Third Grade Christmas Word Problems

Word problems and  problem-solving  questions  help  students to put the computations into authentic practice. Select questions that require a higher level thinking. Its also helpful to use questions that have more than one strategy available to solve them. Let students think about the way they solve their questions and let them draw pictures or use manipulatives to support their own thinking and logic. Try these Christmas-themed word  problems for third graders to stay in the spirit of things in class: 1. Ivan is putting bulbs on the Christmas tree. He has already put 74 bulbs on the tree but he has 225. How many more bulbs does he have to put on the tree? 2. Amber has 36 candy canes to share among herself and 3 friends. How many candy canes will each of them get? 3. Ken’s new advent calendar has 1 chocolate for the 1st day, 2 chocolates on the 2nd day, 3 chocolates on the 3rd day, 4 chocolates on the 4th day and so on. How many chocolates will he have eaten by the 12th day? 4. It takes 90 days to save enough money to do some Christmas shopping. Estimate how many months that is. 5. Your string of Christmas lights has 12 bulbs on it, but 1/4 of the bulbs don’t work. How many bulbs do you have to buy to replace the ones that don’t work? 6. For your Christmas party, you have 5 mini pizzas to share with 4 friends. You’re cutting the pizzas in half, how much will each friend get? How can you make sure the leftovers get shared equally? Print the PDF:   Christmas Word Problems Worksheet

Social Networking in Modern Life - 778 Words

Social Networking in Modern Life Many inventions have come up due to the rapid changing of technology. Social networking is the greatest invention of technology in general and the Internet in particular that has created a new aspect of modern life. Among these social networks, Facebook is the most popular with millions of users all over the world. As these social networking sites become more integrated, they can be not only a positive force but also a negative one in human life. While social networking offers some advantages for some people, others believe that there are more dangers than benefits which they can get from these visual societies. As a Facebook user, the first advantage of social networking sites I can tell is†¦show more content†¦The only thing they have to do is how to link their page to their customers personal page. The more people know about your products, the higher in sales you will have. Moreover, companies can receive feedbacks from their customers ab out their products easily and instantly. Therefore, they can give a better service to their clients. There are more and more companies using social network sites for their brand exposure .As an example, you can easily search for many well-known brand names on Facebook from many sectors such as Toyota, McDonald, and Apple. Social networking sites have become a great tool to promote their business. Despite the huge advantage of social networking, there are some dangers that users can get. The risk of identity thief and fraud is the most obvious disadvantage of social networking. People can use the information from your personal profile on these networks to scam or even harass you. Scammers have many ways to gain control of users account. They can send you a link that contains spyware software. They can also send you a request to confirm your username and password to join a sweepstake which usually has dream prizes. Once they re fully gained access to your account, these scammers will use your identity to scam or harass people you know. In any case, users have to take responsibility for their own safety. The explosion of social networking sites has slightly changed human habit. People tendShow MoreRelatedIs Social Networking Essential to Modern Life? Essay1043 Words   |  5 PagesA key aspect of life is communication; very little would be possible without interactions between people. Breakthroughs in fields such as, medicine and space exploration are a result of thoughts of large groups of people uniting by communication. Beginning from an era of sending letters to ancient phones followed by emails and presently social networking [6]. Online social networking is the use of an Internet website that enables self -identify and connection with other members based on one or moreRead MoreSocial Media as a Business Tool1762 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Social Media as a Business Tool: In the digital age that is a major characteristic of the modern society, people are increasingly using social media as the major means of communication. Social media is used for communication because people have continued to leave conventional media in favor of the new revolution in communication. As engaging with social media has become a major characteristic in the modern day culture and working environment, the popularity of social media is a huge businessRead MoreEffects of Online Social Networks on Adolescents Health Essay1160 Words   |  5 PagesIn todays modern world, it is extremely common for teenagers, between the ages of 13 to 17, to have some sort of online profile with popular websites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter. Many of them update their status at twice once a day, sharing life events with friends, and family abroad, and have on average, 150 friends linked to their online profile. However, there is a darker side to the social networking hype, our teenagers h ealth, friendships, and relationships are at stake. Too much timeRead MoreCyberbullying: Are Social Networking Websites The Cause? Essay1320 Words   |  6 PagesOn average, people spend over 700 BILLION minutes on Facebook in one month. (Facebook) In todays day and age, social networking sites have taken over the internet. Sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr have linked people together in a way that was never thought possible. However, from all good comes bad, and from social networking sites the act of cyber bullying - bullying and harassing someone through the internet was born. Now, whether or not the websites are the cause of cyberRead MoreSocial Networking Is Not Good For The Young Children1571 Words   |  7 PagesSocial Networking is an important aspect of communication in our modern world. It helps communicate between different entities and businesses. Due to vast technology, anything and everything can be conveyed to the consumers by the touch of the bu tton. Social Networking is also the fastest way to promote any innovation in the business market. Business gains more reputation, if they stay ahead of their game and make social networking the platform for interacting with consumers. Facebook, twitter areRead MoreThe Bright Side Of Social Networking1606 Words   |  7 PagesHamad Yousef Professor: Joanne Martin English 113B 12 Feb 2015 The bright side of social Networking Social Networks are actually becoming such services and platforms in the modern era, which help one to connect people across the world. 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Many of the social networking sites allow people to communicate what s going on in their life through pictures and from thereRead MoreEffects Of Modern Socialization Networks On Youth1260 Words   |  6 Pages EFFECTS OF MODERN SOCIALIZATION NETWORKS ON YOUTH SYED SAAD ALI Abstract The paper is a study of modern socializing sites effects on youth. Study revolves around the effects on youth of modern socializing in new era. Some recommend-aions are made on the bases on the findings of this study. Also, the study came out with some of the consequencesRead MoreSocial Network and Its Effect on Poor Students Academic Performance1051 Words   |  5 PagesSOCIAL NETWORK AND ITS EFFECT ON POOR STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are the example famous social network that becomes the best choice among the students, especially university students. Social network can defines as site of grouping of individuals into specific groups, like small rural communities or a neighbourhood subdivision. Nowadays, the social network is a necessary communication tool that has emerged in the field of information and communication technologyRead MoreSolutions For The Over Use Of Social Networks For Youths1505 Words   |  7 PagesYiming Wang Morgan Chalfant English 102: J 29 October 2015 Solutions for the Over Use of Social Networks for Youths In modern times, technology is the most important object in people’s daily life. Social networks is experiencing explosive development. No matter where we are, park, restaurant, classroom, or coffee house, almost everyone bows their head and plays cell phones, smart phones, or laptops. New technologies have been becoming more and more popular, at the same time, immeasurable

Narrative Essay Writing Free Essays

Life to some people is a long learning lesson and process. Everyday is a learning experience and a novel opportunity to expand our knowledge and information bank, we stock piles our minds with both vital and non crucial information, hoping to utilize it as time goes by. This is a philosophy that reluctantly I have come to ascribe to. We will write a custom essay sample on Narrative Essay Writing or any similar topic only for you Order Now Looking back at my life, no matter how short it has been, reveals a rather extensive period of learning. I am a 23 years old girl, born in Korea and just immigrated to the U.S.A two years ago in a bid to better my life and pursue my dream career. Growing back in the suburbs of Seoul from my childhood days, through to my adulthood, is itself a thrilling experience. Although lacking in some luxuries and carefree attitude available in many American cities, I cherish the sweet memories of the good times I have gone through in Korea. I was born and brought up by my two staunch parents, who partook their parenting duties with the strictness and seriousness it deserves. To them, bringing out the best in me, as their only child, was their sole calling. No resource would be spared in ensuring that their only daughter got the best that life could offer and emerge triumphantly. Whether or not I have come out successfully is another story altogether. Many will agree with me that their childhood days though full of bliss and joyous moments, was not always a bed of roses, especially if you had an uncompromising mother or a nanny watching behind your back in every move you made. I came to agree that they meant well but our naivety and simple minds could not fathom the reason why we could not be allowed to do what we wanted. I take a look at my life and appreciate that I have come from far. Importantly though, is that the best that I am today, I owe it to my adorable parents. It is said that, cleanliness is second to godliness-that I have come to see is true. I have received compliments and encouraging words regarding how organized and neat I am, from my teachers, friends and even strangers. Many however do not know that this has not always been the case, as my parents can attest. My young urchin life is a complete opposite of the tidiness and smartness I exhibit today. I grew up in a neighborhood inhabited by diverse people and hence diverse characters. My immediate neighbors were two boys whose sweet memories I still cherish, however, the care-free attitude they had instilled in me than is a trait I would not have wanted to acquire. It is a known fact that kids can be extremely naughty especially in the wrong environment. My mother had always been trying to emphasize the importance of neatness especially in girls, trying to buy me bright colored dresses to ensure that I looked my best. I could not hear anything of it and was always in crumpled clothing and uncombed hair. By the age of 12, my mother had given up. Not even my father’s smart and stern look could change me. I used to be extremely untidy both at home and in school. My homework was not being delivered in time and when delivered it was just a bunch of illegible scribbling. My parents had a perfectionist attitude towards life, but that too could not change me. Every road has a turning point and every night a daybreak. My annoying habits too had to come to an end. This came at the night of my 15th birthday. Since the tender age of three years, it had been a tradition in our house to hold my birthday party where I would invite my friends for a day full of celebrations. I had wished to see a different thing happen this 15th birthday. At my age, it was considered trendy to hold a birthday party at night and let your friends enjoy an orgy till day break. I conferred with my parents and they had no problem with that. However, it was on a condition that our house nanny would not play a role in tidying up the house before or after the party. I had to somehow find a way of cleaning the place. How I tidied up my room is a story for another day but I did it altogether, and the results were quite impressive. My friends had always thought of me as a disorganized person with no cleanliness ambitions; it amazed them that I could be that tidy. My parents were quite impressed and I could see a sense of renewed affection in them. I was hoping to maintain this and made it may birthday resolution; since then I have never looked back. I can tell when my parents are relieved and happy. After my tidying up I could tell they had renewed their hope in me. Their next concern was to be in academics where I had been recording a dismal performance over a long time, a performance that had emanated from the fact that I disliked studies. I found the idea of devoting my precious time in abstracts a laborious task. This had to change somehow. My dad is not only smart in terms of dressing, but it also very knowledgeable. This was a trait he had all along wished to instill in me. He started by buying me short story books to try and arouse more interest in me. This is what eventually would see me develop an unquenchable interest in reading and digging for knowledge in topics ranging from almost every aspect of life. I have come to like reading both fictional and scholarly materials especially those authored by famous people. It is in reading widely that one gets to know more about the world. I have come to appreciate the role my parents have played in my life. They have taught me the essence of grooming well and proper self-organization as a key ingredient to succeed in life. My academic life has improved greatly as a result of the important tips accorded to me by father. Now it is to my discretion to either squander the useful information and experience I have gathered in life or see it go to waste altogether. Reference: James L. Kinneavy and John E. Wcoriner, 1998. Elements of Writing. Orlando. Florida. Harcourt   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brace and Company How to cite Narrative Essay Writing, Essays

Land Grab free essay sample

Agricultural Investment, and the Scramble for Food Security by Michael Kugelman and Susan L. Levenstein, has offered us: deep, multi-positional insight presented by a host of authors with valid sources on one of the most interesting phenomenons happening within our current economic system. From the surface it seems to be talking about how developed food- secure nations are buying up swaths of farmlands from the worlds most food- insecure countries, but after a deeper look into the book, this phenomenon and its complexities is much greater than that. There are twelves chapters in this book, each chapter written by a different author or authors, getting into different aspects and perspectives of this so called Land Grabbing issue. The first chapter (introduction) is written by Michael Kugelman, followed by some history by Derek Byerlee, an overview by David Hallam, social and economic mplications by Alexandra Spieldoch and Sophia Murphy, environmental impacts by Laura A. We will write a custom essay sample on Land Grab or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page German, Wouter M. J. Achten, and Manuel R. Guariguata, investors perspectives by Gary R. Blumenthal, improving outcomes by Ruth Meinzen-Dick and Helen Markelova, regional perspectives on Africa, Asia, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union by Chido Makunike, Raul Q. Montemayor, Bastiaan P. Reydon and Vitor B. Fernandes, Carl Atkin respectively, and finishes off with Recommendations and Conclusion by Michael Kugelman. The term Land Grab used on the book cover and in its pages depicts a large owerful foreign entity that acquire large amounts of land that is usually used by local poor communities to produce food and/or provide other essential basic human needs. These communities are often displaced soon after because they are banned from the site in which they have cultivated and lived off of. This term (Land Grab) is used quite fittingly as Michael Kugelman and Susan L. Levensteins position on this matter is quite critical and essentially focused on the inequalities and other adverse effects of this phenomenon. That being said, the book still does mention a few xamples where there was a net positive outcome from these large land leasing transactions. The book also accepts whats happening and takes on a very realistic way of approaching this issue. First, we must acknowledge the underlying causes. The first major event that nave made significant impact on this global farmland market was the food crises in 2007 and 2008. The global prices of food has spiked, riots have increased, and export bans have been created to keep the availability and the prices of food low within exporting nations. This created a huge problem for importing nations as their food security as being undermined. The richer importing nations quickly started looking abroad to lease land for food security. These large scale land transactions, however, is not a new phenomenon, non-food commodities such as tea and rubber has been produced on leased land for a long time, but the amount of land being acquired by these large entities have never increased so dramatically in the past. Estimates of 203 million hectares to 230 million hectares of land have been approved or is under negotiation from 2000-2010. That is roughly the size of Western Europe. With increases of urbanization (taking ver farmland), population, food consumption, bio-fuel consumption, droughts, and the temperature rising causing decreases in yields, it does not seem like this land grabbing trend will stop any time soon. Of course when talking about root causes, we cant omit the incentives for the host countries: better technology, more local employment, better farm yields, better infrastructure, and most of all, money in the hosts pockets. As a matter of fact, because of this money making opportunity, a lot of these nations are leasing with very lax regulations, tax incentives, tax holidays and other perks and benefits such as Pakistans 100,000 men security force to protect the leased land. So the premise is set, and since were currently embedded in this economic system, theres no running away from it, at least not for a long time coming. So what is the problem? That we have to take a closer look at these case studies. The case studies presented in the book are focused on the key regions of investments from a descending order: Africa, South E. Asia, Latin America, Central/ Eastern Europe, and former Soviet Union. The key investors would include but is not limited to: capital rich food importing nations such as the Arab States of the Persian Gulf, China, Japan, South Korea, and India, it also includes agricultural business firms from the West. The book also mentions that it isnt always the capital rich countries that are investing in these large swaths of lands, North Africa for example is investing in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asian nations are investing in each others soils. Similar trends in these case studies show up repeatedly: benefits to local communities are for the most part not materializing, many local communities have been displaced (Ex. A British project in Uganda displaced roughly 20,000 people), arge quantities of fresh water is being consumed, and deforestation is rapidly occurring (Ex. Sub-Saharan Africas palm oil production have caused 100% deforestation rates). These trends should not be surprising as most of the host governments and investors are in the market purely for self interest and show little regard to the impacts ot poor local communities and the environment. These adverse effects creates a problem of conflict between the people and the large entities in these land transactions. We can see these conflicts in Madagascar (South Koreas deal to buy 1. 3 million hectors of farmland sparked widespread rotests in 2009 to bring down the government), Uganda (Indian corporate investment in Uganda farmland has sparked violent responses), and Kenya (Kenyans have vowed to fight back violently after being evicted to accommodate a sugar plantation). It is no wonder now that Pakistan has offered 100,000 men security force to protect the leased land. And with this 100,000 men security force, we can also see extent of disregard for these poor local local communities. The book ends with a more optimistic perspective on this matter. It is very realistic as it provides ways to make these transactions better, and morally Just for veryone. It talked a little about the increase in transparency on this subject. It itself has brought light to the public and continues to do so. But not only do the authors want to inform academics, policy makers, business people, and the general public, I believe that the authors of the book also hopes to encourage better provisions for hiring locals, selling the food back to local communities (a few case studies in Asia has shown that this trend has occurred and the benefits to local communities have actually materialized [this gives us a little more hope for the future ahead of us]), and protecting the environment. Hopefully the book will also have provided enough information to influence host countries to create more robust laws and regulations and offer to support small holders (host countries are a lot more restrictive on small holders than big investors) so these local communities are not completely exploited (studies suggest that small holders are a lot more efficient, environmental friendly, and morally Just compared to big holders). The book also gives sheds a bit of light on alternatives such as drought resistant farming technology/methods (less reliant to farm abroad) and Asias plan to form of rice pools so less entities gets compromised.

How to make good photographs free essay sample

According to Sussman, â€Å"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever†¦ it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything†(153). That is, photography is not merely something random, but it is rather something you are born for. It is like a gift or even something that guides you to improve and justify your way of building a descent career step by step. Additionally, if you are keen on taking good photographs, you have to go out in nature, and express your enthusiasm to capture whatever you feel like it deserves to be unforgettable for a lifetime. Therefore, in order to make good photographs, you have to follow your vision, be yourself, and show your passion while you take photographs. Whether making good photographs, there are some essential equipments that we need to buy. Such essential equipments include: a camera body, lenses, tripod, a computer and a software, such as Photoshop to edit t he pictures. We will write a custom essay sample on How to make good photographs or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Knowing how to choose a good camera body is essential since not every camera suits the photographer. Each photographer has his/her unique style. Every photographer will tell you that a good lens allow you to take the pictures you want, with the effect you are trying to achieve. However, in many places a tripod is the most commonly used tool because it offers the camera stability and sharper images.All of these are rounded up in the editing process that takes place when a photo is transferred from the camera to the computer, which is why a good computer as well as an editing software is essential and much needed to the photographer and it comes handy with his skills. One of the key elements on taking good photographs is vision. It is a very important subject because everyone can see the world differently, and create an image that no one else would be able to see in the same way. In addition, vision it is not just about creating an image, but it is also creating a story through that image. It is rather a message, that shares an emotion, a feeling, a belief or a particular way of looki ng the world. A photograph without a vision, it is just a simple photograph. Moreover, vision it is something you see in your mind’s eye, something that exists in your imagination, something that is within yourself. Secondly, in order to make a unique photograph you have to be yourself. Therefore, when doing photography, the importance of being yourself is that you need to show your own style, and your individuality. Moreover everything you see has its own characteristics, but if you be yourself that is when they reach their absolute value. Thus, don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. All of this will only develop jealousy, envy, some self-pity, and the lack of joy. Therefore, try to enjoy your shooting, and do it for fun and for yourself Thirdly, passion is an inevitable step towards being a successful photographer. If you do not posses an inner feeling that always pushes you to capture every magnificent moment, then nothing is going to impress you. That is why it all comes naturally, it is more like a gift that you do not consider as an obligation, but rather as a free will to contribute for a delightful career. Photography is a passion. However this passion sometimes can be challenging, and results in disappointing instead of rewarding images. This happens because things we have in our mind sometimes are different of what a camera captures. However, there are many helpful ways to improve the quality of the photos you take. When you are taking photographs in nature, the most vital element is light. Whenever possible, place your subjects so that the sun is behind them. In addition, to understand the various types of lighting, you need to experiment with your camera’s settings, as well as natural or artificial light. The best time to take photos is the so known the â€Å"golden hours.† It is called so since the sun gives the sky a gold view, which is perfectly reflected on the camera and the images. An example would be considered capturing an object such as a tree or a silhouette of a person, which adds more value to the photographs and makes it more appealing to the eye. Last but not at least, a photographer should be careful and avoid some common mistakes that most of the beginners do. Knowing how to control or use light is essential so we should avoid taking pictures in low lighting conditions because if we use a high ISO the photo often gets blurry. We should avoid taking photos in bad weather conditions. Another thing to avoid is blurry and dizzy photos which are a result of a shaky hand. Without patience, you cannot achieve that â€Å"perfect shot,† and without creativity, you will never be able to make it. As a final point, photography is special since it allows us to frame one moment and have it with us forever. It can be a picture of a loved one who has passed away or a picture of you on your most joyful moment. Therefore, capturing those special moments is something important to each and every one of us. Some of us share the passion of capturing those moments and knowing the best way to do it is just as important as being passionate about it.

Free Essays on Hamlets Relationship With Women

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet is closely affiliated with two women, Ophelia, the love of his life, and Gertrude, his mother. Hamlet’s relationship with these women may be more complex than the whole drama itself. He has a number of mixed emotions running through his mind dealing with both women. And as if being stressed out about the women in life about whom you care is not enough to kill a man, he had to worry still about grieving his father’s death, avenging his father’s death, whether or not the ghost was going to take his soul, and he has to undermine the constant assaults coming from Claudius and Polonius. All of these things added up making Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia and Gertrude a complex string of emotions, while making Hamlet’s life a living hell. Looking first at Hamlet’s relationship with Gertrude, we see that he has three basic emotions toward her: disgust, anger, and love. The death of King Hamlet was a tragic event in Hamlets life. The last thing he would have wanted was for his mother to â€Å"abandon† what was left of the immediate family ties and marry with his uncle less than two months after the tragic death. Hamlet describes the hasty marriage as not only a bloody deed, but also an incestuous deed. Hamlet, In Act III Scene 4, became very angry with Gertrude as he reminded her once again of the terrible deed that had been done. In her â€Å"closet† he yelled out obscenities at her trying to open her eyes and make her feel the shame and sorrow that she should have been experiencing. After Hamlet upset Gertrude and turned her eyes into the blackness of her soul, he started to show sympathetic, loving feelings. Even though she had done something so terrible â€Å"as kill a king and marry with his brother† Hamlet shows signs of forgiving her, after all she is his mother. A huge reason for Hamlet’s for... Free Essays on Hamlet's Relationship With Women Free Essays on Hamlet's Relationship With Women In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet is closely affiliated with two women, Ophelia, the love of his life, and Gertrude, his mother. Hamlet’s relationship with these women may be more complex than the whole drama itself. He has a number of mixed emotions running through his mind dealing with both women. And as if being stressed out about the women in life about whom you care is not enough to kill a man, he had to worry still about grieving his father’s death, avenging his father’s death, whether or not the ghost was going to take his soul, and he has to undermine the constant assaults coming from Claudius and Polonius. All of these things added up making Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia and Gertrude a complex string of emotions, while making Hamlet’s life a living hell. Looking first at Hamlet’s relationship with Gertrude, we see that he has three basic emotions toward her: disgust, anger, and love. The death of King Hamlet was a tragic event in Hamlets life. The last thing he would have wanted was for his mother to â€Å"abandon† what was left of the immediate family ties and marry with his uncle less than two months after the tragic death. Hamlet describes the hasty marriage as not only a bloody deed, but also an incestuous deed. Hamlet, In Act III Scene 4, became very angry with Gertrude as he reminded her once again of the terrible deed that had been done. In her â€Å"closet† he yelled out obscenities at her trying to open her eyes and make her feel the shame and sorrow that she should have been experiencing. After Hamlet upset Gertrude and turned her eyes into the blackness of her soul, he started to show sympathetic, loving feelings. Even though she had done something so terrible â€Å"as kill a king and marry with his brother† Hamlet shows signs of forgiving her, after all she is his mother. A huge reason for Hamlet’s for...

New Jersey Associate degree nurses initiative to obtain Bachelor's Essay

New Jersey Associate degree nurses initiative to obtain Bachelor's degree within 10 years (BSN 2010) - Essay Example Today, a nurse's job is as important as that of a doctor's. One could say that nurses are the backbone of all hospital facilities. All hospitals across the world thrive on the skill and determination that they put in to help the sick or disabled. Health care today is advancing at a rapid rate and is getting quite complex. Studies have shown that a patient's outcome has improved in those cases where the patients were attended by nurses with advanced degrees. Also in 2003 it was published in the journal of the American Medical Association (Aiken, 2003) that a greater number of staff nurses with bachelor's degrees resulted in a decrease in patient mortality among surgical patients, improved patient outcomes and shorter lengths of stay.The National Advisory Council had submitted a report on "Nurse Education and Practice" to the U.S department of Health and Human Services. It recommended that by 2010 two thirds of the nation's basic workforce must hold a BSN. This was basically to meet the requirements of modern medicine. For example, in the 1960's a RN was expected to be familiar with about 600 drugs. Now there are over 13,000 drugs in the market. At the March 31, 2006 Annual Voting Business Meeting of NJSNA, held at the Tropicana Resort & Casino Hotel in Atlantic City NJ, a majority of members voted to adopt the amended resolution to acknowledge the importance of nursing's entry requirements, but, in addition, support legislation to require new RNs (those licensed after passage of a new law) to earn their BSN within 10 years (Aughenbaugh). Thus in order to meet the recommendation made by the National Advisory Council and the NJSNA, Senator Joseph Vitale has introduced a legislature that requires all future registered nurses to obtain a bachelors degree in nursing (BSN) within ten years of initial licensure. The clauses of this bill are applicable to only those nurses who are yet to take admission. As in those nurses who are already licensed and those students who have applied or are already enrolled in nursing school at the time of legislation will be exempted. In case a nurse is not able to obtain her BSN within the ten years she may apply for an extension from the New Jersey Board of Nursing. In order to become a nurse one can still enroll in associate degrees or diplomas in nur sing program, which will prepare them to take the NCLEX licensing exam. This is required to start functioning as a Registered Nurse. If the bills are signed into law, it will have a lasting impact on the professions of nursing. But there are a few concerns because of the shortage of faculty in nursing schools. Also the fates of ADN and diploma programs are uncertain. A major issue is the additional financial burden that nurses would have to face to obtain their BSN. But it is felt that given an option of nursing being a higher education profession more people would be willing to take up nursing as a serious career option. Although there may seem to be a few drawbacks, the benefits of this legislation are numerous since having a BSN not only increases a nurses pay but also gives better jobs and better career opportunities. The following are the benefits of furthering education for a nurse The courses in BSN or MSN will help a

Strategic Management of health care organizations Essay

Strategic Management of health care organizations - Essay Example To do this, different processes associated with service delivery like efficient patient flow, wait times and various administrative functions have been addressed. This has led to different implementation strategies like pre-service, point-of-service, and after-service has been devised. All the areas of service are meant to provide the customers with valued services. While pre-service is prior to the encounter, point-of-service (POS) is at the time of the encounter and post-service is after the encounter. Different healthcare organizations have benefited by aligning strategies based on different encounters. The pre-service is devised after determining the customers’ wants and needs. This requires first determining who the customers are, the price acceptable to them, the time and location convenient to them and then developing internal culture that focuses on customers (SDS, n.d.). Customer and competitor descriptions are essential to decide on this service area. The basic premise is – what does the customer want in terms of product, price, place and promotion. A thorough market research is essential for this. This is then followed by market segmentation based on clinical areas, demographics, psychographics and markets defined by growth opportunities. A customer analysis is then done to determine which should be the target market. It also determines what motivates the individual to use health care and what aspects of services offered are really important to the customer. Whether the customer is currently satisfied is determined which helps to improve upon the clinical serv ice. It also determines on what basis the customer chooses one organization over another. Hence the central issue in this service area is determining the right customer and devising the rest of the strategies based on that. For POS the central issues are quality, efficiency, innovation and flexibility. The internal assessment of

Outline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 60

Outline - Essay Example The voice technology, especially the use of polygraphs are commonly made for interrogation with different questions that detects one is telling the truth or a lie and manipulation of voice and how the person speaks tells more. The reason they are still considered is because there are less than 5% of ‘good people at detecting lies’ are easily deceived and most out of empathy or emotions may not distinguish truth from lies (Roth, Williams, Phifer, & Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Inc, 2010). Voice technology through use of lie detectors may be of use in enforcing the law by distinguishing those telling the truth from lies. However, the limitations of trained liars and some honest, people may fail to be recognized leading to injustice. It is not always favorable to use them. In the last few decades, technology/scientific development has taken place in many areas and this affects us on the both a personal level and within our professions. Lie detection, a form of voice technology has been growing widespread and available, especially in law courts to investigate the truth. The good judgments made are helpful to individuals as well as the society while the negative effects affect them as well and may hinder justice. Brett,  A.  S., Phillips,  M., & Beary,  J.  F. (1986, March 8). Predictive Power of the Polygraph: Can the "Lie Detector" Really Detect Liars?, by Allan S. Brett, Michael Phillips, John F. Beary. Retrieved from http://www.american-buddha.com/art.predictivepowerpolygraphbeary.htm Brown,  T.  E., Senter,  S.  M., Ryan,  A.  H., & DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE POLYGRAPH INST FORT JACKSON SC. (2003). Ability of the Vericator to Detect Smugglers at a Mock Security Checkpoint. Ft. Belvoir: Defense Technical Information

Proposal for Obesity Management Programme

Proposal for Obesity Management Programme OBESITY PROGRAMEE: â€Å"FITNESS FOR FULFILMENT† Kathiravan Pillay Kumar Abstract The world has seen a rise in the issue of obesity and its effects on the biological, psychological and social wellbeing of individuals. This proposal reviews literature in relation to the causes as well as effects on obesity specifically targeted at children between the ages of 6 – 18 years old and evaluates current programs in place to curb the rise in obesity. Programs from both the United States as well as Singapore are used to analyse the western and Asian perspectives on tackling the issue of obesity. The proposed program would be aimed at reducing social stigma and increasing self-esteem that past or current programs do not address. The program will be made up of three phases which include implementation, motivation and feedback as well as evaluation of the entire program’s effectiveness. Feasibility and efficacy of instilling the program are also discussed. Introduction and Review on Obesity Obesity has been an issue present through various generations and is one faced by many nations worldwide. Recent years has seen a rise in the levels of obesity especially in western nations but is currently seen to be a growing issue even in Asian nations (Ramachandran Snehalatha, 2010). Based on recent findings by Ogden, Carroll, Kit and Flegal (2014) an estimated two third of the adult population in the United States are overweight or obese with about one third of school going children also falling under this category. A growing trend is also seen in Asia where findings in Singapore indicate that approximately one in nine Singaporean adults between the age ranges of 18 to 69 were considered to be obese in 2010 with obesity rates said to be increasing at an estimated 1 percent per year (â€Å"One in nine Singaporean†, 2014). Multiple factors have been suggested as causes to obesity, often focusing on mainly physical and psychological factors. General physical causes of obesity are often due to genetic factors that cause abnormalities in fat cell metabolism and metabolic defects or simply having a sedentary lifestyle (Bray, York DeLany, 1992). There are also various psychological conditions or disorders that have been suggested to lead to obesity however depression is considered to be the main cause of it as evidenced in Blaine’s (2008) study which indicated that individuals who were depressed were proven to be at significantly higher risk of becoming obese. Obesity is also often comorbid with depression and other eating disorders Blaine’s (2008). The key area of concern especially in recent times would be the effects of obesity on the individual as well as society as a whole. Numerous studies have been done to show the physical and psychological effects that obesity has on an individual. Physical aspects often include the risk of contracting illnesses such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes (Sturm, 2002). Psychological effects tend to focus on an individual’s body dissatisfaction and self-image (Wardle Cooke, 2005) as well as well as psychosocial effects such as negative experiences through weight bias at home, in school, at work, through the media and even health and fitness areas (Amianto, Lavagnino, Abbate-Daga Fassino, 2011). Evaluation on Obesity Related Programmes Over the years there have been many programs put into place by governments and private agencies around the world that have been aimed to curb obesity. One key program introduced in the United States was the HEROES Initiative which targets tackling issues on childhood obesity (King et. al, 2014). The HEROES Initiative is a grant-funded intervention that targets schools to play a vital role in educating youth in obesity related behaviours (King et. al, 2014). The key aims of this this initiative would be to take a comprehensive school health approach that decreases childhood obesity that in turn promotes healthy lifestyle habits among students as well as their families and also the school staff (King et. al, 2014). Key features that make the intervention unique would be that it offers a supportive means for participating schools by providing regular oversight, significant funding and various implementation strategies that are catered to a particular needs for certain schools depending on the district and neighbourhood that they are located in (King et. al, 2014). This initiative also enables schools to have a sense of ownership over assessing the needs of their students and in turn coming out with a plan to implement certain strategies for changes in the school’s health programs (King et. al, 2014). The key feature in maintaining the effectiveness of this program would be the strong emphasis on an annual cycle of evaluation and assessment on opportunities in enhancing the program to cater to the needs of the students which turn increases the intervention’s efficacy (King et. al, 2014). The evaluation process was broken down into 3 main areas. The process evaluation stage, school level outcome evaluation and student level outcome evaluation (King et. al, 2014). The process evaluation stage is carried out by site visits to schools to view their administrative processes in carrying out health promotion as well as inspection of the school’s general environment and conducting interviews with the staff to determine challenging areas (King et. al, 2014). Feedback on information obtained is given to the staff as a means to address these issues (King et. al, 2014). In the school level outcome evaluation, assessments are made to the systemic changes in promoting healthy behaviour and reducing obesity rates in the students. The school level outcome evaluation is based on domains relating to physical education/activity, nutrition education, food service, staff wellness, as well as family and community involvement (King et. al, 2014). The student level outcome evaluation , focuses on understanding the changes in behaviour and knowledge in relation to obesity and its effects (King et. al, 2014). This done through weight measurements as well as surveys and quizzes to identify student’s knowledge about obesity (King et. al, 2014). With regard to the effectiveness of this initiative, evaluation between the periods of 2011-2012 showed a significant amount of variability between schools. Based on results obtained from the process and school level evaluation outcomes, it was found that the school’s processes were well implemented however some schools found difficulties in coming up with new or improved health and wellness related policies (King et. al, 2014). Based on the student level outcome evaluation it was found that small but significant changes were made in terms of behaviour and mindset of the students (King et. al, 2014). Students were also more engaged in rigorous physical activities in comparison to the baseline from first 18 months of the intervention (King et. al, 2014). However a set back to the intervention was that changes to behaviour were mostly found in overweight students rather than students who were already obese. In relation to the Asian context, there have been various health related programs and promotions carried out in Singapore. The Singapore health promotion board has come up with various programs and initiatives to promote healthy lifestyle practices to prevent conditions such as obesity. Programs such as the 1 million kg challenge, aims to encourage individuals to lose weight by allowing them to set a weight loss target then setting a period for them to lose this weight. If individuals are able to lose the amount of weight within the given time frame they are rewarded with certain incentives and prizes (â€Å"1 million kg challenge†, 2014). In relation to health promotion in schools, a key program that was introduced in the early 90s was the National Physical Fitness Award Test (NAPFA) and the TAF (Trim and Fit) scheme which aimed to increase physical activity and reduce the weight of overweight and obese students in both the primary and secondary levels of education (Gupta et. al, 2010). The TAF program basically tasked students with physical activities before and after the school day (Gupta et. al, 2010). The initiative was a success in the 90s with obesity levels dropping between 10-17% in students (Gupta et. al, 2010). Success of the TAF scheme would later bring about a collaboration between the Singapore Health Promotion Board and the World Health Organisation to introduce a HPB-MOE bi-annual award aimed at targeting the healthy development of students and awarding schools for good health practices (Gupta et. al, 2010). Challenges faced in the TAF program as well as similar programs introduced in Korea as mentioned by Shin and Shin (2008) was that such programs bring about a sort of negative stigma to students involved. Student then tend to become highly self-conscious and develop body dissatisfaction which in turn effects their self-esteem (Shin Shin, 2008). This is often the result of segregation from their peers due to their weight and appearance and this segregation is further contributed by schools who single out overweight or obese individuals to be part of such programs (Shin Shin, 2008). This effect could in turn lead to depression which has been established as a cause for obesity and would hence defeat the whole purpose of having such health promotion programs. Proposed Health Program Having identified the causes and effects of obesity as well as certain health programs available both on the western and Asian context along with their strengths and weaknesses, an alternative health program could be developed. Through analysing the health programs available in both the United States and Singapore, a program catering specifically to the needs of students between the ages of 6 – 18 year olds could be proposed. The program will be entitled the â€Å"Fitness for Fulfilment Programme† (FFFP) catered specifically in the Singaporean context. The program is also given a name that does not infer or refer to obesity so as to prevent any form of social stigma relating to obesity. The main goals of the program would be to reduce the weight of overweight and obese students but to do so in a manner that will not cause stigmatization or embarrassment. The program would also further aim to instil a healthy mindset in these students and encourage them to maintain healt hy behaviour well into adulthood. The FFFP will mainly be broken down into three key phases. The first phase will be the implementation phase which will introduce rigorous exercise specifically catered to losing weight for obese children. These exercises will be done during school hours as part of an enhanced physical education program and these obese students will carry out their activities together with other students so as to limit any sense of being ostracised. The enhanced physical education program will target the specific needs of each student be it normal weight students or overweight or obese students by focusing on their weak physical areas that are limiting them from passing or getting a good grade on their NAPFA test. The fitness program will be one that gradually increases in rigorousness so as to allow the students time to condition themselves to its requirements. Another key feature of the implementation phase would be the enforcement of strict diet practices during the school day. Since schools are al ready given guidelines by the Health Promotion Board on the type of food to be served, there must be a form of enforcement that ensures that students are getting the appropriate meals. Therefore there should be two to three staff on canteen duty to ensure that proper meals are being served to the students and that obese children are getting sufficient food but maintained at healthy levels. The second phase of the FFFP would the feedback and motivation phase. This would be a key feature of the program as it caters to the psychological well-being of the students involved. This phase will be implemented during the first and last session of the enhanced physical education program. During these sessions, time will be set aside for instructors to carry out one on one interviews or feedback sessions with the students which will aim to understand the challenges that they face with physical exercise as well as issues they have with motivating themselves to indulge in physical exercise. With knowledge of the challenges that individual students face, instructors can cater their physical education session to better accommodate to both the strengths and the weaknesses of the students. This will facilitate a more positive outlook in carrying out physical exercise and encourage students to put in a greater effort and hence may lead better physical results and lower obesity levels. An other aspect of this phase would be educating other students in the challenges that overweight and obese students. Students will be taught to encourage and motivate rather than stigmatize or humiliate their overweight or obese peers. The final phase of this program will be the evaluation phase. Ideally a review council should be formed to evaluate the effectiveness of the program at national level. This phase will be similar to the HEROES initiative evaluation process used in the United States, but will comprise of two instead of three key parts of the evaluation process of the effectiveness of the program. The process and school level evaluation will be combined into one. This part of the evaluation process will seek to understand the challenges that the staff have with the FFFP through means of interviews as well as on site assessments of the program in action. Availability of proper equipment and exercise facilities in the school will be key points at this level of evaluation. The next part of the evaluation will be at the student level, the review council will assess data relating to changes in weight as well as NAPFA standards and also find out the level of knowledge that students have with regard to healthy behaviour through surveys and quizzes which can be done through the internet. The evaluation process should be done annually and aim to identify problem areas so that newer and improved implementation could be introduced in the following years. The feasibility and efficacy of the FFFP would depend on the amount support through funding from private agencies or the government as well as having instructors who are trained in not only physical aspects of exercise and healthy lifestyle but also with the psychological capability to deal and understand the needs and challenges for individual students to overcome obesity. References Amianto, F., Lavagnino, L., Abbate-Daga, G., Fassino, S. (2011). The forgotten psychosocial dimension of the obesity epidemic.The Lancet, 378(9805), e8 Blaine, B. (2008). Does depression cause obesity? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies of depression and weight control.Journal of health psychology,13(8), 1190-1197. Bray, G. A., York, B., DeLany, J. (1992). A survey of the opinions of obesity experts on the causes and treatment of obesity.The American journal of clinical nutrition,55(1 Suppl), 151S-154S. Gupta, N., Chin, M. K., Yang, J., Balasekaran, G., Chia, M., Girandola, R. N., Mok, M. M. C. (2010). Obesity prevention in Singapore: Collaborative efforts among government, health professionals and the community. King, M. H., Lederer, A. M., Sovinski, D., Knoblock, H. M., Meade, R. K., Seo, D. C., Kim, N. (2014). Implementation and Evaluation of the HEROES Initiative A Tri-State Coordinated School Health Program to Reduce Childhood Obesity.Health promotion practice,15(3), 395-405. Ogden C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B.K., Flegal K. M. (2014). Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012.Journal of the American Medical Association,311(8), 806-814. One in nine Singaporean adults were obese in 2010: Survey (2014, January 17).Today.Retrieved from http://www.todayonline.com/daily-focus/health/one-nine- singaporean-adults-were-obese-2010-survey One million kg challenge. (2014). Retrieved August 21, 2014, from http://www.hpb.gov.sg/ References Ramachandran, A., Snehalatha, C. (2010). Rising burden of obesity in Asia.Journal of obesity,2010. Shin, N. Y., Shin, M. S. (2008). Body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, and depression in obese Korean children.The Journal of pediatrics,152(4), 502-506 Sturm, R. (2002). The effects of obesity, smoking, and drinking on medical problems and costs.Health Affairs,21(2), 245-253. Wardle, J., Cooke, L. (2005). The impact of obesity on psychological well-being.Best Practice Research Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism,19(3), 421-440.

Global Warming Essay -- Environmental Global Climate Change

What happens when too much carbon dioxide gets omitted into the Earth’s atmosphere? The condition known as Global Warming occurs. Global Warming is the rising of the Earth’s surface temperature due to chemicals in the atmosphere. Global Warming has many threats on the climate and even the health of the people on this planet. Some of these threats include the altering of crop seasons and even effect the way organisms survive on the planet. The first thing I think I should discuss when talking about global warming is what causes it to occur. Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, which are known as greenhouse gases, all build up in the atmosphere of the earth. All these gases make it so that it becomes harder for the radiation that the sun shines into the atmosphere to escape. The heat continues to build up and this is what causes the temperatures to increase. I know this seems like the temperatures increase massively but in the last hundred years the average temperature of the Earth has gone up between 0.8 and 1.0 degrees farenheight. Also in the last fifteen years, we have had the ten warmest years in record. Global Warming also helps the Earth and it has been for many years. Without global warming, the Earth’s temperature would be a lot lower than the 60-degree average. Unfortunately due to there being many more harmful â€Å"greenhouse gases† being placed into the atmosphere, instead of the temperature staying at a constant, its rising. What are many of the dangers of the Earth’s temperature rising? First of all it cause many of the glaciers that are floating in the Arctic and Greenland to melt. This in turn causes the sea levels to rise around the world. In the last hundred years alone the seas around the planet have risen anywhere from four to ten inches. I know it does not sound like a massive change but being able to raise all the seas in the world a whole ten inches is a huge problem. Sea levels also continue to rise is because the hotter temperature cause the ocean water to expand. An example of the sea level causing problems could happen on a little Native Island in the middle of an Ocean. On these islands usually where native tribes live, if the sea level rises three fourths of a meter then half of the island will sink. This could happen in many different islands around the world and if the water keeps on rising as it ... ...ications for the rest of the world are serious. Even a partial melting of the polar ice caps will cause sea levels to rise so much as to completely wipe out most coastal cities. This includes such big cities such as San Francisco and New York. Those cities that are not totally wiped out by the water will eventually be hit with hurricanes much more severe than any other one in history. Of course, inland cities are not safe either. Rather than surging seawaters and hurricanes, they will face drought. So what can be done in order to keep from all of that from happening? We need to stop putting so much pollution in to the air. No matter what there will always be a little bit of Carbon Dioxide omitted into the atmosphere. If we could just limit all the coal and fossil fuels that we burn, there will not be so much â€Å"greenhouse gases† and it would keep all of that from happening so quickly. There have also been many attempts by the United States Presidents Administrations in order to help slow down the effect. In my lifetime I know that I won’t see anything too drastic happen due to global warming, but there is a chance that my children and grandchildren will. Hopefully they wont.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Essay

In the 1950’s a psychologist called Abraham Maslow conducted research on the understanding of human motivation. In 1954 he suggested there were two sets of human needs, one set related to basic survival needs such as homeostasis, physiological needs and safety. The second set he believed focused on self –actualisation, this particular need is where he thought an individual realised their full potential. (Cardwell et al, 2000). On the basis of his theory he arranged these various needs in a hierarchy, starting with the basic survival needs and at the very top the self-actualisation need. (As pictured below). Maslow’s original Hierarchy of needs. image00. png (www. outlandishjosh. com/files/400px-Maslow’s_hierarchy_of_needs. svg. png) He suggested that each need had to be satisfied first before moving on to the next stage of the hierarchy, and the higher up the hierarchy an individual went, the more difficult it was to satisfy the needs, he suggested this was because the higher up the hierarchy an individual went the needs became psychological rather than physiological, they also became long term needs rather than short term needs. (Cardwell et al, 2000). Maslow suggested that many individuals would never reach our full potential and would therefore never reach self-actualisation. How the Hierarchy Works. Each individual starts at the bottom of the hierarchy and has to satisfy each level before they can move to the next level of the hierarchy. Physiological needs: – these are the basic needs such as, oxygen, shelter, food, thirst, sleep, sex etc, these basic needs must be meet in order to move up to the next level of the hierarchy. Safety needs: – the next level that has to be satisfied is the safety needs, these include, a need to feel physically safe and secure, security in a job, protection and stability. Love & Belongingness: – the next needs that have to be satisfied are love and belongingness, this is where an individual wants to be accepted and belong to a family or friends, to be loved and to love someone in return. Esteem needs: – this is where an individual has to satisfy their own self esteem, where they desire to be respected by others, to be given recognition in their job etc. Self-actualisation:- this is the final need to be satisfied; this is where an individual realizes their full potential and seeks self fulfilment. (Class notes). (Cardwell et al, 2000). In 1970 his hierarchy of needs was revised to include Cognitive needs (an individuals need to know and understand and needing to search for a meaning) and Aesthetic needs (the need for beauty in arts and nature etc and the need for order) he place these needs above the esteem needs. (Class Notes). (Haralambos & Rice, 2002). image01. jpg (www. waterstone. files. wordpress. com/2007/06/mh-pxw. jpg) How Maslow’s Hierarchy works In everyday life. Maslow’s hierarchy can be applied to a number of situations in everyday life, in the work placement, in schools etc to encourage motivation. Applying Maslow’s hierarchy in the work place. Physiological needs: – this level can be met by providing a place to eat and drinks, ensuring the workers have breaks, have reasonable working hours and providing a comfortable working environment, bonuses to boost their wages, etc. Safety needs: – this level can be met by providing a safe working environment, job security, pensions, health insurance etc. Love and Belongingness needs:- this level can be met by involving the individual in decision making, so that they feel part of the team, encouraging friendliness amongst the workers, introduce team building activities outside of work hours e. g. nights out, sports activities etc. Esteem needs: – this level can be met by praising the individual for their work, treating them in a professional friendly manner, offering the chance of promotion, etc. Self-actualisation:- this level can be met by the individual reaching their own goals in the workplace, encouraging the individual to be creative, by encouraging the individual to take promotions, encourage training scheme’s, etc.

Mobile Entertainment for Your Automobile essays

Mobile Entertainment for Your Automobile essays To your left, you hear Boyd Tinsley on the violin and to your right you hear Leroi Moore on the saxophone. Behind you hear the bass guitar that Stefan Lessard commands, as the beating of drums continues from Carter Beauford. Nothing can compare though to the clear voice, that is right in front of you, of Dave Matthews. You swear he is sitting next to you in your Lincoln Navigator and as you drive, singing along with him you watch his performance on your LCD monitor from the DVD player in your dashboard. All of this you can experience in an SUV of your very own with a mobile entertainment system. Many people make mistakes when building their "dream" system, though from listening to me I can help you complete a quality, sweet sounding system you can purchase at your local entertainment store. First and foremost you need to choose a proper head unit. The head unit will house the video screen, process your sound, play your music and movies, and provide control over all your audio and visual settings. In my example, I will use the new Kenwood eXcelon KVT-910DVD because of the great features and quality components it holds. This might seem like a pricey unit to select, but you will soon know you are getting your money worth when you first pop in that slick sounding DVD. This unit is capable of playing all of your audio CD's, even those you make on your PC, and also will play any DVD movie you own. It features a motorized LCD screen which negates the cost of buying an additional video monitor and already places the screen in the perfect viewing area: directly in the middle. As far as audio quality is concerned, this Kenwood is well packed with great DAC's (Digital Audio Converter's) to process the sound and a high S/N (Signal to Noise) ratio to have almost no hiss heard fro m the speakers. All of this would not be complete without the extra Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS processor to send your movie experience through the roof. Now to cho...

Create a Genealogy GEDCOM File

Create a Genealogy GEDCOM File Whether youre using a stand-alone genealogy software program or an online family tree service, there are several reasons that you might want to create, or export, your file in GEDCOM format. GEDCOM files are the standard format used for sharing family tree information between programs, so are often necessary for sharing your family tree file with friends or family members, or for moving your information to a new software or service. They can be especially useful, for example, for sharing family tree information with ancestral DNA services which allow you to upload a GEDCOM file in order to help matches determine their potential common ancestor(s). Create a GEDCOM These instructions will work for most family tree software programs. See your programs help file for more specific instructions. Launch your family tree program and open your genealogy file.In the top-left hand corner of your screen, click the File menu.Select either Export or Save As...Change the Save as Type or Destination drop-down box to GEDCOM or .GED.Select the location where youd like to save your file (make sure its one you can easily remember).Enter a filename such as powellfamilytree (the program will automatically add the .ged extension).Click Save or Export.Some type of confirmation box will appear stating that your export has succeeded.Click OK.If your genealogy software program does not have the ability to protect the privacy of living individuals, then use a GEDCOM privatizing/cleaning program to filter the details of living people from your original GEDCOM file.Your file is now ready to share with others. Export From Ancestry.com GEDCOM files can also be exported from online ancestry member trees that you own or have shared editor access to: Log in to your Ancestry.com account.Click on the Trees tab at the top of the page, and select the family tree you would like to export.Click on the name of your tree in the upper-left corner and then select View Tree Settings from the drop-down menu.On the Tree Info tab (the first tab),  select Export Tree button under the Manage Your Tree section (bottom right).Your GEDCOM file will then be generated which may take a few minutes. Once the process is complete, click on the Download your GEDCOM file button to download the GEDCOM file to your computer. Export From MyHeritage GEDCOM files of your family tree can also be exported from your MyHeritage family site: Log into your MyHeritage family site.Hover your mouse cursor over the Family Tree tab to bring up a drop-down menu, and then select Manage Trees.From your the list of family trees that appears, click on Export to GEDCOM under the Actions section of the tree you would like to export.  Choose whether or not to include photos in your GEDCOM and then click on the Begin the Export button.A GEDCOM file will be created and a link to it sent your email address. Export From Geni.com Genealogy GEDCOM files can also be exported from Geni.com, either of your entire family tree or for a specific profile or group of people: Log into Geni.com.Click on the Family tab and then click the Share Your Tree  link.Select the GEDCOM export option.On the next page, select from the following options which export only the selected profile person plus the individuals in the group you have selected: Blood Relatives, Ancestors, Descendants, or Forest (which includes connected in-law trees and may take up to several days to complete).A GEDCOM file will be generated and sent to your email. Dont worry! When you create a genealogy GEDCOM file, the software or program creates a brand new file from the information contained in your family tree. Your original family tree file remains intact and unaltered.

Governing Business Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Governing Business Activity - Essay Example Therefore, organizations must ensure that they have a competitive edge that will guarantee prosperity of the firm. Notably, competitiveness varies with certain factors. First, the industry in which the entities operate. Secondly, the size of the firm affects competitiveness significantly. Evidently, these factors have significant implications on competiveness. This write–up will discuss competitiveness in relation to the size of the entity. This write-up will also relate competitiveness to adaptation of large or small organizations to changes in the business environment (Harry & Normand 1996, p. 122). Competitiveness encompasses the ability of an entity to manage factors such as government, suppliers, rivals and customers. Suppliers provide an entity with inputs required to create products. Therefore, an entity should manage suppliers to ensure that costs do not spiral out of control thus, reducing an entity’s profitability. The government affects an entity’s com petitive edge by the policies it enacts (Pfeffer 1995, p. 234). Higher taxation reduces competitiveness. Conversely, tax cuts increases competitive edge since they entity can offer its clients products at reduced prices. Rivals are other partakers in the sector that are in direct competition with an entity for clientele or any other factor that is central to the undertakings of an organization e.g. raw materials. Therefore, rivalry reduces competitive edge since some competitors may opt for price cutting strategy to eliminate competition. This is a strategy utilized by large monopolistic entities, which seek dominance. The above factors influence competitiveness immensely as revealed above. However, their impact on competitiveness varies owing to the size of an entity (Pfeffer 1995, p. 231). A large firm has massive resources. As such, the entity has an enormous bargaining power, large market segment, and it operates on a massive scale. The above factors contribute significantly to the competitiveness of an entity. A large entity has the resources to undertake a far-reaching marketing. This will enhance its chances of boosting its sales. In contrast, a small organization does not have the resources to fund such campaigns. This reduces the chances of such an entity boosting its sales. An entity requires input to create its merchandise. Acquiring such inputs is tricky for smaller firms. Suppliers prefer large-scale purchasers. Consequently, large firms receive discounts form supplier decreasing their overheads. Contrary, small firm incur the full cost of their purchases. This means they do not benefit from discounts from supplier. The suppliers also treat large-scale purchasers in preference. If a shortage emerges, the smaller organizations will not receive any inputs. Large firms operate on a colossal scale allowing the entities to capitalize on economies of scale. Consequently, such entities incur minimum cost per unit product (Pfeffer 1995, p. 123). This allo ws such entities to offer reduced prices since they incur minimal costs. However, smaller firms incur higher costs per product. This reduces the ability of such to offer reduced prices. This decreases the competitiveness of smaller firms. In the analysis of the competitive edge, it is essential to evaluate the competitive advantage of firms based on innovation. A large firm has the means to invest in research. The research will contribute

Art me&mrs andrews the artist is Gainsborough Research Paper

Art me&mrs andrews the artist is Gainsborough - Research Paper Example Next to the man is a dog. The couple is posing next to a wheat farm. The skies are gray and the picture is dark. The man and woman appear to be composed. A flock of sheep can be seen in the far background. Careful inspection of the woman reveals that this painting may be incomplete. It looks as if there is a space where she was supposed to be holding a baby (ITP 276: Mr and Mrs Andrews by Thomas Gainsborough, 14 August 2005). The dark clouds and bright foreground of the painting indicate that the painting was done when it was about to rain. The rifle and dog could possibly mean that the man hunts for sport. The dog seems to be tugging at the man’s clothes. The couple is wearing fine clothes, an indication that they could be wealthy. The painting makes me feel calm, because the countryside imagery is fresh and inviting. If I were in the picture, I would have felt relaxed and free. Looking at it, I can hear the bleating of sheep. Gainsborough chose this setting probably because he was a painter of sceneries and nature. The location also enables him to capture the distant features of the countryside. The artist was probably most impressed by the sheep in the background, because he seems to have painted the subjects in such a way as to leave ample space for the sheep to be

Barbara Grutter v. Lee Bollinger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Barbara Grutter v. Lee Bollinger - Essay Example Such a look in itself could contribute to sexual harassment. When Faust Senior said, ‘Mmm mmm mmm mmm, while looking at Pohoskis rear end, Faust Senior was kind of showing sexual lust to Pohoski. This fact was not considered anywhere by the court. Hence, I dont agree with the courts decision. I dont agree, with the courts determination of what constitutes severe and pervasive language, either. It is because, when looking at frequency; Pohoski went through harassment in five occasions by over a 10-days period. If this not frequent enough to qualify its frequency as that of the severe and pervasive language! Secondly, talking about psychological harm, Pohoski could go home every day and just cry every day and feel upset because of the kind of treatment she was getting from Fault Senior. She felt humiliated and would wake up not feeling like going to work. It is enough evidence to show that Pohoski was humiliated and underwent psychological harm I, therefore, dont agree with the courts determination of what contributes severe and pervasive language. Ethically, it is not appropriate to speak such sexually hostile language to anyone at work place. It is not also an appropriate thing to threaten workers with such hostile words, leave alone looking at them lustfully or asking them for sex in order to keep their jobs. It would, therefore, be ethical if Faust Senior got punished for creating such a hostile work environment for other workers. It would act as an example to other workers and employers who do anything they want because they have the

Managerial economics Essay Example for Free

Managerial economics Essay 1. If a firm raises its price for Product X, TR will increase. Uncertain, Total revenue = Price Ãâ€" Quantity Sold. The price elasticity of demand tells us there are two eï ¬â‚¬ects, first is price eï ¬â‚¬ect. If price increase, each unit sold sells for a higher price, which tends to raise revenue. Second is quantity eï ¬â‚¬ect. If price increase, fewer units are sold, which tends to lower revenue. This is determines by which price eï ¬â‚¬ect or the quantity eï ¬â‚¬ect is stronger 2. When MR MC, MP (marginal profit) will be positive.  True, for each unit sold, marginal profit equals marginal revenue (MR) minus marginal cost (MC). Then, if MR is greater than MC at some level of output, marginal profit is positive and thus a greater quantity should be produced. 3. If a 10% increase in price leads to a 5% increase in TR, demand must be elastic. False, if an increase in price causes an increase in total revenue, then demand can be said to be inelastic, since the increase in price does not have a large impact on quantity demanded. 4. If the cross price elasticity is positive for two goods X and Y, X and Y must be complements. False, if the goods are complements, the value will be negative because quantity demanded increases when the price of complement falls. Example, if the price of petrol decreases to RM2 a litre, sales of cars would increase. 5. Maximizing TR is never a desirable goal for a firm.  True, profit is the difference between a firms total revenue and its total opportunity cost. Total revenue is the amount of income earned by selling products. But it does not include the total opportunity costs of all inputs into the production process. Hence, it is never a desirable goal for a firm. Firm should consider maximizing Profit instead of TR. 6. The more inelastic the demand, the more likely it is that a firm can have regular price increases. True, if firm have regular increase in price (refer to Appendix 1) from P4 to P5, the decrease in the quantity demanded is relatively small (from Q4 to Q5). It means that, the more inelastic the  demand, the percentage change in quantity demanded is less than percentage change price. Hence, firm can have regular price increases. 7. If EP = -1.25 for Group A, and EP = -.375 for Group B, and a firm uses price discrimination, Group A should pay a higher price than Group B. False, Group A is elastic and Group B is inelastic. The consumers in the inelastic sub-market will be charged the higher price, and those in the elastic sub market will be charged the lower price. So Group B should pay higher price. Please refer to Appendix 2 for illustration. 8. A consumer spends 1% of her income on Good A and 25% on Good B. Price Elasticity of Demand should be greater for Good B. True, if the consumer spends less of her income, means that Good A is a necessity good and spends more of her income means that Good B is a luxury good. Luxuries tend to more elastic than necessities as there are more options for consumer. 9. Income elasticity for an inferior good is always negative. True, because quantity demand falls as income rises. Quantity demanded and income move opposite directions, inferior goods have negative elasticity. 10. The more inelastic the demand, the flatter the demand curve. False, inelastic demand have steeper curve because quantity demanded does not respond strongly to price changes. Please refer to Appendix 3 for illustration. For a inelastic demand product such as cigarettes, when price increase by 10%, the quantity demanded will fall by 3.8%. 11. If demand goes from P = 1850 .05Q to P = 1700 .05Q, Demand has increased. False. If P = 1850 .05Q then Qd= 37000-20P and if P = 1700 .05Q, then Qd= 34000-20P. The demand curve shift to left and hence, the demand decreases. Please refer to Appendix 4 for illustration 12. If TC goes from TC = 1250 + .5Q to TC = 1200 + .6Q, FC have gone up and VC have gone down. False, because TC=TFC+TVC. From the equation above shows that, the FC decreases leads TFC to fall from 1250 to 1200 and the VC increases leads TVC to gone up from 0.5 to 0.6. Part B (Explain in a short Essay (not more than 1 page each)) 1) Define demand, discuss various determinants of demand. Demand is the quantities of good or service that consumers are willing to buy at various prices within some given period of time. Holding all other factors constant, the price of a good or service increases as its demand increases and vice versa. When factors other than price changes, demand  curve will shift. There are 5 determinants of the demand curve. First factor is price of related goods. A good or service can be related to another by being a substitute or complement. If price of a substitute changes, we expect the demand for the good under consideration to change in the same direction as the change in the substitute’s price. For instance, if the price of coffee rises, the demand for tea should increase. The complement goods are the goods that can be used together. Price of complement and demand for the other good are negatively related. Example, if the price of sugar increases, the demand for coffee will fall. Second factor is income, as people’s income rises, it is reasonable to expect their demand for a good to increase and vice versa, the demand curve will shift right. A fall in income will lead to a decrease in demand for normal goods. Goods whose demand varies inversely with income are called inferior goods. Third determinant is future expectation. If enough, buyers expect the price of a good rises in future, the current demand will increase. Also, if consumers’ current demand will increase, they expect higher future income. For example, in 2005 housing prices rose, but people bought more because they expected the price to continue to go up. This drove prices even further, until the bubble burst in 2006 (Stafffullcoll.edu. n.d.). Forth factor is tastes and preferences. This is the desire, emotion, or preference for a good or service. If consumer preference is favorable change will leads to an increase in demand. Likewise, unfavorable change leads to a decrease in demand. Example, companies spend thousands on advertising to make you feel strongly that you want a product. Last determinant is number of buyer. If the number of buyers in market rises, the demand increases. For example, the housing bubble case. Low-cost mortgages increased the number of people who were told they could afford a house. The number of buyers actually increased, driving up the demand for housing. When they found they really couldnt afford the mortgage, especially when housing prices started to fall, they foreclosed. This reduced the number of buyers, and demand also fell. 2) Briefly explain the concept of Law of diminishing returns? Discuss its assumption and importance? The law of diminishing marginal returns means that the productivity of a variable input declines as more is used  in short-run production, holding one or more inputs fixed. This law has a direct behavior on market supply, the supply price, and the law of supply. The main reasons the marginal product (MP) of this variable input declines is the fixed input. The fixed input imposes a capacity constraint on short-run production. For example, in a sandwich production, the size of the sandwich-producing kitchen and equipment is fixed. The company employs additional workers, the kitchen becomes increasingly crowded. Only so many workers can use the sandwich-preparation counter to prepare sandwich. While adding additional workers do increase total sandwich production, the extra production attributable to these workers is certain to fall as the capacity of the fixed input is limited. In fact, adding too many workers actually results in a negative marginal product, hence, total product falls. The law of diminishing marginal returns is reflected in the shapes and slopes of the total product, marginal product, and average product curves. The most important of these being the negative slope of the marginal product curve. Appendix 5 shows the graph three product curves. The total product (TP) curve shows that the total number of Sandwich Company produced per hour for a given amount of labor. The increasingly flatter slope of the TP is attributable to the law of diminishing marginal returns. Also, the marginal product curve indicates how the total production of Sandwich Company changes when an extra worker is hired. The negatively-sloped portion of the MP curve is a direct embodiment of the law of diminishing marginal returns. Further, the average product curve indicates the average number of Sandwich Company produced by workers. The negatively-sloped portion of the AP curve is indirectly caused by the law of diminishing marginal returns. As marginal product declines, due to the law of diminishing marginal returns, it also causes a decrease in average product. 3) Explain the various economies and diseconomies of scale? Economies of scale are the cost advantages that a business can exploit by expanding the scale of production. The effect is to reduce the long run average (unit) costs of production. Economies of scale have brought down the unit costs of production and feeding through to lower prices for consumers (appendix 6). It could be achieved by buying new machinery, and build a bigger factory. There are two types of economy of scale and depending on the particular characteristics of an industry, some are more important than others. Firstly, internal economies of scale are a  product of how efficient a firm is at producing, that is specific to individual firm. Example, advantages are enjoyed by expansion. Next, external economies of scale occur outside of a firm but within an industry. Example, industry’s scope of operations expand due to better transportation network, will result a decrease in cost for a company working within industry, , external economies of scale have been achieved. Diseconomies of scale are the forces that cause larger firms to produce goods and services at increased per unit costs. The concept is the opposite of economies of scale to a situation which economies of scale no longer function for a firm. Rather than experiencing continued decreasing costs per increase in output, firms see an increase in marginal cost when output is increased (appendix 6). When a firm expands its production scale beyond a certain level, it suffers certain disadvantages. These disadvantages are called internal diseconomies of scale. The result of these diseconomies of scale is a fall run average cost. There are a number of factors that might give rise to inefficiencies as the size of the firm grows. As the size of the firm grows beyond a certain level, organization, control and planning is needed. This makes the managerial responsibilities more difficult. Delegation of the management functions to lower personnel becomes very common. Since the lower personnel lack the adequate experience to undertake the task, it may result in low output at higher cost. All these lead to an increase in the long-run average cost. Further, the external diseconomies of scale are beyond the control of a company increases its total costs, as output in the rest of the industry increases. The increase in costs can be associated with market prices increasing for some or all of the factors of production. For instance, high competition for labor, when there is more firms in industry, there will be increased demand for labor, making the best workers harder to keep (Keat and Young, 2009). References Stafffullcoll.edu. n.d. DETERMINANTS OF DEMAND. [online] Available at: http://staffwww.fullcoll.edu/fchan/macro/1determinants_of_demand.htm [Accessed: 28 Mar 2014]. Keat, P.G. and Young, P.K.Y., 2009 ‘Managerial Economics: 6th ed. Economic Tools for Today’s Decision Makers’. Pg. 266-268

Hospitality and hospitality management

Hospitality and hospitality management The aim of this paper is to critically review the nature of hospitality and hospitality management that Hilton Worldwide adapted. In view of this it is to be expected that analysis may range from the view at one end of the continuum that this is a lot of unnecessary nonsense which only serves to confuse the issues further, to that which sees this exercise as a stimulating and liberating contribution at the other. The views expressed in the paper clearly raise some significant issues and questions which Hilton management needs to be addressed more fully in the future. The challenge to the conventional wisdom highlights both the identity and parameter issues related to the nature and scope of what should be properly regarded as hospitality and hospitality management. This, in turn, poses some fundamental evaluation concerning the most appropriate orientation and priorities for both hospitality and hospitality management research and practice for Hilton. Counted Words:  ± 4200 Company Overview Hilton Worldwide previously known as Hilton Hotels Corporation is a leading hospitality company located worldwide. The new formation signifies the companys global business reach and strategies; the logo denitrifies the hotels affluent heritage and values and excellence in service (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). The companys vision is to fill the earth with light and warmth of hospitality and the mission is to be the global hospitality company; be the first choice for the guests, employee and owners alike (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). The values of Hilton worldwide is embosses inside the name itself which are H (hospitality) delivering outstanding hospitality experience I (integrity) always do the right thing L (leadership) prominent leader in key business areas and communalities T (teamwork) success is the combination of teamwork in everything it does O (ownership) owner of business actions and decisions N (now) operate in terms of urgency and discipline Hilton worldwide consists of 10 brands includes more than 3300 hotels in 77 countries as of today and is planning to open 300 in coming days. All of these hotels are either operated by contract or wholly owned by Hilton. Management body is headed by a chairman and CEO, the company is divided into 4 global regions: America, Europe, Middle East Africa, and Asia Pacific (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). External Audit Macro Environmental (PESTE) Analysis) A PESTE Analysis is an analysis of external macro-environmental factor that affects firms business. PESTE is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social, Technological and Environmental issues that influences the strategic development of a business. These issues are different in different locations and thus business firms may adopt different strategies in different countries where it operates to identify the business opportunities as well as threats. This assessment task would consider the worldwide strategy of Hilton (King, 1995). Political Political factors include government rules, regulations and legal issues under which the firm must operate and adhere (Nailon, 1982);(Wood, 1994). The issues discussed are environmental regulation and protection, political stability, corporate and consumer taxation, framework for contract enforcement, intellectual property protection, trade regulations, trading partners, anti-trust laws, pricing, mandatory employee benefits, industrial safety regulations, product labeling requirements, competition regulation etc (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). The political movement can have definite effects on hotel business in UK. For example, if government set a rules under 18 years patrons must be accompanied with parents or guardians, it may result the decrease of young visitors. Imposing high goods and service tax (GST) or similar taxes would prevent more people to visit the hotel more often. By loosing these potential customers, Hilton may loose income and may need increase products and services to recover losses. Though Hilton groups are committed to use high scale safety standards, UK government rules may not give permission to operate business due to safety reason (like hill, low lying areas) even though there may have choice if business growth (Middleton, 1983). If the government plans to subsidies some of the service it provides (e.g. for disabled or senior citizens), the hotel may gain profits as well as increase services. Thus political actions may have both negative and positive impact on hotel business (Edgar and Umbreit, 1 988); (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). Economic Economic factors positively effects hospitality business. It determines how easy or difficult to sustain in a business along with capital, cost, demand, monetary policy, unemployment rates, exchange rates of foreign currencies, tax on exchanges (Wood, 1994). When economic growth is high, consumers income level raises thus demand for hospitality will increase too. Since the recent economic recession started, hospitality business was hit badly and it is yet to recover from the losses incurred. Increase of rates would prevent hotelier to seek for alternative choices (e.g. budget hotel or even home stay). In UK, hotel accommodation prices are extremely high than any other countries around the world. Consumers income level didnt rise up much and they fell the stringent budget allocation for daily needs. Very few people will consider spending holidays in luxurious hotels if they dont afford to. A higher income or wages will allow domestic traveler to get high class hospitality in high clas s hotels (King, 1995). Social Social factors are income level, demographics, geographies, life style, education, weather, culture and fashions (Wood, 1994). Social factors can be both opportunities and threats for a hospitality business (Lewis, 1988). Different age or sex of people would require different services (Slattery, 1983). Elderly people demand is not similar to young people. Business people will seek to have more work related facilities (e.g. internet, video conference) while holiday makers would seek more natural touch (e.g. garden, fishing) (Burgess, 1982). Cultural differences are a major play in hospitality business. While local people like crowd and gossip, tourist would seek for quiet and silent place as they plan holiday. Season is also an important factor (Middleton, 1983). Year end and holiday season are peak time for hotel business while therere not much crowd during working days or off-peak season. Most travelers are affected by bad weather and usually dont think for leisure during extreme either condition specially in winter season (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Technological This is the century of technology enhancement. So does business. Aggressive development of technological factors brought rapid growth for hotel business (Slattery, 1983). The factors may include spend on technological research; government effort focus industry based technology, new invention and their impacts, communication alternatives, speed of technology transfer, cost of usage, rate of technological diffusion. New technology could prove a useful input in hospitality business but it has to established with purchase and installment cost along with training to employees (King, 1995). Hiltons business will mostly depend on technological factors. Customers from around the world is now able to evaluate the products and services provided by Hilton through the respective websites, compare prices, seek advice and even can reserve a facility as early as one year prior to arrival. Hilton group itself placed much effort to keep the website simple and user friendly so that visitor will not feel difficulty to find any available information. Any latest service or products can reach to millions of customers through the website or communications (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985). Providing details of every facilities Hilton placed itself to the top choice of any search engines. Traveler from any part of the world can communicate in real time with Hilton representative and made their choices, payments etc (Burgess, 1982). Besides for in-hotel customer, Hilton offers state-of-the art high speed wireless, video communications, and teleconferencing, to keep guests always in touch with outside world. These services received a bug thumbs up since it was introduced and continuously keep enhancing technology to stay ahead in business (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Environmental Environmental factors have been considered important factors for large organizations which particularly operated worldwide (Wood, 1994). This factor includes environmental responsibility, improvement of performance towards sustainable future, guest and team commitment to environments, reuse and recycle materials etc (Khan and Olsen, 1988). Hilton hotels recognizes their responsibility by embracing environmental mission includes all members under its group to focus on energy water efficiency, CO2 reduction, waste management, renewable energy. It take environment friendly initiatives which will impact guests positively, influence use of resources in harmony with nature by promoting the use of best environment sociable practices, supports local environment policies (Middleton, 1983). As of present days, Hilton promised to reduce energy consumption, CO2 emissions and waste output by 20% and water consumption by 10%. These steps ahead will place the firm in lead position and will increase reputation by means. Industry Dynamic (Porters 5 Force) Analysis Porters model determines the competitiveness of an organization using the five different forces and shows how the forces are related. To develop business strategies effectively, organizations must understand and act in response to those forces. (Porter, 1985) Rivalry Among Existing Competitors Competitive rivalry analysis is one of the key areas that business must consider to determine business strategy that firm must adopt and implement continuously over time (Wood, 1994); (Porter, 1985). The hotel business now days are very much competitive. With millions of tourist travels every year, luxurious hotel is the first choice for most tourists. Having numerous competitors in market (e.g. inter continental, best western) the competition between players are intense (Burgess, 1982). For example, British consumers are said to having higher buying powers thus will seek for high end luxuries. That works behind the reason why companies constantly compete for better products and attractive prices. In order to be leader is luxurious market, Hilton has to offer unique offers (E.g Park and fly with up to 8 days airport parking, ultimate spa journey with six senses spa in London). This force is in favor of Hilton. Threat of New Entrants Threat of new entrants may consider the ease of new entry, competitive advantages, place and positions, customers, government support etc (Porter, 1985). To open a new luxurious hotel by another firm in UK would be quite difficult since there are huge regulations and rules imposed by governments. UK government chooses to advise the existing hotels to improve their business rather than consider letting bring new competitors. Besides, consumer now days doesnt seek much luxurious hotel; instead they would prefer budget hotel. Thus new entry to comfy hotel business is not deep (Nailon, 1982). This force is in favor of Hilton. Threat of Substitute Product and Services This force is said to have much influence in Hilton business strategy in recent years. There force includes factors such as product for product substation, need, facilities, budget etc (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985);(Porter, 1985). Hilton not only requires looking after new entrants as threat but also substituted product and service as a major threat. When there is matter of hospitality, its consumers choice what they chose to take. For example, a water bottle in Hiltons cafà © may cost few more pounds which is cheap just the opposite side grocery shop. A lavishness spa may cost few hundreds of pounds which may be proven cheapest for similar kind in other dedicated spa shops. For one night stopper, back packers and Hilton doesnt have any special prices which usually find their way in budget hotel. These type of consumers seems to be become a huge amount at the end as budget hotel is booming every where around the world. Hilton came up with idea of including a theme park in hote ls without considering that some areas may already have amusement park which provide same services as they plan; often in cheap price. This force is against Hilton (Burgess, 1982). Bargaining Power of Buyers This force consists of high income, large service provider, low switching cost etc (Porter, 1985). Before economic recession, consumers were having high incomes and seek more luxuries. As there are choices available in the market, Hilton has to react very quickly to retain customer intention to be their choice of providing world class hospitality in possible lowest price (Lewis, 1988). Todays buyers are most dynamic and well motivated requires more concentration on their needs . Hilton would have to avoid what they think about customer; instead they should identify what consumers think about Hilton. Consumers will definitely seek most affordable having all facilities they required and so, hospitality firms have to struggle of adopts the new trends, lifestyle as quickly as possible to offer their loyal customers (Slattery, 1983). This force is against Hilton. Bargaining power of suppliers This force may include switching cost, high purchase cost etc (Porter, 1985). Raw material suppliers play an important role in firms business growth (Tideman, 1983). A foodstuff supplier may not offer todays price tomorrow due of supply shortage (Middleton, 1983). Thus to offer catering to guest, Hilton has to purchase the same stuffs in higher prices which will be sum of large amounts of money (Burgess, 1982). If this extra money is to be imposed on guests, this would result Hilton loosing business. Besides, switching to another supplier would be a difficult choice too (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). For example, Hilton has hired a transportation Company to ferry its guest everywhere they go. Considering, high demand of transportation business offers high price, Hilton has to pay high prices than normal to retain transportation facilities in operation. This force is not in favor of Hilton (Khan and Olsen, 1988). From the above analysis of Hiltons 5 forces analysis, the diagram below will provide a summary of the firms overall industry analysis. Porters 5 force analysis talks about the external forces applicable to the outside of business. Todays business is much more vast and robust requiring dynamic approaches which should be an integration of different approaches rather than depends on a single analysis (Porter, 1985). Internal factor analysis requires much analysis as external. Designing, visioning and learning approaches should be considered when an industry analysis is done. Porters 5 forces are lack of these factors. (Jones, 1996) Bargaining Power of Buyers (-) Threat of Substitute Products and Services (-) Bargaining Power of Buyers (-) Threat of New Entrants (+) Rivalry among existing competitors (+) External Factor Evaluation (EFE) Matrix External factor evaluation a strategic tool used for analyze the current business strategy. External factors consider the opportunities and threats that a business or firm may face. These factors are closely related to PESTE analysis. Developing EFE matrix is generally easy in mathematical term. The first step is to gather external factors for opportunities and threats. Next, assign weight to each factor. The weight should be between 1 to 100 (0 means the factor has no value, 1 is most influential and 100 means most critical). All weights at the end must be sum to 100. Then, rate of factors is necessary. Rate indicates how responsive the firm is towards the factors Rating usually be done between 1 to 4 (1 = poor response 2= below average, 3= above average, 4 = fast response). Next, multiply each factor weight its ratings resulting weighted score. Lastly, total sum of all weighted score will determine the EFE of the firm. For Hiltons Worldwide Weight Rating Weighted Score Threats Economic recession 20% 4 0.80 Government Tax 10% 2 0.20 Low cost hospitality 15% 4 0.60 Price change of raw materials 8% 2 0.16 Opportunities Strategic location 10% 1 0.10 High hospitality in low price 7% 2 0.14 Awarding loyal customer 15% 2 0.30 Associate with other business 15% 3 0.45 Total weighted score 100% 2.75 The weighted score 2.75 indicates that Hilton has the high ability to response to external factors (value below 2.50 indicates lower response). Internal Audit Value Chain Activities Internal Quality of Service To sustain in this high competitive market Hilton has to maintain strict internal quality of service (Lewis, 1988). Employees are trained in training center to face any kind of difficulty to ensure the harmony in hospitality business. Up to date information are distributed in a moment when new decision are made (Burgess, 1982). Employee Satisfaction Proper attitude of employer towards the employee in Hilton has been recognized as one of the important factors of company growth which is reflected in their high quality of services to customers. All employees are closely monitored to ensure they dont feel trouble in both on and off-duty (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Employee Loyalty Hilton has always come up with the issue to retain their talented hosts to serve guests. Employee has been given extensive facilities and almost 95% employees are proven to be loyal to Hilton groups. Reallocation of task brought diversification to employees and influence them grow their career in first class hospitality business (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). External quality of Service Hilton is said to be one of to best strategic partner other companies would love be part of. From airlines to travel agencies, Hilton has maintained a good chin of network to reach to any part of the world virtually (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). Customer Satisfaction Consumers in hospitality business seek high quality personnel and dedicated client services (Tideman, 1983). Since adopting high range hospitality strategy, Hiltons focus always has been in its superior client service. From Beijing to Sydney, From New York to Paris, consumer satisfaction has been always taken care of provided with culture and life style mix (Khan and Olsen, 1988). Customer Loyalty The company also manages the world-class guest reward program HHonors. HHonors branding enables their hospitality brands to further build their distinguishing identities and the strong value proposition of the HHonors program through customer loyalty (Pfeifer, 1983). Customer loyalty is yet to get the desired outputs since it is not too long it was introduced (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Higher Income So thus, having values in hand, Hilton has no way to slip from business. It has been growing over time. Despite having hard time during recent economic recession, Hiltons business is said to be growing further up with expansion plan to build up to 300 hotels worldwide (Burgess, 1982). Internal Factor Evaluation (IFI) Internal factors consider the strength and weakness that a business or firm may face. Developing IFE matrix is similar to EFE matrix that has been done is page 7. The first step is to gather external factors for opportunities and threats. Next, assign weight to each factor. The weight should be between 1 to 100 (0 means the factor has no value, 1 is most influential and 100 means most critical). All weights at the end must be sum to 100. Then, rate of factors is necessary. Rate indicates how responsive the firm is towards the factors Rating usually be done between 1 to 4 (1 = major weakness 2= minor weakness, 3= minor strength, 4 = major strength). Next, multiply each factor weight its ratings resulting weighted score. Lastly, total sum of all weighted score will determine the IFE of the firm. For Hiltons Worldwide Weight Rating Weighted Score Strength Good reputation 17% 4 0.68 Large hotel chain 20% 3 0.60 Well-built management team 16% 3 0.48 Wide range of services 14% 2 0.28 Weakness Not for all consumer 10% 1 0.10 Expensive 10 % 1 0.10 Poor customer service 8% 2 0.16 Slow growth in change of demand 5% 2 0.10 Total weighted score 100% 2.50 The weighted score 2.5 indicates that Hilton has the mutual response to internal factors. Strategic Plan for Next 3 Years TOWS Matrix Strength-Opportunities Strategies Hilton hotels have a good reputation in hospitality business and a large amount of customer chain. Introducing low cost packages for travelers will means a true hospitality to the existing customer as well as for new customers (Slattery, 1983). Hiltons wide range of services may be available to people of all income level (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Strength-Threat Strategies Retain the talented and well managed employees for a smoother business in future could be proven vital (Pfeifer, 1983). Hilton should ways perform task variation, and frequent conversation will all employees to prevent dispute. Employee may be shifted to international chains to gain experience so that they would be loyal to the firm (Burgess, 1982). Weakness-Opportunity Strategies High hospitality in low price is definitely a go ahead step Hilton could adopt to overcome its weakness (King, 1995). Now that, market is been volatile, Hilton may consider leaving high scale profit to high range of customer levels to make its facilities open to all customers (Pfeifer, 1983). For example, golf course facility should be opened to all hotel guests not only for guest who additionally buy the facility. Hilton may not loose much amount of money but it would be proven a customer oriented approach (Jones, 1996). Weakness-Threats Strategies Poor customer service has been shouted long as major drawbacks for Hilton hotels. Sometimes customer has been given something that is not asking for and has been charged for that said services (Middleton, 1983). Price structure very often is not described to customer before offering thus it brings confusion. In hotel customer services is very crucial to maintain in very high level at always and customer must get the price focus than anything else (Lewis, 1988); (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985). SMART Objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-framed) SMART objectives refer to an acronym for five measures of well business growth plan. Often these measures are used to define firms objectives and future goals and evaluation of growth plan. Specific (What to do? For who? With whom) Any growth strategy should be specific and certain. Confusion on goals will bring ambiguous results which may prove fatal for a hospitality business like Hiltons. Well specified business goals, responsible resources, affected peoples, impact on the firms business should be well defined in this stage (Burgess, 1982). Measurable (Is measurable? How to measure?) Of course, once the growth plan and objectives are specified, a certain quantity or quality must be assigned to determine the success or failure of the process (Pfeifer, 1983). As an example, for future expansion, Hilton plans to open 300 new hotels in next years. 300 is a measurable amount. So then, if the actual success rate is only 200 hotels, it can be said that, the plan didnt succeed fully (Khan and Olsen, 1988). Achievable (Can it be done within the resource available?) Future growth depends upon many aspects specially political, economical and social aspects. If a sudden increase of raw material price, construction of 300 hotels may not be possible within the said budget. Re- calculation might predict a lower scale of growth size (Jones, 1996). Relevant (Does this step lead to expected outcome?) Once achievable measurement are defined, Hilton must consider whether getting 300 more hotels would be viable; specially consider the recent economic downturn. In some places, consumer may not afford to get Hiltons service; especially poor developed where tourism sectors are not blooming, opening a high scale hotel may not provide desired output (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Time-Framed (How much time need to get the objectives done?) Time is a very important factor for any objectives to be proven very profitable or even failure. Timely decision and timely implementation is the crucial mixture of time-frame (Pfeifer, 1983). For any growth strategy, Hilton must choose the right time to go ahead and put a hold when the time is not right (Taylor and Edgar, 1996). When demand competition is high, Hilton may offer lower price for customers which may includes unique packages for a limited time (Khan and Olsen, 1988). 4.3 Ansoffs Growth and Contingency Matrix The Ansoff Growth matrix is a strategic direction tool that helps businesses decides their strategies for growth. Ansoffs product/market growth matrix discuss about the strategies on which the business deliver new or current products in new or current markets (Tideman, 1983). Overall output of Ansoff product/market matrix is sets of strategies that set the direction for the business growth. These are described below: http://strategyiseverywhere.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/ansoff_matrix.png Market Penetration Market penetration is a general name of selling current products into current markets. Hilton should continuously introduce new products and service to customers to leap ahead (Jones, 1996); (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985). Since the hotels most incomes come from hospitality facility, reshape of current products will ensure market growth and increase of demands by existing customers (Burgess, 1982). Market penetration for Hilton will be focused on the central markets that it is very familiar with, competitors are known, customer needs are defined and returns are potential (King, 1995). Market development Market development tells about the distribution of current products in new market. With its existing facilities, the hotel may introduce private hospitality for the customers who love personal luxury (Taylor and Edgar, 1996). A possible example could be provide terrace houses for high end customers with dedicated services (e.g. personal driver, personal chef etc). (Lewis, 1988) Product development Product development is the name given to a growth strategy where a business aims to introduce new products into existing markets (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985). Customer lifestyle has been changed dramatically in recent years so does demands (Jones, 1996). New generation customers wants champagne instead of coffee. Thus opening of new products with unique style will remind the customers that Hilton cares what customer wants (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Diversification Distribution of new products in new markets is risky. Only in certain aspects large organization does adopt this. However, it can be proven a major milestone in firms business if diversity has been done and succeed. Self service kiosk is a new service recently introduce in Hilton hotels (Burgess, 1982). Most consumers still prefer to use traditional over the counter facilities to get the process done manually or meet special request (Taylor and Edgar, 1996). New expansion business should not introduce directly this self service facility. First customer should have provided training or information about the usage of system in new market. Else, this step would be proven as a disappointment (Jones, 1996). Conclusion Hilton International, the worlds best known hotel brand, has triumphed at the prestigious UK National Business Awards for a second year by winning the coveted Broadsystem Customer Focus Award 2005. The judges awarded Hilton Best Customer Focus for demonstrating it has the customer at the heart of its business and deploys and manages its resources to most effectively meet the needs of its customer base. Creative marketing agency, campaign works, has supported Hiltons new brand strategy. The next phase saw the development of innovative internal and external marketing tools that communicated and delivered the brand strategy throughout the organization and to the customer. The strategy led to outstanding success for Hilton International with significant commercial returns. However, like any other company, Hilton still has room to improve further (Burgess, 1982).