The Importance of Keeping Your Chain of Command Informed

It is important to keep your chain of command informed at all times, especially if you are in charge of the well being of soldiers. On the twenty sixth of January I failed as a Non Commissioned Officer to fulfill this duty. I was informed that one of my soldiers might be going to the hospital. I asked that person to keep me informed of my soldier’s status. Instead I should have checked on the soldier personally because her health was already in a fragile state and the problem she was having was of a very serious nature. I let my soldier down and endangered her by trying to keep the situation at the lowest level. I knew it was important to her that at the time her situation remained discreet. Although my soldier’s personal life is their business, their health and well being is mine and that should have taken precedence. My actions not only affected my soldier and myself but by keeping my chain of command in the dark I potentially could have affected their reputation negatively in the sense that, should that soldiers condition been more severe they would have been blindsided and their chain have command would have question why they did not act sooner. I took the situation too lightly and that was not my place to brush it off and assume that everything would get better. I know now that as an NCO it is my job to take care of my soldiers but it takes more than one NCO to do so. By keeping my squad leader and platoon sergeant out of the equation I limit my resources for help on evaluating and fixing the problem. What I should have done the second that this information was passed down to me was to contact the soldier themselves to affirm the information and get details and then immediately get a hold of my chain of command and let them know what is going on. My chain of command has been in the ARMY much longer then I and would know better what to do in a situation like this. It was selfish of me to think I was able to handle a situation of this matter on my own. I should have gone to the people who have experience in how to handle the situation and would do what is best for the soldier. My counseling says â€Å"When you receive information about a soldier being sent to the hospital it is your obligation to inform your chain of command so that information can be passed up the chain and the appropriate actions can be taken if need be. I understand that it might not seem like a very big deal but a soldier getting admitted to the hospital for any reason can take a turn for the worse without notice and also we have to account for the soldier while they are in the hospital. In the future make sure you pass this information up the chain as soon as it is received. † This counseling helped me grow as a NCO because it made good points that I never thought of when acting in this situation. First of all the fact that I, someone who is not a doctor cannot make a proper evaluation of someone in order to assume that there health problem is no big deal. And by acting like is no big deal I could have made the situation take a turn for the worse. Also I neglected to remember the importance of knowing my soldiers general where abouts at all times whether at work in the field and even at home. The consequences of my actions could have resulted in more than a counseling. Most importantly my soldier could have been in serious danger and by the time I seeked help it could have been too late to keep the condition of the situation minimal. She could have gotten really sick and her chain of command would have no idea and therefore would have been no help to her. Furthermore my dereliction of duty is punishable under the uniform code of military justice. It could have led to a loss in rank and pay or dismissal and separation from the Army under Army Regulation six-hundred and thirty five dash two-hundred chapters five, nine, thirteen and fourteen. If this would have happened I could have received an honorable discharge or even worse an other than honorable discharge. The results of these actions would have been immense. I would have not only have let down that solider but my other soldiers as well as my chain of command. Without the Army I would be unable to support my future family and would have let down my family and my country because I am a good soldier and am learning to become a good NCO. It all goes back to the NCO creed where it states that â€Å"I will communicate consistently with my soldiers and will never leave them uniformed. † It goes unsaid that I am responsible for linking the information between my chain of command and those soldiers under my command. When I got a call saying my soldier needed me I neglected to act on this and inform my chain of command who is equipped to deal with the situation. In the future I will be sure to notify my chain of command of anything that has to do with my soldiers or I because they can not properly do their jobs if I do not do mine. I am sorry for being careless and plan to use this event as a learning tool. I now know how serious things can get when a corporal tries to do the job of a platoon sergeant and will not let it happen again. A lot of people say that â€Å"it takes a community to raise a child† being an NCO is very much the same because one NCO cannot do everything it takes to take care of a soldier, it takes a platoon.

Night World : Black Dawn Chapter 19

â€Å"The hunt of your lives,† Hunter Redfern said. Hewas standing handsome and erect, smiling easily. The nobles were gathered around him, and Maggieeven saw some familiar faces in the crowd. That rough man from Delos's memories-the one who grabbed his arm, she thought dreamily. And the woman who put the first binding spell on him. They were crowded in the courtyard, their faceseager. The first pale light was just touching thesky-not that the sun was visible, of course. But it was enough to turn the clouds pearly and cast aneerie, almost greenish luminescence over thescene below. â€Å"Twohumans,a witch, and a renegade prince,†Hunter proclaimed. He was enjoying himself hugely, Maggie could tell. â€Å"You'll never have another chance at prey like this.† Maggie gripped Delos's hand tightly. Shewasfrightened butatthesame time strangely proud. If the nobles around Hunter wereexpecting their prey to cower or beg, they were going to be disappointed. They were alone, the four of them, in a littleempty space in the square. Maggie and Aradia and Jeanne in their slave clothes, Delos in his leggingsand shirtsleeves. A little wind blew and stirredMaggie's hair, but otherwise they were perfectly still. Aradia, of course, was always dignified. Just nowher face was grave and sad, but there was no sign of anger or fear in it. She stood at her full height,her huge clear eyes turned toward the crowd, as if they were all welcome guests that she had invited. Jeanne was more rumpled. Her red hair was disheveled and her tunic was wrinkled, but there wasa grim smile on her angular face and a wild battlelight in her green eyes. She was one prey that wasgoing to fight, Maggie knew. Maggie herself was doing her best to live up tothe others. She stood astall as she could, knowing she would never be asimpressive as Aradia, or as devil-may-care as Jeanne, but trying at least to look asif dying came easy to her. Delos was magnificent. In his shirtsleeves, he was more of a prince thanHunter Redfern would ever be. He looked at thecrowd of nobles who had all promised to be loyalto him and were now thirsting for his blood-and he didn't get mad. He tried to talk to them. â€Å"Watch what happens here,† he said, his voicecarrying easily across the square. â€Å"And don't forgetit. Are you really going to follow a man who cando this to his own great-grandson? How long is itgoing to be before he turns on you?Before you findyourselves in front of a pack of hunting animals?† â€Å"Shut him up,† Hunter said. He tried to say it jovially, but Maggie could hear thefuryunderneath. And the command didn't seem to make much sense. Maggie could see the nobles looking at each other-who was supposed to shut him up, and how? â€Å"There are some things thatt have to be stopped,† Delos said. â€Å"And this man is one of them. I admitit, I was willing to go along with him-but that was because I was blind and stupid. I know betternow-and I knew better before he turned againstme. You all know me. Would I be standing here,willing to give up my life for no reason?† There was the tiniest stirring among the nobles. Maggie looked at them hopefully-and then herheart sank. They simply weren't used to thinking for themselves, or maybe they were used to thinking only of themselves. But she could tell there wasn't material for a rebellion here. And the slaves weren't going to be of any help,either. The guards had weapons, they didn't. Theywere frightened, they were unhappy, but this kind of hunt was something they'd seen before. Theyknew that it couldn't be stopped. â€Å"This girl came to us peacefully, trying to keepthe alliance between witches and vampire,† Deloswas saying, his hand on Aradia's shoulder. â€Å"And inreturn we tried to kill her. I'm telling you rightnow, that by spilling her innocent blood, you're allcommitting a crime that will come back to hauntyou.† Another little stirringamong women, Maggie thought. Witches, maybe? â€Å"Shut him up,† Hunter said, almost bellowing it. And this time he seemed to be saying it to a specific person. Maggie followed his gaze and saw Sylvia near them. â€Å"Some beasts have to be muzzled before they canbe hunted,† Hunter said, looking straight at Sylvia.†So take care of it now. The hunt is about to begin.† Sylvia stepped closer to Delos, a little uneasily.He stared back at her levelly, as if daring her towonder what he'd do when she got nearer. â€Å"Guards!† Hunter Redfern said, sounding tired. The guards moved in. They had two differentkinds of lances, a distant part of Maggie's mindnoted. One tipped with metal-that must be for humans and witches-and one tipped with wood. For vampires, she thought. If Delos wasn't careful, he might get skewered in the heart before thehunt even began. â€Å"Now shut his lying mouth,† Hunter Redfernsaid. Sylvia took her basket off her arm. â€Å"In the new order after the millennium, we'llhave hunts like this every day,† Hunter Redfernwas saying, trying to undo the damage that hisgreat-grandson had done. â€Å"Each of us will have a city of humans to hunt. A city of throats to cut, acity of flesh to eat.† Sylvia was fishing in her basket, not afraid tostand close to the vampire prince since he was surrounded by a forest of lances. â€Å"Sylvia,† Aradia said quietly. Sylvia looked up, startled. Maggie saw her eyes,the color of violets. â€Å"Each of us will be a prince-† Hunter Redfernwas saying. â€Å"Sylvia Weald,† Aradia said. Sylvia looked down. â€Å"Don't talk to me,† she whispered. â€Å"You're notI'm not one of you anymore.† â€Å"All you have to do is follow me,† Hunter wassaying. â€Å"Sylvia Weald,† Aradia said. â€Å"You were born awitch. Your name means the greenwood, the sacred grove. You are a daughter of Hellewise, andyou will be until you die. You are my sister.† â€Å"I am not,† Sylvia spat. â€Å"You can't help it. Nothing can break the bond.In your deepest heart you know that. And asMaiden of all the witches, and in the name of Hellewise Hearth-Woman, I adjure you: remove your spell from this boy.† It was the strangest thing-but it didn't seem tobe Aradia who said it. Oh, it was Aradia's voice, allright, Maggie thought, and it was Aradia standingthere. But at that moment she seemed to be fusedwith another form-a sort of shining aura allaround her. Someone who was part of her, butmore than she was. It looked, Maggie thought dizzily, like a tallwoman with hair as pale as Sylvia's and largebrown eyes. Sylvia gasped out, â€Å"Hellewise †¦ .†Her own violeteyes were huge and frightened. Then she just stood frozen. Hunter was ranting on. Maggie could hear himvaguely, but all she could see was Sylvia, the shudders that ran through Sylvia's frame, the heavingof Sylvia's chest. Appeal to their true hearts,Maggie thought. â€Å"Sylvia,† she said. â€Å"I believe in you.† The violeteyes turned toward her, amazed. â€Å"I don't care what you did to Miles; Maggie said.†I know you're confused-I know you were unhappy. But now you have a chance to make upfor it. You can do something-something importanthere. Something that will change the world.† â€Å"Rivers of blood,† Hunter was raving. â€Å"And noone to stop us. We won't stop with enslaving thehumans. The witches are our enemies now. Thinkof the power you'll feel when you drink their lives!† â€Å"If you let this Wild Power be killed, you ‘I! beresponsible for the darkness coming,† Maggie said.†Only you. Because you're the only one who canstop it right now.† Sylvia put a trembling hand to her cheek. Shelooked as if she were about to faint. â€Å"Do you really want to go down in history as the one who destroyed the world?† Maggie said. â€Å"As Maiden of all the witches †¦Ã¢â‚¬ Aradia said.And another, deepervoiceseemed to follow on hers like anecho , As Mother o f all the witches †¦Ã¢â‚¬ And in the name of Hellewise . . And in the name of my children†¦ â€Å"As you are a Hearth-Woman †¦Ã¢â‚¬  As you are my own daughter, a true Hearth Woman †¦ â€Å"I adjure you!†Aradia said, and her voice rangout in double tones so clearly that it actuallystopped Hunter in midtirade. It stopped everyone. For an instant there was absolutely no sound in the courtyard. Everyone wa: looking around to see where the voice had come from. Sylvia was simply staring at Aradia. Then the violet eyes shut and her entire bodyshivered in a sigh. When she spoke it was on the barest whisper of breath, and only someone as close as Maggie wa:could have heard her. â€Å"As a daughter of Hellewise, I obey.† And then she was reaching for Delos's arm, ancDelos was reaching toward her. And Hunter wa: shouting wildly, but Maggie couldn't make out thewords. She couldn't make out Sylvia's words, ei.ther, but she saw her lips move, and she saw the slender pale fingers clasp Delos's wrist. And saw the lance coming just before it piercecSylvia's heart. Then,as if everything came into focus at once she realized what Hunter had been shouting in i voice so distorted it was barely recognizable. â€Å"Kill her! Kill her!† And that's just what they'd done, Maggie thoughther mind oddly clear, evenasa wave of horror andpity seemed to engulf her body. The lance wen right through Sylvia. It knocked her backwardaway from Delos, and blood spurted all over thefront of Sylvia's beautiful green dress. And Sylvia looked toward Hunter Redfern andsmiled. This time Maggie could read the words orher lips. â€Å"Too late.† Delos turned. There was red blood on his whiteshirthis own, Maggie realized. He'd tried to getin the way of the guard's killing Sylvia. But nowhe had eyes only for his greatgrandfather. â€Å"It stops here!† She had seen the blue fire before, but never likethis. The blast was like a nuclear explosion. Itstruck where Hunter Redfern was standing with hismost loyal nobles around him, and then it shot upinto the sky in a pillar of electric blue. And it wenton and on, from sky to earth and back again, as ifthe sun were falling in front of the castle.

Ancient History Essay Example for Free

Ancient History Essay Ancient history (10) , Pompeii (4) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints New research has immensely impacted on our understanding of daily life in both Pompeii and Herculaneum. Experts in archaeology, science and other fields have revealed copious amounts of information about people, buildings and food found in the two cities prior to the eruption in 62 AD. Experts such as Estelle Lazer and Sarah Bisel have assisted in heightening our understanding of the daily life in Pompeii and Herculaneum. From 1986 Estelle Lazer worked on a sample of over 300 individuals who were represented by a collection of disarticulated bone. The techniques of forensic medicine and physical anthropology were used to determine sex, age-at-death, height, signs of disease and population affinities of the victims. The results indicated that almost equal numbers of males and females from all age groups did not manage to escape the town before it was destroyed. Sarah Bisel worked with the bone analysis of the skeletons of Herculaneum to determine and study the lifestyle differences between the social classes present within Herculaneum. She discovered many things about the people of Herculaneum such as the town was a genetically diverse society, children were often malnourished due to the lack of calcium in their teeth and the bodies had high levels of lead. This new information has majorly effected and broadened our understanding of daily life in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The evidence of food in the two towns and the study of these by experts such as Wilhelmina Jashemski and the team of principal researchers known as the Pompeii Food and Drink Project, further develop our knowledge of daily life in these famous towns of Campania. Jashemski’s project had the purpose of studying animal and plant remains in order to gain an understanding of the kinds of gardens in and around Pompeii as well as gathering information on the wine and oil industries of the area. By examining soil contours and carbonised plant remains, archaeologists have gained a more accurate picture of produce and ornamental gardens in Pompeii. The purpose of the Pompeii Food and Drink Project was to analyse the patterns of daily life in a non-invasive way to study the structures that are associated with food and drink. The Project has collected many ancient artefacts and information, and answered many questions about the food and drink storage, distribution, preparation, serving, and consumption in Ancient Pompeii. All these sources combine to give us a more acute knowledge of the ancient towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The buildings found in Pompeii and Herculaneum provide extensive information about the lifestyle of people living there. The House of Pompeii Project, started in 1977, had the focus of investigating and salvaging buildings which had been excavated in previous years but had not necessarily been recorded. The two houses that were particularly studied was the House of the Ancient Hunt and the House of the Coloured Capitals. The Project has not uncovered any new information, only recorded findings on certain housing which were either not properly recorded or completely ignored. The Insula of Menander Project had much the same aim as the House of Pompeii Project, in that they were redressing the deficiencies in earlier records. Their main focus, though, was the insula conducted under Amedeo Maiuri. The Project provided a detailed history of the insula showing that there had been frequent building changes over time and that there appeared to be a late appearance of shops and the addition of upper storeys in the last years of the city. The Pompeian Forum Project’s main objective was to produce more accurate plans of surviving remains by the use of architectural analysis to widen the understanding of contemporary urban problems. The traditional view that the Forum was a ‘builder’s yard’ after the 62 AD earthquake was disproved. There was also evidence found of a comprehensive earthquake plan for the Eastern side of the Forum. In Source A we can see how new research has amplified our knowledge of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Through research by Italy’s National Institute of Optics, it has been discovered that the famous ‘Pompeian red’ was a colour created from the mixture of yellow paint and the gases from Vesuvius. In conclusion, the impacts of new research and technologies have considerably expatiated our enlightenment of the daily life in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The many sources uncovered and analysed from these towns have been much more useful as a result of developing technology and research. In the years to come, technology will continue to develop, along with more information being discovered and this will result in more and more information being provided about the famous ancient towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Ancient History. (2016, Oct 30). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

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Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 4

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Contemporary Issues in Financial Services Essay - 3

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Research Question, Literature Review and Sample Essay

Research Question, Literature Review and Sample - Essay Example has been a number of reports and incidents that have been filed in the past where elders have been victims of crime and which have moved on to create a fear within them. The paper will provide a detailed literature review of the topic and will include statistical data and information that is available that pertain this topic. The literature review that has been discussed is a combination of the literature and theories that have been presented in the past along with the recent statistics that are available on the topic. This will be followed by the research questions and research hypothesis which form an essential part of the research. With age come a number of issues like the physical vulnerability and also lowered income which in turn leads to a high level of fear of crime. Various researches have been conducted in the past however no single definition has been developed for ‘fear of crime’. There have been a number of debates on the best and most effective way to measure crime. Elchardus, De Groof and Smits (2003), argue that although not much literature is available in terms of the fear of crime, however there are two main patterns that have been followed. These include, a rationalistic view and the other is a symbolic view. Donder, et.al explain, â€Å"The rationalistic paradigm interprets fear as a consequence of risk and vulnerability with regard to crime and victimization. The symbolic paradigm interprets fear of crime as a consequence of more general feelings of vulnerability and dissatisfaction that become feelings of being threatened of crime and victimization† (Donder, Verte, & Mess elis, 2005). Over the years authors like Baumer and Skogan and Maxfield have divided the factors into three main fields. These include: It is evident that the above factors play a major role on the fear of crimes and leads to a number of issues among people across the world. The next sub section will deal with the relationship of elders and fear of crime. A number of

Ursula K Le Guin Essay Example for Free

Ursula K Le Guin Essay Ursula K. Le Guin was born Ursula Kroeber in Berkeley, California, on October 21, 1929. Her mother, Theodora Krackaw Kroeber, had an advanced degree in psychology and was a well-known writer for her narratives: Ishi in Two Worlds in 1961 and Ishi, Last of His Tribe in 1964. Le Guin’s Father, Alfred Kroeber, was a distinguished anthropologist for his work with tribes of Native Americans indigenous to California (Carmean, Williams, and Rich). Her father also taught at the University of California at Berkeley. Le Guin and her three older brothers Karl, Theodore, and Clifford were encouraged to read at a young age (Boon and Heller). During the academic year, the Kroebers lived at their home in Berkeley. When summer arrived, the family would move to their estate, Kishamish, in Napa Valley. There, the family enjoyed the company of many intellectuals: writers, scholars, graduate students, and American Indians. Also, Le Guin and her brother frequently explored their forty-acre summer home. This exploration would later influence many of her novels that are based on journeys by foot (Boon and Heller). Growing up in an environment that fostered intellectual pursuit and having unlimited access to books, sparked Le Guin’s creativity. Due to her parents’ dedication to other cultures, her fiction shows many different worldviews other than the usual Euro-American competitive materialism. Her multiple worldviews allow Le Guin’s writing to move smoothly across barriers of culture, language, gender, and ideology while exploring both dimensions of social and psychological identity (Carmean, Williams, and Rich). Le Guin discovered science fiction while reading the works of Lord Dunsany, and remarkably, she produced her first fantasy when she was only nine years old. Thereafter, a magazine rejected her first science fiction story, written when she was eleven (Carmean, Williams, and Rich). In 1947, Le Guin was enrolled in Harvard University’s Radcliffe College and graduated in 1951 with a bachelor’s degree in French and Italian with an emphasis in Renaissance literature (Carmean, Williams, and Rich). She then entered Columbia University and completed her master’s degree in 1952. Le Guin began  a doctoral program at Columbia, but in December of 1953 she decided to end her studies to marry Charles Le Guin, a history professor, in Paris, France. S he had met Charles while traveling to France as a Fulbright Fellow (Boon and Heller). After the wedding, the Le Guins lived in Georgia. While in Georgia, Ursula Le Guin taught French at Mercer University, and Charles Le Guin had successfully completed his Ph.D. in French history at Emory University. The Le Guins then moved to Idaho and had their first child, Elizabeth, in 1957, and their second child, Caroline, in 1959. In the same year, Charles Le Guin took a position at Portland State University and the family moved to Oregon permanently. The Le Guin’s third and final child, Theodore, was born in 1964 (Carmean, Williams, and Rich). Ursula Le Guin began trying to publish her work in book form instead of magazines (Carmean, Williams, and Rich). She began writing poetry, later collected in Wild Angels in 1975, and a few novels after her marriage. Publishers rejected her early works for not fitting precisely into a genre (Boon and Heller). Her breakthrough in writing occurred in September 1962, when the publishing company, Fantastic, published â€Å"April in Paris.† The following year, the same publisher printed her first science fiction story, â€Å"The Masters† (Carmean, Williams, and Rich). Le Guin began to earn prestigious awards and achieve recognition fo r her trilogy: Rocannon’s World (1966), Planet of Exile (1996), and City of Illusions (1967). In 1968, Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea won the Boston Globe Horn Book Award and in 1969, The Left Hand of Darkness won both the Hugo and Nebula awards. She became the first writer to win both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award twice for the novel The Dispossessed (1974, 1975). Since the 1970s, Le Guin has won many more awards, including several Hugos and Nebulas, Pen/USA, Locus Readers Awards, a Pushcart Prize, and a Gandalf award for achievement in fantasy (Boon and Heller). Additionally, she won the Kafka Award in 1986; a Hugo Award for â€Å"Buffalo Gals, Won’t You Come Out Tonight?† (1988); a Nebula Award for Tehanu and â€Å"Solitude† (1995); and the Endeavor Award or both The Telling (2000) and Tales from Earthsea (2001); Lastly, Le Guin was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2001, and was named Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2003 (Carmean, Williams, and Rich). While most of Le Guin’s time was devoted to writing, she was also known to be involved in political activities. As she gained popularity, she  became a strong advocate for improving the quality of fantasy and science fiction. She was also a firm advocate for feminism. Her early works lightly touched on gender i ssues; later works, such as Tehanu, addressed the absence of equality directly (Carmean, Williams, and Rich). While she placed an emphasis on science fiction and gender issues, the subject of Le Guin’s work is always humankind. She uses a descriptive technique while her mode is metaphoric. Drawing from the outlook of the Daoist philosopher Laozi, Le Guin’s characters seek unity and complete self-awareness and must be able to recognize the true natures of people or objects before they can truly understand their place in the world. The characters must learn the inevitable paradoxes in life and the ambiguous nature of creation (Carmean, Williams, and Rich).

Women in Frankenstein Essay Example for Free

Women in Frankenstein Essay In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley portrays all of her female characters from both positive and negative perspectives. Writing the novel in the early 19th century, Shelley addressed the common stereotypical view of women as inferior to men that society of the time held. Dominated by male narrators, the female’s perspective is ignored in the novel. By excluding the female’s perspective of Frankenstein, Shelley reinforces in the reader the message that society of the time attributed very little to women. In addition to that, the firm ideas that women should be dependent on males, to be taken care of and having little potential to achieve anything independently, resonates in several of her characters. Resonating with other characters, the readers are able to see that women are weak-minded, feeble characters who become easily influenced. This trend can be seen throughout Frankenstein with characters such as Caroline Beaufort, Elizabeth Lavenza, and Justine Moritz, who all played less substantial roles compared to the males in the story. Shelley portrays the persistent feminine strength in her female characters through the small triumphs of Caroline Beaufort, Elizabeth Lavenza and Justine Moritz, however Shelley acknowledges how weak minded and dependent they become in the face of adversity and their lack of control over certain situations. Shelley is able to show that Caroline Beaufort is able to sustain herself financially, however Shelley brings the reader to the harsh reality that she must sooner or later be dependent on a man. Shelley states, â€Å"†¦there was no other prospect of support. But Caroline Beaufort possessed a mind of an uncommon mold, and her courage rose to support her in her adversity. † (p. 28). When Caroline’s father was on the brink of death, she contained herself emotionally and made ends meet in her household financially. However, Caroline’s momentum died out when the harsh reality became that she couldn’t support herself because of her grieving emotional state. Shelly continues, â€Å"This last blow came over her, and she knelt by Beaufort’s coffin weeping bitterly, when my father entered the chamber. He came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl, who committed herself to his care; and after the interment of his friend, he conducted her to Geneva, and placed her under the protection of a relation. Two years after this event Caroline became his wife. † (p. 28). Caroline’s independency and self sufficiency was a failure since she was â€Å"rescued† from her troubles by Alphonse Frankenstein. Shelley’s bigger message to the readers is that women need to be rescued by men because they are incapable of maintaining themselves and need to be dependent on someone else. Shelley is able to incorporate her time period’s stereotypical belief of women being possessions of men that need to be cared for in her example of Caroline Beaufort and Alphonse Frankenstein. Elizabeth Lavenza’s celestial beauty and enticing charm is what sets her apart from other women, however she is met by her death when she was unaware of Frankenstein’s mischievous secret. Elizabeth came into the Frankenstein household fully well aware of her expectations of fulfilling the position of Victor Frankenstein’s wife. Victor states, â€Å"No word, no expression could body forth the kind of relation in which she stood to me- more than sister, since till death she was to be mine only. † (p. 31). Victor expresses that his appreciation of Elizabeth is beyond what words can express, however it was his fault that Elizabeth met her untimely death. Victor’s creation took out his vengeance on poor Elizabeth, who was completely unaware of the knowledge that was being withheld from her. If Elizabeth had taken more of a firm initiative into Victor’s life outside of their relationship, there would not have been any discrepancies between the two. Victor swore to protect Elizabeth, ironically he was the cause of her death because he withheld so much from her. The lack of their bond and understanding contributed to this miscommunication that allowed for the monster to kill Elizabeth. Shelley utilizes this instance to show the readers how the fault of Victor Frankenstein directly hurts Elizabeth Lavenza, which cost Elizabeth, her life. Justine Moritz remained strong in the arms of controversy, but due to her weak-minded mentality she was thrusted into her own downfall. Moritz remained her firm stance on her innocence and she was firm on her beliefs. Her determination and persistence prompted her to gather witnesses in her defense to prove her innocence. She states, â€Å"I beg permission to have a few witnesses examined concerning my character, and if their testimony shall not overweigh my supposed guilt, I must be condemned although I would pledge my salvation on my innocence. † (p. 79). Being the strong and independent minded thinker that Moritz was, she was hoaxed into giving a false guilty plead. Moritz was forced to give a plead when the judicial authorities threatened her salvation, and being belittled forced her to give that statement. Victor stated, â€Å"The person to whom I addressed myself added that Justine had already confessed her guilt. †(p. 81). Victor had the opportunity to save the woman’s life, however it was his hesitation and her weak will that allowed her to succumb to death. Shelley was able to portray a spectrum of both positive and negative perspectives of women, however she is able to show that they are weak infantile beings because none of the women survive. The bigger message that Shelley is trying to send is that women lack the superior characteristics that allow men to be independent, self sufficient and non-dependent beings. Shelley’s significance of eliminating all her female characters surmounted to the feeling that society still wasn’t ready to allow women to reach their full potentials beside their indispensable characteristics. Being overshadowed by the society’s male dominated characteristic, women are set to the side to be onlookers when they should actually be the forerunners in this day and age.

Examining Property Management Information Systems Information Technology Essay

Examining Property Management Information Systems Information Technology Essay To investigation how a Hotel or Property Management Information System will help the Palma Rima hotel on their day to day running of the hotel. To identify the impacts of a Hotel/Property Management Information System. To identify how convenient it would be for the customers of the Palma Rima hotel if a Hotel/Property Management Information System is introduced. 1.3 Rational As we are in the 21st century, the researcher has been inspired to carry a research on the effectiveness of a Hotel/Property Management Information System, if introduced at the Palma Rima hotel The Gambia which does not have one, but still using the traditional way of taking reservation, checking in and out of guest, taking payment, marketing of the hotel etc. 1.4 Structure of Report The report will first introduce the Palm Rima hotels, methodology used to carry out the research, a literature review on Hotel/Property Management Information System (MIS) and will then analyse the data using relevant methods and interpret the findings presenting the report using methods and style appropriate to the audience. 2.1 Research Approach In designing a research case study, there is the need to determine the research approach to be adopted. Theories are part of a research process and the ability to develop such theories and their testing will only be possible after a research approach is determined. In an inductive research approach, theory will follow data. In this case study, the research will use an inductive approach so as to gain an understanding of Introducing a Hotel or Property Management Information System (MIS) at the Palma Rima Hotel in The Gambia. Inductive research approach as noted by Saunders et al (2007) is more than just making a cause-effect link between particular variables but also enables the understanding of the way in which humans interpret their social world. Since the research using inductive approach is likely to be particularly concerned with the context in which events occur (Saunders et al, 2007), this research will therefore look at the effectiveness of a hotel or property management info rmation system for the Palma Rima Hotel. The five points below summaries inductive research emphasis as noted in Saunders et al (2007): a close understanding of the research context collection of qualitative and quantitative data a more flexible structure to permit changes of research emphasis as the research progress a realization that the researcher was part of the research process Concern with the need to generalize This research case study will use the above mentioned stages to arrive at a conclusion of how effective it will be to introducing a Hotel or Property Management Information System (MIS) at the Palma Rima Hotel in The Gambia. The fact that concepts in this research case study are operationalised made it easier to use an inductive approach 2.2 Data Collection Methods Data collection is a time consuming process and also require enormous amount of tolerance. However, in this research case study, one method is employed to collect data and that was telephone interviews and was the only methods to be used to gather primary data. The researcher bought two international cards costing Five Pounds each to interview the front office manager at the Palma Rima hotel. 2.3 Research Methodologies Each methodology represents a different approach to evaluation. The fact that there are so many approaches in common no single methodology is the best. Which one will be most appropriate depends on the type of questions framed. Seale, J. K. (2003) 2.4 Primary Research Primary research is any type of research that you go out and collect first hand data. The researcher collected primary data through participant, observation, interviews and surveys. Driscoll, L.D. (2006) 2.5 Secondary Research Secondary research occurs when a project requires a summary or collection of existing data. As opposed to data collected directly from respondents or research subjects for the express purposes of a project, (often called primary research), secondary sources already exists i.e. The researchers will used previous research reports from tourism academic books and journals. 2.6 Qualitative Method   It is a research that consists of interviews, observations and questionnaires. The researcher found this method flexible to perform data collection subsequent analysis and interpretation of collected information. 2.7 Method of analysis The researcher will use interviews to have knowledge of how useful it will be to PalmaRima hotel to introduce a Hotel/property Management System (MIS) 2.8 Reliability and Validity The physical telephone interview has significantly increased the response to this research. The front office manager was asked to give his candid opinion about a Hotel or Property Management Information System (MIS). However, the questions asked were guided as such to avoid falsification and exaggeration of the fact that the Palma Rima hotel does not have a Hotel or Property Management Information System hence the methodology has clearly achieved a degree of reliability and validity. 3 Introductions The use of information technology in the hospitality industry has grown tremendously over the past 20 years. This journey has not always been smooth, but it has become clear that information technology is now a critical competitive weapon in the industry. Brotherton B (2003:110). Information technology was first used in the hospitality industry in the 1950s, when multinational hotel chains began experimenting with the developing field of computer science. As in most other industries, the majority of initials applications focused on accounting and automating repetitive and time consuming tasks. Software was borrowed from other industries on the assumption that it could be easily adapted for use of hospitality companies. However, such conversions were usually only partially successful and a large number of changes to business processes and procedures were often needed to accommodate the requirements of the computerized system. Moreover, the expense and technicality involved in both dev eloping and running systems made the use of computerization economical only for the largest companies. (OConnor, 1999). Tourism is a very information intensive activity. In few other areas of activity are the generation, gathering, processing, application and communication of information as important for day-today operations as they are for travel and tourism industry (Poon, 1993). Unlike durable goods, intangible and variable tourism services cannot be physically displayed or inspected at the point of sale before purchasing, as tourism services are normally bought before the time of their use and away from the place of consumption. Tourism products are therefore almost exclusive dependent upon representations and descriptions, i.e. information in print or audio-visual formats. Often these representations are made by friends and relatives, as well as the travel trade, rather than tourism principals or destinations authorities. Communications and information transmission tools are th erefore indispensable to the global marketing of the tourism industry. (Sheldon, 1997). 3.1 Brief Background of PalmaRima Hotel in The Gambia Palma Rima hotel is a 3 star hotel in The Gambia and was opened to guest in 1989 on an undeveloped part of the coastline, between the Senegambia and kotu resorts, and 340 metres to kololi beach. The initial accommodation of larger than average sized bungalows of 23 which were dotted among the palms and trees, each of 4 double/triple rooms with shower and bath, colonnaded veranda and fan or a/c unit (supplemented). These units are now accompanied by a bathing area tenement block comprises of 3 floors. Of its 60 rooms half overlook the sandy through road used cattle and locals alike and the other half overlook the lopsided cloverleaf shaped swimming pool. The pool itself is among the largest in the country and is surely among the most beautiful and equipped there are spacious sundecks with parasols, giant chess, a banana shaped childrens swimming pool area; a blue and mustard Andalucà ­a Bar; a late rite fountain; a raised bar; an entertainment section and wooden African statues. From the moon light night club, stone sided watercourses crossed 3 min-bridges enter the bird garden. 4 Literature Review 4.1 Management Information System (MIS) The principle aim of this system was to increase management effectiveness and efficiency by satisfying organisational information requirements. It commence in the 1970s and it used local data processing linked to information resources to support decision making, information system were used primarily to address the needs of internal management and co-ordination. Emphasis was also given to administration and clerical functions, as purely accounting or inventory management, while delivering added value to customers was a lower priority (Strassman, 1995; Gamble, 1994a). The strategic information system (SIS) used by hotels was to improve competitiveness by changing the nature or conduct of business; integrated ICT networks were used to achieve organisational strategic objectives, to enhance performance, and to co-ordinate activities across functional and business units line as well as to support interaction with external entities, in pursuit of competitive advantage. Personal computers enable managers to manipulate data and create their own managerial reports, statistics and follow up mechanisms by using standard and fairly user friendly spreadsheets and statistical packages. It also helps them to forecast, budget and plan, using past data and simulate models, enhancing their ability to undertake strategic decisions. (Robson, 1997; Peppard, 1993; Mc Gee and Thomas, 1988; Earl, 1988, Jackson, 1989; Wiseman; 1985) The introductions of the internet, intranet and the extranet have revolutionarized communication in the global hotel industry and enable multilevel integration and effective collaboration. It also supported both centralized and distributed computing to maximize the performances of available resources. However, this system is gradually altering the competitiveness of the hotels in the global market place and reducing the significance of location and size in the product delivery process. ICTs are used as indispensable tools for almost all business functions from production to market as it facilitate: Quick communication, Reliable and timely information transfer and retrieval, Integration of the different divisions within the organisation, Flexibility of product specifications, Sharing of information; and Achieving of common objectives. ICT offers the opportunity to target the market segment of one, i.e. each individual customer. This is only possible because ICTs support flexible and responsive value-added chains and allow consumers to repackage products through endless combinations. On the hand, ICT becomes instrumental for cost management in the industry and particularly for distribution and promotion costs. Organizations around the world have reduced their costs by reducing commission to intermediaries, by trading directly from their web page, or by paying lower distribution fees to electronic intermediaries, or by cutting commission levels and fees. In addition, redesigning processes and eliminating repetitive tasks reduced costs and increase efficiency. (Buhalis, 1998). Perhaps more importantly for tourism, ICTs support the newly important element in generating competitive advantage, i.e. time. The later not only assists organizations to share information internally and with partners, and thus maximizes their efficiency, but also allows consumers to interact constantly with tourism suppliers. Consumers can undertake entire transactions from their office or home suing the internet, on a 24- hour, 365-days a year basis. Instant confirmation and purchasing means that consumers can also maximize their own efficiency and as a result appreciate the competitive advantage of organizations based on time. Increasingly, consumers will be able to interact through mobile devices and interactive digital television, developing their capabilities further as they will be able to be connected instantly through simpler equipment and interface without having to log on to their computer. (Puhretmair et al, 2001; Zipf and Malaka, 2001) 4.2 Fidelios OPERA Hotel Property Management System Fidelio was found in 1987 in Munich and emerged as one of the leading and most innovative international system integrator for the hospitality industries. Changing the way hotels computerize and operate its software is adaptable to changing business requirements and integrates both the ongoing technological developments of industry standard computer and software systems and the organizational change experienced. Fidelio allows hotels and chains of any size and type, restaurants, cruise ships and catering and conference operators to computerize their operations and to integrate major industry software products through analysing individual requirements and appreciating their uniqueness. The latest Fidelio product is the OPERA Enterprise solution. The OPERA Enterprise solution is fully integrated suite of products consisting of modules that can be easily added or expanded allowing effective and easy deployment from smaller operators to global, multi-brand hotel chain environments. OPERA can be deployed in any size environment from a single property with just Front Office to a large, full service hotel with Sales Marketing, Catering, Revenue Management, Quality Management, BackOffice, and Material Management. In addition, OPERA Enterprise Solution offers products for a hotel chains corporate office that includes a central reservations system (CRM) for both centralized guestroom and function space sales, and an enterprise information system, the customer relationship management (CRM) specially designed for the hotel industry. The system is also design for the use of hotel bedroom key cards replacing the traditional keys for the guest bed rooms. The system is programmed to instantly cut a key for a guest on arrival and can be cancelled if lost as soon as possible. The key cards are designed in way that some hotels are using the same card to insert on the lift to operate, which an additional security for the hotels, because without a key card one cannot go up in the r ooms. The additional security is who ever last open the room can be traced if there is any problem. However it has its own problems, because it is so light in weight that guests always lost it. The OPERA Property Management System (PMU) is designed to scale according to the requirement of any size hotel or hotel chain. The OPERA Back Office is a powerful financial software suit that provides hotels with a fully integrated, flexible financial and eBusiness solution. The OPERA Reservation System (ORS) manages the hotel inventory efficiently as it is integrated with the OPERA Property Management System and OPERA Sales and Catering system. The system emulates traditional CRS functionality. While at the same time integrating the bold new technologies shared in the OPERA Enterprise Solution. Including system access via web client or any Java enabled browser. With the power of the internet, ORS is easily deployable and globally accessible. The OPERA Revenue Management provides both property based and centralized yield management and is interfaced with the OPERA Sales and catering System to analyse the value of particular group business and maximize revenue. This system registers a ny consumptions made by guest from the mini bars in the rooms and will automatically add to the guest bill. The same goes for the restaurant as well, the restaurant staff will make put all bills through the system and a charge will be made to the guest main bill. The Customer information system collects and manages guest, travel agents, source group and company profile information from designated hotel properties in a centralized database. Guest stays with detailed revenue information are also collected. The system includes a whole range of interrelated modules, including, Opera Property Management System Opera Sales Catering Opera Back Office Opera Revenue Management System Opera Central Reservations System Central Reservation System (plus web engine) Opera Quality Management System Opera Materials Management System Opera Palm Customer Information system Enterprise Information System All of these are interrelated and interconnected, enabling hotels to use the system internally, (Intranet), externally with partners (extranet) and as a window on the world (internet). Buhalis D, (2002: 19). However, these few points are to be remembered when a hotel is operating using the OPERA system as system can fail at any time. Local backups need to be made by local staff and stored offsite. Web based and local based inventory need to synchronize regularly Local hardware to be maintained including UPS and air conditioning 4.3 Distribution of Information The industrys use of technology has moved beyond one of merely controlling operations towards a more strategic role. However, a variety of challenges still remain if the industry is to maximize the benefits it can potentially gain. The greatest lies in the effective use of the data collected during the day to day operations. Customer relations management (CRM), is a strategic orientation of offering individual services to guests based on their relationship with the hotel, is widely regarded as the managerial tool to achieve this kind of differentiation. Almost since the beginnings of the industry, luxury hotels have maintained comprehensive records of the preference and spending habits of their of their most frequent guests, known as history systems, such information systems were originally maintained on manually updated paper index cards and use to provide the exceptional personalized service for which such hotels were famous. (OConnor, 1999). The growth in the use of hotel computerized systems means that most of the guests transactions are now being recorded in electronic format. Developments in communications means that such data can be collected and consolidated, allowing a central database to be updated automatically as guest transaction occur. As a result, instead of just storing the guests name, c ontact details and basic information on their aggregate spending to date, there is an increasing trend towards full-folio storage, where details of each individual transaction are added to the central data warehouse for subsequent analysis. This potentially allows an accurate, in-depth picture to be built up of each guests likes and dislikes, which could subsequently be used to provide a more personalized service. This could be done across multiple units, increasing the consistency of service and the value of the brand. The database can also be analysed for patterns, both at the individual guest and aggregate levels- a process often referred to as data mining (IBM, 2001). For the individual guests. This should result in more closely customized offers than perhaps actually interest them instead of the usual mass market junk mail. Taking such a one to one marketing approach is acknowledge bringing benefits in term of lower costs and increasing customer loyalty. Hotel companies such as Starwood, Bass and Hilton are leading examples of the successful use of such database marketing techniques. Each uses analysis of their corporate database to improve the targeting of marketing and sales efforts, resulting in increased response rates and reduction in the costs of direct marketing (OConnor, 2001b). 4.4 Supply Chain Management A review of various trade journals suggests that electronic commerce (e-commerce) required a new business model that allows lodging companies to proactively gather the necessary intelligence for understanding customers expectations in real time. By combining these two objectives, a hotel company can gain a powerful position and differentiate its lodging service from those offered by market competitors. Such an approach can be accomplished by implementing technologies to the supply chain by integrating front end applications such as customer relationship management with back office activities such as e-procurement (Turban et al, 2002, p.656). A complete e-commerce model for SCM combines both the front end and the back end systems as shown in Fig. 1. E-commerce offer enormous business opportunities to increase revenue while reducing operating costs. The complimentary between e-commerce and SCM also has been supported by many scholars (Corsi and Boyson, 2003; Frohlich and Westbrooke, 20 01; Gurau et al., 2001; Lancioni et al., 2003; Skjott-larsen et al, 2003). However, studies in the tourism and hospitality industry have primarily focus on customer perspective (Heung, 2003). Front-end applications of e-commerce have been widely used in the lodging industry but not much has been explored on the back-end system or the operation side. SCM has been defined by (Cooper, 2000 Lambert et al., 1998) as the integration of key business processes from the end user through original suppliers that provides products, services and information that add value for customers and stakeholders. (Lambert and Cooper, 2000, p.66). For the lodging industry, the SCM concept or philosophy has been practiced to certain extend. The Aberdeen group (2000) characterized the US hotel sector as a highly fragmented industry, representing more than 50,000 hotel properties that purchased from more than 10,000 suppliers. With such fragmentized network vulnerable to the inefficient control of purchasing procedures, the lodging industry is facing significant challenges for managing procurement practices. To take on these challenges, the first step is to understand the core of SCM in the context of the lodging business. 4.5 The Procurement Process Another that has attracted much attention, due to its potential for creating efficiency gains, is that of procurement. Here focus on IT that enables external integration with partners in the value chain, rather than narrowly focusing on automated internal operations. Traditionally the hospitality sector has had an inefficient purchasing process. Multiple units, fragmented supply chains and inefficient business processes all adversely affected the purchasing process by creating inefficiencies and increasing costs. In general, unit level staff managed procurement, and there was a high frequency of low value orders to multiple suppliers, which resulted in high administrative costs. Even where contracts existed for specific products, the unpredictability of hospitality operations meant that Maverick purchases from unapproved vendors were, and still are, common, further increasing costs. Using technology to facilitate the purchasing process over-comes many of this problems while potential ly creating some others. By digitalizing the processes involved in purchasing, great efficiencies can be achieved when sourcing, specifying, ordering, tracking deliveries of and paying for, purchases. In effect e-procurement involves electronically managing the entire purchasing process from product identification through requisition to payment. The process requires extensive and accurate performance data. Not only will an e-procurement solution help to capture aggregate purchases by purchased product codes, but will also help to chronicle the derails in a suppliers performance record including delivery and quality level performance. 4.6 Communicating Information All telecommunications (telephone, telex and fax) have been used extensively throughout the tourism industry worldwide. Although telephone conversation is a personal and direct way of communication, linguistic problems, time zone differences and its prohibitive cost limit its international usage. Telex for years the most prominent communication method and has contributed greatly to communications in the tourism industry. As transmits text reliable and inexpensively without requiring the simultaneous availability of sender and receiver, it has been extensively used especially in regions with inadequate telephone networks. However as computer communications and faxes prevail, the telex is limited to communication with developing world countries with unreliable telecommunications infrastructures and it is gradually being transformed into a computer based system using a different communication network. The commercial introduction of the telefax in the 1980s allowed the transmission of im ages over phone lines and enhances the efficiency of tourism operations significantly. Although its operational is the same as transmission of readily available documents and graphics. Fax technology does not require technical skills or the simultaneous presents of sender and receiver, and therefore has penetrated the tourism market place very efficiently (Beckman, 2001). In the pre-internet era, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) used computer net-work to enable computer file interchange of standard transaction documents such as invoices bills or purchase orders between organizations. EDI transmits structured transactions with distinct fields, such as transaction data, amount, sender and recipients name. These assist organizations in exchanging information, order and invoices without human involvement. In tourism, for example, this can be used for travel agencies to transfer bookings to a tour operators suppliers. Invoices can be directed backwards and payment receipts can be generated automatically by the system. EDI therefore enhances communication efficiently and reduces labour transaction costs and encourages firms to continue doing business with their partners. Although EDI is still used for large amount of transactions mainly between large organizations, transactions and interchanges on the internet have replaced EDI with extranets and have also enable smaller players to take advantage of the efficiency that networking provides. (Laudon and Laudon, 2002; Reynolds, 1992) 5 Findings and Analyses This chapter will give the synopsis of the data collected from the interviews and later give discussions in relation to the research questions 5.1 Management Information System (MIS) Because the PalmaRima hotel does not have the Property Management System the hotel lacks a local data processing linked to information resources to support decision making, information systems are used primarily to address the needs of internal management and co-ordination. As there is no computer at the reception it makes it difficult for the front office manager to manipulate data and create his own managerial reports, statistics and follow up mechanisms by using standard and fairly user friendly spreadsheets and statistical packages. 5.2 Fidelios OPERA Hotel Property Management System In response to this point, it is noted from the data collected that all reservations, checking in and out guest, Marketing, Catering, Revenue Management, Quality Management, BackOffice, Material Management are all done manually. 5.3 Distribution of Information The growth in the use of hotel computerized systems means that most of the guests transactions are now being recorded in electronic format. Developments in communications means that such data can be collected and consolidated, allowing a central database to be updated automatically as guest transaction occur. This is not happening in the case of the PalmaRima hotel, which makes it very difficult for the front office to get their repeat guest profiles. 5.4 Supply Chain Management Based on the research the PalmaRima hotel cannot implement technologies to the supply chain by integrating front end applications such as customer relationship management with back office activities such as e-procurement. The Aberdeen group (2000) characterized the US hotel sector as a highly fragmented industry, representing more than 50,000 hotel properties that purchased from more than 10,000 suppliers. With such fragmentized network vulnerable to the inefficient control of purchasing procedures, the PalmaRima hotel is facing significant challenges for managing procurement practices. To take on these challenges, the hotel first step is to understand the core of SCM in the context of the lodging business. 5.6 The Procurement Process Using technology to facilitate the purchasing process over-comes many of this problems while potentially creating some others. By digitalizing the processes involved in purchasing, great efficiencies can be achieved when sourcing, specifying, ordering, tracking deliveries of and paying for, purchases. Not only will an e-procurement solution help to capture aggregate purchases by purchased product codes, but will also help to chronicle the derails in a suppliers performance record including delivery and quality level performance for the Palma Rima hotel 5.7 Communicating Information Computer communications and faxes prevail, the telex is limited to communication with developing world countries with unreliable telecommunications infrastructures and it is gradually being transformed into a computer based system using a different communication network. (Beckman, 2001). Based on research the PalmaRima hotel communicates internally by forms only but by introducing the MIS they will benefit by using the intranet to communicate internally and would be a great help to communicate externally by extranet especially to suppliers. 6 Conclusions In other for the hotels to strengthen the organisations business initiatives and maximise profit, they need to overcome the obstacles presented its legacy technology system. In the case of PalmaRima hotel they realised that their manual reservation system becoming more and more ineffective, primarily resulting in loss of financial controls and staff productivity. As a result, the way we live and work in most societies around the globe has been significantly altered. Automated industrial production has enabled a greater total output as well as better planning and quality control. Over the last few decades, the progress in information technology has revolutionalized both the global economy and enterprises. The development and application of computerised systems has accelerated rapidly and enabled their use in a wider range of functions and activities. Technological developments have also introduced a wide range of new tools for the strategic and operational management of organisations. Increasingly technological convergence integrates software, hardware and net ware and supports inter-operability and interconnectivity. In addition, the integration of the internet, extranet and intranets enables organisations to interact dynamically with different actors and stakeholder. The PalmaRima hotel can enhance their performance by empowering their strategic marketing and management efforts through supporting their functions with advanced ICTs. This will enable them to improve their networking and ultimately to improve their virtuality. Technological change alters jobs, creates new skills, makes occupations obsolete, and revises what employees need to learn and be trained to do. Sometimes, new technologies require new job designs. Technology can also be used for recruiting, training and maintaining database for employees. E-recruitment is b eing used by a lot more companies now, sinc

A Narrative Structure The Eyes to Someone Elses Life :: essays papers

A Narrative Structure The Eyes to Someone Elses Life There are many literary means, available to an author, which offer insight into a realm, which is unknown to the target audience. For an author, deciding the vehicle of expression and description is perhaps the most significant factor in the success of a literary work. Narrating allows a writer to provide personal account and persuade the reader without the use of outside facts or incidence. In â€Å"Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian,† Sui Sin Far utilizes the technique of first person narrative, in the form of flashbacks, in order to establish credibility and to invoke an emotional response from her readers. Truly, this decision offers support to the themes Far wishes to convey. By incorporating stories from her own personal experiences, Far appeals to the desire for individuality and personal identity, which we all harbor. The first words written by Far display an imagery of looking back into her past at the moments that seem to dominate her memories. She begins the narrative with a vision of herself at the age of four. At this young age, Far remembers â€Å"the day on which [she] first learned that [she] was something different and apart from other children† (Sui Sin Far, 833). Even at this young age the word ‘â€Å"Chinese†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Far, 833) appears to have negative connotations, regardless of the true meaning. For the first time, but not for the last, Far has been made to see herself as less of a person than those who do not have Chinese in their blood lines. Young children are easily influenced and tend to be filled with an immense amount of curiosity. For Far, the idea of being Chinese meant nothing until her surroundings began to develop around her nationality alone. Far manages to amplify emotions by illustrating them in a heightened sense. The use of childhood flashbacks allows the audience to experience the detrimental effects of racism and ignorance through the innocent and uniformed eyes of a young child. Adults have grown up in a cynical world and have been cultured in a society of inequality and injustice. If Far had chosen to speak of experiences of racial injustice suffered in her adult life, then the work would have far less emotional appeal on the audience.

Brown-Forman Corporation Marketing Study :: essays research papers

Brown-Forman Corporation Marketing Study Background   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brown-Forman Corporation is one of the largest American companies in the wind and spirits industry, Fetzer Vineyards is their largest winemaker. Revenue and gross profit for the beverage segment of Brown-Forman were up 11% and 14%, respectively, in fiscal 2004. However, the growth was driven by the premium spirits brands, and the gross profit from the company’s wine brands declined due to a drop in volume for both Fetzer and Bolla wines. There are many symptoms for why this decline has occurred. Health consciousness is a rising trend among Americans of all ages and the latest crazes are the low-carbohydrate diets. Recently, Fetzer has introduced into the market two new low-carbohydrate wines, a chardonnay and a merlot. Their premium spirits brands have not been affected by the new diets because bourbon, whiskey, rum, gin, and vodka all contain no carbohydrates. However, most mixers used to accompany these spirits usually contain a significant amount of carb ohydrates. Introducing these new wines could offer a new choice, but not a substitute, for many dieters and at the same time give Brown-Forman the lead in this new market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 2003, Brown-Forman announced that they were going to begin using organically grown grapes to make their wine. Fetzer Vineyards plans to have nearly all the grapes used in its four major labels grown organically by the end of 2010. According to Marc Jonna, buyer for the Whole Foods Market, â€Å"demand for organic wine is small, but a move by a major player like Fetzer could change that.† Women already perceive wine as a healthier alternative to other alcoholic beverages. This health conscious image will allow Brown-Forman to direct their marketing efforts in response to this cultural trend and penetrate the market by providing information through advertising about their new wine ingredients.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another symptom of the decrease in wine sales is due to the lack of awareness among consumers about the types of wine available. In a restaurant setting consumers often shy away from ordering wine because they may feel uneducated about the types of wine offered or uncertain about which wine would best compliment their entrà ©e. Restaurants have attempted to address this problem by educating their servers and providing progressive wine lists, but if a person doesn’t understand the difference between a blush wine and a full-bodied wine or if they feel it is a hassle to ask questions the end result is the same, no wine has been sold.

Jim Crow Laws in the United States Essay -- essays research papers

Imagine living in a world where you are harassed because of your skin color. Imagine knowing that is all you can look forward to. That is all your children and grandchildren can look forward to. Discrimination has been around for a long time, even before prehistory. Someone always thinks that they are better than others because of their skin color, sex, race, etc. Social classes and slavery are just two examples of discrimination. Even though our Constitution is based on freedom, our own Constitution allowed for discrimination of African Americans for around 100 years. It allowed White people to harass Black people. If we base our country on giving freedom to everybody, shouldn?t it include everyone? Discrimination against Blacks was called Jim Crow laws. The laws made sure Blacks and Whites had limited contact, and different lifestyles. They made sure Blacks stayed in different section of trains, restrooms, restaurants, buses, and much more. Jim Crow laws said that everything had t o be ?Separate but equal?. However, most places weren?t equal for blacks. Take a look into the past, and learn when the Jim Crow laws started, its life, and how it was challenged by courageous people. Jim Crow Laws started in the South after the civil war. The laws started around 1865. The term Jim Crow came to be because of a famous minstrel show in 1828 written by Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice about a Black farmer named Jim Crow, ?Klarman 5?. Jim Crow Laws are often confused with Black Codes. Jim Crow laws are different from Black Codes because the Black Codes started before Jim Crow Laws, and ended during the civil war. The Jim Crow Laws became extremely popular in the South and in the West, however, the North wasn?t that big into the Jim Crow Laws... ...y, this law only affected schools ?Brown versus Board of Education 1&2?. Jim Crows laws had a major impact on United States history. The Jim Crow Laws were preceded by the Black Codes. Because of the Jim Crow laws, Blacks were taught that they were inferior to Whites, and it was accepted fact that they were inferior. There were many cases to trying to stop the Jim Crow laws, and some of them were successful. Sadly, there were many cases in which the right thing weren?t done. However, during the 1960?s the Civil Rights movement came around, and a new wave of change was in the air. With John F. Kennedy as president, Martin Luther King Jr. as a prominent Civil Right Leader, a new chapter began in American history. The segregation was over, at least in the eyes of the law. Sadly, it took some more time for segregation to be really over in the heart and mind of people.

Book Review on The Lucky One Essay

In the blink of an eye, something happens by chance – when you least expect it sets you on a course that you never planned, into a future you never imagined. What if someone had saved your life before you even met? How far will you travel to find love? Will you engage in a journey of love and luck that will change your life forever? Will you take the quests to happiness when you know to yourself that you will be taking risks and that the journey you will take is a trial-and-error thing? For him, that was all possible. He was a wonderful man. And when a man is that special, you know it sooner than you think possible. You recognize it instinctively; there will never be another one like him. He was Logan Thibault, a one of a kind man who sets out a journey to find a girl, who was believed to be his lucky charm. Meeting her embarks the roller coaster ride of love, luck, fortune, romance and big secrets. Literary Work and Comment The literary work of Nicholas Sparks is a brilliant one. He had narrated a story of love and romance, of luck and journey. But like any other stories, this depicts lives of people. This is less dreamy and is more realistic even at times pragmatic – in spite of the belief in a lucky charm. The story revolves around the life of a U.S. Marine during his third tour of duty in Iraq and the photograph he had found. That was a photo of a smiling young woman half buried in the dirt. His first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim, but when no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket. Soon Thibault experiences a sudden streak of luck—winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat that kills two of his closest buddies. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph—his lucky charm. Back home in Colorado, Thibault can’t seem to get the photo—and the woman in it—out of his mind. Believing that she somehow holds the key to his destiny, he sets out on a journey across the country to find her, never expecting the strong but vulnerable woman he encounters in Hampton, North Carolina—Elizabeth, a divorced mother with a young son—to be the girl he’s been waiting his whole life to meet. Caught off guard by the attraction he feels, Thibault keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate and all-consuming love affair, the secret he is keeping will soon threaten to tear them apart—destroying not only their love, but also their lives. Theme and Purpose This story is melodramatic and is more realistic. The author has always written stories where happiness and tragedy meet, full of little coincidences that may change people’s lives forever. The stories he wrote often are sentimental, since they are always about quests for love and romance and all about sadness as well. The author had presented us how a marine lived his life during the times when he was on a duty in Iraq. A lot of scenes in the novel were inspired with the timely events that had happened in Iraq back in 2008. During that time, that war in Iraq dominated the front pages of newspapers and is headlines on almost all television networks all over the world. But then, what the author is pointing out here is that stories about military men and personnel are often personal and focuses on their families or the struggles they faced upon returning home. Thus, the author wanted the readers to have a picture on their minds on what a marine officer is encountering mainly the preparations before the war, during the battle and after their duties. The author wanted us to be more aware on how a marine fought battles. He wanted his readers to experience, even by just reading his work, how to deal things when you are in a real battle in a vast battlefield. Bottom line of it all, the author wanted us to picture out strengths and determination from the main characters of the story. He wanted us to know and feel that pursuance on a certain thing you are into could give you a prosperous life. He is giving us an example, for us to reflect on ourselves, how to deal with problems. Problems are our enemies and every day we are dealing with it. We are living in a great battle field and for you to win and conquer it all, we must have strengths in ourselves and be determined enough to pursue everything we ought to do. We must believe that we can beat every problem that will come in our way. This are just spices in gaining a fruitful life ahead. Techniques Used The author had offered us a good story line. This story is surely be loved by avid romance novel readers most especially because of the beautiful plot he had created. The twists and turns of events are unpredictable that will surely make you crave for more of his works. The very first thing I had noticed was the flashback technique the author had used which is very common for all stories; using this may not let readers enjoy because they already know this kind of technique. So he had come up with a technique that you will notice from this certain novel and that is by using the voice of the characters. The author is writing in the limited third-person omniscient, thus allowing the reader to feel almost â€Å"first-person† closeness with the character, while still allowing all the characters to participate. Each chapter is told through the perspective of a single character. For example, in chapters labeled â€Å"Thibault,† only Thibault’s thoughts are included. Anything another character does is seen through his perspective, one that Thibault must only assume. If he’s talking to Beth, he can intuit what she’s thinking, but the readers are never allowed to know for sure. Until, of course, the next chapter arrives (perhaps labeled â€Å"Beth†) where she might reflect on what she’d actually been thinking. It’s a powerful form of writing and the author had used it effectively. He had overcome the challenge to make each character’s voice distinct enough to be immediately recognizable. In other words, the readers were able to â€Å"know† who’s talking, even if the chapter hadn’t been labeled at all. There was a learning curve associated with this. It made the development of the relationship between Thibault and Beth a bit more difficult (since it was only through one person’s eyes at any given time), but on the other hand, it made the characters themselves a bit easier to craft. And some voices were more difficult than others. Then, of course, there’s the challenge of keeping the story â€Å"linear.† That’s a bit tougher to do when writing with this form of literary voice. This kind of technique used by the author is somewhat confusing at first but as you go on reading the story, you will gradually understand and grasp the technique implied. It is so great that someone had done this kind of technique in writing because not all writers, regardless of what genre they are into, are good in narrating stories with this kind of technique. Opinion This is a great story indeed. Nicholas Sparks had written such a beautiful romance novel. His work is elevated by a very persuasive manner of storytelling. Readers are not expected to read his books because they are true but because they ought to be true. The story is very well plotted. The sequencing of events as well as the techniques used is very much commending. Sparks writes in such a way that it keeps you informed, seduced, captivated, and never bored. The chapters move along swiftly and it is written so well that you are not struggling to make it through each chapter. Each chapter would focus on a particular character and the chapter would be titled with their name: Thibault, Beth or Clayton. I loved that we got to delve into every characters lives. Everyone was explored with the same amount of back story. You never felt a lack of information. The storyline stays true and builds to an exciting climax. Sparks knows how to build a story and keep a reader anxiously turning pages. This is my first time to read a Nicholas Sparks novel and I surely bet this wouldn’t be the last because I had enjoyed reading it. The way he presented his work to his readers is so much appealing that you will surely crave for more.

Oppisition Arguments Essay

Animals deserve the same rights as people because they can feel pain; therefore, everyone in the world should become vegetarians. Animals do not deserve the same rights as humans. If so then we should give plants and vegetables rights as well. We kill a lot more plants then we do animals, so I believe that everyone should eat strictly meat only. America should not act as a â€Å"World Policeman† because it has enough domestic issues of its own to deal with. Even though America has a lot bases throughout the world, this does not mean that we are the world Policeman. We are just helping our allies so we could keep trading with these countries for natural Resources. Immigration should be allowed without any caps because it brings in skilled workers and increases the cultural variety of American Society. If we decided to take the cap off on immigration then we can see a lot more businesses hiring cheaper labor which means the unemployment percentage will go up and cause us to have another great depression. Parents should never be held responsible for the crimes of their juvenile children because children should be held responsible for their own actions, even if it means trying them as an adult. Parents should be held responsible for their kids because it is their job to raise them and look after them. If they were watching their kids then their kids probably wouldn’t be committing crimes. Beauty pageants are a fantastic way for young girls to increase their self-esteem, practice public speaking and cultivate their talents. Beauty pageants are one of the worst places for young girls to increase self-esteem. You’re in a competition were all the contestants are trying to be the most beautiful of them all and will try to put you down to win.

Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night is a light-hearted comedy written by William Shakespeare between 1598 and 1601. Even though this play is a comedy, it also has pain in its content which is mostly inflicted on the three main characters, Viola. The pain they experience is mostly caused by the lack of self-knowledge they have about themselves or others, and by unrequited love. This pain makes Twelfth Night the play it is. Orsino experiences pain throughout Twelfth Night. â€Å"Even so in a minute! So full of shapes is fancy. That it alone is high fantastical. † Here Orsino pours out his hearts pain because of his infatuation love which is unrequited. He states that love is just in the imagination and it’s nothing more than fantastical, in these words pain can be felt and it easily to empathize with. Orsino has caused his pain upon himself as he doesn’t have enough self-knowledge to realize his love for Olivia is infatuation. Olivia’s requited love for Cesario ensures her pain in Twelfth Night. Olivia’s love is true but it is aimed at the wrong person as Cesario is under disguise therefore her love for him will always remain one-sided. Olivia says in the play â€Å"I would you were as I would have you be. † Olivia tries to make Cesario see that she wishes he loves her despite of his countless refusals towards her love, this causes Olivia hurt as she doesn’t clearly understand why Cesario doesn’t want her as she doesn’t lack wealth, status or looks. Viola or Cesario lacks self-knowledge of others, in specific mostly with Orsino. She doesn’t seem to observe that Orsino’s love is artificial. â€Å"I’ll do my best to woo your lady. Yet, a barful strife! Whoe’er I woo, myself would be his wife. † Viola gets her heart wounded and full of pain when she has to woo on her masters behalf. She secretly loves him therefore wooing a woman for him will cause pain and hurt upon any female. Viola also causes pain upon Olivia and in the process hurts herself, her pain is shown when she says â€Å"Poor lady, she were better to love a dream. Disguise, I see thou art a wickedness. Viola isn’t blaming her disguise for the pain she is bringing upon herself and others; she is acknowledging that she has chosen this path for herself. In conclusion, although Twelfth Night is a comedy, it has a fair amount of pain inflicted into the plot. Through this discussion, it has come to attention that a lot of pain could’ve been avoided if the characters had more self-knowledge about themselve s and others, but if they did, there wouldn’t have been a Twelfth Night with suspense and a climax. Twelfth Night Twelfth Night is a comedy and a marvel. This play conveys many messages that are seen by the audience, but not seen by the characters in the play. There are many points involving love, friendship, conflicts and confusion. Twelfth Night displays characters that are mad, in love, and desperate for love. Twelfth Night has many conflicts that occur because characters fail to listen to messages. Viola is a character who has just thought that her brother has died in a shipwreck that they were both in. Viola disguises herself as a man to seek employment under the Duke Orsino’s court. The confusion occurs, when Viola tells Orsino that she loves someone (Orsino), when she tells Olivia that she cannot love a woman, and when Viola reveals some true facts about her identity to other characters, such as Feste the fool. Confusion is always occurring in Twelfth Night, and characters are too blinded by love to see the truth behind everything. Viola speaks to Orsino as a servant, and explains her past, her family, and her love, even though she is disguised as a man. She speaks to Orsino in a secretive manner, not to give away her true identity and feelings towards the Duke. I am all the daughters of my father’s house, and all the brothers, too – and yet I know not. † (II. VI. 130-135) Viola reveals that she is a different person inside, and that she is both brother and daughter, meaning that even though her appearance is that of a man, she is truly a female. Viola also explains her love many times to Orsino, but in a way that he does not understand. Orsino does not realize that Viola/Cesario is a woman. Viola expresses her love for the Duke to Olivia as well. [Olivia] â€Å"Where lies your text? [Viola] In Orsino’s bosom. Olivia] In his bosom? In what chapter of his bosom? [Viola] To answer by the method, in this first of his heart. † (I. V. 220-225) Viola tells Olivia that she loves Orsino, and is in his heart, but Olivia, thinking that Viola is a male, does not listen to her true message. Viola keeps her true identity very secret, but also lets other people think about her inner person, as she reveals some facts about herself. She also speaks in a different manner than most men around her, which makes her a bit different. She does not like to fight, and does not act like a drunk. Viola/Cesario also speaks to Olivia about not loving a woman. Viola admits to Olivia that she is someone who cannot, and will not love another woman. Olivia, having fallen in love with Cesario/Viola, is blinded by love and does listen to Viola’s important words. As Viola tries to tell Olivia that she cannot love her, Olivia just falls even more in love, which creates much more confusion between them. Viola, being annoyed with Olivia’s stubborn character, says something that snaps Olivia out of her dream world. â€Å"Then think you right. I am not what I am. (III. I. 145-150) Viola hints to Olivia, as she did to Orsino, that she is different from her actual appearance. These characters, such as Olivia and Orsino, have gotten so caught up in their love, and search for love that they have caused confusion for all. Olivia’s and Orsino’s behaviour affects them personally. Olivia tries to convince Cesario/Viola to love her, but Viola, being intelligent, replies to Olivia. â€Å"I pity you. † (III. I. 125-130) Viola explains her pity for Olivia, because she sees, how desperate Olivia is for love. No man would have responded this way to a lady such as Olivia, which shows some more of Viola’s true personality and character. Viola has told Olivia her true feelings towards her, and partially reveals that she is not really a man, which creates a twist for Olivia’s point of view. Still, Olivia being blinded by love, and desperate for a man, does not interpret Viola’s message. Viola attempts to speak with Feste the fool, but even he does not fully understand her secret. Nor does he understand who is in love with whom. Feste the fool is a wise clown, who has perfected his profession, yet does not realize when Viola /Cesario is trying to tell him something about her true character. The fool is also blinded by trickery and his own personality. Viola, whom everyone thinks to be Cesario – a servant for Orsino – is slowly unveiling her true personality and secret. No one seems to listen to her, thus causing many misunderstandings, odd occurring, and mysterious acts between the characters. [Fool] â€Å"Now Jove, in his next commodity of hair, send thee a beard! Viola] By my troth I’ll tell thee, I am almost sick for one, ‘aside’ though I would not have it grown on my chin. –† (III. I. 45-50) Viola tells Feste that she would not like a beard, but the truth is that she cannot grow one. As Sebastian enters the next scene, and becomes a more involved character, he is important because his sister Viola looks very much like him. They are twins, so as other characters see them, their confusion rises, and more conflicts occur. Feste the fool does not realize who is who, when he is speaking to Viola/Cesario or Sebastian. Sebastian] â€Å"Go to, go to, thou art a foolish fellow. Let me be free of thee. [Fool] Well held out, i’ faith. No, I do not know you, nor am I not sent to you by my lady to bid you come speak with her, nor your name is not Master Cesario, nor this is not my nose neither. Nothing that is so is so. † (IV. I. 5-10) Sebastian urges the fool to go on his way and not to bother him, but the fool, thinking that Sebastian is Master Cesario, tells Sebastian that Lady Olivia wants to speak with him. Sebastian does not know Olivia and is bewildered. In this happening, more and more misunderstanding, uncertainty and disorder is occurring. Characters are blinded by their own needs, and are self centered. They do not listen to Viola as she tries to reveal her identity. She tells Orsino, Olivia and the fool, traits of herself that prove her to be a woman, but they are all dumbfounded. As this play unravels, the characters all find their true mate, or have ended up alone, and Viola gets reunited with her brother who was thought to have been lost in the shipwreck. Twelfth Night is a comedy and a marvellous play that will trick the minds of all.