on UK organisations and 12 The hotel group 4c) Implications of the UK becoming a member of the European economic 13 And monetary union (EMU) to the UK economy and to organisation References Task 1- Mission, Objectives and Responsibilities of an Organisation 1a) identify the Mission, Values and key objectives of the hotel group and show how they reflect the interests of the stakeholders A Mission is the unique purpose that sets one hotel or motel company apart from others. Moreover, the mission statement gives meanings and directions to hotel policies. In fact, when faced with any problem, misunderstanding, or strategic decision to be taken, managers always, make sure that their decisions match the mission statement. In addition, the mission statement shall be general and broad. The mission statement shall reflect the interests of the agents interacting in the hotel group. Guest: Guest(s) represent one of the most important agents in the hotel industry. For no guests mean is no accommodation sector. Employee: A hotel with no employees means simply that guests would not be welcomed, registered, assisted for whatsoever specific they needs have. Employees are a primordial agent in the hotel industry Management Owners: A hotel with no managers resembles to an army without generals. Moreover, to have a hotel, investors shall poor some amount of money to build it, refurnish it, and operate it. Therefore, the mission statement tells how it is going to satisfy all the above stated agents so that they continue acting in the hotel industry. (Keller, 2005) Key Objectives Managers shall, bearing in mind the companys mission statement, come up with companys global objectives, Which are : Specific numerical Observable Measurable If objectives are general and non-quantifiable, then, it would be unfeasible at the end of a certain period of time to see whether company actual results match with the planned objectives or not. (Grimble, 1997) 1b).Identify three groups of stakeholders objectives and evaluate the extent to which the hotel achieves these objectives Property Owners They work together with property and to find innovative solutions that satisfy their economic, environmental and social objectives. Employees They recognize the importance of communicating information about their business and its performance to employees. Because CR issues are central to our company values they are a prominent feature of global management conferences, informal briefings, in-house publications and our intranets. (Hahnel, 2001) In January 2011 we held a Green Day at our Atlanta Offices to raise awareness of IHGs approach to CR. During the coming year we will work with colleagues to ensure that we are following sound principles for Green Meetings and Green Training materials. We will also set up a dedicated section on CR in our Leaders Lounge, a virtual community of IHG leaders that provides time-effective tools, tips and articles that reinforce our strategy and help managers improve their leadership. This online tool allows users to connect with and share best practices with peers and senior IHG leaders around the globe. Suppliers Feedback from suppliers helps us to better understand how we perform against our peers and gain a clearer picture of our risks. Wherever possible we encourage our hotels to source goods and services locally. In addition to IHG supporting local suppliers, we also need to promote responsible business practices by those same suppliers. One area we are working on with suppliers is procurement find out more in our Supply Chain section. (Myers, 2004) 1c). Explain three key responsibilities of the hotel group and the strategies employed for achieving them. Hotel Manager A hotel manager who is responsible for the day-to-day management of a hotel and its staff, They have commercial accountability for budgeting and financial management, planning, organising and directing all hotel services, including front-of-house (reception, concierge, and reservations), food and beverage operations and housekeeping. In larger hotels, managers often have a specific responsibility (guest services, accounting, and marketing) and make up a general management team. While taking a strategic overview and planning ahead to maximise profits, the manager must also pay attention to the details, setting the example for staff to deliver a standard of service and presentation that meets guests needs and expectations. Business and people management are equally important elements. (Keller, 2005) The manager of a large hotel may have less make contact with guests but will have regular meetings with heads of department to coordinate and monitor the progress of business strategies. In a smaller establishment, the manager is much more involved in the hands-on day-to-day running of the hotel, which may include carrying out reception duties or serving meals if the need arises. Sales coordinator Often seen as a dynamic and social working environment, hotels offer an attractive career path for many people. For those interested in the business side of hotels, a career in sales may be suitable vocation for them. Hotel group sales coordinators are commonly the link between the guests and the hotel company. Their roles involve a mixture of customer service, team management and brand building for their hotel group. Group sales coordinator has many responsibilities. Among them is the preparation of correspondence such as customer appreciation letters, helping to facilitate promotions such as half-price rooms and scheduling staff rotas to make sure the sales department is operating sufficiently. Other responsibilities include ensuring that the sales team meets its targets, liaising with individual customers and groups for detailed feedback on the hotels facilities and analyzing sales statistics to provide an accurate report for the sales director. Hotel marketing manager A hotel marketing manager works with the hotels advertising and sales managers to promote the hotels services and facilities. Lower-level managers, like market research managers, work together with hotel marketing managers to come up with ideas for creating new clientele such as offering hotel deals and incentives like free welcome drinks, a approving massage at the hotel or complimentary use of a business center. Marketing managers and researchers learn what travelers want and estimate the cost of including those services. (Hahnel, 2001) Task 2 Economic, Social and Global Environment 2. A) Discuss the fundamental features of planned and mixed economic systems and explain how each system can impact on the operations of the hotel group. Use examples of the hotel activities to support your answer. Planned Economy: A planned economy is an economic system in which the government or workers councils manage the economy. In such economies, the state or government controls all major sectors of the economy and decide all decisions about their use and about the distribution of income, much like a communist state. The planners decide what should be produced and direct enterprises to produce those goods. Planned economies are in contrast to unplanned economies, such as a market economy, where production, distribution, pricing, and investment decisions are made by the private owners of the factors of production based upon their own and their customers interests rather than upon furthering some overarching macroeconomic plan. (Anthony, 2007) Mixed Economy: A mixed economy is an economic system that incorporates aspects of more than one economic system. This is typically means an economy that contains both privately-owned and state-owned enterprises or that combines elements of capitalism and socialism, or a mix of market economy and planned economy. (Myers, 2004) Impact on planned and mixed economy The centrally planned economy operates under the rules whereby the means of production, such as the hotels, are deemed to be owned by the public and all forms of economic activity are controlled by the government. This means that the central planning authorities are responsible for assigning production goals of the tourism industry as well as the allocation of factors of production. Within such a system, the proportion of total output absorbed as investment as opposed to private consumption, together with the distribution of income and the range of tourism activities produced, becomes a problem of social control rather than market forces. Therefore, in centrally planned economies the decision to produce particular levels of output of tourism products is a social and political rather than an economic decision. The mixed economy is helpful in increasing national production in the country. Both public and private sector work hard to bring about more production. The problem created by fr ee enterprise and too much public control are solved through mixed economy. It provides freedom of enterprise ownership profit earning as well as social welfare and political freedom .However Mixed economy is is not helpful in achieving optimal use of national resources .The mixed economy suffer from the drawbacks of both the capitalism and the socialism. Mixed economy seldom achieved progress. It suffers from continues backwardness. (Alec, 1997) 2. B) Identify and explain two social welfare policy and industrial policy measures in the UK that impact on the activities of the hotel and similar organisations Social Policy means the study of social services and the welfare state. Social Policy and Administration is an academic subject concerned with the study of social services and the welfare state. It developed in the early part of the 20th century as a complement to social work studies, aimed at people who would be professionally involved in the administration of welfare. In the course of the last forty years, the range and breadth of the subject has developed. The principal areas relate to policy and administrative practice in social services, including health administration, social security, education, employment services, community care and housing management; social problems, including crime, disability, unemployment, mental health, learning disability, and old age; issues relating to social disadvantage, including race, gender and poverty; and the range of collective social responses to these conditions. Social Policy is a subject area, not a discipline it borrows from other social science disciplines for develop study in the area. The contributing disciplines include sociology, social work, psychology, economics, political science, management, history, philosophy and law. (Nyheim, 2004) Industrial policy means in essence  an activist approach by the state towards  support for and development of the economy. In the UK, state activism in this area was discredited in the 1970s  because extensive state financial support for the defunct UK car industry failed at 2. c) Evaluate the impact of two macroeconomic policy measures in the UK and the US since the year 2011 on the hotel group The main policies of economic management that are impact on the hotel group in UK. Fiscal Policy Fiscal policy involves the use of government spending, taxation and borrowing to influence both the pattern of economic activity and also the level and growth of aggregate demand, output and employment. Monetary Policy Monetary policy involves the use of interest rates to control the level and rate of growth of aggregate demand in the economy. Here are some differences in the economic effects of monetary and fiscal policy, on the composition of output, the effectiveness of the two kinds of policy in meeting the governments macroeconomic objectives, and also the time lags involved for fiscal and monetary policy changes to take effect. We will consider each of these in turn: Effects of Policy on the Composition of National Output from the hotels Monetary policy is often seen as something of a blunt policy instrument affecting all sectors of the economy although in different ways and with a variable impact. In contrast, fiscal policy can be targeted to affect certain groups (e.g. increases in means-tested benefits for low income households, reductions in the rate of corporation tax for small-medium sized enterprises, investment allowances for businesses in certain regions) Consider as an example the effects of using either monetary or fiscal policy to achieve a given increase in national income because actual GDP lies below potential GDP (i.e. there is a negative output gap) (Buchanan, 1996) Task 3 -Behaviour of Organisations and the Market Environment 3. A) Explain the shortcomings of two market models relevant to the hotel group and show how they can affect the profitability of the hotel. SWOT Analysis of Hilton Hotels All major hotel corporations, is continuing to recover from the events of September 11th. This tragic human event also delivered a financially devastating blow to the travel industry as a whole and to the hotel industry in particular. In order to fully recover and thrive in the coming years, HHC must assess its overall all strengths and weaknesses as it moves forward through the new millennium. The following SWOT Analysis sheds some light on some of the pitfalls and opportunities that await the Hilton Hotels Corporation. (Porter, 2001) Strengths Hilton Hotel Corporation (HHC) is a well established organization and industry leader in the hotel, hospitality and gaming industry HHC is well diversified across the industry with hotels in the high end, business and mid-priced classes in their product mix HHC also possesses solid integration features such as owning the companies that manufacture its furniture and has invested in online reservation travel enterprises Weaknesses HHC may be two narrowly focused making it vulnerable to a downturn in the global economy and other world-wide catastrophes that could limit global travel such as the bird-flu and a significant terrorist strike HHC may be vulnerable to workers strikes and crack down on undocumented workers in the U.S. Most of its holdings are in the U.S. Opportunities HHC should offer an array of distinctive and specialized services to the high end guests and high rollers such as Wedding planning hosting Spas that specialize in personal services Personal trainers HHC should look to expand into or acquire a cruise line A cruise ship is little more than a hotel that floats this would essentially match what it currently does with its leased properties Gaming activities would escape regulation, etc. Take advantage of emerging markets, especially with business class and mid-priced markets Threats HHC must be careful not overextend its efforts to mix entertainment and gaming Also the extension of credit and other side effects of gaming can slowly but surely nibble away profits September 11th was a major blow to the hotel industry. A similar event could result in another down turn. By studying national and regional industry trends, HHC will be able to take advantage of opportunities that will enable growth while identifying threats that may affect profitability. Growth in the hotel and hospitality industry will include a continued focus on gaming, international expansion and using all media to promote its products to potential customers. One recommended strategy for Hilton is to emphasize the importance of family in all its hotels, including the gaming and casino locations. Las Vegas has spent millions to attract families by adding childrens attractions as well as the traditional casinos for the adults. Most of the hotels have at least a small area dedicated to arcade games. However, some hotels have elaborate arcades, game areas, and child-care centers intended for those traveling with children (Hilton Hotels Corporation, 2007). Hilton needs to ensure they are right in the middle of this demographic of parents traveling with children. While the focus can still be on the high dollars that are tossed around in the casinos by the parents, it will be critical that the hotel have the facilities available that will attract parents with children to stay at the property. Since there is a greater demand and vacation time has become one of the few times that families are able to spend quality time together, Hilton must capitalize on this market segment. (Buchanan, 1996) Market Segmentation Market Segmentation means breaking down the total market into self contained and relatively standardized subgroups of customers, each possessing its own special requirements and characteristics. This enables the company to modify its output, advertising messages and promotional methods to correspond to the needs of particular segments. Accurate segmentation allows the firm to pinpoint selling opportunities and to tailors its marketing activities to satisfy on consumer needs. Through the process of market segmentation, there are certain variables to identify customer groups, such as needs, income geographical, location, buying habits and other characteristics . (Hahnel, 2001) 3b) Explain how these factors of supply and demand income, price, weather, substitutes impact on the activities of the hotel group. When negotiating a hotel contract for meeting or convention, some factors are influenced. First, factors that influence room blocks and room rates are based on supply and demand. So, if the hotel is in their peak season, they have more clients requesting the same space and can choose who gets the space and can set their price. Most hotels have a preferred pattern for arrivals and departures. If your pattern fits theirs, they may be willing to negotiate. However, if the pattern differs, you may have to pay higher rates. Be prepared, check with the Convention Bureau and ask what the normal occupancies are for various months of the year. That way you will have an idea of how much the hotel needs your business. If you can hold your meeting in a month that has less occupancy, you have more room to negotiate. Also, do not falter to ask for special items in the contract. The more the hotel needs your business, the more they are willing to give up or add to the contract in order to get your signature. (Carl, 1997) It may be easy to get that suite you wanted on a complimentary basis or at a special rate. If the hotel is going to have a low occupancy and would not be selling that suite in the first place, they have nothing to loose by giving it to you in your contract. So, what factors are involved that influence pricing when negotiating a sales contract for sleeping rooms, meeting space and food events? They are availability of rooms, room patterns, your ability to be flexible and especially you being aware of what the hotel is looking for. Therefore, do your homework before meeting with your hotel of choice and you will be better prepared to negotiate successfully. 3c) Explain three behaviour and competitive strategies employed by organisations in the UK and the rationale for regulating the behaviour strategies. Use relevant examples to support your answer. Organizations operate within a competitive industrial environment. Analyzing its competitiveness help to identify opportunities for and threats to the organization from its industrial environment, SWOT analysis is a systematic analysis of these factors and the strategy that reflects the best match between them. Considering the as an example, relation to the core competence of McDonalds, one of the largest food chain companies in the world. Let us first start with the strengths and the positive aspects which define the performance of this company. Strength is a distinctive competence that gives the firm a comparative advantage in the market place. For instance financial resources, image, market leadership and buyer supplier relations etc The greatest strength was creating an image in the minds of the people and introducing them to the fast food culture. Delivery speed, customer care and cleanliness are the core strengths on which these stores expanded. They created a corporate symbol and their advertisement campaigns were highly successful in establishing the brand image and logo in the minds of the millions. Two main competitors generally identified with McDonalds are the Burger King and the KFC. McDonalds marketing strategy is concerned with the internal resources, external environment and its basic competencies along with its share holders. McDonalds product value is also its greatest strengths. Customers know what to expect when they walk into a McDonalds store. It gives great emphasis to human resources by satisfying both the customer and the employees. Next is the innovation aspect wherein new products line up to catch up with the new trends and tastes of the people. Its diversity into other new business ventures can also be considered as its strengths. One major threat to any brand is its relationship between the management and the franchise dealers. Organization strength is the back bone of any concern and when that starts shaking the whole system will collapse. But slowing McDonald is recovering from all these weaknesses as its brand managers can easily communicate, compare and improve their services through the latest technological developments wherein they can use the internet to motivate, compare and improve upon other centers performances. The overall analysis of all the external and internal strengths and weaknesses on this company should be linked in order to draft a sustainable plan for the companies further improvement. For any improvement or expansion the internal resources must be readily available. And thus analyzing this aspect can lead to a modified strategy to suit its vision. Keeping in mind the available resources the planner should think globally. Hence making use of all the core competencies the firm can definitely sustain in the competitive market. Task 4 International Trade and the European Dimension 4a) Discuss the pros and cons of trade between the UK and other countries. Use the activities of the hotel group to support your answer Pros According to the U.S. State Department, the United States had implemented nine free trade agreements with a total of 14 countries and had several others awaiting final enactment as of September 2009. The agency reports that since the implementation of these economic pacts U.S. exports have increased exponentially and imports have grown considerably. Therefore, the State Department makes the claim that free trade supports economic development in poor countries as well as in the United States. Cons In November 2003 the Economic Policy Institute issued a report that seriously questions the benefits of free trade. According to the document, the rise in the U.S. trade deficit with its NAFTA trading partners, Canada and Mexico, caused the displacement of high-wage positions in U.S.-based manufacturing industries. Additionally, the report states that workers in all three member countries have been hurt by free trade, with many Mexicans being reduced to subsistence-level work while Canadians witness a reduction in important public spending in education, health care and other such services. The institute says that NAFTA guidelines tilt the economic situation in favor of investors while offering no environmental or worker-safety protection. Considerations While just about everyone agrees that international trade will continue, the debate over free-trade economics demonstrates the existence of two radically disparate viewpoints; those of the businesses and investors that have benefited from the adaptation of free-trade agreements and those of blue-collar workers, who appear to be losing ground financially. Policy negotiators might do well to consider the well- being of all concerned by adopting guidelines that guarantee a living wage to all as well as environmental and worker-safety standards. (Carl, 1997) 4b) critically analyse the impact of two European Union policies on UK organisations and the hotel group, if any. UK hoteliers are feeling quietly optimistic about the new coalition governments tourism policy priorities for the countrys hotel industry. Industry leaders are hoping for a new era of firm leadership supported by clear tourism policy. Many are hopeful that the new administration will place greater emphasis on tourism policy, support new investment and provide better co-ordination of Whitehall policies across the industry. With clear policies on regulation, tax policies and interest rates, the new government is in a position to provide better stability for hotel developers, owners and operators, despite cuts in public spending. (Easterly, 2001) At this crucial time, the UK hotel industry needs strong, unified representation to government. The strongest organization is most probably the British Hospitality Association (BHA) who has already raised five key points on behalf of the industry, as follows: Fewer regulations and those that are introduced should be more accurately coasted and assessed for their impact on small businesses. An understanding that the industry is a potential job creator and is the main economic driver of many regions in the country even including London. Yet, in an industry largely made up of small businesses, past fiscal and regulatory measures have inhibited private investment to a great extent. Greater encouragement by the government for businesses to invest, through the introduction of appropriate tax breaks and capital allowances (eg: Hotel Building Allowance). Only through more private investment will the industry be able to meet rising international competition. A government department (presumably the DCMS) which is stronger and more able to represent the industry with other government departments and throughout Whitehall. Too many local, regional and national tourism bodies are fighting for limited amounts of funding to promote Britain internationally, nationally and locally. Only some Regional Development Agencies have seriously supported their tourism industry while a number of regional tourism boards have been disbanded. A more coherent approach to the countrys tourism infrastructure is required. 4c) Evaluate the implications of the UK becoming a member of the European economic and monetary union (EMU) to the UK economy and to organisations operating in the UK. Use relevant examples to support your answer The Economic and Monetary Union or EMU is an umbrella term for the group of policies aimed at converging the economies of members of the European Union in three stages so as to allow them to adopt a single currency,. As such, it is largely synonymous with the Eurozone. All member states of the European Union are expected to participate in the EMU. The Copenhagen criteria are the current set of conditions of entry for states wanting to join the EU. It contains the requirements that need to be fulfilled and the time framework within which this must be done in order for a country to join the monetary union. An important element of this is the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM  II), in which candidate currencies demonstrate economic convergence by maintaining limited deviation from their target rate against the euro. (Easterly, 2001) All member states, except Denmark and the United Kingdom, have committed themselves by treaty to join EMU. Seventeen member states of the European Union, including, most recently, Estonia, have entered the third stage and have adopted the euro as their currency. Denmark, Latvia and Lithuania are the current participants in the exchange rate mechanism. Of the pre-2004 members, the United Kingdom and Sweden have not joined ERM  II and Denmark remains in ERM without proceeding to the third stage. The five remaining (post-2004) states have yet to achieve sufficient convergence to participate. These ten EU members continue to use t