Epic Hero Essay

Moral Courage EMMA WALSKY PRE-AP CHALLENGE ENGLISH 9 MRS. PEARSON 2 MARCH 2013 â€Å"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare. † (Mark Twain) Courage is the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Aragorn, from The Lord of the Rings, Odysseus from The Iliad and The Odyssey, and Katniss from The Hunger Games all demonstrate jarring courage throughout their journey to heroism.As Aragorn leads the Fellowship, they come across many obstacles and interferences. He is required to battle off Urak-hai, Orcs, and Nazgul and protect his comrades, all while continuing his quest to Mount Doom. Aragorn is a very loyal and intrepid leader whom is brought to heroism through his magnificent courage. Odysseus makes a very long journey in order to return home to Ithaca. He is forced to make tremendous sacrifices, survive the wrath of Skylla and Kharybdis, and take the form of an intelligent beggar.Odysseus is brought to his heroic means through his gallant courage and distinctive endurance. Katniss battles for days in order to win victory for her district. She protects fellow members, cunningly kills off enemies, and endures major physical and intellectual damage. Katniss’ stunning dedication and over powering courage lead her to great heroism. Heroes of epic orchestration, such as Aragorn from The Lord of The Rings by J. R. R.Tolkien, Odysseus from The Iliad and The Odyssey, by Homer, and Katniss from The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, establish themselves as superior epic heroes through their intelligent utilization of the twenty-five epic hero steps, along with their astounding courage, bravery, and endurance which ultimately transforms them into three epic heroes that will never be forgotten. As an epic hero the first hero journey step, The Call to Adventure, acts as one of most important steps, as it begins ones strenuous expedition towards victory and t riumph.Odysseus, The Great Glory of the Achaians, was under oath to protect the marriage of Helen and Menelaus. After Helen was taken by Paris to the city of Troy, the Greeks demanded war upon the Trojans. Odysseus was asked by King Agamemnon and King Menelaus to endure war and bring his fleet of ships and soldiers. This marked the start of Odysseus’ lengthy journey to capture Helen, and defeat Troy. Odysseus proudly led the Walsky 2 Cephallenians, with twelve ships, who were settled in Ithaca, Neriton, Crocyleia, Aigilips, Zacynthos, and Samos.He was forced to leave his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telelmachus, for what soon became 20 years. Odysseus’ tremendous sacrifice to his country and his family along with his outstanding courage to bring home victory prove his title of an epic hero. Katniss, The Girl Who Was on Fire, begins her journey in the square of District 12. As the reaping begins, Katniss separates from her sister, Primrose, and waits for Effie Trinket t o announce which two children of the Seam will act as tribute. Effie reaches her hand deep into the ball and pulls out a slip of paper.As she crosses back to the podium, she smoothes the slip of paper and reads out the name in a clear voice, Primrose Everdeen. As a â€Å"strangled cry comes out of her throat and her muscles begin to move again,† Katniss screams out â€Å"Prim! † (Collins 22). Katniss makes way for the stage and pulls Prim behind her with one sweep of her arm as she gasps â€Å"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute! † (Collins 22). Katniss protects her sister from the dangers of the battle as she unexpectedly volunteers to take her place as tribute. With this, she displays shocking courage and wholesome bravery.Katniss’ great deed is one of many that prove she is a respectable epic hero. Katniss and Odysseus both embark on hearty journeys that force them to make important sacrifices, portray a leader figure, and act courageous in battle, whi ch ultimately prove themselves as epic heroes. Each epic hero heftily utilizes the third hero journey step, The Wise and Helpful Guide and the Magic Tailsman, to assist and guide them in their path to success and glory. Aragorn, The Great Strider, along with the rest of the Fellowship, is led from the shire to Mount Doom by Gandalf the Grey, later Gandalf the White.Gandalf is a wizard, and is also known as the head of the Istari after the fall of Saruman. Gandalf leads and protects the Fellowship through Brandywine, The Old Forest, Chetwood, Bree, Weathertop, Trollshaws, and Rivendell until the final reach of Mount Doom. Aragorn is loyal to Walsky 3 Gandalf’s decisions and respects his strategies and tactics. He allows Gandalf to lead the Fellowship and trusts his knowledge and intelligence. Aragorn’s ability to respect, along with his distinctive loyalty and dedication towards others distinguishes him as an epic hero.Katniss is mentored by Haymitch Abernathy, victor o f the 50th Hunger Games, and won for District 12 at the age of 16. Haymitch first appears to Katniss as drunk and staggering as he dives off the stage at the reaping, and once again as he vomits on the expensive floor of the train headed to the Capitol. After a small fight between the two and Peeta, Haymitch begins to formulate a plan as he is interested in ones who can put up a fight. He tells them to train and learn new things, to avoid practicing skills they excel in. Haymitch successfully trains Katniss, as she comes out with a very high training score.Katniss respects Haymitch, although she is aware of his drinking problem, and obeys his rules and consequences. Katniss’ capability to learn and regard others methods prove her as a true epic hero. Aragorn and Katniss are capable of respecting others and distinguishing loyalty towards their mentors, ultimately giving them the title of epic hero. An epic hero would be nowhere without the sixth hero journey step, Hero Partner s, to lead, guide, and build each other up throughout the course of their journey. To Aragorn, the members of the Fellowship act as his hero partners.Frodo Baggins, Wise by Experience, Samwise Gamgee, The Salt of the Earth, Merry Brandybuck, Meriadoc the Magnificent, Pippin Took, The Hunchback, Legolas, The Green Leaf, Gimli, The Fire, Boromir, The War Jewel, Faramir, The Jeweled Hunter, and Gandalf, The Elf of the Staff, are all comrades of Aragorn. Each member of the Fellowship has a different type of relationship with Aragorn, whether it is family oriented or merely acquaintances. Aragorn utilizes the skills and abilities of each individual Fellowship member to bring them to victory and triumph.His healthy relationship with each Fellowship member allows them to relate to each other and create a Walsky 4 stronger bond, which is very important in the ultimate win. Aragorn’s healthy bonds and strong relationship with his hero partners differentiates him as an epic hero. One o f Odysseus’ hero partners is Diomedes, King of Argos. Diomedes is asked by Nestor to go on a night raid to the Trojan camp to kill guards and destroy their supplies. Diomedes is â€Å"willing to visit the enemy camp. But if one more could go with, that means more courage and more comfort† (The Iliad. 10. 119).Agamemnon orders Diomedes to choose a comrade, anyone he likes, as he knows the force of two will be stronger than one. Diomedes â€Å"could not think of anyone but Odysseus, the best man of all, ready heart and high temper in every enterprise† (The Iliad. 10. 120). Diomedes, along with many other Achaians, trusts and respects Odysseus as a fighter and as a genuine and loyal man. Athena, the Grey Eyed Goddess, is also a hero partner of Odysseus. As Odysseus enters the Phaiakians city, Athena â€Å"poured a sea fog around him as he went† so â€Å"that no jeering sailor should halt the man or challenge him for his luck† (The Odyssey. . 111). She cares about Odysseus’ safety and does everything she can to get him out of harm’s way. Athena knows Odysseus is a caring, genuine man whom deserves protection from danger. Odysseus’ bold relationships with his army and the gods and goddesses, and his strong bonds with generosity associate with the necessary deeds of an epic hero. The intelligent and genuine utilizations of hero partners by Aragorn and Odysseus prove their title as epic hero. The seventeenth hero journey step, The Hero’s Return, is one of the most important steps because it marks the hero’s victorious journey home.Odysseus had a very long expedition back to his home land of Ithaca. Odysseus and his men sail to the island of Cicones where they slaughter soldiers and kill livestock. After leaving Cicones, they sail to the Island of the Lotus Eaters, where many of his men eat the lotus plant and are intrigued to stay. They then sail to the Island of the Cyclopes and are trapped in Pol yphemus’ cave. They brutally drive a pole into his eye ball and escape by hanging under Walsky 5 the sheep he lets out to graze.After leaving the Cyclopes Island, Odysseus and his men sail to Aeolia, where he receives a gift of stormy winds to return home to Ithaca. The men open the bag and are directed to Aeaea, where they are given food and drinks from Circe. They sail to the Land of the Dead, where Teiresias tells them how to fend of the Sirens, Scylla, and Kharybdis. They sail through sirens but 6 of his men are taken by Skylla. As they reach Lord Helios’ island, Odysseus notifies his men not to slaughter and eat the cattle. They do so anyway and they are killed, leaving Odysseus alone. After many days he washes up upon Ogygia, Calypso’s island. He is oused there for seven years, and then lands on the island of Phaeacia, where he is the guest of honor at a banquet in the Phaeacian King’s palace. The king orders his men to give Odysseus a ship and then he sails off to home. He safely arrives in Ithaca, and has completed his journey home. Odysseus has many difficult encounters, near death experiences, and challenging tasks he must complete in order to return home. His outstanding level of endurance, strength and perseverance allows him to complete this miraculous journey and hold the title of en epic hero. Katniss endures many physically harmful situations in her quest to victory.Katniss protects fellow district members, hunts for food, kills off enemies, and builds shelters. As Claudis reinforms Katniss and Peeta that â€Å"the earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rulebook has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed,† she strings her bow and points the arrow right towards Peeta’s heart (Collins 342). As Peeta drops his knife, Katniss lowers her bow and steps back with shame. The two decide to, on the count of three, feed themselves a handful of poisonous berries so that neither of them would feel the pain of killing the other.Just as they lift their hands to their lips Claudis yells for them to stop and is â€Å"pleased to present the victors of the 74th Hunger Games† (Collins 345). A hovercraft materializes overhead and two ladders drop for Katniss and Peeta. As she places a foot on the first rung Walsky 6 of the ladder, she is home. As she steps aboard the plane safety and security fill the air. Katniss endured very harsh conditions, poor consistency, and emotional swings while in battle. Her astounding dedication and devotion for the victory of her district, led her home with triumph.Odysseus and Katniss return home through their astonishing endurance, dedication and courage, ultimately proving themselves as epic heroes. The twenty fifth hero journey step, Final Victory, is the most important as it labels the victory and win of a strenuous expedition, completed by an epic hero. Aragorn leads the Fellowship to triumph through his excellent leadership skil ls, combat abilities, and intelligent methods. The Battle of the Hornburg began Aragorn’s final victory. He revealed himself to Sauron as the heir of Isildur, in order to distract Sauron's attention from Frodo, who was approaching Mordor.Aragorn defended the city with the Dead Men of Dunharrow, who owed allegiance to the King of Gondor. They defeated Saurons allies, and sailed to Minas Tirith. They arrived at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and with the help of the southern forces the armies of Gondor and Rohan rallied and defeated Sauron's army. Aragorn then led his armies to the Gates of Mordor, to distract Sauron. Sauron attacked with overwhelming force but at that moment the Ring was destroyed by Frodo and Sauron and his forces were defeated. Aragorn was crowned King of Elessar and as the heir of Isildur, bore the shards of Narsil.He demands â€Å"this day doesn’t belong to one man but to all† and vows to â€Å"rebuild this world that they may share in th e days of peace† (LOTR:RK). He is loyal to his country and even after acquiring glory and fame through his crown, he still believes the most important thing he can do as King is distinguish the world with peace and tolerance. As Aragorn is walking out of his coronation with his wife, Arwen, he encounters the hobbits as they bow towards his glory. Aragorn claims they â€Å"bow to no one† as he, along with the rest of the crowd, bow towards their tremendous accomplishment (LOTR:RK).Aragorn beholds genuine loyalty and Walsky 7 respect towards his fellow men and acts as a great role model to future epic heroes. His wholesome courage and bold leadership led the Fellowship to a final victory and prove he is worthy of being an epic hero. Odysseus battles many obstacles in order to share his identity with his family. As Odysseus arrives on Ithaca Athena covers him in a mist which allows him to reach his home without being harmed. Odysseus reveals himself to Telemachus, although it takes some time as he appears god-like.Then Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar and ventures to his home with Eumaeus. A fight broke out between Odysseus and Antinoos, a troublesome suitor, and he was summoned by Penelope as she was perceptive about the â€Å"beggar. † He tells her all he knows about Odysseus’ whereabouts and is then sent away. As he is receiving a cleanse from Eur’ykleia, the nurse, she notices his scar directly above his knee from hunting wild boar. Odysseus grabs her throat as he braces her up against the wall and informs her he will kill her if she tells others his true identity.Penelope believes Odysseus is not returning and decides to have a bow and arrow contest, to see which suitor possesses the skills of Odysseus. One must string a bow and shoot the arrow through a line of twelve axes. None of the suitors complete the task, so Odysseus proposes that he try and Penelope insists that he be given a chance. Odysseus swiftly completes the task, and strings a second arrow through the throat of Antinoos. He reveals himself as Odysseus, and the suitors then realize they have been locked in the room by Eumaeas and Philoetius.A raging battle begins and within no time all of the suitors are killed. Penelope, who slept through the entire fight, was called down to the scene. She didn’t believe it was Odysseus, and thought a god was playing a trick on her. She then orders Eur’ykleia to move her bridal bed and Odysseus immediately flares up. He explains that the bed is immovable, how it is built from the trunk of an olive tree around which the house had been constructed. Hearing him recount these details, she knows that this man Walsky 8 must be her husband.He is reunited with his wife and his son, and becomes part of a family once again. Odysseus cleansed his home with the blood of the suitors and their families were pacified by Athena. After twenty long years, he is finally home. Odysseus’ unimagina ble perseverance and outstanding courage are what lead him home to a final victory and prove that he is an epic hero. Aragorn and Odysseus both utilize their withstanding endurance and bravery to complete their final victory and return â€Å"home. † An epic hero is a brave, noble and courageous character, whom is admired for their great achievements.Aragorn, Odysseus and Katniss are all classified as epic heroes through their outstanding courage throughout their journey to heroism. Heroes of epic orchestration, such as Aragorn from The Lord of The Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, Odysseus from The Iliad and The Odyssey, by Homer, and Katniss from The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, establish themselves as superior epic heroes through their intelligent utilization of the twenty-five epic hero steps, along with their astounding courage, bravery, and endurance which ultimately transforms them into three epic heroes that will never be forgotten.Aragorn, Odysseus and Katniss will fore ver be remembered as stunning epic heroes. One’s moral courage determines one’s future. Walsky 9 Work Cited Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Homer. The Iliad. Trans. W. H. D. Rouse. New York: NAL Penguin Inc. , 1938. Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 1998 Tolkein, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Dir. Peter Jackson. New Line Cinema, 2001, 2002, 2003. Twain, Mark. The Quote Garden, 1998. http://www. quotegarden. com/courage. html

Egyptian Culture Essay

The Culture of Egypt is one of the most ancient cultures and has five thousand years of history. It can be said that it is one of the richest cultures of the world as ancient Egypt was among the earliest civilizations. Egyptian culture is known to have a significant influence on other cultures such as Europe, the Middle East and Africa. However, soon after the Pharaonic era, Egypt came under the influence of Hellenism, then Christianity, and later, Arab and Islamic culture. Modern Egypt continues to have the ancient Egypt’s culture including the influence of modern Western culture, itself with roots in Ancient Egypt (Wikipedia n. ag, 2007). Ancient Egyptian In the ancient Egyptian culture religion played a very important role. In fact without the ancient Egyptian Religion, there would perhaps not much reason for today’s increasing tourism. The great Pyramids of Egypt’s are a major attraction. These huge structures would not exist, nor the fabulous temples, the tombs on the West Bank of Thebes and their mummies, or the colorful decorations on these structures that have attracted travelers to Egypt over the past three thousand years or more. Behind every aspect of Egyptian life, as well as the art, and the cultural accomplishments it is important to understand the religious forces that formed the cultural aspects of ancient Egypt. Religion The spiritual or the religious world that was formed by the ancient Egyptians was a richly fascinating one which remains unique in the history of human religion. Although Egyptian religion was often covered in layers of myth and ritual, it on the other hand permeated the ancient civilization of the Nile and eventually shaped, sustained and directed Egyptian culture in almost every way. In fact if we look at the ancient history, people were more worried of the afterlife than the day to day life. Egyptians believed that they could enjoy life after death that made them to prepare for their death and burial. For instance, they construct pyramids and tombs for kings and queens. Other Egyptians had similar tombs. Additionally, it was very important in order to have a good afterlife for one to not only worship the Egyptian gods, but also live by a rules and regulations that would be judged after death. Ancient Egyptians also believed that the bodies of the dead had to be preserved for the next life and so they mummified the bodies. Even though there was a substantial amount of stability between various areas of Egypt and over the religion’s long existence, there were several changes over the past years and changes in the theology. For instance, while some 1,500 gods and goddesses are known by name from ancient Egypt, many of them were not worshipped at any one time or in any one place. As a result it is possible for one to observe variations over the years and cultural differences. Eventually, several changes took place in the religious aspects. For example, the burial practices of the Egyptians, which were definitely affected by their religious ideologies, went from simple mastabas in the very early periods and during the Predynastic Period, to monumental pyramids during the Old and Middle Kingdoms. This tradition of pyramids and tombs reduced preferring instead to have hidden tombs with no superstructures at all. Perhaps part of the reason for this was the security of the tomb and its content of valuables, though it did not do much to stop the tomb robbers. Another reason behind this was the Egyptian religion’s movement towards Osiris. The god Osiris also seems accountable for another major change in Egyptian religion through its long history along with the popularity it gained. Osiris was a democratic god who without a doubt became more and more popular because the theology surrounding him allowed even common Egyptians the chance of immortality after their death. Believes and Values There are certain beliefs and rituals that still remained. For instance, there seems to have always been a sun god from the earliest of times, however his worship too changed over time, and sometimes significantly. The sun god Re was worshipped at Egypt’s earliest shrines and his worship most likely reached a high point during the late Old Kingdom, when kings not only built their pyramids, but also specialized temples to worship the sun god. Additionally, the rituals main part was the offerings, but there were certainly numerous other rituals, together with many daily functions such as washing and clothing the gods. There are a few rituals that were major celebrations, for example, the statue of one god might be taken to visit the cult center of another. The advantage with this system was that it was mostly during these festivals that common Egyptians probably came closest to their gods, since at other times they were forbidden from the sanctuaries that housed the cult statues. A value system in the Egyptian culture formed a great part as it is even almost the same way that it is today. It can be said that most of the value systems present today in the modern day is adopted form the ancient Egyptian culture. Undoubtedly, the value system had both a secular and religious side. In terms of religious believe, as in many religions today, each person was judged upon death for his or her actions during life, and either condemned to be a member of the damned or the blessed (Watson n. pag). Another aspect of the culture comes with the style of traditions. For instance, the ancient Egyptians were the first civilization to regard marriage as a legal relationship. Marriage in ancient Egypt was a religious obligation. The ancient Egyptian laws prepared the marriage relationship and indicated all rights and duties for the couples. Many of the old marriage contracts have been found, and they were registered and signed by three officers. These ancient Egyptian laws gave the right of divorce to women as well as men, and the wife had great respect and a high degree of prestige (El-Bialy n. pag, 2003). Even today these cultures have been adopted by many other cultures. Egyptology In the recent years, the Egyptian culture has had a great impact on the archaeology and the study of Egypt’s ancient heritage. The field of Egyptology has itself become a major scientific subject of great interest in Egypt and also around the world. It began in Arab Egypt during the Middle Ages, but was later led by Europeans and Westerners in modern times. However in the recent decades the study of Egyptology, has been taken up by Egyptian archaeologists such as Zahi Hawass and the Supreme Council of Antiquities he leads. With the discovery of the Rosetta Stone (a tablet written in ancient Greek) Egyptian Demotic script, and Egyptian hieroglyphs, has in part been credited for the recent stir in the study of Ancient Egypt. Greek which is a well known language, gave linguists the capability to decode the mysterious Egyptian hieroglyphic language. The ability to decode hieroglyphics facilitated the translation of hundreds of the texts and inscriptions that were earlier impossible to read, giving insight into Egyptian culture that would have otherwise been lost to the ages. This stone was discovered on July 15, 1799 in the port town of Rosetta, Egypt, and has been held in the British Museum since 1802 (Wikipedia n. pag, 2007). Economics Today, the major economic activities of Egypt depend on agriculture, mining, manufacturing, transportation and communication and others. Tourism is a major source of revenue today. Ancient Egyptian farmers relied on the annual floods of the Nile River to irrigate their fields and renew their top soil. Conclusion Finally, it can be said that the rich Egyptian culture has an impact on the various modern day cultures. It was the birth place of one of the world’s first civilizations which arose about 5000 years ago. Egyptians developed one of the first religions to emphasize life after death. Besides, they also build many cities where many skilled architects, doctors, engineers, painters, and sculptors worked. Islam is the official religion of Egypt as about 90 % of them are Muslims. Tourists from all parts of the world travel to Egypt to see such wonders as Great Sphinx, an enormous pyramids etc. For people throughout Egypt, the beliefs and traditions of Islam form a unifying bond. In fact it is one of the richest cultures in the world.

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Discussion - Essay Example form of confessional poetry rich in poetic styles and brought out the sensational part of her life and the real life of many individuals (Burdescu, 2013). Although there are some ethical issues in Anne’s bibliography, Anne’s work can help many people who are in a similar state of depression and on the verge of committing suicide. In fact, the biography has increased the significance of her artwork and many people are interested in reading and understanding her work more than before. The description of Anne’s hard work as she writes a poem after another is quite encouraging to readers and other people as it stresses the value of hard work. Anne turned to writing to avoid killing herself something that is quite interesting to readers and other people in a similar situation. Engaging in something useful helps one to avoid engaging in certain vices, which has led to greater appreciation of her work. Despite the evils of her sexual and alcoholic life, her book won many praises and a national book award in the biography category as it depicted the actual life experiences that many people go through. Anne’s bibliography increased her creative endeavors and influenced many to read her poems appreciating the poetic

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Business forms - Research Paper Example In order to perform a succinct selection of the business form, consideration of taxes, legal plus accounting issues will be vital. Sole proprietorship This is a business organization owned by a single person who is responsible for entire operations of the business. Advantages and disadvantages A sole proprietor is responsible for various decisions that affect the business. He is accountable for the business because he conducts all transactions. Any operations such as sales are possible through the authority of the owner. In sole proprietorship, the owner of the business enjoys exemption of taxes such as corporate tax (Goldman & Sigismond, 2011). Those starting a new business enjoy the presence of few trade requirements. Legal costs are considerable, hence, making it easier to run the business. A sole proprietor benefits from the profits acquired because he has not formed a partnership. Sole proprietorship has limitations where the owner is responsible for debts and other roles of the business. In case of losses, the owner suffers alone with no one to share the loss. Sole proprietorship is liable to various risks that associates workers conduct within the business. Financial statements for sole proprietorship The cash flows statement provides a description of money movement within a time frame. It indicates the amount at the commencement and termination of the period. The statement of changes in equity for the owner relates income statement and the balance sheet by indicating the increases or decreases of the capital (Goldman & Sigismond, 2011). A balance sheet depicts finances of the sole proprietor by including assets plus liabilities and capital. The financial performance document displays earnings for a known timeframe and depicts the net income of the owner for the period indicated. Tax, legal plus accounting implications A sole proprietor faces challenges when dealing with accounting issues, for example, it is exhausting to handle records of various operat ions without making errors. It consumes time to scrutinize both purchases and sales in different documents. For sole proprietorship, taxation is similar to other business forms where it occurs in income-tax rates. Improper accounting may lead to tax complexities. Sole proprietorship does not have protection enjoyed by other companies. The owner becomes responsible for various issues that result from operations (Goldman & Sigismond, 2011). Partnership Advantages plus disadvantages This is a form of business ownership in which people come together and form a business based on their interests. It involves two or several people who implement a business idea after careful planning. Persons intending to start a partnership find it suitable because they can raise funds easily (Pride et al., 2011). Partnership can grow tremendously because people can share ideas to enhance its improvement. Partnership attracts various people with intentions of commencing businesses because partners can shar e loses plus profits that arise from business operations. Although it is advantageous, the business form has some limitations such as sharing of profits plus losses. All partners become accountable for the conduct of the entire fraternity. There is a possibility of benefits being limited by taxes or returns. The lifespan for a partnership can be short because members may choose to leave for other endeavors (Pride et al., 2011). Financial documents for partnership Partnership utilizes the common statements such as balance sheets, cash flows, income and owner’s equity statements (Pride et al., 2011). This is similar to sole proprietorshi

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Finance part of a Executive Memorandum - Case Study Example With the increased market niche, more fans will attend the matches and more revenues will be realized. Consider the following projected financial position of the organization in 2015 and 2016. This projection is aimed at increasing the present revenues and profits through advertising and increasing the market niche by capitalizing on the anticipated popularity increase in tennis. Unlike 2014, which recorded losses, the above financial forecast for 2015-2018 can be achieved if the losses incurred are minimized such that the sponsorship given by the WTT is invested in other activities. This will make the organization financially sound even for the interested investors to bring their money in the organization. Similarly, the aspect of increasing the price of tickets should be avoided instead various management strategies such as marketing and satisfying the needs of the already identified market segment should be implemented. Various incentives such as drinks should be made affordable during the matches. This will increase the number of the fans thus enabling attainment of the set goals and projections. The aspect of market segmentation and advertising is fundamental in these financial plans since it serves as the driving force to the realization of increased market niche and consequent increased revenues. Since the organization is â€Å"pass- through entityâ € , the net income realized in the period 2014-108 as indicated in the financial plan will be passed to the owners who will be taxed at individual basis. The profits ratios from 2015 through 2018 indicate theta the organization is viable for investors. The margin range of 0.55 and above is a good indication of the organization’s positive progress. If the owners sustain this trend, then the profit margin is expected to increase in coming years and this will assure the owners big profits. In this case, the organization does not experience a

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Important Trends in Popular Music Emerged in the Early 1960s - Assignment Example It was in the sixties that Soul and Surf music, Latin tunes, Country and Folk hymns, and Psychedelic Acid Rock rise out from Rock ‘N Roll, making all of these accepted by that year’s generation. Apparently, though his about splashy tides of oceans, pretty ladies in bikinis, and muscular gents with surfing boards became the basis of â€Å"surf music.† Characteristics of its hymn include being brazen and â€Å"instrumental† like that of the sea’s excitement and captivating sense of â€Å"rush.† Since then, people associated the sport called â€Å"surfing† with it, that is why, famous tunes like Surf City of Jan and Dean, Misirlo of Dick Dale, and Surfin’ USA of the Beach Boys appeal to all surf-lovers even if the artists themselves are non-surfers. However, tunes are not all about shores and oceans since this had started in Hawaii as â€Å"chants† for their prayer and meditation purposes. Its impact during the sixties was so intense that even if there were no shorelines to relate with and buildings rather dominate the place, it was embraced by American youth at that time (â€Å"Surf Culture†). During the critical days of the sixties when violent things seemed to monopolize, the so-called Rhythm and Blues (R&B) in the industry have flunked shortly to give way to â€Å"soul music.† Inspired with the uprising of â€Å"civil rights,† the blacks have dominated it, though it was seen as a counterpart of white’s R&B; thus, it has given them the opportunity to defy cultural differences. With this, the songs were basically inspirational and were aiming to relay a message of peace, equality, and unity.  

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Future Technology - Free Energy - Research Paper Example The increase in human population has not only increased demand for commodities but has also mechanized production of most commodities such as eatables. Nowadays it is very common to find totally mechanized farms and factories. Thus it is obvious that the sector most affected by this phenomenon is the energy sectors. The high demand due to increase in population and increase in mechanization of human life has exerted very high strain on these non renewable resources of energy. The oil supply of the world is dwindling throughout. It is expected that humans would completely run out of this source of energy in a few more decades. This high demand for energy has created chaos in the modern world. There have been millions of lives lost in the war for oil and if the current crisis continues worse is yet to come. In this scenario the world has to find new sources of energy which can be distributed without cost to the entire world. Only such a massive source of energy can fulfill the current needs of energy and contain the crises that stems from it. The question thus arises that what could be such a source of energy which fulfills all needs of human race and that too without be expensive. The usual answer is nuclear energy. The perception that nuclear energy is totally free is very false. First of all uranium is the basic fuel used for nuclear power plants. This fuel like other non renewable resources is an element found from earth and is thus limited in supply. This limit also makes it one of the most expensive elements in the world. Nuclear energy can be every damaging due to disposal of nuclear waste. Thus we can say that environmental costs of nuclear energy are very high. The only feasible option is thus solar energy. This form of energy is the core energy which is behind the formation of life in the world. Everything that we see around us is because of solar energy. The crops use this energy to grow and also with the photosynthesis process

Trinidad and Tobago is a good country to do Internation Business with Term Paper

Trinidad and Tobago is a good country to do Internation Business with - Term Paper Example Considering that it is currently on an economic high, Trinidad and Tobago is a good country to do international business with. Trinidad and Tobago has the highest per capita income in terms of direct foreign investments in the region. There are more than 150 firms that have already established businesses in the country. These companies include Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Citicorp, Fujitsu and PricewaterhouseCoopers (International Monetary Fund 4). Currently, the country is enjoying its highest foreign investments opportunities in history. Fueling the high levels of foreign direct investment is the country’s expansion of its energy sector. Trinidad and Tobago also offers a warm, diverse and stable business climate, which is contrary to the unpredictability witnessed in other Caribbean countries. The country also boasts a diverse cultural setting that makes it easy for locals and foreign investors to set up and carry out business activities (Rojas-Suarez and Elias 17). The bus iness environment in Trinidad and Tobago makes it an ideal country to do international business with. The country’s socio-economic, cultural and political structure sets it apart from its neighbors in the Caribbean since it offers excellent investment opportunities for both big and small international businesses. ... The country is also considered to be the most industrialized in the Caribbean and Latin America region (International Monetary Fund 7). Trinidad and Tobago has not always been an investor’s choice of business destination. The twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago were Spanish colonies before they fell into British authority during the early 19th century. At the time, much of the country’s economy was pegged on its sugarcane industry which came to near collapse following the emancipation of slaves in 1834. However, the importation of plantation workers soon revived the sugar industry and enhanced the coca industry. A further boost to the country’s economy was realized with the discovery of oil reserves in 1910. Trinidad and Tobago gained its independence from the British in 1962 and has been expanding its economic opportunities ever since (Rojas-Suarez and Elias 176). There are two major ethnic groups in Trinidad and Tobago: Indian and African. The Indians make up 4 0% of the total population while Africans are about 37% of the population. People of mixed ethnicity make up about 21 percent of the population. According to July 2011 estimates, the country has a population of about 1,227,500 people. A majority of the country’s citizens lie in the 15-64 years age bracket. This means that the labor market is quit big in the country. 14% of the total population can be found in the urban areas, with many being in the country’s capital, Port of Spain (CIA World Factbook). This is because the majority of the country’s industries and businesses are based in the urban areas. Many of the people of Trinidad and Tobago are either Christian or Hindu. However there is a sizable number (less than 20 percent) who profess the Muslim

How Nurses are affected by Stress in Psychiatric Unit of Somers Ward Research Paper

How Nurses are affected by Stress in Psychiatric Unit of Somers Ward - Research Paper Example The paper tells that nurses are currently facing great challenges and dilemma in their field of practice to date. This is foreseen to affect significantly the delivery of patient’s care and health of the nurses in the future when left unresolved. Nurses are â€Å"short-handed, understaffed, and overworked† and to some extent, burnout. The emotional stress they carry watching their patients die and see grieving families oftentimes add up the physical stress of overstretching themselves to work on double shifts to cater understaffed hospitals. As a result, new nurses are recruited from different parts of the world, and are placed on probationary period. This period can be very stressful also to both nurses, old and new, taking into consideration the culture shock, the expectations, and language barriers that adds up to being stressed from the hospital work. Looking back, severe shortages of nursing staff working at bedside is not a new dilemma in the health care arena sin ce this problem had already started even during the time of Florence Nightingale in the barracks of Scutari amidst the Crimean War. During that time, significant shortages of trained personnel to take care of the dying young men from the battles and diseases were already noted. But despite of the existing problems, nursing profession continued to thrive until this date. However, Milleken, et al cited that the stressful circumstances and repeated challenges that face the nursing staff contribute to organizational problem in the future that may endanger the health care system. The Rationale of Doing this Research: The continuous shortage of nursing staff all over the world has not exempted the facility where I worked in. Somers ward is an 18-bed unit, and is the only acute psychiatric facility in the Bermuda Island. Being the only specialized facility in the island, it is expected that the nursing staff will be outnumbered by the number of patients who are coming for admission. To dat e, the nurse to patient ratio is 1:8, where only one nurse is assigned to take charge to 8 patients per shift. Every day, I’ve experience this event happening in the ward, and as a nurse, I’ve seen how overloaded we are with our respective responsibilities, and sometimes, we are required to extend the number of hours at work because we are short-staffed. I felt the frustrations, anxiousness, and together with my co – workers, we have a cry to put a stop on this scenario. Otherwise, all of us

Lessons for Auditors and Regulators from the WorldCom Fraud Essay

Lessons for Auditors and Regulators from the WorldCom Fraud - Essay Example The fraud was undertaken by representing line costs as capital, rather than expenses and inflating revenue on the financial statements. However, a team of internal auditors later on came to discover the fraudulent representation of financial statements and notified the Company’s board of directors and audit committee, who acted swiftly although the company had already become bankrupt (Albrecht, Albrecht, Albrecht & Zimbelman, 2011, 457). Lessons from WorldCom Fraud Lessons learnt from WorldCom fraud presents a broad range of issues to put into consideration such as, the importance of fraud auditors to have knowledge and an understanding of corporate systems and processes. Lessons have it that routine internal audit processes may not expose fraud, since auditors focus on providing assurance with respect to effective controls, rather than detecting irregularities as `possibilities of fraud. Fraud auditors should actively seek to identify irregularities and anomalies as indicator s of fraudulent behaviors among financial executives and general corporate staff, and use the knowledge to undertake further in-depth analysis to root out fraud. Fraud detection in corporate organisations relies on the knowledge and understanding of auditing and detection by officials of the fraud background, fraud schemes, principles, and indicators (Singleton & Singleton, 2010, p.145). WorldCom internal auditors were well conversant with the organisation’s culture and choices of recording the financial statement, which helped them immediately to recognise the $2 billion operating cost recorded as a fixed asset. This came out as a red flag unlike the normal culture of the organisation, more so when an official referred to the expenditure as prepaid capacity. Auditors’ understanding of the normal organisations culture was able to detect the omission of lease line cost in the operating expense account as a fraud (Rezaee & Riley, 2010, p.212). However, new loopholes in f inancial statements often require auditors to improve and devise new ways of detecting fraud, since past indicators may not be applicable in future fraud cases. Corporate fraud has continuously advanced with the computerisation of operations, and thus requires fraud auditors to be proactive in improving their fraud detection schemes. Corporations need to put in place mechanisms for assessing fraud as an organisation’s risk, and approach the risks using relevant internal audit methodologies. Fraud auditors should also be seen with regard to the presence of indicators of fraud, and design relevant controls and prevention methods of fraud. However, proactive fraud seeking auditing activities may be costly for organisations, though not comparable to extent of loss in case of successful fraud. Cost involved may include knowledge expansion in the area of fraud detection and more so, the use of electronic-detection tools. Internal auditors have the mandate to understand an organisat ion’s corporate culture, conditions, and choices that may have been used by fraudsters in engaging in financial statement fraud. Such an understanding would go a long way in providing accurate indicators of fraud and possible fraud in future of the organization's inconsistency with fraud risk levels that organizations face (Rezaee & Riley, 2010, p.213).  

Psychology And How It Affects The System Of Referencing Essay Example for Free

Psychology And How It Affects The System Of Referencing Essay Cataloging is an olden time procedure that is made to arrange the collection of books within libraries. Of course, since libraries are considered to have a large collection of reading materials, arranging them into categories helps in the process of researching for the students or plain readers alone. However, this procedure of arranging the files and taking notes of the information with regards a certain book takes much time and effort from the librarians that they are already incapable of doing the primary responsibility that they should be addressing in their profession, assisting the readers. Today, the development of technology aides in libraries have created a radical change within the systems of arranging the files as well as redefined the role of librarians in completing the tasks appointed for them to finish. Technological changes are indeed good. As for this matter, the changes of the procedures taken into consideration by libraries have indeed radically changed the ways by which the librarians tried to complete their duties to their profession,. The existence of computer-based programs also made several files in the local libraries available online making it more convenient for readers to utilize. More than that, it could be noted that the digital based Operating System that is used in public libraries have made it easier for readers to find the actual resources that they need for their researches becomes highly possible and efficient for the users. Yes, the impact of technology in library activities as well as within the procedures of referencing could indeed be considered one of the most successful applications that is made and presented by today’s modern technology. Of course, with the massive overflow of informations through the publication of several reading materials, filing them up in a way that readers would have them through easier access today is beneficial. This is also true in terms of psychological referencing. IT is undeniable that both traditional and modern technological approaches make the psychological references more utilized for studies and assessment procedures for present researches. Psychology too interacts with the different approaches used today in referencing systems. Most often than not, the systems carry the fact that there are certain measures that needs consideration in terms of the acceptance of the human behavior with the referencing systems that are concerned with systematically placing references for basis of studies. Because of the utilization of technology, it is undeniable that the major sources on derived from psychological readings had primarily been improved. Both the ideas and the authors are carefully jotted down in researches with ample accuracy that the studies passed about psychology are then considered to be highly authoritative and validated in terms of sourced references. References: VICTOR HERRERO-SOLANA. (March 2006). Graphical Table of Contents for Library Collections: The Application of Universal Decimal Classification Codes to Subject Maps. Information Technology and Libraries. JOHN D. BYRUM JR. AND DAVID W. WILLIAMSON. (March 2006). Enriching Traditional Cataloging for Improved Access to Information: Library of Congress Tables of Contents Projects. Information Technology and Libraries. Library Information and Technology Association. (February 2007). Futurespeak: A Preface to Top Technology Trends in Libraries.

Qualities of a Successful leader

Qualities of a Successful leader Introduction Management is concerned with human beings whose behaviour is highly unpredictable. An individual or a group of people who accept responsibility to run an organisation and direct its activities are called management. The importance of management in business is universally accepted. It acts as a driving force in business. Modern business is highly competitive and needs efficient and capable management. According to Peter Drucker (2007), management is a multi-purpose organ that manages business and manages managers and manages workers and work. Manager A manager is a person tasked with overseeing employees to ensure that they carry out their assigned duties. (www.wisegeek.com) Qualities of a Successful leader Leadership Qualities Personal Traits Managerial Traits Self-confidence, initiative innovative, emotional maturity, intelligence, decisiveness, vision foresight, acceptance of responsibility. Knowledge of human skill, administrative ability, technical knowledge, ability to deal with people, ability to judge and decide quickly. (Appleby.R, 1969) Leadership Leadership is followership. Leadership is not a quality which is in born. Its a quality which can be developed from within. Leadership is a strategy used, by which a manager influences the employees to achieve the tasks and objectives and keep the organization together and focused to strive hard towards its goals. Leadership is often a dynamic activity concerned with changing attitude. They are more inspirational and involve more emotional input than management. (www.skagitwatershed.org). According to Koontz ODonnell, â€Å"leadership is the ability of a manager to induce subordinate to work with confidence and zeal. (Kale.N, 2006) Discussion: Styles of leadership and motivation, which can be used by a Manager. There are 4 basic styles of leadership. Autocratic Bureaucratic Laissez-faire Democratic But the styles which are mainly and widely used in most of the organisations are as follows: Autocratic style: This is a method which takes place in most of the organisations. In this style the manager keeps control over everything. They give orders and draw lines. There is a strong supervision on the employees. Employees do not get an opportunity to discuss or give their suggestions or inputs. They have to follow the instructions given. In this method the motivation is either encouraged by rewards or punishments. This style has been criticized from past many years. The most important drawback of this style is that it has always been a higher staff turnover and staff not turning up to work with an excuse of illness. (Gaynor. G, 2004). This leadership style falls under theory x by Douglas Mc gregor. For example: This is sometimes being observed in the hotel industry. Where the manager sets up the rules, orders and staff has to follow them without any discussions or opinions. Characteristics Managers mostly depend on threats and punishments to get the work done from their subordinates. Most important factor that there is no trust on the employees. Employees do not play any role in the management decision and discussions. Situation 1: The new staff has just joined the front office department in a 4 star hotel. She has worked before in many hotels with different types of systems. The systems used in this hotel are new for her. She is completely new and untrained so she needs to be trained on the systems. As she is new to the company, the service standards are purely different then what she has seen in the past, so she needs to be under detailed supervision, for that she needs to follow instructions orders. The hotel is really busy place and they are also understaffed. If she makes a mistake, there is no time to sort out the issue on the spot. The management has just changed before she joined the hotel so everything before was poorly managed. So she has to follow up the orders there is no time for discussions or suggestions. She has to deliver the best performance under the instructions of the manager. This clearly shows that in the situation mentioned above, the manager needs to use an Autocratic style of leaders hip. Democratic style: Democratic leadership is also called as participative leadership. This is a strategy where the subordinates or staffs can actually participate in the discussions and decisions. Everything is done systematically in this leadership style. The manager will meet the employees, inform them about the issues emerging that might affect their work or the organisation and then shares the information in order to make decisions and to decide who will sort out the problems and with what responsibilities. (Surridge.M 2004). This leadership style falls under theory y by Douglas Mc gregor. For example: Many giant corporate companies who are into retailing and car industry would follow this style. Where there is a trust between higher management and the subordinates in regards to suggestions and decision making and planning. Characteristics The manager will develop a strategy, a plan to support the employees to review and improve their performance. The manager will actually work hand-in-hand with employees to achieve the goals and objectives. Manager encourages the staffs to grow up in their work performance and inspire them towards the promotion. Situation 2: BMW is a giant car manufacturing company. It has a good reputation in building its luxury cars. They have strived hard to gain their customer satisfaction. Within one of their plant in UK, the business is going well. They are proper staffed. Also the production manager of that plant is keen on discussing/meeting every week with the employees of all the departments and would like to get suggestions and opinions from all the subordinates regarding any current issues, problems and solving them. The manager discusses the performance of each every employee to give them a review of their work to support them to bring themselves to success. He creates an environment of building a team and participation where everyone gets involved equally in every situation faced by the company. This shows that the manager does trust his employees do achieve their objectives. In this situation the manager would use a Democratic style of leadership. Motivation Motivation is an art of getting things done willingly from others. The term motivation is derived from Latin word ‘movere which means to move. Motivating means encouraging people to take more initiative and interest in the work assigned. Motivation is the inner psychological forces in an individual which induce him or her to act or not in a particular way. The creation of the desire and willingness to perform the job efficiently is what is generally known as motivation. (Ahmed. M, 2006) â€Å"Motivation means, a process of stimulating people to action to accomplish the desired goal†. (W.G.Scot) Who needs Motivation Individuals who are just performing their routine work without any new ideas or bringing initiatives in their work. Those people who just do their work and count minutes to end their shifts. These kind of people need motivation and inspiration. Types of Motivation Intrinsic motivation: People who are naturally motivated by having a desire to participate to participate and face new experiences. These people do not rely on rewards or benefits for their performance. They develop their motivation by self-developing their qualities for any kind of challenging work. (www.giftedkids.about.com) Extrinsic motivation: These people need motivation from outside, externally. This includes encouraging the employees artificially, like: offering bonus, compensations, benefits and pay rise. Instead of being eager to grasp the tough situations. These individuals get motivated by only manually assigning them the challenging projects. (www.giftedkids.about.com) MOTIVATION INTRENSIC EXTRINSIC Theories of Motivation The eminent psychologist Douglas McGregor has called the theory of motivation as Theory x and Theory y. the traditional approach to management is as explained as theory x and professional approach is explained as theory y. the theory is explained into two sets of employees based on the perception of human nature. (Kale. N, 2006) Theory x is static, rigid, conservative and pessimistic. Theory y is optimistic, dynamic, flexible and progressive. More importance is given to external control imposed by the superior on the subordinate in theory x. according to the theory y people are basically positive in their approach. As pointed by D. McGregor that managers need not follow only one theory for motivating subordinates. They can use both the theories depending on the situation. Theory y is more democratic and is also suitable to present trends in the business world. Whereas Abraham Maslows theory of motivation has identified five sets of human needs arranged in a hierarchy of their importance and priority. Security/ safety needs Social needs Esteem needs Self-actualization needs Hence both the theories are linked with each other and have limitations and as we see McGregors theory is somewhere based on the assumptions made by Maslows hierarchy of needs. The lower tier showed as theory x and the higher tier is showed as theory y. Maslows theory has certain criticisms like; Its based on human needs only It fails to refer the other motivating factors like expectations and experience. Peak experiences Self-actualization Psychological needs Safety needs Basic needs Maslows hierarchy theory of needs (Prabhu. V, 2005) Thus Maslows theory is an empirical theory. Its more philosophical then scientific. Whereas McGregor has discarded the assumptions of classical school of thought. He has rightly given his preference for theory y that facilitates building and development of an organization. References www.jstor.org/pss/254978 (scott motivation) (Edition 2 the essential drucker by Butterworth- Heinemann)

Why Scm Strategy Is Important For An Organization Business Essay

Why Scm Strategy Is Important For An Organization Business Essay Supply chain management plays a vital role in modern day business operations, as carefully planned supply chain process adds value to customers. CIC is a company involved in agricultural products and the only company in Sri Lanka that serve Seed to Shelf motive in local and foreign markets. This document discusses the effectiveness of supply chain and possible waste reduction strategies that can adopt by the CIC, also some measures they have to implement in terms of logistics when they are planning their products in the shelves of other counties. Finally this report discusses about the importance of integrating the supply chain using modern information technology and how it can results in the long run while generating a competitive advantage to the business. Introduction CIC Agro Businesses (Private) Limited is a subsidiary of CIC, which encompasses all the agriculture related businesses that are carried out within the CIC Group. CIC Agro Businesses (Private) Limited comprises of a number of companies. With its wider goal to enhance farmer income, improve the rural economy and contribute towards the development of Agriculture making Sri Lanka a nutritious healthy nation. Vision To be the leader in enriching Sri Lankas agriculture with the best quality produce from Seed to Shelf. Mission To provide innovative technologies and professional management to the agriculture sector contributing significantly to Sri Lankas GDP whilst ensuring trust from farmer to consumer. (Source: www. cic .com) 1.0 Supply Chain Management Supply chain management is the oversight of finances, information, and material as they move in a route from supplier to consumer, passing manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer, etc in between. Supply chain management is an efficient and accepted management philosophy focused at improving the business process of an organization. A supply chain is the network of different aspects. Knowledge, technology, resources, and people involved in the production or manufacturing, and transportation, distribution and marketing are involved delivering products to the final customer. In modern business supply chain activities are used to maximize customer value and achieve sustainable competitive advantage. There are four major elements in Supply chain management, they are Production Production is a major factor in SCM. This element aims on the products the market is demanding and particular products consumers want. At the production element, many features are considered such as what products are to manufactures and in what quantities. Supply and Inventory Inventory visibility and Inventory control are two very significant factors in any supply chain operations, for these elements are the cost factors and directly affect the bottom lines in the balance sheet of the business. Inventory is an asset for the organization. Every business has a standard inventory turnover which is optimum for the business, this means the number of times the inventory is sold and replaced in a given period of time. The health of the inventory turn relates to the health of business Location and Transportation The company decides the best locations to produce the indented goods and focuses on the best process for producing, storing and distributing the production. This decision is depends on the available resources and existing buyers. Other aspects considered in this decision are the location of suppliers. Then the company decides the modes of transportation that is most appropriate for delivering goods.. Information The final element of SCM is information and how it is used, which means the methods of record keeping and passing information that are accurate and effective. This may include using computerized software and integrating all systems together. 1.1 Why SCM strategy is important for an Organization Supply Chain Strategies are the vital backbone to modern business. Successful Market coverage and product availability at locations are the keys to revenue generation, and it depends on the effectiveness of Supply Chain Strategy implemented. In simply terms, when products are introduced to the market and promoted, the company must make sure the accessibility and availability of the products where the customers are able to purchase and take delivery. If the products are not being available at the right time and the right place, can cause a drop in customer interest and demand, which can eventually be disastrous to business. 1.2 Eliminating waste in Seed to Shelf program CIS has a wide product range in their Agriculture and Livestock industry, such as vegetables, fruits, seed paddy, yogurt, curd, rice, eggs, etc which are introduced to the market under the brand name CIC, the brand name is well known in both in the international and local market. The company is dedicated towards agriculture business, and help farmers to increase their incomes, improve rural economies while contributing to the development of the Agro industry in Sri Lanka. CIC Agri also provides with facilities and expertise in the purchasing, set up and maintenance of agricultural equipment and machinery. Furthermore the expertise are been provided in the use of fertilizers and irrigation equipment to increase the production. CIC is carefully managing the seed to shelf supply chain operation effectively and efficiently. But when studying this process, there can be possible areas which can cause waste or cost to the process. Below are the areas CIC must focus their attention in elimin ating waste in their of Seed to Shelf program. Over-production: producing more than or ahead of demand. The result of producing to speculative (forecast) demand or supposed economic batches, it is visible as excessive, time consuming and costly material stores. Employee waiting: this might occur at any stage of the supply chain process, the result is wasted worker time. The goal is to maximize the utilization and/or efficiency of operatives first and machines second. Transportation: this means unnecessary transportation cost in production process, CIC face this problem as the production locations are in rural areas. Work In Progress (WIP) and finished goods adds no value to the product. Therefore it is more cost efficient to minimizing or eliminate unnecessary transportation system, than thinking of improving them. Non-value added processing: doing more work than is necessary to complete a task, or in other words activities that do not contribute to the product or the process. According to Lean methods it is best to use simpler tools and processers in the production, where possible. Unnecessary motion: relating to people stretching, bending, or walking too far, this is a common waste factor can be seen in agricultural industry. This happens primarily due to the inappropriate location of tools, parts inventories and fixtures. Excess inventory: specifically referring to Work In Progress (WIP) between operations and purchased parts within the supply chain, often resulting from overproduction, usually due to excessively large batch manufacturing or processes with long cycle times leading in turn to cost and waste. This will result additional waste in the form of increased lead-times, extra handling, high interest charges, avoidable people movement, excessive floor space requirements and paperwork and, again, the associated costs. Defects: agricultural products are often exposed to pests and other deceases, which cause rotten or putrid crop. This decayed crop adds significant production waste and costs. The organization must focuses on preventing the occurrence of this pest and diseases, before focusing on improving the cultivation processes. 2.0 Logistics Management The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), the preeminent worldwide professional association of supply chain management professionals, defines logistics as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦that part of supply chain management that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers requirements.. This definition includes inbound, outbound, internal, and external movements, and return of materials for environmental purposes. Logistics plays an important role in business operation of an organization. Logistics involves from the very beginning of the business process, it starts with post procumbent stage, purchasing and delivering raw materials to production locations which is known as inbound logistics. After production process is completed, logistics again comes to the scene by delivering the final product to end users which is known as the outbound logistics. Therefore it is obvious that the effectiveness and efficiency of logistics process will directly impact the bottom line of the balance sheet. The strength and the productivity of Supply Change Management lies on the factors which are directly involved with logistics such as, Suppliers from various levels and territories, Distributors locally and internationally, Agents and freight forwarders such as cargo, railway, air cargo, sea cargo and so on. 2.1 Logistics Challenges for CIC CIC is focusing on seed to shelf concept on foreign countries as well, there are possible barriers CIC might face in agricultural logistics, some of the identifies barriers are, High supply uncertainty due to natural production: unpredictable variations in quality and quantity of supply, which demands for flexibility in logistic processes and planning and early warning and pro-active control mechanisms; High perishability of fresh food products, which demand for temperature conditioned transportation and storage (cold chains) and very short order-to delivery lead-times; Seasonable growing, which demands for global sourcing to ensure year-round availability; High demands on food safety, quality and (environmental) legislation, which demands for the ability to trace production information of products in transit; High flow complexities, due to a combination of continuous and discrete product flows, diverging and converging processes and by-products; this demands for advanced tracking and tracing and logistic planning capabilities; Important role of export, including additional phytosanitary inspections (Formal certificate issued by an exporting countrys agricultural authorities to ensure the shipment is inspected and is free from pests and plant diseases) 2.2 Measures to overcome logistics challenges CIC can overcome above identified barriers by implementing certain measures to their business processes. Supply uncertainty can manage to a certain extend by focusing at vertical and horizontal integration of value chains. At one end of the value chain the organization can align the support activities that reallocate to sustainable production and precision agriculture, and at the other end of the chain, the company can aim on developing agro logistics with distribution and consolidation centers  which are directly serving export and local markets. Therefore by integrating the value chain CIC is able to pre determine the supply planning and the logistic process. CIC must also focus on post harvest technology since agricultural products are highly perishable, CIC must take appropriate precautions to maintain the freshness of the agri products till it goes to the shelves of other countries, some possible precautions to overcome this are; Smart fresh technology Smart Fresh technology successfully controls fruit and vegetable ripening by controlling naturally occurring ethylene during storage and transport. Ethylene triggers ripening and spoilage in most fruits and vegetables; in some cases it is responsible for important storage disorders, which can cause the spoilage and waste of entire storage areas. Smart Fresh Quality System reduces fruit waste and maintains texture, firmness, taste and appearance of fruits by warding off negative ethylene effects http://www.agrofresh.com/smartfresh/smartfresh.html Cold Chain management Cold chain management means maintaining a constant temperature of a product to ensure the wholesomeness as it is processed, delivered, shipped and stored at the pre determine destination. The cold chain must never be interrupted or disturbed to ensure the long shelf life of the product. This involves relevant equipment, knowledge and people skills during the transportation and storage process from the time they are produced up until they are administered. Packaging of perishables For CIC packaging plays a major role in adding value to their products. CIC should pay a special attention to food safety, protection, tampering resistance and hygiene when packaging agro products. Additionally packaging act as the interface of a CIC product it also using as a medium of reflecting quality which promotes itself compared to other products. When it comes to packaging it is one of the mile stone standards that the company has to focus since they are perishable products. Proper quality measures must be implemented in order to add value to the products, on perspective of nationally as well as internationally adding another competitive advantage for the company and its products and continues improving process. Some quality measures are; Quality Control (QC) this means maintaining and evaluating the standard of manufactured product prior to its marketing. Quality Assurance (QA) set of activities implemented such as quality checks, processes, procedures, etc to identify and correct any mistake that would reduce the quality of the products at each production stage. Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) often the best practice prescribed for recurring use as a the standers operation, in reference to agreed upon specifications focused at obtaining a desired outcome Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) critical preventive guidelines for production operations. GMP addresses areas such as personal hygiene, food hygiene, pest control, waste disposal, water supply and so on Furthermore CIC can expand their logistics process by collaborating with logistics companies which have facilities, reputation, and experience like Maclerens and Logiventure cargo will be one of the way the company could expand and outsource the logistics process. 3.0 Role of information technology in supply chain management Supply chain has always been different companies and different departments within the company working together. Supply chain integration means integrating all activities in the supply chain in to a one key processes. Today, the internet has allowed companies to move these functions to web based networks where clusters of business that typically do business with each other come to gather via the connectivity of the internet. Companies can collaborate and communicate with each other through a single internet interface. When all the participants in the supply chain become connected electronically, allowing the unfettered flow of information, the supply becomes fully integrated. Utilizing web based technologies; companies are starting to integrate their supply chains in a system-to-system manner, minimizing the need for human contact, human data entry or any sort of human involvement. Moreover data can move in real time and disparities in size of companies are becoming less critical as software providers come up with solution that allows small companies to connect with large customers through the web. While the application to connect companies with their trading partners are far from free, the internet is relatively inexpensive medium, unlike a value added network (VAN) that charges a per transaction fee for data transmission. E-commerce is driving a revolution of the supply chain, as we have known it. With processes once took days or weeks now taking minutes to perform, the potential to cost saving through efficiency is greater than ever. E commerce solution providers have come forward with new tools that enable supply chain participants the opportunity to connect and collaborate via web based net works. While analysts, consultants, solution providers and enterprises continue to debate how companies ultimately will integrate those new tools into their operations and the shape of the supply chain of the future, there is a consensus forming around one vision for the next generation supply chain. The underlying theme is connectivity. As a result, we are moving from production base supply chain to a fulfillment base model. In industrial age, production was the primary business activity. In the technology age, fulfillment becomes the primary business activity. The trading networks that are set up turn the chain upside down and create a demand chain where customer order drives the business activity. Consequently fulfillment of customer demand is the key, it is no longer about tossing the customer a product; it is also about improving customer relationships through better customer service. 3.1 Enterprise Resource Planning System for CIC Each stage of the supply chain must be aimed on making the transition as productive and cost effective as possible. But, most of activities in the supply chain add little to the final outcome. This scenario is also same with CIC, therefore CIC can integrate their supply chain using modern E strategy, and most appropriate solution would be an ERP system. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems streamline business processes by allowing all departments and divisions within a company to access a common database which they upgrade via their own module. An ERP System will enable communication and information sharing between all business functions and helps to manage the connection with its internal and external stake holders. By implementing an ERP system it is easy for the organization to trace the companies upstream and downstream functions and other relevant business functions, facilitating Lean supply chain management. Effective ERP System can add value to CIC in improving many business functionalities. For an example it will improve and complement the Value chain, VMI (Vendor manger inventories), ECR (Efficient customer response), Global supply chain Seeds to shelves from global perspectives and Contribution to business objective that means aligning SCM and corporate objectives and strategies. 3.2 Benefits of Integrated supply chain An obvious benefit CIC can gain is reduction of inventories. CIC can change from Just in case inventory management to Just in time inventory management. Better inventory management allows increased turns in the inventory cycle, which reduces holding cost while increasing the cash flow. CIC supply chain runs from rural villages in Sri Lanka to market shelves of other countries. Therefore information sharing and information management is very vital to manage the business from seed to shelf. By having better information and better access to the information, customer service can be substantially improved by being able to make more timely and accurate sales and on time delivery, replenishment and shipping decisions. Emerging technologies allow trading partners to collaboratively plan, track orders through fulfillment process, maximize process efficiency based upon historical performance data and provide superior service to the point of delivery. Finally process automation across the extended enterprise reduces the amount of manual process and potential error. This removes the opportunities for incorrect data entry. Incorrect data or information cause reliance upon confusing and contradictory information, which often leads to customer dissatisfaction and disputes between trading partners. Not only does this reduce cycle time, if it occurs repeatedly over time it is likely to cripple the very relationship that is the heart of the business. The companies that adapt the collaborative tools and processes available today, and into the future, will find that the ultimate benefit of participating in a networked supply chain is a significant competitive advantage over their competitors that do not participate. In that case, supply chain integration does become the end game. Conclusion Supply chain plays a major role in CIC on achieving the seed to shelf vision. To achieve this vision effectively CIC must first focus and take necessary steps to eliminating waste in their supply chain process. Then the company should take needed precautions in terms of logistics in order to ensure the quality and the availability of the CIC products in the shelves of other countries. Finally CIC can use modern information technology to integrate the supply chain process and optimize their service.

The US Constitution Essays -- American History, Democracy, Equal Right

The US Constitution states â€Å"We The People of the United states in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for more common defense, promote the General Welfare, and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.† The main purpose of the U.S Constitution is to establish the basic rights of all American Citizens. This follows that every United States Citizens have equal rights. Belonging to a minority group because of culture, religion or race does not assert that one is unconstitutional. In times of war, evacuation of minority groups only in NOT constitutional; however, evacuation of ALL United States citizens for prescribes military areas is warranted. In the months immediately following the Pearl Harbor attack the minority group of Japanese Americans, who, held the same race as the enemy empire, were given an order to evacuate, â€Å"Civilian Exclusion Order No. 34†, their homes in the West Coast. In the case of â€Å"Korematsu V. United States† Korematsu fought for his constitutional right as a United Stated citizen; Korematsu was arrested under the Act of Congress exclusion order no. 34, he appealed his case all the way to the Supreme Court and lost. The Supreme Court held the decision of the Circuit Court of Appeals, justly highlighting key points with regard to war times which cannot be overlooked; however, the dissenting justices provides compelling support for Korematsu’s constitutional rights, the government’s disguised purpose to segregate and intern every-one of Japanese American descent, the political mishandling of the Japanese American’s and racial discrimination. The Supreme Co... ...d for health reasons. An American citizen regardless of race, culture, or religion falls under the same constitutional right as another American. Being of Japanese Ancestry during the war with Japan does not depict that that individual is an enemy. The facts are certain, on born to US soil is by birth a US citizen. Citizenship is not determined by race, culture, religion or even the origin of the individual’s birth parents. The disloyalty on an individual does not warrant disloyalty of the group. The government actions must have been well intentioned, being concerned about the nation’s safety; but, with their decision to exclude only Japanese Americans, the government portrayed impoverishment of constitutional right, political injustice, and racial discrimination to a minority group, none of which has any place in the US democracy, Constitution and way of life.

MBA Admissions Essays - An Entrepreneurial Passion :: MBA College Admissions Essays

MBA Admissions Essays - An Entrepreneurial Passion    My love for business is not something I was born with. It took over a decade of experience and exploration to discover my passion. This discovery began ten years ago when I accepted a position at The Pitney Bowes Corporation. My job was to make unsolicited phone calls to prospective businesses in order to sell our base model postage meter. All that was required was reading a script, word for word, to potential buyers. Yet, after a week of working at Pitney Bowes, I still didn't know important details about the meter, like what it looked like, and how it actually operated. My manager acted a bit surprised when I asked to see the meter, but she agreed, and I took a walk to an adjacent building where I saw first hand what I was selling. It looked completely different from what I had expected, but by viewing and touching it first hand, my ability to convey to people what I was offering improved dramatically. Once I viewed the device, I felt more confident to adlib on the sales pitch. In a couple of weeks reading my hybrid pitch led to a higher rate of sales. People were more apt to buy from someone who sounded like a person and less like a robot. My sales steadily improved and in my third month I was the number one sales person out of over 200 employees. Management implemented some of my changes in the selling process and as a result, overall sales of the entry model postage meter increased significantly.    After my days of selling postage meters were long over, and I was in my senior year of college, I decided to start my own company. I wrote two books on college admission and college life and marketed them through the internet. After three month of diligent work, I sold over 500 books and expanded the company to five employees. Since selling only two books was proving so successful, I decided to branch out and try my hands at an affiliate driven superstore. I partnered with web sites like Amazon.com and Reel.com and became officially licensed to sell their merchandise. My time and effort resulted in many visitors to my on-line superstore, but sales were few and far between. The business needed a change of direction.

The Benefits of Community Service Essay examples -- Service-Learning E

In 2010, â€Å"over 20 billion hours of volunteer service were reported† in the United States (Hoffman 418). For such an outstanding amount of time, only 26.7% of the population reported volunteer hours (Hoffman 418-9). Philanthropy, a desire to improve the material, social, and spiritual welfare of humanity, especially through charitable activities, is dependent on the altruistic values of the American society. Philanthropy is a general love for all of humanity that manifests itself in the form of community service. Altruism is the foundation of volunteering; volunteering is the foundation of community service, and community service is the foundation of charity. Altruism is the belief that acting for the benefit of others is right and good. Volunteering is the act of doing work out of choice, out of free will, and altruistic people feel joyous when serving the community. The importance of volunteering comes from giving up time to help a charity or the community. Community service can be vital to keeping connected to others that are in the same area. August John Hoffman, professor of psychology at California State University Northridge, believes â€Å"Community service work and civic engagement are described here as any voluntary activity performed by community members for the overall improvement of the community and society† (418). Charity can take many forms; it can be donations of money, goods, or time, and time is the most valuable asset a person has to offer. It is not easy to convinc e people to give up their precious time for community service; however, people should take part in community service because it elevates the community and has a positive impact it has on both the helped and the volunteer. It is no secret that community... ...ring Students in a Service-Learning Clinical Supervision Experience: An Educational Case Report.† Physical Therapy 91.10 (2011): 1513-1524. Academic rch Complete. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. Martin, Mary Beth. Personal interview. 20 Apr. 2012. Romano, Joyce C, Geraldine Gallagher, and Sanford C Shugart. â€Å"More than an Open Door: Deploying Philanthropy to Student Access and Success in American Community College.† New Directions for Student Services 130 (2010): 55-70. Academic rch Complete. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. Sukiennik, Diane, William Bendat, and Lisa Raufman. The Career Fitness Program: Exercising Your Options. 9th ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. Vogel, Amanda ] L, and Sarena D Seifer. â€Å"Impacts of Sustained Institutional Participation in Service-Learning.† Gateways: International Journal of Community Research & Engagement 4 (2011): 186-202. Academic rch Complete. Web. 9 Apr. 2012.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I read the book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling. It was a book filled with adventure, heartbreak and a few laughs. This is the fourth book in a series of seven books all telling the story of Harry Potter. It told an interesting story about a Wizarding world and the people inside of it. There was good and evil, happiness and sadness, and plenty of lessons to learn. Harry Potter is the main character of this novel.He has spiky black hair, round black-rimmed glasses, green eyes, a lightening shaped scar given to him on his forehead as a result of a curse from his foe Lord Voldemort. Out of all the many things that Harry Potter is, one of his main personality traits is that he is extremely brave. In this book his courage was shown during the Tri-Wizard tournament, a rare tournament where young wizards are chosen to compete for the Tri-Wizard Cup. During the second of three challenges he risks his life to not only save his best friend Ron, but also his opponent Fleurà ¢â‚¬â„¢s sister.The challenge was to save one person from the sea monsters but when Harry saw that Fleur could not complete the challenge and save her sister he saved her thus angering the sea monsters who tried to kill him for not following the rules of the challenge. Another example of Harry’s bravery was shown when he asked Cho Chang to the Yule Ball when he wasn’t sure she would say yes. This was risking rejection and humiliation from a girl Harry really liked if she said no but Harry was brave enough to face it. Another main character in this novel is Ronald Weasley. He has bright red hair, tons of freckles and is tall and gangly.He comes from a huge family and is one of seven children. In this book one of his main personality traits is jealousy. Ron is very jealous of Harry when Harry is chosen to participate in the Tri Wizard Tournament when he ineligible under the age rules of the tournament. After Harry is selected Ron shows his jealousy by ignoring his best f riend Harry. Also, Ron is jealous of Hermione Granger, another of his best friends, when she goes to the Yule Ball with Victor Krum when Ron wanted to go with her. He represents his jealousy of Hermione by trying to ruin Hermione’s night with snide comments.This novel is set in a wizarding school in Europe called Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a school that Harry, Ron and Hermione attend. This story is set in the 1990’s. This setting is important to the story because the Tri-Wizard tournament is at Hogwarts for the first time in 100 years and the whole story takes place in and around Hogwarts. The main conflict of this story is the clash between good and evil represented by Lord Voldemort’s effort to destroy Harry. Throughout the whole book Voldemort schemes to trap Harry in order to murder him. He uses his followers to get close to Harry.This is an external conflict as it is a conflict between Harry and Voldemort. In order to trap Harry Voldemort sent one of his followe rs to impersonate a Hogwarts teacher. This teacher, Dark Arts Professor Mad Eye Moody, arranges for Harry to be selected for the Tri-Wizard tournament in order to bring Harry to Voldemort. The climax of the novel occurs when at the end of the third and final challenge of the Tri Wizard Tournament. Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory both touch the Tri-Wizard Cup at the same time and, instead of being transported back to the stadium they are transported to a graveyard where Lord Voldemort is waiting for them.When Harry and Cedric arrive at the graveyard they are confused but Cedric wants to take a look around. When they see Voldemort he is not in a human form and his assistant Wormtail murders Cedric. Harry narrowly escapes death but, with the help of a potion and blood from Harry, Voldemort regains his humanity. This resolves the main conflict because Harry escapes Voldemort but Voldemort is still undefeated. One of the main themes that J. K. Rowling wanted to communicate in this book i s that no matter how rough things get always believe in yourself.For example, when Harry is selected for the Tri Wizard Tournament, the whole school shuns him but he still does well and makes it to the end of the Tournament. Also, Harry believes that he could defeat Voldemort, even though it was nearly impossible to survive, and because he believed in himself he escaped Voldemort’s deathtrap. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a truly incredible story. It shows to you that anything is possible if you believe in yourself. It opens your eyes to adventure and sadness, but also new hope. The book was entertaining and I really enjoyed reading it.

Leisure and Recreation in Action Essay

Unit 6: Leisure and Recreation in action is a mandatory part of my AVCE Leisure and Recreation Course. This unit includes planning, organising and hosting a leisure and recreation event. We found out at the end of July 2005 that we were going to have to hold an event for a certain customer group. We would have to decide on this customer group and then brainstorm some ideas for events that we could organise for them. Once we have done this we will have to make a business plan and present it to school officials. Then we would also have to think of advertising the event. Our first meeting included brainstorming different ideas for the event that we could organise. Below is a copy of this brainstorm. Once we had brainstormed the event we wrote down our ideas and put them into a tally table. Once we had done this we went round different classes around the school and asked which event they would prefer to go on. It turned out that the preferred event would be to go to an England football match. We thought that this event would be quite easy to organise, as there were 2 England World Cup qualifier matches coming up. We tried to order the tickets for both of the upcoming matches but found out that our request would be put into a ballot as there were many different groups of people who wanted to go to these matches. We wouldn’t find out if we had succeeded in getting the tickets until 6 weeks before each match. This was a problem, as we would have had to rush organising the rest of the event. E.g. Transport, Customers. We were unsuccessful in getting tickets to either of the matches. This was a blow to us because we had designed posters and already done some organising. We had to decide on another event that would be quite easy and quick to organise. Read more:  When Leisure is Defined as Recreational Activity We decided to organise and host a Senior Citizen Christmas Lunch, as it was near to Christmas. We decided on our customers because we decided that the senior citizens of Darlaston had done a lot for our community, and we wanted to give them something back for their help and support. Our customers would also be ex-employees of our school. This wasn’t even in our list of brainstormed ideas, but with a little help we thought of it. First we had to come up with aims and objectives for our event, and also all other details. We decided on the aims and objectives by thinking about the customers’ wants and needs and also our own. This included finding a venue for the event, finding out if the Senior Citizens would want to come to our event and other aspects such as our budget. We had to consider our budget as we would have to provide the Senior Citizens with a high standard of cuisine, and also provide them with entertainment and make their time with us enjoyable. We found out that the school wouldn’t be able to provide all of our funds for the event, so we had to find a way of making enough money to pay for it. We came up with a number of ideas such as bag packing at ASDA, Football Cards; Guess the number of sweets in a jar and to hold a football tournament. We decided to do the football card because the other ideas would take a while to conduct and also host. The football card was really successful. We had 48 teams and people paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1 for a team name, a team name was then picked out of a hat by an unbiased volunteer, and the person who had the name of the team picked out won à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10. From this fund raiser we made à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½38. This was enough to pay for some of the shopping for the event. On our second meeting we had to decide on committee roles for each member of our group. We decided on these roles by looking at everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. These roles are listed below: * Chairperson – Mathew Bayley. As the chairperson Mathew would have to make sure that everyone was doing their jobs right, and if they weren’t then they would have to tell them to try harder. We selected Mathew for this role as he is a strong minded person who everyone listens to * Secretary – Krystle Larkin. As the secretary Krystle takes down notes from each of our meetings and turns them into minutes, then she gives them to us as soon as possible so we know what our weekly jobs are. We selected Krystle for this role as she is the most organised person of the group * Treasurer – Ben Hall. As the treasurer Ben looks after all of our funds and receipts. We selected Ben for this job as he is good with money and knows how to budget money * Marketing Person – Donna Hawkins. As the marketing person it is my job to market the event through invitations and/or posters. I was selected for this job as I have done marketing for 1 year in business and am also quite creative * Staffing/Human Resources – Leigh Griffiths. As the person in charge of staffing it is Leigh’s job to recruit more staff members if we need them. Leigh was selected for this job as he is quite persuasive and also good at deciding on good workers with good character * Health and Safety – Matthew Bray. As the health and Safety person it is Matthew’s job to do a risk assessment of the event. Matthew was selected for this job as he is good at finding out what problems could occur during events We had a good marketing structure which meant we were all on the same level as each other and we were all given fair shares of the jobs. Our management structure is below. I think that the group worked really well together, although there were a few problems along the way. We worked well throughout communication, although because of the stress of organising our event we did argue quite a lot. Mathew Bayley coped really well being our leader. He managed to keep us on track with all of our work and also our set tasks. We interacted well with each other, keeping each other informed on how well we were getting on with our jobs and tasks. There was some tension between myself and Krystle, because we kept getting in each others way and taking over each others jobs. But overall, we worked really well together. As a team we really enjoyed planning and organising the event. Until the day of the event we helped each other with our tasks and also with any problems that occurred with the tasks that we were set. We managed to keep out of each others way most of the time, although there were a few problems and hiccups during the planning and organising of the event. However, apart from the few problems that occurred we all worked well together. Moxhull Hall Hotel I think that our visit to Moxhull Hall Hotel went really well. We had to dress smart to make a good impression on Andreas, the manager, and the rest of his staff at the hotel. We learnt a lot off the chefs at the Hotel, than if we had of prepared meals ourselves. On 7th December 2005 at 11.30am we travelled to Moxhull Hall Hotel. This visit was to help us learn to set up covers and serve our guests properly and also how to prepare food properly. Our group was split up into two teams. These were the front of house team and the catering team. My team (the catering team) were taken into the kitchens and the front of house team was taken into one of the restaurants. First we had to get acquainted with the members of staff who would be helping us. There was John and Neil, the two chefs. They then split us up into two teams of four. One of the teams went with John, whilst my team stayed with Neil. We were allocated different jobs. I had to mix up the flour, butter and sugar to make the dough for the mince pies that we were going to cook. My group also had to make a salad, potato salad and also coleslaw. We had to chop up the vegetables from fresh and then mix them up with mayonnaise to make the coleslaw and potato salad. We had cooked this meal for our and the rest of the group’s lunch. Once we had finished cooking for the group we then had to clean the side units and table tops that we had gotten dirty whilst preparing the food. The day of the event We started the day of the event by meeting up at our school at 8.15 and collected all of the equipment and accessories that we needed. We then walked up to the venue of our event and started to set up our equipment. The front of house staff set up the main hall and the kitchen staff, which consisted of me, Matthew Bray, Leigh Griffiths and 2 other helpers from a year 11 leisure and tourism class, went into the kitchen to set up. We took all of the food into the kitchen and started to prepare the food. We all washed our hands first and also washed up the saucepans and cooking utensils that we would need. I had to prepare the parsnips, while Matthew and Leigh prepared the carrots. Reagan and Emily prepared the sprouts whilst Mrs Lavender prepared the potatoes. Below is a photograph of me peeling the parsnips After we had prepared the food and put it on the stoves to cook we had to tidy up and clean the sides. We also had to set out the small plates for the starter. We decided to do a prawn cocktail for the started and while the main course was cooking I prepared the prawns whilst the others tidied up and washed up any bowls and cutlery we had used. Below is a photograph of me preparing the prawns After preparing the prawns and setting them out on the plates the front of house staff came through to collect the starters and serve them to our guests. When our guests had finished eating the plates were brought back in and the main meal was served. It was my job to serve the sprouts, as the picture at the side shows. Once the plates had been taken out then we had to wash up the starter plates and prepare the desert. Because 2 of our guests were diabetic we couldn’t serve them the traditional dessert of Christmas pudding and custard, so we served them a variety of cheese and biscuits instead. Once all of the food had been served the washing up and clearing away had to be done. This was done whilst the front of house staff were setting up the entertainment equipment. The washing up and cleaning away was done by all of us in turn. Below is a photo of me cleaning the sides of the kitchen Once all of the cleaning and washing up had been completed we had to go and get changed into our front of house uniforms. We did this because we were going out the front to the guests to help with the entertainment. Below is a picture of me in my front of house uniform Our first lot of entertainment was a few games of bingo. Ben was the caller for the bingo, and the rest of us helped our guests with the games. After the games of bingo we had a few different quizzes that some of the group had composed. These were played in teams of two. After the quizzes had been completed we then played a game of catchphrase, which was performed by Leigh and Ben. The quizzes and the bingo went down really well with the senior citizens, as did the game of catchphrase. After the entertainment was finished it was time for the guests to go home. While Mathew Bayley and Leigh were seeing the guests out the rest of us started tidying away the tables and chairs and all of the equipment that we had used. This took about 20 minutes to do. Afterwards we had to take all of the equipment back to the school and pack it all away. Overall the day went extremely well. There were a few problems, such as 2 people turning up early and uninvited. Also the cooking utensils from the venue went missing, so I had to go home to get some from my house that we could use. All of the entertainment went down well and the meal was enjoyed by all of the senior citizens. The atmosphere of the venue was really good and Christmassy too, which made us and the guests feel good about ourselves, and also really happy with each other. This made us better people to be around and we worked better together because of this. Improvements If we were to do this event again then I would recommend making some improvements. We would have to make sure that people didn’t turn up uninvited. Because of this we had to make room for extra people and also share the food out more than we thought we would have to. I also think that we could have made more money from the fund raising. We could do two fund raising events to make double the amount of money so we don’t have to struggle so much keeping within our budget. I also think that we could improve the attitudes of the extra staff that we recruited. The year 11’s that worked in the kitchen didn’t pull their weight and they stopped working for a chat at anytime they could. We had to keep telling them to get back to work. I think that we could split them up and make them work with one of our group to keep them in check and stop them from slacking off. I also think that we could improve the running smoothness of the quizzes. We did have 4 quizzes, so we had to do them quickly. However, some of the guests thought that the quizzes were read out too slow and the others thought that the quizzes were read out too fast. We could improve this by practising how to read out loud to guests properly. I think that we could also use a bigger venue. Everyone did seem quite cramped up and there was not much room to move about in the kitchen area either. The kitchen was small and there were 6 people in there all together. This made it very cramped and quite uncomfortable for us to work in. I think that we should also only have 2 courses instead of 3 if we do the event again. Originally we had only planned to do two courses, but the manager of Moxhull Hall Hotel gave us some prawns to make a starter as he knew our budget was limited. We thought that this was a nice gesture, but we should have checked if any of our guests were allergic to seafood. It turned out that one of our guests was allergic to seafood, so she didn’t get to have starter. She did state on her invitation reply that she was allergic to seafood but they weren’t checked properly, so in future we would have to make sure that we checked the invitations more than once. I think that the project was successful. We kept to our objectives throughout the planning the event and also conducting it. We worked well as a team throughout the event, with only a few arguments occurring. We found solutions to possible problems, such as the arguments and also problems with decorating the venue. We provided our guests with a high standard of cuisine and entertainment. We know this from the witness statements that they produced for us. We all enjoyed the experience and we provided the elderly with a memorable event. We know that we enjoyed it from talking to each other and finding out what we thought went good and bad on the day. We know that our extra staff enjoyed themselves too, as we found out when we questioned them about it. We know that our guests enjoyed the experience from the positive comments we had, witness statements, our guests facial expressions on the video and also one of the guests took the time to write in to the local newspaper about how much she enjoyed the event. This statement was sent into the newspaper by Mrs Doris Robertson. These are all included in my work. We came in on budget, but we had to keep things to a minimum and also add a few extra pounds ourselves to buy the prizes for the quizzes. I think that if this event is done again then more fund raising could be done. This way products will be brought comfortably without any worry of not having enough money to buy the necessities for the meal. Customers were satisfied with the event and we have the proof of this from witness statements. Such quotes include ‘ very polite, willing and helpful. All cheerful and pleasant’ and also ‘ very good meal†¦ efficient service all round’. The ambience of the venue worked really well with event. We made the venue look Christmassy by putting up decorations and we also played Christmas music into the hall where the meal was to be served. All of the front of house staff were dressed professionally in black trousers, white blouse/shirt and a black bow tie. Once the kitchen staff came out, we also changed into smart, professional clothing. Good things of the event included: * Making the senior citizens happy and cheerful * Giving ourselves the satisfaction of making other people happy * Everything running quite smooth * Positive feedback from the guests and members of staff Bad things of the event included: * Venue being too small * Extra people turning up * One member of the kitchen team turned up late * I had to go home to get some cooking utensils as the ones from the venue were missing