Becoming a Teacher My Philosophy on Education Essay

Becoming a Teacher: My Philosophy on Education When did education start? Do we still need education to function as a society? How long will public education remain a kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculum? The answers to these questions will vary from person to person, but they will all have one common theme: education will and must go on! Education is the key to a progressing society. Education is the only way that knowledge is passed from generation to generation. In this paper I will explain why I wish to teach, my educational goals, and the philosophy that I will use during my teaching career. Becoming a teacher in today’s society is not the most choice among our society. People tend to†¦show more content†¦I remember while in high school many people including professionals asked me why I did not become a math teacher. I never acknowledged the idea of becoming a teacher because I did not think that I would be a good teacher. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that teaching would be the opportune career for me to help people and to use a subject that I have always found interesting and enjoyed all of my life, math. There are many goals that I hope to obtain while teaching. I will be a good listener. I will not only instruct my students, but I also will listen to them. I do not want to be one of those teachers that only teaches and does not care about the students’ interests. To me knowing about the students’ personal lives is part of being a good teacher. I would not ask a student to tell me his/her personal life, but if a student wished to tell me something I would gladly listen. A teacher should not only help students with learning of the subject they are teaching, but they should also teach them life lessons too. I strongly believe, first and foremost, I will teach math, but more importantly, I will teach children. I will do my best to run the classroom in a way that is pleasing to me as well as to the students. I do not believe that students want to learn in an environment in which they consider undesirable. As stated before, I wish to become a high school math teacher. I know that some people have difficultyShow MoreRelatedEssay on My Personal Philosophy of Education1490 Words   |  6 Pages Philosophy of Education Relating my reasons for becoming a teacher was not a very difficult task for me; to accomplish this task I simply needed to reflect upon and describe some of my own personal experiences. I relied basically upon my memories and thoughts about my own educational experiences. However, describing my philosophy of education was much more difficult task for me to accomplish. First of all, before I could properly describe my philosophy, I realized I needed a workingRead More My Philosophy of Teaching Essay1076 Words   |  5 PagesMy Philosophy of Teaching Teaching is a daunting task that I do not intend to take lightly. Becoming a teacher has been a dream of mine for several years. I always knew that teaching would be the career for me, especially when I began working in the school system as a substitute secretary. I loved working in the school environment; coming in contact with children everyday made me realize how much I would enjoy teaching a classroom full of students. Teachers play such an importantRead MoreEssay about Philosophy of Education1276 Words   |  6 Pages Philosophy of Education I want to become a teacher. I must be out of my mind. At least that is what I am told by almost everyone when I tell him or her my plans for the future. Maybe I should become a doctor, lawyer, or own a business. No, I am going to fulfill my dream that I have had since I was in elementary school. I always ask a question to answer, â€Å"Why do you want to be a teacher? Are you out of your mind?† I ask who shapes the minds of the children of these doctors, lawyersRead More My Philosophy of Teaching Essay1400 Words   |  6 PagesPhilosophy of Education Education is something that every person should be given the chance to attain. It is vital for all people young, old, mentally impaired, ADHD, or whatever characteristic they may encompass. I believe everyone has the right to learn and be taught in an school environment. The law passed in 1975, P.L. 94-142, made numerous changes in the way certain children with special needs was being treated in the public school system. With the update in 1991, IDEA (IndividualsRead More My Philosophy of Teaching Essay1212 Words   |  5 Pages My Philosophy of Teaching Teaching is the most rewarding and self-fulfilling career that I could imagine myself doing. The satisfaction that is received when watching a child’s eyes light up when they have comprehended and understood the topics that I have been teaching is a feeling of great achievement. Teaching children to become productive adults helps the foundation of our society. Today’s children are tomorrow’s adults. I want to help society the best way that I know how. I want to be aRead MoreThe Theories, Social Transmission Versus Social Transformational Theories1548 Words   |  7 Pagescases teachers too often act as authoritarians, and not as agents that encourage independent thinking. Sadovnik (2006) describes the atmosphere in the classroom by citing Dewey’s work, saying that he believed that the schools, teachers, instruction, and curriculum all had a role in a students’ development. â€Å"In a progressive setting, the teacher is no longer the authoritarian figure from which all knowledge flows; rather, the teacher assumes the peripheral position of facilitator. The teacher encouragesRead MorePhysical Education in Secondary Schools1149 Words   |  5 PagesPhysical Education In Secondary Schools My philosophy of physical education in the secondary setting deals with students becoming physically fit. Also that students learn how to communicate with others, especially in a team setting. My philosophy also holds in it different teaching methods. Methods that physical education teachers can use to get the most out of their students. With this philosophy of physical education I plan to use it toward becoming a good teacher. The major reason for havingRead MoreMy Pastime As A Child1375 Words   |  6 Pages Introduction My pastime as a child was daydreaming of the countless careers I could achieve. The imaginary future, I formulated for myself, included becoming an actress, lawyer, or a housewife with lots of children. I never became any of those things except for the part of motherhood, which is the greatest lifetime achievement of all. The profession I did choose was a modest one. I became a travel agent who for over twenty years assisted a countless number of people in making unforgettable memoriesRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Education As A Education864 Words   |  4 PagesEvery teacher has a different idea of how and what their students should learn. Therefore, every teacher has a different philosophy of education, and what purpose education serves in a child’s life. The five philosophies of education that we recognize are: Essentialism, Perennialism, Progressivism, Social Reconstructionism, and Existentialism. I would most recognize my philosophy of education as Essentialism. Essentialism has been a dominant influence in American education since World War II. ItRead MoreEssay on Statement of Philosophy and Goals1301 Words   |  6 PagesStatement of Philosophy and Goals As a child playing school with the neighborhood children, I had always dreamed of becoming a teacher. Since the first day of kindergarten, watching the teacher teach us how to do basic things like counting, writing, and reading is what interested me in teaching. Throughout my elementary and secondary education I became even more interested in the teaching field. I thought that being a teacher would be the best thing in the world because a teacher has an immense

I Am Grateful For My Family - 821 Words

The kitchen is congested with cumin, pepper, and bitter leaf. If you start chuckling, singing, or communicating in any way you will choke because spice particles compose most of the air now. This is my living room three times a week when my mom doesn’t go to work the night before. It’s how my family functions. My family has caused me to live my life immersed in culture. From helping my mom cook our dinner of Jallof rice to attending fundraisers until early dawn to produce money for building primary schools in the motherland. I am grateful for my family because it is from them that I have developed an early interest in culture, and now I will carry that interest with me well after my education years. And although I can say I have gained a lot from my family. They have limited me in life for too long. Often because of preformed notions or ideals my parents had, they would not allow me to explore an interest I had. And other times I had to pursue an interest only meagerly because of my obligation to watch my siblings or to take them to their practices. My parents have also expected me to follow in the footsteps of my older sister. As a middle child I am expected to be indecisive and wavering and not ever really being defined, but for the first time in my life I feel I can define myself. As a crimson. I am able to feel hope in my future because of Harvard University. At Harvard my new family, won’t limit me because of ancient values, or by my year of birth, or by anything. AtShow MoreRelatedReflection Of My Gratitude Diary1055 Words   |  5 Pagesthinking of many things I am grateful for. I felt good journaling because I usually journal about ideas and plans I want to achieve, but never have written about the stuff I am grateful for in life. I noticed that I was only taking pictures of material possessions rather than looking at other important things like being able to hear. Being able to see. Being able to have feet to walk, and hands to be able to help others. It might have been because I dont like to show a lot of my emotions and or feelingsRead MorePersonal Philosophy Essay 873 Words   |  3 PagesThe older I have gotten the more I have realized what really describes me as a person. I have been put through many tasks and challenges that were meant to change the way my personality tree has grown. School, friendship, losses, and gai ns have formed the clay I call my life and I am grateful for what my life has cooked up for me. These challenges have shown me what matters the most in life and what matters the least. More importantly they have shaped the way my personality is put into context todayRead MoreMy Experience In My Life723 Words   |  3 Pages-The environment in which I was raised was great. It was better than I would have ever asked for. My childhood was filled with so much love. I have a ton of amazing memories and moments that I will cherish for the rest of my life. My family, my home, and the environment in which I was raised definitely shaped me into who I am today. I am truly grateful for how I was raised. - My family is amazing and I am very grateful for them. They were the first ones to teach me how to love unconditionally. TheyRead MoreBronfenbrenner s Ecological Perspective Theory928 Words   |  4 Pagesapplies to my life, there are three major things that come to mind: being a co-care giver for my grandfather along side my father, the family I nanny for, and my other job at a special recreation agency. These three things are currently what my life revolves around, and are the entirety of my micro and mesosystems. These three things are the center of all my most important relationships. The relationship my grandfather and I have is a very precious gift to me. He has been one of the few of my familyRead MoreJob Corps946 Words   |  4 PagesJob Corps offers opportunities to receive academic and professional success. Because of this, I have several reasons for enrolling in this program. My first reason is I did not succeed in passing the high school graduation test. Secondly, this is another chance to prove to myself that I can do it. Thirdly, my son needs to know just as much as I do that he should never give up on anything ever in life. People do not realize that in life they must take advantage of the opportunities givenRead MoreThe Day I Have A Talk1741 Words   |  7 PagesEvery time I have given a talk in church in the past, it has been around a holiday. Today does not interrupt that pattern, as this week holds one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving. So, as I was thinking about this, I figured I would try to center my talk on Thanksgiving. However, that was not the topic I was directly given. My assignment was to speak on any of the talks given in this past General Conference. So, I immediately went onto LDS.org and started searching through the topics from Ocotber’sRead MoreEssay about Pursuing Life Goals1263 Words   |  6 Pagestribute to him by listing his accomplishments, and playing video of him speaking. One of these clips showed Mr. Jobs delivering a commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005, and the speech included a treasure trove of information. In one of my favorite parts of his address, Jobs said† you cant connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destinyRead MoreThe World War II And Russia939 Words   |  4 Pagescountries. One of which was the country of Latvia, which is where my great grandparents and my grandma, who was about one or two years old at the time, were living. My great grandparents were both very well off and had great jobs in Latvia. My great grandfather owned his own law firm and worked on the Latvian Presidents cabinet. My great grandmother had a master’s degree in medicine and pharmacy. She owned her own pharmacy in Latvia. My great grandfather heard from the Latvian President that RussiaRead More Grooms Wedding Speech - Damn Statistics Essay562 Words   |  3 PagesGrooms Wedding Speech - Damn Statistics Ladies and gentleman, I have to be honest with you all and admit that I am quite nervous about standing up here and speaking this evening. While I was writing my speech I came across some interesting statistics about what guests are thinking about during a wedding speech. Apparently, twenty percent of you are thinking about getting onto the dance floor and partying the night away. Thirty percent of you are thinking about the marital status of theRead MoreThe Bio Ecological Systems Theory1487 Words   |  6 PagesI grew up into a family with two parents, and two older brothers. I have always been really close to my grandparents, aunts, and uncles, as well as cousins. Family is everything to us. The way I was brought up, has had a bigger impact on my life than I ever thought. When thinking about my life in context with the bio ecological systems theory it really opened my eyes to different aspects of my life, and events that have happened that have shaped my life and made me into the person I am today. When

Nature of Thought Paper Free Essays

This will paper will explain the critical thinking process. It will explain the sensing process and define memory, it will also identify what medium is. Last but no least it will Identify personal barriers and describe thoughts. We will write a custom essay sample on Nature of Thought Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now Sensing process has to do with the way humans perceive things like seeing, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Humans perceive stimuli from the outside and inside of their body. Sensing controls the way the brain functions it allows people to pick up on vibes, and have gut feelings about certain situations. Sensing helps the brain observe and get ideas about things that are happening around them. People are able to pick up on things easily, and suspect things without even knowing what the situation might be. Memory is the process that is used to store information in the brain in which it makes it easier to retain, and retrieve information from it later on. There are three major processes that make up the memory process. Encoding: is the process that forms new memories and information by changing into usable form. Once information has been locked into the brain, it is stored in the memory for later use. Stored memory: can be found outside of our awareness the majority of the time, except for when it needs to be used. Retrieval process allows the human brain to bring memories that have been stored back into awareness and conscious. Without the process of memory people would not be able to do their daily activities in which they need in order to survive in life. Medium is the language that is used for communication it is designed to transmit information from a speaker to a writer. Medium is the sender, audience and receiver. My perception was far from the actual facts when I thought that my boyfriend felt the same way about me as I felt about him. In beginning everything was  great he acted like he was so much in love with me but in reality it was lie. Going into our second year of our relationship my boyfriend told me that he wasn’t in love with me he said that he really liked me but he didn’t love me because he does not know what love is. When he told me this I did not know what to do I felt very heartbroken and confused. Outline your own perceptual process. What did you think was going on? I thought that our feelings were mutual, I thought that he and I were building a strong relationship and one day we were going to get married. What was really going on? Our relationship was based on a lie he made me believe that his feelings were mutual but in reality he was living a lie, he was playing games with my heart. Why was there such a difference? I believed that our relationship was going good and that we were in love. Meanwhile his feelings were totally different and he was only with me because of the things I could do for him. How did language empower or limit the expression of your thoughts? Hearing the words come out verbally triggered my emotions, I felt angry and sad from the words he told me. What did you learn about your thinking by evaluating the situation again? I learned that I could never trust him again, I also learned to reserve myself and not jump into things so quickly. Personal barriers are factors that prevent people from achieving their goals or it may cause them to behave rationally about a situation. Personal barriers are difficult to get rid of because they result from habits and thought patterns. Recognizing personal barriers in order to help with success in relationships, finances and personal development is the best way for human beings to be able to remove personal barriers from their life. Thoughts are when people come up with ideas and opinions in their head thoughts are produced when thinking occurs in the mind. Thoughts can also be described as a mental picture that is contemplated. Thoughts helps the thinking process run smoothly by allowing the brain to be able to make decisions. My thoughts were influenced by the personal barrier denial. I was in denial about the things my boyfriend told me. My personal barrier would not allow my thoughts to register clearly I was in denial about my feelings, I didn’t want to believe the truth. Thoughts can be manipulated by personal barriers when the mind doesn’t allow the brain to deal with the situation a move. Instead of moving on our personal barriers take over our mind in which it causes us to lash out and make hasty decisions. Critical thinking is a very crucial topic it helps people understand how the human brain works. Without the thinking process our life would be a vegetable. Thinking help us be able to survive in the world and learn from our mistakes. How to cite Nature of Thought Paper, Papers Nature of Thought Paper Free Essays Nature of Thought Paper Robert D. Morris II University of Phoenix Online PHL 251 Devon Smith * * Nature of Thought Paper * * The idea of thought in and of itself requires critical thinking to define. Thinking is an abstract concept that could take on virtually any definition provided to it. We will write a custom essay sample on Nature of Thought Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now In fact, I quote something I once stated which was â€Å"Critical Thinking is our personal way of receiving information (whether it be verbal, written, visual, or received by one of our other senses), evaluating the information against our beliefs, experiences, situation, external factors and ultimately coming to a decision. (Morris, 2012). * Having stated and quoted that, there are many times when my perception of a situation does not represent the reality of the situation. One’s personal influence on how they interpret facts and information through their cultural beliefs and emotions can have drastic impacts on the output and their view of the situation. I can remember back to a recent job I applied for. I was very interested in working for SAP America. I had been supporting SAP solutions at a public utility I had been working for, but I felt like at SAP I could make a larger impact. Although SAP is a large company with many careers paths, there were two career paths I con sidered. The first was position as a consultant which is a position where I would help utility companies who have purchased the SAP software implement them. This was a position much closer to what I was already doing with my current company. The second and the one in which I applied for was a position where I develop solution suites and then demo the solutions to the utilities considering purchasing software to meet their business needs. Upon researching the position, I had come to a specific understanding of what the role was and it turned out the role was much different than I thought. Why? It was most likely perceptual blocks that caused the disconnection. * Before I discuss the process I used to arrive at my perception of the position, I’d like to describe what I thought the position was as opposed to what the position actually was. First, I believed the position was a technical position that required technical skills in which the primary role is to configure the demo system, be present during demos to demonstrate the system and assist the sales team during technical discussions. * The reality of the role is that this position actually is a sales position. Technical skills are not required but can be helpful, and the individual fulfilling this role in the sales process is there to articulate the value of the software, actively participate in sales discussions, and focus more on selling than on advising, including cross-selling and up-selling. The primary disconnect is that I believed the role to be more technical where the individual supported the sales team, but the role is directly on the sales team. * The perceptual process that was used when arriving at my view of the position looked like the following: * Do I have any personal experience to draw from? * Do I have any information or documentation to review? * Can I find new or more information to review? * Is there anyone I can talk to that can provide information? * Once I gather enough information, I then evaluate the information. I determine the source for credibility and begin to derive a position. In some cases, no matter how much information is available and how credible the source of that information, personal barriers can get in the way of honestly interpreting the information. * One of the reasons there may have been a difference in my perception of the position and the reality of the position could be that in addition to the logical components of my perceptual process, there were also components at a subconscious level influencing my perception as well. In my psyche, I had a picture of the position and I believe I wanted that picture to hold true. Therefore, even as I obtained more knowledge and facts, I may have subconsciously readjusted the way I consumed the information in order for my perception to hold true which as a perceptual block. * When I think back as to how I came to a perceived reality of the position I was applying for, I think the personal barriers that came into play during this process were: denial and rationalization. Personal barriers are personal beliefs or subconscious thoughts that hinder our ability to honestly and accurate assess a situation. In my case and in this situation, I attempted to rationalize what I heard and what I read into logical thoughts that met my expectations. I denied taking what I heard at face value and opted to put my own perceptive spin on the information. * Personal barriers can play a major role in thought and how one perceives reality. In my case I suffered from rationalization and denial, but there are other barriers such as religious barriers, enculturation, projection, and anger (Thinking 2007) to name a few. It is important to recognize these barriers in advance when possible; otherwise resulting decisions can have lasting impacts. In my case I accepted a position that is not exactly what I was looking for. I have a great job, work with great people and for a great company, but the work is not what I was expecting. Some days I really enjoy it where as others not so much. If I had a firm grasp on the role exactly as it is I may not have applied for the position, but I’m not sorry I did and I cannot complain. * REFERENCES Kirby, G. R. , Goodpaster, J. R. , (2007) Thinking: An interdisciplinary approach to critical thinking (4th ed) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall Morris, R. (2012, October 17). Re: Wk 1 DQ-1 â€Å"What is Critical Thinking? † [Online forum Comment]. Retrieved from  https://classroom. phoenix. edu/afm215/secure/view-thread. jspa? threadID=47848193 How to cite Nature of Thought Paper, Essay examples

What Causes Aggression Is It an ‘Instinct’ or a ‘Learned Behaviour’ Essay Example For Students

What Causes Aggression? Is It an ‘Instinct’ or a ‘Learned Behaviour’? Essay What causes aggression? Is it an ‘instinct’ or a ‘learned behaviour’? (a)Compare and contrast the views of any two psychological domains on the causes of aggression. (b)Evaluate the validity of their claims in the order to reach an informed decision about the causes of aggression. In order to explore the causes of aggressive behaviour, we have to be clear about what we mean by aggressive behaviour. The psychological definitions of aggression are determined by theoretical perspectives and there is no consensus within or across the sciences about its components. For example some researchers support that aggression is an inborn, instinctive process based on which we intend to harm others. Such approaches adopt a definition that places emphasis on the intention to harm others. So it views aggression as the intention to harm others and this is not dependent of whether actual harm is inflicted. Other theorists attribute aggression to being a learned behaviour and lay emphasis on observable behaviours that result in eliciting harm to another person. It highlights that the harm needs to be evident so it can be observed and does not view thoughts or unobservable emotions as being components of aggressive behaviour. Bandura in 1973 defined aggression as ‘behaviour that results in personal injury or destruction of property (Hogg, M, Vaughan, G. 1998, p. 40) Anderson and Bushman 2002 postulate ‘aggression is behaviour which causes intentional harm to another person’ (Glassman 2004, p. 337). Thus it seems current explanations of aggression fall into two board classes which focus on biological or social environment influences. The following essay is going to explore and contrast the distinct views of the biological and behaviourist domains on determining aggression. It will walk through the core ideas which form the basis for each theory and illustrate the main differences on whether they view aggression as an instinct or as a learned behaviour. I will conclude by assessing the validity of each theory based on existing research. The biological domain views aggressive behaviour as being an innate part of human nature and we are programmed at birth to act in that way. It looks at the genetic, inborn characteristics of the person and not the situation as being the key determinants. Among the biological approaches, important contribution came from the field of ethology, which is concerned with the comparative study of animal and human behaviour. As one of the fields pioneers, Konrad Lorenz (1974) offered a model of aggression that dealt specifically with the issue of how aggressive energy is developed and set free in both humans and animals. His core assumption is that the organism continuously builds up aggressive energy and he likens this process to the operation of a reservoir filling up with water. Occasionally the reservoir needs to be emptied in a controlled fashion, otherwise it will overflow. Whether or not this energy will lead to the manifestation of aggressive behaviour depends on two factors: (a) the amount of aggressive energy accumulated inside the organism at any one time; and (b) the strength of the external stimuli (e. g. the sight or smell of predator) capable of triggering an aggressive response. So this suggests the potential or instinct for aggression may be innate and the actual aggressive behaviour is elicited by specific stimuli in the environment know sign stimuli. Sign stimuli are environmental cues which regulate the expression of behaviours related to innate drives’ (Glassman 2004, p. 340) Some sign stimuli elicit the individual aggression, whereas other sign stimuli may act as inhibitors. He also argues that aggression serves an evolunationary function, allowing the strongest and fittest members of a group to survive and re-produce, whereas elimi nating the weaker members. If the aggression is not frequently released in controllable and manageable amounts, that are in accordance with environmental cues the risk is that it will build up and become unmanageable and randomly expressed. Essay on Never Giving Up on a Dream Job EssayWhereas Lorenz argues that nothing can alter to eliminate aggression all together but to provide suitable forms of cathersis such as sports to allow individuals to release the build up energy and prevent the random leakages. The validity of the biological domain comes under heavy criticism as it lacks empirical evidence. Lorenz’s concept of aggression energy is not easily measurable and lacks an operational definition. Also the comparative study of animal behaviours does not prove that they have the same cause in humans. Also the method of catharsis has little experimental support too. Despite the lack of direct evidence, the ethnologists view does have some appeal on the aspect that humans do have an evolutionary genetic heritage and seeing aggression as innate fits in well with some cultural beliefs. Overall though the evidence for a biological basis for aggression has gaps and thus is viewed as being more suggestive than conclusive. In contrast, the behaviourist theory has more direct supporting evidence and several studies such as those conducted by Lovaas 1961, Loew 1967 indicate that hostile and helpful verbalizations can act as regulators of non verbal aggression, so proving the concept of learning. Although the notion of not all frustration leads to aggressive behaviour and not all people respond to frustration in the same way does prevent the theory from being applied across the board. Different individuals may employ different sorts of aggressive behaviour in response to a frustrating situation and so the theory does not account for the different reactions and modes of expressing frustration. Also researchers have found that aggression can be exhibited when there is no obvious environmental reinforcement and he displacement of aggression can not be easily predicted. In conclusion despite the above criticisms the behaviourist approach does offer more in the way of supporting evidence than the biological basis and so is deemed a more plausible explanation. Instrumental aggression and frustration-aggression hypothesis together can account for many cases of aggressive behaviour and there seems no question that frustration can elicit aggression in certain instances. References: 1. Glassman W. E. and Hadad M. 004, Approaches to Psychology, Open University Press, Berkshire. 2. Krahe Barbara. 2002, The Social Psychology of Aggression, Psychology Press, East Sussex. 3. Green G. R. 1990, Human Aggression, Open University Press, Milton Keynes. 4. Hogg M. A. and Vaughan G. M. 1998 , Social Psychology, Prentice Hall, Harlow. 5. Parke R. D. Ewall W. and Slaby R. G. 1972, ‘Hostile and Helpful Verbalizations as Regulators of Nonverbal Aggression’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 23 Pg 243-248.

House On Mango Street Essays (267 words) - , Term Papers

House On Mango Street Close Reading Darius & the Clouds Page 33-34 In the chapter Darius & the Clouds Sandra Cineros uses descriptive language and metaphors to engage the reader in the story. In this chapter the general theme of freedom is also exhibited when the author talks about Darius and also talks about the sky. The sky in this chapter represents the theme of freedom. The sky is used as a metaphor to describe freedom and how there are no boundaries and there is no limit. You can also not have enough freedom and never get sick of having freedom. This is shown in the first paragraph where it says, ?You can never have too much sky. You can fall asleep and wake up drunk on sky, and sky can keep you safe when you are sad.? Another theme that is portrayed in this chapter is the theme of sadness and emptiness. Throughout the story all of the characters have something that they wish they had more of and for many of the characters, especially the women, what they want is freedom. This theme is used as a metaphor similar to how sky was used. It said, ?Here there is too much sadness and not enough sky. Butterflies too are few and so are flowers and most things that are beautiful.? This shows that all of the characters wish that they had a little more in their lives. Throughout this chapter Sandra Cisneros uses different metaphors and common themes to keep the reader interested. The sky witch represents freedom is one of these common themes that are used.

People with disabilities essayEssay Writing Service

People with disabilities essayEssay Writing Service People with disabilities essay People with disabilities essayDisability is one of the most important issues in the contemporary society because stigmatization of people with disabilities contributed to the formation of biases and prejudices which put them into the disadvantageous position compared to people, who did not have problems of disability. Such biases and prejudices contributed to the discrimination of people with disabilities which has been eliminated consistently since the emergence of the Civil Rights movement and introduction of legal changes, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. Nevertheless, today, the problem of people with disabilities and their discrimination persists because many biases and prejudices are resilient. In this regard, education is particularly vulnerable to the problem of the integration of students with disabilities into the learning process since the modern education system attempts to provide equal opportunities for all students, eliminating the discrimination of student s with disabilities. Moreover, the modern education system confronts another problem, the problem of students with excessive abilities, who also face problems with the integration into the classroom environment and development of positive relations with their peers. In such a way, the concept of disability/ability is fulcrum of the contemporary education system in relation to students interaction and elimination of discrimination of students based on abilities/disabilities.Disability is the complex notion that involves limited opportunities and special needs of people but it does not mean the inferiority of individuals compared to those, who do not have disability. At the same time, ability is a set of skills, knowledge and opportunities to exercise them to perform specific tasks. In such a situation, the risk of the widening gap between individuals with disabilities and those, who do not have them because disability can limit opportunities for individuals to exercise their knowledg e, skills and opportunities to the full extent, while those, who do not have disabilities, can take the full advantage of their skills, knowledge and opportunities (Kudlick, 2005). In this regard, the attitude of the social environment to people with disabilities may be crucial for their social standing and opportunities to stand on the equal ground for others.One of the major challenges people with disabilities face is the challenge in their professional training and development. Disability may limit learning abilities of individuals that prevent them from obtaining the target education and making a successful career. For example, many students with learning disabilities, such as ASD, have difficulties with learning that prevent them from successful learning. In such a situation, they cannot complete their education just like other students do, while the lack of education limits their career opportunities consistently. On the other hand, many researchers (Mansell, 2003) point out t hat students with disabilities may be as successful as other students, while some students may be even more successful than the average student in certain subjects.In such a situation, disability may be a substantial obstacle on the way to the professional development of individuals and to their career. On the other hand, often it is not the disability proper but the prejudice of employers that becomes an obstacle on the way of people with disabilities. However, such discrimination tends to disappear due to legal changes, including the introduction of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and current policies aiming at the inclusion of disabled people. In this regard, the discrimination of people with disabilities persists because the power of prejudices and biases is very strong.At the same time, educators should be aware of special needs of students with disabilities. They should understand that students with disabilities are no different from other students but they have special n eeds, which educators should match to help them to succeed in their learning and reach a considerable academic progress just like other students do. In fact, students with disabilities are not inferior compared to their peers but they just have special needs. For example, some researchers (Mansell, 2003) admit that even children with serious mental disabilities may be integrated in the learning process successfully on the condition of meeting needs of those students but the problem is that educators are not trained to work with such students. This is why they have difficulties while working with students with disabilities and the integration of students into the learning process and into their peer groups becomes quite difficult.On the other hand, the modern education focuses on such issues as Knowledge, Enquiry, Empathy, Pluralism, Social Commitment to prevent the problem of discrimination of students with disabilities and to set educators free from their biases and prejudices in r elation to students with disabilities. Knowledge is essential for educators to understand needs of students with disabilities. The enquiry is essential for the research of latest advancements in the field of education and exploration of the problem of disability. The empathy is essential for educators to treat students with disabilities, which educators should treat on the equal ground compared to other students. The pluralism is essential for educators to develop the personalized approach to each students, regardless of their abilities and disabilities. The social commitment is essential for educators to treat students with disabilities as an integral part of the school community. The social commitment means that educators should serve to interests of the community and help students with disabilities to integrate into their communities and help communities to accept children with disabilities as equal community members.At the same time, there is another issue related to abilities, which often remains unnoticed by educators and researchers, which is the issue of excessive abilities. What is meant here is the fact that some students are gifted in certain fields, which make them different from other students and, to a certain extent, put them in the position similar to the position of students with disabilities (Enns, 2013). Excessive abilities lead to the focus of students on the specific subject, which is particularly interesting for them and where they are particularly successful. For example, gifted students may be successful in math that will put them in quite a challenging position. On the one hand, conventional math classes will be boring for them because instructions educators provide for other students may be not even necessary for gifted students, who understand those instructions perfectly and know more than other students, while their math skills may match standards which are normally attributed to higher grades. As a result, such students feel bored with the classroom environment and the learning process because math classes are not interesting for them because they do not contribute to their progress that discourages them from paying much attention to their math class. This trend can be traced in relation to other subjects, which gifted students may be particularly strong in.On the other hand, gifted students may have difficulties with developing positive interpersonal relations with their peers. In fact, peers may feel the difference of gifted students because of their excessive abilities that may lead to the development of the sense of inferiority-superiority in relationships between the average and gifted students. In addition, gifted students may stay too focused on their favorite subjects or particular interests that also prevent them from developing positive interpersonal relations with other students. In such a way, students with excessive abilities have difficulties with building up positive interpersonal relationship s with other students just like students with disabilities.Thus, the concept of ability/disability turns out to be pivotal for the modern education system and society at large because it influences consistently the development of students and position of individuals with disabilities and excessive abilities. In this regard, disability and excessive ability are two extremes which may raise problems in the personal and professional development of individuals because they face the risk of the development of poor interpersonal relations with their peers. At the same time, both students with disabilities and excessive abilities need the integration into their classroom environment and development of positive interpersonal relationships with their peers.

Managing Quality, Customers and Performance Essay

Managing Quality, Customers and Performance - Essay Example This statement sums up the kind of efforts required to deliver value to the customer and for producing a quality product. An individual's beliefs or conceptions about what is desirable, good or bad - forms the value system (Kotler, 1974). For Hotel Hilton, Optimus Ireland's Best award in December 2006 will go a long way towards encouraging it to perform still better. Innovation, excellence and value addition go hand in hand in today's competitive environment. Customers and the target segments are crucial stakeholders for hotel Hilton. Different types of value addition strategies are adopted by businesses to grow. These could involve trying out different types of market-product combinations, carrying out the business according to certain sets of principles, segmenting the market in their own way, or relying on the feedback of customers for shaping the final service. All this is possible only with the coordination and management of employees of the hotel, service processes, technology and other resources in order to produce better services for the customer. Hilton Hotels Corporation is recognized all over the world as a well known hospitality company1, offering guests and customers the finest accommodations, services, amenities and value for business or leisure. The group has been serving its customers for more than 80 years now. Conrad Hilton purchased his first hotel, The Mobley, in 1919, in Cisco, Texas. The first hotel to carry the "Hilton" name was built in 1925 in Dallas. There's no looking back since then. Today Hilton Hotels Corporation develops, owns, manages and franchises over 2,900 hotels, resorts and vacation ownership properties worldwide, with brand names like Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Hampton, Hilton Grand Vacations and Conrad (Datamonitor, 2006). In recent years, Hilton has been able to boost its leading position in the corporate travel and conference markets while making significant inroads into the growing leisure sector. The hospitality sector has become very much competitive with more and more companies entering the hospitality business with innovative ideas and newer technology. In order to maintain brand advantage, Hilton is constantly developing products and services designed to meet guests' changing demands and offer an enhanced experience. In order to create more opportunities for growth the shareholder of Hilton Group approved the sale of its hotels operation to Hilton Hotels Corporation for $5,900 million in January 2006. With the present operations in more than 80 countries, the hotel chain promises much more as the awards like the Optimus Ireland's Best award encourages it to do more. 3. Role of Quality The final service/ product and quality are to be valued by the customers. Quality is a function of value addition or vice-versa. The value that has been added to the product has to be seen in relation to the customer's needs and expectations. In general, for an organisation there are both external and internal customers. The external customers are those who use the services of the hotel while the internal customers are the employees and other internal stakeholders. Once the service is delivered to the intended

Power from the play Freakshow by Carson Kreitzer Essay

Power from the play Freakshow by Carson Kreitzer - Essay Example Flip, but lacking any ability to escape from their situation lacking other viable options in society. As Francine Russo of the Village Voice writes in her review of the play: â€Å"Playwright Carson Kreitzer gets Freakshow off to a ripping start. She plunges the audience immediately into the intrigues of a turn-of-the-century sideshow— tales of freaks born and made, of the genuine article and gaff, of the ‘shame of exhibition’ and the terrible need to be seen. She sketches the liaisons among Amalia; her muck-covered lover Matthew; the idiot Pinhead; Aquaboy, the human salamander; the Girl, a pert runaway; Judith, the dog-faced woman; and Mr. Flip, the operation's unctuous barker, promoter, and paterfamilias.† (Russo, 1999) Most symbolic of the enslavement of the circus slideshow performers is the way that Pinhead is kept in a cage on the stage. Whereas the mental capacity or genetic defect of Pinhead is deformed, it is important that this type of handicap w ould generally be better treated in a mental hospital or care facility. The symbol of the cage is ironic, in that the cage is equally present for the other members of the freakshow, only invisible. The key difference between the other freakshow members and Pinhead is their amazing wit, intelligence, and irony fuses to form a type of wisdom about life and society that only the truly excluded outsiders can possess. The intellect of Judith the Dog Faced Woman and Amalia the Amputee is also displayed as an aspect of sexuality that transgresses the barriers and boundaries of the disability and attracts the audience in a seductive manner. The humor of the characters creates a beauty born of understanding life from its worst positions of fate. On the contrary, the slavemaster mentality of Mr. Flip is merely a hyper-exaggerated example of typical modern management styles, and the circus itself a parody of capitalism in the extreme. Where the mainstream society operates on norms and stereoty pes of beauty in media advertising, the circus beauties are the hideous bottom of what would be considered opposite to that ideal popularly. Yet, in this extreme, the fascination and attraction of the public is nearly as great. The difference is that Mr. Flip is more likely to profit from the attraction of the public and their admission fees, while the freakshow cast is only given reprieve from having to exist without a role in society. As Damien Jaques writes: â€Å"Often using monologs, ‘Freakshow’ darkly speaks to the contradictions, anomalies and paradoxes that reside beneath the surface in all of our personalities. It reminds us to not make assumptions about people or situations, and it sheds light on the dependencies that often shape the lives of seemingly ordinary people. An undercurrent of primal sexuality insistently flows through the piece.† (Jaques, 2010) The Ringmaster is the most normal of the â€Å"Freakshow† cast in many ways, a simple salar y-man broken by time and the weight of futility like so many others in his situation in the mainstream industrial landscape. His love of the freakshow in many ways operates on the same pattern of the public, and is related to his own depravity as a human being. Just as in Dostoevsky’s novels the characters seem fated to walk a path of self-destruction, all the while knowing that

Recycling Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Recycling - Research Paper Example An understanding of the term recycling is essential, as it is the base of our argument (Goldsmith, 2010). Recycling refers to the conversion of waste products into new materials. It is the separation, collection and subsequent transformation or manufacturing of waste products into usable products. The transformed usable products are of market value. The materials are converted into, either a secondary product or the same product. The recycled material replaces the virgin material during the usage or manufacturing process. Recycling is essential to industries and society in meeting their goals of efficient management of the limited resources, the cost reduction, and reduced landfill utilization (Donald, 2001). Therefore, recycling is the process of converting wastes or useless products into useful products for humans. The process will help reduce consumption of raw materials, reduce energy consumption, and reduce greenhouse gas emission of global warming pollution (Isayev & Khait, 2005). The process is a cycle made up of three main stages. Collecting and sorting is the first stage. Here, there is the collection, then processing and sorting of waste materials to the type for the use. The second stage is the manufacturing stage. At this stage, the collected and the sorted materials pass through manufacturing. Lastly, we have the selling or providing the recycled products to the consumers. The purchase of the materials ends the cycle (Bertolini, Delalande & Hubesch, 2009). Recycling is important in environmental protection. It helps in waste reduction and reusing of materials. The process reduces the need for extraction, refining, and the need for processing the raw materials that causes a substantial water and air pollution. An importance of such processes helps to reduce the level of pollution from the waste. For instance, it prevents the greenhouse gasses and the harmful chemicals

Carbon Nanotubes Uses and Properties

Carbon Nanotubes Uses and Properties ABSTRACT: For the first time in the human history, we are close to being able to manipulate the basic forms of all the things, living and inanimate, take them apart and put them together in almost anyway the mind can imagine. The sophistication with which scientists are learning to engineer matter at the nanometer scale is giving us unprecedented mastery of a large part of our environment. The world of the future will be defined by how we use this mastery. Nanotechnology is engineering at the molecular (groups of atoms) level. It is the collective term for a range of technologies, techniques and processes that involve the manipulation of matter at the smallest scale(from 1 to 100 nm2). Carbon nanotubes have been under scientific investigation for more than fifteen years because of their unique properties that predestine them for many potential applications. The field of nanotechnology and nanoscience push their investigation forward to produce carbon nanotubes with suitable parameters for future applications. Carbon nanotubes are one of the most commonly mentioned building blocks of nanotechnology. With one hundred times the tensile strength of steel, thermal conductivity better than all but the purest diamond and electrical conductivity similar to copper, but with the ability to carry much higher currents, they seem to be a wonder material. Field effect transistors using carbon nanotubes came into existence, these have a extremely good properties. CARBON NANOTUBES: Evolution of Nano Importance of Nano in present day scenario Moores Law Greatness of Carbon Graphene Carbon nanotube Synthesis of CNT Properties of CNT Purification methods Real time applications GREATNESS OF CARBON: Carbon is the 4th most abundant element in the Universe by mass after( Hydrogen, Helium and Oxygen). Forms more compounds that any other element, with almost 10 million pure organic compounds. Abundance, unique diversity and unusual polymer forming ability at the temperatures makes the element the chemical basis of life. CARBON NANOTUBES: Carbon nanotubes are long, thin cylinders of carbon which were discovered in 1991 by Sumio Iijima. A sheet of graphene rolled in cylindrical structure results in Carbon nanotube of 1 atom thickness and diameter in nano scale. Nanotubes have a very broad range of electronic, thermal, and structural properties that changes due to change in length, diameter and chirality or twist. Types of Carbon Nano Tubes: Single walled: In these single walled nano tubes are narrower than the multi walled nano tubes ,the diameters typically in the range of 1-2nm ,and tend to be curved rather than straight. In these SWNT only single layer of grephene .Catalyst is required for synthesis .Bulk synthesis is difficult as it requires proper control over growth and atmospheric condition .In these SWNT Purity is poor and less accumulation in body .Characterization and evaluation is easy .It can be easily twisted and are more pliable. These tubes are used to make super strong amour bodies .These single walled nano tubes are used as elastic property and used to make bullet proof vests. Multi walled: Multi walled nano tubes consists of multiple layers of graphite rolled in on themselves to for a tube shape .There are two models which can be used to describe the structures of multi walled nano tubes .In these MWNT multiple layer of grephene and can be produced without catalyst Bulk synthesis is easy .Purity is high ,more accumulation in body .It has very complex structure .It can not be easily twisted. Synthesis: Laser ablation: A pulsed or continuous laser is used which will vaporize a graphite target in an oven at 1200c . Oven is filled with helium argon gas .In order to keep the pressure at 500 torr ,Since the optimum background gas as catalyst mixture is the same as in the arc discharge process Laser ablation method is similar to arc discharge method .This method is vey expensive so it is mainly used for SWNT’s laser vapourization results in higher yield of SWNT’s with narrow size distribution than those produced in arc discharge process .Catalyst used for SWNT is NI:Y (4.2:1 At%). Arc Discharge Method: Arc Discharge method has been reported for producing carbon nano tubes .In these method nano tubes are produced through arc vapourization of two carbon rods placed end to end with a distance of 1mm in an environment of inert gases such as helium argon at pressure b/w 50 to 100 amps driven by 20v which will create high temperature discharge b/w two electrodes ,due to this anode wil get evaporated and rod shaped tubes will be deposited on cathode.Bulk production of CNT’s depends on uniformity of plasma arc and temperature of depositon The Main principle is carbon nano fibres are good at absorbing energy so they can absorb the energy coming from the bullet .The inherent property of elasticity makes the bullet to rebound .Its is 100% stronger thean steel.Lighter than aluminium.Conduct electricity as copper .These fibres can be used as space elevators . Purification Of CNT’s: Nanotubes usually contain a large amount of impurities such as metal particles ,amorphous carbon ,and multishell .These are different steps in purification of nano tubes . Air Oxidation: The Carbon nano tubes are having less purity ,the average purity is about 5-10%.So,Purification is needed before attachment of drugs onto CNT’s .Air oxidation is useful in Reducing the amount of amorphous carbon and metal catalyst particles (Ni,Y). Acid Reflexing: Refluxing the sample in strong acid is effective in reducing the amount of metal particles and amorphous carbon ,different acids used were hydrochloric acid (HCL),nitric acid(HNO3)and sulphuric acid (H2so4)bt HCL is identified to e ideal reflexing acid . Surfactant aided sonication, filtration and annealing: After the acid reflexing ,the CNT’s were purer but ,tubes were entagled together ,trapping most of the impurities,such as carbon particles and catalyst particles ,which were difficult to remove with flitration .so,surfactant –aided sonication was carried out .sodium dodecyl benezene sulphonate (SDBS) aided sonication with ethanol or methanol ,as organic solvent were preferred cz it took the longest ime time fr CNTS to settle down ,indicating an even suspension state was achieved .The sample was then filtered with un ultra filtration unit and annealed at 1273k in N2 for 4H .Annealing is effective in optimizing the CNT structures .It was provided the surfactant –aided sonication is effective to untangle CNT’s thus to free the particulate impurities embedded in the entanglement .Nano tube can also be purified by multistep purification method . Real time applications: Carrier for drug delivery: Carbon Horns (CNHs) are the speherical aggregates of CNT’s with irregular Horn like shape .Research studies have proved CNT’s CNH’s as a potential carrier for drug delivery system . Genetic Engineering: In Genetic engineering ,CNT’s and CNH’s are used to manipulate genes and atoms in the development of bio imaging geneomas protemics and tissue engineering .The unwound DNA (single stranded )winds around SWNT by connecting its specific neucletoids and causes change in its electrostatic property .this creates its potential application diagnostics and in therapeutics Nano tubes and nanohorn’s can adehere various antigens on their surface ,hence act as source of antigen in vaccines .Hence by use of nanotubes ,use of dead bacteria as source for antigen which is sometimes dangerous can be avoided . Pseudo spark switches: These are switches which work upon principle of field emission, this emission is achieved by triggering. Generally the triggering methods are Surface discharge triggering Optical triggering Pulsed low-current glow discharge triggering But cnt’s have a good emitting properties when compared from above methods. For field emission cnt’s are used as cold cathode emitters. The field emission characteristics of cnt’s are mostly reported at high vacuum pressures of 10^-6 and 10^-7 torr. Usage of cnt’s for field emission resulted in good properties and working of pseudo spark switches in both high pressure and low pressure vacuum..

The Theatre and its Identity Crisis Essay -- Female Roles in Theatre

My trust in the definitiveness of reality is swiftly disintegrating beneath me. The deeper I dive into the abyss of theory, the more I realize that nothing I have learned is safe from change; that facts may actually be temporary and that everything is a prisoner of our construction of time. In admitting this, I worry that these hypotheses are the beginning of a tiny delusion that will begin to gradually eat away at the rest of my sanity. That scares me a bit, yes, but even as I sit here writing, I love this newfound instability because it’s ironically made me feel more grounded than I’ve ever felt. Armed with these ideas, I have looked back at the world I’ve grown up with and finally begun to see society’s seams tugged apart, its splintered frame exposed, and the fear and worry of its people uncovered. But I have also exposed, buried deep within its guarded chest, the hope and innovation and change that inspires humanity’s pervasive drive towards pr ogress. It’s within this fragmented existence that I feel that I have a place within this generation’s script. However, it’s now a matter of figuring out which role is mine. The cynic inside me can’t help but look at the cast list and feel an irrepressible sense of sadness; with such a long list of characters to choose from, why do we prescribe such commonplace roles to ourselves? I believe that it all starts with gender. Judith Butler reasons in her inspirational essay â€Å"Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory† that gender is a performance. She observes that sex (the biological facts defining male and female) is not what actually makes a man and man and a woman a woman, but rather that one’s gender identity is determined through a styliz... ...easy for the less informed to drown in if one detail is highlighted with greater weight. It’s been a constant power struggle between these two genders whose desperate goal is to find some sort of order amidst chaos. It’s simply easier to have a leader, but the ways in which we’ve selected these privileged few I find disquieting. Though I do not believe that gender is one hundred percent learnt, as Butler believes, I do think that societal impositions play too strong a role in creating identities. This is especially true in the theatre, and I know that many of my female classmates will agree with this. Women are capable of acting in masculine manners just as the converse is true for men. But if this idea is to ever branch out into the real world, whatever that may mean, the theatre is a perfect place for its journey to begin- and I believe that has every right to.

Cra and Financial Crisis

Table of Content Introduction2 Real-life examples2 Empirical cycle2 Other concepts of Babbie, Gravetter and Forzano applied2 Conclusion2 References2 Introduction The burst of the United States housing market bubble initiated the worldwide financial crisis. Amongst all housing regulations, the community reinvestment act (CRA) may be the most significant. The act passed in 1977 to improve low-income households’ housing opportunities. As such, the act raised the incentives for banks to provide mortgages to low-income households (FFIEC, n. d. ). Over time, several political administrations, like the George H.W. Bush-, Clinton- and George W. Bush-administration, changed the original act, adapting to new challenges in the housing market (Braunstein, 2008). However, as time passed, the act became less important for banks, as the products, mortgages, became more profitable. As a result, more and more financial institutions started offering mortgages to low-income classes. These so cal led subprime mortgages are often associated with high risks (Aalbers, 2009). This point of view can be concluded with the hypothesis that the CRA will be seen as a cause of the financial crisis.Firstly, the different opinions and their respective arguments with regard to the hypothesis are illustrated. Secondly, an explanation is given on how these examples fit in the empirical cycle. Thirdly, three other concepts of Babbie, Gravetter and Forzano are applied to the examples. Finally, a conclusion is drawn with respect to the examples. Real-life examples As a result of the CRA, banks were rated, based on the number of loans given out to low-income households. A bad rating could have had severe consequences for a bank.The fact that the FED did not allow a Hartford, Connecticut bank to acquire a New Hampshire bank on CRA grounds demonstrates this. In order to keep their CRA ratings high, banks had to provide low-income classes with loans. In essence it can be said that the CRA ratings raised the banks’ incentives to provide low-income households with loans (Carney, 2009a). It can clearly be seen that the enforcement of the CRA over time led to a relaxation of lending standards and consequentially to more risk-taking in the banking sector in the form of mortgages. These high-risk mortgages are now seen as part of the problem.Thus, Carney (2009b) concludes, the CRA is part of the cause of the financial crisis. Carney agrees with the hypothesis. Defendants of the CRA simply claim that an act passed in 1977 cannot lead to the creation of a housing bubble in the early 21st century. Nevertheless, the CRA was not a static piece of legislation. The act evolved over the years, as it was mentioned earlier in the introduction. To be more specific, it was more and more enforced over the years. As a conclusion it can be said that the enforcement of the CRA might have been crucial in creating the housing bubble.Therefore the act could have created a housing bubble in th e early 21st century (Carney, 2009a). However, Aalbers (2009) also argues in favor of the CRA and tries to falsify the hypothesis. He states that the majority of subprime loans in 2006 were provided by non-bank lenders. These non-bank lenders, however, were not subject to CRA regulations and thus were not obliged to provide affordable loans to low-income classes. The only logical conclusion that can be drawn from this information is that these loans to low-income classes were an attractive investment.Thus, Aalbers says, the CRA was not the cause of the high-risk mortgages providence to low-income households by banks. By clearly, Aalbers would reject the hypothesis that the CRA was a cause of the financial bubble. Nonetheless, his argumentation has to be questioned. In 1977 most of the loans and mortgages were provided by banks as well as savings and loan associations. The extra mortgages that were provided as a result of the CRA probably increased the demand for houses, which in tur n resulted in an inflation of housing prices.Several years later, due to rising housing prices, subprime mortgages became a more attractive investment for financial institutions. Consequently, the majority of loans issued since the inception of the CRA came from nonbanks that deemed mortgages a good investment. In other words, the CRA created major lending opportunities for financial institutions (Kroszner, 2009). Since the CRA initiated the inflation of housing prices to some extent, it can be argued that the CRA can be hold partly responsible for the creation of the housing bubble. This theory should verify the hypothesis. This argumentation has to be investigated further.As Foote et al. ’s (2008) research concludes, housing price data in Massachusetts reveals that around 70% of all homes lost to foreclosure were actually purchased with prime mortgages. From that information Aalbers (2009) derives that most loans were not used for directly financing new homes, but rather re financing existing loans. Hence, Aalbers insinuates that the extra mortgage lending as a result of the CRA did not cause a rise in housing prices. That information implies that the CRA was not a cause of the creation or inflation of the United States housing bubble. Clearly, this would reject the hypothesis.Nonetheless, Aalbers’ argumentation contains two pitfalls. First, his argumentation solely rests on inductive reasoning. Massachusetts is just one small part of the United States of America. Without any supportive data to back up the thesis that the Massachusetts housing market is representative of the whole nation’s housing market, it has to be concluded that Aalbers overgeneralizes the statistical data provided by Foote et al. As Babbie (2005) mentions, overgeneralization can lead to misdirection or rendering of inquiry. Due to this fact Aalbers’ argumentation is questionable. Second, even if the study of Foote et al. 2008) were representative, Aalbers fail ed to acknowledge the other side of the medal: The supply side, as it is not in favor of his opinion. If the CRA-related loans were used to refinance homes only, it would strongly affect the supply side of the housing market in the way that supply was artificially lowered. Homes were occupied that otherwise would not have been, driving up the prices of real estate. Aalbers falls victim to the fallacy of selective observation. He only looks at the effects of the CRA on the demand-side. Looking at the supply-side would not support his theory and point of view on the topic.That makes this observation a selective one. Empirical cycle This debate fits in the empirical cycle in the way that it started with an observation: The burst of the housing bubble. Consequentially different hypotheses and theories where formulated and tested by reasoning and correlation. As markets nowadays are very complex phenomena, it is difficult to establish a causal relationship between several factors of this system. In spite of that it is possible to use logical reasoning and correlation between these factors to hint at the correctness of a thesis. For example, it can be investigated how many subprime loans were CRA-related.A different question that can be posed is how these CRA-related subprime loans performed against other loans (Kroszner, 2009). The answers to these questions could give an idea of the causal relation between the CRA and the financial crisis. After testing the hypothesis, a new hypothesis and theory might be formulated until a conclusive theory is found. Nevertheless, Kroszner himself admitted the existence of a lack of data to get conclusive answers to the previously mentioned questions. For the empirical cycle, this lack of data means it is very hard to reject or not reject theses, obstructing the formulation of new theses and theories.Other concepts of Babbie, Gravetter and Forzano applied The empirical cycle is not the only concept of Babbie (2005), Gravetter and Forzano (2009) which can be applied to the examples. Another concept that can be applied apart from the empirical cycle is the concept of authority. Carney (2009a), who was mentioned earlier in this paper, started out as a strong defendant of the CRA. He did change his mind though, relying on, among others, the FED Governor Meyer. Since Carney used a quotation of Meyer, it can be concluded that Meyer is a person with authority and strong references in the field of economics.Babbie, Gravetter and Forzano define authority as a person with strong references in certain fields. Authority is used as a source for knowledge and can be referred to. Gravetter and Forzano (2009, p. 11) define rationalism as the search for â€Å"answers by the use of logical reasoning†. This is exactly what Carney (2009b) does to come to the conclusion that the CRA was a cause of the financial crisis. He reasons that the CRA raised the banks’ incentives to provide low-income households with mortg ages. These financial products are now seen as a cause of the housing bubble, which caused the financial crisis.Therefore, Carney concludes, the CRA is a cause of the financial crisis. Theory is described by Babbie (2005, p. 12) â€Å"as a systematic explanation for the observations that relates to a particular aspect of life†. This implies that the argumentations used by Carney (2009a, b), Aalbers (2009) and Kroszner (2009) are parts of different theories as they explain how the CRA caused or did not cause a housing bubble. Conclusion As shown in this paper, there is a huge debate about whether the CRA was a cause of the financial crisis. As Carney (2009b) pointed out, the CRA raised the banks’ incentives to issue risky loans.Critics, however, state that an act passed in 1977 cannot create a housing bubble in the early 21st century. Nevertheless, the act was enforced several times, which implies that an enforcement of the CRA might have a causal relation with the fina ncial crisis. Aalbers (2009) argues also in favor of the CRA: he points out that most subprime mortgages were provided by non-CRA-related institutions. Despite that fact, Kroszner (2009) says there is no reason to believe CRA is not to be blamed. He mentions that the inception of the act increased the demand for mortgages and consequentially, houses.According to Kroszner, this was the start of the housing bubbles. Aalbers on his turn argues that the vast majority of houses bought in Massachusetts was financed with prime mortgages. He concludes that this provides evidence in order for the CRA not be labeled a cause of the crisis. Nonetheless, Aalbers argumentation contains two fallacies. First, he uses inductive reasoning which results in overgeneralization without supportive data. Second, he uses selective observation by ignoring the supply-side of the market. This whole debate fits in the empirical cycle in a way that it started with an observation which was followed by many theses .After the formulation of these theses they were tested by logical reasoning and correlation. As a final step, new theses theories will be formulated. However, this step is obstructed heavily by a lack of data. Other concepts of Babbie (2005), Gravetter and Forzano (2009) can also be applied to the examples. Meyer has authority in Carney’s argumentation, logical reasoning is used by Carney to come to the conclusion that the CRA was a cause of the crisis and the argumentations used by Carney, Aalbers and Kroszner are all parts of theories, described by Babbie, Gravetter and Forzano.References Aalbers, M. (2009). Why the Community Reinvestment Act cannot be blamed for the subprime crisis. City & Community, 8 (3): 346-350. Babbie, E. (2005). The Basics of Social Research (3rd ed. ). Belmont: Thomson Wads worth. Braunstein, S. (2008). The Community Reinvestment Act, 13 February 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2010 from: http://www. federalreserve. gov/newsevents/testimony/braunste in20080213a. htm Carney, J. (2009a). Here’s how the Community Reinvestment Act led to the housing bubble’s lax lending, June 27, 2009. Retrieved 15 January, 2010 from ttp://www. businessinsider. com/the-cra-debate-a-users-guide-2009-6 Carney, J. (2009b). Sorry, folks, the CRA really did require crap lending standards, June 23, 2009. Retrieved 15 January, 2010 from http://www. businessinsider. com/sorry-folks-the-cra-really-did-require-crap-lending-standards-2009-6 FFIEC, (n. d. ). Community Reinvestment Act. Retrieved 20 January 2010 from: http://www. ffiec. gov/CRA/ Foote, C. , Gerardi, K. , Goette, L. & Willen, P. , (2008). Journal of Housing Economics, 17: 291-305. Retrieved 19 January 2010 from: http://www. sciencedirect. om/science? _ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6WJR-4TN0KW9-1-N&_cdi=6885&_user=499911&_orig=search&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F2008&_sk=999829995&view=c&wchp=dGLbVtb-zSkzk&md5=f93e4616adcb03662bac8ef89298dcdc&ie=/sdarticle. pdf Gravetter, F. & Forzano, L. (2009). Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences (3rd ed. ). Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Kroszner, R. (2009). The Community Reinvestment Act and the recent mortgage crisis. Retrieved 15 January, 2010 from http://www. frbsf. org/publications/community/cra/cra_recent_mortgage_crisis. pdf

Zero Tolerance essays

Zero Tolerance essays The idea behind zero tolerance policing is that a strong law enforcement approach to minor crime (in particular public order offenses) will prevent more serious crime from occurring and will ultimately lead to falling crime rates. Zero tolerance policies are based on the broken windows theory by Wilson and Kelling. An unrepaired window is a sign that no-one cares and therefore more damage will occur. Zero tolerance policies feel that if disorderly behavior is not dealt with in a particular area, then more serious crime will be the result. Nuisances such as public drunkenness, vandalism, begging and so forth create an atmosphere where more serious crime can occur. The zero tolerance approach was originally introduced by the New York Police Department and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Based on the information I have read, it appears that New Yorks crime rate dropped drastically during the period in which there were zero tolerance policies. According to statistics since 1993, major crime in New York City has fallen by 39% and murder has fallen by 73%. Whether it was this approach, or some other factor, which was responsible for the recent falls in crime in New York and elsewhere, I am unsure. One theory for the decreased crime rate is that fewer people are involved in the crack epidemic which swept the city in the 1980s and early 1990s. Another theory is that the majority of the offenders responsible for crime in the 1980s are now in prison. Some of the opponents of the zero tolerance policies state that the police are based on a punishment mentality, which creates fear and distrust in many communities. The most serious complaints about "Zero Tolerance" revolve around police brutality. Other opponent of zero tolerance policies feel that zero-tolerance policing means zero tolerance for certain people mainly black males who are disproportionately arrested and convicted of crimes. ...

Women in Westerns essays

Women in Westerns essays Womens roles in western movies are very diversified. Although the roles are very different from each other, they are very stereotypical. Almost all women characters in western movies play one of the following: a mother, school teacher, prostitute, or an outlaw. Through comparing three western movies, all ranging in different eras from 1932 to 1994, it is clearly shown that whether its the loving mother or town prostitute, women characters often play a minor part compared to the men, yet they are very important to the whole development of the film. Jean Aurther plays a very loving mother and wife in the 1952 film Shane. The opening scene perfectly depicts the stereotypical mother. She stands near a window washing dishes. She is watching her son play outside. A strange man rides up on his horse and begins to talk to the little boy. The woman peers out the window at the hansom mysterious man. As he catches her looking at him she quickly hides her face as if not to be seen. Her husband then comes out to talk to the stranger. The window and her face is always seen in the background as the two men talk but she often hides from the view of the window. Finally she comes outside and stands next to her husband without speaking as her husband introduces the little woman to the stranger. This opening scene depicts the woman as inferior to her husband. She is doing housework in the background and is not heard. She does not speak except for the polite invitation for dinner to the stranger. She then silently leaves the scene to go inside to finish up fixing the dinner. Jean Aurthers character as the typical wife tends to all of the household duties including all of the cooking and cleaning and takes care of the garden. She is always looking after the little boy making sure that he is not getting into any trouble. During the dinner scene the wife does all of the serving at th...

Ethics, Corporate Governance and Social Responsible Investemtn Essay

Ethics, Corporate Governance and Social Responsible Investemtn - Essay Example A number of other major economies have however embraced the adoption of the enabling mode of governance and rejected the mandatory corporate governance. A number of differences exist between these two systems as outlined by Anand, (2005). Mandatory corporate governance is practiced in major states of the United States, a mandatory system provides guarantee that firms in this system will have to implement any reforms that market regulators put in place. This is contrary to the enabling governance where nothing guarantees a fair play and the enforcement of implementation of any changes. Enabling governance has the ability to ensure that there is compliance to regulatory mechanisms especially when it is implemented together with mandatory disclosure of organizations practices. Mandatory system is also slightly more costly to implement when compared to the enabling governance style (Anand, Milne, and purda, 2006). Mandatory corporate governance is majorly practiced in the United States w hile the United Kingdom practices the enabling kind of governance. Canada and Australia are other major countries that also practice the enabling kind of governance apart of the United Kingdom. The United States mandatory governance is however a blend of the two systems. In some states, companies are not compelled to adhere to the requirements but are required to make formal disclosure of the rules they have or have not adhered to. Firms that are cross listed in the United States are required according to the Sarbanes-Oxley act to submit their evidence of compliance to the mandatory governance regulation. The SOX regulation has a prohibition for ‘insider loans’ especially among companies listed under this act. Such companies must also ensure that they submit their balance sheets for each financial year (Anand, 2005). The mandatory corporate governance system of the United States also has a requirement for all companies listed under its stock exchange at the NYSE and NAS DAQ. They are required to include independent directors in the management board of the firms; the same policies are also practiced in Canada. Firms are required to submit their compliance statuses through proxy to the provincial commissions who are also mandated to ensure that there is strict formulation and administration of the guidelines (McCahery and Vermeulen, 2010). Under the enabling system as practiced in the UK, compliance with corporate guidelines is voluntary. Only companies that are listed in the London stock exchange are obligated by law to submit their compliance in their annual reports. The system as practiced in the United Kingdom has been adopted in Australia with a few modifications on the reporting mechanisms. The UK system also applies incentives that are meant to make firms disclose their compliance information; disclosure of information in the enabling system depends on the sensitivity of the information. In situations where firms feel that their competitors ma y benefit from exposure, such firms have the right to withhold their compliance (Anand, 2005). Enabling systems is also known as voluntary governance system, this is majorly because of the free atmosphere that it creates for its firms. Firms in this system can either chose to disclose their information or not to be based on their reasons; this is the system which is practiced in the

Two news Reading response about supply chain management strategy Assignment

Two news Reading response about supply chain management strategy - Assignment Example This company focuses on the preferences of their customers and tries to make a product by adopting these preferences. This process is known as Quality Function Deployment. The Fashion world is quite uncertain and keeps on changing day to day due to the changing trends across the globe. Zara is one of the most renowned companies in the fashion industry and the reason behind its success is its exceptional supply management strategies. The supply chain strategies of this company make it successful in the stock market. One of the reasons behind its efficient supply chain management is that it uses information technology to achieve its supply chain. Zara uses its own railway track that helps in the speedy distribution of goods to other developing countries. Also, Zara create its products in small qualities and in this way they figure out which product is successful and which won’t work in the market (Loeb). Loeb, W. (2013, October 14). Zaras Secret To Success: The New Science Of Retailing. Retrieved January 20, 2015, from Forbes :

Law case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Law case study - Essay Example Once offer and acceptance are found to exist, the courts will then look to determine whether or not there is consideration. Consideration was defined by Lush LJ in the following terms: While Daniel offered to sell his guitar to Marina for the sum of 500 pounds, Marina did not accept the offer outright. Her offer was no more than a conditional acceptance, in that she would purchase the guitar if she could raise the sum offered. It is commonly felt that in order for the acceptance of an order to be legally binding it must follow the essential substance of the offer made.4 By saying what she could only purchase the guitar if she could raise the funds, Marina was no accepting the offer but merely indicating that she would if and when she had the necessary consideration. Therefore the offer and acceptance would not have been completed until such time as Marina communicated to Daniel a firm intention to purchase the guitar. Since this never happened there was no binding agreement between them. The fact that Daniel sold the guitar to a third party on Wednesday despite having promised Marina that he would not sell the guitar before Friday is of no consequence. There is nothing preventing Daniel withdrawing his offer at anytime before the prescribed period which was stated to Friday. Either party is at liberty to change their minds before the agreement is complete.5 In any event, Marina has a more onerous task establishing that the offer and acceptance goes beyond a mere gratuitous exchange of promises. These kinds of promises, in the absence of an executed deed of contract and/or consideration will not be enforced by the courts. In order to substantiate an effective claim against Anthea for breach of contract, Marina will have to show that there was some consideration.6 Consideration is defined by Patterson J as: Since Marina did not suffer a detriment pursuant to the offer made and withdrawn

Successful Factors of Malmaison Hotel Chain Essay Example for Free

Successful Factors of Malmaison Hotel Chain Essay I had worked in Malmaison hotel chain for 2 years in various departments taking up different roles, and over the two years, Malmaison hotel chain as an organization has demonstrated potential future market leader quality and showed excellent growth rate, good profitability and increased market share. However, the hospitality industry as a whole, over the past a few years has been far from as optimistic as the Malmaison hotel chain has been. In the West Midlands, for example, it has been common for bars, restaurants, hotels to changed ownership, merged, be acquired, or go bankrupt. Indeed, bars and restaurants are three times more likely to go bankrupt than other businesses in the UK, according to Accountants UHY Hacker Young (2007), Their report revealed that 15. 5% of businesses in the UK hospitality and catering sector (restaurants, pubs, and hotels) fail every year in comparison with just 5. 2 % for the economy as a whole. UHY Hacker Young (2007) had investigated over 150,000 businesses that had failed in the past one year, and found out lots of anecdotal warnings about the high failure rate of restaurants in the first year to be true. In the hospitality industry the owners and managers were struggling with raising second round financing; market research and financial planning were not completed in a proper fashion; loyal customer base that protects against fast changing consumer tastes in bars and restaurants was not developed entirely, all of these have contributed to the high failure rate in the UK hospitality industry businesses. In such an economic and market environment, why Malmaison hotel chain has been a success becomes an interesting subject to study. Malmaison hotel chain was founded in 1994 along with its sister hotel chain Hotel du vin which is also owned by the same company MWB, there are 21 chain hotels that are under the same ownership and there are 3 more hotels which are just opened by the end the 2007 and a further 4 more Malmaison hotels are due to open by the end of 2008. The company is also in negotiation for another 7 sites. Malmaison hotel chain is recognised as the UKs leading lifestyle hotel group that is top of the brands in a recent survey. According to Caterer ; Hotelkeeper (2008), the survey of 2000 business and leisure travellers by BDRC, revealed that 53% of all travellers said they preferred to go to Malmaison as their first choice, 46% chose Hilton and 40% chose Marriott. Malmaison has over 1,500 bedrooms across the UK. The gross value of these hotel property assets in the Groups latest published accounts to 30th June 2007 was ? 553 million, not to mention the reputation which has gained the group a valuable brand image that worth millions. Over the years the group has won a number of awards, such as best hotel groups in the UK, also it won the best place to work for in the hospitality industry 5 years in a row. It is believed that a key reason for Malmaison hotel chain’s success lies in its efficient and developed human resource management system, productivity and performance measurement and monitoring system, market research team work, strategic management, adaptability to changes and its financial control. These will be investigated and discussed in detail later in the research. . 0 Aim The aim of this research project is to explore what has Malmaison hotel chain done to accomplish such a success while operating in the current UK economic and market environment. 3. 0Project Objectives ?To review the current teaching and practice regarding human resource management, marketing management, financial management, and operational management in relation to the hospitality industry. ?To analyze the management fashion and operation processes of Malmaison and their impact on the performance and productivity of Malmaison. To make recommendations to the management team of Malmaison Hotel Chain to increase the efficiency, effectiveness and the performance of the organization. 4. 0 Literature Review 4. 1 Introduction There are obviously a large number of factors, ultimately all contributing to the success of Malmaison, however, in this research, a limited range of key issues will be addressed which are believed to be the most significant contributing factors behind for Malmaison’s success. The literature review research was supported by electronic resources and library research. There has not been much work been done on the reasons for the success or failure of the UK hospitality industry, and there is even far less attention being paid to hotels. Both strategic marketing management and human resource management are broad concepts, it is therefore, necessary to focus upon a few critical issues within these subjects that have particularly been focused upon in the operation and management of the Malmaison group. 4. 2 Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction is a critical factor that contributes to better performance, Professor Stephen Robbins’ study shows that happy workers are more likely to be productive workers. As a result, the correlation between job satisfaction and job performance is also rather strong (Robbins, 2007). However, George and Jones (2008, p93) pointed out: â€Å"job satisfaction is not meaningfully associated with job performance†. A study that was conducted by Iaffaldano and Muchinsky (1985) in the 1980s in this area concluded that job satisfaction only accounted for 2 percent of the difference in performance levels across employees. Another more recent review indicated a very similar result that job satisfaction only accounted for 3 percent of the difference in performance level across employees. (Judge, Thoresen, et al. , 2001) George and Jones (2008) also mentioned that work attitudes such as job satisfaction affect work behaviours only when employees are free to vary their behaviours. The study suggested that most of the employees are not free to vary their behaviours at work because organizations spend a considerable amount of time and effort to ensure that members perform their assigned duties dependably regardless of whether they like their jobs or not. However, it is worth mentioning that the hospitality industry might be an exception to this rule simply because the work attitudes of the employees account for a very heavy portion of the level of the service in delivering satisfaction to customers’ needs. It will, therefore be worth carrying out further research to study the correlation between job satisfaction and job performance in this particular industry. 4. 3 Motivation, Job Design and Goal Setting Wagner Hollenbeck (2005) suggested that: â€Å"one way for an organization to gain a competitive advantage over its rivals is to generate a more motivated workforce†, â€Å"a person who is highly motivated will start work sooner and leave work later relative to someone is unmotivated. While engaged at work, a highly motivated person will work faster, take fewer breaks, and be less easily distracted relative to someone who is unmotivated†. Job design and goal setting are two of the major factors contributing towards creating motivation, George and Jones’s (2008) study suggested that: â€Å"Job design can have a profound effect on employee motivation. The specific goals employees strive for and the more general corporate objectives that an organization pursues over time are important sources of motivation for employees. † Wagner Hollenbeck (2005) pointed out that the methods of work design developed with the motivational perspective in mind include job enlargement and job enrichment. Callinan, Forshaw Peter’s (2007) studies showed that a job’s core characteristics, which are skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback are believed to be key influences on employee motivation. Goal setting is also considered to be â€Å"communicating accurate information on work performance† and these â€Å"can be positive motivators for employees. † George and Jones (2008) have similar opinions on this subject. They believe that â€Å"two major characteristics of goals that lead to high levels of motivation and performance, one is specificity, the other is difficulty†, â€Å"specific goals lead to higher performance than do vague goals or no goals†, and â€Å"difficult goals (not impossible) lead to higher motivation and performance than do easy or moderate goals. However, there are limits to goal setting theory, Thus, studies by George and Jones (2008) show that there are three particular circumstances under which setting specific, and difficult goals will not lead to high motivation and performance, they are goals which involve employees’ skills and abilities, tasks which require employees’ complete attention and a considerable amount of learning, and when creativity is needed to perform the task. In hospitality, these 3 circumstances do happen very often, this research will be carried out with heavy focus upon these circumstances and issues to review how Malmaison Hotel balance these pros and cons within their organization. 4. 4 Groups and Teams A large amount of work has been done regarding group dynamics and team effectiveness. However, there is one area that is most interesting and related to, not only Malmaison hotel chain, but to the whole hospitality industry, that is the correlation between cohesiveness and performance of groups or teams. George and Jones (2008) suggested there are five factors that influence a group’s level of cohesiveness: 1. Group size, as it gets bigger, members tend to be less satisfied, group between 3 and 15 people are believed to be the right size that promotes cohesiveness. 2. Similarity/diversity of group member, depending on the tasks and situations, similarity and diversity can be beneficial to group cohesiveness. 3. Competition between groups, generally competition will be facilitating group cohesiveness but occasionally it can be dysfunctional and impair effectiveness when there is too much competition within a group. 4. Success, members will be more attracted to a successful group and proud to be a member. 5. Exclusiveness, when it’s difficult to get in a group, and the group has a high status, group cohesiveness tends to be high. However, they also pointed out that occasionally, too much cohesiveness within a group can impair the organization’s effectiveness if the group’s goal is not aligned with the goal of the organization or other groups within that organization, for example waiting staff‘s goals of providing good service in order to get decent tips are aligned with the restaurant’s goal of satisfying customers, but not aligned with bar tending staff’ goals. 4. 5 Leadership Leadership plays an important role in a hotel organization success. Thus, Peter Jones and Steven Gross-Turner pointed out in Managing Projects in Hospitality Organizations, hotels are in a turbulent environment, and â€Å"managers are in fact in the best place to identify what changes need to be made since they are the people who have direct contacts with employees and customers† (Jones et al, 1991). 4. 6 Organizational Structure Centralizing and decentralizing organizational structures are two most used structures nowadays. A decentralized structure will decentralize authority to lower level managers and non-managerial employees, give them the responsibility to make important decisions, keep the problem of slow and distorted communication to a minimum and make the job more interesting and rewarding while, at the same time, fewer managers are needed. (Blau and Schoenher, 1971) However, too much decentralization provides employees with too much authority and they might pursue their own goals at the expense of the goal of the organization. A centralized structure generally has more levels within the organization and provides employees with more opportunities to gain promotion and progress. For the hospitality industry, where employees perform primarily physically, more opportunities clearly will be attractive for those who desire a less physically demanding position. 4. 7 Conclusion Kotler (2001) pointed out that â€Å"today’s successful organizations to a certain degree all have one thing in common, that is they are dedicated to sensing, serving and satisfying the needs of customers in well defined targeted markets†. In the hospitality industry, when service is their major product, this philosophy is obviously critically important. However, how Malmaison strategically positions itself to compete with its rivals is an even more crucial and difficult issue that the proposed research will focus on. 5. 0Methodology 5. 1 Introduction A number of approaches will be taken to collect the needed data and information in order to serve the purpose of this research project, increase the quality of the results and findings and enhance the credibility of the research project. Malmaison hotel chain has over 20 hotels throughout the UK, each individual hotel will be unique and differentiated in terms of their focus and priorities depending on their local customs and culture. However, what this research project will be concentrating on is what the common factors are for the Malmaison hotel chain as a whole that turns the organization into a success. Therefore the Birmingham Malmaison will be the subject of the investigation. Birmingham is a multi cultural city and operating in a multicultural organizational environment has been becoming a trend for organizations world wide. The researcher gained two years working experience in this hotel, and therefore it is especially worthwhile doing the research project in such an environment. (Cox, 2001) To complete this research project, three stages will be taken in order to process the project, they are desk based research, field based research and the preparation of a detailed case study. 5. 2 Desk Based Research At this stage of the investigation, a heavy focus will be upon the articles that address the hospitality industry, hotel management, hospitality strategy, as well as the paper work that states hotel policies, financial and management accounts, board of directors statements, stock control data, and general manager’s letters to all the staff. These secondary data contain enormous amounts of information that indicates the hotel’s management style and attitude and forms the fundamental policy to the customers and market. These data are absolutely the first key for this research and will provides valuable information and evidence on the reasons for the Malmaison hotel chain’s success. In addition to that, some of these data are available to the public and can be quickly and easily collected. Some of these data are not available to the public, but, as a former member of staff, I could still gain access to this information. With the information and evidence collected, the primary data collection work will be much more focused and relatively easier having the support and assistance of the secondary data collected. 5. Field Based Research A series of interviews (8-12 people) will be carried out to gain a first hand insight of the impacts which the management style of Malmaison hotel chain has on its employees, and how it affects the performance of the organization. The interviews will take place in various departments across the organization in order to gain a full understanding of the operation sy stem in the Malmaison hotel chain. Some of the board of directors, the general manager, department managers, sector supervisors, and staff that work at the front line and have direct contact with customers all will be interviewed. The total number of interviews will be between 8 to 12. This will give the evidence and information on how each department functions and what are the impacts of them on each other. One or two suppliers will also be interviewed to provide evidence on how the Malmaison hotel chain cuts deals with suppliers and how they interact with each other and how is it affects the organization financially and what impact it has on the marketing and sales strategy of the organization. However, caution must be taken while conducting these interviews. Thus, Saunders (2002) suggests that it is in the researchers’ own interest to seriously consider the reliability, forms of bias, validity and generalisability of the information obtained. Therefore, carefully prepared interview questionnaires will be used and questions which appear in the questionnaires will also be cautiously selected to gain as fair a view as possible. The framework suggested by Easterby-Smith (1991) may be adopted to make sure that the data generated from the interviews is thoroughly reviewed and evaluated. The stages in this process will include: 1. Familiarisation 2. Reflection 3. Conceptualisation 4. Cataloguing concepts 5. Recording 6. Linking 7. Re-evaluation 5. 4 Preparation of the Case Study A case study will be generated at the final stage of the research by putting together the data that is gathered from the previous stages. The case study will bring up recommendations to the management team of Malmaison hotel chain and also, there will be discussions of to what extent the findings can be generalized and to what degree the Malmaison hotel chain management structure, human resource management policies and operational systems can be copied and utilized by other organizations within, or even outside the hospitality industry. . 0 Ethical Issues While conducting the research and interviews, the financial information of Malmaison will be discussed in the interviews, its financial statement will also be used later in the dissertation to analyse and measure its performance, and such information will be kept confidential. The final report will be identified as ‘Commercial in c onfidence’ and will not be available to a wider audience than those directly involved in its assessment. 7. 0 Task List TaskProblemsSolutions Research literature on hospitality management, current hospitality industry trends analysis in the UK. Limited amount of literature in the area of topic. E- journals, business review magazines, textbooks, newspapers, internet. Review literature and identify relevant and reliable articles. Time consuming to select relevant articles. Time management. Contacting general managers in Malmaison hotel chain to gain access to information. Very difficult to get access to key information and financial report and management accounting report. Utilize my identity as former employee in the organization. Selecting different individuals to conduct interviews. Too many employees to choose fromSelect people who may represent the department and be able to give valuable information and opinion. Arranging interviews with selected staff. Difficult to fit in everyone’s schedule and it’s time consuming since the amount of time between each interview when the person is available is unpredictable. Be patient and positive. Conducting interviews. Response may not be relevant. Textbooks on how to carry out interviews. Transcribe interviews scripts. Time consuming while large amount of information gathered in interviews with limited amount of transcribe skills.