Comprehensive Analysis of Staples

Comprehensive Analysis of Staples Harding University Angela Maloch Ashley Perez Keith Miller Ricky Griffin Abstract This paper will review Staples, Inc. comprehensively. The authors will discuss Staples’ visions, missions, and objectives, in addition to outlining the firm’s internal strengths and weaknesses and their external opportunities and threats. Several matrices will be included to provide visual aid and better observations of the operations and current practices of the company. Recommendations will be provided on new courses of action that may benefit the company and help increase sales and brand awareness.Vision and Mission Staples, is the world’s largest office product organization, and a reliable source for office solutions. The company products and services include office supplies, copy and print supplies, and technology to support these products. Staples, also provides supplies for facilities, break-room, and furniture (Staples, Inc, 2012). Staples c onceptualized the office superstore in 1986. It has more than 88,000 associates worldwide, in 26 countries, and fosters annual sales of 25 billion (Staples, Inc, 2012).Many organizations foundations began with a vision and an organizational mission. The vision and mission are set to be accomplished by setting objectives, and implementing strategies to achieve the goals set by the organization. According to Business Improvement Architects: Creating a compelling vision and developing the strategies to achieve it is one of the organization's most difficult challenges. The vision is more than a dream; it must convey a larger sense of organizational purpose, so that employees are able to picture themselves â€Å"building the dream company† rather than â€Å"laying the stones. It is an ambitious view of the future that everyone in the organization can believe in, one that can be realistically achieved, yet offers a future that is better in important ways than what now exists. (Bus iness Improvement Architects, n. d. ) Staples mission is â€Å"to make it easy to buy office products (David, 2013). † The mission is simple yet it encompasses what the organization strives to do with the products and services it provides to its customers throughout the world. Staples, does not have a written vision, but he the organization utilizes a unique approach in identifying the future direction of the company.Staples Soul program is a program designed by Staples, Inc. to help make the organization an employer and neighbor of choice, and sets Staples brand apart from competitors. The program is also aimed at allowing Staples to grow profitably and responsibly (Staples, Inc, 2012). Objectives and Strategies In Staples 2011 Annual Report, Ron Sargent who serves as the organization’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer stated: At Staples, we take great pride in our consistent execution and our ability to evolve and meet the changing needs of our custo mers.Throughout our 25 year history we’ve succeeded by setting aggressive goals, acquiring and retaining customers, and being accountable for our performance. We took the same approach in 2011 and made progress on many of our key initiatives, despite the challenging economic environment. (Staples, Inc, 2012) Staples has established goals and objectives to keep the organization viable in the fast changing market, and the sluggish economy. The Staples Soul program, separates the organizations objectives into four pillars, and outlines the strategies to obtaining those objectives.The four pillars of focus of the Staples Soul Program are community, ethics, diversity, and environment (Staples, Inc, 2012). Staples Community Objectives and Strategies Staples is dedicated to bring education, hope and opportunity to the communities of where their customers live. The community efforts are strategically approached through local grassroots programs, and large scale initiatives that build ties in the global community (Staples, Inc, 2012). Staples has donated more than $17 million to nonprofit organizations, in the United States, and around the world in 2011.Through its Choose a Charity program, Staples has enabled associates to donate nearly $1. 9 million to organizations, in which they care about (Staples, Inc, 2012). Staples has also been established volunteer programs, and associate volunteer programs which has led to more than 33,000 hours of volunteer work to being performed in 26 countries (Staples, Inc, 2012). Staples and Ethics and Strategies Staples 2011 Annual report discusses their objective to meeting the ethical component of the organization.The report states: We believe that doing right is just as important as doing well. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of honesty, fairness and integrity, and continually implement strategies to ensure ethical conduct from the boardroom to the supply chain to the store. Our strong ethical foundation, demonstr ated in the daily relationships with our stakeholders, and ensures our continued success. (Staples, Inc, 2012) Staples stress the importance of ethics in the business organization. The good business ethics must span throughout the entire organization.In efforts to achieve and maintain an ethical environment Staples has done the following: * Ethics, helpline, and training and awareness program in every business unit and function worldwide (Staples, Inc, 2012). * Established a new Ethics scorecard that allows senior leaders and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors to monitor compliance with program requirements (Staples, Inc, 2012). * Created and established a monitoring and measurement framework to assess how well we are preventing, detecting and responding to ethics and compliance risks (Staples, Inc, 2012). Updated the Staples Suppliers Code of Conduct, by adding an Environmental and Business Ethics section, while modifying other sections (Staples, Inc, 2012). Staples, the Environment and Strategies Staples Annual Report focused on environment as its third organizational objective. The organization’s 2011 report states: At Staples, our vision is to generate business and environmental benefits for ourselves, our customers and our communities by leading the way in sustainable business practices. his vision through a continued focus on sourcing more sustainable products; improving our offering of recycling and other green services; maximizing our energy efficiency and renewable energy use; and eliminating waste. In 2011, we communicated several new global sustainability goals and continued to work in several program areas to help move us closer to our sustainability vision. (Staples, Inc, 2012) As mentioned before the environmental pillar of the Staples Soul programs is beneficial to the organization, the environment, the community and the customer.Staples has been instrumental in environmental progress by: recycling more than 67 million ink and toner cartridges, and 13 million pounds of technology waste in the United States. Staples has continued the implementation of its Race to the Top Initiative, which is focused on key suppliers reducing the environmental impact of their product (Staples, Inc, 2012). At the end of 2011, Staples had 286 facilities in the U. S. that have received the ENERGY STAR ® for buildings certification. By the close of 2011 Staples had 36 solar installations at 33 facilities and purchased a large sum of renewable energy certificates.Staples has a goal of reducing operational electrical intensity by 25%, and global carbon emissions by 50% by 2020 from a 2010 baseline (Staples, Inc, 2012). Staples, Diversity and Objectives Staples believes that being a successful company is dependent on people with rich backgrounds and diverse views. Staples commitment to diversity and inclusion opens the doors for the people of different races, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, physical ability, background and thinking styles. This in turn allows the company to be more innovative, because the organizations associate base reflects the diversity of the customers.Staples’ diverse workforce and suppliers help to build and enrich relationships with customers. While building upon these customer relationships, the organization is able to adapt to the ever changing global market place (Staples, Inc, 2012). Although Staples does not have a written vision statement, the Staples Soul Program has outlined the path, in which the organization wants to proceed over its business life. Fred R. David states: â€Å"A vision statement should answer the basic question, â€Å"What do we want to become? † (David, 2013, p. 45) David also states that a comprehensive mission statement is formulated by a clear vision.It is suggested that the vision statement be established first, and should be short approximately one sentence (David, 2013, p. 45). Many organizations have both a vision and a missi on statement. David states that an organization’s mission statement distinguishes one organization from another in the same industry. An organization’s mission statement is â€Å"its reason for being. A mission statement is important for effectively establishing objectives and forming strategies (David, 2013, p. 45). It is important when formulating a vision and mission statement, it is important to include the managers and the employees.When employees and managers work together to formulate the organizations vision and mission, the statements will reflect the personal visions that employees and managers alike feel passionate towards, and sets the foundation for the future. The shared vision leads to a common objective and can motivate employees and remove the mundane atmosphere in the work environment (David, 2013, p. 47). An organization’s vision and mission statement can: * Ensure unanimity of organizational purpose * Provide a standard for allocation of org anizational resources * Establish organizational climate or general tone Serve as a focal point for people to identify with the organization’s purpose * To help translate objectives into a work structure assignments and task * To specify organizational purpose and translate those into organizational objectives (David, 2013, p. 48). The Staples Soul Program sets the tone for a vision statement for the organization. Staples vision statement could read: â€Å"Staples vision is to be a world leader in providing easy assessable office supplies while being committed to improvements in ethics, environment, community, and diversity for those we serve. The Staples mission as stated before states that the company’s mission is â€Å"to make it easy to buy office products. † (David, 2013, p. 69) Staples mission and vision projected through its Staples Soul Program has set then foundation for the organizational to expand and utilize its strengths and opportunities to contin ue to be a leader in its industry. The organization can also utilize this foundation set to identify weaknesses, and potential industry threats. Eternal Opportunities and Threats External Opportunities Opportunities can give an organization an edge over the competition. Staples, Inc. isplays the potential to increase its growth in additional countries. Currently Staples has 300 stores internationally. An international expansion would increase the profits for the organization. According to David (2013) â€Å"Growth is forecast to reach almost $88 billion by 2013, reflecting a five-year average growth rate of less than 1 percent† (p. SM-66). The advancement in technology can provide Staples with a balanced diversity for its shoppers. New technological gadgets continue to bring additional efficiency for individuals in a number of ways such as online shopping, reading books, and playing games. Staples, Inc. artnered with Barnes and Noble to offer an alternate color reader commonl y known as The NOOK. This technological device competes with Amazon’s Kindle and the Apple’s iPad. The partnership with Barnes and Noble will provide Staples with the opportunity to expand within the digital era. External Threats Threats are external and could occur at any time. Threats most often occur from other competing companies. Staples, Inc. continually competes with a number of organizations in regard to price competition and retail competition. Price competition occurs with equal ground stores such as Office Depot and OfficeMax. Staples, Inc. s the largest office supply company compared to Office Depot classified as the second place organization. David (2013) stated the following interesting fact, â€Å"Staples is larger than Office Depot and OfficeMax combined† (p. SM-76). The three organizations display similar challenges in regard to the reduction of sales because of businesses going paperless. The retail competition includes stores such as Wal-Mart, Kmart, and Target. These organizations display the need to obtain additional market share. As stated earlier, Staples, Inc. began the route of digital services with the latest product from Barnes and Noble commonly known as The NOOK.With the consumer trend of digital services reduces the need for traditional supplies. Green initiatives continue to be another factor for the reduction of traditional supplies, which reduces the need to stock a lot of cases of copy paper in the distribution centers. Competitive Profile Matrix External Factors External Factor Evaluation Matrix (EFE) Key External Factors WeightRatingScore Opportunities International growth (only 300 stores overseas). 12 4. 48 Trends towards digital items. 12 4. 48 New partnerships (Barnes & Nobles). 11 3. 33 Implement research/development. 15 4. 60Threats Price competition. 10 3. 30 Retail competition. 12 4. 48 Unemployment rates. 06 2. 12 Oil prices. 06 2. 12 New technologies reduce need for traditional supplies . 10 3. 30 Green’ initiatives might shift demand for products . 06 2. 12 Totals12. 04 The External Factor Evaluation Matrix (EFE) demonstrates how opportunities and threats may affect the company. Similar to the IFE, this gives a visual rating of the importance of external factors that may contribute to or inhibit the success of Staples. Seen in the matrix above, new opportunities can greatly contribute to the success of Staples.With such broad expansion opportunities, it would be easy for Staples to make new connections overseas, whether in creating new locations or promoting online sales. New partnerships should be looked into as well. Staples has already teamed up with Barnes & Nobles, but opportunities with other major brands might impact Staples’ sales in a positive way as well. Implementing a research and development team can give Staples the opportunity to study consumer patterns, marketing techniques, and what products to offer to better meet the needs of society.Comp eting companies that offer similar products are the greatest threat the Staples. To best combat this, Staples needs to be prepared to offer the best customer service and technologies to stay in the competition. New technologies are changing what consumers need in regards to office supplies. For example, most consumers have switched to computer filing, rather than paper filing. This reduces the need for so much paper, files, folders, and filing cabinets. While some may still need this, Staples may want to look at reducing their inventory of these items and offering a larger supply of more current and modern items.Internal Strengths and Weaknesses Internal Strengths Strengths refer to the factors that exist within the company and exhibits formations of competitive advantage. The organization has dominance worldwide in more than 22,000 locations to include China, Australia, Germany, North America, and a number of other countries. Staples, Inc. is an established organization with a well developed infrastructure that offers business services such as supplies, technology, furniture, and office machines inside the stores as well as online. Staples, Inc. has a competitive advantage with the use of its online sales market.Instead of keeping a large inventory, the majority of the retail store locations stock approximately 7,000 products. When customers do not find a particular item inside the store, he or she can receive next day service at the local store when ordering from Staples. com. This avenue provides customers the option to review over 30,000 products in approximately 125 distributions. When the customer orders a product, he or she can request to receive shipment at the local store, at work, or at a home address. This type of service provides convenience for Staples, Inc. shoppers. In addition, Staples, Inc. ade an investment in regard to its delivery system with a purchase of small fleet of electric trucks. The purpose of this investment was to improve the org anization’s efficiency and cost minimization by reducing fuel cost by 75% compared to diesel trucks. Internal Weaknesses Weaknesses are the areas an organization needs to try to correct imperfections for improvement. Understanding potential weaknesses can help an organization to both manage and remove possible threats. In contrast to a limited inventory as strength, this concept can be a weakness in regard to customers not wanting to wait for a specific product.Customers may go to a competitor to purchase the needed product or purchase it online. A number of challenges exist because of the advanced technological era. For instance, Staples, Inc. reported a seven percent decline in stock prices according to its 2010 Annual Report. Internal Factors Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix (IFE) Key Internal FactorsWeight RateScore Strengths Strong international growth and partners. 12 4. 48 Advertising and marketing. 12 4. 48 Strong Online sales market. 10 3. 30 Many convenient Locatio ns. 10 3. 30 Staples Delivery System. 11 3. 33 Weaknesses Only 1. % increase in Sales (2010). 06 2. 12 Stock price fell 7% (2010). 06 2. 10 Poor executive compensation plans. 12 4. 48 Poor inventory management. 11 3. 33 No research/development Budget. 10 3. 30 Totals13. 19 As seen above, the Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix (IFE) is used to provide a numerical and visual score of key factors of the internal strengths and weaknesses. This gives management an idea of how to prioritize any issues that may be affecting or attributing the growth or success of the company. With more than 1500 locations throughout the United States, Staples is easily accessible to the population.Their advertising and marketing campaigns are successful and catchy; this creates brand awareness, and can potentially bring in more consumers. The internal weaknesses have caused such financial stresses on the company that it is very important that these issues are addressed. For instance, in 2010, there was only a 1. 1% increase in sales and stock prices fell 7%; however, the CEO of Staples, Ron Sargent, took a 41% pay increase. Moves like this can set Staples up for failure, so it is important for management to be aware of these internal issues through the use of an IFE.With no research and development budget, Staples is falling behind the trends of fast-paced society. They are not current on what is popular and what issues may be hurting their sales. * SWOT Analysis According to Thompson, Gamble, and Strickland (2006), â€Å"A SWOT analysis is a simple but powerful tool for sizing up a company’s resource capabilities and deficiencies, its market opportunities, and the external threats to its future well-being (Chap. 3, p. 85). A SWOT analysis is a significant portion of the strategic planning model.An organization uses a SWOT analysis that consists of strengths as internal forces of the organization to accomplish the objective; weaknesses are internal forces of the organization t hat harm the objective; opportunities are external forces that can expand the organization; threats are external forces that can destroy the organization’s success. In developing a strategic plan, leaders must ask if the current strategic plan is adequate to achieve the goal and are there allowances for contingency plans if the current plan is not working.Therefore, an effective strategy will consider the internal and external factors of the SWOT analysis by looking at the big picture of what an organization will face in the course of goal achievement. SWOT Matrix Space Matrix Current Strategies Inventory Staples is looking to reduce physical inventory in stores and offer a wider variety via Staples. com (Donoher as cited in David, 2013). In doing this, they can limit the size of store locations and be able to cut building costs, utilities and floor space on new locations.In addition, research done by Shankar, Rangaswamy & Pusateri (1999) indicates that online shopping is mor e convenient than offline shopping and allows consumers to find products to best fit their needs. This strategy, once fully implemented may promote more business to the website and offer better selections. The only issue that may arise is not having an item in stock that competitors might have. It would helpful to research buying trends and patterns of this industry and keep those items stocked. Prices Low prices have been the ultimate focus of Staples.This is understandable in retail today, however customer service and loyalty programs are just as desirable to consumers. Indicated by Shankar, Rangaswamy & Pusateri (1999), customers are not sensitive just to price increases, but rather a mixture of factors that contribute to the overall buying experience. Slightly raising prices and focusing more on customer service can produce a better experience for in-store shoppers and may encourage them to return. Also, in some cases, low prices can correlate with low quality.When Staples offer s their own brand items for extremely low prices, consumers may consider the price in relation to the quality. Recommended Strategies Based on the case study, Staples, Staples has seen gradually declining sales and profits in recent years (Donoher, as cited in David, 2013). In order to turn that around and be a successful office supply company, they need to implement new strategies. Staples is not a competitor with other office supply companies. They cannot maintain desirable inventories of what consumers are looking for and they cannot beat the prices and leverage that other similar stores offer.If left alone, Staples will go out of business. Suggestions on strategies that may offer aid to Staples are outlined below. Retrenchment â€Å"Retrenchment occurs when an organization regroups through cost and asset reduction to reverse declining profits† (David, 2013, P. 146). If Staples would try this strategy, they might be able to save the company and turn it around. In order to implement this strategy, they would stop opening new stores, and perhaps even close stores throughout the United States. Closing stores throughout the United States can greatly reduce costs and increase revenues.It would be most logical to close the locations with the lowest annual sales. In addition, by reducing the number of store openings would allow for more focus to be within what Staples already has. This means there would be more time to focus on customer service, inventory management, product display, management, and online sales. Online sales are such a large portion of their business, it may be more effective to put more efforts into obtaining sales through that medium, rather than brick and mortar locations. Related DiversificationIn order to remain in the competition, Staples must be open to diversifying the products they currently offer. Staples needs to revamp their current inventory and look at what it is consumers want today. With such a boom in technology, there is a consumer desire for new and up-to-date items. The items they rarely sell need to be taken off the shelves or offer a very limited inventory in stores. That clears up space for new items, and a greater inventory capacity. By stocking items that customers want can increase the traffic flow through the store.Often, consumers know competing stores, such as Office Depot and Wal-Mart have more of what they need, so Staples is eliminated completely. Recommended Annual Objectives and Policies Organizational Annual Business reports are a vital tool in making recommendations for annual objectives, and policies. The annual report identifies the company’s short falls, but more importantly it shines the light on the organizations achievements. The annual report also illustrates the plans and strategies to rectify its weaknesses, and refute potential threats.According an article by Jill Leviticus, an annual report; â€Å"provide information on the health of your company to shareholders, stakeholders, the media and your community. † (Leviticus, 2012) The article also states that the organizational annual report provides financial information, highlights achievements, promotes the organization, and other key information to the stakeholders (Leviticus, 2012). Staples 2011 Annual Business Report outlines the organization’s recommended annual objectives and policies, which is based on the needs of the employees, shareholders, and customers.Annual Business Reports and meetings cover a broad range of objectives and policies. Staples 2011 Annual Business Report covered topics on beneficial of ownership of common stock, corporate governance, and election of directors, employee stock plans, and long-term cash plans (Staples, Inc, 2012). Adjustments to these specific objectives and policies will specifically impact the viability of Staples, Inc. The aforementioned Staples Soul Program has been instrumental in making the organization the â€Å"employer and neigh bor of choice. † (Staples, Inc, 2012) Staples has been proactive in implementing policies and objectives to acilitate the organization in achieving goals centered around the four pillars of the Staples Soul Program, which are community, ethics, diversity, and environment (Staples, Inc, 2012). Strategy Review and Evaluation Defining a strategy is an educated guess. The guess is a key process in any organization. The changes that occur in today’s society can make or break an organization. Strategy, as any other process improvement, cannot be determined unless it is measured. There is an old saying that says it is hard to know where you are going until you know where you have been.Strategy has to be evaluated to determine if the direction of change is favorable or unfavorable to the organization. There are acronyms of famous cycles to help lead an organization to improve. PDCA, PDSA or DMAIC are some of the well-known cycles. These cycles define a basic process of evaluati ng changes made to determine if the actions taken reflect the desired results. A similar process of planning, doing, studying and acting has to be defined in each organization. Organizations can vary in the data used but the process will be the same. DataThere are a number of inputs that need to be included into strategy development. External inputs include items such as customer needs, customer survey results, industry trends, regulatory requirements, technological advancements, market risks and competitive intelligence to name a few. Internal inputs include company vision, mission, goals, philosophies, employee survey results, SWOT analysis and balanced scorecard results. These inputs will help determine what a company’s balanced scorecard should be. The balanced scorecard could be used by location moving up to the organizational level.It could also translate down to specific goals and objectives for individual performance management. Measure Once the balanced scorecard has been developed then it is time to capture the results. In most cases these results are measured monthly. There are some cases where the time frame may extend to a longer period of time depending on the metric being measured. For instance, financial information would probably be calculated monthly by an internal team. An external assessment could be used to challenge or protect your company such as Sarbanes-Oxley audit. These measurements help determine direction.Review Periodic reviews of balanced scorecard information are required to determine if the actions taken are effective or not effective. These reviews can occur at different time intervals. Changes or actions taken can immediately take effect or it could be a period of time before the change is realized. An example of immediate effect could be actions taken to reduce inventory levels. Depending on the action the company may see the results on the following month. An example of a longer term effect may be implementing an â⠂¬Å"open door† policy which involves a cultural change that may not be seen immediately.A general understanding of the metric and the anticipated impact time should be rationalized during the review process. Adjustment Once the review has been analyzed actions should be taken to correct metrics that are not performing to the desired results. There are several methods of problem-solving that can be used to help work through the possible contributors of poor performance. The A3 process was derived by Toyota. The process is a collaborative problem-solving tool used to manage individual issues from beginning to end.The A3 process identifies the team, the problem, the metrics used to measure the issue, potential causes, countermeasures to potential causes, responsible party assigned and results. The cycle starts again similar to the Plan, Do, Study and Act cycle mentioned earlier. Recommendation The recommendation for Staples is to have monthly reviews as well as annual reviews. Th e monthly reviews would consist of A3’s developed for each of the metrics. The A3’s would be reviewed to see how the countermeasures are impacting the metric. This type of review will help monitor performance in the short-term time frame.Annual reviews should be conducted on the internal and external inputs and balanced scorecard results. The annual review would be designed to develop the strategic plan for the following year or longer. References Business Improvement Architects. (n. d. ). Understand the organization's vision. Retrieved November 22, 2012, from www. bia. ca: http://www. bia. ca/vision. htm David, F. R. (2013). Strategic Managment: A Competitive Advantage Approach (14 ed. ). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Leviticus, J. (2012). What Is the Purpose of Company Annual Reports? Retrieved November 23, 2012, from www. smallbusiness. hron. com: http://smallbusiness. chron. com/purpose-company-annual-reports-57428. html Shankar, V; Rangaswamy, A. & Pusateri, M. (1999). The online medium and customer price sensitivity. Penn State School of Information Sciences and Technology. Staples, Inc. (2012, April). 2011 Annual Report. Retrieved November 22, 2012, from www. thomson. mobular. net: http://thomson. mobular. net/thomson/7/3218/4642/document_0/SPLS_2011AR. pdf Staples, Inc. (2012, November 14). Corporate Profile. Retrieved November 22, 2012, from www. staples. com: http://investor. staples. com/phoenix. zhtml? c=96244&p=irol-IRHome

Creative Retention Strategies That Are Used by Organization Today

With the fast changing economic & market conditions, companies are facing very high pressure to perform which require them to have the best people to work with, to retain their experience minds; they want to be the most preferred employer in the eyes of their prospects (future employee). To retain their best talent companies are adopting various creative strategies. According to DQ-IDC recent survey on the reasons that make people change the job, the most important reason was salary & compensation but apart from that Career Development, Location, Flexibility of office hours, Job Security, Organization Culture & Welfare policies emerged as the main reason of changing job. There is not much change on the attrition front we have seen even after following many strategies; the biggest attrition rate is still in IT industry which is 18%, followed by banking & financial companies. The average retention rate has dropped from 82% in 2007 to 79% in 2008. Now when we look what companies are doing to retain their employees, we can find many interesting thing. Some of the creative retention strategies/practices followed by companies are 1. Flexi timing: – Many Companies are following this technique like Aditi technologies, Sap Labs etc. It seems these companies have got the right software of flexible timing. 2. Fun @ Work:- Many companies have made fun an integral part of the working & their companies values, some of them have linked the fun with their performance appraisal system like Wipro BPO, Acclairis Business solution pvt. Ltd., VCustomer Corp. etc. 3. Training & Development opportunity: – Many companies have understood that their people are the most important assets that’s why they want a continuous up gradation of their employee through short term training & development programmes. 4. Respect Your Employee: – When we look at the recent survey on â€Å"Employee retention† we can find respect & recognition at the work place has emerged as the one of the main reason of changing job. Almost every company is trying hard to pay due respect to their employee by many programme. On the spot award, Self Appraisal, Foreign trips, â€Å"Get well soon† Flower bouquets for ill employee or family members are such programmes to show the respect towards the employees. 5. Empower Your employee: – It is not a matter of surprise that Marriott Hotel India every employee is called â€Å"Associates† and the â€Å"Sir† culture is absent there, Associates are empowered enough to take decision, the same way RMSI who have freed his employee to calculate their own performance bonus, at any time on the internet. 6. Bridge the Gap:- Programmes such as â€Å"Coffee with GM† in Marriott Hotel, â€Å"Good Morning Qualcomm† in Qualcomm, Breakfast meeting by CEO etc Are tool to improve the communication & fill the communication gap between Manager & their subordinate & also to bring fairness in the system. 7. Work with Friends: – Many companies like Perot System hires 40% of the employee through employee referral channel to create a friendly college like environment & to bring a sense of belongingness among the employee. 8. Best Reward System:- Many organization started self chosen reward system in which an employee could decide his/her own target & reward, organization are adopting 3600 performance appraisal system to bring the fairness in appraisal system. Apart from above example I have seen many interesting example like Mind Tree consulting’s â€Å"Baby’s Day Out† programmes, Antakshri programme, Departmental Day Outs, Annual Spring party, Sabbatical for social services, Cadbury day, Dhoom machale etc. are some example followed in different organization to control the attrition. After looking all the above aspects in nut shell companies should keep in mind the most widely accepted HR definition which is the best mantra to retain the employee & that is—- â€Å"The genuine concern of people†.

Improvement Is Better Than Delayed Perfection

Question- † Continuous betterment is better than delayed flawlessness † A? Mark Twain ( 1835-1910 ) . Analyse this statement critically and strictly with mention to allow literature beginnings.IntroductionThis essay will be looking at the importance of quality and uninterrupted betterment at a glimpse within an educational context. The author ‘s involvement in the subject is simply to research and understand the kernel to which every constitution for whatever intent it was built upon should endeavor in uninterrupted betterment to services rendered to its clients and the community at big while keeping quality services. The focal point is to foreground any defects within the organizational pattern with which quality could still be improved upon for the good of the whole community. The construction of the essay will take an expressed reading and description of quality and uninterrupted betterment while portraying an interventionist stance at the conclusive statements made at the terminal of the essay.Literature reappraisalThe construct of QualityQuality direction is a systematic manner of vouching that organized activities happen the manner they are planned. It is a direction subject concerned with forestalling jobs from happening by making the attitudes and controls that make bar possible & A ; acirc ; By Philip Crosby Hagiographas in 2008, Winch and Gingell province that during the 1990s it became stylish to speak about â€Å" ?quality in instruction ‘ . Part of the ground for this is a renewed involvement in answerability. Why should the concern for answerability be expressed in footings of quality? One major ground is that concerns about whether or non a peculiar signifier of instruction is worthwhile have been expressed in footings of a paradigm derived from fabricating industry. â€Å" ?Quality ‘ in a commercial context strongly connotes merchandise utility and dependability. â€Å" ?Quality confidence ‘ refers to systems that are robust plenty to guarantee that merchandises that are faulty or undependable merely do non acquire made. The thought, as one quality guru has said, is to â€Å" ?get it right first clip ‘ . Of class, an artifact can be scrapped or reworked if it is faulty, but a service can non. If it is non â€Å" ?right first clip ‘ so it is non r ight. Some effectual quality confidence systems ought to be peculiarly relevant to serve countries of economic activity. Whether or non it is in the private or the public sector of the economic system, it is sometimes maintained that instruction has the features of a service industry. In peculiar, if instruction is ill provided so there is no 2nd opportunity for the receiver. A diner at a eating house who has a severely cooked repast will experience dissatisfied but will endure no lasting harm. On the other manus, the student who receives a hapless instruction may non even experience disgruntled but may endure lasting harm in footings of future life chances. It is, so, non surprising to hear that a cardinal characteristic of educational answerability is the proviso of quality confidence systems. Every facet of leading and direction across all sectors of most administrations require a sustainable attack towards guaranting quality and sustainable steps are being utilized and developed within a planetary context. This includes steps which most leaders would follow towards keeping and prolonging the strategic purposes of any administration with due considerations of internal and external forces which influences the determinations made each twenty-four hours. An illustration of what entails leading that is sustainable through quality steps can be found in a school direction system. Where the Head instructor aspires to hold really committed pupils who have good classs, a good school construction and a qualitative staff that would assist the school achieve its strategic aims successfully. But during the procedure of strategising for an academic twelvemonth other factors comes into drama i.e. client service, effectual acquisition and deployment of resources, school budget for the academic twelvemonth etc. There may be a figure of cardinal factors that would assist accomplish such successFirst, a well-devised system of service rating procedure of Search-Feedback-Act that could be put in topographic point affecting all employees, non merely direction or instructors, in developing programs for betterment.Second, all employees could be given considerable instruction and preparation to assist them better service quality and would actively and consistently promote creativeness and invention.Third, the administration that may travel off from mensurating quality strictly by the figure of ailments it gets from clients and the feelings of the caput of forces section. Alternatively, administrations implement a multi-factor index which includes quantitative points such as the length of clip clients have to pass being tested into the school, and qualitative points such as the friendliness/politeness experienced at response.The construct of Continuous bettermentContinuous betterment has been succes sfully used by the Japanese for a figure of old ages, and the Nipponese word kaizen is used to depict it. The thought of kaizen is non to sit back one time betterments have been made to a merchandise, but to be about like bees working off at a hive. Each does a small at a clip, but by adding on an incremental footing they can finally bring forth something that is much larger and better. The issue of quality can be approached in the same manner, so that really minor alterations over clip can ensue in a considerable betterment in public presentation. For illustration, the degrees of fuel efficiency in the mean barroom auto have improved dramatically over recent old ages. This has been made possible due to the cumulative effects of continual minor alterations in auto organic structure form, fuel bringing systems and engine design ( .Porter, K. , Smith, P. , Fagg, F. 2006 ) . Foskett, N. , Lumby, J. 2003 provinces that the 3rd manner of specifying quality ( in respects to uninterrupted betterment ) is to fit the current province with an imagined hereafter improved province. In other words, persons or groups non needfully take as their comparator an bing criterion or outlook but, instead, work creatively to propose ways to which a current facet of instruction could be improved. This definition is realistically based on working signifier what exist to what could be achieved. It is a universally applicable in theory in that thoughts for betterment will take into history resources and political worlds. However, the accent on uninterrupted betterment is predicated on a grade of liberty and power that may non be in all establishments or civilizations. If authoritiess impose a construction or course of study on schools/colleges, or if the internal direction constructions are hierarchal and commanding, so the freedom of staff, parents and pupils to propose ways f rontward is clearly constrained. This thought of uninterrupted betterment can be linked to Deming ‘s ( 1986 ) thought of Plan, Do, Study and Act, where a job is examined, information is gathered and a program to better it is suggested. The â€Å" ?Do ‘ portion is when the program is tested on a little graduated table, followed by the â€Å" ?Study ‘ phase, where rating of the test takes topographic point to see if any other issues have arisen. The â€Å" ?Act ‘ phase is where the program becomes standard and is carried out continuously. This leads back into the â€Å" ?Plan ‘ phase for farther analysis. The inquiry so arises of how one assures the quality of instruction. There are two replies which are non needfully incompatible with each other. The first focuses on procedures, the 2nd on results. Process-based quality confidence relies on observation of instruction and acquisition and the activities that support it, as the cardinal determiner of whether the instruction being offered is worthwhile. Inspection is the most common signifier of procedure quality confidence. Outcome-based quality confidence relies on the appraisal of the results against certain pre-agreed criterions. Examination and testing are the most common signifiers.Leadership ApproachsQualitative leading accomplishments in educational direction revolve around factors described below:Identifying the key issuesBettering Customer satisfaction and ways of mensurating itCustomer attention – preparation employees and scene criterionsEmployee engagement in overall ends of the administration.Bettering quality â€Å" † observation and benchmarkingContemplation and decisionQuality and organizational culture- Foskett, N. , Lumby, J. ( 2003 ) stated that Quality can besides be comparative to cultural norms. What appears to be choice proviso for pre-school kids in China will look really different to western eyes and frailty versa. They farther noted that steps of Quality by definition are dependent on numeral values in relation to, e.g. , scrutiny passed or scrutinies met, but such values do non needfully capture the assortment of results expected of instruction or the dynamic alterations in outlooks in the experiences of even the scholar, allow alone the all those of an establishment. Quality will therefore stay a fluid and cloudy construct, interpreted diversely in pattern, an orthodox to which many feel indebted to follow. No individual prescription will procure betterment in quality in a context as complex and animated as a school or college. The most that an educationalist can make is to stay cognizant of the impreciseness of the construct and be sensitive to both the educational and micro-political forces which affect its accomplishments, taking with attention from the overplus o f taxonomies, doctrines, good pattern and recommended procedure they can offer.MethodologyQualitative researched literature reappraisal was adopted which typically includes rationalist, interpretative, constructionist, critical, and participatory paradigms. The research worker ‘s perspective roots from the long documented history of realistic observation in real-world state of affairss. Positions of positivism scope from conservative to progressive-activist, but all involve the belief that world is external to self and can be observed utilizing tools that produce information that can be understood and interpreted by others. The essay is linked historically to societal activism through the thought that societal state of affairss can be studied, critiqued, and later changed. The essay may hold collected informations through observations or assorted signifiers of instruments and frequently derive accounts for their consequences from preexistent theory without concern for whether the survey population understands or agrees with their positions. a literature reappraisal is really much a plural instead than a remarkable one as there are many literatures a research worker must analyze to bring forth a consistent literature reappraisal. For illustration, by making qualitative research, the research worker is fall ining an on-going argument in some form or signifier. The originality of an thought, an attack, or a theoretical reinterpretation adds to bing literature. The aim of this entry is to depict the plurality of literature, to underscore the difference between general and specific literatures, to foreground how to utilize theoretical literature as a tool to increase apprehension of a capable country and prove a research inquiry or hypothesis, and to analyze the methodological analysis and information literatures that form of import parts of the research procedure. ( GIVEN, M. L. 2008 )Data findings on quality and uninterrupted betterment in educational conte xt.Wherever an educational operation is based, whether it is public or private, it needs clients, and consumer pick has increased dramatically over the past 20 old ages because of three factors: globalization, engineering and competition.TechnologyTechnology provides chances and menaces. The development of computing machine engineering in the signifier of online and blended acquisition, podcasts, webcasts and web logs can and progressively will supply consumers with the option of new self-study methods and the pick to larn with an administration in a foreign state while populating at place or working in the office. At some point interlingual rendition package may even contradict the demand for some people to larn a foreign linguistic communication. These engineerings, nevertheless, besides provide administrations with chances to supply new methods of larning and new agencies of communicating with clients. The rise of online acquisition and blended acquisition programmes, plus the en largement in province instruction of new engineering [ such as synergistic whiteboards ] means that pupils are progressively more techno-literate. It besides means that as engineering develops and becomes more portion of our mundane lives, pupils by and large expect linguistic communication categories, which in some instances take up a big portion of their disposable income, to be technologically well-equipped. The exponential growing of engineering can non be ignored as the velocity of technological promotion is improbable to decelerate down.CompetitionCompetition may come from new administrations come ining the market, as mentioned above, but it may besides look in other signifiers. As other states gain economic power, their linguistic communications become more of import and people begin to analyze them to enable them to come in that economic system. This phenomenon has already been observed ( Graddol, 1997 ) with Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin expected to derive importance over th e following decennaries, finally going a serious menace to English as a foreign linguistic communication. As economic systems develop, instruction is going progressively of import as skill becomes indispensable to happening work. An increasing figure of classs are going available, particularly in the field of computing machines and information engineering, which compete with ELT for clients, peculiarly within the preparation budget of major companies.Deriving an Edge over RivalsIf an administration has an component of its service which is different or more attractive than its rivals it is said to hold achieved competitory advantage. Deriving competitory advantage requires a transverse functional attack between an facet of selling which gathers informations about client demands and outlooks and the daily operational maps that translate those market needs into operational capablenesss. The functions of selling and pull offing the twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours operation are frequently taken by one individual in little administrations, which can do it easier to interpret client demands into operational world. In a little private linguistic communication school of 10 instructors, for illustration, the manager may be the focal point for information about the local market, the local economic system, the type of clients the school serves and how they feel about the service. In a school of this size the manager may besides be the individual who decides what classs are offered and whether the market is best served by, for illustration, offering expensive one-to-one ESP tuition for concern professionals or inexpensive general English classs for categories of 20 pupils. A not-for-profit administration may besides see prosecuting a peculiar scheme based on the sort of clients it serves. For illustration, a charitable or province ELT administration may make up one's mind to supply inexpensive walk-in English categories for deprived female parents to go to as and when they have clip. In this instance, flexibleness is the key to fulfilling the client and deriving competitory advantage. The three factors of globalization, engineering and competition mean that educational administrations have to pay increased attending to the demands and outlooks of bing and possible clients to retain them and to pull new 1s. By garnering information on clients ‘ demands and through market analysis administrations can develop a service which is different or more attractive than that of rivals. ( Walter. 2001 )DecisionIf stakeholders allow ourselves to acquire caught by the short-run disease of modern direction, non-thinking, market-driven patterns so the thought of sustainable organisation is out of the inquiry. Besides the opportunity of of all time making the degrees desired will be eliminated in all but the shortest of steps. It is necessary for every leader of the hereafter to cognize plenty about the moral side of concern and how it could be approached with sacrificial purposes through which sharing and upholding several values together among rivals would better upon planetary jobs. Or how the socio-economic net income of the organisation could be able to show or help the concerns required to reflect a longer-term position of the community at big. I would urge that every leader in every spectrum or field of survey to convey about ways through which the underlining influences surrounding the picks we make in life ( in respects to quality and uninterrupted betterment ) should reflect upon the curative social issues instead than viing. Merely as we know in the history of human dealingss over clip that competition brings about a helter-skelter province while the harmoniousness of shared values and forfeits brings about social coherence and benefits all.MentionsCrosby, P. ( 1980 ) Quality is Free. McGraw-Hill. Deming, W. ( 1986 ) Out of the Crisis. MIT. Foskett, N. , Lumby, J. ( 2003 ) Leading and pull offing education-International dimensions.London. Paul Chapman Printing Given, M. L. ( 2008 ) The SAGE Encyclopaedia of Qualitative research methods. California. Sage Publication series Graddol, D. ( 1997 ) The hereafter of English. London. The British council Porter, K. , Smith, P. , Fagg, F. ( 2006 ) Leadership and Management for HR Professionals Oxford.Butterworth-Heinemann Walker, J. ( 2001 ) . Clients ‘ Positions of TESOL â€Å" † Expectations and Perceptions The International Journal of Educational Management 15/4. MCB University Press hypertext transfer protocol: //www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewPDF.jsp? Filename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/0600150404.pdf Walker, J. ( 2007 ) Service Climate in New Zealand Language Centres Journal of EducationalAdministration 2007 Volume: 45 Issue: 3 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewPDF.jsp? Filename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/0740450305.pdf Winch, C. , Gingell, J. ( 2008 ) Doctrine of instruction. Oxon. Routledge publishing houses

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Operations Management - Essay Example They make every endeavor to guarantee that their products are both secure for delicate use and do not exceedingly tax the upbringing. Nokia is a trusted name and they take that trust very gravely. In the end, a firm pledge to the setting makes good business sagacity. By behind sustainable development, they diminish risk, guarantee lawful fulfillment and endorse long-term monetary escalation. Of course it is our operation to scuttle a profitable and mounting business, but that doesn't mean business at any cost (Barney,J. 2001, 99-120). Globalization And Trans Four issues have been operation through much of Nokia's environmental exertion in the past few years and will prolong to do so over the pending years. They are the limits on the use of definite substances, the provision for the take-back and recycling of end-of-life products, and energy and textile effectiveness (Basevi,G. 2000, 330-337). As a foremost company in its industry, Nokia desires to participate its full part in the management of these issues in a liable approach in teamwork with all pertinent stakeholders. Nokia has also continued to make ecological issues as part of every Nokia employee's daily work by growing their environmental alertness. Nokia's constant long-term plan is to recover the ecological presentation of its products in a life cycle viewpoint. In product formation, as well as in its own behavior, the key areas for incessant enhancement are vigor and equipment effectiveness. Goals And Current Mission According to the assessment report published in 2001, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) affirmed that the earth's ambiance system has evidently tainted on both global and district balance since the pre-industrial era and that some of these... This paper stress that the straight groups are Customer and Marketing Operations and Technology Platforms. The Nokia mobiles are intended to tender a wide variety of business users elastic access to Oracle Collaboration Suite, via text message, browser, or over-the-air harmonization of calendar and speak to in rank. The effect is endeavor mobility that is both influential and reasonable, enabling IT departments to offer omnipresent admittance to in sequence athwart their organization. This report makes a conclusion that the IPCC notes that while small climate changes can assistance some regions, the larger the changes and the rate of change, the more the difficult ecological and socio-economic belongings outweigh. These include improved threats to human health, hazard of annihilation of some exposed species, diminish in crop yields, exacerbated water shortages, and harsh social and financial injure to small islands and low-lying coastal areas. According to the IPCC, emissions of CO2 due to fossil fuel ablaze are practically definite to be the foremost sway on the tendency of atmospheric CO2 absorption during the 21st century. Stabilization of CO2 emissions at near-current level will not escort to stabilization of CO2 impressive focus. To attain that, global CO2 net emissions require to be totally abridged from the current level. The main objective for diminution is the use of fossil fuels.

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Philosophy - Essay Example Turing’s article discussed the famous Turing test, i.e. the imitation game. A similar take on Turing’s philosophy is John Searle’s Chinese room argument or thought experiment. In this essay, I would like to share something vital that I learned in our discussions in class, as well as something that I learned beyond our class discussions, since the topic was of great value to me. I shall give an overview of Turing and Searle’s philosophy of mind. Afterwards, I shall show how their philosophy is of much value to me, in this present day. For, I do believe that topics such as these are not only valuable inside classrooms but also in the real world, that is, in my life. To begin with, like Turing, the Chinese room argument or thought-experiment, advanced by John Searle (1980), specifically challenges the view of artificial intelligence or what is more commonly known as the computational theory of mind. It challenges the claim that all there is in having a mind i s the implementation of a computer program, and that as a consequence, the mental states of humans are no different in kind from the computational states of a running computer program. The Chinese room argument challenges this claim by showing that, unlike humans, computers do not know what the contents of their computational states (or the symbols they manipulate) are about or represent in the world. What computers only know of these symbols are their shapes and the ways in which they should be combined according to the rules of their programs. The Chinese room argument, in its simple form, goes this way. Imagine a native English speaker who does not understand Chinese is locked in a room with only two outlets. Outside of this room are native Chinese speakers who do not know who or what is inside the room. In one outlet, the Chinese speakers give the person inside the room several manuscripts bearing Chinese symbols and a manual of English instructions for manipulating these Chines e symbols. The person inside the room does not even know that the symbols are Chinese; he only recognizes and individuates the symbols according to their shapes or formal properties. Now imagine that the manual, which the person has immediately mastered, says that if he recognizes certain combinations of symbols in the manuscripts given to him in one outlet, then he should arrange certain combinations of symbols and send them to the persons outside the room through the other outlet. Suppose that what the person inside the room sends to the persons outside the room are correct answers to the questions that the persons outside the room ask him through the manuscripts that they send him. In this case, in so far as the persons outside the room are concerned, the person inside the room understands Chinese. But the fact is the person inside the room does not understand the symbols—he does not even know that they are Chinese; he does not know what they represent; and he simply manip ulates them according to the instructions in the manual. Technically speaking, he does not know the semantics of those symbols; he only knows their syntax. So does that count as intelligence? Similarly, an important thought experiment that is used to defend the views of artificial intelligence is the Turing test as discussed in our previous lessons. It will be recalled that according to this test, if after a series of questions and answers, the human interrogator could not tell, on

Principle Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Principle Management - Essay Example As the essay discusses culture of an organization is said to be strong when the staff respond to the stimulus and it is weak when there is no alignment with the corporate values. Culture is one great key to success. Different views are found on the classification of corporate cultures but those of Handy have been most widely cited. His method of organizational culture links it to organizational structure. According to him, culture can be grouped under four types – power culture, task culture, role culture, and people culture. This paper declares that power culture is an ideal means to map and understand the values of an organization. Power in any organization is usually concentrated in a few pairs of hands. Power culture control radiates from the centre like a web and reaches the staff through the rays. Very few rules and procedures are available and communication is normally direct and verbal. This culture can be found in small businesses culture entrepreneurial organizations. Like minded people are chose to remain in close proximity to the centre. They group takes calculated risks and being cohesive, they react promptly to internal culture external threats. This type of culture does not affect group or project work as the group is normally cohesive and the central figure is autocratic. In a Role culture, people have clearly defined authorities within a defined structure. Role cultures are highly formalized. They are bound with regulations and paperwork. These organizations form hierarchical bureaucracie s and are like a pyramid in structure.

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

Chesapeake and New England Colonies Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Chesapeake and New England Colonies - Term Paper Example Chesapeake and New England Colonies Early lifestyles of native Chesapeake inhabitants were affected by both geography and climate while social structure was imbalanced, especially that they had a shorter life expectancy. When Chesapeake became a British colony, there was no difference in terms of population growth. If it did, then it would be a lower life expectancy rate than those who were native settlers. The immigrants' life span was lowered to five years compared to that of the immigrants settling in Northern colonies. This is attributed to the immigrants' lack of immunity of the place's diseases such as malaria (Foner 16). Family life is well instilled in the early Chesapeake community. Children are trained to handle the family at an early age because parents die young. It is said that when a child turns 5, there is a 50 percent chance of losing a parent, or both parents (J. Volo and D. Volo). They were taught how to deal with familial responsibility such as taking care of their brothers and sisters and doing hous ehold chores. Their strong attachment to nature also influenced the natives’ belief system. As expected, they believe in supernatural and complex gods of nature. They attribute the weather, their harvest, and other natural events in general as the gods' reaction to their doings (Mountford). For example, if there is a storm, they would assume that the gods are not pleased with what they are doing. Another region in the colonial America is the New England colonies. While Chesapeake’s settlers had been living in the place ages before the formation of New England Colonies, the latter has a greater number of populations probably because they constitute more land area than the other or active economic ventures of the place. New England colonies include Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Islands, and Connecticut. New England colonies were more improved compared to the Chesapeake region. They make use of land and aquatic agriculture and sell its products to ot her people. In the farming area however, they are not as blessed as Chesapeake of having fertile soil. Farmers are able to plant only one kind of crop because the climate is cold and the soil freezes at certain points of the year. When this time of the year comes, they would shift their means of living to fishing. Being near the Atlantic is advantageous for the people's sustenance because of abundant fish supply. Women are even part of the active economic cycle as merchants, selling home made goods such as soaps, candles and garments (â€Å"The New England†). The religious activities of the people in the New England Colonies are very formal and institutionalized. Unlike in Chesapeake, religious institutions such as the Quaker, Puritan, Baptist, Anglican, Jewish, Catholic, and Congregationalist were beginning to grow, influencing much of the social norms in that society (â€Å"Life in the 13 Colonies†). Like the Chesapeake family life, families in colonial New England a re tight-knit and interdependent to each other. Parents follow a traditional child-rearing strategy, which was to give corporal punishment for children who disobey. Children are also expected to have "unquestioned obedience" to their parents (Wright n.pag.). The Chesapeake community and the New England colonies are different in various ways especially in religion, population, and economy. With the description of their

Law of Banking and Financial Institutions Benchmark Assignment

Law of Banking and Financial Institutions Benchmark - Assignment Example However, the general process that applies under the New York law for the incorporation of a bank is that; first, the organizers file a notice of intent for forming the bank. This notification of resolved is required to contain all the names of the principal directors/owners of the bank and nature of capital set aside for the operation of the bank. Second, the law requires that the organizers serve the nearby banks with a notice informing them of the intended new bank to be set in the country or locality. Subsequently, the bank is required to have a minimum number of five incorporators and in its application describe the classes of stock that it wishes to register and trade. Additionally, in the event that the nature of the bank to be formed is under the management of private bankers, they would be required to pass a fitness test for banking, have a minimal permanent capital amount of $1 million, and not engage in any purchases of real estate’s investments. In addition, the general limit is set for real estate loans that they are allowed to in the event of an unimproved realty. This limit is two-thirds of the reality and three-quarters of the reality when it improves (Bender, 2012). The statutes also restrict the bank from having any dealings with similar businesses. In other instances, the organizers of the bank will need to organize regular meetings with the Comptroller of Currency’s office and attend informal conferences with regard to the application. Based on these meetings, the formal application of the bank will take place with the submission to the District Office where the bank will be situated. After this, the public opinion is sought for a period of 30 days from other parties of interest before the final declaration of the bank’s application status (Asser, 2001). Given that the application is satisfactory, the Comptroller issues a letter of preliminary approval. From the date of preliminary approval, the law requires that the  bank begin operations within 18 months.

Management Planning Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Management Planning - Case Study Example This energy service group is the most profitable business that earns the company billions of dollars annually. The company's planning function of management is carefully designed so as to meet the challenges of the company. In its planning management policy, Halliburton has incorporated various issues or aspects for its efficient functioning. This includes Halliburton maintains a core value and provides support on HSE matters as they relate to their business activities3. By maintaining Health safety and Environment, Halliburton's business will grow since they will reduce costs that they could have incurred in treating their workers as well as accidents of company's equipment. Halliburton has investor relation in the companies that it has interests' relations in the companies that it has interests. Halliburton has entered into a definitive arrangement with the shareholders of PSL energy services limited (PSLES) to purchase the entire share capital of the company5. Halliburton maintains good relations with the suppliers of the raw materials used in their sites and plants such a relationship is strategic as it ensures that there is continuity in the time operations and therefore the future uncertainties are well anticipated for. e) With a commitment in providing high quality services to customers, Halliburton requires to develop diverse & global network of qualified suppliers. This is done while keeping suppliers ethics and diversity too. These will provide a supply chain excellence. The supplies are for upstream oil and gas for drilling bits and down holes. __________________ 5. Expansion plans of Halliburton, April 26, 2007, Business wire Community: - Corporate social responsibility policies are those in place to ensure that an organization operating in a given geographical environments gives back as a way to strengthen individuals and the communities by supporting a variety of charitable activities and organization. Emphasis is normally laid upon those actives that involve or relate to employees customers of Halliburton. Such support comes in three main forms viz corporate giving through donations to not for profit

The French and Indian war Essay Example for Free

The French and Indian war Essay The French and Indian war which took place from 1754 to 1763 was fought between the French, American Indians and Great Britain. Contrary to what the title might imply the French and Indian war was not a battle fought between the French and Indian but a war fought against the British with the French and American Indians as allies. This war also goes by the name of the Seven Years’ War as it was part of the Seven Year’s war that also took place throughout Europe and Asia (Anderson, F. , 747). The main conflict over the start of the war was an expansion of territory, both New England, under British rule and New France, under French rule, wanted to expand their territory. The outcome of this war was highly important to the forming of the United States as France ceded all of its territory to the east of the Mississippi river including French Canada to the British, left Great Britain in so much debt it raised colonial taxes, and trained future military leaders that the conclusion of the French and Indian War lay the seeds for what would ultimately result in the American Revolution and the formation of the United States of America. This war is considered to be the last major war between, France, Great Britain the Native Americans. Unlike previous wars this siege began on American soil and moved its way into Europe. The Native Americans did fight on both sides but they are primarily considered to have allied with the French. It was during this war that many of the future leaders of the American Revolution, such as George Washington, would fight ironically for Great Britain. As most wars in this time period occurred over the acquisition of land or expansion of territory. Due to Britain’s strong Navy the British were able to colonize much of the Eastern Seaboard as they had superior ability to transport supplies as well as colonists. British claims to North American soil came from royal grants that had no definite boundaries towards the west (Asimov, I. , 174-175). The French additionally wanted to expand their territory and used Robert de LaSalle’s exploration to claim the Mississippi river and its surrounding basin for the French. This also would include what is known as the Ohio River Valley basin (Anderson, F. , 2005, 9-10). Both countries wanted to expand their hold over the land for the natural resources available including fur trading, fertile soil for farming, control of important fishing grounds and other trades that contributed to economic stimulus. The British colonists also feared the French’s influence on religion. British subjects were primarily protestant and the French were Roman Catholic and had many active Missions within North America. A French control of North America would provide a threat to the British colonist’s religious beliefs and like-wise the French feared the British rule as under British law Catholics were still persecuted. (Anderson, F. , 2005, 85) Though fighting in North American finished in 1760 the actual end of the war was not until 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris and the Treaty of Hubertusburg. France lost all of its territory in North American East of the Mississippi river, including Canada, and retained two small islands off of Newfoundland. France regained the two Caribbean Islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, previously occupied by the British. Spain gained Louisiana as compensation for losing Florida to the British as well as Cuba and Manila. There was also many other territorial shifts throughout Asia as British regained control of India and Sumatra as an example. The outcome of this was the key that set events into motion for the future formation of the United States of America. (Marston. , D. , 84) Great Britain was now in control of the majority of North America. But the war and resulting treaty had left enormous debts as France had traded French Canada for the Caribbean islands. The islands provided a large economic value as they were a large source of sugar and being small islands much easier to defend. Great Britain chose to pay off its debts from tax money collected from the colonies. The end of the French control in North America also influenced the start of the American Revolution as it united the colonists to focus on one enemy, namely the British instead of having to worry about additional conflict. The increase in taxes as well as the withdrawal of French rule in North American would prove fuel for increasing conflicts between the colonies and Great Britain and ultimately result in the American Revolution and the formation of the United States or America. (Anderson, F. , 2005, 242-250) It should also be noted that many of the American Revolutions military leaders participated in the French and Indian War. George Washington commanded troops at the first confrontation of the French and Indian war were he was sent to negotiate boundaries with the French at Fort Duquesne, currently Pittsburgh. A skirmish occurred in which a French officer was killed and added weight for the French to resist (Ellis, J. , 5). Additional Revolutionary war heroes served under the great general Edward Braddock during the French and Indian War,; Brigadier General and Adjutant General Horatio Gates, Captain Daniel Morgan of â€Å"Morgan’s Sharpshooters† rifle company, and Major General Charles Lee of the Continental Army to name but a few (Higginbotham, D). It is possible that without the French and Indian War the United States of America would not be what it is today. The French and Indian war directly resulted in partitioning North America in a way the resulted in what is known as eastern United States over one rule, the British. It resulted in an increase on taxes which is a direct precursor to the American Revolution as increased taxes stemmed various rebellious demonstrations most notably the Boston Tea Party. The French and Indian war removed a potential threat of the French from colonist’s minds, allowing them to completely focus on the British and experience in the army during the French and Indian war produced great revolutionary leaders like George Washington. Without the French and Indian war it is doubtful weather these events would have occurred which would have culminated in the formation of the United States of America. Without the French and Indian War George Washington might have just been a farmer and the United States might not have become independent. Who knows the United States under British rule might have resulted, only stretching to the Mississippi and another country might have formed, perhaps under Spanish rule to the West. Bibliography: Anderson, F., Crucible of War: The Seven Years War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766. New York: Knopf, 2000, page 747 Anderson, F. , The War that Made America, Viking Penguin, 2005, pages 9-10, Asimov. , I. , The Shaping of North America. , Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1973, pages 174-175 Ellis, J. , His Excellency George Washington. New York: Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, Inc. , 2004, page 5 Higginbotham, D. Daniel Morgan: Revolutionary Rifleman. University of North Carolina Press, 1961 Marston, D. The French-Indian War 1754-1763. Osprey Publishing, 2002, page 84

Igneous Rock and Yosemite National Park Essay Example for Free

Igneous Rock and Yosemite National Park Essay Yosemite National Park is without a doubt, one of America’s most beautiful and well-known parks. Due to the diversity of attractions the park offers, including high Sierra Peaks, the highest highway pass in California called the Tioga Pass, the Yosemite Valley, the Merced River, acres of high altitude backcountry, waterfalls, and some of the largest living things on earth in the sequoia groves tourists from all over the world visit. The most famous section in the park is Yosemite Valley, where El Capitan, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and other places to explore nature’s beauty lie. Yosemite Geography Yosemite National Park is located in the Central of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in California. The park is 1,189 square miles, comparable to the size of the United State’s state of Rhode Island. Lakes, ponds, streams, hiking trails, and roads are some of the many features that attract tourists. Nearly all the landforms in the Yosemite area are cut from a mass of intrusive igneous rock that formed below the surface of the earth. Some of the park’s landforms are metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Erosion that acted upon different types of uplift is responsible for creating the valleys, canyons, domes and other features found in this national park. Some of the popular features Yosemite possess’ are Yosemite Valley—where the majority of visitors stay, the Tunnel View—which is the first view of the valley when visitors enter the park, El Capitan—a major granite cliff that oversees Yosemite Valley, and Sentinel Dome and Half Dome that offer a diverse range of climbing routes. Also found within the park are the breath-taking giant sequoia trees. Perhaps the most remarkable sequoia in the park is the Grizzly Giant, believed to be more than 2,700 years old and the oldest known sequoia tree. Yosemite is known for its high concentration of waterfalls. Hanging valleys in the park offer a place for waterfalls to exist. During the snowmelt season, April, May, and June, waterfalls are able to flourish. Yosemite has a Mediterranean climate, which means most of the precipitation falls during the mild winter and the other seasons are considerably dry. Snow doesn’t stay on the ground until November, and then accumulates until March, when it begins to melt. There is a large temperature range due to elevation diversity and global warming. History of Yosemite The Yosemite National Park is located in Sierra Nevada in the east-central part of California. The Park is widely spread area of 750,000 acre, with streams that are 1,600 miles long, hiking trails that are 800 miles and the roads that extend up to 350 miles. Yosemite Fall is the highest waterfall in North America, it is considered as the third of the highest waterfall on planet Earth. Another important factor of Yosemite Park would be the numerous of species it contains. Over 300 species of animals can be found in the park. Yosemite is known for its spectacular attractions such as high Sierra Peaks, the highest highway pass in California, the Yosemite Valley, Merced River, and many acres of high altitude backcountry, some of the highest waterfall in the world. Plants are also really high at the Park. Some reaching altitudes from 2,000 feet to the peak of Mr. Lyell. 94. 5% of the park’s 747,956 acres is officially classified as wilderness. Moreover, that is one of the main reasons why the park is now protected by the state. One of the very first people to live in Yosemite would be the Paiute and the Sierra Miwok people. They were in the area for a long time before the first white explorations were done in the region. This people were a band of Native Americans called the Ahwahneechee. During the mid 19th century, The California Gold Rush radically increased travel in the area. While the major Jim Savage of the United States Army led the Mariposa Battalion into the west end of Yosemite Park, Chief Tenaya gathered around 200 ahwahneechees as part of the Mariposa Wars. The discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada brought many gold seekers to the area. In 1855, James Mason Hutchings and Thomas Ayres along with two others were the first tourists in the area. Much of the publicity about Yosemite Park was due to Hutchings and Ayers’s articles and magazine issues about the valley. Many of Ayres artwork was exhibited in New York City where many people were able to see it and admire it. During the years of 1855 and 1860, tourism increased dramatically in the valley. The Yosemite National Park has 3. 5 million tourists every year. According to the readings, tourists prefer to visit during the summer. In the early years, most visitors went to Yosemite via horseback and stagecoach. In addition, more trails were built creating more publicity to the park. As tourist explore and visited the park, word spread around about how beautiful the park was therefore more tourist would go visit. Wawona was an Indian encampment what is now the southwestern part of the park. The Mariposa Grove of Gian Sequoia was discovered by the settler Galen Clark in 1857. In 1879, the Wawona Hotel was built for the tourists visiting. As the number of tourists increased, more trails and hotels were built to accommodate those visitors. The Yosemite Park has a great history behind it as to how it came to be what it is now. Also, it contains many species within which has been hard to conserve of not going extinct. As more toursist came to the park, more problems aroused within the valley debating who would get to keep what or whose property it was. Since Yosemite had plenty of gold which meant a better way of life for those who were able to obtain some of it, the competition increased and therefore more visitors came to the land. Yosemite National Park is a beautiful place to visit with the family or friends since it has such a great history within of struggles and fights put up to conserve the land as it is. Biology of Yosemite The biology of Yosemite is very diverse. During a trip to Yosemite, it is interesting to learn how many different species of animals choose Yosemite as their habitat. Encounters are likely because Yosemite National Park supports more than 400 species of animals counting reptiles, amphibians, fish, mammals, and birds. The high diversity of species is because of diverse habitats in Yosemite that are very much intact. The park’s rich habitats range from thick foothill chaparral to expanses of alpine rock to conifer forests. (Kaiser 81) Animals feel very much at home; the Sierra Nevada red fox, for instance, hunts in open alpine habitat and hides at night into the forest for safety. In Yosemite meadows; Animals come to feed on the green grasses and use the flowing and standing water found in the many meadows. Predators evidently are attracted to these areas. The surface between meadow and forest is also favored by many animal species because of the closeness of open areas for gathering food, and cover for protection. Overall, the parks widespread coniferous forests, with a relatively mild climate and a mixture of plant species provide a great habitat for animals to live. Wildlife species typically found include: bobcat, gray fox, mountain king snake, Gilberts skink, white-headed woodpecker, brown creeper, spotted owl, and a wide variety of bat species. At higher elevations, fewer wildlife species tend to be found due, in part, to the lower complexity of the forest. Species likely to be found include golden-mantled ground squirrel, chickaree, marten, Stiller’s jay, hermit thrush, and northern goshawk. Reptiles are not common but include rubber boa, western fence lizard, and alligator lizard. Above tree line, the climate becomes harsh with a short growing season. Species such as pika, yellow-bellied marmot, white-tailed hare, Clarks nutcracker, and rosy finch are adapted to these conditions. Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are found in the Yosemite area only around Tioga Pass. (Kaiser 97) With development and an increase in domestic travel after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, visits to the Park are increasing. The Park sees 3. 5 million visitors annually. Thirty years ago, 80 percent of Yosemites visitors stayed overnight; now, its 80 percent day-use. Roads and facilities have been increased to keep pace with growing amount of visitors. Development continues to intrude on park boundaries, bringing new housing projects and commercial construction and thousands more people. The newly opened Chukchansi Casino, one of the states largest, is just 30 miles down the road, advertising with billboards throughout the area: Now, Yosemite has a night life. And with the recently approved Silvertip Resort Village, a 47-acre commercial and residential complex slated to go up in the tiny park border town of Fish Camp. (Kaiser 90) Noise pollution from vehicles and campsites compete with the Parks natural noises. Buildings, roads, and parking lots have marred the aesthetic beauty of the Valley, while visitors are often stuck in traffic hoping to find a parking spot. Visitors, destroying natural habitats, have eroded areas of riverbanks close to campsites. The importance of tourism to the local economy can be illustrated by the impact of the catastrophic 1997 floods that temporarily closed the Park. This caused Eroded riverbanks near campsites locally severe economic losses to the areas around the Park. In the most heavily impacted area, Mariposa County, 1997 personal income was reduced by an estimated US$1,159 per capita, a 6. % decline. The county was also estimated to have lost US$1. 67 million in county occupancy and sales tax revenues, and 956 jobs, a significant number in a county of fewer than 16,000 residents. Also, The Ahwahneechee indigenous Indians have not received any compensation in the form of money or land for their loss of the Yosemite area in 1851. (Kaiser 105) Geology of Yosemite The geology of Yosemite National Park is a very beautiful place that been evolving for many of years. The geology of Yosemite is mainly consisting of rocks and waterfalls. The main rocks are granitic rocks and metamorphic rocks. Ice Ages were the main causes for Yosemite Park or should I say California because the Ice Ages brought glaciers that carved out California. In Yosemite Park, it shows how the glacial have move and creating Yosemite Lake too. It created a lot of homes for the animals that are living in the park and became big attractions for visitors all around the world. The volcano in Yosemite Park erupted and the lava cause to make igneous rocks because of the cooling and solidification of the lava. Also the lava formed other rocks like granite and tonality are all form of plutonic rock, but also referred to as granitic rocks (Yosemite National Park). Plutonic rocks are compress with five minerals (Yosemite National Park). The plutonic rocks were formed by magma and are form deep within the Earth. When a volcano erupts, some lava reaches the Earth surface and the lava starts to cool or solidify, but there are a few volcanic igneous rocks in Yosemite. The volcanic rocks in Yosemite Park include basalt and latte lava flows and outside has the same, but some called ash-flow and more (Yosemite National Park). The tectonic in North America cause the ocean to decrease lowers forming California. It was change in plate motion, the oceanic plate was sub ducted beneath the Sierra Nevada and was consumed into the seduction zone (Huber). The Pacific plate became a fault, which made the San Andreas Fault. It is when a tectonic plate slide past each other along a strike-slip faults (Huber). So, when seduction happen, California land start to rise up from the ocean forming island, then finally connect to North America. As water started to decrease in California, volcanoes again became active. Yosemite was buried by lava creating more land for California. The Earth is made up of 20 massive plates that float on the surface of the planet and the Pacific plate is the largest. Activities The sculpture of the Yosemite Park was by glaciers because the northern hemisphere was covered in ice. The glacier made a u-shaped valley and a lot of lakes. For California final shaping and sculpting was during the Pleistocene Epoch time. The glaciers melt and the water moved across the land and started to make how California looks today. A lot of environment was getting destroyed and use for resource. People didn’t want everything destroy, so they manage to save some environment and made them national parks. One of them is Yosemite National Park. People come and visit or camp to go site seeing in the park. There are many activities the park offer. One of them is hiking in the park. They offer tour guides that take you on hiking trips that can last a full day. People can stay overnight and continue they’re hiking and see great sites. Also you can bring your bike and take a trail and then a short hike (Yosemite National Park Vacation). More activities are offer in Yosemite Park like is rock climbing. They have trainers that teach you how to rock climb and teach you about all the gears you need. They also offer classes for beginners and train you. The trainers can take you, where you want to go and guide you to climb the rocks. There is a lot of winter activities, you can ski or snowboard (Yosemite National Park Vacation). They also offer school for skiing and have shuttle that take you up the mountain and go downhill schilling. They have cross-country, snow tubing, and back country ski tours. Yosemite Park has about 13 campgrounds and you can do the traditional and camp outside in a RV camping area. You can stay in the wilderness and camp outside in a tent or stay in a cabin. They also offer a lot of place to stay like a hotel, village, and lodge. You can even camp out on the High Sierra camping ground (Yosemite National Park Vacation). Conclusion Yosemite Park is a beautiful and wonderful place to visit. You can plan your visit, by visiting the website and also letting you know about the parks and some facts. There are many things to see like the park attractions, natural features, plants, and animals (Yosemite National Park Vacation). It is fun for the family and the waterfalls draw most of the visitors. One of the awareness in the park is the black bear. The weather tends to vary depending on where you are in the park.

Types Of Risks Associated With Tourism Tourism Essay

Types Of Risks Associated With Tourism Tourism Essay A fundamental worldwide issue is to critically assess how potential holiday seekers perceive the concept of risk and safety as related to tourism. It is particularly essential in the actual political and socio-economic situation when travellers are facing an increasing risk when they travel away from their usual place of stay. Today, the probability of risk that an individual will be a victim of terrorism, international conflict, health hazard or natural disaster is very considerable. If the tourism industry is going to be successful, a thorough understanding of international tourists perceptions of risk and safety is required. Ensuring safety is therefore a prerequisite and the minimum for the basic operations of the tourism industry. As a result, the issues of risk and safety within the tourism industry justify attention and research. Many researchers make a clear distinction between safety and security but some tourism and hospitality researchers do not. It is important to know that tourism security and safety are not alike to other forms of security and safety. Due to the unique characteristics of the service industry in which the tourism industry forms part, some researchers have come up with a new definition; Rather than divide safety from security, some tourists experts merge these two notions into one overall term, tourism surety, (Tarlow, 2007b). Assuring people of safety and security at destinations is an essential condition for tourism growth (Cavlek, 2002). Nature of Tourism By its very nature, tourism is a worldwide and strongly competitive sector. Although naturally exposed to economic crunch, natural calamities and outbreaks of warfare and epidemics, international tourism has shown significant resilience in recuperating from the hostile effects of such harmful, but short-term, factors. However, not only does the buyer have to spend relatively huge amount of his/her disposable income to buy the tourism product, he also sees it in a subjective and experiential manner. As a result, tourism is highly sensitive to perceptions of danger and lack of safety and security. It is in this framework that lack of safety and security and occurrences of crime represent a more severe menace to travel and tourism than any other negative factor. Tourism and travel is now considered one of the worlds largest industries: the UNWTOs (United Nations World Tourism Organization) Tourism 2020 Vision forecasts that international arrivals are expected to reach nearly 1.6 billion by the year 2020. Of these worldwide arrivals in 2020, 378 million will be long-haul travellers and 1.2 billion will be intraregional (UNWTO, 2008). Types of risks associated with Tourism The five major risks associated with tourism are terrorism (Richter, 2003), war and political instability (Sonmez, Apostolopoulos, Tarlow, 1999), health (Richter, 2003), crime (Dimanche Lepetic, 1999), and cultural and language difficulties (BasalaKlenosky, 2001). These risks are of growing importance in the global tourism environment and present threats not only to tourists but also host societies and the tourists home nations (Richter, 2003). Type of risk Examples Crimes Possibility of being robbed, becoming a subject of rape or murder Cultural Possibility of experiencing difficulties in communicating with foreigners, cultural misunderstanding, inability to adjust to a foreign way of life and standards Equipment Possibility of mechanical, equipment, organizational problems occurring during travel or at destination (transportation, accommodation, attractions) Financial Possibility of not obtaining value for money; losing or wasting money if travel expectations are not fulfilled Health Possibility of becoming sick while traveling or at the destination Performance Possibility of not receiving holiday benefits due to the travel product or service not performing well Physical Possibility of being physically injured, includes danger and injury detrimental to health (accidents) Political Possibility of becoming involved in the political turmoil of the country being visited Psychological Possibility that travel experience will not reflect travelers personality or self-image, damage self-image, reflect poorly on personality Satisfaction Possibility of not achieving personal satisfaction and/or self-actualization with travel experience Source: Sonmez and Graefe (1998a); Basala and Klenosky (2001); Dimanche and Lepetic (1999). Safety and Security in the Tourism sector Tourisms primary goal is to fulfil peoples travel desire and holidays expectations. In order to achieve the above mentioned goals, providers of tourist facilities need to make sure that safety and security of their guests are respected. The tourism industry is safety and security dependent (Tarlow Santana, 2002). Perceptions of safety greatly influence tourists intentions to travel internationally. Lack of safety is a strong predictor of tourists avoiding some tourist destinations (Sonmez Graefe, 1998a). Also it is important to know that: Perceptions of travel risk, anxiety, and perceptions of safety are important determinants of international travel (Reisinger Mavondo, 2005). The issue of Safety and Security has gained more importance in the Tourism industry during the past decade. The safety component of the tourism health and safety problem has received relatively little attention from tourism and safety management researchers. This particular topic is of fundamental importance globally when we aim at providing quality service in the tourism sector. Safety and security has been identified as one of the five global forces that will drive the tourism industry in the new millennium (Chiang 2000). Successful tourism development is subject to the reduction of risks associated within a destination. Quality service being an important dimension of the tourism industry; safety and security need to be put forward in order to achieve our objective of quality service. Compared to any other economic activity, the tourism sector is highly dependent on our ability to accommodate our guests with a secure and safe environment. In tourist destination areas, it has been n oted that tourists are more likely to be potential victims of crimes. According to Ryan (1993), crime can impede tourism by wielding a significant blow to the fragile nature of a destinations safe image. It is therefore very important to capitalise all our efforts to providing a crime free destination for the tourists. Tourism is also about providing quality experience to the guests. Safety and security are seen as a priori for a prosperous tourism industry in any destination (Pizam et al., 1997; Neumayer, 2004). The UNWTO includes safety and security as a determinant of quality tourist product (UNWTO, 2003). For a tourism product or service to comply with the UNWTOs safety and security standard, it should not pose a threat to the life, health and other interests, and integrity of the consumer. As outlined by the UNWTO, the concern for safety and security is reflected in several components of tourism experience, including health, cleanliness of accommodation facilities, and reliable and accurate information. Tourists attributes Tourists clearly possess a number of characteristics which account for their increased vulnerability (Sparks 1982). Tourists are tempting targets because they are known to carry large sums of money (Fujii and Mak 1980; Chesney-Lind and Lind 1986). They also carry items of value such as cameras, cash and credit cards (Ryan 1993). Here are three definitions that explain in details the attributes of holidaying tourists and how these attributes can put their safety and security in jeopardy. Due to those luxury and expensive equipment that they usually carry with them, they can be easily spotted. Parallel to the growth of tourism, many coastal areas of Mauritius continue to experience significant social problems. Many people in these areas are still underprivileged, and the poverty gap between the rich and the poor remains among the highest. Tourists are viewed as rich people and this can create a feeling of resentment or frustration from the local population as they usually do not posses s the same luxury goods and would like to have the same. The latter are thus tempted to enter into illegal actions such as attacking tourists to steal their belongings. How to address such issues? This is the real question here. These luxury and expensive items are needed to make their stay in a particular destination memorable, we cannot deny it. Taking pictures and filming the destination both form part of the traditions and folklore of the tourism industry. For these guests it is a way to immortalise their unique experience at the destination, hence, we cannot forbid tourists to carry those expensive equipment while they are on holidays on our island but instead we should provide them with a secure and safe environment where they shall feel comfortable to move around. Tourist perceptions on a destinations level of safety Furthermore, if tourists have a negative impression of a destination where they feel threatened or unsafe, they shall develop a negative attitude towards that particular destination whereby customer loyalty is likely to suffer a lot. For example, because of the US-Libya military confrontation in 1985, nearly two million Americans changed their foreign travel plans in 1986, which resulted in a 30% decrease in visitation compared with the previous year. (Richter Waugh, 1986; So ¨nmez Graefe, 1998b; Edgell, 1990). This can impact badly on the tourism industry in the area and thus induce a decline in tourists arrivals in the area. According to George (2003: 577), this can happen in the following ways: (1) Prospective tourist may decide not to visit the destination because it has a reputation for having a high crime rate. (2) If tourists feel unsafe at a destination, they are not likely to take part in activities outside their accommodation facility. (3) Tourists who have felt threate ned or unsafe are not likely to return to the destination, and they are not likely to recommend the destination to others. So ¨nmez Graefe (1998b) indicated that despite the tourism industrys worldwide economic strength, terrorism and political turmoil present major challenges to the industry. For instance the political unrest that is present in various African countries like Egypt, Tunisia and Libya has contributed to a negative impact on these countries as potential tourist destinations. It is therefore very important to portray a very positive image of a tourist destination, otherwise this could impede badly on the reputation of the destination. According to South African Tourism Brand Tracker, in January 2005 (DEAT 2005:29), 22-25 million potential travellers across eight key markets (the USA, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Australia, India and China) did not consider South Africa as a travel destination over the past 5 years because they were concerned about safety. The persisting perception that South Africa is an unsafe destination, with an uncontrollable crime situation, can also influence the potential tourists decision-making process (Minnaar 2007:13; Van Niekerk and Oelofse 2007:1) not to attend the event If Mauritius or other island destinations were to witness such an unsuccessful marketing campaign in regards to its tourism sector, this would be catastrophic for the economic survival of such destinations which are highly dependent upon tourists receipts. Crimes engaged against tourists are widely publicized around the globe and have an instant impact in terms of decreasing foreign visitor numbers and th e international image of the area as a tourist destination. Information on potential Risks at the destination Mawby (2000) proposed that tourists should be informed of the risks of visiting tourist areas in order to reduce fear of criminal incidents while holidaying. In a view of providing tourists with a high quality experience during their stay at a destination, they should be given sufficient information on the area. As such, they should be informed on the risks that are present in the tourist areas; hence they shall be better prepared to face any dramatic situations. It is also important that tourists are informed of the emergency processes to be adopted in case they are victim of any kind of crime. For instance, they should be given emergency telephone numbers e.g. Fire services, Police services, Hospital, Ambulance services etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ According to George (2002), tourists fear of crime might be derived from several sources, such as their own experience of crime, discussions about crime with their friends and acquaintances, exposure to crime through mass media (television, the in ternet, newspapers and radio), and perceptions of actual crime rates, as well as their perceptions of police effectiveness at the destination. It should be noted that perceived risk has a great influence on the guest during his stay at a particular destination although, that in reality, it does not exist. On the other side, an unperceived risk will not affect consumer behaviour even if it is real and tangible. However unperceived risk might be more dangerous as sometimes guests are not aware of their presence and therefore they are not prepared to face such situations. The tourism authority or other tourism linked organisations should acknowledge the fundamental role that media plays in projecting a good image of a tourism destination. It is how media will publicize crime committed against tourist and how the authorities through media will manage to reassure potential visitors of the level of safety available at the destination that will determine the long term success of a destination. Tsaur, Tzeng and Wang (1997) used an Analytic Hierarchy Process method to determine the weight of various risk evaluation criteria of six representative group package tour itineraries for Taiwanese tourists. Their study was intended to cover two main types of risk: physical risk which refers to the possibility that an individuals health is likely to be exposed to injury and sickness because of conditions such as law and order, weather, and hygiene; as well as equipments risk which refers to the dangers arising from the malfunctioning of equipment, such as insufficient telecommunication facilities, unsafe transportation, and breakdown of vehicles. Safety and Security of tourists should not be viewed at one side of the coin only, that is providing safety and security only in the hotel resort or while they are on tourist trips, the subject should be addressed in a more holistic way. Safety and Security of tourists should be the concern of the authorities at all times, hence places that are well known to be visited by tourists should be provided with a maximum level of security but not only while they are on official trips with hotel groups or Tour operators, it should be also while they are visiting on their own. Tourism is a part of the service sector whose unique characteristics (intangibility, inseparability, variability, and perishability) intensify the perceived risk compared to goods(Grà ¶nroos, 1990; Lovelock, 1996; Mitchell Greatorex, 1993; Zeithaml Bitner, 1996).We should not forget that the tourism product is exposed to factors, such as bad weather, unwelcoming host population, airport personnel on strike, inedibility of local food, terror, crime, political instability, disease, and natural disasters that account for the safety and security of tourists. Roehl and Fesenmaier (1992) were among the first to study risk perception in tourism. They asked their respondents about the types of risk present in vacations in general and about types of risk present during their most recent overnight trip. (Page and Hall 2002, Lynch (1960). They suggested that unfamiliarity and difficulties with environmental learning had implications for fear. Other studies have also stressed on the issue of overseas visitor unfamiliarity with the marine and road environments of the places they are visiting. One factor that can affect the safety and security perception of a destination is the level of familiarity with it. There is ample amount of literature on familiarity and its positive influence on destination image and subsequent behaviour (Milman and Pizam, 1995; Mackay and Fesenmaier, 1997; Sonmez and Graefe, 1998; Prentice and Andersen, 2000; Baloglu, 2001; Kim and Richardson, 2003; Prentice, 2004). An increased level of familiarity is purported to provid e rewards of security that outweigh potential rewards of uncertainty that is also highly likely to be costly (Burch, 1969, p. 132). Familiarity can be defined in different ways. Milman and Pizam (1995) defined familiarity as a dichotomous variable (familiar and unfamiliar) based on the existence of a previous visit. Several researchers investigated the influence of a prior visit and observed that visitors hold more accurate and positive images than non-visitors (Milman and Pizam, 1995; Selby and Morgan, 1996; Baloglu and McCleary, 1999; Richards, 2001; Rittichainuwat et al., 2001; Vogt and Andereck, 2003; Tasci, 2006 There is a tendency to think that the issue of safety and security is only at hotel but that is not always correct. Again the factor of addressing the issue in a holistic way comes forward. The picture should be viewed with all factors that make the environment of the tourism industry. The tourism industry is known to be a dynamic one which keeps on changing with time. It should not be viewed as a static industry; therefore safety and security are important factors that should be addressed the same way while dealing with tourists. The latter keep on changing, their needs and wants also. What used to be their top priority in terms of security and safety is not necessarily the same today. Therefore strategies should be amended when needed to adapt to these changes. Effects of terrorism and other forms of attacks on Tourism In the last decade, a series of safety and security events such as terrorism attacks, crimes, natural disasters, and accidents at destinations have increased. These events have prompted travellers to acquire more detailed information and knowledge about crimes, terrorism, political situations or safety and security at particular destinations (Sà ¶nmez Graefe, 1998a). The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America spawned new and tightened security measures at corporations, airports, seaports, bus stations, train stations, sports stadiums and other places in the USA where large numbers of people, including tourists, are likely to gather for an event. (Borenstein 2001; Business Week, September 24, 2001; Merzer and Chatterjee 2001; Nieves and Samuels 2001): The tourists journey starts right after he/she has set foot out of his/her usual place of residence to travel to another destination to stay for more than 24 hours. After September 11, 2001 events, numerous attacks have been c arried out in Tunisia, Yemen, Morocco, Colombia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Saudi Arabia. There have been a number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iraq. After September 11, 2011 terrorist attack, safety and security of tourists has gained more importance. As mentioned earlier, the tourist experience does not occur only at the hotels, it is everywhere and 24/7. Tourism planners should therefore consider providing safety and security likewise. Since September 11, tourists have a constant apprehension to travel in the Middle East countries due to those attacks that have been perpetuated in those regions. War and political instability can deter tourists from travel. For example, the massacre in Tiananmen Square in China forced 11,500 tourists to cancel their visits to Beijing in 1989 (Gartner Shen, 1992). The Persian Gulf War in 1991 caused a massive redirection of tourists away from the Middle East. Even destinations such as Kenya and Tanzania that are far removed from the Middle East were negatively affected (Honey, 1999). The war on terror in Afghanistan has created a 54 percent decline in tourist visits to Nepal (Thapa, 2004).