Report for the Promotional Plan of Hot and Chocolate Tea/Coffee

REPORT FOR THE PROMOTIONAL PLAN OF HOT AND CHOCOLATE TEA/COFFEE OF COSTA COFFEE MODULE NAME : MANAGING FINANCE AND MARKETING IN BUSINESS MODULE CODE : TH600B1E SUBMITTED TO : O’HALLERAN ERIC, LONGART PEDRO SUBMITTED BY : RATHEESH VISWANATHAN – 21208850 RESHMI PRABHAKARAN USHA DEVI – 21205617 SUKHWANT KAUR MANN – 21207381 INDEX 1. INTRODUCTION 3 2 BUSINESS PORTFOLIO 3 3. SMART OBJECTIVE 3 4. PROMOTION TITLE 7 5. WHAT WE NEED TO BE DONE? 7 6. BUDJET CONSIDERATION 7 7. WORKING OF SEVEN P’S 8 8. CLOSE SCRUTINY AND COST 8 . RETURN OF INVESTMENT 9 10. CONCLUSION 9 11. BIBLIOGRAPHY 10 1. INTRODUCTION This report is submitted on behalf of the marketing plan for a franchise branch of Costa Coffee located Ealing Broadway in West London of United Kingdom Costa coffee has a fabulous history to be poured in each cup of tea which is served to the customers. HISTORY Costa coffee was founded and established by Sergio and Bruno in the year 1971. The first cup of cof fee was served in Newport Street, London. Gradually Costa gained its reputation by providing coffee to local caterers and delicatessens.After seven years, Costa brothers opened their first shop and by the end of 1995, Costa coffee was spread into 41 Costa stores. It was in 1995 Costa Coffee was purchased by Whitbread PLC and from there it has grown into more and more locations to over 2000 stores world – wide. Over the last 40 years a lot of things had changed but the endless passion for creating great tasting of coffee still lies in the heart of Costa. VISION Costa Coffee is committed to provide the best hospitality experience to its customers with a range of hospitality products which includes hotels, restaurants and leisure clubs.MISSION â€Å" To serve the best coffee in the true Italian style. † 2 BUSINESS PORTFOLIO Over 40 years of excellence Costa had builded up and inevitable reputation of coffee excellence. This goodwill is created by a whole control of the en tire processes that is from harvesting and selection of coffee beans, the roasting of Italian masteries, the choice of machines and compliance for the various procedures of manufacturing beverages and overall ensuring that the same quality of excellent coffee is served to the customers of Costa coffee all around the world.Three different sizes are there for Costa which will serve the customer in 3 different sizes, Primo, Medio and Massimo and the customer can choose from any of Unique blend of Mocha Italia, or decaf, whole or skim milk and add an extra dose of espresso, flavored syrup, cream, candy or chocolate. 15 factors are combined and help to form the perfect Costa Coffee. On over all of these, in each store all over the world regular controls are imposed to ensure consistent and qualitated Costa products and a Barista Mastero (coffee expert) is there in each Costa Coffee to ensure the excellence of drinks served. MARKET IN UKThe deep rooted heritage and unique quality of coffe e had made Costa the market leader here in UK. Over 1,300 stores are operated by Costa or via its individual and corporate franchises. Costa coffee can be found everywhere the customers need for a great coffee. Such as high streets, airport & rail stations, shopping centers & retail parks, motorway & forecourts, hotels, cinemas, hospitals & universities, visitor attractions and leisure venues. In addition to the Costa stores, Costa coffee is also available at over 4,000 premium locations; travel, contract catering, pubs bars & restaurants and hotel & leisure venues.CURRENT MARKET SITUATION The current macroeconomic market condition was a complex one and regular effort must be required for the right tracking of the same. PESTEL Analysis Political Costa coffee beans are growing especially in developing countries. So if taxes imposed on the farmers in those countries increased it will make Costa should pay a higher rate for the coffee they purchase and any of those fluctuations in taxa tion levels will ultimately be passed over to the customers. Economical The economic recession that was happened in 2008 are still creating challenges in the business of Costa Coffee firmly as a whole.Consumers became more conscious with their discretionary spending due to the high unemployment and debt in person and the situation is still prevailing as the same Social/cultural People are spending considerable amount of money. As per the recent survey of Costa’s market experts we found that the annual expenditure of people in London for tea was money on coffee was ? 623million and tea was ? 738 million. Customers are going to coffee shops not only for drinking coffee but also to relax and for even unofficial meeting also. TechnologicalThe latest technological advancement is Senseo which is a better and cheaper coffee machine which can be very much helpful for home usage which can be adversely affecting Costa coffee. Environmental As a part of environmental awareness coffee co mpanies will have to be aware about the way their coffee beans are produced and the way to manufacture and sell their products. Design their supply chain Legal U K, a decade ago pulled out of the ICA (international Coffee Agreement) that set export quotas for producing nations and kept the price of coffee fairly stable.Coffee quotas and price controls ended. Since the deregulation farmers have suffered and their earnings have dropped. Many have struggled to make a living so have given up. International trade regulations/tariffs – Trade issues will affect Costa predominantly when exporting and importing goods. Target Customers Detailed research and strategic studies have been conducted to identify the class and categories of customers. While evaluating their consumer market the conclusion was that the ideal consumer’s economic profile will be; 1.Upper Middle Class: Our recent surveys show that 68% of the total coffee consumers of London were upper middle class people or high economy class people. Hot coffee and hot chocolate coffee was mainly consumed by these class of people. 2. Privileged Class: These classes of people also enjoy the tea more than coffee. Thus we can capture a strong hold on the market of tea and gear up the promotion of hot and chocolate flavor of tea. While the age demographics will be: 1. Students and Youngsters: Students and youngsters consider coffee shops as a gathering spot rather than consuming the products.Here we can utilize the grouping of these people as a sales boost up 2. Professionals: These categories of people were both interested in coffee and tea products as well as they utilize their tea or coffee consumption for unofficial meetings. 3. Families: Families are usually weekend customers and leisure time customers. 4. Mature Consumers: Matured customer groups are ideal for consumption of Costa products because according to our market study most of the people of these groups are theoretically addicted to tea or c offee.We can blow up their mind towards consuming our targeted product Gender and Ethnic/Religious Background was researched to have minimal or no effect on the choices concerning coffee made by consumers and their patronage of coffeehouses. Competitor Analysis The renowned coffee brands which are prevailed in UK were Starbucks, Caffe Nero, Coffee republic, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Coffee Bean Peet's, Caribou Coffee, Cafe Coffee Day, Barista and Mochas. Amoung these we are experiencing a competition with one brand that is Starbucks. Costa Coffee and StarbucksStarbucks is the prime and most intimate competitor of Costa Coffee. Although we are in the prime market position in UK, Starbuscks occupies the position of leader in the coffee shop market with an international market of over 50 countries. Costa occupies the second position on the base of international presence in 27 countries. Both companies had extremely excellent financial performance from 2005 to 2010. However in 200 9 Starbucks had made improvements in their cost structure and therefore the liquidity is better than Costa Coffee since it managed its short-term debt payments.An important factor for both companies is globalization because most leading firms in the food service market expand their operations to other countries. Anyway the future success of both the companies will be based on their operations within UK. Situation analysis – SWOT Strengths As we look into the strengths of Costa coffee, it is showing continuous growth which pasted up their market leader position. Costa had an excellent brand name and brand visibility. Another strength is the wide range of products and value for the money.Costa has a club card which will focus on customers loyalthy. Another peculiarity is that Costa has its own roastery that ensures quality of coffee. Also they are providing the extra bit of unique taste by training baristas within their own training academy. Weaknesses The major weakness of Cos ta is that even though it is operating globally, they are relatively in only few countries worldwide. Another problem is the difficulty to control and maintain brand standard with their franchise store. Limited range of cool drinks available in Costa is another point of weakness.Opportunities We are finding our own opportunities in global market by developing products or drinks such as organic products/cool drinks etc. Another merit include s the introduction of online /telephone ordering system . Entry to far East is another opportunity because of the chilled weather hot chocolate tea will help us to boost up regular sales proportion Threats We are facing major threats from existing coffee chains and fast food outlets. The intense price competition is another threat. As we develop new recipe that means imitating the recipe more quickly . SMART OBJECTIVE Our SMART objective is to increase the monthly sales of hot and chocolate tea/coffee in Costa Coffee by 30 % within 7 months of ca lculated marketing campaign. 4. PROMOTION TITLE A promotion title should always be a suitable caption that can steal the hearts of public which conveys the idea of product/commodity along with our tradition that induces them to consume our product. After a lot of ‘inventions and innovation’ Costa introduce its promotion title as â€Å"Feel the best tea and coffee in  the true Italian style. † 5.WHAT WE NEED TO BE DONE? For the achievement of our preplanned objective we have decided to open 3 promotional stalls for exclusive sales of hot and chocolate tea/coffee within the circle of Ealing Broadway. Within the same we will introduce a special high street offer to our targeted product. Here we calculate that we can drive revenue through increased consumer awareness about that particular product. Supporting promotion to drive people to the outlets should be done with by leaflet distribution within the area circle and advertisement in selected local newspaper. . BU DJET CONSIDERATION The table shown below details all about the total cost of the marketing statregy of Costa Coffee of Ealing Broadway within 7 months of calculated period |Marketing Strategy |Costs for Seven Months | |Equipments from ? 800 – ? 1100 + Signage from ? 45 – ? 300. |Maximum ? 1,400 | |Local Newspaper Advertisement |Maximum ? ,000 | |Leaflet distribution |Maximum ? 1,500 | |Miscellaneous expenses |Maximum ? 500 | |Total  Advertising Costs |Maximum ? 6,400 | 7. WORKING OF 7 Ps Product †¢ Our brand name is our signature.The name of Costa signifies luxury, excellence and perfection all over the world. †¢ The image of Costa is luxury †¢ The theme of Costa, from the brand logo, the color scheme of the premises, to the entire feel of our business is warm tones & relaxing colors. †¢ Costa’s reputation for excellence applies not only for the exceptional coffee but also the insistence on perfect service. Price †¢ The prices of al l the products are comparatively higher at . But this is offset by the outstanding quality and discerning tastes at .One of the reasons for choosing the privileged and higher middle classes in the target market is the prices. Place †¢ After thorough research, and competitive analysis the perfect locations in terms of exposure, accessibility and competitive edge have been acquired. †¢ The inventory and easy transport facilities have also been a part of the deciding factors while choosing the appropriate locale. Promotion †¢ Brand name is enough to muster the required target market. †¢ Most of the awareness will be through the word of mouth of people amongst the masses. Hence the reputation is more that counts. 8. CLOSE SCRUITNY AND COST COTROL Two methods of evaluation and scrutiny will be done with related to this promotional plan. A weekly review will be conducted by the Area Manager and evaluate the weekly expenditure and progress of the promotion and the same will be reported to our corporate office. Moreover that a monthly review will also conducted by 2 of our corporate marketing and finance professionals for strict scrutiny of cost control and marketing implementation. 9. RETURN OF INVESTMENTWe are expecting minimum sale of 70 cups of hot and chocolate tea/coffee per day. 70 cups per day @ average RP of ? 3. 50 Gross profit = ? 51450 – Expense of promotional plan = ? 6400 Net profit = 45050 We can expect the Return Of Investment and calculated sales growth within 7 months of period. 10. CONCLUSION Costa Coffee has been able to remain one of UK's leading coffee brewing companies for more than a century now primarily because of the execution of the company’s branding and positioning strategies to perfection.Add to the mix the company’s dedication to high quality of service and the formula for success is at hand. Moreover, the utilization of the appropriate knowledge management tools is necessary for their products t o reach out to people even in different cultures. However, certain points have to be taken into consideration by Costa Coffee regarding knowledge management tools. Since their income is relatively higher than most coffee brewing companies, the time for implementation of their chosen knowledge management tools would take longer than usual, aside from being expensive.But since the goal of Costa Coffee is towards a long-term dominance and stability in the brewing industry, then the pursuit of this promotional campaign will be beneficial for the company in the long run. BIBLIOGRAPHY About the Foundation (2012)[ online]  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www. costa. co. uk/costa-foundation/about-the-foundation/, (assessed on 12 jan 2013) Costa Coffee Marketing Plan for China (2012)[ online]  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www. ukessays. com/essays/marketing/costa-coffee-marketing-plan-for-china-marketing-essay. hp  , (assessed on17 jan 2013)      Countless Studies Reveal Healthy Attributes (2012)[ online]  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  www. coffeescience. org  -, (assessed on 7 jan 2013) Dunn Bros (2012)[ online]  Ã‚  www. dunnbros. com  , (assessed on 5 jan 2013)   Ã‚   Dunn Bros Franchise Press Releases–(2012)[ online]  Ã‚  Ã‚  www. restaurantresearch. info   , (assessed on 5jan 2013)   Ã‚   ESRI – Business Information Solution – Products Report Zip Code –(2012)[ online]  www. esribis. com   , (assessed on 9 jan 2013)   Star Tribune article by Jim Buchta, pub 9-19-02 â€Å"Dunn Bros. Coffee Breaks the Mold – With Every Store† US Census Data

Creative writing: Mines

It had been war but on Saturday morning the war had stopped and the beach down the road stretched enticingly in a gleam and glister of sand and gleaming sea. Deep holes in which the men and women of war had hid in for protection from gunfire and dropping bombs. It now laid silent sound of waves lapping the shore. I was eleven and old enough to be aloud out where ever I wanted to go with my friends. Sean, Nick and I stood in our sandals with our eyes gazing at this watery paradise when to my fury I realized that my eight year old sister Sam had tagged along â€Å"Go away† I shouted † You are not old enough to go out with me† She looked smug â€Å"Dad's gone into town and mum has left us so you have to look after me remember!† I glared at her and pulled a face of pure sisterly hatred but Sean shrugged and said, â€Å"Are we going to the beach or what?† To tell the truth in the first place we were scared to go on the beach even before Sam had showed up in all of her curvaceous glory. It wasn't the fact that the whole beach had signs around it saying, â€Å"beware of mines keep out!† But no one had exactly told us we weren't aloud to go for a swim. In one way or another we did not want our parents to no that we had gone down to the beach for a swim but it was the fact that there was no fence there to keep us out from the gorges archers of sand and miles of sea. I glanced at Sam again â€Å"Go away† I shouted â€Å"Never† â€Å"Well don't blame me if you get hurt!† After that we all ran throw off our sandals and jumped into the cool refreshing sea. We surfed the giant crashing waves out to sea leaving Sam sitting alone on the beach. We wondered around the rocky floor of the cliffs and rock pools. We climbed up the cliffs, leaving a trail of falling rocks and mud we dumped off of the cliffs in to the sea and through stones at pesky Seagulls, We sat in rock pools and ate stale bread and drank bad water left over from the war. Sam's upset little face made us all feel a little bad inside. We dared each other to climb over the most dangerous rocks and into some of biggest rock pools that you could have ever seen. We also dared each other to look inside the pockets of the dead soldiers that lay scattered and dead all over the rocks from men desperately trying to climb the giant cliffs to safety. Soaked and covered with sand we began to head towards home. I than heard something that I will remember for the rest of my life I heard a giant explosion and me and my friends were knocked clean of are feet as we got up I felt a lot of pain I had bits of shrapnel shot into my legs and arms and stomach. Than Sean shouted â€Å"where's Sam† â€Å"I don't know† I replied â€Å"She's your sister go and find her† Than I heard her screaming for help. I was terrified I could not see anything there was too much smoke and dust from the explosion. Than I saw it a trail of blood in the sand and only half my sister Sam, laying there she had lost half of 1 leg and the whole of the other leg. She was screaming to me â€Å"help help oh please help† I shouted for help and only Sean had come because Nick had ran home in pain from the bomb. When Sean came we both had to pick her up Sean was also in a lot of pain from the mine Because he had broken his hand on the way down to the from the explosion we both pulled her up and carried her all the way home struggling trying to keep the blood from gushing from her legs. By this time she had fallen unconscious we didn't know if she was dead or not all that mattered to me was getting her to the hospital that had been set up during the war for injured soldiers. We finally got her there and there and the took her inside right away into another room we tried to follow but we were stopped and taken into an office to be treated ourselves. Than two hours later my dad showed up he was pale and looked sick. He saw me and sat down and started to talk to me † Your sister was very badly injured in the explosion† he said quietly † I know,† I said â€Å"Well she didn't make it she bleed to death in surgery† He said very sadly â€Å"I want you to show me were it happened and tell me everything† he said very sternly My mouth was dry I couldn't say a word I was to upset about the loss of my sister I just said very gently â€Å"ok† I took him down to the beach and showed him were it had happened and told him everything that we did that day leaving out some of the stuff that he would have told me off about like playing with the left over guns. He saw the blood and one of her legs with half of the mine wedged into it. His face turned wight and turned away from it and started to walk home.

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Stewart describes the management role as to say the activities and role dependant on demands, constraints, and choices. Again, this can also fit in with my role and management style but is demanding on some of the authority that is needed. The management style as described by Blake and Moulton in their grid looks at manager effectiveness versus efficiency. These are what I believe to be key qualities, attributes and skills of a successful manager. There is however room for a change in style dependant on circumstances. My role is to manage the Patient Advice and Liaison Service for the Trust to ensure the service is visible and accessible to patients, their families and carers through analysis of contact information and evaluation of experience. To develop procedures to ensure effectiveness of core business of service. The implementation of a telephone rota and advertised business hours has been an issue. Service users that are known to the team through historical working practices often end up having adhoc meetings in the office. This is both disruptive to other staff and can also be deemed as unprofessional. However, the particular service users have a high level of dependency on the PALS officers. My initial reaction to this as a manager was that we needed to have a timetable for appointment, so that PALs officers are not severing a link with the service users but for an element of empowering o take place, as explained by Banduras self -efficacy service. If an individual is told they cannot look after themselves, eventually they believe that. However using empowerment can allow for service users to identify their own strengths. As a manager the challenge I face is that PALS officers have  different levels of motivation and different triggers for motivation. Mullins 2010 defines motivation as why people behave in a certain way, why people do what they do. This is explained further to say that the direction and persistence of action. It is concerned when people choose a particular course of action in preference to others, and why they continue with a chosen action, often over a long period of time and in the face of difficulties and problems. This is true of both in a positive and negative light. An example form the team that I manage is that PALS officers are often on the in-patient wards to promote the service of PALS and to ask those people that would otherwise not be able to raise a concern. My critique of this situation was that a service can only be promoted to a certain level, otherwise it can be over promoted and this is where we find the leaflets that are handed out, just thrown about. My view is that each interaction should make a difference to the PALS officers. They should be able to understand that unless they found a new way of working, they are offering a counselling service, for which they are not qualified to do or paid to do. Again the discussion around empowerment was quite useful in highlighting to PALS officers that they are not there to nanny service users. I provide day to day management for PALS staff including provision of formal supervision; there is also need to provide ad hoc supervision, this may be in order to support staff in dealing with sensitive, upsetting, distressed cases / clients. I also receive and deal with complex cases or where cases require escalation from offices; dealing with sensitive, highly emotive issues and dealing with clients who may be extremely upset and / or distressed. My role is also that of a Stakeholder engagement and involvement manager, which has a very corporate approach. I am responsible for forging relationships with both internal and external stakeholders. As discussed, the roles of PALS manager and stakeholder engagement and involvement manager does occasionally cause conflict, they are not natural roles that would come together. My understanding is that my predecessor had an interest in this area and so the role became theirs, and as such has been handed over. Another challenge to the above is that my role is job-shared. My co-colleague also works to manage PALS and stakeholder engagement. The conflict in that situation is that this individual is also a PALS officers, this means balancing three work roles out of which the Since the Mid Staffordshire Enquiry (2012) a huge push has been taking place to ensure processes and procedures are in place for service users/patients, carers and communities to have their say. The Francis Report (2013) highlights 290 key recommendations for organisations providing care. As part of my role I had to identify the key areas for development which are most relevant to the PALS officers and stakeholder roles. Prior to my joining of the team, an internal consultation was underway and when I joined the deadline for the consultation period was looming, however, I was able to be a spokesperson for the team ( Mintzberg) by keeping up to date with PALS policy and guidance and develop local procedures for the Trust in relation to PALS. This had to be robust process which could iron out some of the concerns I also work with the Head of Involvement and Equality to develop the PALS service to ensure the service meets requirements for the transformation agenda. At the moment I do this by having monthly meetings and adhoc regular contact. Again fitting in with Maslows hierarchy of needs I need this regular contact to maintain and improve my effectiveness as a manager. One of the challenges that I face is to maintain an overview of the system used to record PALS cases. This is to ensure information related to quality of services including equality data and patient experiences are recorded and effectively used across the organisation. I also develop local and Trust wide reporting mechanisms to do this. The challenge is the operational side of getting staff to actually record. I will need to consider the barriers to this during the one to one supervision sessions. The involvement function of my role is quite wide but a lot of the work involved looks at developing systems using IT based programmes to support the equality and involvement agendas including development of effective  stakeholder engagement mechanisms to record stakeholders and involvement activities. I also keep up to date with patient experience guidance and to work alongside the Patient Involvement and Experience Manager by ensuring that PALS contacts are recorded accurately and are reported in line with patient experience indicators and commissioning requirements. The NHS has undergone a huge change in the direction of strategies and financial decisions that are made. (DOH, 2013) The failure of previous managing organisations such as the Primary Care Trust, has meant that a lot of the workload from there PCT has now moved over to the Care Trust. The experience of patients is very important in this process as it highlights that poor management can leave patients to have poor experience. (Patients Association, 2013) I MANAGE A TEAM, BUT ALSO HAVE TO WORK AS PART OF A TEAM. MY MAIN ROLE IS THE LEARNING CURVE FOR MYSELF AND TO OBTAIN THE LOCAL KNOWLEDGE HELD BY THE PALS OFFICERS. I DELIVER REGULAR TEAM BRIEFING SESSIONS, SHARE INFORMATION, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES WITH COLLEAGUES LISTEN AND ARE OPEN TO THE VIEWS OF OTHERS. I ACTIVELY WORK TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE AT ALL LEVELS. BY DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING CONSTRUCTIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL SERVICE USER, CARER AND COMMUNITY LED ORGANISATIONS. (MULLINS, 2010) An effective team, as stated by Mullins and other literature surrounding management, is a group of people that work together to achieve outcomes. This is a multidisciplinary approach, using a matrix style of working. I am comfortable with this description as I also feel that a team is a group of individuals that work together to use skills and expertise and team working to complete tasks assigned to the group. The defined role of a team looks at defined roles, skills and expertise. An important part of the team is to maintain regular contact, collaboration, co-ordination. These regular and frequent interactions give the team a more defined purpose. I also feel that a team needs skills and knowledge to carry out capability. The challenges that I face in my role are that the role is of an evolving nature with and increased demand and support should be given by other colleagues in a matrix style of working. However, due to the lack of clarity from senior management and the fact that the job description is very new can lead to an impact on day to day management of the PALS team. Another significant challenge is to performance manage the PALS team. The team has been working together for approximately 8 years, with some of the newer members joining around 4 years ago. This has led to a culture of working to our way. The concern with this approach to team working is that it may not necessarily meet the objectives of the organisation. In the scenario of the PALS team we constantly seem to cover ground rules and not be able to get past that, this can be seen as a level of non- compliance. As a manager my role is to steer the team to meet the teams objectives, but this can be difficult due to the complex dynamics and individual personalities. To combat this I arranged individual sessions with staff to generate discussion around what each member of staff feels that they have done well, what can they do better and what would help them to get to that stage. The challenge that I face with the team during this period of consultation is to maintain a positive working environment and culture which actively improves the performance of the department and teams within it in relation to involvement, patient experience and equality. This id due to the motivation levels within the team. As cited in Mullins 2010, Team working is no more than a fashionable term used by management to give workers an exaggerated feeling of importance my view on this is that team working has to be used in the right context. There are times as a manager where you can be led by your team however, overall the manager has to set the scene and highlight the core areas for team working and independent work. My role in terms of the day to day management of PALS Team including objective setting for individuals and team; allocating work to staff, completing monthly sickness returns. I ensure PALS staff are up to date in terms of all mandatory and required training and development is up to date  at all times. It is imperative to my role to identify and arrange appropriate training and development for PALS staff, via the appraisal and KSF route, to ensure successful delivery of business and to keep staff motivated and engaged in their roles. This is also as described by Druckers management model, which asks the questions of what do managers do? The managers role according to Drucker: Sets objectives. The manager sets goals for the group, and decides what work needs to be done to meet those goals.I engage in this process by using supervision and team meetings, to set objectives but also to understand that the objectives are clear and clarified 2) Organizes. The manager divides the work into manageable activities, and selects people to accomplish the tasks that need to be done. I am in a job share situation, where my colleague is also a part time PALS officer. This has meant that I have had to revise the workload, so that both my skills and management tasks required are delegated appropriately between us and also to staff within the team that have the right skills. The challenge that I face in this situation is that I do not have a PALS background; however, it is important for me to be objective and put simple plans in place to have the team working effectively. I aim to pick up a lot of these conversations during the supervisions that I have with staff. 3) Motivates and communicates. The manager creates a team out of his people, through decisions on pay, placement, promotion, and through his communications with the team. Drucker also referred to this as the integrating function of the manager. My main style of working and management is to use motivation as a contributing factor, by looking at the motivators and demotivates and allowing staff to make their own decisions, using coaching and facilitation. Once aims and objectives are agreed, this allows me to measure the progress during meetings and one to ones 4) Measures. The manager establishes appropriate targets and yardsticks, and analyzes, appraises and interprets performance. This goes hand in hand with  motivation, my main role is to measure the outcomes and also to measure underperformance. I aim to try and do this in a facilitating manner and not punitive. My own experiences of being managed in a punitive manner led me to completely switch off. I believe that the right skills and appreciation is at the heart of trying to get a team or individuals to work together. By using reflective practice I can also measure the performance of the team. I recently asked for team to bring figures of complaints/ concerns and issues to team meetings, so that we can be measurable and auditable. 5) Develops people. With the rise of the knowledge worker, this task has taken on added importance. In a knowledge economy, people are the companys most important asset, and it is up to the manager to develop that asset. During the one to one sessions, I have designed a template to ask staff what works well, how we can do it better, looking at ways of improving stakeholder work, raise the empowerment level of individuals to take on responsibilities once involved, i.e. chair meetings etc. Managers born or made, Mullins states a combination of both, my roles both professionally and personally have evolved through needs (Maslows Hierarchy of Needs). The need to bring a substantial income into our family home coupled with the determination of having a professional post. I also feel that as described above I am working using Druckers model for my personal development. One of the main aspects being that I am constantly setting measurable targets for myself and constantly reviewing progress and working to timescales. One of the constant reminders that I have to keep addressing in my role as a manager is that motivation is not linked to ability. As Mullins points that an individual can be motivated but not have the right skill set or resources to carry out their ability. This is quite fundamental to bear in mind as often motivation and ability can be seen as the same, in my view they are co-dependant but need to be addressed individually. Motivation means doing the best of ability, understanding what you can cope with and enjoy. Motivation is possibly the best way of doing something,  taking into account individual characteristics and drivers. What motivates one individual may not motivate another (Mullins 2010) The definition of motivation is to keep the momentum going, having the drive to achieve objectives, achieving and keeping a check on self-motivation. Motivation is linked to rewards which are individual to different people. Mullins (2010) states motivation is why people behave in a certain way, why people do what they do, the direction and persistence of it is concerned. Having a sense of achievement is important to all; Organisations are now buying into the fact that staff needs to be kept motivated and engaged. As a result of Staff surveys, (BDCT 2012) organisational aims as well as individual aims are driven by certain motivating factors. These as discussed previously are dependent on individual circumstances. In a team of staff the motivation will be at different levels as people are at different points in life. A lack of motivation has the effect of having a destabilised work environment and an impact on staff morale. Motivation is not performance. Performance = motivation and ability levels (UoB 2013) this phrase sums up for me what motivation means as a manager Within motivation there are different theories. Buchanan and Huczynskis theory on goals looks at main motives for our behaviour, wealth status and power trigger. Our behaviour towards attainment is encapsulated as the Content theory. Mullins 2010 looks at content theories as the drive and need of motivation. Decisions: why do we choose to pursue certain goals is termed process theory, the focus is on how choices are made with respect to goals. Job enrichment theory looks at influence and how can we motivate you to work harder. According to Maslows Hierarchy of needs (Buchanan and Huczysnki) an individual, team or manager has the following needs: 1, physiological needs 2, safety needs 3, social needs 4, ego needs 5, self-actualisation Maslow states that the lower needs have to be satisfied first. My role as PALS Manager came as a result of national changes within the NHS. My previous role was in commissioning and due to move over to the Commissioning Board, however due to geographical challenges; I applied for a local job so that it could fit in with my need of being a carer to my family. In my role as Stakeholder Manager, I collaborate and facilitate corporate events, raise service user and carer profile both inward facing across the organisation and outward facing. The Care Trust has made a huge effort to recognize and reference to the Francis Report, patient experience is at the heart of patient care. As stakeholder manager I am constantly reviewing, what does this mean? To take a proactive approach I take the comments from the board to team meetings to raise awareness of issues and concerns that have a potential to take place, based on Mid Staffs Enquiry (Francis Report, 2013) and vice versa from stakeholder groups back to team meetings. It is critical in my role is to keep a balanced view between the organization and the stakeholders. I am able to agree with the rhetoric assumption of we have been here before in terms of making service better for people , but I believe that the catalyst for change is always evolving and by using reflective practice I am able to highlight the positive changes that have taken place. An example of this is that carers are invited to Board meetings to share their experiences so that the senior management has some idea of the situation at grassroots level. Historically this was not taking place, however due to the feedback received regarding involvement activities from service users and carers, the Trust Board invite Service users and carers on  a regularly basis. This allows service users to be an advocate for others but also with regular contact to become almost semi-professional and understand some of the concerns faced by large organisations. The history of service user movement groups is well documented (Everett 1994, Campbell 1996, Wallcraft J, Bryant M 2003) and awareness of this literature enables an understanding to develop of the gigantic steps that have been made in the area of user involvement. The past quarter of a century has witnessed a dramatic change in the way that those using mental health services are perceived, represented and valued, not least as contributors towards their own care as opposed to purely receivers of it. The role of service users in the 2007 mental health service is far removed from the role they played just decades previously (Campbell 2005) and the increasingly used term experts by experience highlights the value placed on service user contribution in all aspects of their care planning. This patient expertise is also fundamental to service user involvement, which not only takes many forms, but occurs on many varying levels. Involvement ranges from the macro level of service planning and evaluation through to involvement at the micro level of service user participation and decision making regarding their own care (Braye 2000). Recognised by the DoH (Department of Health, 2001b) in their Expert Patient document. In my role of team management I am faced with conflicting demands upon my time and within the members of staff. Conflict resolution has become an important part of the managers role, the questions can be asked as to why there can be conflict. One of the reasons that I have uncovered during my research is that individuals can make organisational objectives, become personal objectives, this may not be fitting to everyone, due to individual circumstances. Job purpose and job crafting is linked to my personal beliefs and motivation theory. There are two factors that motivate people in their jobs. These two factors are: Hygiene factors affecting job dissatisfaction are qualities of supervision, pay, company, policies, physical working conditions, relations with others, and job security. Motivator factors affects motivation are promotional opportunities, opportunities for personal growth, recognition, responsibility, and achievement. Herzberg argued that Hygiene factors do not contributes towards higher performance instead they are for prevention of dissatisfaction in jobs. True motivators are impacting motivation and hence organisational performance. In my view hygiene factors are not contributors to motivation is not entirely true. Based on individual factors like responsibility, economic situation, opportunities available, these factors may act as motivators to work. In evaluating the effectiveness of my role as a manager, I am not able to constructively measure my performance in this role as it too early to measure, however, in other areas of my life and on requesting regular feedback from my peers and previous colleagues, I would say that I am an effective manager in terms of motivation, objective setting and team working. I am able to synthesise and analyse my own development to better inform myself and the team that I manage. This role in particular is a short term contract and because of this I feel that my delivery of results is paramount to my reputation as an effective manager. Some of the challenges that I have faced include the spontaneous nature of the team. The embedded dynamics means that it was difficult for staff in overcoming the initial authority and assertiveness of my role. Staff were working to their own demands; they were working hard and trying to give all they can in their roles but not working as effectively as they possibly could. I detected certain levels of non-compliance and lack of respect towards me as a manager from colleague and staff. This may be due to the fact that they consider themselves to be local experts in their respective  roles. This became an apparent weakness; due to unclear nature of my role and lack of management support this had a knock on effect in my management role. Staff felt that because I was unclear they could also have become complacent in their roles and resisting much required change. I gained support from my manager to facilitate those discussions with my job-share and focussed on the need to work more effectively and efficiently. Following on from the Francis Report, the Trust have decided to conduct an external consultation of the department, this will have an impact on the PALS team, both positively and negatively. Positively the recognition and the importance of service user involvement in mental health care are possibly at a higher level now than it ever has been. The Care Trust was up until a couple of years ago a mental health and learning disabilities, specialist trust. Due to the many changes taking place in the NHS this has now changed and the Care Trust has taken on other responsibilities, the challenge that I am facing in my role is that the service users and carers are mostly from the mental health background, therefore the diversity of involvement from a wide range is restricted, however, this is critical to my role and to the wider role of the organisation. Personal development plan An analysis of my personal development plan will allow me to face some challenges constructively. One of the main concerns is that I have no clear definition of role and therefore unable to set objectives for my team. I aim to seek clarification from my manager and also from the organisation in terms of what the PALS team should be doing, especially in light of the Francis Report. I will be arranging staff supervision sessions and also identifying key areas for development of staff. Regular feedback and appraisals will help in setting the teams objectives. The workload will be reviewed and I will be reviewing time on activities so that a rota can be in place for manning the office and the telephones. I will be able to manage conflict regarding the workload, once the discussions around caseload management have taken place. This will allow cases to be appropriately handled and in a timely manner. References Blake, R. R. and Mouton, J. S. The Managerial Grid III, Gulf Publishing Company (1985) Buchanan, D. and Huczynski, A. Organizational Behaviour: An Introductory Text, Third edition, Prentice Hall (1997) Department of Health, DoH, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recognised-valued-and-supported-next-steps-for-the-carers-strategy accessed June 2013. Drucker, P. F. The Practice of Management, Heinemann Professional (1989) Everett 1994, Campbell 1996, Wallcraft J, Bryant M 2003 Fayol, H. General and Industrial Management, Pitman (1949). Francis Report and Mid Staffs enquiry: http://www.midstaffsinquiry.com/pressrelease.html accessed June 2013. Herzberg, F., Mausner, B. and Snyderman, B. B. The Motivation to Work, Second edition, Chapman and Hall (1959). Maslow, A. H. A Theory of Human Motivation, Psychological Review, 50, July 1943, pp. 370-96 and Maslow, A. H. Motivation and Personality, Third edition, Patients Association, http://www.patients-association.com/ accessed June 2013. Peters, G. Creating the Modern Organization, in Crainer, S. and Dearlove, D. (eds) Financial Times Handbook of Management, Second edition, Financial Times Prentice Hall (2001), Mullins (2010) Mary Parker Follett (1868-1933), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Parker_Follett, accessed June 2013. Mintzberg, H. The Structuring of Organizations, Prentice-Hall (1979). Stewart, R. The Reality of Management, Third edition, Butterworth Heinemann (1999) WriteWork contributors. Management, Partnership and User Involvement in Health and Social Care WriteWork.com. WriteWork.com, 05 June, 2007. Web. 02 Jun. 2013.

International relations Essay Example for Free

International relations Essay International relations deals with mutual understanding between countries; they can therefore be in a position to trade with each other and also to assist each other when one country is facing certain challenges. International relations therefore lays more emphasis on multi cultural and global understanding of a world that is interconnected and complex, by focusing closely on economic, political, cultural and legal forces. International relations are hence very important to the business community internationally, non governmental and private international organizations and governments (Lawson, 2003). Rationality of negotiators Strategies for effective negotiations have always caused major concerns to all the major stakeholders especially to the practitioners and the scholars in the field of international relations. Negotiators can be passive or assertive, collaborative or argumentative, or can adopt other strategies in order to achieve their preferred outcome for their governments or other organizations they are presenting in certain negotiations. When negotiating it is very important to view the issue under negotiation in an adversary point of view, another technique that is preferable while negotiating is focusing on the problem at hand instead of being personal, the negotiator should seek collaborative solutions and should as much as possible base all the discussions on the goal criteria (Lawson, 2003). Negotiators at times fall short of rationality when negotiating, in many instances this is caused by lack of sound negotiating techniques among the negotiators. Such individuals with inadequate information concerning effective styles of negotiation are in most cases irrational and they are to a very great extent guided by their personal experiences assumptions and perceptions as to what may work. These might make the negotiators focus less on the problem, compromise sound solutions and also be personal when negotiating. When such takes place, questions of rationality arise, whether the negotiating individuals are self interested and whether the negotiating parties use the techniques that they perceive to be the best in negotiating (Lawson, 2003). At other times negotiators fail to be rational when negotiating when they feel that by accepting the proposals of the other party it means that they have lost and thus they are likely to use all means possible in blocking certain proposals regardless of whether they are beneficial to the negotiating parties or not. Therefore for negotiations to be successful, it is very important for the negotiating teams to adopt a win win strategy instead of believing that the other party must loose for me to win which eventually becomes detrimental to both parties. For rationality to prevail when negotiations are taking place it is very important to approach the subject on the basis of how the negotiating teams can both benefit from the discussions, they should always be ready to give and take so that consensus can be reached and rational decisions made (Lawson, 2003). Irrationality can arise when the negotiating parties are of unequal power, the stronger party may fail to be rational and decide to use its excess power in oppressing the other party. In such a case the stronger party usually has its pre agreed proposals which it imposes on the weaker party. Such power might be in form of stronger military, economic power, technical power and other forms of power that are likely to make it more dominant than the other party (Lawson, 2003). Conclusion Negotiators should be very rational when holding their negotiations; this will make them be able to adopt the best strategies such as dealing with dilemmas that may arise in the cause of the discussions. They will therefore, be able to effectively use such strategies as the prisoner’s dilemma in a manner that they will both benefit from the negotiations. Thus the negotiators can be in a position of answering the toughest question in the dilemma: is it possible for people to cooperate naturally, or do genes of individuals demand a selfish response to all situations in life (Parselle, 2007).

Are Artists Heroes? Artists that Defy Convention

Are Artists Heroes? Artists that Defy Convention The Idea of Artist as Hero They do not fight wars, end famine or rescue small children from burning buildings. Yet, at least according to some Renaissance-era boosters, they are heroes. Though they may not have led battalions, their accomplishments on the canvas were thought to be of such magnitude that, according to many, they deserved heroic praise and treatment. (Barolsky, 1998.) Two artists of their time who may deserve such accolades- emphasizing the qualifier- were Berthe Morisot and James Abbott McNeill Whistler. Though their work did not necessarily put their lives and bodies in danger, they, and many contemporary impressionists were heroes for daring to defy convention. Berthe Morisot was born into a wealthy French family where she was taught to appreciate art from an early age. However, this appreciation did not mean that she should have sought to make art her life’s work and Morisots’ decision to do so was surely a surprising one. Manet became one of her biggest influences both professionally and personally, so much so that he was eventually her brother in law. (Neary, 2005.) Morisot was known for her â€Å"pictorial technique, with her loose brushstrokes, unfinished backgrounds, and light-infused color† (Author Unknown, 2005) which placed her squarely in the Impressionist camp, a school of thought she remained loyal to in her work long after the Impressionists disbanded and the movement died. James Abbott McNeill Whistler, a Morisot contemporary, was born in Lowell, Massachusetts and spent his childhood shuttled between America and Russia, which was where his father worked as a railroad engineer. Shortly after his father died, Whistler, then still a child, came back to America, settled in Connecticut and attended West Point. At the age of twenty, Whistler left America and never came back, preferring to work in Europe. However, Europeans themselves did not care for Whistler’s output, considering it to be too abstract. Whistler in turn responded that the art favored by critics is too detailed, almost to the point of the canvas being stuffed with extras. (Author Unknown, 1998.) What made Morisot and Whistler, whose only commonality seemed to be their artistic styles, deserving of being artistic heroes? Perhaps it was their will to define convention. This willingness cost them dearly. As Brown writes of Morisot, Whistler and their fellow impressionists, they â€Å"began to oppose the Academic standards that had dominated artistic production since the time of Louis XIV† and were consequently met with public â€Å"mockery and derision.† (Brown, 2005.) Whether in politics, religion, art or any other aspect of society, it is never an easy thing to defy convention. Indeed, Brown’s article notes that towards the beginning of Hitler’s reign, he organized the â€Å"degenerate art show† where the German public was invited to laugh at what was perceived by Nazis to be art that was beneath them. Two decades later, United States Senator Joseph McCarthy targeted visual artists in his hearings and three decades afterwards another United States Senator, Jesse Helms, insisted that the National Endowment for the Arts be disbanded. All three of the subjects mentioned above had plans that reached beyond artists- be it Hitler’s Final Solution on McCarthy’s hearings on supposed Communist sympathizers- or Helms’ frequent attack on minorities and homosexuals. Yet in each of these cases, artists were the canaries in the coal mine- they were the first to wither attacks because they were perceived to be the easie st targets. Before his death in 1903, Whistler produced over four hundred paintings, many of which are now exhibited in galleries and museums world-wide. (Author Unknown, 1998.) Yet, all this fame was garnered well after Whistler’s demise. Even Leonardo Da Vinci, despite being well-respected even during his years on Earth, was mistrusted by certain British authorities- because he worked with his left hand. This struck many of the powers that be as ungodly and at one point Leonardo was tried as a sodomite. (Brown, 2005). Indeed, history is filled with figures who, despite having done good, often ground-breaking work, faced persecution- particularly in the Old World- [Galileo, Newton, even Einstein]. Lest one think that this is merely an exercise in Christianity-bashing or perhaps in decrying conventional Western civilization as we know it, it is important to note that early Christians themselves faced the wrath of others for being different. Tertullian, a figure of the Roman times, elucidated that â€Å"Christians are to blame for every public disaster and every misfortune that befalls the people.† (Wade, 2002.) Nor does this mean that anything which is new will inevitably shunned, with innovators put on the dock by the majority. A contemporary example involves the British Council, which recently reopened in Libya after a thirty year absence. (Black, 2007) However, people as a whole tend to operate within narrow confines, tend to lead safe lives and tend to dislike sudden changes or challenges to the routine of life. It is this aversion to change that allows the ridicule and persecution of the different. What, or who is a hero? Certainly those who fight fires, catch criminals, serve on the battlefield, or minister to the infirm in hospital wards count. But so too those men and women who create, inspire and persevere against the odds of their time. References: 1) Author Unknown. (2005) â€Å"Berthe Morisot: An Impressionist and Her Circle,† National Museum of Women in the Arts, 14 January-8 May 2005, accessed via http://www.nmwa.org/exhibition/artists.asp?exhibitid=122 on 25 May 2007. 2) Author Unknown. (1998) â€Å"James McNeill Whistler,† Scottish-American,  History Club, July 1998, accessed via  http://www.chicago-scots.org/clubs/History/Newsletters/1998/July98-3.htm on 25 May 2007. 3) Barlosky, P. (1998) â€Å"Leonardo, Satan and the Mystery of Modern Art,† The Virginia Quarterly Review, Summer 1998, accessed via http://www.vqronline.org/articles/1998/summer/barolsky-leonardo-satan/ on 25 May 2007. 4) Black, I. (2007) â€Å"Great Grooves and Good Grammar,† The Education Guardian, 10 April 2007, accessed via http://education.guardian.co.uk/tefl/story/0,,2053576,00.html on 25 May 2007. 5) Brown, B.A. (2005) â€Å"The Artist as Crazy, as Fraud, as Psychopath,† ArtScene, April 2005, accessed via http://artscenecal.com/ArticlesFile/Archive/Articles2005/Articles0405/BBrown0405.html on 25 May 2007. 6) Neary L. (2005) â€Å"Impressionist Berthe Morisot, Rediscovered,† National Public Radio (NPR) Morning Edition, 1 February 2005. 7) Wade, R. (2002) â€Å"Persecution in the Early Church,† Probe Ministries, July 2002, accessed via http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/persecution.html on 25 May 2007.

The Reform Of Schools :: essays research papers

The Reform of Schools   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The government of Ontario proposes there is a need to make universally accepted rules in the school system. For students to be more disciplined, the government needs to achieve new province wide standards. If the new school standards will not discipline the students, and if each school entails its guidelines, then the government's province wide code of conduct will fail. Moreover, the intervention of the government will not enforce the students to become more disciplined. While the arguments for producing new rules are unrealistic, more powerful arguments can be made supporting the current code of conduct.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the government's proposition to create a new code of conduct, the students will receive more disciplinary action. Just as the law governs society, the province wide guideline governs the student body. Since the rules will be explained, and since the students will understand the consequences of their actions, then the students will follow these rules. Due to the thoroughness and strictness of the outcomes, there will be fewer problems in the school system. Moreover, to separate schools means to separate students. Since the new code of conduct produces equality, and since it sets forth equal status among individuals, then the students will have a standard that the entire province takes part in. Now, the schools are going from each one entailing their code of conduct. To treating all schools as equals. For example, if a student in Ontario skips out of class, and if the student receives a punishment (making up that class on their time  ® weekends), then the students in other provinces will not skip out of class. Overall, the new bill will make the students who do not want to be at school the school's choice, not the students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In opposing this proposition, the intervention of the government will not solve schools individual problems. Since discipline is taking place in schools, and since certain schools acquire more disciplinary action from others, then the current code of conduct exemplifies self-discipline and respect towards authority. Purpose for multiple codes of conduct allows the school system to punish the students accordingly. If there was a new province wide standard, there would be one punishment to distribute; however, with the current system, teachers are allowed to fluctuate the punishment according to the severity of the crime. In addition, punishments and discipline play an active role in a student's development. It is essential in determining respect for themselves and authority.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Essays -- Wolfgang Mozart Biographies Bio Essa

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as he is generally known, was baptized in a Salzburg Cathedral on the day after his birth as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus. The first and last given names come from his godfather Joannes Theophilus Pergmayr, although Mozart preferred the Latin form of this last name, Amadeus, more often Amadà ©, or the Italiano Amadeo, and occasionally the Deutsch Gottlieb. Whatever the case may be, he rarely - if ever - used Theophilus in his signature. The name Chrysostomus originates from St. John Chrysostom, whose feast falls on the 27th of January. The name Wolfgang was given to him in honor of his maternal grandfather, Wolfgang Nikolaus Pertl. He was the seventh and last child born to musical author, composer and violinist, Leopold Mozart and his wife Anna Maria Pertl. Only Wolfgang and Maria Anna (whose nickname was 'Nannerl') survived infancy. He was born in a house in the Hagenauersches Haus in Salzburg, Austria, on the 27th of January, 1756. Though he did not walk until he was three years old, Mozart displayed musical gifts at an extremely early age. At the age of four, he could reproduce on the piano a melody played to him; at five, he could play the violin with perfect intonation. In fact, with more recent evidence, Mozart is believed to have written his first composition just a few short days before his fourth birthday! These compositions, an Andante and Allegro K1a and K1b, were written, Leopold noted, early in 1760, as he approached his fourth birthday. They are very brief, and modelled on the little pieces that his sister had been given to play (and which he also learnt; the "Wolfgang Notenbuch" is a forgery). As they survive only in his father's handwriting, it is impossible to determine how much of them are Mozart's own work. So when the six-year-old Wolfgang had proved his extraordinary talents at the keyboard, Leopold was keen to exhibit those talents along with those of his gifted pianist daughter, Nannerl. Thus Leopold undertook a four month tour of Vienna and the surrounding area, visiting every noble house and palace he could find, taking the entire family with him. Mozart's first known public appearance was at Salzburg University in September of 1761, when he took part in a theatrical performance with music by Eberlin. Like other parents of his time, Leopold Mozart saw nothi... ...ts of fever and general ill-health. And in his last ten years in Vienna, the constant need to write commissioned work - for he was the first of the composing freelances, with no regular patrons or court salaries - had worn him down to the point where one bout of fever was sure to finish him off. In July he'd had the anonymous commission to write a Requiem for the Dead; but that had been progressing slowly, because he'd been busy with two operas - La Clemenza di Tito and The Magic Flute - and two cantatas at the same time. Thirty-five years of artistic, social and personal pressure was taking its toll. Almost as soon as the cold cloths had been wrapped around his head, Mozart lost consciousness. He left no great last words; his final utterance was an attempt to express a drum passage in the Requiem, a sound that would haunt Sophie Haibel for the rest of her life. Perhaps, in his last semi-conscious moments, the sounds of the completed Requiem were sounding inside Mozart's head, the perfect performance of his final masterpiece and swan-song that would never be heard. Shortly before one o'clock on the morning of 5 December 1791, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died at the age of 35.

How Duty of Care Contributes to Safe Practise Essay

What duty of care means in children and young people settings Duty of care – it’s required we have to give the right amount of attention and caution to avoid negligence which would lead to harm to other people. Duty of care is the legal term for safeguarding yourself and others. Children (especially young children) are vulnerable because they have not yet developed the physical and cognitive skills to care for themselves, so they need care from the adults around them. As a practitioner we have a duty of care towards them, the younger and more vulnerable the child, the greater the duty of care needed. Duty of Care includes the following concepts: †¢ to keep individuals safe †¢ to keep individuals free from harm †¢ to give choice As a practitioner, vigilance and attention keeps young children safe as they develop, these areas help when the child has a good role model to teach them: †¢ The ability to foresee and cope with potential dangers †¢ More robust immune systems †¢ Empathy – understand that their actions may hurt or upset others †¢ Communication skills to be able to talk about the harm others may be doing them How this contributes to the safeguarding or protection of individuals Duty of care contributes to the safeguarding/protection of children/young people by keeping them safe and protecting them from abuse, whether this is in a sexual, physical, neglect or emotional harm. Children have a right to be safe and to be treated with respect and dignity, as a practitioner we have to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety and well-being of all children in our care. If we don’t follow all necessary steps it could be regarded as professional neglect, we must always act and be seen to act in the child’s best interests. Babies and under 3’s are in need of an adults care for protection because they are unable to do this for themselves. Duty of care safeguards children in my setting in various ways: * Risk assessments – having done risk assessments we are taking precautions to avoid accidents or the spreading of infections. * Following the correct procedures if we have any concerns for a child’s well-being. * We set clear expectations and boundaries depending on age, stage and development and we discourage any behaviour which could result in a child being harmed or upset. * Assessments and observations on children can alert us to any problems that may need our attention and will also help in the discussions with parents and other professionals. * Always listen to what the children have to say and take any concerns they may have seriously.

Culture and Religion in Malaysia

Malaysia is a multicultural society, with Malays, Chinese and Indians living side by side. The Malays are the largest community. They are Muslims and speak Bahasa. Malays mainly control the political power in Malaysia. The Chinese comprise about a third of the population. They are Buddhists and Taoists, speak Hokkein, Hakka and Cantonese, and are dominant in the business community. The Indians account for about 10% of the population. They are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India. They speak Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi, and live mainly in the larger towns on the west coast of the peninsula. Eurasians and indigenous tribes make up the remaining population. Iban of Sarawak is the main indigenous tribe of Malaysia. They number around 3, 95,000. They are largely longhouse dwellers and live along the Rejang and Baram rivers. The Bidayuh (107,000) are concentrated on Sarawak's Skrang River. The Orang Asli (80,000) live in small scattered groups in Peninsular Malaysia. The tribals were mainly nomadic agriculturists but gradually they are being absorbed in the modern Malaysian society. The traditional architectural style of Malaysia is the long-house, found particularly along the rivers of Sarawak. Families live together (though they have their own private space) in one long building, raised on stilts, sharing the open verandah which runs the whole length of the building. Also raised on stilts are the wooden houses in other parts of rural Malaysia. These stilt-houses are around two meters above the ground to protect against floods and wild animals, while providing extra ventilation and also shelter for the family's domestic animals. The style of the houses varies from region to region, the most famous being the saddle-shaped roofs, which rise up into what are known as â€Å"buffalo horns†. A third style of home common in Malaysia is the Chinese â€Å"shop-house† where the ground floor is a shop, with the family living above. Malaysian music is heavily influenced by Chinese and Islamic forms. The music is based largely around the gendang (drum), but includes percussion instruments (some made of shells), flutes, trumpets and gongs. The country has a strong tradition of dance and dance dramas. Some of them are of Thai, Indian and Portuguese origin. Other artistic forms include wayang kulit (shadow-puppets), silat (a stylised martial art) and crafts such as batik, weaving and silver and brasswork. Religion: More than half of the population (52%) follows Islam. Other religions followed in Malaysia are Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Sikhism. In addition Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia.

Successful and unsuccessful organizations

The success rate of a business organization is determined by the level of satisfaction it has being able and is still capable of rendering to those who patronize its services or products. It also9 depend on the level of trust the clients or buyers have for the service or product from the organization. This will form the bases whether they will continue to patronize the organization. The quality services and product has always being the reckoning force for successful business organizations.Thus, most successful business organizations have adopted the Total Quality Management (TQM) as a tool for the expansion of their success rate and also curving an edge for themselves over their counterparts in contemporary business world. Total quality is about bringing about a fundamental culture change within an organization. The foundation of the new culture has to be faith- that there is a better way of doing things, and that we are really fully committed to it.According to KPMG (2005), â€Å"T otal quality means adopting a customer- oriented business strategy. † This write- up tends to be base on Hilton International as a case stu7dy. Here, the organization operations in the past, present will be studied to see whether it will be successful or not in the next five years to come. HILTON INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION Hilton International organization is a name to be reckoned with when it comes to hostel industry world over.It has spread its tentacles to developing programmes such as esprit and Hilton University used in training its manpower. The organization is a Multi- International Corporation. Hilton International (HI) owns the right to the Hilton brand name throughout the world, with the exception of the USA, where the Hilton brand is owned and managed by Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC). The Hilton International operates 403 hotels, with some 261 branded Hilton and 142 under the mid- market Scandic brand.The Hilton International and the North American Hilton Hotel Co rporation has a global alliance which extends the number of hotels operated by both companies worldwide to over 2,700- over 500 of which are branded Hilton. Also, both organizations share responsibility for the Conrad brand which includes 17 hotels in 12 countries (national business awards, 2005). Hilton International started its operation in hotel business in postwar cities, with its modest services of offering a clean environment, air- conditioned respite and a cheeseburger.The Hilton hotels were designed for political impact during this time. The hotels were seen as â€Å"little America†, where businessmen and tourists in Europe and the Middle East could retreat from the disturbingly alien into the comfortable services provided by the Hilton hotels. These same features lent the Hilton a utopian aura, for the economically exhausted local population where a space of luxury and promise which realized permanently and prominently, the new and powerful presence of the United Sta tes (Wharton, 2001)The Hilton International built 16 luxury hotels abroad between 1953 and 1966. â€Å"All were planned according to the Hilton programme and styled as ‘corporate modern’- the same form that distinguished the American embassies and consulates proliferating in the period† (ibid). The Hilton was the first significant modern structure, introducing a striking visual contrast to the vernacular fabrics of places such as Istanbul, Cairo, Athens and Jerusalem. The new architecture impact was amplified by the hotel’s unprecedented siting and scale.As already stated, the ideological base of the creation of Hilton International was not only for profit maximization, but also for political considerations. According to Conrad Hilton, â€Å"Hilton International Hotels were constructed not only to earn Hilton shareholders a profit, but also to make a political impact on host countries; an integral part of my dream was to show the countries most exposed to communism the other side of the coin†¦. the fruits of the free world† (ibid). Hence, the American government had assisted the corporation in no small measure in expanding its base internationally.The capital for the construction of the earlier Hiltons was commonly provided not by the corporation itself, but by institutions in the host countries, with occasional subsidies from the American Economic Co-operation Administration with the support of the US Department of state. Hilton envisioned a global peace where universal capitalism reign. The consistent modernity of the original Hiltons has made it lost its authority and bears no utopian meaning. This has to do with the remodeling of Hilton International in order to make it remain fashionable.THE ORGANIZATION’S STRATEGY AND PRESENT STANDING. The Hilton international is recognized presently as the world best known hotel. It triumphed at the prestigious UK National Business Awards for a second year by winning the cov eted ‘Broad-system Customer Focus Award 2005’. Previous year the organization won the Best Marketing Strategy Award. (National business awards, 2005). The Hilton International has operated a business strategy that makes its customers to have the best quality of service. The organization embrace a creative marketing agency, campaign works.This has supported Hilton’s new brand strategy. The strategy first embraced industry and customer research. Innovation Hubs were set up to turn lifestyle analysis and research into a contemporary hotel experience and conventional thinking was challenged which contributed to the creation of the new customer brand promise. The next phase saw the development of innovative internal and external marketi9ng tools that communicated and delivered the brand strategy throughout the organization and to the customer.The embraced strategy of Hilton International has led to its outstanding success with significant commercial returns. Hilton is now the number one hotel brand in every global market with higher guest satisfaction, improved team member satisfaction and increased financial perfo4rmance (ibid). The Hilton International is expanding its manpower knowledge through its Hilton University. Currently, there are 8000 team members, team leaders, departmental managers and general managers in 70 countries in the Hilton University.The university is recognized as a world standard for management development in the hospitality industry. It has a primary focus of a web- based delivery of core management and skill development with the goal of maintaining world-class customer service throughout the Hilton International organization. The Hilton International sees it as a challenge to increase and broaden the reach of the university to serve even more emp0loyees worldwide, to increase the sophistication of learning activities it offers and to more directly link learning and skills development with the company’s business r esults.The Sum Total learner management system is aimed at developing more in-depth, blended learning programs, incorporating employee competencies by job role and function, and aligning them with specific content and business goals. (elearnity. com, 2004) According to John Guthrie, head of International management development at Hilton International, ‘what sets Hilton apart is the immense pride we take in the standards of service we deliver to all our guests. Sum-Total will help us measure the effectiveness of certain training programs- for example in e-commerce and reservations – in increasing customer satisfaction†(ibid)In year 2000, Hilton International unveiled a plan to double the speed at which it opens hotels around the world. The shares of the organization enjoyed a massive 40 per cent rise since Hilton announced plans to expand Ladbrokes, into internet betting. The online betting becomes interesting to investors, even though its hotel business accounts f or more than two thirds of the group’s profits. (Lindsay City, 2000) The present crave for internet betting has made the organization take its turn in partaking in the business.Turnover of the Hilton in 2000 slipped to 4. 23 billion pounds from 4. 68 billion pounds, mostly as a result of selling off the Corals betting shop chain. The hotel division, bolstered by Stakis, saw profits rise from 181 million pounds to 264 million pounds. In year 2003, the Hilton International sees the increase in its revenue. Hilton reported a pretax profit before exceptional and goodwill for the first half, of 110. 5 million pounds, down from 130 million pounds the previous year.Hilton plans to open 17 new hotels in 2003, with most of them incorporating either management contracts or franchises, and will continue to open around 20 each year going forward. HILTON INTERNATIONAL POTENTIELS FOR SUCCESS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. The historical and present operations of the Hilton International have sh own that the organization strategy is a strong base for its success in years to come. Total Quality Management as a management tool is used by the organization to continue to win its customers’ patronage.The strategy sees that customers are given the best standard quality of services. This business strategy has made the Hilton International to win the UK National Business awards for 2004 and 2005. The Hilton Business strategy, as discussed earlier on, has a creative marketing agency, campaign works which help in supporting industry and customer research, innovative internal and external marketing tools that communicate and delivers brand strategy throughout the organization and to the customer. This is in practice in the organization.Also, the divers and expanding business operations of the Hilton International would make the organization to continue to succeed. Even, if one or more business unit of the Multi Corporation experiences a d own ebbs in its operational level, othe r chains and units that is successful would keep the organization going. As already discussed the Hilton International operates a university where its manpower are trained and equipped with the professional skill in delivering standard services to its customers.In this instance, the practice of Strategic Human Resource Management is put in place, where the workforce of the organization are integrated into the strategic operation of the corporation, in order to attain the organization’s objectives and long term goals. This practice tends to bring the achievement of best results, and thereby making the Hilton International organization to succeed over the next five years to come and more.

Culture Of Madness Midterm Essay

In the course of the week as directed for the midterm assignment, I was able to hear remarks made to imply that something irrational had been said or had occurred. Of all those time there are two that were in my opinion most interesting. They are as follows;- In the first instance the remark that referred to irrationality was made was during a conversation between two girls. One was telling the other of something that a friend of theirs had said the previous day. The two were chatting away excitedly as one described to the other what had transpired. The remark ‘she can’t be serious’ was made by the listening friend. She remarked this when the other friend told her that their friend (X), a girlfriend not present there, had told her that she wanted to seek the services of a palm reader. The conversation then proceeded by girl H saying that that was her reaction too. Girl B wanted to know why their friend wanted to visit the palm reader. An explanation followed where girl H said that their friend X had read in the internet that palm readers could tell what was going to happen in one’s future. X wanted to know what was going to happen to her so that she could prepare for it and avoid disappointment. The internet had described numerous instances when people were saved embarrassment and disaster when palm readers warned them about it. To this, both girl H and B laughed and agreed that that idea was crazy enough. They made fun on what their friend X would be told by the palm reader. They went on talking asking each other questions discussing their views on the same matter and whether they believed in such things. In the second scenario there was a couple, probably a married one, where the lady told the man that she had quit her job. To this the husband remarked ‘You’ve got to be kidding’. The tone of the woman was casual at the start. In making the remark the man seemed to be in disbelief as one who wanted the statement by the woman not to be true. The conversation proceeded with the lady reaffirming her statement and adding that she had handed in her resignation letter earlier. When asked why she had done that, the woman without mincing her words replied that she had had a dream severally, around three times in the previous week that the building in which she worked was going to collapse killing people with it. The fact that the dream had come to her three times, she believed, meant that she was being warned of what would happen in future and so she had to take precaution. It would be wrong for her to ignore the signs only to regret later. Life was more precious than money and that is why she had made the decision. The tone of the conversation turned serious when the man again remarked, ‘that is crazy’. He seemed very annoyed and thought the wife had done the wrong thing and proceeded to tell her so. The tempers were flared as the woman was in pains to explain why she had resigned and the man was either too angry or disappointed to hear her out. The man termed her beliefs as outrageous and insensible which made the woman even angrier. She finally walked out saying that it was meaningless to have such a conversation with someone who did not want to understand. In the first case when the remark was made it made girl H who was narrating the incident even more eager to continue with it. It gave her a chance to explain in detail why their friend had made such a statement. The response seemed to make the conversation more interesting and implied that the one listening to the story was interested in more information. A reaction that was foreclosed or resisted was one whereby the friend narrating the story could refuse to part with more information about the incident in discussion. The remark also made sure that the conversation stayed on course as it showed that the listener was quite interested in what went on , or why their friend being discussed had said that she wished her mother were dead. The response confirmed the intention of the narrator. Who also affirmed that she thought that their friend could not have possibly been serious that she was going to visit a palm reader. The remark made the narrator know that her perceiving the story as one worth sharing was right. This reassurance made the girl even more eager to tell what transpired and to even give her views about the whole incident. In the second case the remark ‘you’ve got to be kidding’ made the woman seem even more serious in her assertion. It made her reiterate her statement that she had quit her job. It also made her want to give an explanation for her desire before being misunderstood by the man. The remark, also made the situation take an even more serious tone as it actually implied that jokes would be inappropriate at that time or the issue at hand was not a joking matter. The reactions that were resisted were those of turning the matter into a laughing matter when it was serious. Also the chance to dismiss the incident as inconsequential was closed out. The remark showed that the man was very serious about the subject at hand and therefore the woman could not easily divert the conversation or wish it away as trivial. After the remark the conversation seemed to take a very serious tone. First the remark showed that the man was not at all in agreement with what the woman had done and would take a lot to convince him that it was the right thing to do. In fact further along the conversation another remark depicting irrationality was made by the man. This made the woman more agitated as she wanted the man to see things from her point of view and she had not had a chance to make him do this. As the conversation continued it seemed to almost generate into a disagreement with the couple trying to keep their voices low in a public place. In the first scenario if the remark had not been made by girl B, the excitement of the story would have taken a dip. A different statement like ‘Oh yes I have been looking for a palm reader myself’, would probably have come as a shock to girl H who thought the idea of visiting a palm reader to be awkward as well. The conversation would then have turned to a discussion or even an argument for and against the practice of visiting palm readers. Because girl H thought visiting a palm reader was ridiculous maybe the argument would have turned out to be serious making the two friends part ways or agree to disagree. The other case would have been for girl B to answer in a way to show curiosity. For example ‘Oh really what does she want to find out? ’ or ‘oh yeah! , do those things work, can they really tell the future by looking at one’s palm? ’ Because girl B would not have shown support or disagree with what X wanted to do the girls would have continued in a discussion to explore different views concerning such practices. They would each give their different views on palm reading. If the concept of visiting a palm reader would not have been ridiculous to both girls, maybe they would have delved into discussions concerning the same with examples of what they had heard about the same. The conversation would have led to the issues about gift in telling the future, the use of magic, sorcery and the like. The girls may have even agreed to join their friend when going to visit the palm reader. In this scenario the two girls were in agreement that seeing a palm reader was crazy. Though I did not have an opportunity to listen to them for long, I think that they would have described the practice as backward and funny. They would have dismissed it as a practice used by the so called ‘future seers’ to steal money from people who were naive enough to believe that such things were true. They would have termed those people who visit palm readers as superstitious. Some people who because they did not have anything they believed in, were looking for some thing to grasp. They would also have dismissed the practice of palm reading as that for those who were afraid of the future and therefore were looking for ways to manipulate it or even find hope and courage if they found that the future had something good to look out for according to the palm reader. For the case involving the couple if the man had responded in a different way say maybe was more interested in the dreams that made the woman quite her job, the woman would have probably passionately described her convictions for what dreams tell about the future,. The conversation would have gone on and on how other people had dreams that made them avoid disasters. The man would have probably shared some dreams as well and their significance in his life. There would not have been an argument over quitting the job during hard economic times owing to ‘irrational beliefs’. The couple would have agreed that the action taken by the woman was the best for that situation and gone on to encourage themselves that they were going to land another better job for the woman. Since they had taken it upon themselves to warn themselves of an impending danger then fate would have directed them to another equally good or even better job. The couple would have gone on to explore the gifting of some people who have the ability to tell what the future hold using dreams or even visions. They would also have discussed whether it was appropriate to tell some of her friends working at the building to follow her steps so as to be saved from injury or even death. They may have even proposed ways of nurturing the gift like reading books or finding other people with the same gift as the woman then forming a support group so to speak. In this case since the man found the idea of quitting a job because of a dream irrational, he may have dismissed it as superstitious when they met later. He would have wished the dream away as a result of what she had been thinking during the day or a movie she had watched. Her mind had just worked on what it had processed during the day and there was real news about the future from the dream. Believing in dream would have been dismissed with the man saying that if everything that people dreamt had been a forecast of the future then no disasters would have ever hurt anyone as they would be averted in time and save people a lot of grief. The woman on the other hand would defend her case by giving examples of instances when something she had dreamt came true in real life. Apart from this she would argue that the fact that the dream was recurrent it was a clear sign that she needed to take action to avoid the impending danger. Yes -not all dreams depict the future, but the one that had made her wake up feeling anxious an indication that there was more to it than she had imagined, she would defend herself: She would dismiss lack of treating the dreams she had as important as a sign that one did not believe in supernatural occurrences yet there were many that had been documented in books even in the present day. References Lessa, W. , and Vogt, E. (1958). Reader in comparative religion- An anthropological approach. New York. Row, Peterson and Company.