Research and Development Methods Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

And Development Methods - Research Proposal Example E-commerce is fast becoming such a powerful tool in global business activity that businesses that do not have an electronic representation are not expected to be as successful as those that have electronic representation. Apart from the fact that e-commerce helps in giving a company a borderless trade opportunity, it also ensures that there an easy and more accessible means of promoting one’s business and consolidating a firm competitive advantage through brand equity (quote). By and large, e-commerce also meets the innovative needs of today’s consumer, who can be said to have been more informed and complicated in trade activity than he was decades back (quote). It is important to note that as much as e-commerce sets the tone for competitive global business activity to take place, e-commerce is only an end in itself that needs a means to success. The means or medium to undertake a successful e-commerce has been identified to be an online presence for a company (quote). This means that for a company or firm to successfully engage in e-commerce, it is important that that firm has an online presence through which it undertakes internet or electronic based transactions. There are a lot of ways in which online presence may be explained or defined, most commonly though, it involves and requires that a company will have a website that serves as a market place for the virtual consumer. Online presence may also involve a heavy use of the internet as a means of advertisement for a company through the use of the new media. Largely though, having an interactive website that serves as an online marketplace is the most ideal requirement. This research pa per therefore seeks to investigate the role of online presence in e-commerce for a mobile phone shop. By this, the research will thoroughly address the issues that ought to be considered when a mobile phone

Genetically- Modified Foods and Ingredients Essay Example for Free

Genetically- Modified Foods and Ingredients Essay Visiting a supermarket has become a usual experience of each one of us. We have to read all the labels that warn us against genetically-modified ingredients and its expiry date. I, try myself to calm down that epidemic services take control over dangerous products. Yet, I have my doubts in eating my favorite snack, French fries that is done in a fast food. The cumulative effect of genetically-modified foods is particularly dangerous for sensitive populations, including kids, elderly people and people who have indigestion people and even us, whose normal healthy living people. I have studies literature on genetically-modified ingredients, trying to be objective in my judgment. Genetically-modified ingredients advance the modern biology achievements. These products and ingredients strengthen the resistance to herbicides and improve nutritional food contents. Genetically-modified (GM) foods production lessens time-consuming than conventional breeding. Molecular Biologists have not discovered yet how harmful GM products and ingredients are but they claim that GM foods may be environmentally hazardous. Only allergy was recognized as negative effect of GM foods. We, cannot break out from the GM products, since two-thirds of genetically modified crops are corn, cotton, soybeans, potatoes even the fruits we eat. This is just a sign that we should be well inform on what is going in our world especially in our foods that can affect our living. We cannot escape from this advancement in our modern world but we, people, can prevent this to have real healthy living life style.

Essay --

Once considered taboo, tattoos have shed the social outcast stigma once associated with getting inked. One might even say tattoos have become trendy. The ancient art form traces back 4,000 years to the Egyptians. The oldest mummy ever found –dating back to the Bronze Age of Europe – had 59 tattoos. Tattoos have adorned the arms of kings, queens and czars, representing power and wealth. King Harold of England’s body was identified on a battleground by his tattoo, which featured the name Edith inscribed over his heart. King Edward VII of England had a dragon on his forearm. In Great Britain, tattoos were a sacred familial ritual as the Danes, Norse and Saxon tattooed their family crests on their chests. Tattooing spread in the United States as a way to memorialize fallen soldiers during the Civil War. Tattoos’ elite status symbol plummeted in 1891 when Samuel O’Reilly patented his tattoo machine in New York. Tattoos, which were previously available only to the upper class, became popular with the general public. By the early 1900s, tattoos became associated with the lower class,...

The Portrayal of War in Charge of the Light Brigade and Dulce et Decoru

The Portrayal of War in Charge of the Light Brigade and Dulce et Decorum Est Both "Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred Lord Tennyson and "Dulce et Decorum est" by Wilfred Owen are poems about war. However, they were written in two very different contexts and about two very different wars. Charge of the Light Brigade describes a doomed cavalry charge made by British soldiers during The Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War (1854-1857). Dulce et Decorum est, on the other hand, tells the story of a group of soldiers who were caught in a gas attack returning from the trenches of World War I (1914-1918) towards their "distant rest". Alfred Lord Tennyson was the "Poet Laureate" at that time and wrote the poem after reading about The Battle of Balaclava in the "Times" newspaper. This could have influenced how he portrayed the battle as he used secondary information which could be unreliable. In contrast, Wilfred Owen had first hand battle experiences from World war I, and so you would expect his information to be more reliable, However he could have emphasised certain points for poetic effect. In Dulce et Decorum est Wilfred Owen uses a variety of similes metaphors and other poetic techniques to describe the actions, appearance and mental states of the soldiers. Owen describes the soldiers as "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, knock-kneed, coughing like hags", this simile shows that the war has had a very large effect on the soldiers as it gives the impression that they have aged prematurely and are in a very bad state of health. Owen also says that they limped on "blood-shod, all went lame, all blind", also giving the impression that the soldiers are in a very bad state of health, this emphasi... ...rge of the Light Brigade Tennyson gives the impression that the British soldiers were fighting a loosing battle. Tennyson gives the impression to the reader that he is not against the war even if they were going to loose but he still praises the soldiers for what they did. In Charge of the Light Brigade Tennyson contradicts Owens views, and instead says that it is honourable to die for ones country even if you loose the battle. In general I prefer Dulce et Decorum est because of what the poem stands for, Dulce et Decorum est give the views that war is a terrible thing and Owen is very against it whereas Tennyson seems to be a lot more pro war. Works Cited L. Bensel-Meyers. Literary Culture: Reading and Writing Literary Arguments. New York: Pearson Custom P,2000. Napierkowski, Marie Rose and Mary K Ruby. â€Å"Poetry for Students.† Vol 1 Detroit: 1998.

Spa – Cr. to the Rightful Owner

This chapter presents the discussion of reviewed related writing of authors that the researchers collected during the course of the study. Material reviewed came from different books, studies and other professional writings from both foreign and local books. Conceptual Literature The worldwide spa industry is worth in the region of US $40 billion and has grown at a phenomenal rate in the past ten years (Haden, 2007). The growth of health food, gyms and the investment in leisure facilities proves that consumers are looking for more than relaxation during a break or holiday; this is unsurprising given time is so precious to contemporary consumers (Lynch, 2002). Harmsworth (2004: p. 173) claims that â€Å"the spa market is one of the fastest growing leisure sectors, where societal trends and aspirations find instant reflection in the developments on both the demand and supply sides. The market is very fragmented, each segment catering for different customer needs, which continuously change in line with social and lifestyle changes. † According to Libosada Jr. C. and Bosangit C. (2007) stated that spa is a resort with mineral or thermal water used for drinking and bathing. The term is derived from the name of a town in Belgium and has been applied to similar resort worldwide. The Kentucky-based International Spa Association (ISPA), an organization which claims to set the standards for the spa industry makes no mention of water in its definition, arguing that â€Å"a spa serves as an educational and cultural institution that promotes and integrates individual wellness, health and fitness as well as social well-being, harmony and balance through wellness, prevention, therapy and rehabilitation of body, mind and soul† (Loverseed, 1998: p. 48). Later, the ISPA offered an all-encompassing, holistic definition, claiming that spas are entities â€Å"devoted to enhancing overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit† (Mintel, 2005). It is claimed by Jenner and Smith (2000) that visiting spas is one of the earliest forms of tourism. Spas found their beginnings thousands of years ago, when ancient civilisations used them for their healing properties and as an important part of their social structure (Vierville, 2003; Spaa, 2002). The therapeutic use of baths was remarkably long-lived; such popularity was no doubt partly due to the fact that baths were both pleasant and, by the Roman imperial period at least, comparatively freely available (Jackson, 1990). It was after this time that public interest in baths began to peak (Spaa, 2002). Spa tourism has many varied definitions; there is no â€Å"officially† agreed upon definition of what a spa should or should not be – what makes it such? Many believe that the word ‘spa' is an acronym based on the Latin phrase â€Å"sanitas per aquas† – meaning ‘health through water', in fact the Oxford English dictionary’s definition of a spa is from the Latin â€Å"solus per aqua† or â€Å"health by water† defined as â€Å"a place with mineral springs considered to have health-giving properties† (Loverseed, 1998). Thornton and Brutscher (2003) maintain that the word and the concept of spa actually originated from the time of the Roman Empire when battle weary legionnaires tried to find a way to recover from their military wounds and ailments. Therefore suggesting that traditionally, water is not only inexplicably linked to the definition of spas, but that it is the water which defines it. The European Spas Association’s (ESPA) definition of a spa is also dependent upon the water element; they define a spa as „a mineral spring or a place or resort where such a spring is found? (Jenner and Smith, 2000). Unlike the ESPA, the British Spas Federation (BSF) reviewed its definition with regard to widening its membership, which at that time consisted only of the municipal authorities of spa towns. However, the BSF was later replaced by the Spa Business Association (SpaBa) who in turn redefined the spa, returning the centrality of the role of water by defining a spa as â€Å"an establishment providing a minimum of one approved water based treatment using water of known composition. The spa should be staffed by appropriately trained therapists and have minimum standards of furnishings. The water should be enhanced with minerals, either naturally or with an additive† (Mintel, 2005). Others, especially in the USA, hold a far less rigid view of what constitutes a spa. The Kentucky-based International Spa Association (ISPA), an organization which claims to set the standards for the spa industry makes no mention of water in its definition, arguing that â€Å"a spa serves as an educational and cultural institution that promotes and integrates individual wellness, health and fitness as well as social well-being, harmony and balance through wellness, prevention, therapy and rehabilitation of body, mind and soul (Loverseed, 1998: p. 8). Later, the ISPA offered an all-encompassing, holistic definition, claiming that spas are â€Å"devoted to enhancing overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit† (Mintel, 2005). It is claimed by Jenner and Smith (2000) that visiting spas is one of the earliest forms of tourism. Spas found their beginnings thousands of years ago, when ancient civilisations used them for their healing properties and as an important part of their social structure (Vierville, 2003; Spaa, 2002). The therapeutic use of baths was remarkably long-lived; such popularity was no doubt partly due to the fact that baths were both pleasant and, by the Roman imperial period at least, comparatively freely available (Jackson, 1990). It was after this time that public interest in baths began to peak (Spaa, 2002). By the medieval period, the idea that thermal springs could have medicinal properties was firmly established. But in the 18th and 19th centuries, taking the waters? began being a fashionable pastime for Europe?s upper classes. In fact, the popularity of this habit is what established places in the UK, such as Bath, Brighton and Harrogate, as early tourism destinations (Jenner and Smith, 2000). Today’s spa is an interesting combination of ancient traditions and modern facilities; in recent years, the value of prevention, healthy lifestyles, and relaxation has been embraced by many and the spa is again finding its place in modern society as a place uniquely geared to address these needs (Register, 2005). In one of the major formative tradition for current pattern of health and well-ness spa tourism worldwide, the Roman Empire left behind a long list of spas all over Europe, which they built while they were occupying new territories. With the demise of the Western Roman Empire in 450 AD, so too came the demise of the Roman bath tradition in Europe, although Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East maintained a highly developed bathing culture. This was a result of the influence of the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire and the subsequent Arab conquests and maintained the influence of Roman bathing tradition in those countries (The Spa Association, 2005). The City of bath in England provides an example of the fusion of Roman history with later trends in spa and wellness demand and supply in Europe (White, 2000). After the springs had been abandoned as a bathing resource in 1978 (although not touristically or respect of their mineral waters), the Bath spa project was launched by the City Council in 1997 in order to restore bath to the leading spa town of England, with the expectation that the project would stimulate the revival of spa culture in the UK. The hew spa facilities in Bath are just a short distance from the original Roman bath site and they used natural hot spring water drawn from the same springs that have served visitors for at least the last two thousand years. The new facilities are designed to offer relaxing and extended therapeutic treatments. Although they will not act as a cure for serious illness they will act as a cure for the human spirit, as outline in reference to the conservation statement for the adjacent Roman Baths (Clews, 2000). In countries such as Hungary the change from centuries of thermal bathing culture to modern wellness facilities has been slower than in countries without a history of hot or mineral hot springs. In Budapest the increase use of day spas builds on the ancient way of relieving stress and physical ailments through hot water treatment, and day spas and wellness facilities are now being established in a society that is becoming more conscious of the importance of healthy lifestyle (LaForest, 2004). In Budapest the locals congregate in public thermal baths such as the Szechenvi to relax, swim and take many of the cures and treatment on offer. They are also known for taking the national pastime of playing chess into thermal pools (The age, 2005). And further to the east in Russia the Soviet era thermal baths were an integral part of the national health system. In Europe Austria was one of the first countries to adopt the more recent concept of wellness and to act upon quickly. The country affectively appeals to key tourist target groups by positioning itself to offer wellness treatments that unite the body, spirit, personal desire, culture, and natural resources embodied by the spring (Nahrstedt, 2002). Australia has an unmatched infrastructure when it comes to wellness holidays and health-related tourism, and was ranked number one in the world for quality of life and its healthcare services in the early 2000s (Garalli, 2002). According to Nahrsetedt (2002) Austria boasts an intact natural environment in conjunction with its wellness spas, an association that is also very popular in the Japanese tourist market. In Japan itself though, with literally thousands of geothermal springs and the Japanese preference for authentic and unadulterated hot spring water, wellness centres are not yet developed to quite the same extent, leaving the European style wellness facility as a potential favorite for the Japanese while on holiday. In Japan, in tradition hot springs have been developed into days spas known as kuahausu derived from the German word kurhaus, providing separates bathing areas for men and women with thermal mineral pools at different temperatures, a cold pool area with fountains and waterslides, bowling alleys, gyms, saunas and steam rooms, massage services, restaurants and bars, relaxation rooms, music rooms, and video games (Altman, 2000: 07). But the main bathing attractions are the traditional hot springs called Onsen. Often used by groups of people who enjoy sharing a bath after leaving the world of corporate work behind? As well as families and couples, a trip to an Onsen is classed as the ultimate bonding experience because all are equal once they shed their designer clothes and other status symbols. The captain of Iceland, Reykjavik, has been designated on official spa city by the European Spa Association (Iceland Express, 2006). This seems well deserved a quite logical, because the Icelanders have many facilities where they can take care of their health, well-being and leisure. Several active Volcanoes and high temperature geothermal field provide natural hot springs all over Iceland and most towns have at least one public geothermal swimming pool. The Health and Wellness Spa Industry Having said that, rising customer expectations concerning health and wellness are the foundation in which the modern health and wellness spa industry is building an ever-increasing supply of facilities for the medical and general (wellness) visitor, to the extent that this form of tourism is now worth in excess of 250 billion US dollars per year and attract some 150 billion active spa-goers world-wide (ISPA, 2007). Caution is needed here though, because for example these figures are said to include 19. 1 million Japanese spa-goers. Japanese data (Beppu International Tourism Office, 2007) suggest that there are over 150 million Onsen users alone in that country (Chapter 9). This discrepancy would appear to relate to the varying definitions of wellness and spa use that were discussed earlier, where the Japanese tradition is more about simply bathing in hot water than about the American tradition of beauty spa that underlies the research undertaken by the International Spa Association. As a result of this, many Japanese users may not be counted if the data are concentrating on analyzing the spa experience rather than the totality of health and wellness tourism based on the use of hot and mineral springs. The trend toward indulgence in a relaxing environment, which began after World War II (Foster & Keller, 2008), has thus turned into a global movement but one that is a significant departure from the original concept of health spa that mainly specialized in rehabilitation of recovering from illness and injury. The new emphasis lies in prevention of disease and maintenance of good health more that cure, with high expectations regarding health improvement even if there are no particular health problems. Along with the body, mind and soul are also catered for in many spas in a holistic approach of creating harmony for those in need. This often includes new-age treatments as well as the more traditional water-based therapy. The key element in all such facilities is water. Be it apart of the natural landscape surrounding a facility (ocean, rivers, lake and waterfalls), decoration in the background (pools, fountains) or an active treatment component, water is a very important element in the world of spas and wellness. More and more spas without a natural hot springs are investigating the possibility if tapping into mineral geothermal water resources to enhance their business. The trend towards natural looking environments or setting is also evident in many spa hotels and resorts where swimming pools and thermal bathing facilities are designed and built to looks are natural as possible, with rock pools the most typical and widespread design. The development of these spa and wellness water resources can be divided into two broad types: Hot spring: These are usually well known and general appreciated for their curative value and their therapeutic benefits based on both water temperature and mineral content; Mineral springs: These can be cold or warm water from a nature spring, with curative value based on the type and concentration of minerals in the water. Often, the water can be taken internally too and is bottled and distributed (Cooper, P. nd Cooper, M. , 2009). Current International Trends in Spa and Wellness Tourism The trends of indulging in a relaxing environment has turned into a global movement but one with a significant difference from the original concept of health and natural hot and mineral spring spas, which mainly specialized in rehabilitation. The new emphasis lies in the prevention of disease and in the maintenance of good health instead of cures, with high expectation regarding health improvements even i f there are no specific problems. Mind and soul are usually catered for long with the body in many spas using holistic approach of creating harmony for those in need, including new-age treatments as well as the more traditional rehabilitative therapies. The main center of attention at present appears to be a natural healing method incorporating Asian treatments accompanied by the esthetic appeal of Eastern lifestyles and culture, which are in great demand. Therapies of Asia origin are often combined with European balneotherapy and hydrotherapy as well as sport and fitness facilities to offer diversity of options in order to attract as many customers and client as possible. Nearly all spas cater for aspects with special signature treatments to ensure that there are no missed opportunities (Cooper, P. and Cooper, M. , 2009). Characteristics of Spa Tourists Traditionally it has been women who have primarily used spas. However, a consumer research conducted by ISPA in 2003 determined that 29% of spa tourists around the world are men; this figure rose to 30% in 2004. As men continue to represent a significant proportion of the spa market, more spas are offering special treatments for them and men-only spas continue to open in cities around the world (Grihault, 2007; Mintel, 2005; Messerli and Oyama, 2004). The Baby Boomer generation (45-60 years old) continues to be the core consumer base for the global spa tourism industry. According to Haden (2007) industry analysts have long known that health conscious Baby Boomers have been the main driving force behind the worldwide boom in the spa industry. However, some argue the appeal of the industry reaches a larger age-range; Swarbrooke (2000: p 78-79) claims that most visitors to spa sites are in the social classes A, B and C1 and are between 30 and 65 years of age. Mintel (2005) have a similar view, claiming it is the 25-64 year old market who dominate the customer base for spas; this group tends not to be at the family life stage, and their members are as likely to be male as female. The average age of visitors to spas is currently 49 years (ETC, 2002). Yet Hudson (2003) argues that by 2050, 20 percent of the world’s population will be sixty years or older; and by 2150, this figure will increase to over 30percent. These claims seem dramatic; however it is clear from all the statistics available that the population is aging and that this trend is set to continue. Latest research by International Database, US Census in 2007 confirms these figures and shows the number of people aged over 55 years is projected to reach 2. 6 billion or approximately 27. 7% of the world?s population by 2050. Thus, the number of individuals aged 55 and over is forecast to grow at a rate of about 4% per year over the next 43 years (Haden, 2007). According to a survey carried out by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB), 70. 8% of those aged over 45 years had been on holiday in 2006, compared to 64. 9% of the general UK population. A Mintel study of US travellers in 2005 revealed that those over 55 years are more inclined to take holidays lasting five days or longer. Maintaining health in retirement has become a top priority. In a 2006 study of US health and fitness clubs in May 2006, Mintel found that those aged over 55 years were far more likely to participate in some form of strenuous exercise five or more times a week than other segments of the population (Haden, 2007). If such predictions are dealt with wisely, the outlook for the industry appears to be positive; it will help to drive tourism’s growth in general and health-related travel in particular. Taking this into consideration, such a shift will clearly have substantial implications for the international health and spa tourism industry. Research Literature Health spas had their origin in Europe and many resorts had name that were associated with spas. The popularity of mineral springs carried over to Northern America and the springs were the location of some of the earlier resort. It is important to differentiate between spa hotels and resort spas. Spas hotels cater only to spa clientele and all guests must participate in the meals, treatment and exercises. On the other hand, resorts spas are amenities that are available to the guest, and charges are made for the various usage of spa (Liguori, S. and Gray, W. ). Administration of spa hotels heavily involves people with a medical background, whereas resort spas are merely operating departments of the resorts. Exercises-oriented facilities are swimming pools, tennis court, handball and racquetball courts, jogging trails, hiking and weight and aerobic training. Spa program include dietary program, massage, herbal wraps, exfoliation, that also therapy, facial and hydrotherapy. Under both scenarios, staffing involves people experienced in the program and administrative personnel. Ways for boosting revenue The method presented in the previous section illustrated the overall contribution of resort spas to resort revenue, in order to offer more insight into how spa managers can increase their spa revenue, the author of this study conducted to an interview with a spa director of one of the leading resorts spa in Southwest Florida. The director state that resorts should first focus on guest experience to increase their sales. In that director’s case, she mentioned that her resort was able to increase the incremental spending from $658 to $985 per night by packaging spa and other activities together. The director also stated that pre-arrival process is a critical component for revenue maximization. She offered a case as an example where she use a system called â€Å"power booking† in which a spa front desk agent was calling guest two to three days to prior to the spa reservation date and providing the opportunity for upgrades and additional bookings base on availability (Rutherford, D. and O’Fallon, M. 2011). According to O’Fallon M. and Rutherford D. (2011) stated that spas are booming such a significant component of the service menu for resorts and full service hotels that their absence, especially in amenity- rich resort environment, is glaring obvious. Within the leisure industries in 2003, revenues related to spas ranked number four behind golf fees and dues ($19. 7 million0, cruise lines revenues ($14. 7 million), and health club revenues ($14. 1 million). At $11. 2 million, spa revenues outpaced amusement park revenues ($10. 3 million), box office receipts ($9. million), and vacation ownership sales ($5. 5 million (Thacker, 2004; Audi and Wright, 2004). In this section, we first examine trends that support a sea change in North Americans’ attitude toward spa demand demographics; we discuss the type of spas currently popular in the industry, development and operational considerations, the components of a spa experience, compensation issues, and trends in the spa industry. Spa demand According to the International SPA Associations research, between 2002 and 2003, 11% of the national population over the age of 16 made one or more spa visits. This statistics shows that in xten Americans visited a spa during that period. Additionally, of these, 41% were visiting spas for the first time, indicating a larger population embracing spa usage. Age demographics show that 145% of clients are between the ages of 16 and 24, and over 50% are in the 24 to 44 age bracket. An emerging national statistics is the number of male visits to spas. 23% of spa visits and 29% of spa goers were men in 2003, trending toward special gender oriented treatments and male- only spas being opened worldwide. Spa selection criteria are determined by a number of factors. An established and known environment for instance, as part of an established resort, club or destination spa often influences the decision, and does atmosphere, quality of treatment, and friendliness of staff. Additionally, among spa goers nine out of ten respondents report they would return for a similar experience. Most spa customers believe they receive good value for their spa dollar. On a 10 point scale, services were given an average of 8 for value; with massage generating 8. 8 on the value such as Canyon Ranch are opening in the day spa market, adding new competitive pressure on the independents. Non-traditional players are also adding product supply. For example, corporations are creating in house spa environments, hospitals are adding wellness as part of their repertoire, and medi-spas, with a primary focus on cosmetic surgery, are adding spa business as an additional profit center. Health club are also trying to capture a piece of the pie by adding spa practices. The rationale in this market is that time-crunched patrons can benefit from the one-stop-shopping approached to fitness and wellness but the health club operator also uses the spa as an enticement to join the fitness centre. As the day and destination spa markets become saturated, it will become imperative for survival that each operator differentiate itself from the competition. The necessity for market segmentation to ensure clear communication with consumers will be a key to success in the maturing spa market. Another component of success will be a branding strategy that the consumer can immediately identify with respect to spa performance and the consumers personal comfort travel (Rutherford & O’Fallon 2011). Health Issues and Spa Demand. Increasingly, spa goers are looking to create prolonged wellness that integrates and renews body, mind and spirit. To that end, Eastern and Western lifestyle issues related to medicine, philosophy, and spiritual are becoming a mainstay of many spa/wellness experiences. To best deliver this, the wellness spa (located at day, destination, or resort environment) supports guest’ needs by creating an experience, not just a series of treatments. All the guest amenities, treatments, and programs must be seamlessly integrated into a personally tailored guest experience. This experience should be targeted toward couples, parents with children, and teenagers. In the early 1990, spa were considered a natural outgrowth of fitness facilities and focused primarily on treatments related to body wellness. As market sophistication evolved, the body mind connection attracted consumer focus. In the beginning of the twenty- first century, spas and marketers are overtly addressing body, mind, and spirit connections in order to respond to emerging market sensibilities (Rutherford & O’Fallon 2011). Spas as an Operating Department. Historically, spa operations were treated by management similarly to other revenue departments, like catering and restaurants. These departments were simply perceived as an amenity needed to attract guest to the hotel. As long as the department broke even, or didn’t lose too much money, their ability to increase occupancy was deemed sufficient justification for their existence. However, in the late 1990’s, hotel spa followed the path of other operating departments and were transformed from support to profit centres. This trend is strong and continues today (Rutherford & O’Fallon 2011). Spa Trends: On site industry trends Anti-aging treatments and products are driving much of spa menu and retail development. This calls for devoting a treatments room to outpatient medical procedures. Programming and spa menu items include sun damage treatments, chemical skin for renewals, and other rejuvenation techniques that build on repeat procedures. Commensurately, spas are developing retail product lines so that clients can take the spa experience home and continue the wellness regime. Global Industry trends Trends in day, destinations and amenity spas influence each other. According to Susan Ellis (2004), president of Spa Finder, a spa marketing company, after the rise of the medical spa and broadening spa participations by men and teens, spa use is expected to become more popular in the future. Spa Finder’s trends to watch for are: those personal elements that make the spa experience special will find their way into the design of personal living spaces in private homes; private, gated living communities will develop around central spa facilities, much like golf and sly-in communities. Managing visitor’s expectation and experience. Visitor’s expectation of a wellness centre or spa will differ greatly according to which country they come from, their language and their experience of wellness facilities generally. For example, the British or Americans would have a very different understanding of what they would expect to find in spa (i. e. luxury, pampering, and beauty) from a Central or Eastern European (i. e. healing waters, physical health checks, and medical treatments). Information provision and marketing is therefore extremely important in managing visitor expectation. In some cultures, nudity in spa is the norm or even a requirement in some areas (e. g. suanas and steam rooms). This is true of Austria, Germany and some spas in CEE and Scandinavia. However, for some visitors (e. g. American, British, Asians, and Southern Europeans) this can be unexpected and even embarrassing. In some cultures (e. g. Finland and Japan) men are separate from women when using sauna or spa facilities. In other cultures, mixed nudity is accepted. Some nationalities are used to doing activities in groups and are not used to enforced silence (e. . Southern European). This can create a certain amount of tension in countries, where spas and wellness centers are seen as quiet, restful, sometimes even spiritual spaces (especially in sauna and steam rooms) Help may also be needed to guide visitors around spas, as it could be their first visit or rituals and traditions may differ from those in their home country. Language may be a barrier where there is little or no translatio n, especially in countries where language can seem completely unfamiliar (e. g. Finland, Japan, and China). Visitors sometimes have problems knowing which entrance to use if there is more than one, which ticket to buy when there are many options, and might not understand the cloakroom system (e. g. in Hungary, where a cloakroom attendant usually has to be approached for a locker and key) or the new technology (e. g. in Austria when the locker system can be operate using a wristband). Knowing just how long to stay in medical, mineral or thermal waters is not clear to the inexperienced. Even if 20min is the recommended time, bathers need to know how long to rest or whether they should go to a cool shower after. Just a small information panel outside a bath, sauna or steam room can be enough to inform visitors, what the recommended length of time should be. (Smith & Puczko 2009). Atmosphere Creating a relaxing, clean, and pleasant environment is a paramount importance for all wellness facilities, but most especially for spas and spa or wellness hotels, which may also need a touch of luxury (spiritual or holistic tourist may accept more basic facilities). The use of design, colour, lightning, and location of furniture, degree of natural light, greenery, views, music or scents can all contribute to creating a harmonious atmosphere. Certainly, most of these qualities are determined during the planning process. The management may face difficulties when the services and/ or the surrounding environment do not support or accompany each other. These mismatches certainly result in sub-optimal satisfaction and consequently lower the optimal revenue level 9 (Puczko & Smith 2009). Spa Tourism Spa tourism is arguably the best known form of wellness tourism and is sometimes treated as being synonymous with wellness tourism. ISPA (2007) defines spa as ‘places devoted to enhancing overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit’. ISPA also defines the key elements of the spa experience: relax; reflect; revitalize; and rejoice. It is difficult to distinguish between spas and more general forms of wellness (e. g. holistic retreats); however, it also shows clearly the diversity of the spa sector. There are now numerous sub-sectors within spa tourism and it is no longer enough simply to use the label ‘spa’ and assume that tourist will know what to expect. Perceptions differ greatly, for example, tourist in Central and Eastern Europe are very similar with the concept of historic medical spas, whereas other visitors (e. g. from the United States or United Kingdom) with expect something similar to a beauty salon. Spa are now of a highly complex and diverse nature. This diverse nature starts with the name and its likely meanings. Bath, bano, bad, therme/ terme, grotto, spa, kupele, furdo – all mean a thermal water-based spa, in various languages. The translation of the name from the original language often uses the term ‘spa’, but these establishments are not really always spa. Spas may differ widely in terms of what they offer, that is their services or treatment supply, and however, they have one thing in common, which is the aspiration to improve health and well-being. Most spas have some form of water-based treatments; however there is a difference between mineral, thermal, and healing waters: mineral waters; it has at least the set amount of dissolved mineral content which is minimum 500mg/1 or 1000mg/1; thermal waters: natural waters that are at least 30 C or 32 C at source (this can vary country by country); healing waters; the healing affects have to be proven, that is evidence-based. The International Spa Association (ISPA, 2007) has defined the ‘ten domains of SPA’ or segments of the industry as: the waters; food, nourishment, diet, and nutrition; movement, exercise, and fitness; touch, massage, and body work; mind/body/spirit; aesthetics, skin care, natural beauty agents; physical space, climatology, global ecology; social/cultural arts and values, spa culture; management, marketing and operations; time, rhythm, and cycles. Not every spa contains every domain. The rejuvenation of the spa concept has generated several attempts to categorize spas. Since the modern concept of spas were established in the United States, one of the most comprehensive categorizations comes from the International Spa Associations (ISPA, 2007 and the Spafinder Magazine, 2007): club spa; day spa; spa hotel; holistic spa; medical spa; bath; resort spa; sport spa and structured spa.

François Marie Arouet essays

Franà §ois Marie Arouet essays My name is Franà §ois Marie Arouet. I am known as one of the most brilliant and influential philosophes in the Enlightenment. I am also known for my incredibly rebellious nature, and my intolerance to anything that I thought was wrong, no matter what kind of authoritative power was behind the idea. I wrote many passages that criticized ideas or people I thought were wrong, and in addition wrote many tragedies, philosophical romances and even a historical study. I was born in Paris on November 21st, 1694. I had an early education at the Jesuit College Louis-le-Grand. When the French regent Philippe II heard of a lampoon I wrote that accused him of heinous crimes, I was imprisoned to Bastille for 11 months. It was in there when I wrote my first tragedy called Edipe. Edipe earned me instant success, fame and fortune. It was at this time that I started calling myself by my pen name, Voltaire. In 1726 a young nobleman, the chevalier de Rohan, angry at the witticism made at him by me, had me beaten. I was then imprisoned again in Bastille through the influence of the noblemans powerful family and was only released two weeks after, when I promised to go to England. In England, I mastered the English language, and in order to prepare England for some of my works, I published two remarkable essays in English, one on epic poetry and another on the history of civil wars in France. I soon gained popularity in England as well. In 1728, I retu rned to France and resided in Paris. However, after a piece of work I published that was accused of being a covert attack on the political institutions of France upset authorities, I was forced to flee Paris. I went to Cirey where I worked on physics and chemistry experiments and began a long correspondence with Prince Frederick II of Prussia. It was through the influence of marquise de Pompadour that I was made royal historiographer, a gentl ...

American Hauntings in Horrific Times Essays

American Hauntings in Horrific Times Essays American Hauntings in Horrific Times Essay American Hauntings in Horrific Times Essay The purpose of my paper is to focus upon Demonic entities haunting American society in horrific ways from the books, â€Å"Monsters in America† and â€Å"Beloved†. When it comes to hauntings and horror in the minds of Americans today, men tend to not have the capacity to integrate a demonic entity as well as a women could. Men usually need something that asserts or implies the truth and or falsity in something, while women don’t need to have any reason to believe that demonic entities exist. From serial killers like Ed Gein, and war heroes like those from the Vietnam War, to hauntings such as Beloved, These demons are still alive and thriving in society today. Many Americans encountered horrific scenarios throughout history, W. Scott Poole’s novel Monster’s in America talks about our historical obsession from hideous killers to demonic hauntings, I along with the class read this novel for the first time this semester and it was an unexpectedly pleasuring to some of us. Throughout the book we learned about different serial killers such as Ed Gein, a serial killer from our very own state of Wisconsin. â€Å"Before law enforcement coined the term, Gein, and his brutal crimes, ushered in the aegis of the maniac murderer in American popular culture. The serial killer became central to American discussions of public order, criminality, celebrity, and the nature of sexuality in the final third of the 20th century.† Poole defines to us what and when his bloody crimes started. Gein kept gruesome trophies from his killings. This demon had refrigerators full of human organs. Also, Gein turned human skulls into decorative bowls f or his bedside. Vulvas were discovered in a shoebox, some painted silver. He also sewed masks and an outfit made of human skin. The police also found a women’s body hollowed out in a manner that a Wisconsin hunter would dress a deer. Poole gives us very accurate descriptions of the horror many victims faced when Gein

Learning the Importance of Breakeven Point Analysis

Learning the Importance of Breakeven Point Analysis Breakeven point analysis is a very important tool, especially if you are preparing a business plan, to figure out the volume of sales your arts and crafts business needs to make in order to cover both your variable and fixed costs. At breakeven point, your arts and crafts business has made or lost no money. This is important info for you, the business owner, as you have to be able to handcraft your arts and crafts items at a price that your customers will pay while still providing an adequate amount of income to cover your personal living expenses. Once you get the hang of it you will find it quick and easy to figure breakeven point using an Excel spreadsheet. Breakeven Point by Item or Entire Business When discussing breakeven point analysis with clients, the goal is to figure it for either their entire business or by-product. While its more difficult to figure breakeven point for every item you make (this is more of a job costing extravaganza), its not impossible. Later on, well show you how to do a rough breakeven by item. Exploring Breakeven Point Analysis Consider the following scenario: One day a potential client walks through the office door, who is wondering whether they should go ahead and open an arts and crafts business. The clients main concern is whether they will be able to cover all their business costs. They also want to know how many arts and crafts items they will have to sell to pay themselves a certain amount of income each month. They have done their preliminary research, including lining up raw materials suppliers and getting price lists from those suppliers. Importantly, they have also found out what they need to do to become a wholesale customer of the suppliers and discount terms. The craft business owners have also made prototypes of the items to get an idea of how much raw material will be needed if the business goes into production mode. Walking Through Breakeven Point Facts Using a handy-dandy spreadsheet program, were going to present a step-by-step guide to breakeven point analysis for our fictitious new arts and crafts client - Oak Desk Clocks, Inc. Before we set up breakeven point analysis for them, we need some basic cost facts and figures: Variable expenses are those expenses that are tied to the number of units sold. For each clock that Oak Desk Clocks, Inc. makes they figure there is a cost of $25.00 for the combined total of material and labor.Fixed expenses are those expenses that do not change based upon the increases or decreases in the sales of your desks. A very good example of this is rent expense. Oak Desk Clocks lease calls for a monthly rent payment of $1,000. So, no matter if Oak Desk Clocks sells one clock or a million, the company is still responsible for the fixed amount ($1,000) in rent payments each month. Setting Up Breakeven Point Analysis Shown below are the initial entries we plan to make into a breakeven point spreadsheet for Oak Desk Clocks, Inc. None of these entries require any formulas - these are just the assumptions the owners of Oak Desk Clocks have made based upon their research into the clock-making industry. Sales price per clock is $35.00 with an expected increase in sales price of 10% per year.Variable costs per clock are $25.00 with an expected increase in the price of raw materials and labor of 5% per year.Fixed costs per year are $75,000, which Oak Desk Clocks feels will remain constant over the next five years.Advertising expense of $15,000 will be a major expense in the first year of business but should decrease by 12% each year over the next five years.

Role of Music in Computer Games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Role of Music in Computer Games - Essay Example Computer or video game music involves the use of soundtracks that accompany the game while it is being played. Early games used YMO melodies and beats. They used simple sounds and there was little distinction between 'noise' and 'music', or 'sound' and 'music'. At the time, little concentration was given to the possibility of incorporating music into games. Numerical developments in storage capacity increased over time. Long ago, the 1983-87 era employed '8-bit' systems, the 1987-1993 era used '16-bit' systems (Donkey Kong Country 2), '32-bit' systems occurred during 1993-2003 and the '64-bit' has been used since 2003-present. More space in the memory has been focused on with more detail being added (images, sounds and music). The first commercially produced games were by Computer Space (Nutting Associates 1971). The first game produced that had a 'musical dimension' was Space Invaders in 1978. It employed the rise and fall of bass notes that looped and sped up when the 'aliens' got nearer –a popular cinematic technique. Super Mario Brothers was the first video game produced in 1985 that went on to achieve worldwide success. The first dynamic use of 8-bit music was in a game’s plot titled Duck Tales in 1989. The first time songs were incorporated into video games was in 2005 in the computer game, ‘Still Alive’ in ‘Portal’. The development of the popularity of games was acknowledged which led to the creation of arcade games. At present, it is reported that video game composers employ advanced tools and instruments to make these exceptionally high quality sound tracks. These soundtracks rival the quality of production and musical sources that are distinctive with films. The central connection that exists between films and videogames is that they both rely heavily on the use of aural cues and visual cues as well to express a sense of constant diegesis or game world. The role played by music in these video games has advanced from once being a mere ringing sound to symphonic orchestral sounds and hip-hop playlists that can be customized. At present, music in computer games has evolved the whole experience one derives from these games when compared to the past. This fact has caused competitors within the game console industry to revolutionize their products. Music is used to express a particular mood when the visuals are accompanied with it. Onekey function among the extensive video game music functions sis that the sound aids in engaging the discernment of a spatial digress by the audience. Diegetic and Extra diegetic music is usually combined with the video game sounds to generate a particular captivating mood. Diegetic music is the kind of music assumed to be perceptible to the characters in the narrative on the screen. Musical cues and sound effects usually impart the objects with even an extra life than they possess when they simply make appearances as figures in motion. Use of music in computer game s makes the illusion portrayed in computer games compelling. Use of music in film Musical cues and sound effects have always been part of film from inception of the film began. Early exhibitions of films were characteristically incorporated the use of a piano. Silent films were complemented by a range of musical instruments such as the solo piano to larger musical instruments depending on the kind of film. Music in films was intended to spark interest in audiences.Originally, films had no music andthis caused audiences to seek other sounds (such as ambient noises) that fulfilledfunctions usually achieved by musical cues.Use of musical cues in film applieshigher influence on the subject of the film than it would have if there was no accompaniment of music.Music divides the emotive content of the filmand considerably impactson the understanding of thetheatrical plot by the audience (Collins, 2008).Music within films influences memoryof the scenes in the film. Through the musical cues, one is able to remember what was

What classroom strategies can be implemented to help a child with ADHD Literature review

What classroom strategies can be implemented to help a child with ADHD - Literature review Example The child easily gets distracted very first even by the sounds of the artwork on the classroom board (Brown, 2009 p. 134). Difficulty in remembering tasks and also organizing the schoolwork: When a teacher, for example, directs the students to turn to page 55 and work out exercise 1 to 3 and then art textbook page 44 and work out exercise 4 to 6 to the child with the disorder can be difficult. The child finds it very confusing, and the assignments can be done in different pages and exercises too (Mash & Wolfe, 2010 p. 77).   The child experiences difficulty in sitting and remaining seated in class: The child with ADHD usually does not understand why they should stay in one place without moving in class. They experience the problem of not being able to be attentive in class, even after being reminded to sit down so many times they forget, and they find themselves standing and moving around again. A teacher with such student who rarely knows anything about the disorder can be in a situation whereby she cannot be able to control the child (Rief, 2005 p. 98).   Impatience: The child is usually so much relentless, for example, this child cannot be able to line up like other children in the line. In the traditional schools, whereby the teachers can mistake, the child and get annoyed easily. These children usually insist on being the first always. Also in class, these children never wait for their turns to answer questions, but they just answer with outing waiting for their turn. The teacher can get very annoyed and punish or even develop a negative attitude towards the child. It can affect the child emotionally since the child does not see any problem with her or his behaviors; to them they are healthy (Deruvo, 2009 p. 45).   Hyperactivity and fidgeting: The child who has ADHD usually in most cases is not able to control the impulses in the class. That is they keep on moving up and

Relationship between systematic theology and christian ethics Essay

Relationship between systematic theology and christian ethics - Essay Example Christian ethics is mainly guarded by the biblical scriptures and other sacred teachings. In essence, ethics plays a significant role in molding people’s behavior and way of life. In addition, ethics aids in bring order in the society and ensuring that everyone acts accordingly in areas of resident, social gatherings and places of work. In this essay, investigation of the assertion that, there exists a certain relationship between Christian ethics and systematic theology is going to be investigated. Both disciplines focus on instilling good moral values to Christians. In fact, the core objective of these two fields of study is to enhance upright moral behaviors for Christians. For instance, Fedler (2006) argues that Christian ethics provides a guideline on how Christians should conduct themselves in private and public places. Similarly, systematic theology explores the Christian behaviors in order to set a platform for proper application of the Christian ethics. In essence, the two work hand in hand in building and developing the Christianity base. Christians are expected to be good ambassadors of Christ by acting according to the provisions of the bible and other holy texts. According to Christian ethics, a Christian should be an individual whose character is admirable to the members of the society. Actually, Christians should behave in such a way that non-Christians envy to emulate their character. The advancement in technology and education has eroded the good human morals a nd, therefore, systematic theology and Christianethics need to be applied together in order to restore and uphold acceptable morals in the society. According to Jenson (2001), systematic theology is not only an endeavor for Christianity knowledge but also an exposure to God’s truth on humanity. Through systematic theology, people are able to understand the reasons why God ordered some things to be done the way they are done and, this aids in building a well-founded

Entreprenuership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Entreprenuership - Essay Example Similarly, customers are issued with â€Å"thank you† messages, letters and even phone calls. Therefore, this makes a person to feel valued and an important member of the business (Kivetz, Urminsky and Zheng, 2006). Also, such retail outlets provided an environment conducive to me, and this attracted my attention. The sales people were customer friendly and they always approach each and every customer with the right offer in a right way. However, Wal-Mart or Supervalu have the strategy of bringing back the â€Å"lost sheep†. These grocery retail outlets provided extraordinary customer services. All their products were delivered on time, and they ensure that they meet their deadline. The most important thing is that they deliver zero-defect product, and they also have an outstanding people who offer their services. They have complaints procedure whereby customers can place their dissatisfaction about the retail outlet. Additionally, after receiving complaints, they act on them promptly by issuing a letter of apology or call their customers, and also making follow-up actions. Lastly, the three retail outlets always respond to customers’ concern. For example, there was a time when the products from most groceries were too expensive to most customers. The real thing they did was to offer a discount. Therefore, such kind of services to customers made me pick Wal-Mart, Whole Foods and Supervalu over other groceries retail outlets. Kivetz, Ran, Oleg Urminsky, and Yuhuang Zheng. "The goal-gradient hypothesis resurrected: Purchase acceleration, illusionary goal progress, and customer retention." Journal of Marketing Research 43.1 (2006):

Principles of perioperative nursing care - Management of postoperative Essay

Principles of perioperative nursing care - Management of postoperative pain - Essay Example tient, family members and other health-care professionals to help plan, implement and evaluate treatment Perioperative registered nurses provide surgical patient care by assessing, planning, and implementing the nursing care patients receive before, during and after surgery. The activities included in perioperative nursing care includes patient assessment, creating and maintaining a sterile and safe surgical environment, pre- and post-operative patient education, monitoring the patient’s physical and emotional well-being, and integrating and coordinating patient care throughout the surgical care continuum.  (Tramer, 2006) This assignment, deals with a particular selected aspect of perioperative patient care (among the multifaceted duties), â€Å"The patient experience – Postoperative pain†. This essay ravels through the dealing with pain, its path physiology, post operative main, its management, role of nurse in post operative pain management, role of patients and in the conclusion, deals with how changes brought in educational, managerial or nursing, that could be considered/ implemented to affect the improvement of quality care. The knowledge of pain is essential successful management of it. According to the International Association of for the Study of Pain, (IASP), pain is defined as an unpleasant experience in both emotional and sensory way that is described in term of actual or potential tissue damage. They further describe that the pain is subjective and each individual experiences the meaning of the term through early experiences. The pain can be further at micro levels be understood as a experience that comprises of sensory, emotional and cognitive components , with its expression and management, biological, psychological and social factors interacting in complex ways. Though it could be understood that pain is basically a physiological phenomenon, whose biological function is to provoke special reactive patterns that aims the removal/avoidance of

Entreprenuership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Entreprenuership - Essay Example Similarly, customers are issued with â€Å"thank you† messages, letters and even phone calls. Therefore, this makes a person to feel valued and an important member of the business (Kivetz, Urminsky and Zheng, 2006). Also, such retail outlets provided an environment conducive to me, and this attracted my attention. The sales people were customer friendly and they always approach each and every customer with the right offer in a right way. However, Wal-Mart or Supervalu have the strategy of bringing back the â€Å"lost sheep†. These grocery retail outlets provided extraordinary customer services. All their products were delivered on time, and they ensure that they meet their deadline. The most important thing is that they deliver zero-defect product, and they also have an outstanding people who offer their services. They have complaints procedure whereby customers can place their dissatisfaction about the retail outlet. Additionally, after receiving complaints, they act on them promptly by issuing a letter of apology or call their customers, and also making follow-up actions. Lastly, the three retail outlets always respond to customers’ concern. For example, there was a time when the products from most groceries were too expensive to most customers. The real thing they did was to offer a discount. Therefore, such kind of services to customers made me pick Wal-Mart, Whole Foods and Supervalu over other groceries retail outlets. Kivetz, Ran, Oleg Urminsky, and Yuhuang Zheng. "The goal-gradient hypothesis resurrected: Purchase acceleration, illusionary goal progress, and customer retention." Journal of Marketing Research 43.1 (2006):

Organizational Behavior Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organizational Behavior - Research Paper Example Motivation Defined and Famous Theories The origin of the word ‘motivation’ was examined to have originated from the Latin word ‘movere’ or ‘motum’ which reportedly means ‘to move’ (Webster's collegiate dictionary, 1941). Motivation is defined as â€Å"a whole class of drives, needs, and similar forces that prompt a person to feel, think, and act in certain ways or to develop tendencies for specific behavior† (Martires & Fule, 2004, p. 570). From the definition, it could be deduced that there are complex forces that evidently interact and impinge on the individual or a group of persons to influence them towards a specifically defined direction or goal. These forces are hereby explored in greater detail through an examination of the motivational theories which evolved through time. What makes motivational theories challenging to be applied in the work setting is the diversity within which each person is designed according to ne eds and drives that rationalize their decisions to work. As such, the most competent people who are expected to design strategies that would be deemed most effective in motivating people are leaders or managers. ... onal theories include those that were conceptualized by Maslow in his Hierarchy of Needs theory (Maslow, 1954); Herzberg’s motivation – hygiene theory (Herzberg, 1974); McGregor’s Theory X – Theory Y (McGregor, 1985); as well as the Expectancy Theory by Vroom (Vroom, 1964). However, in contemporary times, although some of these theories seem to be still applicable, there were research studies which were conducted that revealed practitioner applications in clearly identifiable scenarios in an academic setting. The results of the study were presented by Kroth (2007) and shown in Table 1, presented as an Appendix. From the tabular presentation, it could be deduced that motivational theories are deemed to be effective depending on factors which include the kind of working environment, the situation at hand, the personalities of the subordinates, as well as the personality and style exuded by the leader. Motivational Techniques There were identified motivationa l strategies or techniques that could be considered more effective than others. Although it was asserted that the effectiveness in application of the preferred strategies would actually depend on the situation, on a more general facet, five high performance employee motivation techniques were revealed, to wit: (1) provision of challenging and meaningful work; (2) setting clear standards or targets and expectations and being able to effectively measure the performance against these standards; (3) according direct, regular, and supportive feedback; (4) designing roles, tasks, and responsibilities according to the strengths of the employees; (5) empowering people to undertake performance of their duties (Holmes, 2013). It is also important to acknowledge that leaders should be able to first make an accurate

The Change of Social Views on Mental Illnesses Essay Example for Free

The Change of Social Views on Mental Illnesses Essay In the past, mental illnesses were not widely accepted in society. Many times, upon the discovery of a mental illness in a child, the parents would send them to a mental institution to take care of them. Because of this, people with mental illnesses were often looked down upon due to the public’s unfamiliarity with them. Society’s ignorance has minimized over the years. The social views over the past 30 years have changed considerably towards people with mental disabilities due to socialization, by being involved in valued roles in society, and the evolution of medicine. The socialization of people with mental illnesses changed society’s way of thinking. The closures of mental institutions have contributed greatly to this. Sending a child with a mental illness to a mental institution to be raised, isolated them from society. By not being exposed to people that are different, it is difficult to widely accept and understand those differences. The more one is exposed to something, the more desensitized they are to it. For example, studies show that the more exposure to violence through the media and video games, the more desensitized the consumers are to the violence in real-life situations (Science Daily). Many times in society, one sees someone with a mental illness working in places that give them seemingly meaningless roles within that workplace (i. e. Jobs that do not contribute to society). By eliminating those meaningless jobs, people with mental illnesses have the opportunity to work among those without a mental illness. It will therefore increase contact, consequently increasing familiarization. The media has contributed greatly towards providing knowledge to the public about mental illnesses such as depression, autism, and bipolar disorder. By educating the public, it will cause less apprehension and misunderstanding of people with mental disorders. Marsha Gray of Community Living Mississauga points out that, â€Å"One of the things I find that is very bothersome is when people treat them like babies, like they can’t handle themselves. † This treatment is often a result of ignorance and often demeans the person whom they are speaking. It implies to them that people with a mental illness is unable to take care of themselves. Participation in meaningful activities that people without mental disabilities participate will increase the social skills that people with certain mental illnesses often lack. To build intimate relationships, for example, provides a chance to develop better self- esteem, and self-awareness that many people without a mental illness often take for granted as it develops naturally earlier on in life. As explained by Marsha Gray, â€Å"A social stigma is that people with mental illnesses cannot have a boyfriend/girlfriend or get married and have kids. It is encouraged to be engaged in those social settings to strengthen the social skills that they may not have had fully developed or may still need to learn. † The teaching of social norms is essential to the changing of society’s views. In the case of Autism, which is a â€Å"disorder that severely impairs development of a person’s ability to communicate, interact with other people, and maintain normal contact with the outside world,† there is the incapability to be aware of the needs and feelings of others. This may result in social deviancy. Social deviance is any behaviour that is different from the societal norm. With the incapability to be aware of the needs and feelings of others, people with autism may act in a way or do something that may offend others without realizing the consequences. This creates a stereotype that all people with a mental illness are never able to act according to social norms. This view can be changed by teaching what is right and wrong according to the social norms to prevent intolerance. There are certain valued roles in society that everybody plays. There is a stigma that people with mental illnesses cannot carry on the role as a parent, or as an employer. The evolution of medicine has played a large part in changing the views of society. The introduction of Lithium as a mood stabilizer for patients with bi-polar disorder was a medical breakthrough (NIMH). Because of this, people who are affected by bi-polar disorder are able to live a better, productive life in society with less extreme mood swings between mania and severe depression. In the past, electric shock treatment was commonly used to treat mental illnesses such as severe depression, and epilepsy. With new advancements in medicine, people with mental disorders are able to function better, and live lives that are more productive and fulfilling. With socialization, which is a result of closing down mental institutions, eliminating meaningless roles, and educating society, the views of the public have changed for the better because the increase of awareness and more exposure to those with mental illnesses. By providing centres that help teach people with mental illnesses basic life skills and how to act in ociety, it is getting easier for them to live their lives without constant scrutiny for the people around them. By creating ways for people with mental illnesses to be integrated and treated fairly has opened societies eyes and help society be more welcoming to those who are different and decreasing discrimination. The change of social views on mental illnesses have changed for the better, and will continue to do so because they see that all people affect by a mental illness want is to be no different than the normal John Doe, and to be treated as such.

The concept of scientific management case study

The concept of scientific management case study The concept of scientific management can be defined as the exercise of the scientific technique to define the most appropriate or best way for a job to be done. Important Contributions in this field is made by Frederick W. Taylor, who is deemed as the father of scientific management. Taylors employment at the Bethlehem Steel companies inspired his concern in improving efficiency. Frederick W. Taylor sought to produce a mental transformation among both workers and managers by defining transparent guidelines towards improving production efficiency. Through all of these, Frederick W. Taylor was adept to define the most suitable or one best way for doing every job. Frederick W. Taylor accomplished steady improvements in productivity in the range of nearly 200 percent. He acknowledged the role of managers to plan and manage and of workers to act upon as they were instructed (Daniel, 1992)Â  [1]Â  . The expansion of management theories has been described by differing ideas regarding what managers do and how they should do it. It is believed that scientific management pored over management from the lookout of enhancing the productivity and competency of manual workers. Frederick W. Taylors Four Principles of Scientific Management includes- carefully study every part of the task scientifically and cultivate a best method to perform that particular task..He also suggested to carefully choose workers and prepare them to perform a task with the use of scientifically developed approach (Daniel, 1992)1. Time studies as described by Taylor go ahead to the idea of the assembly procession which is suitably open up for any type of organization. The term of Scientific management has been originally selected as a indication to progressives ideals of the 1910s. Scientific management, at first the inadequacy of laissez-faire and the necessary role of disinterested elites (Haber, 1964)Â  [2]Â  ! The functionalist imagery used in The Principles of Scientific Management presents the Taylorist approach as a set of prescriptions to get better a few endeavors. Similarly mental transformation planned might be an appeal for a social commitment of engineers as well as controlled persons of the organization. (Daniel, 1992)1. The recent international development of new thoughts is a result of the internal revolution of firms as well as a component of interaction between between reformist actions at the turning of the century. However without believing honestly in all of too good-natured declarations of social harmony, how would the peculiarity of this discourse of modernization would be seriously taken into account and analyzed. On the opposite side Taylor saw that -the power of the skilled workers was the lack of power on the part of management. Taylor therefore extended as his goal the refurbishment of power back into the hands of management. He did not see this in terms of a dispute between social groups. In Taylors view, there is need of scientific study of the work process in order to enhance productivity and efficiency which would be of benefit for all. However the present system not able to provide this and therefore needed fundamental reform. Taylor believed that attempts levels and incentive systems should be determined on scientific basis. It was not the result of bargaining and dispute between skilled workers and managers. Therefore he began to look at other ways where the production system could be restructured (Daniel, 1992)1. Taylors 4 Principles of Scientific Management Taylor proposed the following four principles of scientific management which he concluded after years of various experiments to determine optimal work methods:- Collaborate with the workers to make sure that the scientifically developed approaches are being followed. Distribute total work nearly equally among managers and workers, such as the managers apply scientific management ideology to planning the work and the workers essentially perform the tasks. Exchange rule of thumb work methods with techniques based on a scientific study of the tasks. Scientifically choose, coach, and develop each worker instead of passively leaving them to train themselves (Daniel, 1992)1. These all four principles were implemented in many production units as well as factories which focused on increasing productivity through a factor of either three or more principles. It is a evidence that Henry Ford applied some of Taylors principles in his organization and automobile/ vehicle factories as well as families and the result of the same all these started to perform their individual and household tasks basis on the outcome of time and motion studies (Daniel, 1992)1. Any discussion of scientific management needs to identify its particular contextual features. These feature gaggle Taylor in two directions. First direction which is implanted in all modem industrial systems concerns the requirement for planning of the production process. However, the other direction was focused towards a specific model of how the work process could be structured. It was based on a process of generalization of skills and deskilling. On the basis of specific American context, for a time being, it may be successful in that context but, as a more generic way, it was not commonly adopted because in other countries, privileged, managers as well as workers had different expectations of their particular roles. So skilled work keep hold of a greater significance in many more countries and sectors than Taylor would have expected (Daniel, 1992)1. Application of Scientific Management in case study Human Resource or Staffing costs take up the largest share of the budget in all major important hospitals. There should be effective processes that should be focused on managing recruitment, sickness and absence staff, which can offer considerable benefits. Required changes in practice are one thing but enabling sustainable developments which is generally considered as a more difficult challenge. Work with precious in accepting how to attain long term change and how to constantly improve standard practice should be major concern (Koontz, 1986)Â  [3]Â  . In the given case of Aidensfield Hospitals Trust (AHT) it is reveal that Human resource management administration is presently controlled from a central HR department, although some areas of the organizations people management practices such as employee selection, discipline, grievance and communication have been delegated to line management within loose group working arrangements. However, slack reporting structures, weak lines of communication, along with ill-defined limits of authority and accountability have resulted in role ambiguity within the line managers. In turn, this is mirrored in job insecurity, low morale and poor motivation at operational level (Tsoukas, 1994)Â  [4]Â   It also suggested that working alongside the Human Resources team at ATH must undertake a diagnostic review of current processes. To apply this initial lean implementation activity, supported with an introduction to support methodologies and waste walk, pin-pointed the main areas for improvement within the department that may include sickness and absence rates and the lead-time for recruitment to unfilled or vacant posts. It also require, the complete process flow planning of sickness and absence management identified postponements, gaps in the process and a lack of standardization (Koontz,1986)Â  [5]Â  . Additional focus also suggested on delays through root basis analysis supported by the team in recognizing solutions to the key issues, which may include: Case conferencing Mandatory training Performance indicators Project planning Simplified procedures and documentation Process mapping of recruitment activities are the major challenges which required to be highlighted through the system. The new requirement analysis should be done for Job design which is part of vacancy filling. These steps focus out of sequence, standards being followed and further delays may arise in Occupational Health and patients checking and diagnosis (Goold, 2002)Â  [6]Â  . The root cause analysis may help the team work at ATH on a number of expected solutions that may include:- Transparent performance measures Capacity matching measures Separated recruitment from job design Standard recruitment procedures Demand Building on all suggested improvement The ATH management should work with the Human Resources team to develop their internal base capability in order to sustain new improvements. All the staff should require to attain training workshop which given them skills in techniques such as general process mapping and structured problem analysis as well as solving. At ATH many role ambiguity and a degree of inconsistency regarding people management arrangements is apparent within supervisory grades in the organization should be removed. More emphasis on Delegation, communication, team-building and employee empowerment have all been problematic issues for managers, trade union representatives and employees of this health service provider. As a manager leadership is crucial to the success of ATH. A caring, competent and professional leader will earn the respect and support of all the staff. Managers who show by example that they are acting according to a sound value system and a high work ethic are well on the road to managing a suc cessful hospital. To do this, managers need personal goals. The team must have a clear strategy for themselves and communicate this clearly to others. However teamwork that involves all levels of staff, starting with the management, developing a shared vision and purpose for the hospital within its shared core values is a way to unify people from different backgrounds and professions. To improve the HR functions at ATH is suggested that the organization to perform effectively in this highly competitive environment, senior management perceive a need to streamline the management structure, formalize reporting arrangements, clarify parameters of authority and improve the present group working arrangements. It is likely that these changes will have far-reaching consequences for both management and operational workers. Because the present management-employee relations climate is not conductive to the implementation of change, it will be necessary to create a positive team-based environme nt to embrace ongoing change in the future (McMahon, 1980)Â  [7]Â  . Q4. Using specific examples drawn from the case study discuss leadership styles and the potential behavioral responses. Leadership Styles Leadership generally defined in numerous ways by different authors, however the most appropriate one in the hospital scenario is the process of influencing all the behavior of an individual or a group in such a way that they try hard keenly towards the achievement of organization goals (Clegg, 2005)Â  [8]Â  . Types of leadership Autocratic Leadership The characteristics of Autocratic leadership are:- The leader primarily seeks the conformity from his group. They have to carry out the work as preferred by the leader. The whole authority is centralized with the leader and he can determine everything. The leaders can structures entire work for his employees. Communication is generally unidirectional from above downwards. Workers compliance can obtain through threats and punishments. Those who obey orders may reward and those who do not are punished. It is a carrot and stick type of leadership. All employees have very slight responsibility. All employees assured about their security. (h) Decision making is speedy and less competent subordinates can be simply employed. (i) The highly qualified professionals do not like this type of leadership as there is short of scope for growth, development, proposal and sense of responsibility. (j) Fear, argument, dissatisfaction and frustration can increase easily (Clegg, 2005)8. Participative or Democratic Leadership The characteristics of Democratic Leadership are:- Communication can make in all directions. Decision making taking more time. Experienced and capable workers feel more happy and satisfied. In this type of leadership, leader and workers share the decision making. It is not a carotid stick type of leadership. There are no punishments but corrective actions and rewards are based on goal achievements. The leader draws the ideas and suggestions from the workers by discussions and consultations. The workers are encouraged to take part in making organizational goals and the job of leader is mainly that of control. The workers have a common sense of belonging and satisfaction. Unskilled and lower level workers do not like this style (Clegg, 2005)8. Laissez-Faire or Free Rein Leadership In this type of leadership, each worker has his own ability and the leader is relatively like an information cubicle. He exercises a minimum and assumes the role of another member of the group. This is more suitable for investigate laboratories and similar organizations (Clegg, 2005)8. Epidemiology of Leadership in different conditions In order to determine the best leadership style following three factors can be obtained. The condition in which the leading takes place. The people individual lead. The personal individuality of the leader himself. Because differences take place in all three of these factors, there can be major deviation in leadership style (Clegg, 2005)8. The other differentiation of major leadership style is listed below:- Affiliative Leadership Authoritative Leadership Charismatic Leadership Coaching Leadership Style Coercive Leaders Democratic Leaders Pacesetting Leaders Behavioral Responses A Leader has an authority that motivates others towards achieve a common goal. Respected leaders focus on what they are about their beliefs and character, what they know about job, tasks, and human nature, and what they do to implement, motivate, and provide directions. Managers may manage tasks. Leaders can lead people. Respected managers have subordinates and leaders have followers. Managers are those people who do things right. Leaders are those people who do the right thing. Leadership style is the style in which manner and approach for providing directions, implementing plans, and motivating people. Leaders may vary their styles. A Leader is not strict on one style. Mostly leaders may use multiple styles to control their followers one (Golema, 2002)Â  [9]Â  . True leadership starts when it does an impact on the followers. Every counseling leader makes the assumption that there is individuality about individuals skills, and that some may beat the leaders in convinced areas. Ideas are encourage able and shareable, and decisions that reflects the collective intelligence of the team members. The leader consults with their followers and smooths the system for them to do a superior job. Where a manager may give a sense of self-belief in the leader, the counseling leader gives all the team members a sense of self-belief in themselves. By installing this confidence in their work, the counseling leader set the point for what is known as maintenance behavior, the ability to keep things affecting on keel. In this regard, the leader may become a valuable person for the company who has ability to develop internal concord (Golema, 2002)9. The formula for a success leader is really very simple: The more leadership styles are adopted more you are able to master, so you will become the superior leader. The ability to replace between styles as situation demands wills superior the result and workplace climate. Golemans research exposed four more leadership styles that leaders were able to master the affinitive, democratic, coaching, and authoritative styles frequently provide better performance from their followers and a healthy climate in which they are working (Golema, 2002)9. Application to case study The hospital is a multipart organization, aimed to attain the patient care fulfillment. This organization is totally different from other organizations like cotton industry, toys or car production industry, all the principles of management are appropriate in the hospital atmosphere. Hospitals are labor concentrated organizations and engage a large number of professionals, who are working in a life and death activity, leadership is one of the areas which attach a lot of importance in the hospital management. In the hospital various types of people come across, like hospital employees, patients and the visitors. The scope is more or limited to the hospital employees. (McMahon, 1980)7. As already discussed hospital is a multipart organization aimed with various types of actions performed by different groups of employees ranging from unskilled to highly skilled and professional. Mainly the hospital employees can be divided into three groups. Medical (Professionals). Non-medical. Nursing and paramedical. Professional employees: This group consists of doctors, specialists and super specialists who are highly qualified and highly skilled workers. Even though money and materials may provoke some of them but on the whole they are provoked only after their psychological needs are met with. Their psychological needs can be met when they are participating in the decision making. As a result, they feel intelligence of belonging and achieve acclaim as well (Golema, 2002)9. Nursing and paramedical employees: This group consists of technical and semiskilled workers lower than the professional group. Primarily they require job structuring by oppressive way of leadership, they obtain so much proficiency that direction and willpower takes higher priority in motivating them and they become an important part of the unrestricted leadership (Golema, 2002)9. Non-Medical employees: This group consists of unskilled workers with very low education and very low financial status. Their inspiration comes by meeting their basic and security requirements. Simply by money and material benefits can satisfy this type of group. Since their requirements are very limited and need job security, the oppressive style of leadership is the improved way to control them (Golema, 2002)9. There are two types of situations in hospital industry. Normal situation Crisis situation Normal situation: Throughout normal situation professional, nursing and paramedical groups of workers are controlled with the democratic type of leadership. Even the hospital disaster plan can be discussed and customized according to the past experiences. The non-medical group of employees can be governed by the autocratic style of leadership even throughout the normal situations. Crisis situation: The comparatively sudden and wide spread trouble of the social system and the life of group of people by some agent or occurrence of large amount of admissions of patients and lead to the crisis situation in the hospital. Hospital disaster plan is activated in this situation and demands autocratic style of leadership (Golema, 2002)9. For achieving optimal leadership style the leader has to modify his working style according to the needs. In ancient days leadership was considered to be the natural feature and used to lead in the particular families. Due to availability of better management tools and development of the scientific knowledge, now leadership basically involves in motivating the staff and appliance of communication skills (Golema, 2002)9. Operative leadership is an essential need for higher utilization of insufficient hospital resources and higher superiority of medical care. It has already been discussed that democratic style is more appropriate for the normal situations for highly qualified and highly professional group, whereas crisis situations can be managed by way of autocratic style of leadership. The autocratic style of leadership can control the non- medical group effectively. The hospital administrator should have competency in all the styles of leadership and should select the one according to the situation (McMahon, 1980)7. Q6. Critically review the concept informal organization and illustrate how it may apply to the case study. Concept of informal organization The nature of organizational structure has changed over many decades. The major trend of organizational has been from mechanistic structures, hierarchies, functional specializations and management controls, to organic structures, characterized by team working, empowerment and flexibility. Organizational design reflects the systems that consider both hard and soft components, i.e. elements, association between elements, and relations as a whole to form one unit. Therefore, mechanistic and organic structures acquire different characteristics, namely: mechanistic structures emphasize the hard component of systems with minute consideration paid to the soft component; while organic structures mainly expand the soft component (that is the informal structure) relating to the interaction between the soft and hard components for the creation of organizational capability. This conceptual term paper embraces systems opinion, elaborating on the changing importance of elements within different ty pes of organizational structure. In addition to the importance of managing the informal structure for the goal of organizational success within the facts economy (Kotter 1990)Â  [10]Â  ! Informal structure is essential for organizational behavior, but, unlike formal structure, is not illustrated in the organizational chart. On the other hand, formal organizational structure can be unreliable, as many organizational activities, which symbolize the real vigor, may be undertake outside the framework of formal organizational structure; and people, who control the real future, may be well hidden beneath of the organizational chart (Roberts, 2004)Â  [11]Â  . Therefore, formal institutions have been analyzed and evaluated separately of informal institutions. The converse is also true: the informal institutions have largely distant from the importance of formal institutions, often viewing them as functional substitute. Some of the scholars feels that is not adequately look at the relations between formal and in-formal organizational / institutions. We challenge in somehow towards failure to amalgamate of all these concepts into a common theory has led to imperfect reasoning and considerable weakness in theories of economic organization. In this essay we analysis the both informal and formal institutions of economic organization into the most fundamental predictions of NIE. The formal and informal organization structure Organizations have a formal structure which is organized by the responsibility for managing the organization. They create the formal structures to enable the organization to meet its affirmed objectives (Weick, 2001)Â  [12]Â  . Frequently these formal structures will be set out in the form of organizational charts. However, an informal structure develops day-to-day interactions between the members of the organization in most organizations. This informal structure may be different from set out on paper. Informal structures develop because: Informal structures are easier to work on it. patterns of interaction are formed by friendship groups and other relationships people does not like to work on formal structures people find new ways for doing things in easier way and save the time Many times the unofficial structure might be conflict with the formal or official one. It can be noted that where these case the organization might become less efficient towards meeting its stated objectives. In spite of this, in some cases the informal or unofficial structure might ascertain to become more efficient while meeting organizational aim because the formal organizational structure might be set out very badly. It is supposed that managers require learning to work with both formal and informal structures. It may be a flexible manager who may feel fundamentals of the in-formal organizational structure that might be formalized for sake of understanding by accommodation the formal organization structure to fits in developments that may results from daily working of the in-formal structure. All of the organizations that appear in the Times 100 will have some form of formal structure which is usually set out in organization charts. As the managers foster these in-formal teams an d mould all of them in-to the formal organization which can lead to high intensity of motivation for the staff concerned. However, these organizations also benefit from informal structures based on friendship groups. By analyzing how the informal and formal organizations might be complementary, balanced and integrated, the requirements of an organization become clear and practical solutions present themselves. On the other hand a formal process makes sure that particular works that might be efficient and primary informal set up that can be organize individuals quickly as well as effectively towards put an end to issues that might not be addressed in system itself. On the other hand proper performance bonus may inspire top sales people and gives pride in better negotiation behaviors that might inspire the larger group of low or middle performers (Watson, 1986)Â  [13]Â  . Application of informal organization to case study Few hospital trusts and health authorities steadily do better than others on different paths towards performance. In this case study of ATH, there are some proof related to management matters, however the combination of individual clinicians and teams. In this case it is found that the link between the organization and management of services as well as quality of patient care can be criticized theoretically and methodologically (Miles, 1978)Â  [14]Â  . A larger and debatably more precise body of work presents on the performance of hospital in the private sector, often conducted within the disciplines of organizational behavior or human resource management. Some studies in these traditions have towards the decentralization and participation as well as innovative work rehearsal on outcome of variables which may include job satisfaction, good feeling and performance. The main objective is to identify a number of reviews and research traditions that might bring new and innovative ideas into future work towards finding out hospital performance. This may be the case where preferably furthere research might be more theoretically in-formed which may use parallel rather than horizontal designs. The use of some statistical methods and techniques which include multilevel modeling that allow for the inclusion of variables towards various levels of analysis that would enable rough estimation of separate involvement that structure, process make to hospital outcomes. (McMahon, 1980)7 For a medium sized hospital as ATH, it might not be sure why, but over the last few years it was found it more and more difficult to be effective people management in the traditional ways. It was almost as if ATH management spent all of their time trying to swim upstream. Things that used to be obvious and easy became difficult however ATH management couldnt understand why. This problem unfortunately is a fairly common problem within same companies or hospitals. ATH management failed to understand and manage the informal organization structure within these functional teams. As this can be a fatal flaw to all managers which may include senior ones! All company in generally having two organization structures, the first one is called formal structure. This is the one everyone talks about. It can be seen on official organization charts. It shows who reports to whom, who is responsible for what and how everyone is supposed to communicate with each other. But then theres another organizati on that few talk about but is at least equally important (Clarke, 1998)Â  [15]Â  . Its the informal organization within the company. Its the structure which can be following when the management/ authorities like ATH management dont have the time to do it the right way. Its based on who knows what, who gets things done, who has influence and power, who must agree before an idea can be effectively implemented. Formal structures are the way a hospital wants things to work. Informal structures describe the way they really work. (McMahon, 1980)7. Efficient and effective companies recognize this and management makes sure they are never very far apart. They understand that if they are too far apart for too long something is going to break. The problem is that it is difficult to predict what will break. In this case it is found that there is problem that ATH management failed to include and listen to other key executives, some of whom management thought had nothing to do with what he was changing, as he moved forward with an important series of initiatives (Evans, 2000)Â  [16]Â  . There are two lessons to be learned from ATH management experience. The first is rather obvious, every manager and employee should understand that informal structures exist in companies, that they are not much bad and must be understand and used as required appropriately. It is found that Ignoring all of them is done at ATH management own risk. Similarly another lesson which seems more fundamental (Mintzberg, 1993)Â  [17]Â  ! ATH management need to periodically look at how things are done, how they are organ