Human Resources in action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Resources in action - Essay Example One of the main processes in the recruitment process is the selection process. The Selection process refers to the exercise of matching an organization requirement with the right skills and qualification of the people. The paper will identify two of the sources that Four Season Hotel can use to recruit the right candidate for a front desk receptionist position and the step that can be used to ensure the best candidate is selected. There are two main method of recruitment available to Four Season Hotel; one, the hotel can advertise the position to the existing employees. Another method that the hotel can use is the external source, for example, posting on job portals. Both methods have advantages and drawbacks. First, advertising the Front desk receptionist position to the existing employees is cheaper and less time-consuming (Catano, Fitzgerald, Hackett, Wiesner, & Methot, 2009). Companies spend a lot of money on advertisement for new positions. The Hotel will drastically reduce this cost since the information can be easily circulated in the organization. The Hotel also has a unique culture and hence hiring an existing employee drastically reduces the in job training costs. Hiring the existing employees, ensure that the organization culture is maintained. It is of paramount importance for the employee to give personalized services to the guests and treat them with respect and dignity. And given the front desk receptionist will be welcoming and handling the guest most of the time, it is vital the receptionist to have good understanding of the company. Not only does internal advertising maintains organization culture but also builds a strong relationship among employees. It also motivates the employees. Internal hiring will ensure that the employees build a strong relationship with themselves and management. The hotel mission and vision statements will be well understood by the employees. Furthermore, the employees are motivated to work hard so that

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior Essay Example for Free

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior Essay â€Å"Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior†, is an article written by the 48-year-old lawyer and mother Amy Chua. The article is published in The Wall Street Journal on January 8th in 2011. In the article Amy Chua focuses on how the western parents up bring their children versus how the Chinese parents up bring their children. The receivers of the article are the western parents because she wants them to lean from the Chinese parents. Though the whole article Amy is subjective but because of her education she also seems reliable. By using the appeal form logos she refers to studies that compares the Chinese children and the western children ´s academic skills, where the result is that it ´s the Chinese children who are the wisest. The Chinese parents spend ten times more on academic activities with their children than the western parents. A fact which Amy does not mention in the article is that the Chinese children aren ´t free to spend much time with their friends and that can affect them negatively. Through the whole article Amy argues for that the way Chinese parents up bring their children is better than the western parents – therefor the title which also arouses much attention because the article was published in a newspaper which is only published in Western countries. The main statement is that the Chinese parents demand a lot more of their children when it comes to logical skills. For example Amy Chua says â€Å"Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they believe that their child can get them.[1]† followed by another statement â€Å"By contrast, I don’t think most Westerners have the same view of children being permanently indented to their parents.[2]† Indirectly Amy Chua says that the western parents are over-fond. Amy means that the western parents do not believe in thei r children. She emphasizes that the western parents should use more punishment and in general there should be more discipline. According the Chinese parents is the second best just not good enough. For example Amy Chua says â€Å"If a Chinese child gets a B – which would never happen[3]†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which shows that only straight as is good enough and everything under A would be a disaster. The Chinese parent’s reaction is a complete contrast to how the western people would react. The western parents would support their children even though they get very low grades. Seen from Amy Chua ´s perspective are the western children lazy and not good enough. It ´s like Amy thinks that she and the rest of the Chinese parents have found the perfect formula to up bring children. A very important value for the western parents is that their children also must spend time with their friends and have fun. Amy points out that nothing is fun until you ´re good at it. But if the child does not like to play the certain instrument and wants to join a football team or something likely that would neither be okay because it is the parents who decide what fun is for the child. If Amy Chua ´s children had been asked – Amy already had made the decision for them. The Chinese children does not have the same kind of freedom as any other child because their tiger mothers already have set straight lines for their life. The children are not allowed to take care of their own lives. The social qualities are being sat lowest on the list of values. The social qualities should in a modern society be more important than being good at playing the piano. In many ways it can seem right that logical skills are important now and in the future but if Amy and the rest of the Chinese parents do not accept their children ´s individuality something is completely wrong. It ´s kind of like that the Chinese children only keep improve their skills because they wants to make their parents happy which put a stop to their own happiness and goals in life. Amy Chua tries to understand the western way of upbringing but through the whole article she is pro the so-called â€Å"tiger mother technique†. Amy wants the western parents to learn something from the Chinese parents because then we could have a lot more genius people based on the result in Asia. Amy is so focused on good results and success that she forgets the social values and happiness – she overlooks her own mistakes. Her children have might never been to a birthday party after school or in the cinema with their friends – they have not experienced the social spirit which lead to loss of social values like friendship, love and free choices. There are a lot of ways and hundreds of different methods to up bring children and none of them are better than other because it ´s a very individual thing from family to family. Some people would perhaps find Amy Chua ´s formula interesting and some would say that it is a disaster. Medias, friends, family, magazines or whatever influences on how a certain mother and father decides to up bring their child/children and there will always be mistakes – for example: the western children are too lazy and Chinese children have lack of social skills – but that does not make one of them better than the other one.

Weaknesses of Esther and Plath Exposed in Sylvia Plaths The Bell Jar E

Weaknesses of Esther and Plath Exposed in The Bell Jar   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The glass of which a bell jar is constructed is thick and suffocating, intending to preserve its ornamental contents but instead traps in it stale air.   The thickness of the bell jar glass prevents the prisoner from clearly seeing through distortion.   Sylvia Plath writes with extreme conviction, as The Bell Jar is essentially her autobiography.   The fitting title symbolizes not only her suffocation and mental illness, but also the internal struggle of Plath's alter ego and novel protagonist Esther Greenwood.   The novel illustrates the theme confinement by highlighting the weaknesses of both Esther and Plath.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Esther's first statement, "It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs"   (1) sets the tone for the novel and establishes her preoccupation with death.   She alludes to no remorse at the loss of life but rather concentrates on the wonder of execution. This style allows the reader to see the development of confinement; that is, Esther's preoccupation with death entraps her within herself.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is perhaps her over-analysis of situations that causes the manifestations of her psyche; she consistently volleys between multiple possibilities, searching for the most fruitful option.   The novel's theme is consistently shown as a mental battle of Esther versus herself, a direct result of her mental illness.      It is obvious that Esther is at a crossroads and feels torn by life.   She best describes her feelings with the following passage:   "I saw myself in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose.   I wanted each a... ... her a strong person.    Works Cited and Consulted: Brennan, Sheila M. "Popular Images of American Women in the 1950's." Women's Rights Law Reporter 14 (1992): 41-67. Bronfen, Elizabeth. Sylvia Plath. Writers and Their Work. Plymouth, UK: Northcote, 1998. Evans, Sara M. Role Models of Women in America. New York: Free-Simon, 1989. Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. Twentieth Anniversary Edition. 1963. New York: Norton, 1983. Nizer, Louis. The Implosion Conspiracy. New York: Doubelday, 1973. Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar. 1963. London: Faber, 1966. Radosh, Ronald, and Joyce Milton, eds. The Rosenberg File: A Search for the Truth. 1983. New Haven: Yale UP, 1997. Stevenson, Anne. Bitter Fame: A Life of Sylvia Plath. London: Viking-Penguin, 1989. Wagner-Martin, Linda. Sylvia Plath: A Biography. New York: Simon, 1987.   

Movie Genre

Amanda Oman HUM 1900 Research Paper Dredd: Judge, Jury and Executioner In a dystopian era plagued by radiation, Dredd is one of the Judges, which is the only presence of law in the land. The most feared of all Judges, Dredd is on a mission to stop the distribution and use of a new drug, â€Å"Slo-Mo†. While training a new Judge, Dredd and his trainee are caught in a slum apartment where a drug lord, Ma-Ma, has gained control over almost all of the inhabitants. The two Judges must fight for survival when the futuristic apartment building’s security is taken over by the drug lord with one mission: to kill Dredd and save the business.Films are generally pretty personal things. What one person loves, another may hate, and there are many concepts that can or cannot be included to create the desired effect. Regardless, there are a few things a film needs that everyone can agree on; an interesting plot, believable characters, captivating dialogue, a realistic set design, and m ust have a destination (and get there in a reasonable time). Dredd accomplishes all of these with ease, and was a film worth seeing. The plot is pretty basic, and while the basic idea of clashing with authority and who will prevail isn’t relatively new, Dredd presents the concept in a fresh way.Thrilling and suspenseful, Dredd is very well written and captivates the audience. NPR reviewed the film, stating, â€Å"Dredd works because it's an action flick with wide appeal that takes risks it doesn't need to – in its delightfully off-putting violence and daring style – and those choices pay off in a singular and exhilarating movie experience. It's savage, beautiful and loads of fun. (ARNOLD)† Taking something so extraordinarily simple and making a masterpiece is what Alex Garland, the writer, has done. While there seems to be a constant flow of action scenes, the rising action isn’t typical backstory stuff.It offers the pertinent information, but in a n energetic way. The climax is certainly the definition of, with more guns and ammunition than you can shake a stick at. Dredd lacks in the falling action, but after the previous high point, any more action may border on too much. Judges are self-described as â€Å"Judge, Jury and Executioner†, being given the power to determine charges on scene, and execute the appropriate punishment immediately. This kind of power is overwhelming and one would expect anyone in this position to be a bit arrogant and demeaning.This demeanor is shown exceptionally well by the Judges at the end of the movie. Many are on Ma Ma’s payroll and corrupted Judges are aplenty. These characters act, as one would expect, prompting the audience to feel a bit of animosity towards them: aptly so, since they are part of the villainous crowd. With a plot as dramatic and intense as Dredd’s, the set must be equally astonishing. Set in a futuristic time, after bouts of radiation, Mega-City One look s drastically different than Earth in present day. Shooting in South Africa provided plenty of vast land to create the perfect set that accurately portrayed the ‘goings-on’.The set is authentic and eerie, and strangely draws you in to the point that when you leave the theater, you wonder where all of the sunlight came from. This kind of believable set makes the movie experience that much more enjoyable. â€Å"I am the law†. Potentially one of the most raw lines in the film, this is the overall theme of the Judge’s attitudes. Being a drama, the film must deliver dialogue that is as captivating as the other elements of the film. Audiences love wit, one-liners, and humor, of any variety. Christy Lemire, from Rotten Tomatoes states, â€Å"A wickedly dark comic streak breaks up the vivid violence. LEMIRE) (ARNOLD) (LEMIRE; WATERCUTTER)† While pretty dry, the humor exists in the form of simple lines, delivered mostly by Dredd himself. But, in fact, the mo vie is devoid of too much dialogue, giving the audience the ability to absorb the beautiful set and the extreme action shots that seem to never end. Dredd could have offered more in the way of ‘captivating dialogue’, but Karl Urban, who plays Dredd, makes up for it with the delivery, using his raspy, Clint Eastwood-like voice. Perhaps the most important part of the movie is the plot, and how the movie reacts and evolves around the plot.The natural progression of things, the speed of that progression, and the in-betweens of the plot are all extremely important in holding the audience’s attention and not boring them half to death, or leaving them in the dust, confused. Dredd’s plot is pretty simple; stay alive in a post-radiation era while trying to solve a crime and bring down a drug lord. With the wrong writer, Dredd could be very short, and very boring. However, Garland creates intensity and draws the viewer in with numerous action scenes and suspense wit h not knowing if they will survive or not.Wired. com calls Dredd, â€Å"a fantastic action spectacle set against the back drop of two people trying to escape hell on Earth. There are massive bombtastic fights, near-death face offs, and bro-ing out between new BFFs Anderson and Dredd. (WATERCUTTER)† The climax is reached in due time, with an ending that, as a viewer, you can’t help but shout a little â€Å"hoo-ra† at. Dredd is strong on the dialogue and characters, but shines on the set and plot areas. An astonishing set and a plot with non-stop action make Dredd an intense film you won’t want to miss.Works Cited WATERCUTTER, ANGELA. â€Å"Review: Dredd 3D Puts Splashy Slo-Mo Spin on Ultraviolence. † 21 Sept. 2012. Wired. Com. 29 Oct. 2012 ;http://www. wired. com/underwire/2012/09/review-dredd-3d/;. ARNOLD, JOEL. â€Å"Nothing To ‘Dredd' About A New Action Adaptation. † 20 Sept. 2012. NPR. 29 Oct. 2012 ;http://www. npr. org/2012/09/20/1 61272582/nothing-to-dredd-about-a-new-action-adaptation;. LEMIRE, CHRISTY. â€Å"Review: 3-D makes beautifully bleak `Dredd' pop . † 19 Sept. 2012. Rotten Tomatoes. 29 Oct 2012 ;www. rottentomatoes. com;.

Fred Stern & Company, Inc.

Fred Stern & Company, Inc. was a rubber importer based out of New York City during the 1920s. This capital-intensive business was in high demand for numerous industries at the time. As such, Fred Stern & Co. relied heavily on lenders to finance its daily operations. In 1924, Fred Stern & Co. approached a finance company named Ultramares Corporation for a loan of $100,000. Before accepting the terms, Ultramares Corp. requested an audited balance sheet to serve as support for the loan.A well-respected accounting firm named Touche, Niven & Co.  had provided assurance for their statement a few months earlier, which allowed the deal to go through. The following year, in January 1925, Fred Stern & Co. filed for bankruptcy and Ultramares Corporation found itself suing Touche, Niven & Co. for fraud & negligence to recover $165,000 lost in the agreement. When reviewing the case thoroughly, there are various red flags, overlooked by Touche Niven that should have been clear indicators of frau dulent reporting by Fred Stern Co. Firstly, when commencing the audit in February, Touches’ auditor Siess had to complete the general ledger & trial balance himself.It had not been posted since the prior April. This resulted in him reviewing some of his own work. Following this event, Stern’s accountant booked an additional entry debiting receivables and crediting sales in the amount of $700,000, more than doubling the accounts receivables account. As an explanation, he claimed that the entry represented December sales omitted from the accounting records. Additionally, while auditing inventory, Touches’ auditor discovered several errors, which caused the inventory record to be overstated by more than $300,000, an overstatement of 90%.Also, while auditing payables, more errors appeared and the auditor discovered that the company had improperly pledged the same assets as collateral for several bank loans. We should also consider the absence of a strong regulatory system at the time as well as the old acquaintance and good relationship between the firm and the client as red flags, which may have led the auditing firm to under-evaluate the risks of the audit. This case led to a long legal battle between the defendant Touche Niven & Co. , and the plaintiff Ultramares Corporation.In the first ruling, the jury found the audit to be negligent but not fraudulent; however, the judge set this finding aside based on the doctrine of privity, which protects auditors from third party suits. Essentially, this ruling states that in common law, only parties of the contract or relationship in place should be allowed to sue and claim damages. Other parties that used the information in the audit report to make decisions did not have an explicit contractual agreement with the auditors. Therefore, a third party could not sue the auditor for damages if the audit report was misleading and caused the third party to lose money.The SEC of 1933 did not hold auditors l egally responsible to these third parties. As we can see, auditing rules have changed quite substantially from the 1920s to today. Following this ruling, the plaintiff appealed the ruling where an intermediate appellate court reinstated the negligence verdict stating that by offering an unqualified report, Touche Niven & Co. had an obligation to Ultramares since they relied on this information to base their decision of lending money to Fred Stern & Co. Finally, Touche Niven appealed the ruling which as a result brought the case to the New York Court of Appeals where a final decision was established.In a unanimous decision, the court, led by Judge Benjamin Cardozo ruled the defendant not guilty based on the same conclusion from the first ruling. He stated that the law should not admit â€Å"to a liability in an indeterminate amount for an indeterminate time to an indeterminate class. † He believed that Touche, Niven was not guilty to third parties because its relationship was with Fred Stern & Co. period. It is important to mention that judge Cardozo went on to criticize the accounting firm for its audit of the Fred Stern Co.financials and that had they sued on basis of gross negligence, they would have been successful. Distinction being the fact that blindly giving assent is as bad as committing fraud. To reiterate, the difference between negligence (which they sued for) itself and gross negligence is in fact a relationship that exist between the parties in dealing. This case established that an auditor could be sued by a primary beneficiary for damages from negligence. A primary beneficiary is a party that has a direct benefit from the audit.Non-privity parties could also sue for gross negligence. This increased the auditor’s legal exposure to third parties. The SEC of 1934 reflected these changes and many others; one significant change was that auditor’s had a much higher litigation risk due to their new responsibility to third parties. The audit report in the 1920’s was very basic. The audit report was titled the â€Å"Certificate of Auditors† and said that the auditors had examined only the balance sheet accounts and these accounts were in line with the explanations and information given to the auditors.It then said that the statement presented a true and correct view of the financial condition of the company. This is very different from the audit report used today. Today, the audit report is much more detailed to help auditors avoid liability. Instead of simply examining the balance sheet, now we audited the balance sheet, income statement, statement of retained earnings and cash flows. Beyond just simply stating that the accounts are in line with the explanations and information received, auditors state that we conduct the audit in line with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards and explain what this means.In the 1920’s, where the audit report would have said that the statements present a t rue and correct view of the financial condition of the company, the report now state that the statements present fairly, in all material respects the financial position of the company, and that the operations and cash flows are in line with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Many changes in the auditing profession have required these changes to avoid confusion from financial statement users.The decision of extending the liability of auditors to third parties had impacts on all parties involved in an audit (accounting firms, audit clients and third-party financial statement users). The question of whether the auditors are responsible for â€Å"socializing investment losses† became important. â€Å"Socializing investment losses and privatizing profits† can be defined as † how businesses and individuals can successfully benefit from any and all profits related to their line of business, but avoid losses by having those losses paid for by society.Privatizing p rofits and socializing losses suggests that when large losses occur for speculators or businesses, they are able to successfully lobby government for aide rather than face the consequences of said losses. â€Å"1 In other words, when losses are occurred by the investors or creditors of an audit client, the auditors would be as liable to them as the audit client itself to compensate for the losses occurred due to misrepresentations on the financial statements or in case of fraud. This is basically what extending the liability of auditors did.The changes in the SEC of 1934 and the new laws that arrived after that, forced certain changes to the way the auditors had to approach their work. It is now their responsibility to ensure that the work being done is enough to provide a high level of assurance to all the users of financial statements. This means ensuring that they do their due diligence, in case that there is misrepresentations in the financial statements audited or fraud and th at they are being sued for gross negligence. The auditors would have to prove that they did the work necessary to provide that high level of assurance.The auditors would also have to be more careful when choosing their audit clients as they cannot chose anyone they are already doing consulting for (remain independent). However, the fact that the consulting firms and auditing firms are now separate for the same client eliminates the â€Å"lowballing† of audit fees. The change to the liability of auditors also impacted the audit clients because they are no longer the only one responsible in case of misrepresentations if the financial statements. However, since the auditing firms no longer â€Å"lowball† their fees, the clients will now have to pay more for the same audit.The change also impacted the third-party financial statement users. They now have more peace of mind when it comes to the information they are reading since they know the auditors know that they have to keep them in mind when doing their audit. This fact is enforced by the idea that the third-parties now have insurance from the auditors that if any misrepresentations occur in the financial statements that incurred losses for the investors or creditors of the audit client, they can now recover some (or all) of it by suing the auditors for gross negligence.The decision of extending the liability of auditors to third-parties was made by courts. This brought up the question: Who should have the authority to chose who should socialize the investment losses? Since the accounting profession is supposed to be self-governing, this question is valid. The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) is the association responsible of their members when they break the code of conduct in Canada. It hands penalties to the members but also sets guidelines as to what is ethically expected of them. However, they do not have the authority to serve as a court because they are not considered impa rtial.An argument can be made to say that the government should protect the investments. The government can do such a thing by developing laws that will help the courts make their decisions. An example of the government making a law to help determine who is responsible in case of fraud would be Bill C198 (the equivalent of Sarbanes-Oxley for Canada). Since it is the courts' duty to â€Å"uphold the rule of law (†¦) and enforce laws in a fair and rational manner†2, it is their responsibilities as impartial party to determine who is responsible for the losses occurred in cases of fraud.When conducting an audit, auditors must ensure always ensure that any and all information influencing third party user’s decisions is included in the financial statements and/or attached notes. To ensure this, the auditor must determine these users. Knowing and understanding the third party users will inform the auditor of management’s desired results and will therefore enable the auditor to conduct the audit more efficiently.For example, a company who is looking to secure new loans will want to minimize the current debt on their balance sheet as well as show a high working capital ratio to ensure their creditors will loan them the desired financing. Contrary to this example would be companies entering the stock market. With the launch of an IPO, companies want to show profitable results as well as increasing growth to ensure a high stock price. This is especially true for companies whose loans are secured by their stock (i. e. Enron with its stock trigger).This stage of the audit planning must be completed/updated every year since management’s goals may vary from year to year. The auditor will then use management’s biases to organize the audit. More experienced auditors will work on the â€Å"riskier† accounts, whereas newer employees will work on the â€Å"less risky† accounts; thus explaining why the junior accountant will b e responsible for auditing the cash section while the senior auditor might work on deferred revenues for a company receiving all of its revenues through exterior funding.Knowing and understanding the third parties’ needs will ensure a more efficient audit. However, even with all improvements made to the accounting world, cases like these still happen today. In a recent case involving a very reputable accounting firm, Ernst & Young, audited fraudulent financial statements of Sino-Forest made their way to the public. Evidently, this led to many losses, specifically for Sino-Forest’s shareholders who investment decision was based on the company’s financial statements.During their audit, Ernst & Young failed to discover that management â€Å"materially overstated the size and value of its forestry assets†. 3 Ernst & Young had to pay a $117M settlement of a shareholder class-action lawsuit. 4 Due to cases like these, changes are continuingly made to auditing s tandards to adopt when new issues surface. The case brought up a possible change: the inclusion of the third party users in the audit report. Evidently, clients would be resistant to this change as it would limit their options.If a client discovers later on in the year a shortage of cash but did not mention a creditor in the audit report, creditors might not want to finance their activities solely on that basis. Furthermore, due to the importance and the quantity of users relying on the financial statements, enumerating all of them in the audit report would be impractical and unnecessary. Auditors need to remain diligent when conducting their work and limiting their responsibilities’ to a specific number of individuals would not benefit the public.We would not want another case like this one to enable an auditor to conduct a negligent audit without suffering the necessary repercussions. In conclusion, the accounting world is an ever evolving practice. New rules and regulation s are approved every year when loopholes are discovered and abused. The accounting profession has surely matured since the 1920s. Who knows what other changes will be made in the future. Maybe auditors will need to disclose a summary of all unadjusted misstatements or even need to create a different audit report for every different user.

Social psychology as it applies in education

Social psychology as it applies in education Social Psychology In any given setting, individuals manifest different behaviors. Variations are observed in the individuals’ abilities to interact with the others, participate in various group discussions, or form intimate relations. The behaviors of some individuals are characterized by high levels of hostility and chauvinism whereas others exercise empathy and tolerance.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social psychology as it applies in education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Social psychology is concerned with an analysis of the different behaviors that are witnessed in different individuals. The social psychologists focus on moral issues like â€Å"stereotyping and discrimination, conformity, obedience, interpersonal relations, judgment and decision-making’ (Samuels Casebeer, 2005, p.73). Of interests are these behaviors that deviate from the expected and morally acceptable behaviors in the so ciety. A social psychologist is mainly concerned with the mysterious behaviors and the factors that contribute to such behaviors. The factors can be within the personality of an individuals as well as the environment from which the individual comes. Social Psychology As It Applies In Education Social psychology applies in the learning institutions as individuals spend much of their early life in such institutions. Some differences in social behavior between males and females are evidenced at the pre-school ages (Barbu, Cabanes, Maner-Idrissi, 2011, p.1). However, many literatures are available that focus on schools as a basis for the development of the human behavior. The learning institutions are typical of a contemporary society in a cosmopolitan setting. The students are often from different cultures, religions, and ethnic communities and the influence of such factors are best evidenced in these settings. A social psychologist will be interested in the kind of interaction among the students of different cultures, gender, ethnic or racial groups. The abilities of a student to participate in teamwork and socialize with the others are observed in the learning institutions. Racial, ethnic, and gender-based discrimination among the individuals can be witnessed in these institutions. Abilities like leadership skills are also identifiable here. In order to identify and explain the different behaviors, the social psychologists must the personality of the individuals and the environment in which they are brought up. It has been observed that our thinking as human beings is greatly affected by our ecosystem (Samuels Casebeer, 2005, p.82). A student’s innate characters like attitude towards the others and his life objectives can explain some of their behaviors. Similarly, the cultural values and norms also affect the reasoning and subsequent unique and mysterious behavior of an individual in a setting that comprises different cultures.Advertising Look ing for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It has been noted that the educators turned social psychologists should focus more on morality when attempting to develop good behavior in the students (Samuels Casebeer, 2005, p.85). The principles of morality can be used as a starting point to examine the factors that can hinder development of ethical behavior in the individuals. It has been stated that the situations surrounding an individual contributes significantly to the behaviors developed by such people. An analysis of the potential influence of such situations may help in managing the situations (Samuels Casebeer, 2005, p.85). Social psychology enables the educators to identify the different abilities in their students in order to provide the best resolution. The different abilities range from gifted students to the special needs students. These individuals need to be handled differently. Much attention should be provided to the students with special needs like the emotionally disturbed. On the other hand, the talents in the gifted individuals should also be cultivated to its fullest. Gifted individuals can be identified through intelligence tests, academic achievements, the student’s creativity, or other observable talents (Cross Cross, 2005, para.4). The special needs students can be identified in a similar manner. References Barbu, S., Cabanes, G and Maner-Idrissi, G. (2011). Boys and Girls on the Playground: Sex Differences in Social Development Are Not Stable across Early Childhood. Sex differences in social development, 6(1). Web. Cross, J and Cross, T. (2005). Social Dominance, Moral Politics, and Gifted Education. Roeper Review, 28(1). Web. Samuels, S. and Casebeer, W. (2005). A social psychological view of morality: Why knowledge of situational influences on behavior can improve character development practices. Journal of Moral Education, 34(1), pp. 73–87. Web.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social psychology as it applies in education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

261 Junot Diaz and Drown Professor Ramos Blog

261 Junot Diaz and Drown Masculinity vs Toxic Masculinity Quick Write You are at your funeral, or the funeral of a man you respect. They say, â€Å"He was a good man.† What does that mean? Write for a couple of minutes on what it means to be a good man. What words come to mind? Masculinity vs Toxic Masculinity What is the difference? Junot Dà ­az (1968) Junot Dà ­az is a Dominican-American writer, creative writing professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and fiction editor at Boston Review. He has won numerous writing awards, including the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Drown (1996)

Absolute Beginner English Personal Information

Absolute Beginner English Personal Information Once English students can spell and count, they can also begin giving personal information such as their address and telephone number. This activity also helps students learn to answer common personal information questions that may be asked in job interviews or when filling out forms.   Personal Information Questions Here are some of the most common personal information questions that students might be asked. Start simple with the verb be  and target simple answers which are shown below.  Its a good idea to write each question and answer pair on the board, or, if possible, create a class handout for reference. What is your telephone number?   -  My telephone number is 567-9087. What is your cell phone number? -  My cell phone / smart phone number is 897-5498. What is your address?- My address is / I live at 5687 NW 23rd St. What is your email address? -  My email address is   Where are you from? -  I am from Iraq / China / Saudi Arabia. How old are you? -  I am 34 years old. / I am thirty-four. What is your marital status? / Are you married? -  I am married / single / divorced / in a relationship.   Once students have gained confidence with simple answers, move on to more general questions about daily life with the present simple  do. Continue with  do you like  questions for  hobbies, likes and dislikes: Who do you live with? -  I live alone / with my family / with a roommate. What do you do? -  I am a teacher / student / electrician. Where do you work? -  I work at a bank / in an office / in a factory. What are your hobbies? -  I like playing tennis. / I like movies.   Finally, ask questions with  can  so that students can practice speaking about abilities: Can you drive? -  Yes, I can / No, I cant  drive. Can you use a computer? -  Yes, I can / No, I cant  use a computer. Can you speak Spanish? -  Yes, I can / No, I cant  speak Spanish. Starting Off Classroom Conversations   What is Your Phone Number? Practice personal information questions by using this simple technique to help students both answer and ask questions.Begin by asking for a students telephone number. Once youve begin, ask the student to continue by asking another student. Before you begin, model the target question and answer:   Teacher:  What is your telephone number? My telephone number is 586-0259. Next, have students participate by asking one of your best students about their phone number. Instruct that student to ask another student. Continue until all students have asked and answered. Teacher:  Susan, hi, how are you? Student: Hi, Im fine. Teacher: What is your telephone number? Student:   My telephone number is 587-8945. Student:   Susan, ask Paolo. Susan:   Hi Paolo, how are you? Paolo:  Hi, Im fine. Susan:  What is your telephone number? Paolo:  My telephone number is 786-4561. What is Your Address? Once students are comfortable giving their telephone number, they should focus on their address. This might cause a problem due to the pronunciation of street names. Before you begin, write an address on the board. Ask students to write their own addresses on a piece of paper. Go around the room and help students with individual pronunciation issues so they feel more comfortable before beginning the exercise. Once again, begin by modeling the correct question and response: Teacher:   What is your address? My address is 45 Green Street.   Once students have understood. Begin by asking one of your stronger students. They should then ask another student and so on. Teacher:   Susan, hi, how are you? Student:  Hi, Im fine. Teacher:   What is your address? Student:  My address is 32 14th Avenue. Teacher:   Susan, ask Paolo. Susan:   Hi Paolo, how are you? Paolo:Hi, Im fine. Susan:  What is your address? Paolo:  My address is 16 Smith Street. Continuing with  Personal Information - Bringing It All Together The final part should make students proud. Combine the phone number and address into a longer conversation asking about nationality, jobs, and other simple questions from information that students have already studied. Practice these short conversations with all of the questions you provided on your worksheet.  Ask students to continue the activity with partners around the class. Teacher:   Susan, hi, how are you? Student: Hi, Im fine. Teacher:   What is your address? Student:  My address is 32 14th Avenue. Teacher:   What is your telephone number? Student:  My telephone number is 587-8945. Teacher:   Where are you from? Student:  Im from Russia. Teacher:  Are you American? Student:  No, Im not American. Im Russian. Teacher:   What are you? Student: Im a nurse. Teacher:   What are your hobbies? Student:  I like playing tennis. This is just one lesson of a series of  absolute  beginner lessons.  More advanced students can practice speaking on the telephone with these dialogues. You can also help students by going over basic numbers in English during the lesson.

Training skills and implications of an aging workforce Essay

Training skills and implications of an aging workforce - Essay Example Majority of organizations remain imprudent at best in their endeavor to supervise their personnel from retirement suitability to time or cost indispensable to fill an empty position. Such entities lack precious information, which is helpful in guiding and regulating future plans to respond to departing workers. Many baby boomers are likely to exit from organizations in the coming years. Upon their departure, they take away valuable knowledge and experience with them, which negatively impacts the organization (Davidson, Lepeak, & Newman, 2007). The ageing population in Europe and other modern nations and its impacts on the labor market with regards to the balance of labor scarcity or the outflow of personnel and likely costs is more than organization’s concern. The debate is dominating the political arena, with economic viewpoints on possible considerations also up-and-coming in the debate. For illustration, a recent report by the OECD laid out policies and punishments for orga nizations for laying-off elder workers. This course of action may have negative effects as it may lessen hiring rates of older workers. From this policy, commendations are clear as to the best kind of employment protection for ageing workers. That is, to increase their employability and increase the range of employment opportunities more generally. Several fields of action are set out, namely enhancing lifelong learning, the adaptation of training methods to the needs of ageing workers, as well as, the promotion of the delayed retirement of this group of employees. Some of the key barriers that may hinder improvement of older workers employability are; poor working conditions, poor or lack of public services to assist aging workers in their special needs, and their lower participation in training. Inflexible working schedules also hamper training needs to increase employability of ageing workers. Sufficient online services may partially fill of the gaps and offer additional services . A recent study of the Glasgow area holds that the use of ICT and online services provided in a community based course to unemployed people empowers them to accomplish high levels of income and skills for future jobs (Cabrera & Malanowski, 2009). Whenever the subject of the ageing population is mentioned, pointers always go for the baby boom generation, which generally refers to people born in 1946 to 1964. These people are likely to exit employment in the coming years. Ageing population is further compounded by attributes of generations following the baby boomers into the workforce, in relation to their volume, enthusiasm and skills. Subsequent generations following baby boom experienced fairly low birth rates, leading to lesser people entering the workforce to fill the gaps left by exiting workers. In addition, the generation X, Y, and Z are associated with high turnover rates. Indisputably, the ageing labor force will impact organizations in different ways, and the impacts depen d on numerous factors. These are such as the present workforce, demographics and future capacity to attract substitute personnel. A critical examination on the potential impact of the ageing workers can aid organizations to initiate practical human

Utility and Demand Theory Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Utility and Demand Theory - Term Paper Example   Marginal utility is an important concept when analysing the demand theory, marginal utility refers to the additional utility derived from the consumption of one extra unit of a good.  Ã‚  From the above chart and table it is evident that total utility increases but at a decreasing rate, this is because there is a decline in the marginal utility or the additional utility gained from the consumption of one extra unit of a good.The utility theory is based on a number of assumptions and they include the following: I. Consumers aim at maximising their utility level. Consumers will prefer more of a good than less. When we have good Y and X the consumer will prefer X to Y or Y to X.IV. If the consumer prefers Y to X, and that he or she prefers X to K then the customer prefers Y to K.V. The consumers experience diminishing marginal utility when the number of units of a good increases  The number of units of goods consumed will be determined by the level of income, the level of income will determine the maximum number of units that can be purchased and therefore this aids in the development of a budget line. The opportunity cost will also determine the number of units consumed of a good, and finally, the number of units consumed will be determined by the level of utility derived. (Neumann, J, 2000)Given two goods Y and X and given that the price of X = 10 and price of Y = 15, also given that the level of income is 150 then the budget line will be determined as follows.

Import and Export Markets in the United Kingdom Essay

Import and Export Markets in the United Kingdom - Essay Example The UK exports most of its goods to Brazil, India, Russia, and China while most of the imports come from china. The use of higher technology manufactured goods has caused a dramatic increase in both exports and imports. However, the recent financial crisis experienced around the world has led to a decline in imports and exports (Reuvid and Sherlock, 2011). In 2009, UK imports and exports totaled to $1,256 billion, which was equivalent to 4.3 of the world trade. The financial crisis has caused a rise in exchange rates of sterling pound, which has caused an 8.6% decrease in exports and 9.1% decrease in imports (Great Britain, 2009). Over the past ten years, the UK has been a net oil exporter, but production has been decreasing consistently over the past years. The oil industry has recorded an average decrease of 5.3% per year in exports. This has converted the UK from an oil export to an oil import land. Oil production in the region is less than demand, which calls for supplements thro ugh increased imports. Imports of other energy sources such as coal, electricity, and gas have increased over the past five years. In 2010, the importation of liquefied natural gas increased to account for 35% of total gas imports, while gas exports have decreased slightly over the same period. Gas has also been increasingly used for electricity supply with the amount required increasing by 47% (Great Britain, 2010). Changes in the financial sector affect business sentiments and investment decisions, which are linked to global trade. Data service exports at the start of 2007 were about 30 billion pounds while imports were about 33 billion pounds. Mid 2008 recorded the peak imports and exports at 40 billion and 34 billion pounds respectively. The rate of imports and exports of data services decreased consistently since 2008 reaching a low of 32 billion in imports and 29 billion in exports in mid 2009. However, an increase was recorded towards the end of 2010 with imports and exports reaching 41 and 35 billion respectively. The deep drop can be attributed to financial crisis experienced during this period. The dramatic drop experienced in 2009 can be attributed to the collapse of Lehman Brothers Company. Global insurance company AIG received below average ratings and mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley was nationalized. These changes caused the drop experienced in 2009. The UK has recorded an increase in intermediate goods trade, with a 40% increase in 2008 for non-fuel products. Production processes are divided between different countries, which have increased the flow of unfinished goods into and out of the UK. Most manufacturing countries have production firms in countries with low labor costs. Products manufactured in these countries are imported as finished or semi-finished goods. The sterling pound experienced strong depreciation between 2007 and 2008. Reports by the Bank of England (2010) suggest that goods and services exports responded differently to the weakening of sterling. Export of goods has been supported by the weakening because export performance is influenced by price. The service industry reported a decrease in exports due to a reduction in global demand. The fall of financial companies reduced the rate of financial service exports, which caused the reduced export services. According to the World Bank (BCC, 2011), trade in professional and technical services has been more resilient than trade in goods during the financial crisis. Most

Phase 2 Individual Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Phase 2 Individual Project - Assignment Example Main Responsibilities of Each Role End User The role of end users especially in information technology (IT) system based development is much vital as they are considered to be the ultimate users of new software on a daily basis. It is the end-users who are aware of the data present in the legacy systems. The primary responsibility of the end-users is to directly interrelate with different computer workstations or terminals in order to effectively conduct their assigned work. The end-users are quite able to differentiate between the formal description and constraints among others for performing their work along with informal practices. Furthermore, they are able to convey relevant valuable information to the users’ representatives relating with the process. In addition, end-users may require participating in the activities concerning Quality Assurance as well. Most importantly, periodically developing functional departments is also viewed to be the other prime responsibilities of the end users (Damodaran, 1996, pp. 363-377). Business Analyst The primary function of the business analysts is to develop means in order to cultivate confidence and respect from both the IT and the business aspects of the organizations. A business analyst is required to understand the stakeholders, employees and customers and their needs ought to be served effectively. Contextually, the most frequent responsibility of the business analysts has been viewed to resolve various problems concerning with the processes and the functions within the organizations while dealing with legacy system development. Furthermore, business analysts are required to combine various functions in order to utilize effective technologies for developing the overall operational procedures. A business analyst is liable to monitor the new IT system after its full implementation (Hernandez, 2012, pp. 1-4). Team Leader The role of a team leader is extremely crucial relating to the aspect of project management . Accordingly, it is necessary that a team leader is flexible in managing his/her team members for successfully completing a project. It has been ascertained that a team leader should perform his or her tasks based on the situations rather than being rigid in following his/her own managing style. Moreover, team leaders should be capable of motivating and encouraging his/her project team. The team leader should be able to control the behavior of his/her project team and support them while performing their respective tasks. The team leader should also be able to promote healthy affiliation among the team members and promote effective communication in order to smoothly achieve the organizational goals. It is worth mentioning that smooth completion of a project largely depends upon the activities that perform by an efficient team leader (Roman, 2011, pp. 1-5). Skills Necessary for the Respective Positions Skills Necessary for End-Users Concerning with end-users skills, high level compet encies and experience are required for adopting as well as exploiting effectual decisions. Moreover, the end-users must possess proper knowledge, know-how and power in order to shape the improvement in accordance with the needs of the organizations. At the same time, the end-users should have the willingness and enthusiasm during the course of the IT development in order to seek

Professional Ethics for Computer Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Ethics for Computer Science - Essay Example Man can live a morally upright living by following these virtues. Duty ethics focus more on man’s â€Å"obligation† and â€Å"duty† to follow what one might think is right, in spite of the consequences that might happen after. A mother may choose to live abroad to provide financial support to her family even if it means sacrificing the love that she should give to her children and other loved ones. A couple may choose to keep their marriage despite the presence of infidelity for the other half. And lastly, the consequentialist ethics deals the opposite of the duty ethics (also called non-consequentialist). In this ethics, a conduct is right if the consequences favor the greater good man. Good world leaders base their decisions on â€Å"who will benefit more† than to â€Å"please all people†. Based from the three ethical strategies, my decisions are mainly based on the consequentialist ethics, or better yet, for the better good of mankind. Although I am not deeply rooted with any religion, cult, or sect, my ethical perspective is based upon my experiences in life. When I was young, I learned the value of telling a white lie, if it means saving my friend from harm. My family has brought me up freely, allowing me to learn from my mistakes and making better decisions in the end. Growing up, I also learned that I can never please all the people around me. My family also taught me the value of decision-making, of weighing things first before acting upon any situation. Having lived in Hong Kong, I’ve seen a lot of people who became successful because they value what is best for the majority, even if it means sacrificing the minority. Enemies will always be there, but true friends, no matter how few or how far they may be, are the ones who keep me my feet on the ground. Having taken up a major related to computers, I feel the need for every individual who use the World Wide Web, and other computer related

Phase 2 Individual Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Phase 2 Individual Project - Assignment Example Main Responsibilities of Each Role End User The role of end users especially in information technology (IT) system based development is much vital as they are considered to be the ultimate users of new software on a daily basis. It is the end-users who are aware of the data present in the legacy systems. The primary responsibility of the end-users is to directly interrelate with different computer workstations or terminals in order to effectively conduct their assigned work. The end-users are quite able to differentiate between the formal description and constraints among others for performing their work along with informal practices. Furthermore, they are able to convey relevant valuable information to the users’ representatives relating with the process. In addition, end-users may require participating in the activities concerning Quality Assurance as well. Most importantly, periodically developing functional departments is also viewed to be the other prime responsibilities of the end users (Damodaran, 1996, pp. 363-377). Business Analyst The primary function of the business analysts is to develop means in order to cultivate confidence and respect from both the IT and the business aspects of the organizations. A business analyst is required to understand the stakeholders, employees and customers and their needs ought to be served effectively. Contextually, the most frequent responsibility of the business analysts has been viewed to resolve various problems concerning with the processes and the functions within the organizations while dealing with legacy system development. Furthermore, business analysts are required to combine various functions in order to utilize effective technologies for developing the overall operational procedures. A business analyst is liable to monitor the new IT system after its full implementation (Hernandez, 2012, pp. 1-4). Team Leader The role of a team leader is extremely crucial relating to the aspect of project management . Accordingly, it is necessary that a team leader is flexible in managing his/her team members for successfully completing a project. It has been ascertained that a team leader should perform his or her tasks based on the situations rather than being rigid in following his/her own managing style. Moreover, team leaders should be capable of motivating and encouraging his/her project team. The team leader should be able to control the behavior of his/her project team and support them while performing their respective tasks. The team leader should also be able to promote healthy affiliation among the team members and promote effective communication in order to smoothly achieve the organizational goals. It is worth mentioning that smooth completion of a project largely depends upon the activities that perform by an efficient team leader (Roman, 2011, pp. 1-5). Skills Necessary for the Respective Positions Skills Necessary for End-Users Concerning with end-users skills, high level compet encies and experience are required for adopting as well as exploiting effectual decisions. Moreover, the end-users must possess proper knowledge, know-how and power in order to shape the improvement in accordance with the needs of the organizations. At the same time, the end-users should have the willingness and enthusiasm during the course of the IT development in order to seek

(business information system) DIRECT LINE reviews and system Essay

(business information system) DIRECT LINE reviews and system aquisition - Essay Example Beal’s (the IT director for the company) strategy the company focuses on building software systems in house rather than outsourcing the development. Therefore, according to his vision the company can do much better by developing products in house. It enables them to get a better understanding of the work domain and the exact requirements of the product. Similarly, in house development will also help in reducing non functional errors, as most of the performance related metrics would be known prior to the coding phase. On the other hand, recently the company has diverted from its long followed strategy of custom made in house products to buying vendor made products. Hence, the company has started to consider outsourcing as an option for the system development and acquisitions. The outsourcing of software products is proven from the fact that Mr. Beal purchased CRM software named Chordiant from a US supplier. Hence, the two system acquisition techniques by Direct Line are classified as in house development and outsourcing. Both have their pros and cons, their importance can only be justified when both the techniques are applied to a business problem. Sometimes it may seem feasible to adopt in house development while in others outsourcing might prove to be more efficient. There are numerous reasons for employing the in house development approach for software systems. These include efficient use of the programming and IT staff. By ensuring that products are developed in house the IT staff is not episodically involved rather they are involved throughout the development process and later in the support process. Other reasons include a better understanding of the problem domain and the associated work areas. Therefore, by developing systems in house the IT department can solve the problem more efficiently. Another benefit from in house development to the company is that the development is incremental and it can be easily integrated with the existing

Affinity Orientation Discrimination Cases Study Essay Example for Free

Affinity Orientation Discrimination Cases Study Essay Imagine that you are a department manager and you find out that a man you work with has become a woman, or you find out a woman you work with enjoys the private company of woman, would these concepts cause you to discriminate against your employees in the workplace? Analysis of case studies, understanding applicable laws, and recommending clearly defined policies for the workplace will assist with understanding and preventing affinity orientation discrimination. It is important in todays workplace to have an intricate understanding of the difference between affinity orientation and the word sex as it pertains to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). The term sex referred to in Title VII represents the gender of an individual employee. Affinity orientation refers to the intimate relationship that an individual may have with another individual of the same gender, or an individuals desire to become the opposite gender, either temporarily or permanently. There are various types of affinity orientation, none of which are protected by Title VII (Bennett-Alexander, 2001 p.243). One example affinity orientation would be a woman who is a lesbian or a man who is gay. It is becoming increasingly popular for men and women to have a surgical procedure performed to become the opposite gender; this too is a form of affinity orientation. Affinity orientation has become a subject of adversity in the workforce as a result of there being little protection against discrimination for employees participating in the various types of affinity orientation. Case study analysis is a method that management can utilize to better understand affinity orientation in the workplace and preventing discrimination. Case Study #1 Michael is employed at ABC Hospital as an operating nurse. Michael had taken a leave of absence from work to have a gender change operation. Upon Michaels return to work at ABC Hospital Michael wanted to be addressed by  the name Michelle. Since Michelle completed the gender change surgical procedures she felt that she had the right to utilize the womens locker room and shower like all the other women employed at ABC Hospital. The male employees did not want Michelle to use the mens locker room because of her gender change. The women refused to share the womens locker room with Michelle, because the women knew of Michelles original gender. At ABC Hospital it is standard procedure for operating room nurses to wear unisex surgical scrubs. Therefore, I do not see the reason why she want use the men locker and shower room. Michelle is not wearing a uniform dress with a cap as a nurse while at work. I feel that she is still considered as a man. Michelle is hoping to file discrimination against her co-workers since having the sex change because no one is accepting her as a female. If she were hired as a male she should not feel discriminatory. I think that she should be accommodated with a locker room and shower that is for either a man or a woman. Case Study #2 Tracy is a lesbian who alleges that she has been denied an internal company promotion due to the fact that her department manager does not want to support her lesbian lifestyle. Mr. Green, Tracys department manager, is accused of discriminating against Tracy by not writing her a letter of recommendation for a promotion. Tracy feels that the excellent yearly performance reviews that Mr. Green wrote for her entitles her to obtain a letter of recommendation from Mr. Green. There are legitimate reasons for Tracys discrimination claim to be denied. Title VII offers protection against discrimination at the workplace; however, Title VII does not protect against affinity orientation in the workplace. There are no federal laws that prevent a person from being fired or refused a job on the basis of affinity orientation. There are however, the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America, that offer freedom of speech, the right to privacy, and equal  protection under law (Bennett-Alexander, 2001, p.243). Tracy does not have a discrimination claim against her department manager Mr. Green as a result of affinity orientation. Tracys supervisor Mr. Green gave her excellent annual performance evaluations that are more than sufficient enough to apply and expect to be eligible any company promotions. Mr. Green is not obligated to give employees letters of recommendation for promotions, transfers, or applications for employment inside or outside of the company where he is employed as a department manager. The company followed all employee performance review procedures correctly. It is standard practice for companies to place the best-suited candidate in vacant positions. The use of employment evaluations ensures that all candidates are given equal opportunity for job advancements. Should Mr. Green have given Tracy poor performance evaluations on a consistent basis, Tracy may have been able to prove a discrimination claim. It is important to have set policies in place to keep employees informed of what criteria must be met for company advancement or promotions. Employment manuals are a suitable method of ensuring that employees are notified of company policies. In an effort to eliminate future claims of discrimination in the workplace relating to company advancement, Mr. Green should have established set policies regarding letters of recommendation. It is recommended that Mr. Green have the employee manual clearly state that department managers are not permitted to write referral letters for employees applying any positions within the company. The policy would be based on the fact that a letter of recommendation made by a department manager could indicate preference in the workplace and unfair advantage for certain employees. Another option Mr. Green could have implemented would be to permit employees to obtain letters of recommendation from sources outside of the company. Outside recommendations could strengthen an employees resume while not creating the opportunity for discrimination in the workplace. An implemented policy that addresses the importance of an employees ability to meet and  satisfy the requirements of the position would lessen the likeliness of a discrimination claim. Regardless of which position the company takes with respect to letters of recommendation, employees would be advised of company policies well in advance of applying for any positions within the company. Taking precautions in the workplace through the use of implemented policies can eliminate potential discrimination claims. Analyzing case studies, reviewing applicable laws, and recommending policies for the workplace are an excellent method of preventing affinity orientation discrimination. References Bennett-Alexander, D. D., Hartman, L. P. (2001). Employment Law for Business (III ed.) Boston, Massachusetts: Mc Graw-Hill Primis.

Critical Self Reflection Of Social Work

Critical Self Reflection Of Social Work As feminist writer Starhawk said, Only when we know how we have been shaped by the structures of power in which we live can we become shapers (Staehawk, 1988) It is essential for every participant of social activity to know our own complex social locations, social position, and identities. By acknowledge how these factors are processed, we could understand what privilege we has hold and what oppression we are involve in order to improve our capacity for social work and practice anti-oppressively in our daily life. Features of Social Locations Our memberships are interactional, they are come into existence in and through relation to one another. (Ringrose, 2002) Knowing what futures of our social locations are and how they are consolidated and changed by each other could improve the depth of our self-awareness and warning us be critical. People usually ask me questions about my nationality, location of hometown, and my occupation when we start a conversation. Therefore, most of time I am identified as a female student who comes from a developing country of Southeast Asia. Broadly speaking, the reason why these questions have been asked commonly during our communication is because of these social location have a same feature which has a huge impact on our behaviors, accents, appearances. In the other words, they are visible and audible for people to recognized and identify. However, compare with these social locations, my political affiliations, religion are more difficult for others to indentify due to the abstraction of these social locations that make them relatively invisible and inaudible. The influence of these social locations are ideological. They have constructed our ideology, social norm and even have shaped our identity. My social locations are various, I am an oppressor while I am oppressed by others. Unde rstanding these features of my social locations could help me to aware the privileges, powers, and injustice that these social locations have been bought to me and to avoid these unfair privilege, power over and subjective feelings of injustice , in order to share power with others and practice anti-oppressively in daily life. Message of Identity from Society As Aristotle has pointed out in his book Politics, Man is by nature a social animal, (Stagiritis, 2000) human being always has demand to connect with others in order to gain a sense of belonging in society. They have been self-locating, identifying others and being identified base on their experience, education, religion, race, gender and more elements of society during their connection which means that our complex identity have been constructed by these elements. As an individual with multi-dimensional identity, I have been received various societal message in my daily life. Some of these messages are relate to my cultural background while some messages relate to other elements. I moved to a capital city which named Kunming from Shilin (a small town of southwest China) when I was young, for the first few days in my new school I wear the traditional Yi costume as what I did in my previous school in Shilin as an Yi people. However, my new classmates gave me a hard time because of I wear a dress with embroidered totem instead of wearing a normal dress as they did; my teacher punished me to stand on a chair with arms extended upwards in front of the entire school because I refused to take off my bracelet on the weekly assembly. Although I spoke fluently Mandarin and had been raised in an urban intellectual family as majority had, most of students even teachers in my new school shown their unwillingness to communicate with me and used your people to separated me from them. In my understanding, the difficulty to fell a sense of belonging and acceptance (James, 1991) causes the feeling of being isolation, it was a societal message about my identity at that time. The message are conveyed to me by isolating me physically and psychologically from the majority. After receiving the message I started to refuse to wear any Yi clothes and accessories to school because the painfulness from being isolated from normal people was unbearable for me as a teenager. During that time, my identity had been adjusted by following the process which has been pointed out by Smith, moving from unawareness and lack of differentiation to ethnic awareness and self-identification (Smith, 1991). Power and Privilege Our society is diverse in many aspects, such as gender, religion, age etc. These differentiations cause(s) fear, mistrust, and hatred (Uvic, 2004 ) and bring us advantage and disadvantage in our life. What is more, these differentiations have been used as justification for holding belief in the superiority of one way of being over another (Uvic, 2004) . We need to understand what type of power has been embedded in our social locations in order to practice anti-oppressively when we face the inequality and unjustice. Being a twenty-one year-old heterosexual female, I have been experienced power-from-within and power-with due to my complex social locations. As being defined as a young people, there are various resources and opportunities out there for me when I need them such as entertainment resources ,education opportunity etc. These elements provide me materially and emotionally supports to help me increase personal power in order to against the oppression from society. However, I should not feel happy with this unequal advantages because this institutionalized ageism does not provide equally opportunity for elder to take part in meaningful social activity or exercise their capacities in socially defined and recognized ways (Muallaly, 2002) . In order to resist privilege and unearned advantage, I have been participated in a volunteer group which works with elder and to power connect with them in order decrease the influences of institutionalized ageism on elder. Meanwhile, as being a heterosexu al female I have holding many invisible and visible privileges. For example, I will not be judged by people if I hand in hand and walk on street with my boyfriend; my sexual orientation will not be treated as immoral or abnormal. There are many social constructions are built base on the assumption that every individuals sexual attractions are to someone of opposite sex. Instead of seeing these privilege as advantage, we should not only see them as social resistances and avoid power-over in our practice, but also respect and support all non-transitional forms of sexuality (Uvic, 2004 ) by following Queer Theory. These unfair and unearned advantages will resist our society to develop comprehensively, humanely and justly and we definitely have the responsibility to be aware of diversity and never assume people around us. Purpose of Social Work It is essential for social worker to know the purposes of this profession because these purposes are the direction for us and provide clients with a constructive solution when we work with them. When I began this course, in my understanding the purpose of social work was improving the physical environment of individual as in a micro level and promote the justice of society as in a macro level. As my learning about this profession has been processing, my ideas of social work purpose have expanded. According to purpose for this profession which is defined by The National Association of Social Workers, the mission is promote or restore a mutually beneficial interaction between individuals and society in order to improve the quality of life for everyone (Dubois, 2004), this profession assists individuals to create a supportive social system that help clients to achieve their personal goals. Dubois and Krogsrud have mentioned about social work purpose in their book Social Work: An Empowering Profession, they said social workers strived to release human power in order to ensure the well performance for individual and to release social power in order to promote social injustice. ( Dubois, 2004) More specifically, the purpose in Micro level is to enhance clients ability for social functioning and to match individuals with favorable resources. From a macro perspective, the purpose is to stimulate the development of social justice. These purposes are leading entire profession to strive to create an better society. Social Justice Social justice is a key point to promote the fairness and equity in our social environment. Depending on the concept of this course, there are some elements which are necessary for social justice to exist. These elements are: acknowledgment of the connections between social with politic and economy (Uvic, 2004 ), awareness of social injustice, action and movement, fairness of policy, and equality of social opportunity. In order to promote the justice of social construction, I have positioned myself as a participant of social activity who has desire to against injustice and have responsibility to think critically, act anti-oppressively with belief in that everyone has right to share equal physical resources and to be benefited from comprehensive policy. However, there are might resistances stand in my way when I involve activities to fight for political justice and economic redistribution. These resistances could be lack of resources and effect of bureaucratization. In order to avoid the resistance from these two dimensions, I should not be afraid to question the policy and speak out to let government know what is needed by people. Also think and act critically instead of working hidebound. Bridget used her action to examine that everyone has ability to make difference in our society. We shall never give up our goal for working to promote justice in social system. As American social critic James Baldwin said, according to the way people see it, and if you can alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change the world. About This Profession Social Work is a profession which attempts to demonstrated the interconnectedness between individual changes and social changes (Uvic,2004). To some extent, the primary purposes could include unpacking the complicity both in societal structure and individual life. This profession should not position itself as an caring and help institution and stay in this image, this profession should stand out to reconnect the political with social (Uvic, 2004 ) and involve the economic redistrubution in order to ensure that everyone has equal worth, opportunity, and dignity in society. There are two questions I need to be answered, first question is how to act anti-bureaucratically in workplace and the second one is what can I do when there is no matching resources for clients. To practice efficiency, I need to get spiritual and technical supports from myself and co-worker, and people around me to point out what I did wrong. This activity from Art Journal helps me to understand myself better and h elp me to know why I choose this profession, it also help me to know what is boundary when I work with clients. Our society is not perfect, to some degree its awareness for diversity, injustice government policy and inequality distribution of physical resources are resisting the promotion of social justice. we have responsibility to understand clearly what our ideology perspective is and what power we have due to our social locations and identities. These could release human power and social power in order to enhance social functioning and social policy. Sometimes it is not easy to have the visible effect for promoting the quality of life to entire society, but it worth us to strive for and fight for. As a Chinese old saying goes: No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

Johnny Five :: essays research papers

The tell 1964 AD: Archeologists that are getting workers to do some digging for Jewish treasures like the monorah in the 'fertile crescent' = Israel. They are in opposition on the ways of the jews, CULLINANE(Irishman) is introduced as main archeologist, in favor of equality, ELIAV thinks women aren't equal and they like it that way. The big find is the CANDLESTICK OF DEATH, nations fight over who gets it, tourist attraction. They integrate the different stories with this quote: "The Hoopoe bird ought to be the world symbol for archaelogists. Us archaelogists also go furiously about, poking our noses into the earth". Also talks about the flints that are found on the dig site that are relating to those of the UR family. Later on found more stuff that showed how much the Old Testament had evolved just in 1100 BC. Cullinane thinks that the Jews right to Israel is of custodianship†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..END: Conclude that Makor was burned around 66 AD by Vespasian. American and Israeli converse about different big topics. ELIAV FINDS A FLINT FROM A HAND AXE SOME 200,000 YEARS OLD, BEFORE HOMO ERECTUS.PLOT *Makor is most charming of the Roman colonies (architecture) in the Jewish kingdom of Israel. *Fall of Rome caused by degenerate Emperors: 1Tiberius 2Caligula 3Claudius *Ongoing thought: if the British had succeeded in their plan for turning Palestine over to the Arabs, Jews would have hated them forever *Should it be Israel or Palestine The tell 1964 AD: Archeologists that are getting workers to do some digging for Jewish treasures like the monorah in the 'fertile crescent' = Israel. They are in opposition on the ways of the jews, CULLINANE(Irishman) is introduced as main archeologist, in favor of equality, ELIAV thinks women aren't equal and they like it that way. The big find is the CANDLESTICK OF DEATH, nations fight over who gets it, tourist attraction. They integrate the different stories with this quote: "The Hoopoe bird ought to be the world symbol for archaelogists. Us archaelogists also go furiously about, poking our noses into the earth". Also talks about the flints that are found on the dig site that are relating to those of the UR family. Later on found more stuff that showed how much the Old Testament had evolved just in 1100 BC. Cullinane thinks that the Jews right to Israel is of custodianship†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..END: Conclude that Makor was burned around 66 AD by Vespasian.

Marketing Changes Your Brain

The reason why I chose the topic for my final paper â€Å"Marketing Changes Your Brain† is because we are constantly surrounded by advertisements on a daily basis to where the government is basically brain washing us from birth to be consumers in this capitalistic society. Also this topic reminds me of one of my favorite professors, Dry. Choc who teaches Sociology at San Diego State University. His lectures were always life changing, and I could tell in the conviction of his voice that he is strongly assassinate about his profession and loves teaching undergrads.One of the main topics of the semester was about consumerism and how it affects us every single day. Statistics show that the average American will come across 5000 different types of advertisements a day (Lecture, Choc). There are millions of ways we come in contact through ads these days including, commercials, posters, covers on food, and etc. What I basically learned in this class was that we should be more aware o f what it meaner to be consumers of Capitalism and to realize how much we have been exploited to be constant consumers.The reason many of us fall for advertisements we see is because many of these companies purposely make their commercials activate a part of the brain's reward/pleasure center. The pleasure center is made up of nucleus acumen's and ventral testament area which the brain receives dopamine (Plotting, Summoning). This reward/pleasure is closely associated when individuals do pleasurable things such eating favorite foods, watching movies, sex, and drugs (Plotting, Summoning).In the module 9 critical thinking, the article explains how the consumption Coca Cola will activate the reward/pleasure center which is another example of why many Americans are addicted to it. It is ironic that Americans in recently years have put so Running head Much money into preventing obesity and childhood obesity yet our government doesn't put any effort into reducing the number of ads we see from these soda companies. Another interesting point that the critical thinking article shows is how smell and auditory senses also have to do with marketing and how we consciously don't even realize it.I can relate myself as when I'm near In-n-Out burger and I can smell the burgers and suddenly want a craving for it. The textbook calls this Subliminal Message where it meaner that our perception is below an absolute threshold where there is less than 50% of it being realized (Plotting, Summoning). Another subliminal message can also be auditory as the text book gives an example of how playing French music will result in people purchasing more French Wine. Subliminal messages can be seen at every store at the mall, such as Hollister.Walk into a Hollister and you will notice how it Just smells like a concreted perfume pit and the ambient lights. However the greatest influences to our brains is culture, another point which Dry. Choc has always brought up in lectures. Advertisement have been a dominant influence in our culture and it is unfortunate that many Americans do not even realize how much our brain is being influenced. Not even Just as adults, advertisements can capture someone at any age. Despite these, I urge many people to make more wiser choices such eating balanced,

Adoption Of ICT In The Tourism And Hospitality Industry Essay

Abstract Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have revolutionised the travel industry in the last decade. eTourism reflects the digitalisation of all processes and value chains in the tourism, travel, hospitality and catering industries. It emerges as a term describing the entire range of applications of ICTs on tourism and the implications for the tourism value chain. Major opportunities and challenges have emerged and need to be addressed by all industry players. However, the level of eTourism developments varies between regions, countries and continents. The tourism sector is experiencing an acceptance of ecommerce to the extend that the whole industry structure is changing .The web is used not only for information gathering but also for ordering services .A new type of user is emerging one who acts as his or her own travel agent and build a personalised travel package .This research focuses on evaluating the current status of Meikles Hotel Zimbabwe in order to study the adoption of ecommerce applications on the hospitality sector. 1. Introduction Mathieson and Wall (1982) created a good working definition of tourism as â€Å"the temporary movement of people to destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater to their needs.† The tourism industry requires a diverse range of information and lends itself well to the support offered by developing multimedia, communication technologies and information systems .The internet provides an extra ordinary connectivity and the ability to communicate efficiently and effectively directly with customers at a reasonable cost .Its potential to generate more revenue is not questionable but is acknowledged as something the tourism industry in developing countries needs. According to the World Tourism Organization 2002, Tourism in many developing and least developed countries is the most viable and sustainable economic development option, and in some countries, the main so urce of foreign exchange earnings. Implications of the Internet and other growing interactive multimedia platforms for tourism promotion are far reaching and alter the structure of the industry. This research aimed to explore the impact of ICTs and the  Internet in particular for the future competitiveness of the tourism and hospitality industry. This paper explores the current state of eTourism development and examines the use of the Internet in the sector. The rapid development and commercialization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for the travel and tourism industry has prompted hotels and other enterprises in this sector to increasingly adopt these technologies. This is based on the expectation that the new ICT based technologies and processes would lead to an improvement in their operating efficiencies and customer service levels. Buhalis, D. (2003: 77). The ICT based products and processes help the hotels to enhance the operating efficiency, improve the service experience as well as provide a means to access markets on a global basis. Brussels, 2005. Says ‘The use of ICTs is a relevant opportunity for growing and strengthening a local tourism industry, and for the development of destinations economies overall. Specifically ICTs have the potential to increase destination incomes for financing economic and social development’. While ICTs were used in the hotel industry from the late seventies in the f orm of Computerized Reservation systems and Global distribution systems, it was only in the 90s that the ICTs began to make a difference in the hospitality sector. Nowadays the internet has turned into an informative channel providing both individuals and organisations with different types of information making them aware of new tourism and old travel opportunities and offers enabling them to compare the offers, have online purchases and provide feedback. It has also turned into a source for travel agencies and organisations to promote their services and products to their potential customers. As the internet is being used worldwide it was important for Meikles hotel to implement hence the creation of its web site www.meikles.com Meikles Hotel Meikles Hotel is situated in the heart of Harare and overlooks the historic landmark and colourful flower gardens of Africa Unity Square. According to Experience Zimbabwe, Meikles is consistently voted as one of the best hotels in Zimbabwe, Meikles Hotel is a proud member of The Leading Hotels of the World, a prestigious hospitality organisation which represents some of the world’s most acclaimed hotels, spas and resorts. Established in 1928, the organisation exists to meet the needs of discerning travellers and for a  hotel to be recognised by this body, it needs to exceed every expectation and achieve exacting standards of excellence. Executive chairman Mr Onias Makamba says ‘Meikles Hotel has won the prestigious Association of Zimbabwean Travel Agents (AZTA) award for Best City Hotel in Zimbabwe for an astonishing 15 consecutive years’. This award is voted on by AZTA members and is based on feedback given to travel agents by their many clients across the worl d. Problem Definition There have been a lot of changes in the rapid growing world of technology. Changes in the technological world have made organizations to change the way they conduct their day to day business in order to provide satisfactory services delivery. Effective delivery of service is defined by Martin (2004) as providing products and services that bring utility to users and customers. E-tourism is offering significant benefits for organizations that integrate the technology into their organizational information systems. This versatile technology improves information quality and accessibility, increases operational efficiency (service delivery) and enhances effective management (Maamar, 2006). Despite these highly perceived benefits of e-tourism its adoption has been relatively slow in Zimbabwe. Currently, there are no studies which have been carried out in Zimbabwe to identify the benefits and challenges of adopting ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry. Hence it is the ideal time to ca rry out an investigation on the adoption of ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry. Objectives The key objective of this research has been to examine the Adoption of ICT in the tourism industry mainly looking at Meikles Hotel in Zimbabwe .In particular the research examines the level of ICT diffusion in tourism enterprises. Another objective is to Identify the factors affecting E-tourism in Zimbabwe The paper also assesses how eTourism concepts and techniques can contribute towards the improvement of the Zimbabwe tourism competitiveness. RESEARCH QUESTIONS I. At what rate is ICT being adopted in the tourism and hospitality industry in Zimbabwe? II. What factors are encouraging or discouraging the adoption of ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry of Zimbabwe. 2. Literature  review Literature review is a â€Å"systematic, explicit and reproducible method for identifying, evaluating and interpreting the existing body of recorded work produced by other scholars† (Khan, 2008, p.41). The literature review focuses on the impacts of ICTs on tourism and the eCommerce developments in Zimbabwe. It also includes a brief section on Tourism in Zimbabwe which provides the contextual environment that determines the requirements for eTourism in the country. 2.1 ICT Developments and eCommerce in Zimbabwe There are various factors that have affected the adoption of ecommerce in Zimbabwe, these include : Software development tools are still evolving .It is difficult to integrate Internet and e-commerce software with some existing (especially legacy) applications and databases .Special web servers are needed in addition to the network servers, which add to the cost of ecommerce. The Standard June 5, 2011 says the adoption of the multiple currency system in 2009 presented a strong opportunity for the growth of e-commerce in Zimbabwe. It said Zimbabwe now had a chance to catch up with the rest of the world if the financial and retail sectors took the lead. Internet accessibility is still expensive and or inconvenient .Powertel Communications, a government owned internet provider, is one of the 12 POTRAZ licensed Internet Access Providers in Zimbabwe. In June 2014 Powertel mobile broadband price were $50/month .The price of the modem $45.Every Zimbabwean cannot afford these prices. The Fin ancial Gazette 3 Oct 2013 states Despite the growth of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector in the country, which has seen internet penetration rising from five to 47 percent in the past five years, the cost of accessing the internet still remains high. The improved internet penetration is largely credited to the ICT Strategic Plan crafted by the then ministry of ICT under Nelson Chamisa. Customers’ attitudes towards online shopping remain skeptical, mainly because of worries about product quality, product delivery, and security and privacy issues (Ghazali et al., 2006; Scott & Scott, 2008). People do not yet  sufficiently trust paperless, faceless transactions .Payment security and privacy concerns are one of the major non technological barriers that prevent consumers from completing transactions online Lack of trust in e-commerce and in unknown sellers hinders buying. Online fraud is also increasing. Some customers like to feel and touch products. They are afraid that if they purchase without actually touching the products they might not get exactly what they ordered. Also, customers are resistant to the change from shopping at a brick-and-mortar store to a virtual store. The lack of stand ­ards in technology and its applications eventually increases the cost of system integration for effective and efficient management in distribution, operation and communication worldwide. Large hospitality corporations have invested to transform their systems into a total netware system; however, small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMEs) struggle to integrate the systems due to a shortage of financial sources Factors Determining the Adoption of ICTs In Zimbabwean Hotels There are a number of factors that affect the adoption of ICT in hotels these will be discussed below. In the hotel industry, the geographic location of a hotel has a major impact on its operations and profitability. The geographical location of a hotel would greatly determine the profile of its visitors, the size of its market and the level of competition that it has to face. A hotel will therefore be more inclined to adopt ICTs if it expects the ICT based facilities to either provide greater competitive advantage or to blunt the advantage enjoyed by its competitors considering the characteristics of its customer profile, its market size and the intensity of competition that it has to face. Thus based on the profile of a hotel’s visitors, the size of the market, or the intensity of competition, hotels may differ in their levels of ICT adoption propensity. The market size, in terms of the number of tourists who visit the location, will also be a significant factor that affects ICT adoption , since hotels  in smaller underdeveloped destinations may need to use the internet and other ICT based technologies to a greater degree to reach out to the global population than hotels located in developed destinations. According to Bajaj and Nag (2005) a range of advanced ICT systems such as Decision Support System (DSS) can be applied to gain substantial benefits on practical levels not only by large organisations, but also by small and medium-sized business organisations as well. Bajaj and Nag (2005) argue that DSS integration by small and medium-sized organisations can assist management by generating a set of alternative solution options to management problems of various levels complexities The competition level among the hotels in a location, can also influence the adoption of ICTs. The general occupancy rate in the location is an indicator of the competitive intensity among the hotels in a location. High levels of occupancy rate at a location imply that the competition is low, and the hotels can expect to get their rooms filled with relative ease while low levels of occupancy point towards higher levels of competition to attract customers between the hotels in the location. High levels of competition may prompt the hotels to aggressively use ICT based technologies both for attracting customers as well as to increase the efficiency of its operations. The size of the hotel has an important effect on ICT adoption. Effective adoption of several ICT technologies requires a substantial investment of resources. Lack of resources may affect the inclination of small hotels to adopt costly ICTs and therefore large hotels can be expected to be more inclined to ICTs. Further the risky nature of investing in new technologies may prompt small hotels to wait till the technology has stabilized before investing in it. Another aspect of the hotel size that can influence adoption of ICTs is the inclination to change within the organization. Large hotels have been found to be more resistant to change than small firms. This fact tends to suggest that large hotels are less inclined to adopt ICTs than small hotels as long as the investment required is not a consideration. The scope of activities that the hotel is engaged in can also influence adoption of ICTs. Since ICTs enable an effective integration of activities of an organization, hotels with varied lines of activities would find more use in the adoption of ICTs than hotels with a relatively lesser span of activities. 2.2 Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the Tourism sector The internet has become a key application in the tourism industry. Tourism providers have been using the internet to communicate, distribute and market their products to potential customers worldwide in a cost- and time-efficient way. In fact, the individual company website had become the most important platform for e-commerce, followed by electronic markets. The main focus of e-business processes in the tourism industry has been on customer facing activities and services, i.e. primarily e-marketing and e-sales. Online booking and reservation services were widely accepted among consumers and business travell ers already in 2005. Similarly, online purchasing had become a relatively well-used application in the tourism sector. Parsons and Oja (2013) mention online reservations systems as one of the greatest impacts of ICT on tourism and hospitality sector. Tourism has closely been connected to progress of ICTs for over 30 years. The establishments of the Computer Reservation Systems (CRSs) in the 1970s, Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) in the late 1980s and the Internet in the late 1990s have transformed operational and strate ­gic practices dramatically in tourism .The tourism indus ­try at first focused on utilizing computerized systems (e.g., CRS, GDS) to increase efficiency in processing of internal information and managing distribution. Nowadays, the Internet and ICTs are relevant on all operative, structural, strategic and marketing levels to facilitate global interaction among suppliers, intermediaries and consumers around the world. In this section, we will provide the concepts and definitions of the key terms related to the Internet and ICTs. 2.2.1 Electronic tourism (e-tourism) It is the application of ICTs on the tourism industry (Buhalis, 2003). Buhalis (2003) suggests that e-tourism reflects the digitisation of all processes and value chains in the tourism, travel, hospitality and catering industries. At the tactical level, it includes e-com ­merce and applies ICTs for maximising the efficiency and effectiveness of the tourism  organi ­sation. At the strategic level, e-tourism revolutionises all business processes, the entire value chain as well as the strategic relationships of tourism organisations with all their stakeholders. E-tourism determines the competitiveness of the organisation by taking advantage of intranets for reorganising internal processes, extranets for developing transactions with trusted partners and the Internet for interacting with all its stakeholders and customers. The e-tourism concept includes all business functions (i.e., e-commerce, e-marketing, e-finance and e-accounting, eHRM, e-procurement, e-production) as well as e-strategy, e-planning and e-management for all sectors of the tourism industry, including tourism, travel, transport, leisure, hospitality, principals, intermediaries and public sector organisations. Hence, e-tourism bundles together three distinctive disciplines: business management, information systems and management, and tourism. II.2.2 Computer reservation system (CRS) The 1989 CRS Regulation51 defined a ‘computerized reservation system’ as a system for reserving and booking seats on commercial flights electronically, as well as storage and retrieval of itineraries. Several airlines own and market such systems, which are used by travel agents. A few include: Sabre (produced by American Airlines), Amadeus, and Worldspan. It is a database which enables a tourism organisation to manage its inventory and make it accessible to its partners. Principals utilise CRSs to manage their inventory and distribute their capacity as well as to manage the drastic expansion of global tourism. CRSs often charge competitive commission rates while enabling flexible pricing and capacity alterations, to adjust supply to demand fluctuations. Airlines pioneered this technology, although hotel chains and tour operators followed by developing centralised reservation systems. CRSs can be characterised as the â€Å"circulation system† of the tourism product . II.2.3 Global distribution systems (GDSs) The business dictionary defines a global distribution system as a worldwide computerized reservation network used as a single point of access for reserving airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, and other travel related  items by travel agents, online reservation sites, and large corporations. The premier global distribution systems are Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, and Worldspan. They are owned and operated as joint ventures by major airlines, car rental companies, and hotel groups. Also called automated reservation system (ARS) or computerized reservation system (CRS).Since the mid 1980s, airline CRSs developed into GDSs by gradually expanding their geographical coverage as well as by integrating both horizontally, with other airline systems, and vertically by incorporating the entire range of principals, such as accommodation, car rentals, train and ferry ticketing, entertainment and other provisions. In the early 1990s, GDSs emerged as the major driver of ICTs, as well as the back bone of the tourism industry and the single most important facilitator of ICTs globalisation (Sheldon, 1993). In essence, GDSs matured from their original development as airline CRSs to travel supermar ­kets. Since the late 1990s GDSs have emerged as business in their own right, specialising in travel distribution. 2.2.4 Intermediaries Intermediaries (brokers) play an important role in commerce by providing value-added activities and services to buyers and sellers. The most well-known intermediaries in the physical world are wholesalers and retailers. Traditionally, intermediaries of the travel industry have been outbound and inbound travel agencies and tour operators. However, the Internet restructured the entire touristic value chain, forcing the existing intermediaries to take up the new medium and to develop corresponding business models. 2.2.5 e-Travel agencies ICTs are irreplaceable tools for travel agencies as they provide information and reservation facilities and support the intermediation between consumers and principals. Andreas Papatheodorou – (2006) Travel agencies operate various reservation systems, which mainly enable them to check availability and make reservations for tourism products. Until recently GDSs have been critical for business travel agencies to access information and make reservations on scheduled airlines, hotel chains, car rentals and a variety of ancillary services. GDSs help construct complicated itineraries, while  they provide up-to-date schedules, prices and availability information, as well as an effective reservation method. In addition, they offered internal management modules integrating the â€Å"back office† (accounting, commission monitor, personnel) and â€Å"front office† (customers’ history, itinerary construction, ticketing and communication with suppliers). Multiple tr avel agencies in particular experience more benefits by achieving better coordination and control between their remote branches and headquarters. Transactions can provide invaluable data for financial and operational control as well as for marketing research, which can analyze the market fluc ­tuations and improve tactical decisions Hotels use ICTs in order to improve their operations, manage their inventory and maximise their profitability. Their systems facilitate both in-house management and distribution through electronic media. ‘Property management systems (PMSs)’ coordinate front office, sales, planning and operational functions by administrating reservations and managing the hotel inventory. Moreover, PMSs integrate the â€Å"back† and â€Å"front† of the house management and improve general administration functions such as accounting and finance; marketing research and planning; forecasting and yield management; payroll and personnel; and purchasing. Understandably, hotel chains gain more benefits from PMSs, as they can introduce a unified system for planning, budgeting and controlling and coordinating their properties centrally. Hotels also utilise ICTs and the Internet extensively for their distribution and marketing func ­tions. Global presence is essential in order to enable both individual customers and the travel trade to access accurate information on availability and to provide easy, efficient, inexpensive and reliable ways of making and confirming reservations. Although Central Reservation Offices (CROs) introduced central reservations in the 1970s, it was not until the expansion of airline CRSs and the recent ICT developments that forced hotels to develop hotel CRSs in order to expand their distribution, improve efficiency, facilitate control, empower yield management, reduce labour costs and enable rapid response time to both customers and management re ­quests. Following the development of hotel CRSs by most chains, the issue of interconnectivity with other CRSs and the Internet emerged.This reduces both set-up and reservation costs, whilst facilitates res ­ervations through several distribution channels 2.3 Tourism in Zimbabwe In the past, tourism contributed significantly to the GDP of Zimbabwe, and created many employment and business opportunities for locals in the 1990s. But it has faced a great decline since 2000. A number of Zimbabwean tourist attractions are marketed online by South African companies and they have created an impression to some international tourists that they are located in South Africa. E-tourism has always seemed like a no-brainer for Zimbabwe, as money can be paid direct to hotels and suppliers. But obstacles like the lack of access to communication in remote areas, uncertain electricity availability, high cost of bandwidth, the lack of integrated, real-time reservation systems and local online payment gateways have thus far stymied progress. However, with the arrival of voice and data-oriented telecommunications in some remote tourist areas, there is more access to information via websites by foreign tourists looking for a good holiday resort. In other parts of Africa, arrival o f cheaper bandwidth has lessened the barriers to communication and the world’s Online Travel Agencies like Expedia are showing a real interest in the continent. Ten years ago no-one was talking about online tourism. The tourism trade tended to focus on going to big trade events like World Tourism Markets, with brochures and doing support advertising in key markets. The travel agents tended to suggest where people went and to some extent picked the destinations. As a result, a great deal of the revenues went to large, international hotel chains and not much of the money was retained locally. According to The Zimbabwean (22 June 2011) 56% of travel globally is booked online and the rise of the Online Travel Agents has been unstoppable. These OTAs, as they are known in the trade, include Expedia, Travelocity, Lastminute.com and Bookings.com – who have significant market share in Africa. Expedia has actually opened an office to focus on Africa. It goes on to say In 2005, less than 2% of tourism revenues in Africa came from online booking. In 2010, buoyed by the World Cup, that percentage rose to 5% and looks set to go to somewhere between 15-20% by 2016. The World Cup may have been a one-off boost but it accelerated the growth of online tourism in South Africa. 50% of Americans read an online review before booking internationally and that’s usually  either Trip Advisor or Facebook. (Trip Advisor is now owned by Expedia). Most in ternational travellers have credit cards and increasingly expect to be able to book online for anything from the smallest travel lodge to the largest hotel chain. So what are the barriers? The missing piece was e-commerce. There used to be no route for doing online transactions in other countries in Africa including Zimbabwe. Online distribution by the OTAs requires a reservation system that offers real-time availability. OTAs won’t do business with you unless you have that. In Zimbabwe there are few tourist resorts offering e-commerce reservation and booking services. Shearwater Adventures in Victoria Falls offer online booking and payment services, which have attracted a large number of tourists over the years. The second missing piece was the ability and tools to do online marketing. The companies needed marketing skills, especially with social media. Today’s tourist wants to hear from other travellers (through Facebook and Trip Advisor) and are not that interested in what the hotel has to say. For example, hotel chains Africa Sun and Cresta Hotels have invested in websites and Facebook groups where reviews are easily accessible to prospective tourists. Now that the data oriented communication and cheaper bandwidth is slowly becoming available throughout the country, telcos and ISPs need to focus specifically on those industry sectors that are most likely to make the online transition fastest. It must be possible in the near future for a herita ge site in Binga to be marketed online to the world and attract visitors. 3. Research Methodology To fulfil the objectives of this research a number of methods were used. Both primary and secondary data were therefore essential. Given the dynamic nature of the subject area, multiple primary research approaches were adopted, including both qualitative and quantitative methods (Phillip, 1998). Bryman (1998) explains that the two methods are complementary rather than competing, especially for exploratory research. The researcher made use of the internet and some library books to carry out the research and establish the solutions to the research objectives .First a qualitative approach was adopted in order to enable the appreciation of all aspects of the subject and to develop a set of the most critical variables  to be included afterwards into a questionnaire. The main objective was to objectively establish the level of eCommerce and the on-line representation of Zimbabwean tourism. The second stage involved semi-structured interviews aimed to elicit critical issues and to explore the key factors that determine the development of eTourism in Zimbabwe. In-depth interviews are considered as the most appropriate method to obtain information about perceptions, attitudes and beliefs. Judgmental sampling was employed and interviewees were selected as pioneers in eTourism in Zimbabwe, as determined by their online presence assessed in the previous phase of the research. Owners and marketing managers of organisations that run innovative web sites, as demonstrated by the methods used to interact with their clientele, were targeted and an interview was requested. The sample was chosen to include interviewees who would be informed, reflecting their particular experience and outlook on the research area. Twenty five telephone contacts were made and 28 interviews were finally conducted, which resulted in a 51% response rate .The reasearcher also made use of the questionnaires. The questionnaires designed by the researcher had both open ended questions thus allowing a respondent to fully express the answer and closed questions which only provided simple choice of answer such as yes or no. Questionnaires were used by the researcher because they saved time and they were an inexpensive way of surveying a cross section of people. Questionnaires allowed the researcher to guide the respondent along the lines regarding the topic under study and responses obtained from closed ended questions are easy to analyze. Questionnaires allowed the respondents to give freely the confidential information since the respondents were not required to disclose their identity. The researcher favoured the use of questionnaires because the analysis of data from close-ended question was easy. However data collection through the use of questionnaires required a significant commitment, expertise, time and material resources. The researcher also noted that questionnaires were highly inflexible as they gave no room to rephrase questions, furthermore, some questions remained unanswered and it affected the research findings. The researcher used simple wording in the questionnaires so that the respondents would not fail to understand the questions, that is, the researcher used simple wording to elaborate the meanings of what was being asked and required. The researcher also used face to face interviews. The researcher employed structured interviews to obtain detailed and specific information from the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Mr Mzembi. The questions presented to the Minister sought to determine the factors affecting adoption of ICTs in Zimbabwean hotel and also how far Zimbabwean hotels are in terms of adoption of ICTs. The interview also sought to discover challenges to implementing ICTs and compliance at different hotels. The interview process proved time consuming and required persistence since the honourable Minister was a busy person and he was not easily available. The actual interview session had a length of 15 minutes due to the Minister’s busy schedule. To avoid inconveniences, an appointment via e-mail and telephone call prior to interviewing visit was made. Goodman (2003) states that certain biases exist due to the tendency by the interviewer to ask wrong questions and be supplied with answers he expects to get. The researcher eliminated such errors by avoiding leading questions and taking a listener approach instead of providing suggestions. Probing was only applied as a means of seeking clarifications. This technique was used because interviews are highly flexible and the researcher was able to rephrase the questions to make the respondent understand better. Dennis (2003), states that an interview is whereby the researcher and the respondents discuss verbally with each other either face to face, over the phone or over the internet. Interviews allow probing on open ended questions, clarifications on ambiguous questions and sequencing of questions is easily changed. However, the researcher noted that interviews were costly to run in terms of money and they are time consuming because the interviewee was a busy person hence the need of an appointment and the need of a telephone call reminding the interviewee about the appointment before the  time. The researcher also noted that the interview failed to give anonymity to the respondent, hence, there was a greater chance of being given biased information. RESULTS Eight hotels participated in the survey Meikles hotel, Holiday inn (Bulawayo), Victoria falls, Regency Fairmile, Kadoma hotel, Midlands hotel. At the outset the author quotes from a number of previous reports, which indicate that ICT has not been implemented effectively in the hospitality industry Evidence from the literature review has shown that there are a number of factors, which affect technology adoption. These factors include organisational readiness, external pressure, internal expertise, support of owner or manager, user participation, efficient and effective use of any external expertise. The barriers which were uncovered by the research: IT management training, dependency on outside experts and size and scale of enterprise are all directly related to the ‘other’ factors which influence ICT adoption. The level of significance of these barriers varies between the tourism sub-sectors surveyed. This study has added new knowledge in terms of the significance of a n umber of further barriers to ICT adoption. They include peripheral or rural location, security concerns, cost issues, lack of capital, and personal background of the owner manager. A closer analysis of findings has revealed that although technology is available, some of it is obsolete or not necessarily functional. Hotels possessed various outdated versions of software packages which did not seem to serve them well. . The mode of Internet bookings is an important determinant of their success. A lot of Internet booking systems generates a booking in email format rather than integrating into the hotel’s reservation system online. This obviously limits the usefulness of these systems. DISCUSSION The adoption of ICTs at Meikles Hotel is proving to be growing fast; this was noted by the stakeholder preparedness to harness it. Meikles hotel being a  five star hotel recognised internationally, this pushes them to move along with technological changes. Meikles hotel is interested in improving in their service provision through the use of e-commerce, and the results of this study show that this is being done at a fast pace. The top management at Meikles hotel are quite literate hence the adoption of ICT is faster compared to other hotels .The C.E.O is a holder of an honours degree in Computer science .Although the use of ICTs has not yet revolutionalised Meikles Hotel’s service delivery; it has changed how some services such as bookings are being done. Meikles hotel has a website developed and maintained by an inhouse programmer .Their website is user friendly and they have all the information that one needs about the hotel. Meikles hotel started offering wireless network services to guest in 2006.They use Fidelio management system which integrates all the information from the reservations, banqueting, finance departments and the restaurants. They use point of sale systems. CONCLUSION It can be noted that the adoption of ICTs at Meikles Hotel is proving to be growing fast and it has been done to a very large extent. 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