A Comprehensive Study of Jonas Salk Essay -- Biography

A remembrance in La Jolla, California, presents, â€Å"Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.† The memorial commemorates the great virologist Jonas Salk (Salk.edu). Although many recognize Salk as the man who effectuated the eradication of polio, he also contributed to a vast amount of medical research. A comprehensive study of Jonas Salk includes his young life, early career, work with poliomyelitis, and later career and life. Daniel and Dora Press Salk became the parents of Jonas Salk on October 28, 1914. Daniel, a women’s garment designer, provided his new family with a small apartment in Manhattan (Bankston 11). As the eldest Salk received his mother’s imperishable attention. When Salk was two, the first great polio infection in the United States commenced; the concentration was most severe in New York City, home of the Salks (Hargrove 8-9). No mother was more cautious than Dora Salk. While both parents were relatively uneducated, they highly valued education. Mrs. Salk kept Jonas inside not only to protect him from feared diseases, but also to satisfy his curiosity and promote learning. She supplied Salk with literature and logical problems throughout his childhood (Barter 16-18). Salk entered free, yet prestigious Townsend Harris High School at the age of Farless 2 twelve and then graduated three years later (Bankston 13-14). He refused his mother’s preference of rabbinical school and decided to major in pre-law at the City College of New York to become a congressman (Kluger 27). After enjoying himself in science classes, he decided to switch to pre-med and become a researcher (Barter 20). He graduated in 1934 and entered the New York University School of Me... ...inoculated with Salk's vaccine. The rate of infection of poliomyelitis was eighty-six percent less than in 1954 (Carter 351). Salk began working on the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. The institute would be a haven for scientists, philosophers, and artists. The work there focused on both cancer and AIDS research (Bankston 43). Salk spent most of his life in the laboratory rather than with his wife and three sons. Donna and Jonas Salk split in 1968. He later married Francoise Gilot in 1970. He also wrote four books during the 1970s (Barter 90-91). He continued working diligently until his death by congestive heart failure on June 23, 1995. Salk had the imagination, dreams, and courage to tackle several of the most prominent issues in the United States. His ambitions and successes will live on through the thousands of lives he saved.

Sigmund Freuds Influence upon Salvador Dali Essay -- Art Analysis

The beginning of the twentieth century was a fascinating time for modern man. Artists, musicians, novelists, inventors, and scientists were reveling on new ways of experiencing life. The shadows of the past and the dawn of the new era opened the minds of many who relished constant change. Science and medicine were evolving, and one man in particular sought to expand knowledge and understanding. Sigmund Freud, the most renowned, thought provoking psychologist to have ever lived, opened an exciting chapter in the study of the mind. Without a doubt, Freud had influenced, and inspired artists searching for something new. The world of psychology and art were interweaving and promising a bold new path. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) studied medicine, science, and philosophy as an introduction to the study of the human mind. Freud desired to have a thorough understanding of the inner workings of the conscious and subconscious condition. It was noted, â€Å"Sigmund would become thoroughly absorbed in his research, so much so†¦he couldn’t stop wanting to study†. (Masson, The Life of Simund Freud) He graduated high school in 1873, and received a doctorate degree in 1881. Freud was enamored with all specialties of science, and conducted research and experiments with notable scientists of the late nineteenth century. Freud’s first foray into psychiatric medicine was in 1883 studying neuropathy. Soon afterwards, he studied hypnosis. Freud’s enthusiasm to decipher the mysteries within the mind was unmatched, and psychology was being rejuvenated. Known today as the founder of psychoanalysis, Freud wrote a monumental and highly criticized book, The Interpretation of Dreams. Started eight years prior to its publication in 1900, the study was part autob... ...was exponentially successful at painting the mind Freud intellectualized. Works Cited Bradbury, Kirsten. Essential Dali. Bath: Parragon, 2000. —. Essential Dali. Bath: Parragon, 2000. Freud, Sigmund. Beyond the Pleasure Principle. New York: Norton, 1989. Masson, Jeffrey Moussaieff. "The Life of Sigmund Freud." Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams, The Illustrated Edition. New York: Sterling, 2010. 168. Masson, Jeffrey Moussaieff. "The Life of Simund Freud." Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams, The Illustrated Edition. New York: Sterling, 2010. 65. Robert Descharnes, Gilles Neret. "Art of the 20th Century: Salvador Dali." n.d. A World History of Art. 21 4 2012 . Wood, Dr. Jonathan. "Introduction: The Essential Dali." Bradbury, Kirsten. The Essential Dali. Bath: Parragon, 2000. 11.

Finding Truth in Constructivist Psychotherapy Essay -- Psychotherapy S

Finding Truth in Constructivist Psychotherapy Science is a construction of the human mind. The theories, approaches, and methods that are used in any scientific field have gradually developed over time to become an objective standard of evaluation. As science continues to evolve, new approaches to obtaining knowledge about the world around us must be considered, and at the same time these new approaches must be evaluated within the present context of what is considered to be science. In doing so, conflict and confusion will arise as new concepts meet the critical evaluation of the old. The appraisal of and criticism of a new approach to psychological therapy is one example of such a situation. By looking at the evaluation of constructivist psychotherapy, one can bring this conflict and confusion into the light of understanding. Since its dawning at the turn of the century, psychotherapy has faced a myriad of objections in regard to its validity as a scientific practice. With the introduction of psychoanalysis in the late 1800’s, Freud opened the doors to a field that would mature as the next one hundred years progressed. Throughout its evolution, psychotherapy has been evaluated for its capacity to deal with clients on an individual basis and at the same time maintain the objective viewpoint which science requires. In what Robert Neimeyer considers a "postmodern context" of scientific, social and political themes, a new philosophical approach to psychotherapy has developed. This approach, called constructivism, is based on a subjective interpretation of reality and how that interpretation affects human thought processes. In "An Appraisal of Constructivist Psychotherapies", Neimeyer looks at how constructivism has devel... ...ury. The world of classical Newtonian physics was turned upside down and inside out with the arrival of a new class of physicists and astronomers. At the head of that class was a young German scientist named Einstein, who with his theory of relativity redefined our concept of mass, energy, and the like. Now that we bring the second half of this century to a close, perhaps psychology is also ready for such a revolution. Certainly, parallels can be made to what is currently going on in the world of psychotherapy. New approaches are developing under the influence of a changing social conscience. The classical approaches to patient therapy revolve around traditional cognitive perspectives, which follow a linear, systematic set of guidelines. The constructivist approach to is a much more complex, yet encompassing form of psychotherapy that deserves continual exploration.

Impact of Global Financial Crisis on Hospitality Sector Based

Impact of Global Financial Crisis on Hospitality Sector Based in Mumbai Region Oshma Rosette Pinto Assistant Professor, Pillai Institute of Management Studies and Research, New Panvel Navi Mumbai E-mail: pinto. [email  protected] com ABSTRACT The Global financial crisis from 2005 to the present is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It was triggered by a liquidity shortfall in the United States Banking system which resulted in the collapse of large financial institutions, the bailout of banks by national governments, and downturns in stock markets around the world.In India, the global financial crisis badly impacted the Indian tourism and hotel sector that resulted in decline in the number of foreign tourists, decline of Foreign Direct Investment Inflows and affected the gross domestic product of India. The study is related with the Impact of Global Financial Crisis on Hospitality Sector based in Mumbai region, Mum bai region will include, Mumbai, Thane and Navi-Mumbai based Hospitality industries. The primary data is collected through interview method. The questionnaire is chosen as resource to collect the information.The secondary data is collected through various magazines, journals, scholarly articles, research papers and various authentic websites of various Hospitality industries. The paper attempts to analyse the impact of global recession on Hospitality sector in India especially Tourism and Hotel Industry in the country. Further the paper focuses on the challenges faced and opportunities that can be availed during and after global financial crisis. Keywords: Challenges, Opportunities, Foreign direct investment, Foreign tourist inflows, Gross domestic product.INTRODUCTION The Hotel industry is linked to the tourism industry which forms the most important support service that affects the Foreign Tourist Arrivals to any Country. In recent years many international hotel chains like Marrio tt International, Intercontinental Hotels Group are setting up hotels in India and many international tour operators are establishing operations VOLUME NO. 1, ISSUE NO. 2 ISSN 2277-1182 1 ABHINAV NATIONAL MONTHLY REFEREED JOURNAL OF REASEARCH IN ARTS & EDUCATION www. abhinavjournal. com rom India. A rapidly growing middle class, the advent of corporate incentive travel and the multinational companies into India has boosted prospects for tourism. The turmoil in global financial markets had generated new concerns for the hospitality industry. India had a biggest drop in corporate travel spending falling to 25% in year 2009 compared to year 2008. Growth rate of the aggregate sale of hotel companies fell down to 9. 1% during Dec. 2008 quarter from growth rate of 17. 4% during Dec. 2007 quarter.There was decline in India's average annual GDP Growth from historical high of 10. 10 percent in September of 2006 and a record low of 5. 50 percent in December of 2004. The financial year 2008-20 09 was an unforgettable one for the Indian tourism and Hotel industry, with the Mumbai terror attacks and global economic down turn affecting the industries performance. The Hotel industry also, observed an overall decline in occupancy and Revenue per Available Room in most cities. The adverse impact of economic downturn on India? s tourism was far less than global tourism industry.OBJECTIVES The objective of the study is To know how the Hospitality Sector of India was affected during recession. To know the current overall industry position and how can it be developed in future. To know the steps taken by the Government of India to curb the effect of recession on Hospitality Industry through its policies. REVIEW OF LITERATURE â€Å"The financial downturn that is impacting developed economies are likely to get worse as the European countries, the US and others go into a deeper depression due to the increase in Job losses which often follows recession.The slump in the market and incr eased job losses will have some important implications for the changing tasks of human resource professionals. As the unemployment continues to increase, HR professionals are likely to be dealing with more stressed employees who are the sole wage earners in their families†. [Mujtaba, 2008} â€Å"The global economic crisis has brought to the forefront of organizations the concepts of viability and survival which at these times can be desperate pursuit.There are three main reactions in organizations, namely the corporate reactions in organizations, namely the corporate reaction to remain viable, the employee reaction to survive the turbulence, and the human resources reaction including recruiting and hiring talent, corporate organization, training and institutional learning†. [Kathleen Patterson & Gray Oster, 2008] In emerging economies, growth is projected to slow down appreciably but still may reach 5. 0 percent in the year 2009. The overall recruitments are lower for t he industry this time as companies remain cautious amidst the global financial crisis. [Srivastav, 2009] METHODOLOGY The data is collected through various sources like secondary data from various magazines, journals, scholarly articles, research papers and various authentic websites of various Hospitality industries. The primary data is gathered by using Interview Method of various VOLUME NO. 1, ISSUE NO. 2 2 ISSN 2277-1182 ABHINAV NATIONAL MONTHLY REFEREED JOURNAL OF REASEARCH IN ARTS & EDUCATION www. abhinavjournal. com hospitality industries? authorities. The data will be analysed by using MS-EXCEL to find out various trends and to draw the graphs for the interpretation of data.The selected respondents will be representatives of the total population. Here the higher authorities of hospitality industries become the population. The questionnaire is chosen as resource to collect the information. Research will be conducted on clear assumptions that the respondents would give frank an d fair answers in a pragmatic way and without any bias. LIMITATIONS The study is limited to major Hospitality Industries of India and the data is limited to 7years. The major hospitality Industries includes Taj Hotel, Kamat Hotel and Leela Hotel.UTILITY The rationale of the study is that there are various factors that affect the Indian economy but the researcher through this study wants to find whether the impact of global recession has affected the Indian economy severely or gradually decreases with new initiative policies. The utility of the study is to know how are the Hospitality industries growing after global recession in terms foreign tourist arrivals, generation of foreign exchange reserves and how are they contributing to the Indian economy in terms of GDP, reduction in inflation, rising of stock markets. FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSIS ?To know how the Hospitality industry of India was affected during recession. Table 1. Growth of the hospitality sector before the recession Nam e of the Hospitality industries Taj hotel Kamat Hotel Leela Hotel Growth of the hospitality sector before the recession Significantly negative Slightly negative No impact Slightly positive 4 4 Significantly positive 5 Interpretation: Before the global recession began, we can see that Taj hotel had significantly positive growth, Kamat and Leela hotel had slightly positive growth. Table 2. Effect on the operations of your company during recession.Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Operations of Hotels in Crores Taj Hotel Kamat Hotel Leela Hotel 699. 16 45. 86 123 873. 24 48. 04 154 1127. 57 56. 98 112. 34 1617. 31 124 158 1823. 16 152. 67 125 1534. 03 112. 68 133. 09 1520. 36 134. 08 145 ISSN 2277-1182 3 VOLUME NO. 1, ISSUE NO. 2 ABHINAV NATIONAL MONTHLY REFEREED JOURNAL OF REASEARCH IN ARTS & EDUCATION www. abhinavjournal. com Interpretation: The operations of the hotels from 2004-2010 vary mainly due to global recession and terror attack on Taj and Oberio hotels in 2009 which s ent threat waves to the world.Most of the customers and shareholders became unemployed due to cost cutting and there was huge downfall in the financial market. ? To know the current overall industry position and how can it be developed in future. Table 3. Changes in the number of employees during the recession. Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Number of Employees of in thousands Taj Hotel Kamat Hotel Leela Hotel 7609 4200 4500 8005 5000 6000 7500 6500 7500 6405 6700 8400 6700 7600 8600 4300 5000 5300 6500 6800 6700 Interpretation: The average number of employees during the recession in Taj Hotel is 6568, for Kamat Hotel is 5971. 429 and Leela Hotel is 6714. 86. As per the table, in the year 2009 the number employees in Taj, Kamat and Leela hotels are less compare to other years. The change in number of employees in the hospitality sector during the recession was due to sudden reduction in creation of employment; new appointees to the organisations were sent back home with adv ance 3months salary due to company policy of cutting costs and salary of many employees were reduced by 20% of their actual salary. Table 4. Taxes paid by the company during Global Recession Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Taxes paid by the hospitality sector in Crores Taj Hotel Kamat Hotel Leela Hotel 35. 2 4. 12 34. 33 88. 22 7. 40 33. 77 13. 35 8. 10 23. 04 12. 43 11. 03 34. 44 13. 45 67. 29 43. 35 15 31. 8 25. 89 25. 07 55. 55 30. 09 Interpretation: As per the data , the taxes paid by the hotels vary from 2004-2010 as the operations and sales slowed down due to global recession and terror attack on Taj and Oberio hotels in 2009 . In the year 2005 the taxes paid were very high as we had high tourists inflow from both inbound and outbound. VOLUME NO. 1, ISSUE NO. 2 4 ISSN 2277-1182 ABHINAV NATIONAL MONTHLY REFEREED JOURNAL OF REASEARCH IN ARTS & EDUCATION www. bhinavjournal. com Table 5. Net profit of the company during the Recession. Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201 0 Net Profit of hotels in Crores Taj Hotel Kamat Hotel Leela Hotel 60. 65 0. 70 11. 78 105. 86 6. 97 21. 35 183. 78 4. 069 105. 98 322. 39 15. 57 110. 07 580. 47 27. 40 134. 08 107. 11 5. 66 50. 78 153. 10 7. 08 154 Interpretation: As per the data , the net profit earned by the hotels vary from 2004-2010 as the operations and sales slowed down due to global recession and terror attack on Taj and Oberio hotels in 2009 .In the year 2008 the profit earned by most of the hotels was very high as we had high tourist? s inflow from both inbound and outbound. Table 6. Investments made by the company during the recession Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Taj Hotel 600. 83 607. 01 656. 57 962. 81 977. 58 1182 1169 Investments in Crores Kamat Hotel Leela Hotel 0. 17 117 0. 164 124 0. 163 135 3. 98 156 15. 08 147 25. 07 126 74. 70 112 Interpretation: As per the data, investments made by the hotels vary from 2004-2010 as the operations and sales slowed down due to global recession and terr or attack on Taj and Oberio hotels in 2009 .In the year 2007, 2009 and 2010 the hospitality sector had to investment more on assets in order to earn more customers and to generate employment Table 7: Number of tourist passengers in India during the recession Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Number of tourist arrivals in India Including Inbound and Outbound Taj Hotel Kamat Hotel Leela Hotel 1234153 967494 550000 297538 192061 290000 1710434 1594735 1650000 828695 488491 385000 156370 289915 158000 360971 590286 490000 2129544 1371613 1470000 ISSN 2277-1182 5VOLUME NO. 1, ISSUE NO. 2 ABHINAV NATIONAL MONTHLY REFEREED JOURNAL OF REASEARCH IN ARTS & EDUCATION www. abhinavjournal. com Interpretation: The number of tourist arrivals during the recession vary year wise. In the year 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009 the number of tourists in India from both inbound and outbound are less compare to other years. This decrease was due to slow down of business in Indian and foreign Market, high a ttrition rate, unemployment, reduction in pay scale, no incentives and cost cutting.Due to these reasons tourists could not afford to travel either for business or for holidaying with family. Table 8. Effect on the remittances/ foreign currencies during global recession Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Remittances of foreign currencies from hospitality sector in Crores Taj Hotel Kamat Hotel Leela Hotel 245. 03 150. 22 200. 25 300. 50 225 245 315 275 215 275 300 225 345 285. 25 230 200. 02 110. 45 100. 03 445 250 300. 05 Interpretation: The remittances from foreign currencies during the recession vary year wise.In the year 2009 the number of tourists in India from other countries is less compare to other years. This decrease was due to slow down of business in Indian and foreign Market, high attrition rate, unemployment, reduction in pay scale, no incentives and cost cutting. Due to these reasons tourists could not afford to travel either for business or for holidaying with fa mily. Table 9. Affect on the Total assets of the company during Global Recession Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total Assets in Crores Taj Hotel Kamat Hotel Leela Hotel 2371. 11 16. 3 1145 1068. 85 14. 72 1234 4336. 59 11. 78 1156 5242. 55 15. 91 2116 6848. 77 17. 78 4234 9160. 22 13. 09 2349 8646. 01 15. 90 3450 Interpretation: The total assets during 2005 are less compared to 2004. There was increase in investment of assets during 2006-2008 but there was decrease in investments of assets as the operations and sales slowed down due to global recession and terror attack on Taj and Oberio hotels in 2009. In the year 2009 and 2010 the hospitality sector had to investment more on assets in order to earn more customers and to generate employment.VOLUME NO. 1, ISSUE NO. 2 6 ISSN 2277-1182 ABHINAV NATIONAL MONTHLY REFEREED JOURNAL OF REASEARCH IN ARTS & EDUCATION www. abhinavjournal. com ? To know the steps taken by the Government of India to curb the effect of recession on Hospi tality Industry through its policies. ? The hotels Taj, Kamat and Leela strongly agree for the importance of branding of their products during recession. 1. Importance of branding during recession 2. Policies undertaken by Government during the recession period. Looking at the slowdown in tourism sector seriously, the ministry announced Policy measure to promote tourism in the country and it declared year 2009 as Visit India year?. ? Further the Government tried to provide Complimentary services to foreign tourist, involving leading hotels, tour operators in its tourism promotion programs and stressed on providing security facilities for tourist arrivals. 3. Measures or future developments made by your company post global recession. TAJ HOTEL New Properties Opened- The Company? efforts of restoring the once resplendent Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad eventually fructified with the grand opening of the Taj Falaknuma Palace in November 2010, with an exclusive get together of global connoi sseurs of luxury who came together in Hyderabad for this occasion. Expansion in Domestic and International Markets- The Company ventured into new geographies by entering into management contracts in Mexico and British Virgin Islands for development of high end Luxury Resorts.The Company continued its thrust on flagging properties under the â€Å"Gateway† brand in prominent economic, commercial and industrial centres of India by signing management contracts for hotels in Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Kolhapur. It has signed management contracts in leisure destinations such as Shimla and Rishikesh for a Gateway and Vivanta by Taj resort respectively. KAMAT HOTEL Expansion of projects: B W Highway Star Private Limited which is the subsidiary of Kamat hotel has presently two operational hotels at Pune under the brand name „The Orchid? and „VITS? esides restaurants and banquet halls. Management Contracts- the Company is having management contracts for managing hotel propert ies at Aurangabad, Karwar, Udaipur, Delhi and Pune. LEELA HOTEL Expansion of projects – The opening of Gurgaon hotel and residences heralded the arrival of the Company in the Delhi National Capital Region. This property, with 322 guest rooms and suites and 90 serviced residences, is operated under the â€Å"The Leela Kempinski† brand. This contemporary designed hotel with large banquet halls and state of the art facilities has been well received by the business clientele.VOLUME NO. 1, ISSUE NO. 2 7 ISSN 2277-1182 ABHINAV NATIONAL MONTHLY REFEREED JOURNAL OF REASEARCH IN ARTS & EDUCATION www. abhinavjournal. com Marketing Alliances- the Company has Sales and Marketing alliances with Kempinski Hotels, Europe? s oldest Hotel Group, established in 1897, and is also a member of The Global Hotel Alliance based in Geneva, Switzerland, which is an alliance of high profile independent hotels worldwide. The Company has entered into an alliance with Preferred Hotel Group whereby all our hotels from June 2008 have become members of this luxurious collection nder their most premier segment Preferred Hotels and Resorts. This will enable our hotels to acquire greater recognition of this brand in the USA as premium and luxury hotels and would give opportunity to leverage further 29 global sales offices in the USA, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia among others. This will also facilitate our relationship with four of the largest consortia – American Express, CWT, BCD and Hogg Robinson. SUGGESTIONS Need to rationalise the taxation on the hospitality industry.The hospitality sector has to adopt a single luxury tax across the country. To reduce procedural delays a provision of single-window clearances at the local, State and Central Government levels has to be formed. Tax holiday would encourage Foreign Direct Investment in this sector, more players to set up hotels and to bridge the shortage of rooms. Need to provide Capital Investment to the country – The India? s hospitality sector is expected to grow at 8. 8% between 2010-19 and India to get capital investment worth US $ 94. billion by 2019. Measures have to be taken to achieve the expected growth of Capital investment in India. Need for Economic generation to the country-The hospitality industry provides extreme opportunity to India in terms of contribution to its GDP and employment generation. The Government policies should focus at increasing tourist arrivals in the country and facilitate investments in tourism infrastructure, which will lead to significantly higher multiplier effect on the key economic parameters of the Indian economy.Need to generate Strong Sales and Marketing network- The hospitality industry lacks highly trained and motivated sales force in India excluding few hotels like Taj, Oberio and Leela. A Strong sales force always provides extensive reach and penetration in the market. Need to have Strong Food & Beverage Skills: There is a requirement o f strong Food beverage skills in Hospitality sector as it becomes a forte of any hotel or restaurant. This strengthens the hospitality sector to open number of Food and Beverage outlets, in partnership with celebrity chefs.Reduction of Geographical and economic risk. The hospitality sector has to reduce the Geographical and economic risk in order to increase its presence internationally in key gateway cities and resorts in South East Asia and other countries. VOLUME NO. 1, ISSUE NO. 2 8 ISSN 2277-1182 ABHINAV NATIONAL MONTHLY REFEREED JOURNAL OF REASEARCH IN ARTS & EDUCATION www. abhinavjournal. com CONCLUSION Service sector plays important role in Indian economy. Within the Service sector tourism and hospitality industry has more importance about generating employment, yielding foreign exchange.National income growth and providing base to other industries regarding tourism directly or indirectly The demand for travel and tourism in India is expected to grow by 8. 2% between 2011 an d 2019 placing India at the third position in the world. With its close ties to the tourism industry, the Indian hospitality sector is expected to see an estimated investment of USD 12. 17 billion during 2011, and in addition of over 20 new international hotel brands by 2011. Further capital investment in India's travel and tourism sector is expected to grow at 8. % between 2011 and 2019 while India is expected to get capital investment worth US$ 94. 5 billion in the travel and tourism sector in 2019. Foreign tourist arrivals are expected to grow to 10 million by 2012 and the domestic tourism is expected to increase by 15% to 20% by 2015 as per the Ministry of Tourism. Government of India is allowing 100% Foreign Direct Investment in Hotels and Tourism, through the automatic route. This forms as investment opportunity that helps the Indian hospitality sector to contribute Rs. 8,50,000 crores to the GDP by 2020 ( approx. 800 million USD). The Hospitality sector has to initiate a numb er of steps to further strengthen the sales and marketing network in the domestic as well as the international markets by conducting successful road shows in international fairs and. New Personal Relations agencies need to be appointed in international level to achieve step-up media visibility in foreign countries. Over the years the hospitality sector needs to build a large network of partners and associates to participate in its growth as they form an important part of the Hotel/restaurant strategy.To successfully counter the risk from growing competition and the new properties, The hotels and restaurants have to renovate and reposition all their key properties. It should improve its service levels by providing uniform and best service across all their subsidiary hotels. The hospitality sector has to aim for control its operating and financial leverage by expanding through management contracts and leveraging the strengths of their Associates. REFERENCES I. Journals and Magazines 1 . Batra G. S. , Tourism in the 21st century, (1996) Anmol publications Pvt. Ltd 2.Dirk William velde and Swapna Niar, (2005), Foreign Direct Investment, service trade negotiations and development -Federation of Hotels & Restaurants Association of India ltd, Govt. to review FDI in Tourism Sector, News and Features, New Delhi, February 13, (2007), Investment opportunities in Tourism Sector, Government of India portal Investment Commission. VOLUME NO. 1, ISSUE NO. 2 ISSN 2277-1182 9 ABHINAV NATIONAL MONTHLY REFEREED JOURNAL OF REASEARCH IN ARTS & EDUCATION www. abhinavjournal. com 3. Manpower recruitment in Hotel industry, A market plus report of Ministry of tourism, Government of India. . Meyer, D, Foreign Direct Investment in Tourism – The Development Dimension – Expert Advisory Committee (2005- 2006). Funded by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Geneva, Switzerland. 5. Usha C. V. Haley, (2001), Tourism and FDI in Vietnam, Haworth Press, pp 67-90 6. Con ference on Tourism in India – Challenges Ahead, 15-17 May 2008, IIMK 109 II. Websites 1. www. fhrai. com, 2. http://www. investmentcommission. in/tourism. html 3. http://tourismindia. com 4. www. sarkaritel. com 5. www. ar-khil. com 6. www. Ihcl. com 7. www. theleela. com VOLUME NO. 1, ISSUE NO. 2 10 ISSN 2277-1182

Psychological Testing Essay

Individual intelligence tests are of two types; Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test and Wechsler tests. They tests individual’s intelligence in arithmetic, vocabulary, comprehension, verbal amongst other disciplines. Individual tests are mostly used in education placement, clinical assessment and to measure an individual’s skills in the event a wide a large of individuals are being examined (Roid, 2003). Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test is used in testing children that are intellectually deficient in order to place them in the special education programmes. These tests are taken individually. Individual tests are characterized by several advantages; they make it possible for the examiner to interact with the examinee establishing a rapport in which the interaction can be observed and assessed. They also provide information on why some methods and tactics used to measure intelligence fail. Individual tests also make it possible for the examiner to assess a variety of abilities in examinees as it is not restricted. Individual tests provide a better way of assessing children are emotionally disturbed (Roid, 2003). These tests make it possible for assessments to be made on examinees that are in any physical or emotional condition such as tired, sick or anxious. Group intelligence tests involve assessing a series of many different problems in a mass of examinees. They are commonly used in schools and the military. They could be aptitude tests, scholastic assessment tests or tests of cognitive abilities. They are characterised by pen and paper, usually are time limited, involve almost nil examiner to examinee interaction are have multiple choices making them easy to score. They are normally used in school and job placements, and in the study of certain norms or phenomena in a population (Santrock, 2008). Group tests have the advantage of simplifying examiner’s role as they are quick and easy to administer. It is also possible to administer them on simultaneously to large numbers of examinees. Scoring in group tests is more objective as compared to individual tests. Group tests are often non-verbal (Santrock, 2008). Group tests give data that is more reliable as they make it possible for large numbers to be studied which provide good representative of the entire population, the resulting data and conclusion is therefore more reliable as it is more representative of the population than if the norms were being studied in an individual as is with individual tests. 7. The advantages and disadvantages of projective versus objective personality assessment methods Projective personality assessment method is a test that involves use of open-ended questions to examine the person being tested. Projective tests involve questions that are unstructured hence give the person being examined more freedom to respond in the appropriate way as compared to objective tests. These tests normally require the examinee to respond to stimuli that is ambiguous (Hilsenroth & Segal, 2004). It is based on the fact that people respond to stimuli that are ambiguous in ways that bring to light their feelings, desires and needs. The advantage of this method is that makes it possible for the psychologist to study and examine unconscious aspects of subject’s personality. These tests are not transparent hence create no opportunity for subjects to lie or fake their personality traits. The weakness of projective tests is that the collected information is not as reliable and viable as is needed. This is based on the fact that the psychologists that use the method assume that the subjects can not lie about their personality. Analysing data collected by this method can be time consuming and tiring as it needs the psychologist to go through it by himself. New technology such as computer scoring which is fast can not be used in this method (Hilsenroth & Segal, 2004). Objective personality assessment method involves the use of questions and items that are standardized, specific and clear in testing individuals under study. These tests are characterized by limited choice of the examinee’s responses. Most of the questions are designed such that they require yes or no, and true or false responses. Objective testing has several advantages. Objective methods fast to carry out. This is attributed to the fact that the answers required are directive and do not need the respondents to think or expand on the answers giving unnecessary details that waste time (Hilsenroth & Segal, 2004). This enables the data to be collected and analysed within a short time availing results within the required time. This method is also more economical as compared to the projective testing method. This because the questions are easy to prepare and the fact that all they need is yes or no responses implies that they do not require a lot of space. This saves on the cost of printing the questionnaire as less pages are required. The questions are also easy to answer making the researcher to collect the needed data very fast hence does not spend a lot of time in the field which saves money that would have been used on upkeep and transport. Objective test methods also make it possible for technology to be used such as computer scoring which is faster, less tiring and more efficient as compared to projective tests that require the researcher to go through the responses by himself in order to come up with the results ( Hilsenroth & Segal, 2004). . Like any other method, objective assessment methods also have disadvantages. These methods usually involve questions that are transparent which makes the individuals under study to know what the psychologists want to study in them. This makes them lie or forge answers. In the event the individual carrying out the test does not include lie scales which provide information to the researcher on the likelihood of the subject lying then wrong data is collected. This tests also characterized by collection of biased data as it provides opportunity for the subject to respond not the way things are but the way they wish things were. (Hilsenroth & Segal, 2004). The structure of the questions does not allow the subjects to add more information on their yes or no, true or false answers. This could cause the psychologist to miss out o9n vital information. 3. Some of the misconceptions concerning the differences between aptitude and achievement tests. Achievement tests are the common tests that are usually given out in classrooms and educational assessments. They are used to test what an individual can do or what they know. They are usually administered after some activity to test if individuals have grasped whatever was being taught. Examples are classroom quizzes, continuous assessment tests, driving tests, final examinations amongst others. Achievement tests in school are used to determine whether students understand what has been taught, which classes to place them, they are also used to rate schools and predict an individual’s success in certain disciplines in future if they are doing well. Aptitude tests usually are carried out to assess the mental abilities of individuals. These tests based on the concept that innate mental abilities of individuals can be measured. Aptitude tests are usually carried out to test student’s mental ability as they are believed to give a picture of how the student can perform academically. It is believed that those who pass the test qualify academically for what course they are applying for. Examples of aptitude test include SATs. Aptitude tests have been referred to as quality measurement on ones mental ability. However, critics of the concept argue that innate abilities can not be measured hence the test just like any other test is used to measure what an individual has been able to achieve by the time the test is being carried out. The results of this test hence demonstrate the individuals’ achievement in the subjects that were being tested on. This is true in spite of what the subject the questions are testing on. As such, aptitude tests are very much the same as achievement tests. The difference between the two tests however is in the assumption about individuals that take the two tests. With aptitude test, there is a misconception that there is equal opportunity to learn for everyone taking the test. It also is assumed that the interest of individuals taking aptitude test in learning is equal and also in demonstrating the learnt ability on the test. With achievement test it is assumed that the tests usually are based on instructions of a course or on some training that is not necessarily available to all the individuals taking the test. The misconception concerning the difference between the two tests therefore lies in the assumption that there is equal opportunity for passing in aptitude tests while achievement tests can only be passed by those who have access to the course or training instructions. 6. Information is presumably gathered by the typical projective technique Projective techniques are methods of assessing personality traits of individuals that use questions that are unstructured and not specific. The questions used in this technique are not transparent implying that the individuals being studied can not identify what the researcher or a psychologist is looking from them (Lilienfeld, Wood & Garb, 2001). Usually projective technique is used to study response of subjects to questions or situations that are ambiguous. It is perceived that the fact that these situations are not known to the subjects will enable them to respond appropriately without having to lie or change their personality. It is believed that individuals respond to ambiguous situations and questions in an honest way. Their response to these situations that they do not clearly understand brings out their true personality as it there is no opportunity for lie or personality to be altered or changed. Psychologists who use the method to collect information on personality argue that human being’s always respond to ambiguous stimuli in a way that brings out their personal needs, wants, wishes and desires (Lilienfeld, Wood & Garb, 2001). This technique is believed to make it possible for psychologists to assess the unconscious aspect of the individuals being studied character. As such, it provides no room for personality faking. Human beings are believed to have no control over the unconscious part of their psychology. The unconscious aspect of our psychology is believed to be what really defines us in terms of character. Psychologists argue that humans thought, actions hence character originate from their unconscious aspect of psychology. The fact that this technique enables the psychologist to study the subject’s unconscious aspect of personality has therefore been used in gathering personality information. This technique unlike the others makes it possible for individuals being studied to consciously give information that is biased and accurate. The notion that individuals are not restricted in responding to ambiguous has made this method to be used for collecting data on personality. 4. The reasons which dictate that an organization, whether industrial or governmental, to use valid selection procedures for hiring workers. There are several reasons as to why organizations use valid selection procedures for hiring employees. These procedures are useful in the several processes that involve hiring. In selection of employees to hire, the assessment tools that are used in valid selection procedures enable organizations to identify the best individuals for the job as they are able to identify the individual’s character traits that are required of the specific job. An assessment tool that is well properly developed will guide the recruitment team in selecting successful and suitable individuals for the particular occupation and position they are recruiting for. Valid selection procedures also eliminate cases of unfairness from arising making the whole process efficient and professional (Weiner & Graham, 2003). Valid selection procedures for hiring are important in job placement. They enable organizations’ management to assign employees to the right job responsibilities and levels. Assessment helps provide information that enables organizations to make the right decisions assigning of responsibilities which increase performance hence productivity of the organization. Valid assessment procedures are important in training and development of employees. The assessment enables an organization to determine which employee needs what training. The organization is able to know if its employees have mastered training procedures and materials that are vital for operation and running of the organization (Weiner & Graham, 2003). Assessments carried out enable the organization to design or make changes in training programmes so that the most needed ones are given priority. Assessment procedures also enable individual employees to identify their weaknesses hence can embark on self-development. This has positive results as it enables it to have employees that are skilful and well trained hence increasing productivity. Assessment procedures also play a great role in promotion or demotion of employees. The procedures enable the organization’s management to identify employees that have been improving in their performance and skills. Those who possess managerial characteristics or even higher capabilities are identified hence promoted to greater positions that have more responsibilities (Weiner & Graham, 2003). On the other hand, those who seem to making no progress or have decreasing performance are demoted as ant serious organization would not want to have employee especially those holding positions of great responsibility that are not performing. Valid assessment procedures provide a professional and fair way of carrying out promotions and demotions ensuring that the right employees are assigned to the right positions and responsibilities. Assessment procedures are also significant in career guidance and exploitation. These assessments help individuals make not only educational but career choices as well. The assessments make individuals identify the subjects they are good in hence accordingly choose careers that they will be successful in without have to strain their mental capability. The assessments procedures also enable organizations to carry out evaluation of programs. The organization is able to identify programs that benefit employees and those that do not so that it can stop wasting resources on irrelevant programs. Word Count: 2280. References Hilsenroth, M & Segal, D. (2004). Comprehensive Handbook of Psychological Assessment: Personality assessment / editors. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons. Lilienfeld, S. O. , Wood, J. N. , & Garb, H. N. (2001). The scientific status of projective techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 1, 27-66. Roid, G. H. (2003). Stanford Binet Intelligence Scales 5th Edition: Examiner’s Manual. Riverside Publishing, Itaska, Illinois. Santrock, J. (2008). A Topical Approach to Life-Span Development (4th Ed. )Concept of Intelligence. New York: McGraw-Hill. Weiner, I. & Graham, J. (2003). Handbook of Psychology: Assessment psychology. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.

An Analysis of Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd and the Effect of the Credit Crunch on Its Performance

|Dissertation Proposal | |An analysis of Sainsbury’s supermarkets Ltd and the effect of the credit crunch on its performance | |Year: 1 | |Course code:MN5251 | |Assignment No: 1 | |Programme Title: MSc International Management | |Candidate No: 0901143 | | | TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 AIMS OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 LITERATURE REVEIW†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 METHODOLOGY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 PROPOSED CHAPTER HEADINGS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 7 REFERECES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 APPENDIX†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 1. Introduction This dissertation seeks to examine Sainsbury’s supermarkets plc (Sainsbury’s) as a company and how they can use their established brand to branch out and gain potential growth in the industry, and to explore how they are coping with the recent credit crunch. Sainsbury’s has come a long way from being the market leader to dropping to the third position which it is struggling to maintain. This can be attributed to a series of wrong decisions and lack of foresight leading to their current struggles. They suffered from poor management in the past and this has reflected on their effort to catch up with the industry leaders. In addition, because of the recent credit crunch, banks have cut back on lending to both individuals and firms thereby swaying consumers to demand cheaper products and curb their expenditures. A question springs to mind: prior to the crisis, supermarkets have passed on rising food prices to consumers but now more than ever prices are low, so why the sudden change in tactics? Small businesses are going under due to lack of finance which hinders them from competing and offering low prices but this loss to society becomes a gain to the big supermarkets. Does this mean that the supermarket industry has less risk than other industries or has the supermarket industry adjusted strategically to cope with the global downturn? 2. Background of the study Sainsbury’s supermarket, a subsidiary of J Sainsbury plc was first opened in 1869 and is one of UK’s most reputable stores. They own 509 supermarkets and 276 convenience stores around the UK according to their website and are best known for their quality products that are priced fairly. It operates as an oligopoly where only few firms in the industry have majority of the market shares. Historically they have had the advantage of been in the industry a lot longer than its competitors who have now taken over in both performance and market share. Over a consecutive three month period ending in June 2008, Sainsbury’s reported 3. 4% increase in like-for-like sales which exclude fuel. They have recently boosted their ‘basics’ range in order to meet the growing demand and attract new customers. They have promoted their brand with the help of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver In the current economic climate, the supermarket industry seems not to be affected financially by the lack of global credit but they have had to change their operations strategically to meet the demand of customers in the recent economic downturn. The food industry runs a low risk trade because majority of its products are necessities unlike other industries such as the banking sector who have suffered greatly from the credit crunch e. g. Lehman brothers. Across the continent and the UK, supermarkets have not been adversely affected by the economic crisis. Contrary to the recent events, the supermarket industry has in general employed more staff globally than any other sector. E. g. Asda has pledged to employ 7000 new workers in 2009 (BBC), Tesco also plans to take up 10,000 new workers (Sky News). Some of the supermarkets are making plans to expand and open new stores in the current economic climate impaired with lack of credit. Companies have had to improve efficiency in order to minimise their cost and to increase profitability. 3. The Aims of the research project are to: †¢ Provide an assessment and summary of Sainsbury’s supermarkets plc: -using financial, operational and business performance analysis to compare them against their competitors. †¢ Analyse its position in the industry before and during the credit crunch: – they are currently experiencing increased sales during a recession. †¢ Investigate the reasons why Sainsbury’s is not the market leader: – they were the pioneers of the industry and now they are struggling to maintain third position ranking. Put together recommendations for Sainsbury’s on opportunities available to them that could lead to potential growth and increase customer loyalty: – suggest poss ible solutions and strategies that could help rebrand and reposition them in the industry. Personal aims include: †¢ Gaining more knowledge and skills in performing research through various techniques. †¢ Complete a compulsory component to secure an MSc degree in International Management. The objectives of the research project are to: †¢ Evaluate the supermarket industry. †¢ Examine the role of Sainsbury’s in the industry. †¢ Establish if there are still market growth opportunities. †¢ Accessing the impact of the credit crunch on the industry. Reason behind the recent increase in sales during the credit crunch. †¢ The effectiveness of their marketing strategy and its impact on their sales. †¢ The role and contributions of operations to Sainsbury’s. 4. Literature Review and limitations of the study Sainsbury’s has recently been losing customers to discount stores like Aldi and Lidl who offer lower value products at cheap pr ices and since then the company has rebranded and improved on its financial and operational performance but has still not caught up with the market leader. Their own brand ‘basics’ is a core strength to the business but they seen to be losing the battle of drawing consumers to purchase upscale and premium products from them. Sainsbury’s grew rapidly after its first store was opened but suffered great losses after the Second World War when turnover fell drastically but the company evolved and grew once again till they experienced a change in management style in 1992. David Sainsbury and his successors made great decision mistakes under their administration including the rejection of branching into non-food retailing amongst others. During this downturn, their competitors grew rapidly. An opportunity that needs s to be explored is the increase in demand for organic products while striving to minimise the threat of their lack of international market exposure. It is important to point out that porters 5 forces has some weakness of been static, lacks guidance on how to define an industry and not forward looking. With these flaws, it is also considered to be a useful tool in identifying threats to profitability, strategic planning to outperform rivals and helps to identify less competitive segments. A limitation to the report will be the sample size used which will be small compared to the total population and maybe income, age and taste sensitive. The result from the survey will be biased because it will be focused in the south west region of the UK and only few stores will be used. 5. Methodology and methods The research aims will be achieved with a combination of primary and secondary research 5. 1 Literature review The research method will be reviewing the literature on the supermarket industry with its focus being on Sainsbury’s. This will be achieved from the use of secondary data collected from textbooks and journals through Royal Holloway university library and other relevant resources including the use of commercial databases and internet search engines. The dissertation will adopt a case study method. 5. 2 Data collection and sample This report will use qualitative and quantitative data as sources of primary research. An analysis of original documents will be utilised including carrying out a small sample survey of 30 individuals each for Sainsbury’s and its competitors. This will entail the use of questionnaires with closed questions imputed into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Telephone and face-to-face interviewing techniques will also be used based on having good and reliable contacts within the companies. Data will also be gathered from electronic sources, books, journal articles; news achieves and interviews to. 5. 3 Data analysis A categorisation approach will be adopted where all data collected are grouped according the topic area best suited for its analysis. This report will examine the financial and operational performance of Sainsbury’s in comparison with its competitors. The use of financial information gathered from secondary research, Sainsbury’s and its competitors (such as audited reports) which are less biased will be used to measure the performance of the business. The financial performance will be evaluated using the following: Ratio analysis, Competitor analysis and Financial statements. The operational performance will be analysed by studying the following: Distribution networks, Product quality, Pricing strategies, Promotion strategies and Store location. The report will use the 4-stage model theory to rate the position of Sainsbury’s operation. This will determine where they fit into the model and how to further develop other aspects of their processes which could act as a support to gaining competitive advantage. Strategic analysis theory will be used to evaluate the strategic position of Sainsbury’s in the supermarket industry. These theories will include: Swot analysis, Pest analysis, Porter’s five forces and Risk analysis. The Sources Sainsbury’s website, Tesco, Asda and Morrison’s website, Textbooks, Journals, The World Wide Web, Databases, Royal Holloway University, News achieves and MINTEL. 6. Proposed chapter headings Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Background Chapter 3: Literature review Chapter 4: Methodology Chapter 5: Research results and analysis Chapter 6: Conclusion and recommendations References and appendices References Collin Fisher 2007. Researching and Writing a Dissertation: A Guidebook for Business Students. Prentice Hall BBC online Asda creating 7,000 new UK jobs http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/business/7855482. stm Accessed 28/01/2009 Datamonitor, August 2008. Company Spotlight: Sainsbury’s http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/pdf? id=22&hid=16&sid=fc656bea-c31c-4043-bbc3-82640ca0cf52%40sessionmgr7 www. sainsburys. co. uk Wheelwright, S. and Hayes, R. (1985) Competing through manufacturing in Harvard Business Review, (Jan-Feb), pp. 99-109. Sky News Tesco to create 10,000 new j obs http://news. sky. com/skynews/Home/Business/Tesco-To-Create-10000-Jobs-But-Posts-Poor-Christmas-Sales-Figures/Article/200901215202210. Accessed 20/01/2009 Appendix Timetable of dissertation 30th of January, 2009: proposal deadline February 2009: – week 1-2: collect literature papers – week 3-4: review research methods literature and research strategy March 2009: – week 1-2: design questionnaires forms – week 3-4: examine literature review April 2009: week 1-4: contact company to make appointment schedules – week 3-4: revise the questions of questionnaires May 2009: – week 2-3: formal proceeding with questionnaires – week 4: final collection of questionnaire and analyse of primary data from the case company June 2009: – week 1-4: start writing dissertation – week 1-4: keep refining dissertation writing and start to finalise dissertation write up July 2009: – week 4: start proofreading, finalise dissertation wri te up – week 4: buffer for contingency and start up the plan of dissertation binding August 2009: – week 1: finalise dissertation binding – week 2: preparation for submission deadline

Our Children and the Avalanche of Crud

In the essay â€Å"Buried Alive: Our Children and the Avalanche of Crud†, David Denby argues that pop culture is distinctive and damaging to children in the United States today. Pop culture is damaging because media has changed to become three- dimensional, inescapable, omnivorous, and self-referring. Media, according to Denby is everywhere; you cannot step away from the system of it. It has been known to be a commercialized aggression that puts parents on defense. Children now days have become commoditized towards television because they are being sold.Children are being treated as objects because of how television is influencing them. Television is teaching a child that is it cool to be vulgar. Denby suggest that vulgarity is a concept children do not understand because the makers of commercial cultures teach them not too. Denby argues that the old dream that parents and teachers would nurture the development of a child is now lost. Media has taken over the parental role bec ause it is teaching children negative concepts and parents do not have control over this.Irony plays a part in this aspect because this is a form of commodity. Media does not only influence children through television but also through the products that you can buy in store or online. I agree with Denby because television shows have taught children to become vulgar and stereotypical. Television shows have become increasingly influential towards children because it has been teaching children about vulgarity and stereotypes in a negative way. In the article, â€Å"Why Greek Girls are Tired of ‘Big Bang' Bullshit,† Kristy Pirone analyzes the elevision show The Big Bang Theory.The Big Bang Theory according to Pirone is a sexist and stereotypical television show that portrays men to hold a higher archery towards women. Pirone identifies this show by being sexist because â€Å"†¦ Lit] accepts the idea that only men can be â€Å"geeks† with open arms. † Chuck Lorre created The Big Bang Theory, the same man who created Two and a Half Men. Lorre is known to create shows with perpetuating stereotypes that could be insulting to men as well as women. These shows are constantly reducing women to nothing more than sex- providers and men to predatory creeps.

Financial Ratio Analysis for BAE Systems Plc Case Study

Financial Ratio Analysis for BAE Systems Plc - Case Study Example After the September 11 tragedy which shocked the global business environment becomes a grim reminder for nations to improve their defense systems. BAE Systems Plc (BAE) traces its origin to the 7.7 billion merger of Marconi Electronic Systems which is the defense electronics and naval shipbuilding subsidiary of the General Electric Company Plc and British Aerospace which specializes in the manufacture of aircraft, ammunition, and naval systems. Out of these prestigious business organizations, its establishment in 1999 equipped with a unique competitive advantage which enables it to position itself as the third largest global defence company and sixth largest US defense company employing 97, 500 highly skilled people. Financial ratio analysis is a very essential tool in assessing the financial health of a business entity. It enables a financial analyst to spot trends in a business and to compare it with the performance of similar business enterprises within the same industry. This tool is currently utilized by business managers, investors, creditors, suppliers, and other decision makers in order to determine the financial performance and well being of a business organisation. ... These are profitability ratios, financial leverage ratios, liquidity/solvency ratios, and efficiency ratios. In order to get a deeper insight of BAE's financial performance, its computed financial ratios will be benchmarked with its competitor's Cobham Plc. The rationale of choosing these two business organizations is simple. It should be noted that both of them are regarded as important players in the global pharmaceutical industry. Being in the same line of business and the same industry, it is right to assume that BAE and Cobham Plc both face the same challenges and opportunities in the sector under consideration. This assumption justifies the comparability of their financial performance during the fiscal years. 2.1. Profitability Ratios Profitability ratios measure the ability of the company to generate income from its investments less the costs incurred (Fraser & Ormiston 2004). The ratios computed for this category are return on capital employed, sales profit margin, and return on equity. Return on capital employed is a variant of return on investment which measures how well the company is utilizing its capital. The computed sales profit margin, which is the ratio of operating income to sales measures as a percentage of sales, show the excess revenue from sales over cost of normal operation excluding financing. On the other hand, return on equity measures how much wealth is created for the company's stockholders for every shares that they have on hand (Fraser and Ormiston 2006). Logically, higher performance ratios indicate a healthier financial condition. Table 1. Profitability Ratios Comparison Table 1 shows the comparative profitability

Data Quality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Data Quality - Research Paper Example The nurses do not have to spend time in noting down the details of the patients manually, rather the data entry process becomes easier and faster for the healthcare staff (Hibbard, 2003). When data are of poor quality, there are chances of errors occurring and this causes adverse incidents to take place. The patient’s safety and health is affected as a result and this also causes the costs of healthcare to increase. The healthcare organization has to also face hindrances in information exchange (Loshin, 2007). For promoting high quality healthcare data, recommendations can be to set standards the content of data, how the data should be mapped and documented in the system of the healthcare organization. Strategies for continuous improvement of data collection should be implemented and this could mean that research and development should always be taking place. Data should also be collected and noted at the point where the patient has been treated so that the results can be compared with future cases. The patients should be educated as well for realizing the importance of accurate data provided by them (Hibbard,

Week 5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 5 - Assignment Example such as there is no positive outcome of resolving the conflict, it is too trivial, disruption would prove to be very costly, etc mangers tend to use the avoiding style of conflict management (Schyns & Hansbrough, 2010). Hence, it is first important to understand why the manager is avoiding conflict before confronting them. With the exception of the above two cases, an employee must confront the manager if a conflict is being avoided. It is very important for an employee to trust and believe in his or her manager. It is only when an employee trusts the manger to act in the best interest of the employee that he or she can dedicate completely and work for the manager. In the absence, of this trust an employee will not only lose confidence but also be de-motivated. This will affect both the performance of the employee as well as the overall output of the team. This attitude of the manager to avoid conflicts can disrupt the dynamics of a group as employees do not feel recognised or rewarded with respect to the work they do in comparison with other employees. This can further escalate the conflicts in a group. Also, the feedback given by a conflict avoiding manager can be very diplomatic and does not serve the purpose of a feedback. Employees need to have a clear understanding of where they stand in the workplace and how they can improve. This cannot be accomplished with a diplomatic feedback. Therefore, it is important that an employee confronts a conflict avoiding