Probability Games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Probability Games - Essay Example The coin flip has only two probable outcomes, that is, either it is heads or tails. One flipped the coin twenty times and got a result of eleven heads and nine tails. Although flipping a coin is said to have an equal chance of coming up on either side, one’s experience did not have such a result. This may be due to the fact that the experiment was only made twenty times. According to frequentists, â€Å"the probability of getting a heads is 1/2, not because there are two equally likely outcomes but because repeated series of large numbers of trials demonstrate that the empirical frequency converges to the limit 1/2 as the number of trials goes to infinity† (Edurite.com, n.d.). ` When one played the dice roll, one realized that the outcomes are much more than the coin flip because each die has six sides. The other die has also six sides; thus, rolling the two dice at the same time would mean that there are greater possible outcomes. It is therefore harder to predict the results of the dice roll than the coin flip. The method that will be difficult for children to understand is the theoretical method because it is difficult to imagine it. Experimental probabilities are easier to understand because they can see it clearly, such as the coin flipping. For children, using formulas to determine the probabilities is quite a challenge. Through the games that one played, one learned that in determining probabilities, it is important that one knows what the likely outcomes of the experiment are. One also learned that some outcomes may have equal likely outcomes while others may be mutually exclusive events (Homepages.ius.edu, n.d.). There are also some events which may be non-mutually exclusive, which means that some events may have common outcomes (Homepages.ius.edu, n.d.). The study of probabilities is very relevant to decision making. Although, the experiment that one performed by playing the coin flip and the dice roll may not be so important,

An analysis of the hospitality industry: Nahm

An analysis of the hospitality industry: Nahm INDEX In this project I have briefly mentioned about the restaurant Nahm which is a fantastic restaurant to talk, experience and research. This project has helped me to discover about the restaurant and grabs my interest towards the restaurant. The projects also talks about how the cuisine served in the restaurant is famous around the world. Chef David Thompson with the Michelin star in Nahm London is a very creative chef for his cuisine. The restaurants ranking has been consistent in the world for its great food and service. 1 NAHM: THE RESTAURANT 1.1 Introduction to hospitality industry: The hospitality industry is a very vast industry to explore. However, hospitality starts from our home where, how elegantly we serve our guests and be generous to them. Hospitality industry is not just about hotels and restaurants, it simply means that how the guest is provided with privilege services to enjoy in any kind of shelter, whether home or away from home. The main aim of hospitality industry is to make the guest happy with the services provided. 1.2 List of hospitality sectors: Accommodation, includes hotel, hostels, resorts, motels Food Beverage. Includes all kinds of restaurants, cafà ©s, bars, pubs etc. Travel, tourism sector Recreation centers Convention, Meetings events Entertainment sectors, includes movie theatres, amusement parks etc. (Powers Barrows, 1999), (University, 2015) 1.3 Evolution of restaurant: The word â€Å"RESTAURANT† earlier meant was to restore where in the ancient time people indicated the word as a soup which was rich and highly flavored that used to restore the strength which was been lost. The word has been pass through many centuries changing its meaning. Now, the word means where people come to a place to eat. Throughout the globe, the restaurant business is been visible to everyone. The restaurants are booming worldwide. People love to eat and they want to dine and socialize with all of their leisure time. Now, we also have the quick service restaurants for the people who don’t have time to cook their meal and all the want a ready made quick meal which can give energy to work all day long. This all of the services and the restaurant lifestyle which we are receiving today is only because of the French revolution. Yes, the French revolution has played a big role in developing the restaurants. In the time of 18th century there were many travelers who visited various inns or any kind of food shop which also served wine or beer, from this the restaurant evolution commenced. These tavern restaurants were the product of France in the period of 1765, where the first ever restaurant was discovered which is known as Le Boulanger, Boulanger was a Parisian bouillon seller and he quoted as his sign that â€Å"Boulanger sells restoratives fit for the gods†. From that period the number of restaurants started increasing in Paris and then grew all over the world. This period was a role playing period for discovering of restaurants. Later, the industrial revolution handled the modern food which helped in rising of chain the restaurants. McDonald’s is the best example of chain restaurants which is dominating the chain restaurants worldwide. However chain restaurants is very different from a proper fine dining restaurant. Fine dining restaurants has its own different world, serving its specialty food to the people with a great amou nt of authenticity and Michelin stars involved. People will dine for the better ambience, leisure and would want to try various cuisine’s specialty that the restaurant would serve. With many of the restaurants serving its own cuisine, the cuisine they are serving should be authentic as well as traditional and only some of the restaurants could make it to the best of the cuisine. That’s how the top fine dine restaurants stand out the crowd. Where the NAHM restaurant is one of them. (Olver, 2015), (Mealey, 2015) 2 RESEARCH 2.1 About NAHM: NAHM is awarded the world’s top 50 restaurants and ranks in top 13, and is Asia’s no.1 restaurant. The owner of the restaurant is an Australian Chef, Chef David Thompson. The restaurant received the first Michelin star after six months of its opening in its London branch. The restaurant serves Thai cuisine and is based in Bangkok. Unfortunately the London restaurant is closed and lost its Michelin star. The NAHM Bangkok was opened 2010. 2.2 About Chef David Thompson: Chef David Thompson is an Australian chef. The chef is also an author as well as broadcaster and is expert in Thai cuisine. Before opening his restaurant NAHM, Chef David Thompson had his restaurant named Darley street Thai in Sydney, Australia. This restaurant was voted as the best Thai restaurant 8 years in a row by Sydney morning herald. Then later chef established NAHM Bangkok and later NAHM London. The Chef is the author of ‘Thai Food‘in 2001, which was named Andre Simon ‘Book of the Year’ and the Glenfiddich ‘Cookery Book of the Year.’ In 2010, Chef published a new book â€Å"Thai Street food†. 2.3 About the flavors of the cuisine served: Chef David Thompson serves the most authentic Thai cuisine to the restaurant with his experienced team. The chef believes that the traditional Thai cuisine is all about dynamic interplay of dynamic sweet salty, hot sour. The chef uses ingredients such as garlic, shrimp paste, chilies, and lemongrass and blends them together to create an authentic, subtle elegance in which every element is in perfect balance. These all includes the curries, the salads, relishes, the soups the stir-fries, implementing the traditional Thai ingredients which is less seen in modern Thai cuisine. The restaurant uses the best market produce all over the globe and produces its own best dishes using the rare ingredients such as jungle curry with ‘pla chorn’ which is a fresh water Thai fish. The chef also creates colorfuldesserts which is a blend of salty and sweet. (Comohotels.com, 2015), (Theworlds50best.com, 2015) 2.4 Ambience of the restaurant: NAHM is found in the dining of Metropolitan hotel by COMO. The restaurant is situated to the ground floor of the hotel, which gives the straight view of the outdoor pool. The Guests can dine in the restaurant’s exotic interiors as well as up on the terrace and the restaurant also opens a facility for different dining room for corporate as well as social events. The restaurant is interconnect to private rooms, having the same ambience as the NAHM, to accommodate 24 people. NAHM closes in its ideas from the temples of the ancient Siam city of Ayutthaya, which features the bare wooden tables and raw brick pillars, with Chef David Thompson forcing in 100 percent effort to tune the ambience with the menu.(Comohotels.com, 2015), (Theworlds50best.com, 2015) 2.5 .Menu of the Restaurant: The dinner menu of the restaurant cost around 1,700 baht per person. Canapà ©s are also available in the restaurant. The set dinner is very long to finish, which would be completed around 2 and half hours. The menu consists of 8 course meal. The menu is also available in a la carte style and then followed by the dessert. The portion of the meal is decided according to people in the group are there. The lunch menu would cost around 1,100 baht per person, though the price of the menu is high, it comes in top 50 restaurants so the menu standard is excellent and worth the price. The restaurant initially serves ‘ma hor’ which consists of minced shrimp, chicken and nuts reduced in palm sugar topped with a slice of pineapple and then the meal is followed with canapà ©s. The restaurant serves flavorful curries, steamed dishes, stir fries and grilled specialties. In Canapà ©s, the restaurant serves Spicy Pork with Mint, and Southern Grilled Mussels , Peanuts and Crunchy Rice on Betel Leaves. The restaurant also serves the famous Thai Coconut and Turmeric Curry of Blue Swimmer Crab with Calamansi Limes which is the most authentic dish to try in the restaurant. The Grilled Pork Cheek with Smoky Tomato Sauce is one of the best dishes served in the restaurant. The restaurant also serves desserts like Sweet Thai Wafer with Poached Persimmons and Golden Duck Egg Noodles and Pistachio Pudding and Golden Tear Drops with Perfumed Mung Beans. The desserts are generally made from tropical fruits, vegetables and beans, prepared with coconut milk. The restaurant serves excellent salads like lemongrass salad of meaty prawns. The restaurant also offers the clear soup of roast duck with Thai basil and coconut. The menu of the restaurant is very traditional and authentic and brings back all of the old dishes. (DanielFoodDiary.com, 2014), (bangkok.com, 2015) 2.6 Running time of the restaurant: For the lunch the restaurant from Monday to Friday starts from 12pm to 2pm The dinner is served daily, the dinner starts from 7pm to 10.30pm For dinner the last time to order is 10:30 pm 2.7 Reservation policies: The reservation will be only available for 30 minutes against of the booking time the person has done and after that reservation will be released. 2.8 Dress code policy: The customer has to be dressed in smart casuals and won’t be allowed in the restaurant in short pants or any kind of sleeveless t shirts. The customer should also avoid wearing slippers, flip flops and open toe sandals. 3- Conclusion: Although Chef David Thompson is an Australian chef, he is highly skilled in Thai cuisine and it doesn’t mean that any other nationality chef cannot have the art of other cuisine. Chef David Thompson has worked hard to get his restaurant in top 50 in the world. He is very passionate about Thai cuisine and can be seen in his restaurant. NAHM is a very beautiful Thai restaurant and people can have a very wonderful experience of the restaurant as well as the traditional food served. NAHM was the first Thai restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star to its London restaurant which was closed later. Chef David Thompson now runs his restaurant in Bangkok and is very committed to his restaurant. He believes that the restaurant here in Bangkok is perfect for running in nature. He believes that the restaurant can only be operated in Thailand. (Lynne, 2014) References- Olver, L. (2015). The Food Timeline: history notesrestaurants, chefs foodservice. Foodtimeline.org. Retrieved 3 January 2015, from http://www.foodtimeline.org/restaurants.html Mealey, L. (2015). A History of the Restaurant. About. Retrieved 3 January 2015, from http://restaurants.about.com/od/Restauranthistory/a/A-History-Of-The-Restaurant.html Powers, T., Barrows, C. (1999). Introduction to management in the hospitality industry. New York: Wiley. University, C. (2015).HSC Online Develop and update hospitality industry knowledge.Hsc.csu.edu.au. Retrieved 7 January 2015, from http://hsc.csu.edu.au/hospitality/hosp_240/comp_units/SITHIND001B/4372/sectors.html Comohotels.com,. (2015). Thai Cuisine in Sathorn | The Metropolitan Bangkok. Retrieved 3 January 2015, from http://www.comohotels.com/metropolitanbangkok/dining/nahm/concept Theworlds50best.com,. (2015). Nahm. Retrieved 3 January 2015, from http://www.theworlds50best.com/asia/en/asias-50-best-restaurants/1-10/nahm.html DanielFoodDiary.com,. (2014).Nahm Bangkok – Thailand’s Best Restaurant Was Good, Not Enough to Wow. Retrieved 3 January 2015, from http://danielfooddiary.com/2013/03/07/nahm/ bangkok.com,. (2015). Nahm Restaurant Bangkok.com Magazine. Retrieved 3 January 2015, from http://www.bangkok.com/magazine/nahm.html Lynne, R. (2014). MBS Guy Savoy closes: Street-food version of famed Thai restaurant Nahm will take its space.The Straits Times. 1

Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays

Divine Comedy Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy is said to be the single greatest epic poem of all time. The opening story of the character of Dante the Pilgrim is told in the first of the three divisions: The Inferno. The Inferno is a description of Dante’s journey down through Hell and of the several degrees of suffering and many mythical creatures that he encounters on the way. Throughout his travel Dante displays many different feelings and actions but the emotion that summarizes the entire poem is fear. While some of his character traits change as his mind matures and acknowledges the justice being carried out, from the very beginning until the final Canto, his fear does not subside. This does well to reinforce the symbolism of Dante as Everyman and serves to direct the reader to the moral purpose of Divine Comedy, because of the humility and dependence upon God that fear produces. In the first Canto, which serves as an introduction to the entire comedy, Dante encounters the three beasts which impede his progress out of the dark woods. Coming upon the She-Wolf he writes: "This last beast brought my spirit down so low / with fear that seized me at the sight of her, / lost all hope of going up the hill" (I.52-54). Dante is so shaken by the appearances of the three beasts that he rushes headlong into the dark woods he has just come out of. This is only the first obstacle Dante encounters, but it proves an insurmountable one. When Dante and Virgil reach the gate of Hell, Dante is overcome with fear upon reading the inscription above the gate and hearing the screams and lamentations of those inside. He reacts to the inscription by crying out, " ‘Master,’ I said, ‘these words I see are cruel.’ " (III.12). By this he shows his fear of the unknown because he does not yet know exactly what he will witness during his descent. One of Dante’s truest display of fear occurs upon reaching the vile City of Dis. When the "fallen angels" deny the travelers access through the city, Virgil, usually unflappable, even appears shaken up. Understandably, this does not help Dante’s nerves at all. He actually makes a side comment to the reader declaring the terror he felt after the angels had defied Virgil’s request saying: "And now, my reader, consider how I felt / when those foreboding words came to my ears! / I thought I’d never see our world again!" (VIII. Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays Divine Comedy Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy is said to be the single greatest epic poem of all time. The opening story of the character of Dante the Pilgrim is told in the first of the three divisions: The Inferno. The Inferno is a description of Dante’s journey down through Hell and of the several degrees of suffering and many mythical creatures that he encounters on the way. Throughout his travel Dante displays many different feelings and actions but the emotion that summarizes the entire poem is fear. While some of his character traits change as his mind matures and acknowledges the justice being carried out, from the very beginning until the final Canto, his fear does not subside. This does well to reinforce the symbolism of Dante as Everyman and serves to direct the reader to the moral purpose of Divine Comedy, because of the humility and dependence upon God that fear produces. In the first Canto, which serves as an introduction to the entire comedy, Dante encounters the three beasts which impede his progress out of the dark woods. Coming upon the She-Wolf he writes: "This last beast brought my spirit down so low / with fear that seized me at the sight of her, / lost all hope of going up the hill" (I.52-54). Dante is so shaken by the appearances of the three beasts that he rushes headlong into the dark woods he has just come out of. This is only the first obstacle Dante encounters, but it proves an insurmountable one. When Dante and Virgil reach the gate of Hell, Dante is overcome with fear upon reading the inscription above the gate and hearing the screams and lamentations of those inside. He reacts to the inscription by crying out, " ‘Master,’ I said, ‘these words I see are cruel.’ " (III.12). By this he shows his fear of the unknown because he does not yet know exactly what he will witness during his descent. One of Dante’s truest display of fear occurs upon reaching the vile City of Dis. When the "fallen angels" deny the travelers access through the city, Virgil, usually unflappable, even appears shaken up. Understandably, this does not help Dante’s nerves at all. He actually makes a side comment to the reader declaring the terror he felt after the angels had defied Virgil’s request saying: "And now, my reader, consider how I felt / when those foreboding words came to my ears! / I thought I’d never see our world again!" (VIII.

“Is College Worth the Money?” by Daniel S. Cheever, Jr. Essay

In this day and age, the cost of a college education is more than most middle-class families’ yearly salary. In today’s job market, a lack of having a college education makes it difficult to land an entry level position. The discussion of college cost comes and goes but is a major question in the minds of parents and potential college applicants around the nation. In Daniel S. Cheever, Jr’s article, â€Å"Is College Worth the Money†, Cheever urges people to look at other factors when judging the value of a college education rather than its cost. To begin with, Cheever brings home the point that college tuition is rising at an exponential rate. Over the last 20 years, undergrad tuition at Havard has risen over twenty thousand dollars, outpacing the consumer price index. Cheever makes a valid point, by only focusing on one institution, is this indicative of all colleges across the board? By attending Harvard University, one could argue that one is paying for the prestige of the school rather than the quality of the education. Cheever also points out; parents are willing to take out $100,000 to pay for a highly educated graduate that, by the end of a working, career will make one million dollars more than someone who didn’t get a higher education. Taking cost out of the equation, what does that investment yield for the student? The final statement that Cheever makes, â€Å"Parents and students will demand a proven and verifiable outcome that measures the outcome on their investment† is a bleak conclusion. It is no t indicative of the students that go for a good time and not the quality of their education. Cheever makes bold claims throughout his essay that he seems to fail to back up. Though Cheever lacks depth in his essay, he makes many agreeable statements as to what we should consider in valuing a college education.We should look deeper into what a college brings to the table, more than just the prestige it has acquired. Having a after-grad services would definitely play a factor in how we judge a schools value. During the schooling years though, being able to become an economically productive and community minded citizen will aide anyone who attends, even if they decide to leave town, or even the state, after graduation. Cheever brings great ideas to the table, even if  just briefly touching each subject, he still makes the question, â€Å"Is College worth the money?† a tough one to answer. With all these great tips, asking is college worth the money is still a difficult decision. Ultimately, it falls to the students and parents seeking higher education to make the decision. Everyone is different, different upbringings, different theologies and requirements about what a school should do for them. If answering a generic question, â€Å"Is College worth the money?† is as easy as Cheever makes it out to be, why hasn’t the discussion stopped? There may never be a direct answer, but it has some basic guidelines based on Cheever’s essay. If you need any more information though, you’re better off calling each school you’re interested in and asking the same questions and seeing which school is the best for you. Reference Cheever Jr., Cheever S. â€Å"Is College Worth the Money?.† The Blair Reader. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Pearson, Prentice-Hall, 2014. 113-115. Print.

Safeway

This paper talks about Safeway a store, now so popular that it has made itself establish as a brand in the market. This paper talks about problems that are plaguing Safeway and how can a solution be reached. It starts off with a summary of the entire paper and then details on the company’s vision, mission, goals etc. It provides a list of problems that Safeway has been facing through the years prioritizes these and then develops a solution plan in a logical step-wise manner. The paper concludes itself with a brief discussion on how the solution can be achieved in an effective manner and provides a brief evaluation of it. Executive Summary. Safeway is a chain of stores, now so popular that it has made itself establish as a brand in the market. Safeway started off as a store back in 1915, under the vision of M. Skagg’s. Then, it was just a store and now we see around one thousand seven hundred and seventy five stores all across United States of America and Canada. The vision at Safeway talks about value and adding value to the chain of operations that the store is involved in. It talks about giving value to customers through value added products and services under the name of Safeway stores and by strategizing success in terms of profits by keeping them narrow while expanding. In 2000, Safeway faced a huge internal labor problem whereby it received threats and complaints from peers and its competitor, Wal-Mart. Another issue was that of loss in sales and of customer base. It also experienced declining profits. (IBSCDC) Safeway, as of its current standing has been facing internal issues revolving around pay conflicts and the chain not keeping its promises to the laborers/ workers. This has resulted into a lot of frustration and feelings of negativity in between the two entities. Strikes arranged by labor union/s have been the looming issue this year, 2009 at Safeway. The basic reasons for this are frustrated workers because of their wages and pension benefits, which they consider low or minimal. (SFGate) Other issues revolve around lawsuits by two pension funds on the management and board of Safeway, blaming them guilty to deceit, greed and managerial inexperience. Due to this situation, many a times the shareholders have gotten very upset at the way things function inside the chain. Another main problem that the company faces is that of conflict of interests, which results in selfish behavior. (RedOrbit) The labor problem directly affects the key stakeholder groups. It has resulted into upsetting the laborers or workers who are the driving force behind the various operations that the chain undertakes, be it the sales stores, warehouses, or the staff at the chain’s office. And when this extends to the whole of America and Canada, it results into negative spill over effects throughout the organization. This affects the shareholders, since history has also proved that two lawsuits also were filed against the management of Safeway due to reasons of conflict of interests, no or minimal transparency etc. The different solutions that this paper has proposed comprise of a sound transparent system in overall operations, fair measurement of performance through technology usage and SAPs (HRMReport), improving upon the recruitment guidelines by involving pre-agreed upon contracts between the company and the worker being recruited, and lastly, employing the element of bureaucracy by the ‘stick’ technique applied to the upper management by the Board. The last option surrounds replacement of all those managers who have shown a history of conflict of interests. Resource Center) The best solution out of all these is a combination of achieving transparency through correcting any occurrence of conflict of interests with pre-agreed setting of labor contracts. The solution can be implemented by communicating it to the shareholders, workers and upper management. This should be done in a clear manner. A ‘no-patience’ approach should be communicated boasting an environment fr ee of greed, selfishness and self-interest- envisioning, communicating and implementing a conflict of interests free environment. This can hence help in adopting a measurement of performance for workers plan under which the transparency guidelines will be communicated effectively. Position Safeway started off as a store back in 1915, under the vision of M. Skagg’s. Then, it was just a store and now we see around one thousand seven hundred and seventy five stores all across United States of America and Canada. Today, Safeway is not just a chain of stores (grocery stores) rather it is a brand. It has also launched several private brands under its umbrella all across North America. There are three thousand products approximately available under the brand names of Lucerne, Mrs. Wright’s, Safeway and Safeway Select Label that markets more than a thousand premium brands. Through the years, the chain of stores has done its share of corporate social responsibility. It does this by donating to schools, for breast and prostate cancer research, contributing towards the displaced people resulting out of natural calamities like the Tsunami and also helps disabled people. This initiative, which is a proper program at the company basically, has helped it make and retain community partnerships. Also, Safeway has contributed towards the restoration and preservation efforts of the environment, by extending help in the areas of renewable energy and solid waste management. (Safeway Website) Vision and Mission of Safeway The vision at Safeway is the same as it was before that was built by Skagg’s. It talks about value and adding value to the chain of operations that the store is involved in. It talks about giving value to customers through value added products and services under the name of Safeway stores and by strategizing success in terms of profits by keeping them narrow while expanding. Its mission statement is that of ‘expanding for the better’, which revolves around continuous improvement when the management jargon is applied. These also constitute the broader, long-term goals for the company. Safeway believes in ‘Ingredients for Life’, since it encompasses the concept of ‘wholesomeness’ in whatever services and products it is providing to the customer. This, henceforth also forms its tagline. (Safeway Web Site). Stakeholders of Safeway These include groups and people from the different segments of the countries. First and foremost it includes the shareholders who have been investing in the company and the Board of Directors of Upper Management. Other key stakeholders include customers who contribute towards the revenues by visiting stores and making purchases. Its suppliers include all the companies that through stocking fee reserve their spaces in shelves in all Safeway stores for retail. The Corporate Social Responsibility Steering Group or CSR Steering Group is yet another group that has stake in the chain of stores- Safeway. Others include, Media Companies, Journalists, Laborers, and last but not least its employees. Problems: Contextual Analysis Safeway’s ride to success and its expansion efforts have not been problem free. It has faced many internal as well as external problems that have rendered its free will operations difficult to perform under such circumstances. In 2000, Safeway faced a huge internal labor problem whereby it received threats and complaints from peers and its competitor, Wal-Mart. Another issue was that of loss in sales and of customer base. It also experienced declining profits. (IBSCDC) Safeway, as of its current standing has been facing internal issues revolving around pay conflicts and the chain not keeping its promises to the laborers/ workers. This has resulted into a lot of frustration and feelings of negativity in between the two entities. Strikes arranged by labor union/s have been the looming issue this year, 2009 at Safeway. The basic reasons for this are frustrated workers because of their wages and pension benefits, which they consider low or minimal. (SFGate) Other issues revolve around lawsuits by two pension funds on the management and board of Safeway, blaming them guilty to deceit, greed and managerial inexperience. Due to this situation, many a times the shareholders have gotten very upset at the way things function inside the chain. Another main problem that the company faces is that of conflict of interests, which results in selfish behavior. (RedOrbit) Sense One of the major problems at the company revolves around its labor workers due to labor unions and their frustrations. The chain of grocery stores- Safeway has been trying to take control over this issue, through resolution efforts in terms of labor agreements etc. , but nothing too productive and fruitful has been done. Therefore, the issue still stands and even though is not raging with the same force as it was before it is definitely the most problematic area for the corporation as of now. SFGate) The fringe benefits including health care and pension related alongside the wage issue present in the labor staff, has resulted into a deep frustration. This has resulted into a negative feeling between the company and the workers. The labor union demands increments in their wages and wants a yearlong hold to adjusting the pension program (which constitutes pension benefits for the workers). Many companies have agreed to these terms to some extent by increasing the retirement age but the wage issue remains frozen. (McGhee, T. These however are the symptoms of a larger cause, a greater problem, this being mismanagement on the part of the upper management arising due to a conflict of interests and as mentioned above greed and hypocrisy. The labor problem directly affects the key stakeholder groups. It has resulted into upsetting the laborers or workers who are the driving force behind the various operations that the chain undertakes, be it the sales stores, warehouses, or the staff at the chain’s office. And when this extends to the whole of America and Canada, it results into negative spill over effects throughout the organizat ion. This affects the shareholders, since history has also proved that two lawsuits also were filed against the management of Safeway due to reasons of conflict of interests, no or minimal transparency etc. Uncover The problem surrounding labor related issues and up rise of labor union movements against the management is the biggest problem at Safeway because if a company’s employee/s workers are not happy, the manual force behind its operations is not strong therefore this results into low profitability, bad reputation and further conflict of interests. The different solutions that this paper has proposed comprise of a sound transparent system in overall operations, fair measurement of performance through technology usage and SAPs (HRMReport), improving upon the recruitment guidelines by involving pre-agreed upon contracts between the company and the worker being recruited, and lastly, employing the element of bureaucracy by the ‘stick’ technique applied to the upper management by the Board. The last option surrounds replacement of all those managers who have shown a history of conflict of interests. Resource Center) Solve The problem is so massive that it requires a proper plan of action in the form of a labor plan and a formalized labor budgeting report. This calls for transparency as well as a clear set of goals for the laborers or workers at the company. Employing transparency within the company is the key solution here and others should replace replacing managers or upper management people, who have showed a selfis h attitude, in the corporate market. This is the only end solution in end. But, since this is not a feasible option since laying off and replacing a company’s upper management just like that is not an easy task, what needs to be established is a formalized, controlled system of labor handling. Under this each laborer or worker before his recruitment will know about his wages, fringe benefits and pension benefits. If the agreement proves to be a compromise between the company as well as the worker, then it should be agreed upon to start off induction and the recruitment processes after that. There should also be a sound â€Å"management of employees framework†, that helps in gaining accountability and transparency with fairness to the entire process of performance evaluation. The best solution out of all these is a combination of achieving transparency through correcting any occurrence of conflict of interests with pre-agreed setting of labor contracts. Build Strategic decisions involve making of sound decisions which includes goal identification, problem finding, generation of solutions as possible options and then evaluation these to select the best possible one. Schwenk, C. (1984) says that cognitive psychology hence needs to be adopted when making decisions in the corporate world. (Schwenk, C. , 113) A risky project comprising of uncertainty according to theorists comprises of setting a performance measure that results into goal alignment successfully. The ‘standard’ here is that of the project passing through the potential ‘Pareto Improvement’. (Graham, D. , 715) In line with these theorists’ views, the best solution as proposed above out of all the ones mentioned is a combination of achieving transparency through correcting any occurrence of conflict of interests with pre-agreed setting of labor contracts. The positive side of this tells a story of no or minimal confusion in agreements of labor contracts, less occurrence of ill reputation, and no or minimal frustration on the part of the workers and shareholders as the two key stakeholders here in this case. The dark side to the cost benefit analysis in line with what Schewenk, C. 1984) has talked about revolves around fears of bureaucracy and the upper management becoming agitated and frustrated due to less empowerment and control in their hands. Achieve The solution can be implemented by communicating it to the shareholders, workers and upper management. This should be done in a clear manner. A ‘no-patience’ approach should be communicated boasting an environment free o f greed, selfishness and self-interest- envisioning, communicating and implementing a conflict of interests free environment. This can hence help in adopting a measurement of performance for workers plan under which the transparency guidelines will be communicated effectively. An evaluation phase can be developed henceforth, by having an internal audit constituting of representatives of the Board Members, so as to hold checks after each quarter. This shall help in consistency supervision and prevention of conflict between Safeway and its workers.

Demonstrate How Own Practice Supports a Positive Culture in the Team Essay Example

Demonstrate How Own Practice Supports a Positive Culture in the Team Essay Example Demonstrate How Own Practice Supports a Positive Culture in the Team Essay Demonstrate How Own Practice Supports a Positive Culture in the Team Essay My attitude is influenced by the workplace itself, and this usually comes down to its leadership. Good leadership will promote positive attitudes from employees. A negative culture will dampen the mood and result in more employees calling in sick, feeling unhappy and unmotivated and eventually handing in their letter of resignation. There are many ways to build a productive culture at work. I can help myself to do this by looking at my current situation and finding ways to improve the orkplace culture by changing peoples attitudes to their Job, their environment, each other and themselves. Firstly, I need to identify any deficiencies that are causing negative attitudes. These could include issues like favouritism, lack of recognition or different sets of standards for different employees. I must get the best from my teams inspire a positive workplace culture. Some of the positive influences include: Fair and equal treatment of all employees Achievements recognised and rewarded Open management style Regular feedback Open and honest communication Clear goals set out Regular training Equal opportunities for all employees Creating a supportive workplace culture is the first step to creating pro-active attitudes. To develop my employees attitudes further, I will need to provide them with the opportunity to assess their feelings, beliefs and behaviours. I can encourage attitude change by using some of the tools on this site. Remember though, I cannot change other peoples attitudes; they need to change their own. But, I can provide an environment and the resources to encourage self-awareness and effective behaviours. A positive practice environment makes me and service users and clients eel happy, cosy, and right at home. Heres how to ramp up the good vibes. For example: my work place is a mult- culture environment, I used to have a Nigerian staff who so much believe in her culture and the way they do thing over there in Nigerian, when she came to uk she found that thing are a bit different from where she is coming from, I stated encouraging her to belief more in herself and learn how to do thing in uk. With the help I gave her and training she revised helped her to know more in the Job and interact more with her colleagues and she was happy I gave her that support she needed.

A critical appraisal of the integrity of a HACCP Plan and the design of an effective, efficient, evidence based improvement strategy The WritePass Journal

A critical appraisal of the integrity of a HACCP Plan and the design of an effective, efficient, evidence based improvement strategy Abstract A critical appraisal of the integrity of a HACCP Plan and the design of an effective, efficient, evidence based improvement strategy ) explain that a HACCP is essential in maintaining the safety of individual food products. The main aim of this plan is to ensure that each stage in the food production process is safe. The main objective of this report is to identify the hazard and create controls that would prevent the occurrence of this hazard. The main issues of the Cheese-4-All company are traced to the customers’ complaint of the presence of a metal wire on a block of cheese and returned food products from caterers due to broken seals of the bags. In the first issue, the metal wire represents a physical hazard for consumers. A physical hazard is described as any foreign material present in dairy products that could cause injury or illness to the consumer (Marriott and Gravani, 2006). Mortimore and Wallace (2013) emphasise that a physical hazard results from lack of control of a process or a piece of equipment in the production chain. A number of factors have been identified to contribute to the presence of a physical hazard. Amongst these, poorly maintained equipment and the employees’ inattention to the details of the food production process are the most important factors that contribute to the physical hazard (Wallace et al., 2011). Meanwhile, the broken seals of the bags represent a biological hazard. This type of hazard results from exposure of food to pathogens (Smith and Hui, 2008). A closer investigation of the company’s issues reveals that the cutting and sealing of the vacuum packs of the cheese blocks are done by only one machine. The machine has a metal cheese wire used to cut the cheese. At the same time, this machine also automatically vacuum seals the cheese blocks. A metal detector, which serves as a control, is found at the end of the production line. This equipment could have detected any embedded metal in the cheese. At this point, poor attention to details could have contributed to the failure of the staff to detect the metal in the cheese. Instead of allowing the cheese blocks to pass through the metal detector before removing and labelling them, some members of the staff might fail to recheck whether the blocks have passed through the metal detectors. Similarly, an opportunity to check the integrity of the vacuum seals of the cheese block is also presented during the labelling. However, the staff failed to document whether all cheese blocks are safely sealed. On the other hand, the staff manually places grated cheese in plastic bags together with potato starch while the modified atmosphere packaging machine seals the packs. Recommendations for Improvement In this report, the issue of the presence of metal fragments in the block of cheese and broken seals of cheese packs will be addressed. Metal Fragments in the Block of Cheese In-line metal detectors are present in the production line. This is check point is crucial and is met by the company. However, it is recommended that these in-line metal detectors should be fitted with automatic rejection systems (Smith and Hui, 2008). In the company’s case, there was only one metal detector at the end of the assembly line. It was also not fitted with an automatic rejection system. The British Retail Consortium (2013) reiterates that metal detection protects the customers and should be part of any food protection system. However, there are cases where metal detection does not provide the consumers with significant added protection. In this case, the British Retail Consortium (2013) adds that exceptions should be made only when there is indeed no need for metal detection of the product. Hence, it is still vital that companies should make justifications why metal detection is not needed. The need of metal detection in a food company is highlighted when customers complain of metal in their food products. Consequences of this failure range from loss of credibility and loss of customers and bad publicity (Wareing, 2010). In worst scenario, metal present in the product might cause injury to the customer and result to prosecution (Academic Press, 2013). There are various possible causes of metal detector failure. The Academic Press (2013) explains that the metal detector might be experiencing mechanical failure or is not properly calibrated. The wrong pieces of metals are used during sensitivity check or the company used the incorrect metal detector. The succeeding table lists down the rest of possible causes of metal detector failure: Table 1. Causes of Metal Detector Failure Possible Causes of Metal Detector Failure Metal detector is placed in the wrong place in the assembly line Faulty rejection mechanism or there is no synchronization with the rejection system and the detector There is no control of the rejects Checks are not done regularly for the metal detector. In cases where checks are done, these are also performed incorrectly In cases where checks of metal detector reveal some failures, these are not recorded or corrective actions are not taken. Staff members of the organisation are not trained to perform metal detector checks. While staff members receive training on performing metal detector checks, the effectiveness of these trainings are not verified in actual practice. Workplace culture issues also play a role in influencing staff members not to take responsibility in performing necessary checks. Source: Academic Press (2013, p. 336) Â   Broken Seals of Cheese Packs The British Retail Consortium (2013) emphasised that food safety should be a priority amongst those in the food business. On analysis of the Cheese-4-All company, caterers complained of broken seals. Issues are often identified only when customers began complaining about the safety of the food that they order (Bougherara and Combris, 2009). This represents some breaches in safety procedures in the company. For instance, safety checks should be conducted once cheese blocks or grated cheese are sealed, before they are taken to or taken out of chillers. During the labelling process, it is also important that the staff conduct a check whether the seals are still in place or if there are broken seals in the cheese packs. Improvement Strategies Lawley et al. (2012) explain that many of the food safety legislation that are now in force in countries in Europe, including the UK, are formed as a result of collaboration between food authorities in the different countries. Representatives of the European Commissions are responsible for creating food safety legislations that are also used as template of food authorities in different countries (Lawley et al., 2012). For example, the European Commission has set out EC Regulation No. 852/2004 that set standards for hygiene on foodstuffs. In addition, the 2006 Food Hygiene Regulations also provide standards for food safety. Using information from these regulations, it is recommended that strategies should be in place to ensure the absence of metals in the cheese blocks and to prevent broken seals of the packs in the Cheese-4-All company. First, metal detectors should be checked every hour with test pieces (Robertson, 2013). Results should be recorded to assess the sensitivity of the metal detector. It is recommended that safety incidents should be recorded to ensure that staff learn from the experience and prevent the occurrence of similar incidents in the future (Arvanitoyannis, 2012). For example, the analysis reveals that only one machine is involved in cutting the cheese with metal cheese wire. It is also the same machine involved in vacuum packing of the cheese. It is suggested that the machine should be periodically checked to ensure that it is working properly. Second, qualified staff should perform calibration of the metal detector and ensure that it is in the proper place in the assembly line (Academic Press, 2013). Third, lockable receptacles should be in place to ensure that rejects are accommodated (Academic Press, 2013). Fourth, training staff to conduct safety checks of the food packs after sealing of the cheese, during refrigeration and before delivery. This is necessary to protect consumers from food poisoning (Montville and Matthews, 2008). Finally, it is suggested that the safety culture of the workplace should be investigated to determine the perceptions and current practice of the workers on food safety. Mortimore and Wallace (2013) argue that the safety culture of the workplace is a crucial determinant in whether safety regulations are implemented and institutionalised. In many cases, the lack of a safety culture leads to failure in the system. Conclusion In conclusion, this report shows that safety checks should be regularly done to prevent safety incidents such as presence of metals in food or having broken food seals. Consequences of these incidents include loss of customers and possible litigations from consumers who are harmed from ingested metals. Broken food seals present a health hazard since it could cause food contamination. In turn, this might lead to poisoning of the food consumers. An analysis of the Cheese-4-All Company reveals that safety checks are breached during food processing. A metal detector is present in the end of the assembly line but failed to detect the metal present in one of the cheese products. Possible causes of this failure are discussed in the report. On the other hand, the broken seal also indicates failure on the part of the staff to thoroughly check the packaging of the cheese. Finally, this report recommends performing regular checks of the machine used in cutting and sealing the cheese; ensuring t hat metal detector is working and placed in the proper position; and regularly performing checks on whether food seals are in place. It is also suggested that the work culture should be investigated to determine if safety is a priority in the workplace. This would help the company change the culture in the workplace and ensure that a culture of safety is practised. References Academic Press (2013) Encyclopedia of Food Safety, Washington, D.C.: Academic Press. Arvanitoyannis, I. (2012) Modified atmosphere and active packaging technologies, London: CRC Press. Bougherara, D. Combris, P. (2009) ‘Eco-labelled food products: what are consumers paying for?’, European Review of Agricultural Economics, 36(3), pp. 321-341. British Retail Consortium (2013) Global standard for food safety- guideline for fresh produce, London: The Stationery Office. Food Standards Agency (FSA) (2013) Safer food, better business [Online]. Available from: food.gov.uk/business-industry/caterers/sfbb/#.UswHhvbNevQ (Accessed: 6th January, 2013). Lawley, R., Curtis, L. Davis, J. (2012) The Food Safety Hazard Guidebook, London: Royal Society of Chemistry. Marriott, N. Gravani, R. (2006) Principles of food sanitation, London: Springer. Montville, T. Matthews, K. (2008) Food Microbiology: An Introduction. Mortimore, S. Wallace, C. (2013) HACCP: A Practical Approach, 3rd ed., Preston, UK: Springer. Robertson, G. (2013) Food packaging: Principles and practice, 3rd ed., Sound Parkway NW: Taylor Francis Group. Smith, J. Hui, Y. (2008) Food processing: Principles and applications, London: John Wiley Sons. Wallace, C., Sperber, W. Mortimore, S. (2011) Food Safety for the 21st Century: Managing HACCP and Food Safety throughout the global supply chain, London: John Wiley Sons. Wareing, P. (2010) HACCP: A toolkit for implementation, London: Royal Society of Chemistry. Yiannas, F. (2008) Food safety culture: Creating a behavior-based food safety management system, Arkansas, USA: Springer.

Prescribe vs. Proscribe

Prescribe vs. Proscribe Prescribe vs. Proscribe Prescribe vs. Proscribe By Sharon Only one letter separates this oppositional pair. To prescribe is to order the use of or set out a rule. From this we get a prescription, which sets out how you are to take a particular medicine. We also get prescriptive grammar, which is grammar that presumes that there is one set of grammatical rules that everyone should follow. In contrast, to proscribe is to forbid, ban or denounce. It originates from the Latin meaning to post in writing and described the 16th century practice of posting public notices about those who had been condemned. To keep the usage straight, think of this. If you are studying at college your set texts are prescribed, while texts that you are not allowed to read are proscribed. Incorrect Usage Some times even large publications get it wrong, like here: Prosecutors have portrayed 57-year-old Martin MacNeill as a lying adulterer who pestered his 50-year-old wife to get a face-lift and persuaded her plastic surgeon to proscribe a mix of potentially lethal pills for her recovery. (USA Today) Correct Usage Some emergency room doctors are far more likely than others even within their own department to prescribe opioids to treat pain in older people, and their patients are at greater risk of using the powerful drugs chronically than those who saw doctors who prescribe them less frequently, according to a large new study. (NY Times) Increasingly, the rules of workplace culture proscribe all sorts of talk about sex, and enforce this proscription with sensitivity training and strategic mention of lawsuits. (NY Times) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:35 Synonyms for â€Å"Look†7 Tips for Writing a Film ReviewAdvance vs. Advanced

Joseph stiglitz and Thomas Piketty and their contributions economy Essay

Joseph stiglitz and Thomas Piketty and their contributions economy - Essay Example Joseph Eugene Stiglitz has been credited with the fact that he helped the globe and the society as a whole to formulate another new branch of economics called the â€Å"the economics of knowledge.† He also helped in the notion and concept of helping globalization to work to the benefit and wellbeing of the whole human race (Stiglitz 171: 2007). Thomas Piketty is also an accomplished scholar and research in his own right and stature. He is a French national who has written extensively and exhaustively in the areas of income and wealth inequality in the human society. Currently, Thomas Piketty is a professor at the Paris School of economics other than teaching at the university. He is also an author of best-sellers which majorly touch about economics and wealth distribution in the human society. This paper will thus delve into the specific contributions of these great economic minds whose contributions relatively are unmatched. To begin with, the outright contribution of Joseph stiglitz was to help establish the economics of information. This is the situation whereby the asymmetries of information within the different governmental agencies could have varied effects and impact. This theorem of information asymmetry has been used by the policy makers and analysts to model econometric principles and issues. On a general scale, the contributions and input of Joseph stiglitz have helped the society as a whole to develop in areas of welfare economics, corporate finance, industrial organisation and societies, trade, wealth and income distribution. It is important to note and mention that the input of Joseph stiglitz were skewed and directed towards monetary theory in the macro-economic considerations. In order for the society as a while to enumerate the fair formula of income and wealth distribution, it would be imperative for the society to invest in research and development. He also helped articulate the issue on how bilateral trade

ARE HERBAL REMEDIES SAFE AND EFFECTIVE Research Paper - 1

ARE HERBAL REMEDIES SAFE AND EFFECTIVE - Research Paper Example A herbal remedy that relieves inflammation and pain called Chinese Thunder God Vine weakens the immune system. The remedy is famous in for causing osteoporosis. Most of the herbs are ineffective unless their maintenance is in small quantities such as nutmeg and its cooking properties. When the nutmeg herbal is in large quantities, it cause liver failure and can at times lead to death. Many types of herbal remedies line the shelves of health food stores and pharmacies. Most people consider that any drug having the label â€Å"natural† as effective and safe. Herbal remedies have been in existence for a long time. Some of the remedies, even those carrying the natural label, can have serious and powerful negative drug effects in the body. The FDA regulates herbal supplements though not in the same manner it does with medicine of food. Herbal remedies form part of the dietary supplements. Regulations that apply to dietary supplements are not strict as those of drugs and food. Manufacturers of herbal drugs, for example, do no need the approval of the FDA before availing them to the markets. When the herbal remedy gets to the market, it is the duty of FDA to ensure its safety. FDA, however, lacks the capacity and funding to check the standards of the many new drugs. When FDA finds an herbal remedy that is not safe, it issues some requirements or orders to the distributor or manufacturer to remove it from the market (Harte 2-3). Soy provides dietary phytoestrogens that possess weak estrogenic activities. The soy herb treats menopausal symptoms and reduces the levels of cholesterol in the body. A review on the Soya’s effectiveness was done on nine clinical trials to examine the impacts of increasing dietary soy. Nine more trials were done to determine the efficiency of Soy extracts. The review gave a conclusion that neither Soy extracts nor increased

Essay on Business Opportunities Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

On Business Opportunities - Essay Example Now the AT & T Inc has retained around 45% of the sub companies that had occurred due to the lawsuit. The company is an international level telecommunication company that is head quartered in the United States of America. It is a multinational company that is currently operating in around 200 countries all over the world. It has it’s headquarter in Dallas, Texas. It is the second largest company that is providing both fixed and mobile telephony to the people of the United States of America. It’s ranking within United states of America is 7th according to the total revenue that it has and if the non oil companies are considered then it is the third largest company. They are a very well established company and have been titled by Forbes as the fourteenth largest company in the world due to the market value that it has. It has been listed as the ninth largest non oil company in the world according to the Forbes list. It is the twentieth largest company in the world of tele com companies and has in total around 100.7 million customers all over the world. It even gives broad band telecommunication television subscription service too. Its major market is in the North of America. The current Chairman of the AT & T is Randall Stephenson. Their revenue has been on an increasing trend and is currently around US$ 126.723 billion. There are around 256420 employees who are currently working for AT & T. AT&T Inc. is itself the chief trading company the shares are traded in the name of the At &T Inc. and the rest of the structure is as follows: Southwestern Bell  Telephone Company d/b/a AT&T Arkansas, AT&T Kansas, AT&T Missouri, AT&T Oklahoma, AT&T Southwest, AT&T Texas AT&T Tele holdings Illinois Bell  Telephone Company Indiana Bell  Telephone Company Michigan Bell  Telephone Company The  Ohio Bell  Telephone Company Pacific Bell  Telephone Company Nevada Bell  Telephone Company The  Southern New England Telephone  Company Wisconsin Bell, Inc . AT&T Corp. was acquired in 2005 with the name and the products. AT&T Alas com BellSouth  Corporation d/b/a AT&T South was acquired by the firm in 2006 BellSouth Telecommunications, AT&T Mobility Technological Opportunities Currently there has been a serious increase in the data traffic of the network. There has been an increase in the users as well. The company is doing quite well. As they are famous for investing a lot in the Research and development side of the business they have had constant innovation at their workplace and this has helped increase a lot of traffic for them. They were one of the first companies who actually switched from telephones to the wireless service and then ever since they have been working to enhance their services and get hold of better facilities and technologies that will actually help them compete in a better way in the fast paced world of today. The main issue that people have had is in relation with the quality of the calls and the frequency of the dropped calls. There are also rumors that Apple is actually looking for other networks as the AT & T have felt that they didn’t need the LTE development. The major problems started when the Apple company came up with their I phone 4s, and the AT & T were unable to fulfill their demands. It was then that the Apple Company started looking at other options like Verizon. The telephone companies today are actually looking

Palliative Care for Urinary Tract Infections in Elderly Patients Essay

Palliative Care for Urinary Tract Infections in Elderly Patients - Essay Example By an extension, the principles of a model of medical reflection also provide a cyclical model which will enable me to reflect upon this problem and subsequently examine my nursing practice as a founding point for further development and improvement in the nursing profession. Description In this paper I will be reflecting on an experience with a patient who was suffering from urinary tract infection, dehydration and dementia, whom I encountered during my community placement. This patient was suffering from Urinary tract infection and dehydration and had been transferred to the ward from Emergency Medical Unit (EMU). The patient was also suffering from dementia and during the handover it was mentioned that she could be both verbally and physically aggressive. It was also handed over that she had intravenous (IV) fluids prescribed and needed a cannula insertion as she had removed the one previously in place. This involved a patient who will be referred to as Mrs P, in order to maintain confidentiality and anonymity (NMC 2008). Mrs P was an elderly 79-year old woman who was suffering from dehydration and urinary tract infection. Mrs P had also been diagnosed with dementia, and was reported as being aggressive both physically and verbally. Feelings Initially when we opted to insert the cannula into the patient initially she agreed to our intentions only to turn aggressive and unmanageable, later my mentor advised the matron to insert the cannula, which she did though without the patient’s consent, as the patient shouted and almost made the whole process impossible. I was disturbed by these two related events, first, the patient’s aggressiveness and two, our forceful way to inserting the cannula into the patient. Thus these situations brought in me a need to find out more about the patient and their condition, and the consequences of the matron’s decision. When I met the patient I felt sympathetic towards her and her insistence to refusing the c annula insertion given her general condition. A mixture of thoughts crossed my mind, although I could understand why she did not want to undergo the process, but this thought was not conclusive for me as a medical student. On reflection it seemed a positive experience as it allowed me to see how people cope differently with medical conditions, and the impact it has on the patient and the entire therapeutic process. Evaluation During this experience I thought that the nursing team had built a good professional relationship with the patient and therapeutic process. The patient had plenty of time to discuss any concerns or issues that she had and any of her reasons for refusal the cannula insertion. In my mind, I had theorized that the issues that had been discussed or ought to be discussed included issues such as symptom management; how the patient is feeling is important and needs to be taken into consideration. This would also need to be discussed with her partner alone, to find out how she is feeling and to find the best medical alternative for her treatment. This is why the Visual Analogue Scale could have been helpful for monitoring the progression of the patient’s condition (Crichton 2001). Since I have used the tool before, I find it to be beneficial for effective monitoring of patient’s condition because it was a good indicator as to when we would need to adjust her analgesia using the World Health Organization (WHO)Â  analgesic ladder (WHO, 2005).

An analysis of how 'management via accounting' can be applied to keep Essay

An analysis of how 'management via accounting' can be applied to keep fuel costs as low as possible at a low-cost airline, w - Essay Example This management essay is going to provide complete solutions and management measure for airline fuel management. These solutions cover fuel forecasting and planning, procurement, inventory and logistic management, contract management, and accounting and tax management. As a result, finance and purchase teams acquire a complete overview of airline inventory and obligation when they hedge and purchase fuel. Airline companies’ accounting management can automate and reduce fuel costs by processing of both financial derivatives and physical fuel purchases used in hedging. Therefore, the accounting department should come up with aggregated financial-physical fuel view positions and cost risk exposure (Calder, 2013:9). In fuel planning and budgeting, the accounting department must conduct an analysis of â€Å"what-if† situations such as changes in the type of aircraft used, introduction of new airports and routes, and forward cost curves. In addition, the accounts department m ust be able to report on actual fuel costs versus forecasted fuel costs to enable it calculate the airlines hedged fuel plan (Calder, 2013:9). Airline accounts management can effectively curl fuel use and get investments directly to the company’s bottom line through operating efficiently. ... lancing method ensure an favorable centre of gravity for all airplanes, the airport entrance planning is considered to ensure low fuel burn on the entrance grounds, and ensure there are daily operations improvement to recover from trouble shooting activities hence limiting burning of wasted fuel (Centre for Aviation, 2013). Currently, all airlines’ accounting departments must ensure that they have Fuel management information system, which is imperative to monitor fuel expenses and assist the accountants in coming up with effective solutions to minimize fuel costs. This is because airline fuel cost has become the biggest cost ranging between 25% and 50% of annual airline expenditure in all airlines across the world. Airline calculations indicate that one dollar rise in fuel cost is equivalent to 1.6 billion dollars expenses of an entire airline company. It is highly important for airline accounting department to develop effective fuel management software such as FuelPlus Softwa re (Calder, 2013:9). This efficient fuel expense and management software in the accounting department can bring massive positive effect on the progressive running of an airline operation and cause a direct effect on the airlines profitability, sustainability, and competitiveness (Channel 4 Dispatches, 2013). As reported by Centre for Aviation (CAPA) recently, the financial optimism is now becoming the main cause of higher fuel prices. Whilst in the old days, Fuel management system was seen as primarily a method of bringing commercial advantages, it is currently becoming an important element of an airline expense management toolkit. Fuel management is not just monitoring operational information, but also a widespread enterprise that involves all departments in the airport. The accounting

Why do Incumbents win majority of time during election Essay - 1

Why do Incumbents win majority of time during election - Essay Example Since they are in office, they can use the privileges provided to them by the taxpayers in the form of free travel, mailing, airtime, town hall meetings, hiring sizable staff to assist them in making them more likeable and others to strengthen their campaign. Furthermore, during their time in office, they certainly make some friends in the corporate world and political arena, such as labour unions, professional lobbyists and big businesses, who are likely to express their desire to find their campaigns in return for favors and advantages in the future (Gelman & King 1148). Recent statistics confirm the same. During the 2012 election cycle, every incumbent was able to raise more than 0.9 million US dollars as part of their fundraising campaign, but the same figure remained at less than 0.15 million for the challengers. Therefore, incumbents were able to outraise their challengers by 405 million to 88 million. Sitting members of Congress are paid to meet and talk with the voters, attend town hall meeting, appear regularly on the media, liaison with the press and engage in actions and decisions, which could assist them in improving their overall image because this is an imperative part of their job as members of Congress (Ashworth and Bueno de Mesquita 1009). Therefore, they can run their campaigns while performing these jobs and taking advantage of the perquisites available to them while they are in office. However, a challenger, if he or she is not extremely wealthy, would have to use their savings, go into debt and find other ways of financing to run a campaign (Sabato 142). If the challenger is not already a political servant, celebrity, or well known in the masses, it puts him or her at even a bigger disadvantage against the incumbent. This is true because the incumbent has served for at least two or six years in case of Congress and Senate respectively, thus allowing

An analysis of how 'management via accounting' can be applied to keep Essay

An analysis of how 'management via accounting' can be applied to keep fuel costs as low as possible at a low-cost airline, w - Essay Example This management essay is going to provide complete solutions and management measure for airline fuel management. These solutions cover fuel forecasting and planning, procurement, inventory and logistic management, contract management, and accounting and tax management. As a result, finance and purchase teams acquire a complete overview of airline inventory and obligation when they hedge and purchase fuel. Airline companies’ accounting management can automate and reduce fuel costs by processing of both financial derivatives and physical fuel purchases used in hedging. Therefore, the accounting department should come up with aggregated financial-physical fuel view positions and cost risk exposure (Calder, 2013:9). In fuel planning and budgeting, the accounting department must conduct an analysis of â€Å"what-if† situations such as changes in the type of aircraft used, introduction of new airports and routes, and forward cost curves. In addition, the accounts department m ust be able to report on actual fuel costs versus forecasted fuel costs to enable it calculate the airlines hedged fuel plan (Calder, 2013:9). Airline accounts management can effectively curl fuel use and get investments directly to the company’s bottom line through operating efficiently. ... lancing method ensure an favorable centre of gravity for all airplanes, the airport entrance planning is considered to ensure low fuel burn on the entrance grounds, and ensure there are daily operations improvement to recover from trouble shooting activities hence limiting burning of wasted fuel (Centre for Aviation, 2013). Currently, all airlines’ accounting departments must ensure that they have Fuel management information system, which is imperative to monitor fuel expenses and assist the accountants in coming up with effective solutions to minimize fuel costs. This is because airline fuel cost has become the biggest cost ranging between 25% and 50% of annual airline expenditure in all airlines across the world. Airline calculations indicate that one dollar rise in fuel cost is equivalent to 1.6 billion dollars expenses of an entire airline company. It is highly important for airline accounting department to develop effective fuel management software such as FuelPlus Softwa re (Calder, 2013:9). This efficient fuel expense and management software in the accounting department can bring massive positive effect on the progressive running of an airline operation and cause a direct effect on the airlines profitability, sustainability, and competitiveness (Channel 4 Dispatches, 2013). As reported by Centre for Aviation (CAPA) recently, the financial optimism is now becoming the main cause of higher fuel prices. Whilst in the old days, Fuel management system was seen as primarily a method of bringing commercial advantages, it is currently becoming an important element of an airline expense management toolkit. Fuel management is not just monitoring operational information, but also a widespread enterprise that involves all departments in the airport. The accounting

Capital Punishment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Capital Punishment - Term Paper Example From the research it can be comprehended that the doctrine of birth and death are the most obvious and the unpredictable events in the Nature. Since time immemorial such has been the nature of occurrence. With the spread of civilizations, the greed and lust of mankind reached an epitome and uncontrolled desire of achievement lead to loss of human values. The seriousness of the degradation leads to crimes, wars, battles and loss of innumerable human life. The concept of punishment came into existence among humans and even life of people was not spared in providing penalty for their ill deeds. The age –old theory of capital punishment was immensely popular among the Phoenicians, Persian, Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Chinese civilization, where the brutal act of convict prosecution was done by taking away their life. The process of killing was carried out in horrendous fashion, which turned the punishment to be more excruciating. Modes of capital punishment were innovated with diff erent procedures and the shameful act was carried out unremittingly. Ironically the modern era also did portray their interest and used modern technologies to kill the convicts in atrocious manner. Significantly the act of capital punishment was even carried among the juveniles till the last decade, and surprisingly the proclaimed super power developed nations of the world were a part of this severe in-humanitarian policy. Thesis Statement Capital punishment should be abolished from the world and in particular the act of juvenile capital punishment needs to be barred, as this extreme measure does not preclude the miscreants from committing further crimes. Capital punishment: A brief history The history of Capital punishment or death penalty is quite enriched with events and the start of the timeline of capital punishment begins in eighteenth century in Babylon under the regime of King Hammaurabi. The law related to death penalty covered 25 different crimes. Crucifixion, drowning, im palement, beating to death were some of the measures of providing capital punishment. In the sixteenth century, burning, beheading, drawing and quartering carried out executions. 222 crimes were listed under the execution of capital punishment in Britain, which even included mere acts of cutting down a tree. Lingering death was provided to the serious convicts on account of heinous crime where as lesser degree of criminal acts by the convicts resulted in quick and painless death (Introduction to the death penalty, n.d). In China during the medieval period many cases of death through thousand cuts and slow slicing were noted. The colonist in America induced the capital punishment in the state and 12 capital crimes were identified. The range of capital punishment varied across different part of the states. Some of the states provided limited control. The Northern colony limited its use. Idolatry, blasphemy, traitors were dealt under the jurisdiction of capital punishment. In spite of the less enthusiasm followed in some parts of America regarding capital punishment, but the massive colonization in America made capital punishment popular all over the country. The major reason cited for the implementation of capital punishment was to control the rate of occurrence of crime. However in the end of eighteenth century, only incidents of first-degree murders were punished till death. In the southern states the punishment was imposed to control on the actions of slaves. Evidence of racial discrimination prevailed in the process of atonement as the white people committing same sort of acts was relieved by mere compensation whereas the law of capital punishment was enforced on the other civilians of the society. The age-old tradition of capital punishment continued to leave its impact in the present modern era. Boundary of capital punishment though reduced and imposed on serious crimes, new methods were invented to carry on with the execution. Guillotine, Gas chambers, el ectric chairs, lethal injections became popular as modes of homicides. The incidents of capital punish

The Performance Of Unilever

The Performance Of Unilever In 1999, Unilever implemented what they considered to be an ambitious strategy named Path to Growth which they believed achieved a lot in terms of brand focus, global buying, operating margins and capital efficiency (Cescau Rivers, 2007b). However, according to the then Group Chief Executive Patrick Cescau, the strategy failed to transform growth performance (Cescau Rivers, 2007b, 1). Consequently, adjustments were made to the strategy between 2005 and 2006, aimed at reorganizing and streamlining Unilevers organization and to increase awareness of the Unilever brand (Johnson Scholes, 2006). In terms of innovation, Unilever delivered bigger and better innovations, rolled out faster and to more markets (Unilever, 2009, 5). The tremendous success in fast and effective rollout of innovations was enhanced greatly by the one organizational structure (One Unilever) introduced into the business as a result of the adjustments made to Path to Growth (Unilever, 2009a). For example, the Dove Minimising Deodorant has been rolled out across 37 markets and Clear Shampoo across 37 markets. The success in this area has also been reward by the business publication Fast Company which recently recognized us as the fourth most innovative company in advertising and marketing. In terms of cost saving, the business focused on discontinuing and cutting out activities that failed to add value. The restructuring was one such activity. In 2009 alone, Unilever, achieved cost savings of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.4bn, which was better than expected and also improved working capital by à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.9bn (Unilever, 2009a. Despite these and other successes including mergers and acquisitions, operational and sustainability and corporate responsibility, Unilever also failed to achieve some of their targets. For example, in two key markets, India and Spain, we took longer to respond to changing market dynamics and to the intense level of competition especially from low-cost local competitors (Unilever, 2009a, 6). In the processed and packaged goods industry in which Unilever operates, this is a significant failing as the battle for market share is fierce (Ehlers Estes, 2007). Companies primarily achieve this primarily by cost leadership strategies, therefore the need for Unilever to continue on their cost cutting drive cannot be overestimated. Another significant challenge is their inability to develop their brands to top quality status. In their own estimation, product quality is getting better, but we need more of our products to show superiority and there is ample scope to sharpen our communications and to set the innovation bar even higher (Unilever, 2009a, 6). Financial Performance To put Unilevers performance into context, let us look at some of their financial ratios for both the financial year ended 31 December 2009 and ratio averages for a five year period which includes 2006 to 2009. Figure 1: Sales Growth (%) of Unilever, Processed Packaged Goods Industry and SPs 500. Data Source: Yahoo Finance Figure 1 shows Unilevers performance compared against its competitors and the SPs 500 benchmark which has been widely regarded as the best single gauge of the large cap US equities market since the index was first published in 1975 (Standard and Poors, nd). The chart on the left shows the close to 5% decrease in growth of Unilevers sales while the industry average recorded an increase between 2008 and 2009. This reveals that the competition is making inroads in regaining lost market share during the period of the economic downturn. The five year average for Unilever is still showing a positive although it is significantly below industry average. Figure 2 below shows the earnings per share position for the last three years for Unilever. Figure 2: Earnings per share for Unilever (2007 2009) Data source: Yahoo Finance The earnings per share ($) shows the profit attributable to each share held by Unilever for the last three years (McLaney, 2006). Despite a recovery from 2008, the 2009 EPS has fallen again and to levels below 2007s. Figure 3 shows the Price/Earnings ratio compared with competitors and the SP benchmark. Figure 3: P/E Ratio (2009) Source: Yahoo Finance The price earnings ratio is the number of years that it would take at the current share price and rate of earnings, for the earnings from the share to cover the price of the share (McLaney, 2006, 58). This is one of the most important measures investors use to assess a company. Unilever is once again operating below industry average and way below a benchmark of companies in the stock market. This implies that investors are less confident of growth in future earnings (McLaney, 2006, 58) of Unilever compared with industry average and the benchmark of leading companies. In terms of profitability, Figure one shows the position. Profitability Ratios % Unilever Industry SP Gross margin 30.40 38.50 Net margin 9.20 9.80 10.50 5 yr Gross margin 48.60 46.80 37.80 5 yr Net margin 10.10 9.50 11.30 ROCE 15.60 15.00 9.30 ROE 30.60 29.80 20.50 Table 1: Profitability Ratios Source: Yahoo Finance Gross margin figure for 2008 2009 was unavailable for Unilever. The net margin which shows the proportion of profit left for Unilever after all expenses have been taken into account is around the industry average for the period 2008 2009. The 5 year average positions for both gross and net margins are favourable for Unilever, compared to its competitors. Its 5 year gross margin is also significantly better than SPs 500. The return on capital employed (ROCE) and return on equity (ROE) positions are also marginally better than the industry average and significantly better than SPs 500. While the ROCE is a measure of profit as a percentage of total assets less current liabilities, the ROE looks at matters more specifically from the shareholders viewpoint, and reports on profit earned by shareholders after all charges have been accounted for (McLaney, 2006). Table 2 below shows the liquidity and gearing positions of Unilever and comparisons with other companies. Gearing and Liquidity Unilever Industry SP 500 Debt/Equity Ratio 0.83 0.81 1.37 Interest Coverage 48.30 21.00 27.10 Current Ratio 0.90 1.20 1.40 Quick Ratio 0.60 0.80 1.20 Table 2: Gearing and Liquidity. Data source: Yahoo Finance The Debt/Equity Ratio as with all Capital Gearing ratios is concerned with the relative sizes of the funds provided by shareholders on the one hand, and by loan creditors on the other (McLaney, 2006, 56). The higher the ratio, the riskier the business is concerned to be. In this case, the ratio is around industry average and less than the benchmark of top companies, so it should not cause too concern. The interest coverage shows that Unilever can comfortable meet interest payments as they fall due way above the industry average. In terms of liquidity, the current ratio is a measure of whether the current assets are able to meet current liabilities obligations as they fall due. This does not appear to be the case if payment is requested immediately (which a ratio of at least 1:1 will be able to do). In practice however, it is unrealistic to expect to ask for their payments at once unless the business was in serious problems. Therefore, although lower than the competition the current ratio and the quick ratio (which looks at the most liquid of assets, normally excluding inventory) should not cause panic although ways to increase it must be looked at. Brand Awareness According to Unilever, brands and innovation are at the heart of everything we do. We develop our products to keep pace with changes in consumer lifestyles and to appeal to people at all income levels. Success means getting bigger and better innovations into the market faster, supported by the very best marketing (Unilever, 2009, 8). These statements are indeed backed up by initiatives undertaken in the last few years in the UK to increase brand awareness. Some of these initiatives will be briefly described. According to Mathiesen (2009, 19), a recent campaign for Lynx for Men, one of Unilevers mens deodorants, resulted in a 56% increase in (prompted) brand awareness in the UK. This campaign was done through mobile marketing. The campaign sought to achieve the following objectives (Mathiesen, 2009): To enhance awareness of the Lynx brand To market to the 16-24 year old male who are traditionally hard to reach through traditional advertising methods To promote the Lynx brand as attractive to women and modern The success is not only evidenced by the 56% promoted awareness, according to Mathiesen (2009), 86% could recall the Lynx advert and 44% of people felt more positive about Lynx after seeing the add. Not only are Unilever working on improving product branding, they have most significantly moved to increase the company brand image. In March 2009, Unilever UK and Ireland began putting the corporate branding on its product brand advertising including TV, posters and press (Unilever, 2009b), starting with Flora. This move was influenced by research which showed that consumers in the UK and Ireland have relatively low awareness and knowledge of our company, compared to some of our competitors. They are open to the idea of us promoting Unilever more overtly and see this as a sign of honesty and transparency. For a company as large as Unilever, it is surprising that a lot of people who use a lot of their products on a daily basis do not know the name of the company. The same could not be said of its competitors like Nestle or Kraft, for instance. In an industry as competitive as the processed and packaged goods industry, where the extent of competitive rivalry is very high, brand awaren ess is a vital source of achieving and sustaining competitive advantage (Porter, 1998b). Brand Theories Indeed, the importance of Unilever focusing on promoting brand awareness is supported by relevant theory. MacDonald and Sharp (2003, 1), citing Rossiter and Percy (1987) described brand awareness as being essential for the communications process to occur as it precedes all other steps in the process. Without brand awareness occurring, no other communication effects can occur. In other words, a consumer is likely to buy a brand if they are made aware of it. MacDonald and Sharp (2003, 1) also go on to discuss memory theory where brand awareness is position as a vital first step in building the bundle of associations which are attached to the brand in memory (citing Stokes, 1985). Brand awareness is very important when a consumer is making what are usually very quick purchase decisions. According to MacDonald and Sharp (2003), where a customer can identify certain brands, he or she spends very little time looking at unfamiliar brands. Consequently, an unfamiliar brand name or one that is not aggressively promoted risks being ignored, irrespective of the quality of the product. Even after a consumer has formed a consideration set and chosen the few brands from which she will make her purchasing decision, consumers decide to purchase only familiar, well established brands (Keller, 1993). The decision is usually made very quickly as well. According to Dickson and Sawyer (1986), it takes approximately 12 seconds on average for a consumer to view product alternatives and make a choice from different brands. MacDonald and Sharp (2003, 2) also explained that brand awareness affects customers perception of quality. They cited Hoyer and Brown (1990) who found in a consumer choice study that over 70% of consumers selected a known brand of peanut butter from among a choice of three, even though another brand was objectively better quality (as determined by blind taste tests) and even though they had neither bought or used the brand before. This result is even more surprising considering the subjects were given the opportunity to taste all of the brands. Just being a brand dramatically affected their evaluation of the brand (MacDonald and Sharp, 2003, 2). Therefore, Unilever has tremendous opportunities to marry the popularity of their tremendous brand image for most of their products to the corporate brand image. With effective marketing strategies they can generate enough consumer trust and loyalty to dominate entire shopping trolleys of families. This is because in the industry that Unileve r operates in and the kind of products it offers, consumers (buyers) have high bargaining powers. There is also low switching costs which means that a consumer may decide to switch from competitors deodorants to Lynx for the simple reason that the consumer has been used to buying Knorr stock. Recommended Strategy for Unilever Vision We work to create a better future every day. We help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. We will inspire people to take small everyday actions that can add up to a big difference for the world. We will develop new ways of doing business that will allow us to double the size of our company while reducing our environmental impact (Unilever, nd). SWOT Analysis Based on an internal analysis of Unilever, their strengths and weaknesses were identified. The opportunities and threats facing Unilever were also determined by undertaking an external analysis. The internal analysis included a review of its financial performance, its marketing function, employees, operations, management, and management information (including technology and RD) which helped to pinpoint Unilevers strengths and weaknesses (Lynch, 2005). The external analysis used the PESTEL and Co. framework which stands for Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural, Technological, Ethical, Legal and Competition. From this analysis, the opportunities and threats facing the business were identified. Strengths Global company Economies of scale Good profit margins Competitive prices Strong brand image for products Innovation Developing and emerging markets Weaknesses Room for improvement in enhancing brand awareness Negative sales growth Company still not a household name Liquidity Opportunities Focus on sustainability and corporate responsibility Speed of technological advancement Low switching costs Threats Low consumer confidence Low consumer spending Volatile political climate in developing and emerging (DE) markets Global economic downturn Fierce competition Figure 4: SWOT Analysis In terms of Unilevers strengths, as was seen from the financial analysis above, they made good profit and their level of gearing is in line with competitors. They maintain a very strong presence in the developing and emerging markets with nearly 50% of their revenues coming from areas such as India and China. However, they need to increase their brand awareness although they are doing it with targeted advertising campaigns. In terms of opportunities, Unilever are well positioned to exploit the opportunities that result from being seen as a company that takes its environmental responsibilities seriously. For example, to meet their aim of growing their business while reducing their environmental impact, our Code of Business Principles and other operational and business polices are designed to ensure that we consistently maintain high social and environmental standards an d we have established processes to track performance in these areas. Our strategy benefits from the insights of the Unilever Sustainable Development Group, comprising five external specialists in corporate responsibility and sustainability that guide and critique the development of our strategy (Unilever, 2009a) In terms of threats facing Unilever, the threat of political volatility especially in emerging markets are mitigated by Unilevers already strong presence there. There have experience of operating in these markets for a good number of years, therefore, they can cope with the volatility. However, the economic downturn has proved constraining to not only Unilever but its competitors. This has also adversely affected consumer confidence and consequently consumer spending which companies like Unilever depend on for their success. Competition is fierce due to low profitability, fairly equal market share and undifferentiated products (Ehlers Estes, 2007). To be successful in the processed and packaged goods industry, there must exist high brand awareness, effective cost management to be able to charge low prices and the commitment to meet ethical standards. Unilever have the strengths to achieve these and are well on their way to overcome weaknesses relating to brand awareness. Once brand awareness increases and the economic conditions become better then this should impact positively on their business as consumer spending and confidence returns. Strategic Options and Choice Based on the SWOT analysis above Unilever are faced with different strategic growth options which are provided below, based on Ansoffs matrix (Johnson Scholes, 2006): Market penetration of existing products into existing markets Market development of existing products into new markets New product development introducing new products into new markets Diversification new products into new markets Strategic Option 1 (Market penetration of existing products) is recommended with details as follows: Maintain and sustain competitive advantage in the DE markets where which is expected to continue to grow Focus on enhancing brand awareness in the developed markets like the UK Develop cross selling and other initiatives to increase usage by existing customers The rationale behind this strategy is that with such fierce competition, Unilevers rivals will unsurprisingly be doing all they can to increase their market share and that will include offering products at low prices. Unilever, by employing the market penetration strategy, will effectively be doing business as usual, while employing cost cutting measures designed to bolster profits. This strategy is less risky especially in an environment of a global economic downturn (Johnson Scholes, 2006). It is also recommended that the strategy be achieved through organic growth as opposed to other activities like mergers and acquisitions which have high potential for failure. In terms of competitive strategy, it is recommended that a combination of cost leadership and differentiation be employed. Although Porter argues for a single generic strategy (1998b), this is not always the best option because customers will require different thing from the same product. For example, for the success of the Lynx brand is because it combines low price with perceived coolness. This combined generic strategy has great chance of success as it enables Unilever to be price competitive while also using obtained brand loyalty to keep customers from rivals. Choosing the right strategy is important. However, more important is the successful achievement of the strategy. This will involve effective deployment of Unilevers resources (those used in the internal analysis above) to achieve set objectives. Communication is also key to ensure that those responsible for implementing the strategy buy into it sufficiently to be motivated enough to implement it successfully (Johnson Scholes, 2006). Finally, it is important that once implemented the strategy should be monitored regularly with a view of making changes or enhancing it as required to achieve set objectives.

Growth and Maturation in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Iwein Essa

Growth and Maturation in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Iwein The Arthurian legends of Iwein and Gawain and the Green Knight are two examples of the medieval initiation story: a tale in which a character, usually in puberty or young adulthood, leaves home to seek adventures and, in the process, maturity. Through the course of their adventures, including a meeting with the man of the wilderness, temptations at the hands of women, and a permanent physical or mental wounding, the character grows from adolescent awkwardness and foolishness to the full potential knightly honor. While both Arthurian legends fit this format, the depth of character development, specifically in terms of relationships, is vastly different. Whereas Gawain and the Green Knight does little more with relationships than demonstrate the evils of female temptations, Iwein effectively explores the formation, destruction, and resurrection of numerous male and female relationships. In order to understand the significance of Hartmann von Aue's development of relationships in Iwein, it's important to first understand the nature of a typical initiation story. Initiation stories almost always deal with the development of a single character; through the course of the story the single character is developed and matured. The meeting with the man of the wilderness and the female temptress may both involve other characters, but in both situations the relationship is used to develop the initiation story. In Iwein, Hartmann uses the growing maturity being developed through the initiation story as a forum for the relationships of the characters; indeed, the focal point of Iwein is less the initiation of the main character than the effect his initiation has on his ... ... the Green Knight: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs. NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1968. Hatto, A. T., gen. ed. "Heroes and Heroines." Traditions of Heroic and Epic Poetry. Volume Two: Characteristics and Techniques. London: The Modern Humanities Research Association, 1989. Hartmann von Aue Iwein Trans. Sheema Zeben Buehne New York, F. Ungar 1966. Huppà ©, Bernard F. "The Concept of the Hero in the Early Middle Ages." Concepts of the Hero in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Eds. Norman T. Burns & Christopher J. Reagan. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1975. Krstovic, Jelena O, ed. Introduction to Hartmann von Aue. Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993. Moorman, Charles. A Knyght There Was: The Evolution of the Knight in Literature. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1967.