Does Afin Que Need the Subjunctive

The French term  afin que  means that, so that or in order that. It is used as a conjunction, and afin que requires the French subjunctive. Example Je le ferai afin que nous puissions partir.Ill do it so that we can leave. Remember, the subjunctive (le  subjonctif) in the French language is not a tense — its a mood. It is used with dependent clauses to depict a speakers subjective perspective, like an opinion, feeling, or desire. You need to use the subjunctive when the subject of the main clause is different from the subject of the dependent clause and a relative pronoun is used to connect the two. The French subjunctive is a tricky concept and generally requires a lot of practice and memorization to get right.

An Analysis of Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken Robert Frost Introduction Robert Frost is one of the best known poets in American history, and his poem, The Road Not Taken is among the most well-known of all his poems. Frost places a great deal of emphasis on nature in his writing, as he was a lover of the countryside. He based many of his poems on the New England scenery, which was his home for most of his life. I chose this particular poem because I have enjoyed the readings we have done so far of his work and The Road Not Taken was one of my favorite works by Frost. Many people have analyzed the poem; in fact it has been said that its been the most analyzed poem ever and often misunderstood. However, no one person has the same interpretation of a poem. Even Frost himself said of his poem that you have to be careful of that one; its a very tricky poem-very tricky (Poetry.about.com). Thesis: The Road Not Taken relates to choices that people make in life and it is about the value of making good decisions along the way and it is about looking back to evaluate which road indeed was the better of the two. Analysis of the Poem As The Road Not Taken begins there is regret expressed by the narrator that he cant travel on both of the two roads. He also describes one of the two roads as far as he could see down that road and in the second stanza it turns out the other road was just as fair and in fact may have been the better claim because clearly not many people had been down that otherShow MoreRelatedA Literary Analysis Of Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken889 Words   |  4 PagesRobert Frost’s The Road Not Taken: A Literary Analysis The works of Robert Frost have many identifiable primary ideas that have been studied for generations. Some of these are the New England dialect, a firm grasp on the use of nature and most important in this analysis, decision making and self reliance. Frost has a knack and does a masterful job at aligning his poetry with his 19th century predecessors and being straightforward with his love for nature and his ability to focus on the human conditionRead MoreLiterary Analysis of Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken563 Words   |  2 Pages Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken Analysis The poem seems to make a reader think about the decisions they make in life and the cause-n-effect behind their decisions. Initially the poem seems to have a motivational tone to it, but after reading and thinking on it, it magnifies the fear most people have when it is time to make a decision; afraid of making the wrong decision and having to live with that decision. In the first stanza, Mr. Robert Frost’s poem, â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, tells the storyRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken1257 Words   |  6 Pages Critical Analysis on â€Å"The Road Not Taken† Why is it so common for people to regret the path they have chosen in life? Robert Frost attempts to answer this question throughout the poem by using many literary devices. In other terms, the poet is alluding to a lesson in everyones life; Once a path is being determined, it is inevitable to change the choices because they are in the past. The poet uses imagery to create a visual picture in the readers head of two paths in the woods with the freedomRead More An Analysis of Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken Essay921 Words   |  4 PagesAn Analysis of Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken In The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost, many questions arose about the meaning of the poem. One common interpretation of the poem about assertion of individualism, where the speaker is taking the road not traveled so that he can assert his individualism, is a nice interpretation. However, I believe that the speaker is really having a hard time making up his mind, and the poem is a conversation with himself trying to rationalize his decisionRead MoreAnalysis Of Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken973 Words   |  4 PagesRobert Frost’s poem, â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, can be easily misunderstood, and perhaps for decades it was. Scholar Frank Lentricchia believed that in this poem, the message is that people don’t get a choice in life to pick one path rather than the other, because their lives are already mapped out for us. However, Mark Richardson had a different idea. He thought that it’s not that we don’t get a choice in life, it is that we don†™t realize how the choice affects us until later in life. Although theseRead MoreLine by Line Analysis of Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken635 Words   |  3 PagesLine by Line Analysis of Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,   Ã‚  Ã‚   The key word here is two. Throughout our lives we constantly face decisions where we have two choices. Even when it seems there is only one choice, we can decide either to DO it, or NOT do it; so there are STILL two alternatives. And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood   Ã‚  Ã‚   Then there are times we wish we could do BOTH; HAVE our cake and eat it tooRead MoreEssay about Critical Analysis of Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken1228 Words   |  5 PagesCritical Analysis of Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken The speaker in Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken gives the reader insight into human nature with each line of poetry. While, Frost had not originally intended for this to be an inspirational poem, line by line, the speaker is encouraging each reader to seek out his or her own personal path in the journey of life. Romanticizing the rural woods of New England creates the perfect setting for the theme of self-discovery laid out and describedRead MoreRobert Frost s Writing Style1589 Words   |  7 Pages Robert Frost once said, â€Å"The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom... in a clarification of life - not necessarily a great clarification, such as sects and cults are founded on, but in a momentary stay against confusion† (Robert Frost Quotes). This same kind of thinking opened the door for metaphorical poetry that helped to show the poets transparency. His love for the social outcast and the struggles of his life are exhibited greatly in his poems. Robert Frost helpedRead MoreEssay about The Life of Robert Frost1404 Words   |  6 PagesROBERT FROST â€Å"Two roads diverged in a wood and I- I took the road less traveled† How did Robert Frost take the road less traveled in his life? Frost was a poet who lived a hard life. With 6 kids and a wife, he had a lot of people to provide for. He was a man who wore many hats, being a dad, husband, poet, and farmer. Robert was an incredibly gifted man who wrote many famous poems. Robert Frost, a great American poet lived a humble life and changed the world with his profound writing abilityRead MoreEssay about An Analysis Of Nature In The W606 Words   |  3 Pages An Analysis of Nature in the works of Robert Frost When reading poetry by Robert Frost the theme of nature is strongly present and persistent. Robert Frost uses the world around him to create a mystic feeling to his writings, almost giving the reader a sense of nostalgia. The influence of nature in Frost’s works creates a palette to paint a picture filled with symbolism for the reader to interpret. The nature in the poems makes the poem an intimate piece in which most readers can identify with

Digital Innovation Blog Post Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Digital Innovation Blog Post. Answer: Blog Post outlining the innovation Hong Kong based organisation Kingsoft is going to launch a mobile app named KeepFit. This app will help the users to have solutions of their illness and health related queries. Moreover, KeepFit app will be a classic mixture of expertise in software innovation and artificial intelligence, keeping the tagline as It is Personal. One user can have their solutions through texts or one can simply have the answers with an artificial voice. The app will help users to track their workouts and diet plans. The app also can be used as a health coach who can give solution through communicating and it will be one-to-one. The main idea behind the app is to provide users to keep healthy and fit in their own home in all seasons and all atmospheres. Moreover, this app will be launched globally in the next month. One can use this app in android Smartphone and iOS platform. It will be free for the users. If one is to choose the premium membership, then it will charge money from the users. In recent time, common people are getting more health-conscious in day-to-day life. Their lifestyle induces diseases in their body. In result of this, people are trying to keep themselves fit and healthy and have nutrition in their daily meal. Keeping half an hour for exercise and gym keep the people healthy physically and mentally. Moreover, global trend sees the wellness economy is flourishing with estimating of $4 trillion in the year 2016 (Lister et al. 2014). This figure encompassed healthy eating, fitness, wellness tourism, gym and beauty salon. This figure lures most of the investors to invest more in the health sector. Kingsoft takes the recent app KeepFit as a giant leap for the artificial intelligence and software development as one can use the app in daily basis setting the alarm and daily meal chart. One can test their calories in daily intake; calculate their blood pressure, heartbeat and walking distance. Kingsoft wants to take the opportunity of digital innovation thro ugh app development. KeepFit is keeping their eyes on main youngsters and the upper aged people. The target customers will be the niche people with higher income group. Youngsters are living an extreme life with no such diet plan and exercise routine (Burton and Felker 2015). This app will help the users to have a daily planning of exercise and diet requirements. In global basis, 32% Smartphone users have the private sector membership in fitness clubs (Sharkey and Gaskil 2013). KeepFit wants to grab that target consumers, moreover, upper aged people face health-related issues on the regular basis and they have queries regarding health check up. This KeepFit app can give them solutions with artificial voices. Kingsoft organisation has already made a fan page on Facebook and Twitter on behalf of the new app KeepFit. The people need to like this and IT team from the organisation is providing people with the details and benefits of the app. People are noticing the name of the app and get to know about the benefits, these will increase interest among the consumers. However, interest may lead to a desire among the youngsters and upper aged people to try the free version of the app. The organisation is hoping that this social media strategy may lead to having the app in consumers' mobile. Most importantly, Kingsoft is keeping the size of the app is less, just 5.5MB. First 1 million users may get a chance to have a free membership of the Elite club to have the one-year free subscription of the app with various benefits like, doctors on call, free health solution, nutrition tracker and tracking through smartwatches. Kingsoft has signed a contract with famous athlete Usain Bolt to promote the app and that will help the app to reach maximum numbers of users. Kingsoft is planning to provide this app free of cost to the healthcare professionals and behaviour change experts. Blog post embedded digital marketing content Figure 1: Digital Marketing Content (Source: Kingsoftstore.com, 2017) Rationale containing a link to blog Maintaining a healthy and fit lifestyle is an obvious choice for nowadays because of the peoples changing lifestyle and urge to stay healthy. Now, 83% people aged above 50 do jobs and youngsters believe about healthy living (Thompson 2014). This approach leads to downloading the fitness app on Smartphone. Moreover, wellness and health market are developing every day and software makers are trying to enter the market with innovative products. Software makers are trying to develop new technologies that will attract the users to have and this leads to almost 3 billion Smartphone users are using the fitness app on their mobile. Moreover, KeepFit app is a blend of software innovation and artificial intelligence. Most importantly, the app will provide instant response to any query asked or posted'. Softking will update the app in time-to-time to keep it updated with newest technologies with making partnerships with healthcare centres. This app has in build artificial intelligence and femal e voices will deliver the answer. Unlike other apps, this KeepFit app can run without the internet. The new technology of assigning this app with smart-watches and one can use this as their personal coach. The users can set diet chart according to weight and age. One can calculate BMR rate and pulse rate through the sensor. In addition, this app may help in behavioural changes, track in gyms, trainers and spending on food and commitment on time schedule. Kingsoft estimates the market segmentation and they have segmented the market with demographic segmentation. The KeepFit will target mainly upper aged people and youngsters who have higher income rate and high qualification. This will ensure that users are aware of the fact of keeping themselves healthy and fit and they are capable of having Smartphone. Kingsoft is expecting to see in next five years the number of users in health and fitness apps will be doubled with novice and experts. All the users may not be able to keep a personal trainer, this KeepFit app will fulfil this place and the concept of a healthy living will be redefined, keeping the eye on budget, location and expertise. References Burton, M. and Felker, D., 2015.Android App Development For Dummies. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons. Chenette, E., LeBlanc, J., Martin, A., McLaughlin, K., Sinclair, A., Vraibel, J., Bennett, L., Muise, K. and Ferrara, C.M., 2015. Self-selected Exercise Intensity Using Two Fitness Apps.Medicine Science in Sports Exercise,47(5), p.675. Joorabchi, M.E., Mesbah, A. and Kruchten, P., 2013, October. Real challenges in mobile app development. InEmpirical Software Engineering and Measurement, 2013 ACM/IEEE International Symposium on(pp. 15-24). IEEE. Kingsoftstore.com. (2017). Software and App Development. Available at: https://www.kingsoftstore.com/ Kingsoft Office software includes [Accessed on: 22 Aug. 2017]. Lister, C., West, J.H., Cannon, B., Sax, T. and Brodegard, D., 2014. Just a fad? Gamification in health and fitness apps.JMIR serious games,2(2), pp.76-79 Sharkey, B.J. and Gaskill, S., 2013.Fitness Health 7th Edition. London: Human Kinetics. Stoyanov, S.R., Hides, L., Kavanagh, D.J., Zelenko, O., Tjondronegoro, D. and Mani, M., 2015. Mobile app rating scale: a new tool for assessing the quality of health mobile apps.JMIR mHealth and uHealth,3(1), pp.43-45 Thompson, W.R., 2014. A worldwide survey of fitness trends for 2015: what's driving the market. ACSM's Health Fitness Journal,18(6), pp.8-17.

Metaphors By Sylvia Plath Essay Example For Students

Metaphors By Sylvia Plath Essay In Sylvia Plaths poem, Metaphors, the speaker describes a negativeevent in which she is experiencing pregnancy. Her choice of words and phrasesexpress her feelings about the pregnancy as well as the structure of the poem. In her poem, Plath chooses many metaphors to describe her pregnancy. I felt thatthese metaphors were describing something that she was not enjoying or lookingforward to. The objects she chose to use to express her feelings gave me anuncomfortable feeling of the pregnancy. The line in which she refers to aponderous house brings me to a vision of shelter. I feel that she issheltering something, but has to think deeply about sheltering this object. Thespeaker doesnt sound sure of what she is sheltering, and feels confused. Italmost seems like a feeling of regret. The line, Boarded the train theresno getting off, supports her feelings of regret. She sounds as if she has noother choice or option other than to be or remain pregnant. The line almosthints that she is stuck, so she has to continue with the decision. Thesefeelings of regret seem to be alongside her mixed feelings. The line in whichshe refers to eating a bag of green apples gives me the impression thatshe feels sick. The color green, to me, represents sickness or ill feelings. Green apples also could refer to their ripeness. The unripe green applescould be describing her feelings of not being ready for the pregnancy. Hermetaphor of a cow in a calf could mean two things. The speaker is havingher first child and doesnt feel sure of this decision, or that she, herself,is a child trying to bring another child into this world. They both convey herfeelings of not being ready to handle the situation. One line that supports hernot experiencing pregnancy is where she writes, Moneys new minted in thisfat purse. Along with referring to herself as fat, she is saying thatthis is all new to her. The pregnancy is newly minted and that shedoesnt know what to expect. Another feeling that I received from reading thispoem was that the speaker did not like the pregnancy because she was becominglarger. In the second line, she refers to an elephant. Being pregnant, a persongains a large amount of weight, and I can see her feeling as an elephant.This loafs big with its yeasty rising, refers to her getting larger asher pregnancy progresses. These metaphors all are in reference to her size. Herreference to these objects gave me the impression that along with her unsurefeeling, she resents getting larger. The way that Plath chose to form her poemis also relevant to why the speaker is not enjoying the pregnancy. The beginningline, Im a riddle in nine syllables, begins the pattern of ninesyllable lines. Each line having exactly nine syllables and containing ninelines is in reference to her length of being pregnant. This reference to thelength gives me the impression that the time she has to be pregnant is an issue. Instead of cherishing this miracle time, she seems to be bickering aboutthe time she is pregnant and is excited until nine months is over. Sylvia Plathand the elements she chose to describe a pregnancy gave me the feel ofdiscomfort. Most of the metaphors she used conveyed mixed feelings, issues ofweight gain, and impatience with the pregnancy. The speaker seemed toconcentrate on the symptoms and things that happened to her during thepregnancy, rather than on the fact that she was bringing another life into theworld. She didnt convey that she was fortunate to be involved in a miracle. .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854 , .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854 .postImageUrl , .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854 , .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854:hover , .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854:visited , .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854:active { border:0!important; } .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854:active , .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854 .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9827c64148338dfb2b58b627b5160854:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Banking crisis: Northern Rock BankInstead she focused on her misfortunes and afflictions due to the pregnancy.

WILLIAM EDWARD BURGHARDT DU BOIS Essays - , Term Papers

WILLIAM EDWARD BURGHARDT DU BOIS (1868-1963) Author, journalist, social reformer, activist, poet, philosopher, and educator W.E.B. Du Bois wielded one of the most influential pens in African-American history. For sixty-six years he functioned not only as a mentor, model, and spokesman for generations of black Americans but also as the conscience of black and white Americans alike who yearned for racial equality and social justice. Born in 1868 during the painful period of Reconstruction, Du Bois was graduated from Fisk University in 1888 and went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1895 before entering the worlds of academe and activism. Using Atlanta University as his base from 1897-1910, he opposed Booker T. Washington's educational views as too limiting, preferring to organize young black intellectuals in the Niagara Movement. In 1909 he founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and in 1910 launched its historic magazine, THE CRISIS. During this period he also published his classic tre atise, THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK (1903), the best known of many passionate and well-argued philosophical and sociological studies of his race, which also included THE PHILADELPHIA NEGRO, JOHN BROWN, THE GIFT OF BLACK FOLK, BLACK RECONSTRUCTION, COLOR AND DEMOCRACY: COLONIES AND PEACE. Harlem Renaissance & THE CRISIS At the height of the Harlem Renaissance Du Bois was a familiar presence in New York. A prime mover in that fast-paced, exciting cultural explosion, Du Bois extended a helping hand to many of his younger colleagues, publishing in the pages of THE CRISIS the best poetry and prose of African-American writers, among them Langston Hughes, who dedicated THE NEGRO SPEAKS RIVERS to Du Bois. Through the N.A.A.C.P. Du Bois was also instrumental in creating opportunities for intellectual and artistic advancement for blacks and ways of rewarding and encouraging excellence, notably his collaboration with the Spingarns in creating the prestigious nedals which bear that family's name til l today. He published a novel, DARK PRINCESS, in 1928, and he continued to edit THE CRISIS from 1910-1934 until he began to reject the conservatism of the N.A.A.C.P.'s political views. Du Bois' gradual radicalization paralleled that of a number of other black intellectuals and artists, Langston Hughes and Paul Robeson prominently among them. He embraced leftist ideology, was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1958 and formally joined the Communist Party in 1961. In the last year of his life he moved to Ghana and took citizenship in that nation. His memoirs, DUSK OF DAWN, written in 1940, and his posthumously published three volumes of CORRESPONDENCE constitute not only a personal history but also the autobiography of a race in their proud ascent from slavery to freedom and in their courageous quest for equality--a struggle which Du Bois had once described as an unending battle against the forces of hell. From W.E.B. Du Bois' THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK, (Chapter IV: THE SORROW SONGS) "They that walked in darkness sang songs in the olden days--Sorrow Songs--for they were weary at heart. And so before each thought that I have written in this book I have set a phrase, a haunting echo of these weird old songs in which the soul of the black man spoke to men. Ever since I was a child these songs have stirred me strangely. They came out of the South unknown to me, one by one, and yet at once I knew them as of me and mine. Then in the years when I came to Nashville I saw the great temple builded of these songs towering over the pale city. To me Jubilee Hall seemed ever made of the songs themselves, and its bricks were red with the blood and dust of toil. Out of them rose for morning, noon, and night, bursts of wonderful melody, full of the voices of my brothers and sisters, full of the voices of the past...... The songs are indeed the siftings of centuries; the music is far more ancient than the words... Your country? How came it yours? Before the Pilgrims landed we were here. Here we brought our three gifts and mingled them with yours: a gift of story and of song--soft, stirring melody in an ill-harmonized and unmelodious land; the gift of

yehaw essays

yehaw essays When reading an Ernest Hemingway novel, one must try very hard to focus on the joy and encouragement found in the work. For Whom the Bell Tolls is full of love and beauty, but is so greatly overshadowed by this lingering feeling of dooma feeling that does not let you enjoy reading, for you are always waiting for the let down, a chance for human nature to go horribly awry. This feeling is broken up into three specific areas. In Ernest Hemingway's novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, humanity is exploited through brutal violence, unnecessary courage, and hopeless futility. Hemingway has the uncanny gift of imagery, and he possesses a brilliant mastery of the English language. He is adept at manipulating words and weaving complex sentences; furthermore, "Meticulous description takes its place...For Hemingway...description is definition." (Tanner 228) All of this genius can show the ultimate beauty and grace of existence, but the flipside to that is the same devices used to show all of the wo nder and greatness in life can also be used to show to many hardships and painful truths we must endure, such as violence and gory injustices: Then some one hit the drunkard a great blow alongside the head with a flail and he fell back, and lying on the ground, he looked up at the man who had hit him and then shut his eyes and crossed his hands on his chest, and lay there beside Don Anastasio as though he were asleep. The man did not hit him again and he lay there and he was still there when they picked up Don Anastasio and put him with the others in the cart that hauled them all over to the cliff where they were thrown over that evening with the others after there had been a cleaning up in the Ayuntamiento. (Hemingway 126). The mob-violence that is portrayed in that passage is one inspired by ignorance, weak wills, and alcohol. All through Pilar and Robert Jordans flashbacks, one cannot help but be overwhelmed with feelings of disgust t...

Police Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Police Report - Assignment Example But instead of lining up, they went to an alley right in the middle of the line and went inside it. There was a stair leading below and opened a steel door casually. The man was greeted with a guard who was dressed in a suit. The wall had a green floral design and they were greeted cordially by the guard in suit whom the man responded by giving him a tip and greeting him â€Å"how are you doing†. They seem to know each other and the man seem to be a frequent customer of the area. The place is dimly lit and looks reddish where they were met by another guard in suit who was eating a burger. The man gave him another tip and they get inside another door. They were met by a man who appears to be a waiter in red suit. They proceeded in the alley where there were scores of men who were dressed like waiters. The man again greeted them cordially and gave pleasantries indicating familiarity of the place. The man opened another door which appears to be a kitchen of a restaurant or club. Again the man seems to be familiar with the people inside who this time were cooks and chef. Until finally, they came in a place which appears to be a club. The man was eagerly met by somebody important in the club and he was called â€Å"Anthony, nice to see you while shaking his hand†. The person who received them called the waiters who quickly assembled table for them. Anthony talked to the people around shaking hands with them and exchanging pleasantries. The woman looked amu sed. He finally sat and the woman was amused that they gave them a suit. The pleasantries continued because another group of men who appears to be important greeted him across the table and raised their glass. The woman who was the date of the man asked â€Å"what do you do?† Anthony replied† I am in construction†. Anthony replied â€Å"You don’t look like you are in construction†. Their conversation was interrupted by the drum

Power within the United States congress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Power within the United States congress - Essay Example In contrast to popular belief, the Congress and presidents have always been at loggerheads. This is because on numerous occasions the Senate, House of Representatives are controlled by different parties. Over the years, the Democrats have had a considerable advantage over the Republic with regards to this control. The above section clearly shows there are serious issues relating to the balance of power between the Congress and the Office of the President. There should be a clear definition of duties to minimize conflicts between the president and the congress (Denhardt et al., 2013). Secondly, they should meet on a regular basis to ensure that they are on the same page with regards to public policy as well legislation. Thirdly, there should be effective communication between the two parties to minimize conflict. Finally, the parties should work towards achieving the greatest benefits for the citizens. The above mentioned strategies can be employed to solve the issues relating to the balance of power (Heady, 2001). To start with, the clear definition of duties means that each of the parties will perform the tasks that they are required to with minimal conflict. Secondly, the regular meetings ensure that the two parties compare their duties and activities on a regular basis. Thirdly, effective communication ensures that any issues are dealt with on a timely basis (Schickler, 2001). Finally, when both parties work for the greatest benefit of the people there will be fewer conflicts since both work towards achieving similar goals. This entails the composition of the congress based on the political party membership. In the 113th parliament, between 2013 and 2015, there were a total of 100 members in the senate. Fifty four members are from the Democratic Party, Forty five members are from the Republic party and one member is from another party that is classified as others

Finance Planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Finance Planning - Assignment Example Their monthly expenditure on insurance for their properties is high and does not comprehensively cover their assets since some assets such their stereo is not insured. The critical issues raised above should be addressed in their order of priority. Recommendation for the emergency fund would be to sum up Mark’s 401(k) contribution and bank savings as previously intended, since they are available. Then the Lanes should top up the remaining amount from reductions in their expenditure and by that their emergency fund objective will have been met. Recommendation for the second and middle term objective would be to make a fixed income investment and channel the proceeds to a child education fund. The long term goal of purchasing a house should be met by freeing up money that was used to pay debts and once these are cleared they can channel the income towards payment of a mortgage. They have a short fall of $18,877.5- $3,070= $15,807.5 Recommendation for funding the shortfall includes implementing the proposed debt management plan so as to reduce debt expenses such as payment of credit card interests. The proceeds realized can then be channeled to the emergency fund. The Lanes have been having a poor debt management plan as they have a negative balance sheet and a negative cash flow balance. They should consider implementing the proposed debt management plan as it will assist them clear their debts systematically from the smallest to the largest debt. In order to save a monthly amount for retirement at the age of 55, both Mark and Ava should cut down on their expenditure and reduce their insurance expenditure. In order to do this, they can consider the emergency fund as a form of self-insurance then save the amounts used to pay insurance premiums to save for retirement. The Lanes should not sell any of their investments to

Setting Up A Subway Franchise Marketing Essay

Setting Up A Subway Franchise Marketing Essay My idea is to set up an established franchise. Thus a Subway Franchise. My decision was based on the idea that there is a gap in the market for this particular business especially in the South Norwood area. The only well known sandwich outlet is Subway and although it is already a well-established brand name, I believe that in the correct location my own store will have the potential to make a lot of profit and survive. My businesses unique selling point will be giving my customers the choice to choose which fillings or types of breads they wish to eat for their sub. There are nearly two million different sandwich combinations available on the SUBWAY menu. This flexibility will give the customer their needs and we will gain the loyalty. I believe that in the correct location my own Subway franchise will have the potential to make profit and survive. I will be answering the question: Is it feasible for Subway to expand by establishing a second sandwich outlet in Central Croydon. It is a well-known brand but in the UK not many customers are familiar with this established name. I will make sure these potential consumers know it. I plan to do this by identifying an opportunity in the market and if there is a gap. I plan to use forecasts to see whether my business will be successful such as cash flow and break-even. Using finance available it will help me to launch an excellent franchise opportunity. I have found out Subway is one of the best franchises to set up and a number one entrepreneurial opportunity. Despite this, as there is a highly competitive market that my business would have to enter, having a brand that consumers trust and identify will lead the sandwich bar gaining a stable market share, and loyal customers in a short space of time, and also some of the risk will be reduced.  Overall, buying into a franchise enables entrepreneurs like me to have an opportunity to provide a known product from an established brand with a proven operating system a lready in place. Projects Aims Objectives Aims are the long-term intentions of a business while the objectives are needed to fulfil these overall aims of a business. The main aim of this project is to conduct a sufficient feasibility study in order to evaluate whether or not my business will be successful or not. If my business is likely to fail I would like to assess what factors resulted in this failure and in turn what factors resulted in its success. If it is not feasible then at the end of my project I would like to draw some sort of conclusion about what could have been done to make my business much more successful especially in the case that my business fails. Despite being a franchise and a well-known brand in sight of my potential customers, this feasibility study could endeavour failure and from there I could see what actually could have been enhanced. If it does prove to strive to success, I will be able to identify the best place to set it up, what products to market consumers want/need and at what price. Moreover, I would like to assess what factors resulted in the failure of my business, and what factors contributed to the success of my business, and at the end of the project evaluate what could have been done to improve the business being a success. By doing this I will look into what makes a business strive into success, such as location, the competitors, products to be aimed at potential customers and whether there is actually a demand in the market for a well-known franchise as this. Information will be retrieved through primary and secondary sources and research. I intend to use primary research in order to identify, suitable locations, current prices of my local competitors, products that are needed and wanted by consumers in the market, the right promotional methods in order to attract potential consumers and to establish the target market. In addition I shall use secondary research to find out statistics on most products sold/brought, the period of time in which consumer spending is at its highest, and where and any information retrieved by competitors on consumer spending patterns within the market, or successful marketing strategies. All project results will be used to determine and evaluate my project and backup final decisions. I will need to remember that I will need long-term profit in order to survive. Business Aims Objectives Aims should be an expression of all parties of the business, i.e. employees, shareholders. The set aims should be long-term and everyone within the firm should work to achieve them. Aims can encourage commitment within a firm, i.e. giving employees a long-term job within the firm. Most firms do not spend quantities of time on trying to define their aims, particularly true of small firms where communication levels are quick and easy to transfer information such as my firm Subway. Aims are a basis in which I will set my objectives. These can be influenced by the business culture and the workforce culture. Delegation can take place, in order to allow different departments to focus on different aims. This allows analysis of the success of the objective easier. My aims are: Produce quality products at a competitive price. Bridge the gap between social classes by giving everyone high classed products. In co-operate consumers needs and wants in products. Increase consumers value of living. Turn luxury products into necessity products due to high quality and the purpose/function to the consumers. Produce a profit making business. Design a company whereby customers satisfaction is achieved and a friendly service is offered. Primary Objectives: Will the new Croydon store prove to be adequate in all areas, but most importantly will it be profitable, to a sufficient level of return? Secondary Objectives: Collect the previous years accounts and financial reports for Subway, and evaluate the present situation. Investigate whether there is land available to expand its property. To obtain marketing data. Find out the start-up costs and initial investment for the outlet for expansion. To diversify the business. Using the retrieved raw data, produce forecasted accounts and evaluate the firms financial position in the future. Decide whether a change in price is needed or adding or removing of items is needed to the existing menu. Assess the time scale of the expansion. Methodology Examine existing accounts of the business to whether the firm has enough capital for expansion. I am going to do this by finding out the profitability, liquidity and the efficiency of the firm using ratio analysis from the Trading Profit and Loss account and the Balance Sheet. I will find out using an appropriate website, where I want to open the outlet. This will highlight all the surrounding stores and vacant properties. I will use this as a basis to find a vacant suitable site for the new Subway Restaurant. Once an appropriate site is chosen, I will choose whether to lease or buy a free hold property. I am going to prepare a questionnaire for the customers visiting the restaurant and do a survey of the people in the area to find out their views about the recognised brand name Subway and whether the target market for the product is aimed confidently to the correct consumer market. Retrieve information from the Subway website on costs that will be needed to be incurred, such as the start-up costs and initial investment. Investigate the ways in which the business can diversify, for example introducing other types of catering services such as catering for special occasions. To forecast the firms Trading Profits and loss account. Balance sheet and cash flow forecast if the restaurant was to expand. By using Ratio analysis, I intend to analyse the firms financial position in the future. Upon my findings in my questionnaire I will decide whether extra items should be added to the present menu. Using Decision-Making Techniques such as decision trees and critical path analysis to help reach a decision and estimate the minimum time that could be taken to complete a possibly problematic process. Mission Statement The main objective of a mission statement aims to set and/or tell, stakeholders and shareholder of what the overall purpose of the business is. This involves stating what the business intends to achieve and sets the theme for setting objectives and strategic methods. It shows the businesses reason for existing; why it has been set-up in the first place its intentions. However, in the likeliness of setting a positive and achievable mission statement, a criterion has been set for business to follow. SMART (smart, measurable, agreed, realistic, time specific), allow businesses o analyse the mission statement and to see how success full it would be. As a general not the companies overall mission statement would be to become the biggest and best-value store in the market. Mission statements shows the businesses reason for existing, why it has been set-up in the first place (intentions). Existing Subway missionary statement: To provide the tools and knowledge to allow entrepreneurs to successfully compete in the Quick Service Restaurant industry worldwide, by consistently offering value to consumers through providing great tasting food that is good for them and made the way they like it. SWOT analysis This is a tool, which is used to review internal and external business environments. The benefit of doing this is to assess the businesses current activities and base decisions on them. It is an effective way of identifying my Strengths and Weaknesses, and of examining the potential Opportunities and Threats my business might face. By carrying out an SWOT analysis and using the SWOT framework it will help me to focus into areas where my business will show strengths and where the greatest opportunities lie. My strengths are any resources and capabilities that can be used as a basic for developing a competitive advantage over other sandwich outlets. Strengths: Being a small sole trader franchise means that I will have a closer relationship with the customers, thus receive ideas and build a personal relationship with them. Then begin to build a loyal customer base. Eventually I can promote and adapt my products to the needs of the consumers. I have a good location for my business that is easy to access and is viewable by consumers. Thus creating awareness for consumers to come in and purchase a product. Establish competitors, which have identified consumers spending habits. Makes it easier to establish a business whereby, their needs and wants are already aware. A market-led business that is dedicating to consumers means that you will be giving the consumers what they need, which would make them, happier-delighted. Ultimately, returning back for more purchases. An excellent worldwide reputation in place means a long trading period could be portrayed. Finding a trustworthy supplier is guaranteed, someone who is willing to take a chance on a new established franchise. My Weaknesses are anything, which cannot be included as strength, are things that the business would do badly, that it is ineffective at or that it has a poor reputation for. Weaknesses: Low start-up capital- without capital, the business will find it hard to start-up and get loans to fund its strategies. No credit from suppliers- without credit, it may be hard to pay back debts and have money left over for re-investment into the business. I will have a small amount of staff, as I will not be able to pay for more than I need, so when my staff are absent I will not have any form of backup for them. I have no experience in Marketing which means that I may not market Subways initial products effectively thus losing out on valuable profit, but also on customer loyalty if I market it imperfectly. My cash flow will be unreliable in the early stages of business, thus I will not have any chances to buy things if I see an opportunity for it. Opportunities are anything, which present an opportunity for profit and growth because of its strengths or because of the elimination of its weaknesses. Opportunities: New technology may cut down the time and improve the quality of my products. Company expansion, i.e. increasing capacity inside for eat in. To gain Market share by diversifying myself from other companies: innovation of products and new product range. Increase demand for quality general-purpose products. Competition may be engrossed with rivalry between each other that they dont take much notice in own growth. The introduction of speciality breads and more exotic fillings will extend the possibilities of the sandwich from a simple snack into a meal. Threats of a business arise from activities of competitors and from failing to take opportunities or to build on successes. Threats also come from complacency, a lack of rigour, and from falling profits, perhaps due to rising costs. Threats: Established, wealthy competitors. All fast food chains, including McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Pret A Manger, OBriens, and Benjys. Competitors enforcing new tactics to destroy new competition in which we couldnt battle against due to low capital. For example lowering of prices, advertisement campaigns etc. A possibility of competitors using destroyer pricing. In which we would not be able to operate if we lowered costs any more. If my competitor starts a Price war I will not be able to compete, thus risk of losing customers or falling into bankruptcy. Lack of trained, specialised employees. Shift in consumer tastes will mean that I will need to alter my product selling to fit there needs. There is always a chance of new competitors trying to take some market share. Furthermore, I realise that by having so many opportunities and no experience I can easily make the wrong choice, which could lead to huge opportunity costs. Moreover, most of the opportunities identified to me, are also identified to my competitors, and because they have more capital, and even greater customer loyalty, being able to take advantage of these opportunities will prove difficult. Lastly the weakness of not having any experience means that making decisions will be hard, and being able to react to competition actions would be difficult or even futile. As a result of my SWOT analysis I come to the conclusion that continuing with the business idea would be unpractical, but with a lot of hard work and luck, the firm may be successful, however not enough to compete with competition such as Pret A Manger or Burger King but surviving to some extent. PESTLE Analysis This examines the external environment and the global factors that may affect a business. It can provide a quick and visual representation of the external pressures facing a business, and their possible constraints on strategy. It is usually divided into five external influences on a business- political, economic, socio-cultural, technological and green. The analysis examines the impact of each of these factors and how they interplay with each other in the business. The results can then be used to take advantage of opportunities and to make emergency plans for threats. Political: It might include a consideration of legislation, such as consumer laws, regulation, such as control of certain companies, political pressures and the government view of certain activities. Factors that could affect are Government legislation such as taxes on products and interest rates. This will affect the business when determining the selling price of the products. In order to make a profit after taxation, the price will have to be increased; however the price must also be appealing to the customer and rival that of your competitor. Healthy and safety legislations will have to be taken into account especially since my business deals with food. Improving the health and safety rules according to the regulations set by the franchise would do this. Economical: This might involve the analysis of a variety of economic factors and their effects on business. They might include: consumer activity such as spending patterns, economic variables such as inflation, and government policy such as exchange rates. These areas are global, but it is also important to look at factors affecting my own industry. Economic issues are the focus of future potential of profit making. This can involve the level of demand and the price in which the product will be sold for. This needs to be compared with other organisations prices in order to lure consumers. Despite the fact that this is a franchise and costs are already set up, if however the cost of floor rises, then for my firm or other food retailers the price of floor is a crucial economic measure as without it we cannot make our product and sell them at a cheap price. The current employment rates have increased in the past few years due to economic factors. Not only does this suggest that I have a wider selection for recruitment, being able to choose the most multitasked workforce. I also have the negative effect that money consumers are without money and are unable to spend. This can be a decrease in sales of the whole market, and competition will become fierce in attempt to get loyalty from remaining consumers. In addition exchange rates can affect my business if deciding to import goods form abroad, or basing the factory in overseas. This can easily increase cost and promote a move back to the United Kingdom. Laws on competitive pricing, patterned ideas and quality standards can all affect the way in which my business is run. These laws can limit the companys expansion and take longer than expected. Social: Social factors I must examine are consumer attitudes to my product industry, environmental issues (e.g. organic food versus food made in a lab), attitudes to health, wealth and age (the elderly dont want to be treated different from others). Added complications when looking at social and cultural factors are differences in ethnic and social groups. Not all groups have the same attitudes and this impacts how they view products and services. E.g. Muslims eating pork. Also the fact that Muslims eat Halal would affect my business because meat that is sold at Subway is prepared normally and not using the traditional Halal method. Thus, I will lose sells on these major ethical and cultural groups. However, another factor to consider is that location is dependent on the amount of customers I lose, if there are many Muslims in the area then sells will decline, if not many I will benefit on other ethical groups buying my products. Therefore location can still play a part with profit, especi ally to my target audience. Technological: This might involve the analysis of a variety of economic factors and their effects on business. They might include: consumer activity such as spending patterns, economic variables such as inflation, and government policy such as exchange rates. Fixed and variable costs of the business and the effect of changes in product and labour markets. Other economic factors include income growth, debt saving levels (which impact available money) and consumer business confidence. Increased security methods may include real-time CCTV cameras and hidden cameras around the store to reduce pilferage; this can be mainly located by the cashier tills, as it is highly likely consumers could cause nuisance around these areas. Production methods may introduce, faster production, meaning products are out in the market much quicker and a cheaper price. In addition quality is not sacrificed. Production methods will make producing quicker and possible with a higher quality level. Giving way to the innovation of products. Although with this new advancement I will need staff that can use it e.g. EPOS till ware and also the capital to by and or train people to use it. Green issues involve the interest of the organisations and its interaction with the environment. We need to monitor how we treat the environment with production methods especially, in order to comply with the current laws. Target Audience The SUBWAY chains target market is adults between the ages of 18 and 49 who eat quick meals and are looking for good-tasting options. Also, the SUBWAY chain wants to increase its consideration set among frequent fast-food consumers who lead an active lifestyle and are seeking a balance of nutrition, taste, and value. The target audience is an important factor when setting up my business, as I will be relying on this to make my business a success. My business is a sandwich store that sells food, food is one of the five basic needs and this means that everyone needs food in order to survive. Although this is the case it doesnt mean everyone will eat the food that I will provide. For example young children will not come to my shop to eat large subs so therefore I will need to attract them by selling them a specially tailored kids meal containing simple food with everything inside. In this way I am maximizing my target range. Here is a plan about how I hope to attract other age groups: Young Children: I will be selling them the KidsPak consisting of simple food with a small sub sandwich with different choices of fillings called Deli-Style Sandwiches and a drink. Teens: I hope to encourage teens to my shop by selling a delicious variety of sub sandwich fillings of their choice, promoting certain menus such as 7 under 6 with less than 6 grams of fat. Also selling sweet desserts such as cookies. Adult: I plan on encouraging adults who are fast-food consumers, who lead an active lifestyle and are seeking a balance of nutrition, taste, and value. For example a great choice of salads for those who are watching their calories. Healthy, nutritious meals for those who are health conscious will be available rather then going to stores where fast-food is full of fat such as McDonalds. If they want to eat something during their break at work, a quick meal is available at Subway. Business Structure I choose to do a privately held franchise as all Subway ® outlets are franchised and there are no company-owned units. I feel my business will face less risk if I open a franchise. I can benefit from a Subway experience and enjoy it. I feel my enthusiasm will reflect upon my customers. Another reason why I have chosen to open a franchise into Subway is that in the US it has been voted franchiser of the year by Entrepreneur magazine in all categories, in the past 11 years out of 15 years. Despite that it is the fastest growing franchise in the world (see appendix) with an estimated 25,000 stores worldwide in 2005, bearing in mind that in year 2000 there was only 14,662 stores. Now Subway has beaten the number McDonalds outlets in the US, which is astonishing and the main headlines. With people like Jared who has made Subway even more successful by eating a diet only based on Subway, he has gained his desired weight and distributed what his diet consisted to the public, making Subway even more profitable. From this enormous approval, hundreds of children have decided to improve their quality of life by adopting healthy habits. I have chosen to become a sole trader, because I think it is the best option in my position. I feel I havent enough capital and experience to become a private limited company, and this option is not really open to me if I were go into a franchise. I like to run the business to my satisfaction, and this reflects my decision to open as a sole trader. Market Research: Primary Research Questionnaire as primary research is a lot cheaper, as I am only starting up a business and will not have a lot of capital. Hard to justify bank loan for primary research and can be a waste of money. I will not send any questionnaires out to people as may not receive them back. I will actually approach people in certain areas and ask them questions myself. Means I will get a straight answer rather than bias and have full concentration of interviewee. Analysis of Questionnaire: Question 1- What gender are you? It is essential to know the gender of the person to recognize which one visits the restaurant the most. It will allow me to establish the target market or audience. I can find out trends such as whether more males or females enjoy eating sandwiches. From this I can concentrate more on that particular target market determined. Question 2- In what age range are you? Age would be essential to see whether children would purchase a kids meal that is available at Subway. If I know this, I can effectively cater my advertising to them. From this it will give me a clearer picture of the answer instead of a biased or narrow one. Asking this question will allow me to find out what the target market is. From the established franchise Subway, it mentions how the target market is adults between the ages of 18 and 39- specifically students and families with young children. Question 3- Which borough do you live in? I need to know which borough the potential customer is living to find out if the Subway franchise would best be located in a borough where people know what a Subway Restaurant is. This will increase sales to those potential customers who are loyal to this well-known brand. This will enable me to find out how far they live from chosen location and if their answer will have valid information. There is no point locating my Subway in an area where most cannot reach or locating it where customers have never heard of a Subway brand. Question 4- Have you ever heard of a Subway Sandwich Restaurant? Obviously, in this question I will be able to find out if the customer actually knows what a Subway is and whether they really need to carry out the other questions relevant to the franchise. If they have ever heard of this franchise then they can refer to question 12 and to answer questions only on a basis of sandwiches and not to the franchise itself. Question 5- Have you ever visited one? This will ask whether they have visited a subway, as I need to know whether they are actually familiar with the franchises prices, meals available and food. This will give me an answer that is genuine and not made of assumptions and predictions. If the customer has visited a Subway then this question can be linked to answers requiring their knowledge of a Subway for example their favourite fillings that follows on from this question. Question 6- How often do you eat in sandwich bars? I would need to know how often the customer eats in sandwich bars to meet demand. This will also help me decide how many times I can change special offers available in store depending on how much they visit the store. This along with the question about your age will help me to find out what type of person is able to travel to sandwich bars or my franchise on a daily basis. These people will be my main focus, who I will be promoting to, as these are the people who will be going to my shop a lot. Question 7- What opening hours should a new sandwich bar have? I would like to see which hours are preferable for the potential customer so they can visit it at their chosen time. Question 8 How much would you spend on a meal in a sandwich bar? This will allow me to allocate a price for a typical average meal in Subway. I would also be able to see if consumers are willing to purchase high-priced goods. Or if they choose the option where they want to pay a low price. I will judge my prices based on this. Question 9 Which fillings do you prefer the most in your sub sandwich? Allow me to determine what is the most popular filling to the customers choice and for me to determine which filling will be most in demand. Therefore I can stock up on the most popular fillings ready for the huge demand. I can make sure there is enough supply, during the first few months. From my answers I can then use the fillings as a focal point when advertising to consumer. It will also help me find out which filling I will need to buy the most of. Question 10 Would you like it to be a takeaway or eat in Restaurant? I would like to see whether accommodation for sitting in store needs to be provided or not depending on the results from the survey. From then suitable costs will be established on refurbishment of accommodation sitting. Question 11 Where do you find out special deals about Subway? If the potential customer has many responses to this question, I will then be able to promote deals in the first few months to attract customers to my franchise. Those special deals will be promoted in different ways in the advertising sector e.g.- leaflet drop-ins and newspaper. This question is to help me find out the best way of advertising. By finding out which of the existing methods used by Subway is the most effective. By doing this I will be able to use this method when advertising my business. Question 12- When buying a sandwich what places do you prefer to visit? This will help me identify my local competitors. Those are stores that actually sell sandwich products e.g.- Greggs. I need to know the main reason why customers go to Subway to see whether they have actually heard of a Subway and have given a genuine reason not based on assumptions. By identifying the sandwich stores they visit, I can begin a list of my local competitors. Question 13- Why do you go to Subway, or any other sandwich store? I asked this question to give me a prediction of why people choose Subway over other competitors. Also whether the majority of my sales are based on impulse buying, something that businesses cannot rely on heavily to cover costs, or treats or groceries. Rather it will give me an angle to push my sale at e.g. if for impulse buying I will advertise snacks instead of heavy food. Question 14- Do you enjoy sandwiches as a healthy alternative from other junk foods? This will allow me to reckon whether they really find sandwiches a healthy alternative to junk foods and if they prefer eating this nutritious meal from burgers or pizzas. I would be able to see if sandwiches are a popular good to buy. Question 15- Are you vegetarian, or dont eat certain meats? My market is low fat in nature. If a lot of my customers are vegetarian, I can introduce no meat sandwiches. This goes the same for Halal meats. If I experience a low number of people eating meats, than instead of buying Halal meats, which are expensive, I can introduce more vegetarian meals to cater for there needs. 16. Are you conscience about the amount of calories or amount of fat you eat? Although all my products are low in fat, this answer can help me to gain awareness. My pronouncing that my products are all low in fat, people who have answered this question yes, will seek out my product, because of its low in fat nature. Recommendation: These external factors that affect my business can have a positive effect, however, I believe in the short-term will have a negative effect. For example, in light of technological improvements, my business will need to have money, to take a

Cloning and Bioethics :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Cloning and Bioethics Bioethics, which is the study of value judgments pertaining to human conduct in the area of biology and includes those related to the practice of medicine, has been an important aspect of all areas in the scientific field (Bernstein, Maurice, M.D.).   It is one of the factors that says whether or not specific scientific research can go on, and if it can, by which rules, regulations and guidelines it must abide by.    One of the most recent and controversial issues facing our society today is the concept of cloning.   On February 23, 1997, Ian Wilmut, a Scottish scientist, along with his colleagues at the Roslin Institute and PPL Therapeutics, announced to the world that they had cloned a lamb, which they named Dolly, after Dolly Parton, from an adult sheep (Mario,Christopher).   The two share the same nucleic DNA, but differ in terms of their mitochondrial DNA, which is vitally important for the regulation of the cell.   The media and the press ignored this fact, and thus claimed that Dolly and her 'mother' were genetically identical, which sparked a fury of outcry all around the world.   The technique of transferring a nucleus from a somatic cell into an egg cell of which the nucleus had been removed, called nuclear transplantation, is an extension of research that had been ongoing for over 40 years. Up until now, scientists thought that adult cells could not be "reprogrammed" to behave like a fertilized egg and create an embryo, but the evidence obtained by Dolly's success prove otherwise.   The issues of cloning have been around for a long time, starting with the publication of Joshua Lederberg's 1966 article on cloning in the American Naturalist.   The public's interest has been perked by many sci-fi books, films, and movies including Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel "Brave New World," 1973's "Sleeper," the 1978 film "The Boys from Brazil".   Most recently, the movie "Multiplicity" dealt with replicating Billy Crystal over and over (Mario, Christopher).   The ethical, legal, and moral issues aroused by cloning have been raised by previous projects, and are now simply emerging again, with its focus on three major points: the shift from sexual reproduction with that of asexual replication of existing genes; the ability to predetermine the genes of a child; and the ability to c reate many genetically identical children (Report/Recommendations of the NBAC). The public responded to Dolly with a mixture of fear and excitement, questioning the benefits and the disasters that could happen in the future if research was to continue. Cloning and Bioethics :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics Cloning and Bioethics Bioethics, which is the study of value judgments pertaining to human conduct in the area of biology and includes those related to the practice of medicine, has been an important aspect of all areas in the scientific field (Bernstein, Maurice, M.D.).   It is one of the factors that says whether or not specific scientific research can go on, and if it can, by which rules, regulations and guidelines it must abide by.    One of the most recent and controversial issues facing our society today is the concept of cloning.   On February 23, 1997, Ian Wilmut, a Scottish scientist, along with his colleagues at the Roslin Institute and PPL Therapeutics, announced to the world that they had cloned a lamb, which they named Dolly, after Dolly Parton, from an adult sheep (Mario,Christopher).   The two share the same nucleic DNA, but differ in terms of their mitochondrial DNA, which is vitally important for the regulation of the cell.   The media and the press ignored this fact, and thus claimed that Dolly and her 'mother' were genetically identical, which sparked a fury of outcry all around the world.   The technique of transferring a nucleus from a somatic cell into an egg cell of which the nucleus had been removed, called nuclear transplantation, is an extension of research that had been ongoing for over 40 years. Up until now, scientists thought that adult cells could not be "reprogrammed" to behave like a fertilized egg and create an embryo, but the evidence obtained by Dolly's success prove otherwise.   The issues of cloning have been around for a long time, starting with the publication of Joshua Lederberg's 1966 article on cloning in the American Naturalist.   The public's interest has been perked by many sci-fi books, films, and movies including Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel "Brave New World," 1973's "Sleeper," the 1978 film "The Boys from Brazil".   Most recently, the movie "Multiplicity" dealt with replicating Billy Crystal over and over (Mario, Christopher).   The ethical, legal, and moral issues aroused by cloning have been raised by previous projects, and are now simply emerging again, with its focus on three major points: the shift from sexual reproduction with that of asexual replication of existing genes; the ability to predetermine the genes of a child; and the ability to c reate many genetically identical children (Report/Recommendations of the NBAC). The public responded to Dolly with a mixture of fear and excitement, questioning the benefits and the disasters that could happen in the future if research was to continue.

Marks of a Healthy Church Essay

Introduction In the New Testament, the church can be referred to as the â€Å"local† church or the â€Å"universal† church. The local church is a place where assemblies of believers come together at a particular location and time. The universal church refers to the body of Christ. Many churches believe that they are healthy because they have a certain number of people on their membership roll. Healthy churches measure their spirituality according to God’s Word. This paper seeks to convey that healthy churches are measured in spiritual terms versus numerical terms; follow biblical instead of cultural patterns of ministry; are based on theological instead of sociological foundations; focus on ministry not a marketing model; and adopt scriptural not secular models of leadership. This will be done by examining Kenneth Gangel’s discussion on the different marks that can be used to gauge a healthy church in his article â€Å"The Marks of a Healthy Church.† Brief Summary According to Kenneth Gangel, in his article â€Å"The Marks of a Healthy Church,† he seeks to â€Å"explain the characteristics of a healthy church using the measurements of the spiritual, biblical, theological, ministry model, and scriptural model of leadership.† To accomplish this Gangel cautions spiritual leaders not to get caught up in measuring church growth in numerical terms. They should accentuate the holiness and sovereignty of God through Bible study, worship, prayer, praise, and fellowship. In following biblical instead of cultural patterns, churches do not feel compelled to stay â€Å"up with the times† or get hooked on religious fads and slogans. Churches should not push alot of programs and believe that they are right just because they are successful. They would do well to check them and their success against the Word of God. Gangel also wanted spiritual leaders to ensure that they are paying attention to the true vigor or teachings of biblical theology and not get caught up in sociological perceptions of what the church should be. They should seek God’s plans for the church and tune out outside influences. A healthy church seeks to remain spiritually effective by following the ministry model of the â€Å"Great Commission† according to God’s grace, authority, and resources. Churches must never use the marketing or worldly model of seeking resources to accomplish their goals. Spiritual leaders will have trials and be scrutinized; but they should never take on a secular form of leadership in order to deal with these trials. They must pay attention to the essential functions of guiding and leading a healthy church. Critical Interaction Gangel has taken an in depth approach to explaining what constitutes a healthy church. He seeks to make clear that spiritual leaders have to use a biblical approach to assessing church growth or a healthy church. Some of the theological issues that I have found to be at stake in the article are the beliefs that church growth is an indication that the church is growing according to what God has mandated for the church. Church growth should always be evaluated to ensure that the growth is occurring for the right or biblical reasons. The other theological issue is making sure that the spiritual leader and the church are not conforming to the world and its way of doing things. The Bible is the road map that has been given to the spiritual leaders and the church to ensure that they do not go wrong or spiritually off course. Gangel’s opinion that the church should not get caught up on spiritual fads and slogans is backed by John F. MacArthur’s warning that the abandonment of the scriptures as a regulatory principle has opened the church to some of the most detestable of abuses. These abuses include bringing in secular artist into worship services, a sideshow with a carnival theme, and wrestling shows. Gangel is prompted to write about this subject because he was noticed and read about churches hinging their spiritual health on numerical terms of growth instead of biblical terms. His goal is to enlighten and warn the church to make sure they are using biblical measurements in determining the spiritual health of the church. The author has done an exceptional job in proving his thesis, that there are biblical marks or measurements of a healthy church. Gangel’s key strengths in this article are the five biblical marks that he has used to compare to the secular tenants that society likes to use. As he was explaining the five biblical marks of a healthy church, I wish he would have addressed what happens to a church that follows the tenets of society. Conclusion This paper has critiqued the article â€Å"Marks of a Healthy Church.† The author’s discussion in this article clearly lets us know that church should use caution when it comes to evaluating its growth. The marks that should be used to assess the health of the church are spiritual, biblical, theological, ministry model, and scriptural model of leadership. Everything that the church does should be checked by the Word of God. After reading this article, someone may make the claim that the church should do what it has to in order to reach the unbeliever. In my opinion, we as believers are not to let down our beliefs in what God has commanded us to do in order to reach an unbeliever. By all means, we can use Godly tools to witness to them where they are. Selected Bibliography Enns, Paul.The Moody Handbook of Theology.Revised and Expanded. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2008. Gangel, Kenneth O. 2001. â€Å"Marks of a Healthy Church.†Bibliotheca Sacra,no.158 vol.632 (October – December). http://galaxie.com/article/5724 (accessed October 15, 2012). MacArthur, John F., â€Å"How Shall We Then Worship?† in The Coming Evangelical Crisis,ed. David Wells (Chicago: Moody, 1996), 181 ——————————————– [ 2 ]. Paul Enns, The Moody handbook of Theology, Revised and Expanded (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2008), 257 [ 3 ]. Gangel, Kenneth O. 2001. Marks of a Healthy Church. Bibliotheca Sacra 9, no.28 vol. 632 (October – December). http://www.galaxie.com/article/5724 (accessed October 15, 2012). [ 4 ]. Ibid., 468. [ 5 ]. Ibid., 469. [ 6 ]. Gangel, 470. [ 7 ]. Ibid., 474 [ 8 ]. Ibid. [ 9 ]. Enns, 359-360. [ 10 ]. MacArthur, John F., â€Å"How Shall We Then Worship?† in The Coming Evangelical Crisis, ed. David Wells (Chicago: Moody, 1996), 181 [ 11 ]. Gangel, 467-468. [ 12 ]. Ibid.

Using the Spanish Pronoun Nadie

Using the Spanish Pronoun Nadie Nadie  is an indefinite pronoun that typically means no one or nobody.  Nadie can replace a  noun  that has been mentioned previously in a conversation or is obvious from context; it is considered indefinite because it doesnt refer to a particular person. Key Takeaways: Nadie Nadie is usually a pronoun that means nobody or no one.When used as part of a double negative, nadie often is translated anybody.Unless the context demands otherwise, nadie is treated as masculine. Although it has no gender, it is typically used with masculine adjectives unless the context requires otherwise. The antonym of nadie is alguien. Nadie Used as a Subject Nadie when used as the subject of a sentence takes a singular verb. For example,  nadie lo cree  means nobody believes it or no one believes it. Nadie es perfecto. (Nobody is perfect.)Los mujeres soon tristes. Nadie est contenta. (The women are sad. Nobody is pleased. The feminine adjective is used here because the context indicates that nadie refers to women.)Nadie quiero viajar conmigo. (Nobody wants to travel with me.)Una encuesta revela que casi nadie va a comprar el new iPhone 8 si cuesta ms de 1.000 dà ³lares. (A new poll indicates that almost nobody is going to buy the new iPhone if it costs more than $1,000.) Nadie Used as Part of a Double Negative When nadie follows the verb of a sentence, typically it is used as part of a double negative. Because standard English does not use double negatives, nadie is sometimes translated into English as anybody or anyone in such sentences. For example, No conozco a nadie translates to, I dont know anybody.  ¡No lo digas a nadie! (Dont tell anyone!)Ellos jams comprenden a nadie. (They never understand anybody.)No veo a nadie fuera de mi trabajo. (I never see anybody outside of my work.) Nadie Used in Questions When used as part of a question, nadie is used as part of a double negative. For example,  Ã‚ ¿No ha estudiado nadie?, means,​Hasnt anybody studied? Again, because nadie is being used in a double negative, the word is translated into anybody.  ¿No quiere nadie ir contigo? (Doesnt anybody want to go with you?) ¿No sale nadie para asistir a la clase? (Isnt anybody leaving to attend class?) ¿No cree nadie que Elvis todavà ­a vive? (Doesnt anybody still believe Elvis is alive?) Nadie Used as an Object Pronoun When used as an object pronoun, nadie requires the personal a. A personal a  serves as a preposition. It has no direct translation into English.  For example, No veo a nadie means I dont see anyone. A nadie me importa. (Nobody cares about me.)Estoy sola en una ciudad donde no conoce a nadie. (Im alone in a city where I dont know anybody.)Mi misià ³n no es daà ±ar a nadie. (My mission isnt to harm anyone.) Using the Phrase Nadie De In standard Spanish, the phrase nadie de, nobody from, nobody in, or nobody of, is followed by a singular noun. The Royal Spanish Academy says that nadie de should not be used to indicate one person of a group, and that ninguno should be used instead. Thus none of my friends should be translated as ninguno de mis amigos. However, in real life nadie de mis amigos is sometimes used. These examples are of standard Spanish: Nadie del equipo est feliz. (Nobody from the team is happy.)Ninguno de los jugadores est feliz. (None of the players is happy.)No hay nadie de Madrid en el foro. (There is nobody from Madrid in the forum.)No hay ninguno de los estudiantes en el foro. (There are none of students in the forum.) Nadie Used Figuratively As with nobody in the English sentence He believes hes a nobody, nadie can be used figuratively as a noun. As a noun it can be masculine or feminine as well as singular or plural depending on whom it refers to. Quiero que sea un nadie en mi mundo. (I want to be a nobody in my world.)Ahora volvà ­a a ser la doà ±a nadie que no podà ­a tener novio. (Now I would again become the Ms. Nobody that couldnt have a boyfriend.)Los sinhogares son los nadies, los olvidados. (The homeless are the nobodies, the forgotten ones.)

Music Therapy essays

Music Therapy essays Today there are many ways to deal with pain. Many people choose medicines to cure these pains. Another less known method used to manage pain is music therapy. Music therapy can be used to reduce anxiety and pain during childbirth as well as in dental hygiene. Music therapy has been used for a long time. Frequently music is said to be one of the most ancient healing techniques (OKelly 130). Plato said that different types of music could be used to relax or to bring out aggressive characters in people (qtd. in OKelly). Extensive research of music therapy did not begin until the early to mid 1900s. Musicians played for recovering victims of war to reduce anxiety (OKelly 130). There are many organizations that have been established for music therapy such as the US National Association of Music Therapy, The Association of Professional Music Therapists, and the British Society of Music Therapy. In America there are over four thousand music therapist. (OKelly130) In recent years music therapy has grown to become accepted in the reduction of pain, and its research has developed extensively (Browning 272). Research conducted by Eagle and Harsh suggested two psychoneurological connections between music and pain. [First,] both music and pain can be identified with sensory input. [Second,] since the limbic system is concerned with emotional output for pain and music, evidence suggests that the perception of both pain and music travels along similar neural pathways, each affecting the other. (Browning 272) A good definition of music therapy as described by Leslie Bunt is music therapy is the use of sounds and music within an evolving relationship between client and therapist to support and encourage physical, mental, social, spiritual and emotional wellbeing (OKelly 130). Many people fear going to the dentist due to the fear of experiencing large amounts of pain. &...

How was Slavery impacted (Mod 4 Disc1) Assignment

How was Slavery impacted (Mod 4 Disc1) - Assignment Example The major impact of the slavery during the civil war was the skills acquired in the Africa to the work done in the Americas, which increased the industry productions. Slavery was the major contradiction to the national purpose and the critical source of the irrigation in the American conscience; it defined the American freedom and called for the commitment for natural human rights. Before slavery, communities felt secured because they were protected by the strongest men in the community but during the slavery period the community was insecure and the lifestyle of the communities changed gradually. The slavery caused ineffectiveness in the public schools system, divisions in the families since the each community did not come from the slavery problem with same measures. The south state of the America depended entirety on the cotton plantations; they used the slave labor on the plantations to work and earn more income (McPherson & Hogue, 2010). During the Civil War, they feared that losing the slave would have severe economic impact on the cotton plantations. Slavery was the major incongruity to the national purpose and the critical source of the irrigation in the American conscience; it defined the American freedom and called for the commitment for natural human rights. During that period the African slaves trade become illegal and these pushed the North state to abolish the slavery that denied the slaves human right and the dignity. The pension earning of the slaves was not implemented because the important documents were destroyed during the war period; hence, they were not compensated. In conclusion, the war resulted to some slaves settling in these countries because they could not trace the record about their birthplace; the war affected econom y and political activities

Today hero Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Today hero - Essay Example Ideally, a hero is someone who rises above adversity or faces dangerous situations with valor and courage. In the face of danger and adversity, the courageous actor is willing to be self-sacrificing for the greater good. In this regard, the true meaning of the term hero is one who is distinguished by bravado and near superhuman will to help others in distress at his or her own expense. In the late 19th century Carlyle provides a common understanding of what makes a hero. He writes: Contemporary heroes however, challenge the true meaning of the term hero. Quite often we canonize people for athleticism, beauty, celebrity status, wealth and a number of other qualities that have little or nothing to do with valor, courage, strength or sacrifice. In this regard, today’s hero rarely possesses any of the qualities and strengths associated with heroism in its true form. One of the most endearing attractions to heroes is the thought that the individual can believe that heroism resides in each of us and we might, if we try, successfully emulate our heroes. However, with today’s assignations of heroism it is entirely impossible to be inspired. It is impossible to emulate wealth, beauty, athleticism or celebrity. On the other hand it is possible to emulate bravado, valor, courage and strength. So to this end, today’s heroes, rather than inspire positive feelings, discourage individuals and leave them feeling inadequate and entirely unsuccessful. The truth of the matter is that today, it simply enough to be famous or popular to attain the status of heroism. It has been argued by media observers that today’s youth culture is greatly influenced by media images and representations of heroes. For the most part many of these token heroes are not worthy role models. Essentially, that the media’s representation of heroism leaves an impression on young people. It is hardly surprising that in light of the

Screen Speeds in Radiography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Screen Speeds in Radiography - Essay Example (2005), the details of the image are inversely proportional to the speed of the screen which therefore means that the slow detail screen has greater films than the fast intensifying screen. This is so because in slow detail screens, the area that is exposed by each x-ray will be smaller and slower hence the details better. A reduction in speed increases the dosage of ionizing radiation. This therefore means that the fast intensifying screen uses a smaller dosage of ionization radiation compared to the large dosage used by the slower detailed screen. The slow screens are usually of the standard type while the fast screen has the rare earth type. The last characteristic is that a fast intensifying speed reduces patient exposure to the radiation while a slower detail screen increases exposure. As a result of this difference in image detail and exposure to the radiation, the slower detail screens are used to produce photo films while the fast intensifying screen is used for medical

Education and Fast Growing Society Essay Example for Free

Education and Fast Growing Society Essay The co-educational system has always been an issue of great controversy. Its supporters claim that separating boys from girls is completely unrealistic since schools are supposed to depict society and prepare children to become its active members. On the other hand, those not in favor of it claim argue that single-sex schools are more effective since they are adapted to each sex’s needs and features. There is little doubt that single-sex schools may be more targeted to each sex’s traits. For example, boys’ schools are stricter in order to achieve discipline while girls’ schools focus on teaching them major principals that will help them lead a successful life not only as professionals but also as family leaders later in life. In addition, boys and girls tend to distract each other during the lesson and therefore make it difficult to concentrate. I am of the opinion that co-education has more to offer to the modern society. First of all, single-sex schools are utterly out-of-date and belong to the past when boys and girls socializing was considered immoral. Nowadays, that both sexes are equal, the mentality of creating and maintaining separate educational facilities is unacceptable. Moreover, having girls and boys in the same environment promotes their competitiveness in a creative way which leads to a high quality learning process. In a final analysis, co-education has proved to be more suitable in answering the increasing demands of our fast growing society. Considering how hard women have fought over the years to gain their rights, wouldn’t it be unfair to have separate schools?

In the poem Compose upon Westminster Bridge and London the poets present :: English Literature

In the poem Compose upon Westminster Bridge and London the poets present two very different. In the poem Compose upon Westminster Bridge and London the poets present two very different and contrasting views of the same city. William Wordsworth view of London is positive and optimistic. William Blake on the other hand presents a very negative dismal picture of the city. William Wordsworth was born in 1770 and has always had a love of nature. He studied at Cambridge University, which later helped him to become the writer he always wanted to be. In 1787he wrote for the European magazine. In 1970 Wordsworth had an affair with a French girl who inspired him to write poetry but he still kept a close contact with his natural surroundings. Some of wordsworths best poems were under the title of The Prelude which was made up of Philosophical autobiographical poems in 1778 completed in 1805 but only only became published in 1850 also whilst on a trip in Germany he was inspired by nature and its natural surroundings to write more poems. Later on in life Wordsworth abandoned his radical ideas and became a patriotic, conservative public man. He then died in 1850. William Blake was born in 1957. Blake grew up in London and spent most of his life there, been educated by his mother .Not only did he become a poet but he was also a painter visionary mystic and an engraver he also printed his own books. Blake proclaimed the supremacy of the imagination over treating reason as the basic of belief and knowledge of the 18th century but failed to understand how shadowed his career actually was. Later on he experienced visions of angels and ghostly monks. He had his first book of poems in 1783 called poetical sketches and was followed by songs of innocence and songs of experience. His most famous poem was â€Å"The Tyger† as he wrote from a child’s understanding of London, Blake lived a prosperous life he didn’t leave himself any debts at the end of his career or life in 1827. William Wordsworth view of London is good as he looks at the beauty of the town and describes what the town is like using positive vocabulary which makes the poem sound strong also it helps you to visualise its surroundings. When I read this poem it made me feel that nothing could get as beautiful as London could as he sees it for what is made of â€Å"the fairest site on earth† and makes you want to be there as it sounds like a â€Å"grand† place to be.

The Way Up to Heaven

apprehension : anixiety bland : showing no strong emotions foible : little weekness or strange habit bustling : very busy butler : main,male servant yearing : strong desire diminutive : small and thin dapper : man dressed nicely hazy : not clear flabby : unattrective,soft,loose cable : telegraf shrill : very high and unpleasant sound tinkling : a light ringing sound pantry: a small room in a house where foods is kept appressive : a situation that makes you unhappy,worried glimmer: a small sign of sth trifle : modas? gecmis onemsiz CHARACTERS Mrs. Foster: she is the main character. ut she has no giving name or age. She is just her husband’s wife. She is modest,faithful ,neurotic,disiplined,suffuring. She changes,when she arrives Paris,she feels wonderful,strong,purposeful,cool and calm. And when she arrives back to New York she feels satisfied. Mr. Foster: he is 70 years old,rich,insensitive,diminutive but quite dapper,and he shows no love for his family and he has a few friend s. He is a static,flat character. CLIMAX The main turning point is he moment when Mrs. Foster freezes in front door to listen to a sound which is coming from the house. CONFLICTS External conflict: between the mrs.Foster and mr foster. Although she knows that her husban torments her on purpose,she does say anything about it. Internal conflict: between the mrs. foster and herself. Although she wants tol ive with her grandchildren she also thinks that it is wrong because her husband is still alive and she is a loyal wife. *** Mrs. Foster has an almost pathological fear of being late. And her husband knows she will be hysterical if he is late. So he always late on purpose. And he watch her to see if the tiny muscle by her eye starts twitching. She is begining to realize that her husbant is tormenting her.

Taj People Philosphy and Star System

The employee at Taj is viewed as an asset and is the real profit centre. He or she is the very reason for our survival. The creation of the Taj People Philosophy displays our commitment to and belief in our people. We want an organisation with a very clear philosophy, where we can treasure people and build from within. * Bernard Martyris. Senior Vice-President, HR, Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) Introduction In March 2001, the Taj Group launched an employee loyalty program called the ‘Special Thanks and Recognition System’ (STARS). STARS was an initiative aimed at motivating employees to transcend their usual duties and responsibilities and have fun during work. This program also acknowledged and rewarded hard working employees who had achieved excellence in their work. The Taj Group had always believed that their employees were their greatest assets and the very reason for the survival of their business. In 2000, to show its commitment to and belief in employees, the Taj Group developed the ‘Taj People Philosophy’ (TPP), which covered all the people practices of the group. TPP considered every aspect of employees’ organisational career planning, right from their induction into the company till their superannuation. TPP offered many benefits to the Taj Group. It helped the company boost the morale of its employees and improve service standards, which in turn resulted in repeat customers for many hotels in the group. The STAR system also led to global recognition of the Taj Group of hotels in 2002 when the group bagged the ‘Hermes Award’ for ‘Best Innovation in Human Resources’ in the global hospitality industry. The Taj People Philosophy Since its establishment, the Taj Group had a people-oriented culture. The group always hired fresh graduates from leading hotel management institutes all over India so that it could shape their attitudes and develop their skills in a way that fitted its needs and culture. The management wanted the new recruits to pursue a long-term career with the group. All new employees were placed in an intensive two-year training program, which familiarised them with the business ethos of the group, the management practices of the organisation, and the working of the cross-functional departments. The employees of the Taj Group were trained in varied fields like sales and marketing, finance, hospitality and service, front office management, food and beverages, projects, HR and more. They also had to take part in various leadership programs, so that they could develop in them a strong, warm and professional work culture. Through these programs, the group was able to assess the future potential of the employees and the training required to further develop their skills. The group offered excellent opportunities to employees both on personal as well as organisational front. In order to achieve ‘Taj standards’, employees were made to undergo a rigorous training program. The group strove hard to standardise to all its processes and evolve a work culture, which appealed to all its employees universally. The group believed that talent management was of utmost importance to develop a sustainable competitive advantage. The group aimed at making the HR function a critical business partner, rather than just a support function. To further show its commitment to and belief in employees, the group created the ‘Taj People Philosophy’ (TPP) covering all people practices of the group. The concept of TPP, developed in 199,was the brainchild of Bernard Martyris, Senior Vice-President, HR, IHCL, and his core team. The concept, originally planned to be called as ‘The Womb to Tomb Approach’, covered all the aspects of an employee’s career, from joining the group until his/her retirement. TPP was based on the key points of the Taj employee charter. Key Points of the Taj Charter Some of the key points of the Taj Charter are given below: * Every employee of the Taj Group would be an important member in the Taj family. * The Taj family would always strive to attract, retain and reward the best talent in the industry. * The Taj family would commit itself to formal communication channels, which would foster transparency. It was developed in line with the Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM). Explaining the rationale for implementing the philosophy, Martyris said, â€Å"It is to achieve that international benchmarking in hospitality, and HR must fit into it†. According to him, the three major areas of TPP included work systems and processes, learning and development and employee welfare. As part of the TPP, the Taj Group introduced a strong performance management system, called the Balanced Scorecard System (BSS) that linked individual performance with the group’s overall strategy. BSS was based on a model developed by Kalpan and Nortan, and focused on enhancing both individual as well as enterprise performance. BSS measured the performance of employees across all hierarchical levels against a set of predefined targets and identified their variances. Martyris explained, â€Å"We are looking at a matrix form of organisation which cuts across hierarchy. It is important to understand the potential of people†. Therefore, BSS was implemented even at the lowest levels of hierarchy. The BSS included an Employee Satisfaction Tracking System (ESTS), which solved employees’ problems on a quarterly basis. As a part of ESTS, Taj carried out an organisation-wide employee satisfaction survey in mid 2000 of about 9000 employees. According to this survey, the reported satisfaction level was about 75%. The group aimed to increase this level to 90-95% and eventually to 100%. The group also took strong measures to weed out under-performers. The group adopted the 360-degree feedback system to evaluate the performance of all top officials, from the managing director to departmental managers, in which they were evaluated by their immediate subordinates. The 360-degree feedback was followed by personal interviews in individuals to counsel them to overcome their deficiencies. The Taj Group also established Centres of Excellence for its 14,000 employees at five locations in India, including Jaipur, Bangalore, Ernakulam, Chennai and Hyderabad. At these centres, departmental heads in each functional area were trained. These departmental heads later trained their own staff. The training included foundation modules and accreditation programs that familiarised the employees with Taj standards. Apart from adopting stringent measures to improve performance, Taj also recognised and rewarded its best employees across all levels of the organisation. For this purpose, Taj created a unique employee identification tracking and reward program known as STARS. Describing the program, Martyris said, â€Å"It’s an HR initiative aimed at creating an association ‘between our star performers and our brand, the Taj’†. The Star System The STAR system (STARS) was the brainchild of Martyris. The system was developed in accordance with Taj’s core philosophy that ‘happy employees lead to happy customers’. STARS, operative throughout the year (from April to March), was open to all employees across the organisation, at all hierarchical levels. It aimed to identify, recognise and reward those employees who excelled in their work. STARS was actively promoted across the group’s 62 chain of hotels and among its 18,000 employees globally, out of which 15,000 were from India. STARS had five different levels. Though employees did not receive any cash awards, they gained recognition by the levels they attained through the points they accumulated for their acts of kindness or hospitality. ‘Level 1’ was known as the ‘Silver Grade’. To reach this level, employees had to accumulate 120points in three months. To attain ‘Level 2’, known as the ‘Gold Grade’, employees had to accumulate 130 points within three months of attaining the silver grade. To reach ‘Level 3’, called the ‘Platinum Grade’, employees had to accumulate 250 points within sic months of attaining the gold grade. To attain ‘Level 4’, employees had to accumulate 510 or more points, but below 760points, to be a part of the Chief Operating Officer’s club. ‘Level 5’ which was the highest level in STARS, enabled employees to be a part of the MD’s club, if they accumulated 760 or more poi nts. Points were granted to employees on the basis of parameters like integrity, honesty, kindness, respect for customers, environmental awareness, teamwork, coordination, cooperation, excellence in work, new initiatives, trustworthiness, courage, conviction, among others. Suggestions by employees that benefited the organisation fetched them significant points. Such suggestions in each hotel of the Taj Group were examined by the General Manager and training manager of the hotel the employee worked in. the suggestions could also be posted on the Web, which were constantly monitored. Employees could also earn points through appreciation by customers, ‘compliment-a-colleague’ forums and various suggestion schemes. Employees could also get ‘default points’ if the review committee did not give feedback to the employee within two days of his/her offering a suggestion for the betterment of the organisation. In such cases, the employee concerned was awarded ’20 default points’. Hence, in an indirect manner, the system compelled judges of the review committee to give feedback to employees as early as possible. STARS helped employees work together as a team and appreciate fellow employees for their acts of kindness and excellence. It enhanced their motivation levels and led to increased customer satisfaction. In one case, a bellboy in one of the group’s hotel who received an American customer wen out of his way to care for the customer. Noticing that the customer, who had arrived late at night, was suffering from cold, he offered to bring him a doctor. However, the customer refused the boy’s offer. The bellboy then, on his own, offered a glass of warm water mixed with ginger and honey, a traditional Indian home remedy for cough and cold. The customer felt surprised and also happy at the bellboy’s gesture. He left a note of appreciation for him, which added to his existing points. According to the number of points accumulated, employees would receive a star, which could be pinned on to their coat. When a certain number of points were collected, employees received gift hampers, cash vouchers or a vacation in a Taj Hotel of their choice in India. The winners of STARS were felicitated at a function held in Taj, Mumbai. The winners’ photographs were displayed on a big screen at the function and they received awards given by the MD of the Taj Group. This award ceremony significantly boosted their morale. The STARS program seemed to have generated lot of attention among the employees at the Taj Group. During the initial phase, not every hotel seemed to be serious about adopting STARS, but after the first awards ceremony was conducted, every hotel in the group reportedly became very serious about the implementation of STARS. Reportedly, customer satisfaction levels increased significantly after the implementation of STARS. Commenting on the success of STARS, Martyris said, â€Å"After the campaign was launched, a large number of employees have started working together in the true spirit of teams and this helps us value our human capital. There are stars all around us but very often we look only at stars outside the system. Many employees do that extra bit and go that extra mile, out of the way to dazzle the customer satisfaction with employee recognition. Employee recognition is hence, directly linked to customer satisfaction. It is a recognition for the people, of the people and by the people†. STARS was also used by the group as an appraisal system, in addition to its regular appraisal system. The Future The STARS was not only successful as an HR initiative, but it brought many strategic benefits to the group as well. The service standards at all hotels of the group improved significantly because the employees felt that their good work was being acknowledged and appreciated. This resulted in repeat customers for Taj hotels. And because of STARS, the Group won the ‘Hermes Award 2002’ for ‘best innovation in HR’ in the hospitality industry. Analysts felt that the fame and recognition associated with the winning of the Hermes award would place the Taj Group of hotels at the top of the list of the best hotels in the world. The group also received requests for setting up hotels in Paris (France), where the ‘Hermes award’ function took place. The HR practices at the Taj Group attracted several Human Resources and Organisational Behaviour experts world over. In late 2001, Thomas J Delong, a professor of Organisational Behaviour from Harvard Business School (HBS), visited India and interviewed various employees in the Taj Group. After his visit, the Taj Group was â€Å"envisioned as an example of organisational transformation wherein key dimensions of cultural change went into the making of global managers†. Analysts also felt that social responsibility and people-centric programs were the core values of the Taj Group, which were well demonstrated through the ‘Taj People Philosophy’. Martyris said, â€Å"The challenges here lay in retaining the warmth and relationship focus of the Ta and inculcating a system-driven approach to service†. Analysts felt that the Taj Group had been highly successful because of its ability to provide better opportunities and gave greater recognition to its employees, which motivated them to work to the best of their abilities. The Employee Retention Rate (ERR) of the Taj Group was the highest in the hospitality industry because of its employee-oriented initiatives. In spite of the highest ERR, Martyris felt that the retention of talent was Taj’s major challenge. He said, â€Å"Our staff is routinely poached by not just industry competitors but also banks, call centres and others. In 2002, in the placement process at the hotel management institute run by the Taj, more than half of those passing out were hired by non-hospitality companies. While we are happy to see the growth and opportunity for this sector, we also feel there is a need for introspection. Are we offering swift and smooth career paths to our employees? How am I to retain staffers from moving across industries? In late 2002, the Taj Group, to demonstrate its strong belief in employees, announced plans to make further investments in training, development, and career planning and employee welfare. The group also tried to standardise its various processes and develop a common work culture. After winning the Hermes Award in 2002, the group also planned to nominate the BSS for the Hermes Award 2003.