Prison Management Styles Essay

Organizations and businesses alike all have managers and management styles that they abide by. Some may be company policy; while others seem to be implemented by the manager’s themselves. In this paper, three different management styles are explained; Scientific, human relations, and systems management styles. All have been used in different organizations, and some are still used today. In order for a business to effectively succeed in their goals, a certain management style needs to be used. Management Styles The key to making any kind of business work depends on management and how management or managers manage the companies they work for. There are several different management styles that people have, however, this paper will focus mostly on three different styles; Scientific, human relations, and systems management. Scientific Management Scientific management, which is said to of been made by Frederick Taylor who first did time and motion studies, is the first management style out of the three and was mostly used in the early 1900s. (Peak, 2012). The focus of scientific management laid down the fundamental principles of large-scale manufacturing through assembly-line factories. It emphasized standardization and rationalization of work through division of labor, time and motion studies, and measurement. This was also known as â€Å"Taylorism. † (Backer, 1998). In Frederick’s early days, he worked in the steel mills and was eventually hired as chief engineer. After years of working he became interested in coming up with different methods for greater productivity in workers, so he recommended giving hourly breaks among other methods. Taylor’s way soon proved to be a drastic change to the work force with the cut in manufactured goods, and wages getting increased. (Backer, 2012). Scientific management became more widely known after World War I when managers moved into more high managed position. By the 1920s, the new management system started being promoted by some of the biggest companies and industrial engineering grew into a popular career field, and is still popular today. Industrial engineers today are still taught the scientific management way through time and motion studies, wage determination, and production planning. (Backer, 2012). Human Relations Management Beginning in the 1930s, human relations management arose to help impose a sense of dignity and pride into employee’s work ethics. In the 1930s police departments were known to use this management theory most. The human relations theory is often referred to as the â€Å"motivational† theory and assumes that people want to work and that they are self-motivated. (Peak, 2012). This theory was based a lot from the X Y theories, the motivational part coming from the Y. X on the other hand presumed that employees are unmotivated and lazy, and are only in to reap the benefits and rewards of getting paid. The main focus for implementing the human relations management style was because it was assumed that the organization would prosper as long as it helped the employees prosper. However, soon police departments decided that this wasn’t the right route for their organization to go because employees began to give less but expect more. (Peak, 2012). Systems Management Lastly, there is the systems management, a combination of both human relations management and scientific management. It was implemented to focus both on business productivity as well as the needs of the employees. In order to understand the systems management style, there needs to be a comprehension of a system. What is a system? A system is made of a variety of parts that work together to achieve a mutual goal. (Peak, 2012). Managers that go by the systems management way examine the patterns and events in the workplace in order to coordinate different programs to work together as a whole for the overall goal of the organization rather than just targeting different departments. (Peak, 2012). It used to be that managers would focus all their attention to one department, and when done, would focus all their attention to a different department. In the end, one department would be great, while all the others were different and didn’t sync well with the others. Most Effective and Disadvantages In order for today’s criminal justice system to work correctly, the best management theory would be the systems theory. The criminal justice system needs to have a structured and organized system in order to make things work, the systems management theory focuses on the overall goals of the departments as a whole, rather than focusing just on one goal for each department. Criminal justice is a system; there are several different parts that need to work together in order for it to work. This would include all components, such as the courts, police, and corrections. They all need to be on the same page in order to keep the balance between the three and avoid chaos. A disadvantage of scientific management in criminal justice was that the style focused more on the production and the needs of the organizations over caring for the needs and wants of the employees. The disadvantages of the human relations theory, was that is focused too much on the employees. With too much focus on the employees, the goals of the organization became secondary. Employees were being rewarded, and soon, employees expected more for less work. (Peak, 2012). Conclusion All three different management styles explained above have all been implemented and used in past and present organizations and seemed to work for some, while it didn’t work for others. Today, the systems management is the most popular however; the scientific management style is still used in the engineering field. Overall, the systems management style seems to be the best fit for companies of all sorts because this way of management seems to focus on all aspects of a business rather than just one here and one there. A business is a system; there are several components that work together in order to make the business a success, and the systems management theory is the best fit.

Shakespeare Sonnet 116

William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 found on page 1182 of The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume1B: The Sixteenth Century, The Early Seventeenth Centry, 2nd edition(New York: W. W. Nortion, 2000) is one of his most famous sonnets to conquer the subject of love. While there is much debate concerning the tone of this sonnet, Shakespeare’s words speak of transcendent love not very commonly considered in popular poetry at the time. He used the Petrarchan sonnet style in Old English popular around the time but certainly added a new twist of his own genius.In theme Shakespeare had unique perceptions and experiences in his portrayal of love. The introduction of a young boy as the object of his affections and subject of sonnets 1-126 was perhaps not a common subject for other poets. Sonnet 116 falls into the section of sonnets of the boy, yet it does not quite fit the mold of the rest of his sonnets. In the sequence the surrounding, the sonnets highlight loves’ more deceptive qualities such as unfaithfulness and betrayal. The fallibility and physical matters pertaining to love are no longer considered in Sonnet 116, and a truer sort of transcendent and unconditional love emerges.Unlike the popularized Petrarchan form of an octet followed by a sestet, Shakespeare’s 14 line sonnets are divided into three Sicilian quatrains and a couplet. The quatrains develop the metaphor and a couplet at the end that becomes a commentary. The masculine rhyme scheme follows the pattern ababcdcdefefgg and the meter is in the traditional iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line). The ideas flow and create a sense of urgency in this piece as phrasing does no clearly begin and end with each line.The idea in first line that flows right into the next and there is a fluttering of accents. This creates a rapid delivery of words carried by the iambic feet. There is repetition in the alliteration with words such as â€Å"alters† and â€Å"alterationâ₠¬  or â€Å"remover† and â€Å"remove†. This also adds to the poems sense of flow and purposefulness. Each quatrain begins a new metaphor and the images are also strengthened in the following quatrains. The more dramatic volta of the sonnet begins with the final two lines with commentary that in this case does bring us to an ultimate conclusion.Much is said in this sonnet using somewhat simple rather than flattering diction and most of the words are monosyllables. The sonnet opens speaking of true love between two people. The Imagery begins with the marriage alter itself. This creates a very Christian vision of man and wife. The love spoken of is â€Å"of true minds† and therefore a spiritual partnership rather than physical union. In the second line with â€Å"admit impediments† he calls to mind the words used in the Marriage ceremony from The Book of Common Prayer.The mention of the word â€Å"alter† twice in the second line strengthens this ima ge as well. The â€Å"marriage of true minds† becomes the subject which can be interpreted in differing ways leaving us with a somewhat vague impression. True love itself becomes without â€Å"impediments† and is free and clear of the need for any â€Å"alterations†. This idea of love’s constancy and reliability is continued in the following quatrain with the images of love as a lighthouse, â€Å"ever-fixed mark† and guiding â€Å"star to every wandring bark†.The images of time, death and the compass speak of a constancy and reliability that love shall outlast. Shakespeare’s frequent references to time in his sonnets tend to bring careful consideration death and the threat of time itself. In Sonnet 116 however love is not threatened by any such thing, as it â€Å"bears it out, even to the edge of doom† in line 14 just before the Volta. In the final quatrain imagery connected with time and death’s† bending sickleâ⠂¬ , which calculates as well with â€Å"his brief hours and weeks† though time still is not bound by such restraints.There is some irony in the mention of the possibility of the poem not existing with the open ended commentary â€Å"I have never writ† In the final couplet the existence of the poetry itself is called into question although the poet’s certainty of the truth of his words becomes evident creating a sense of irony and an open ended conclusion. Love itself is the subject of the metaphor in this quintessential sonnet, in particular unconditional eternal love. The emotional union of marriage and the love of God are in comparison here. Frequently in Sonnet 116 true love appears as what it can outlast and simply what it is not.The common trope of love as a guiding lighthouse or star is included in the second quatrain. We see a ship lost at sea, challenged by a tempest that it outlasts, as a metaphor for this undying and resilient love. Its image as an à ¢â‚¬Å"ever fixed mark† marks the common them of love’s reliability. This also is an account of love’s incalculable worth who’s â€Å"worth’s unknown although its’ height be taken†. Throughout the sonnet , images of calculations of things such as time space distance and worth are mentioned, yet love transcends all calculation. Love’s transcendent qualities rise above the metaphor’s hemselves making this a very powerful sonnet. The unconventional love spoken of can perhaps lend itself the subversive tone in Sonnet 116. Opening with â€Å" Let me not to the marriage of true minds† could take on a very different meaning without immediate continuation to the next line â€Å"admit impediments. † It could perhaps also mean â€Å" let me not† to this Christian ideal of marriage . This possibility creates a questionable tone. Which makes sense, when we consider how the love Shakespeare was speaking of, did not fit into the Elizabethan concept of what was acceptable.The use of â€Å"Oh no! † in line 3 as an exclamation, following the mention of admitting â€Å"impediments† suggest his forcefulness in defending his ideas of love of, perhaps as well as his love of the boy which would itself be an impediment. The rejection of this type of love in Elizabethan times gives the poet the chance to speak of the nature of love itself as transcendent and eternal. The love that extends itself beyond these sorts of physical matters is not without its challenges. This gloomy tone expressed the sometimes cold language.The feelings evoked by the threats of â€Å"tempests† and â€Å"the edge of doom† (judgment day) and all the â€Å"alterations† of time does not allow the idea of desperation to totally subside. A somewhat distant and unpleasant tone comes even from the comparison of love to a star. It becomes a remote image, somewhat self-contained who’s true â₠¬Å"worth’s unknown†. The fact that love cannot be comprehended however does not diminish its powers. There is irony in the final commentary as well. The improbability of error in Shakespeare’s poetry is proven by the existence of the poetry itself. Yet this is still left up to question.The possibility also exists that â€Å"no man ever loved† in the this way as well. In this way the poem becomes a subject of metaphor just as love itself. The somewhat subversive tone is carried out through conclusion. Sonnet 116 goes beyond the Petrarchan dilemma of unrequited passionate love and considers the possibility of true loves eternal nature. It also goes beyond conventional as a poem concerning the sacrament of marriage and the love of god while being directed to a young man. Although it utilizes common tropes and simple language his unique passion and cleverness developed a fresh perspective.His use of phrasing an punctuation creates a dramatic tone of voice. His concern with what love is not becomes definition by restraint. Irony is layered throughout. The images and metaphors weave a tight tapestry and fluttering accents and alliteration and run-ons create a lyrical expressiveness. Shakespeare quite flawlessly recreates this revolutionary idea of love in the form of a sonnet. Its wide popularity may be a testament to nature of its form. Sources The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume1B: The Sixteenth Century, The Early Seventeenth Centry, 2nd edition(New York: W. W. Nortion, 2000)

Biography of Alexander the Great

Biography of Alexander the Great What would you do if you could rule the world? This seems like a preposterous question to most, but to one man it started to become a reality. It all started with the dreams of one King, Alexander the Great. Alexander was born in 356 BC in Macedonia, the area around present day Thessaloniki in northern Greece. Though the Macedonians might have considered themselves part of the Greek cultural world, the other Greeks viewed them as a half-barbaric mountain tribe. Alexander was the King of Macedonia in 336 BC, the Pharaoh of Egypt starting 332 BC, the King of Persia in 330 BC, and the King of Asia from 331 BC until the time of his unfortunate death in 323 BC. He was first crowned King of Macedonia at the young age of 19. Barely an adult, Alexander managed to transform his small Macedonian country into his own domain consisting of the three largest and most feared Empires in just 13 years. Right after his father’s death, Alexander had started his plans to conquer and unite all of the Ancient Greek city-states, along with the empires of Persia, Asia, and India. Although he was not successful in all of his plans, he managed to conquer and unite all of Ancient Greece, and conquer Persia and Asia, as well as some of India. Therefore, Alexander managed to transform the lesser known small mountain village of Macedonia into the largest and most powerful empire in all of Ancient Europe. The biographical novel Alexander The Great by Philip Freeman singlehandedly details all of the battles and important occurrences in Alexander’s life from his childhood until his death, as well as the legacy of the Empire he left behind which lasted several hundred years after his death. With the help of nobody but a select few of his father’s old generals, mainly his father’s right hand man Parmenion; Alexander was able to revolutionize the way of ancient warfare and destroy any Empire that stood in his way. As an absolute genius at psychological and unconvention al warfare, along with some high risk and high reward decisions, Alexander overcame some of the greatest obstacles in his way without breaking a sweat. I have always found Alexander has always been an extremely interesting and inspiring man to learn about in History, so I decided to learn more about his life and how he was able to conquer the Persian Empire, an Empire with the army size of almost twice that Alexander had in his control. In the following speech, I will tell the story of Alexander the Great and his adventures, many victories and very few defeats, during his conquest of the entire region of Greece, Persia, and Asia. Alexanders father King Philip was an impressive ruler who had started the systematic policy of expanding the control of Macedonia. Philips main conquest was that of the Greek mainland, after his victory at Chaeronea [Karineea] in 338 BC. The call to adventure was first introduced to Alexander while he was still in his teens, his father wanted to give him to commanded the Macedonian cavalry during this battle to prove Alexander’s worth as an heir to the throne. The Battle of Chaeronea took place in 338 BCE on an early August morning outside the town of Chaeronea[Karineea] in Boeotia [Beeotia], Greece. Although for centuries the cities of Athens and Sparta dominated Greece, politically, militarily and economically, the Battle of Chaeronea, one of the most renowned of all Greek battles, only involved one of these cities: Athens. However, Athens was not alone. They combined forces with Thebes including the sacred band of thebes, an elite group consisting of 150 pairs of male soldi ers who were the most fearsome warriors of Ancient Greece. The soldiers were all male lovers which, although peculiar, was effective because they wanted to impress and defend each other with their lives because they didn’t want to see their lover perish in battle. Both armies came together with the idea that they would destroy the conceited army of Macedonians and send them back to their homelands in the mountains. However, we quickly learn that this was not the case. Philip reorganized the old, traditional strategy of phalanx (which was a tightly moving group of soldiers) and replaced the outdated hoplite spear with the sarissa, an 18 to 20 foot pike, adding a smaller double-edged sword. Finally, he redesigned the antiquated shield and helmet, making them much more sturdy and viable. The Macedonians under Philip II’s rule would soon prove their worthiness and skill in this battle by slaughtering the enemy army including the sacred band of thebes. The Macedonians lost under 100 soldiers while the enemy forces casualties included 2,000 dead and 4,000 captured. Alexander decided to burn down and completely destroy the city as an example to other Greek states to show them what would happen if they rebelled. The Macedonian victory at Chaeronea would put Greece into a deep slope, both politically and militarily. It would never again regain its supremacy in the Mediterranean. Macedonia had established troops in Corinth and all of Ancient Greece recognized him as their leader and couldn’t afford to revolt. Philip was determined to transform his weaker citizen-based army into a worthy army of highly trained professional soldiers. Having well succeeded at this, it didn’t take long for him to reveal to the rest of Greece the might of the Macedonian army, attacking and defeating the Thracians to the north, proving to the people of Athens that Philip was a viable threat. Alexander’s first trials came around the same time of his father’s death. Philip II served as king from 359 BC until he was assassinated in 336 BC. Alexander was the runner up as King since he was Philip’s own child. However, seizing the throne after an untimely death of a beloved King can be chaotic so Alexander was not unopposed. He slayed his potential threats for the throne and secured his position as king of Macedon at just the age of 19. After securing the throne, he began to put his plans of conquering Ancient Europe into action. After gathering an impressive amount of troops consisting of highly determined and war-hardened Macedonians, Greek mercenaries, thracian troops and the whole Athens fleet, Alexander began his war against the Persians in 334 BC. At the time the Macedonian leader was twenty-two years old.Darius was prepared for battle having selected this spot to meet his enemy.After his defeat at Issus two years previously, Darius made sure that th is battleground favored his army and its tactics; mainly being war chariots. The ground here was flat which was perfect for chariots. Darius made it even flatter by ordering the terrain plowed and leveled. All was ready and on October 1, 331 BC the Persian army of possibly 200,000 faced off against Alexanders 35,000. The Macedonian leader immediately sized up the Persians tactical advantage and countered by ordering his cavalry to shift to the right along with Alexander himself hoping to move his enemy away from their flat field. The Persians marched parallel along with him, far outflanking him upon their left. Then the Persian cavalry rode along the line and came into contact with the front men of Alexanders army; nevertheless he still continued to defensively march towards the right, and almost entirely got beyond the ground that had been cleared and leveled by the Persians. Then Darius, fearing that his chariots would become useless if the Macedonians advanced upon the uneven gro und, ordered the front ranks of his left wing to ride round the right wing of the Macedonians, where Alexander was commanding, to prevent him from marching his wing any further. As soon as Darius set his whole battle line in motion, Alexander ordered Aretes, his general controlling the left ground units and javelineers to attack those who were riding clear around his right wing; and up to that time Alexander himself was leading his men in column. But when the Persians made a break in the front line of their army by having their cavalry charge to aid those executing the flanking movement, Alexander wheeled towards the gap, forming a wedge between the cavalry and part of the phalanx. He led them with a loud battle cry that every unit in his army followed in with that was so loud it frightened the Persians and caused the frontline to start a retreat. Darius quickly saw what was happening and commanded them to stay and fight. Alexander rode straight towards Darius, looking for the glory that would come if he killed the Great King of Persia himself. Then came a short hand-to-hand melee; but as Alexander and his troops pressed on vigorously, thrusting themselves against the Persians and striking through forces with their great sarissas, Darius, whose courage already had been shaken had turned and fled. Likewise the Persians who were trying to outflank, panic-stricken at the vigorous attack of Aretes, took to flight; a the Macedonians chased after and slaughtered those who they caught. Alexander’s victory at the battle of Gaugamela on the Persian plains was a decisive conquest that insured the defeat of the Persian King Darius III. Alexander then moved to the city of Sardis, the capital of Ancient Lydia. This was an important city due firstly to the amount of Persian troops stationed there, secondly to its control on an import ant road leading from the inside of Sardis outward to the Aegean[Ajian] coast, and thirdly to it’s access to the wide and fertile plains of the Hermus where important direct food to the city could be grown and developed year round. He then moved on to Phoenicia, an ancient civilization composed of independent city-states which lay along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. First starting with Baalbek. Baalbek was a religiously devoted city that was not loyal to the Persians who currently ruled them with constant religious interference. Because of this, they surrendered to Alexander and his army without a fight. Next came his destruction of the Phoenician city Sidon. Alexander attempted a peace offering to allow Sidon to surrender without a fight. They distastefully refused, calling Alexander a tyrant. Alexander was so insulted by being called a Tyrant that he ordered his engineers to besiege the high city walls and invaded the city with no mercy. Killing over 2000 soldiers and 1000 civilians, Alexander captured and sold the rest off into slavery, hoping to make an example of them. This seemed to work because after the fall of Sidon, the important and very wealthy trading city of Aleppo sent delegates to Alexander offering a golden crown as a symbol of their surrender. Following the fall of Aleppo came the long besiege of the very well protected Tyre. After Tyre fell to Alexander’s control quite easily once the walls came down, Alexander conquers Syria, who more than willingly surrendered without hesitation. Alexander then finished the conquest of Levant, the name given to the widely to the eastern Mediterranean coastal lands of Asia Minor and Phoenicia. Alexander then moved on to the mysterious lands of Egypt and was welcomed as a liberator and conquered Egypt without a fight.Alexander and all of his empire now called him the Pharaoh of Egypt, King of Asia, as well as King of Persia and King of Macedonia. In conclusion, Alexander was a man destined for greatness from the time of his birth. Turning a small Macedonian state into one of the largest Empires to exist in the Ancient world, his influence on the modern world comes in many different forms. He was undefeated in battle and is widely considered one of historys most successful military commanders. The traits that contribute to him being one of the most successful military commanders of all time are not only limited to his high intelligence in battle however. As Niccolà ² Machiavelli, an italian philosopher influenced directly by Alexanders’ own tutor Aristotle himself, once famously quoted â€Å"The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.† He expressed behaviors of the lion when he revoked his merciful nature, and acted as a fox in his attentive yet generous manner when attempting to win his battles in a peaceful way. He was a merciful and generous leader, believing in fairness and equality no matter what religion or race you were. However, when his authority was challenged, he revoked his mercy to secure his position as a leader of the Ancient Greek Empire. He was never unjust in his punishments, and always gave his enemies a chance at peace. Alexander’s behaviorisms as a leader were very logical, reasonable, and most importantly merciful. These qualities are what I believe every human should aspire to have and for this reason he is my personal hero. â€Å"A horse must be a bit mad to be a good cavalry mount, and its rider must be completely so.† â€Å"A cavalrymans horse should be smarter than he is. But the horse must never be allowed to know this.† â€Å"This man has conquered the world! What have you done? The philosopher replied without an instants hesitation, I have conquered the need to conquer the world.† â€Å"Always attack. Even in defense, attack. The attacking arm possesses the initiative and thus commands the action. To attack makes men brave; to defend makes them timorous.† â€Å"Fame Imperishable and glory that will never die that is what we march for!† â€Å"When deliberating, think in campaigns and not battles; in wars and not campaigns; in ultimate conquest and not wars.† â€Å"There is nothing impossible to him who will try.† â€Å"A tomb now suffices him for whom the world was not enough.

EB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

EB - Essay Example on the Scarborough campus. This, we hope, will provide a major step forward in the development of student facilities. This research also serves to fulfil partial requirements of my degree programme. 1.2 Background to research The Scarborough campus does not currently have a school bus and so the implementation of such a system would help to alleviate some of the problems that students currently face students in their efforts to arrive on the campus in time for classes. A properly run bus system would reduce lateness and provide a convenient means of getting from home to the campus. The bus will also help in transporting students between Scarborough campus and the main campus. However, the system would only make sense if it is feasible 2.0 Research Description and Methodology 2.1 Plan of research The research is in the form of a survey. ... The questionnaire was designed to allow for five alternative choices in most cases. There was only one question requiring a yes or no answer. Only two questions were designed using the Likert scale with choices ranging from 1 to 5 with 1 being the weakest/lowest and 5 being the strongest/highest. Delanshire & Petrosky, 1998 indicates that: â€Å"Whenever you use checklists or rating scales, you simplify and more easily quantify people’s behaviors and attitudes. In the process you may lose valuable information.† (qtd. in Leedy and Ormrod, 2005, pg187). However, it is hoped that no valuable information is lost here. 2.2 Discussion of methods The research looks at key variables that will help determine the feasibility of the bus system such as where students live, the circumstances under which they would want to take a bus, how often they travel by bus, get an idea of the timetable which would suggest frequency of use and the price that students consider reasonable. These questions were derived from the consideration of factors that would make the system feasible. If there are no students who are in need of the service, it will not be workable. 3.0 Data Collection 3.1 Data Collection procedures Data was collected with the use of questionnaires which were emailed to the respondents. After they were returned the data was collated and analysed using graphs and charts. The questionnaire is included in the Appendix. 3.2 Sampling Method The sample was not randomly selected because of the time constraint. It was administered to classmates and a few other students. Therefore, we know that the sample chosen was biased. 4.0 Findings 4.1 Overall Findings Questionnaires were emailed to a total of 50

Environmental Microbiology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Environmental Microbiology - Assignment Example flu in humans are very similar to conventional influenza which generally involves muscular pains, cough, general body weakness, chills, fever, severe migraine and general discomfort. Human to human infection of this virus is also prevalent in a manner similar to that of the common flu, namely through coughing & sneezing of infected individuals or by touching something with flu virus on it and then eating food without washing the hands etc. Swine flu is also transmitted to humans by eating pork products which are not cooked to at least 160Â °F, which kills the swine flu virus and other dangerous bacteria and viruses. It has been noted that although conventional treatment for swine flu exits, natural medicines have also been quite successful in treating and preventing pandemic outbreaks of this virus, especially homeopathic and herbal medicine therapies. (Kruzel p.2) Now even vaccines for swine flu prevention are available and public awareness campaigns and education programs have helped increase awareness about this virus to the masses. The best treatment for swine-flu is possible if a physician is contacted within 1-2 days of noticing the swine flu

Reading Response Speech of Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont Essay

Reading Response Speech of Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont - Essay Example and devoted themselves mainly to convincing the leaders and their subjects of the land where this cruel anger had affected to open the churches that were located on the east side. They solemnly ordered them at the Auvergne council on their achievement to such activities, as a groundwork for the reduction of all their evils (Krey, 2012). The Bishop of Puy known as Adhemar, who was the leader of this mission was constituted, and also told to embark on their stead. This was done so that those individuals who perhaps might be willing to undertake this voyage, must act in accordance with his rules, as if they were their own, and succumb completely to his bindings or loosing’s, to the extent that he will continue to be holding such a position. Additionally, he asserted that if there are any of the crusaders who feel God has motivated them to this undertaking, they should know that Adhemar will set forth with the assistance of God in the time of the supposition of the blessed Mary, and that this crusaders or followers of God should accord themselves to his teachings and follow his rules (Halsall, 1997). There can be no uncertainty on whether the response to Urban’s evangelization significantly surpassed his expectations. The Chronicles version might to some degree been swayed by the character of this response so that they twist what Urban said to prompt it. However, the historians are not in agreement with such a principle in defining the original themes of urban as well-maintained by the chronicles. The importance of this speech is that it will help the believers of Christ to follow the teachings of their church leaders as they will be aware that he or she is directed by God to lead them. This will assist the Holy City of Jerusalem to be delivered from the pagan

The Role of Time Management Techniques in Avoiding Project Delays Dissertation

The Role of Time Management Techniques in Avoiding Project Delays - Dissertation Example Structured, systematic ways of managing the project and its risks are also imperative. Moreover, it is encouraging to find that the respondents perceive their senior management favourably, with senior management leadership and communication not being singled out as a cause of project delay. The study has likewise found that the outcomes of project delays include the work disturbance; cost variances; and operational losses. Disagreement is also apparent. However, these do not develop so gravely as to merit the termination of the contract or the filing of a legal case. The present study likewise found that the timely clarification of project objectives; solicitation of top management support; manpower selection; clarification of project restrictions; definition / identification of activity; spelling out the sequence of activity; and building a timetable of activity were all adequately practised by the construction and engineering players in Saudi Arabia. There is a need to further impr ove the timeliness with which the following facets of project management are carried out within their specific context: client consultation; manpower training; solicitation of the dedication of the project team; evaluation of the efficiency of client and contractor; risk and liability evaluations; clarification of end-users requirements; resource approximation; schedule development; schedule control; and overall impact vs. actual practise of time management technique

The Sixtieth Century and Beyond Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 12

The Sixtieth Century and Beyond - Essay Example In 1505, Martin Luther changed his career path to become a monk after a life-threatening experience that changed his perception of religion. He gained spiritual enlightenment through his profound religious studies. Martin Luther believed that the key to salvation was not enslavement to religious dogma, but the faith of an eternal life (Bainton 456). Due to his skepticism and open-mindedness, Martin Luther was later excommunicated from the Roman Catholic. John Calvin was also an influential figure in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. He was banished from Paris for his support of Martin Luther. He later settled in Geneva where he continued his religious teaching. In addition, Calvin was saddened by the immorality in the French Catholic church. Through his numerous scholarly works, Calvin provided a protestant response to the Catholicism. Modern Protestantism traces its roots to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century that was perpetuated by both Calvin and Luther. The Presbyterians are a result of Calvinism. The Protestant denomination rejects most of the teachings and beliefs of the Roman church. However, some Protestant churches such as the Anglican have adopted most of the Catholic beliefs while others have little association with the Catholic Church. The adherence to biblical teachings is common in both denominations. The age of discovery is the period in the 15th century that featured the European global exploration. It entailed the discovery of Africa by the Portuguese as well as the Spain discovery of America in 1492 (Wallerstein 78). Historians refer to the period as a link between modern era and middle ages. European exploration overseas led to colonization and slave trade. As a result, this leads to culture transfers, relocation of human population, and spread of infectious diseases between the western and eastern hemisphere. The spice trade dominated the whole of Europe, Africa, and Asia where spices such as pepper, Cinnamon and ginger were traded.  

The causes and consequences of an investment project of x (a Essay

The causes and consequences of an investment project of x (a corporation) - Essay Example The paper also analyzes and discusses change in capital structure and the consequences of change in the structure. This is to enhance understanding of this project and, thus, promote its implementation. The project would involve introduction of various assets like planes and offices that make the company incur costs. These costs fall into two categories, namely, assets’ costs and implementation costs. According to QA (2012), the project was initiated on July 2012 and it was approximated to last for about five months. However, the assets involved have long-term durability. This would make the project viable despite the costs expected to be incurred. An expanded business would result in increased revenues. This increase in revenue would raise the profit margins of the company (Megginson & Smart 2008). The company would use the increased profits to recover the costs incurred during project planning and implementation. Since the project would go in phases covering two years, the process of recovering costs will not be instant. The rate of return for this project is recommendable, since it involves assets leading to increased business. The net present value of the assets introduced in this project is $ 50 billion. Previously Qatar Airline had been financing its projects through several capital structures. Capital structure of an organization consists of debts and equity funds (Woelfel 1994). The major capital structure previously used by Qatar Airline was a borrowing from financial institutions, since the earlier projects were not large in magnitude. However, issuing of bonds sometimes proved to be a mandatory requirement, since they served as a supplement. The current projects are large and, thus, they need many resources in order to implement them. This has caused this company to shift from this funding structure to a new one. Qatar Airline uses dividend payout, retained earnings, and issues of shares to fund its projects. Dividend payouts

United States Constitution Essay Example for Free

United States Constitution Essay By the 1850’s the Constitution, originally framed as an instrument of national unity, had become a source of sectional discord and tension and ultimately contributed to the failure of the union it has created. This was shown by interpretations of the constitution and other documents when the constitution was assorted together. It is known that the union did not last, for there was the Civil War. If everyone could agree on what the constitution implied, then there probably would not have been a civil war. From several of the documents, there are arguments about what the constitution states. Document E), â€Å"To the Argument, that the word ‘slaves’ and ‘slavery’ are not to be found in the Constitution, and therefore it was never intended to give any protection or countenance to the slave system, it is sufficient to reply, that no such words are continued in the instrument, other words were used, intelligently and specifically, to meet the necessities of slavery. † This indicates that the constitution can be interpreted differently, and when used with other documents, it can be incongruous. The Constitution can be interpreted in many different ways, which leads to sectional discord and tension. For many reasons, the South did not like what the constitution said. There were many conflictions with the compromise of 1850, map shown in (Document A) and the fugitive slave act. Certain Northerners were against slavery and the fugitive slave act that they even posted warnings for the slaves. (Document C). This fugitive slave act also helped drive the tension deeper into the United States. With drama now rumbling in the American underbellies, the small weight of anything slightly bad could set off a secession bomb. A freesoiler does not want to spread slavery, but he is okay with keeping it in a state it is already in. When the idea of popular sovereignty came about with the compromise of 1850, map shown in (Document A), those freesoilers in office were pushed harder into complex decisions over the popular sovereignty issue. All of the tension gathering, even authors were predestining the civil war. Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that the Constitution was a contradictory. (Document D). The Constitution continued to bring national unity until the 1850s, but later, a series of resolutions raised a great confusion about the view of the Constitution concerning slavery. At this time, the law encouraged a growing split between the North and the South.

Technology In The Hospitality Industry

Technology In The Hospitality Industry Introduction This document explains the technological change which has happened in hospitality industry and in particular hotel industry. The impact of information technology in hotels is quite significant. It has not only given people knowledge as what to seek when looking for a hotel but also a whole preview as what is available in the market. This whole revolution of information technology has changed both the industry and the consumer. Industry has to become more transparent and competitive in order to satisfy customer needs. One needs to keep in mind the enormous variability of the technology rather than assume its determining powers. (Poster, 1995) Information technology is an inevitable part of any organisations functionality. If an organisation seeks to progress in industry then it has to be competitive and up to date in its technological needs. In a world wide technology survey (Hensdill, 1998), hoteliers and other consultants explained how the hotel industry lagged far more behind in terms of automation than other industries. This document will explain what has changed hotel industry from technological perspective and what the demands of consumers are in post modern era. 1.1 Claridges Hotel Claridges hotel is situated in Mayfair, in the heart of Londons west end just a few minutes walk from the shops and boutiques of Bond Street, South Molton Street and Oxford Street. It has 203 rooms including 67 suites. The Reading Room restaurant and The Foyer Designed by Thierry Despont. The Fumoir The intimate, candlelit bar is a push, sophisticated place to enjoy cocktail. Claridges Bar designed by David Collins plays host to Londons movers and shakers. (www.claridges.co.uk) The most important change in recent times is Gordon Ramsay at Claridges restaurant head by Head chef Steve Allen. It offers finest dining in London, celebrating flavourful combinations of the freshest ingredients which is designed by Thierry Despont it is sumptuous and elegant, but intimate. (www.claridges.co.uk) Claridges hotel has always been considered as living in modern era but very famous in royalty and celebrities for its iconic image. But in recent years there have been many changes which has mixed modernism and post modernism in Claridges and this is why author thinks it is the best example to show how information technology has had its impact on Claridges. 1.2 Claridges Hotel Website Claridges website provides facility to both its customers and partners in order to book hotel rooms, table at restaurant or for afternoon tea. Online presence of Claridges hotel is one of the main examples of post modern era. Now any type of customers can just go online and book room for them. Two or three years ago trying to find hospitality IT vendor with an e-mail address, never mind a website, were an almost futile search (Frew, 2000). There were many hotels which were still on the old phone/agent booking system. Now agents have live database in which they can see when to book and Claridges gets these bookings automatically. Dr. Martin Peacock argues that the systems currently being implemented in the hospitality industry emphasise the controlling side of technology: they provide performance measures; they work to restrict the options of both line managers and staff. As he suggests as well that this to be the cause for the irrelevance of management. 1.3 Gordon Ramsay at Claridges Restaurant Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay has his own restaurant in Claridges which is headed by Chef Steve Allen. In todays technology revolutionised era, it is very important to have someone famous to boost the brand. Most of the people know Gordon Ramsay through TV, newspaper and media and having his name with Claridges is key to enhance its brand name. People not only take it as a typical hotel but also a place to spend afternoon and dine out. According to Cline (2002) Hospitality ebusiness is destined to play an increasingly significant role and will have profound impact on the way hospitality business is conducted in the future. Literature 2.1 Research Methods There are various ways to perform research in order to understand technological requirements and changes in Claridges hotel. Dr. Martin Peacock has laid down three fundamental rules in order to choose and research on choice establishment. First, he suggested that it should be of interest of the author, secondly the fulfilment of the criteria of sufficient secondary data which is deemed possible. Finally, a possibility of primary data being available so that core reasons and suggestions can be presented in shape of an argument. This primary data can either be collected by talking to choice establishment or its customers. 2.1.1 Observations In order to understand and feel technological changes in Claridges, author visited the hotel himself and had afternoon tea in the hotel. Author also visited Gordon Ramsay restaurant and saw their seating plan and menu for customers and also understood how customers are being booked at the restaurant. Author also visited halls and visited bedrooms to understand and feel the same which a customer feels. Author understood that online customer booking facility is quite famous among customers due to ever changing consumer demands and post modern era. Claridges also provides online facility to its partner companies/agents to book for rooms/restaurants. 2.1.2 Interviews One of the primary research techniques is to interview the owner or people working in the choice establishment. It is also very important to take interview from customers so that proper analyses can be done. Author tried to book interview with IT staff of Claridges hotel but the concerned person in IT department was not available. So author has relied mainly on observations and secondary data. 2.1.3 Online Sources Main online sources used are hospitality journals available online, website of Dr. Martin Peacock, Claridges website and google search. 2.2 Limitations It was not possible to conduct survey with customers as Claridges does not allow external person to conduct any questionnaire survey with its customers without prior permission from higher management. It was not also possible to take interview with staff of claridges who can give insight about Claridges IT performance except few observational meetings with receptionist just to understand the functionality of basic information systems. Impact of Technological Innovation Technology has often been used as an instrument of control and the term itself has a link with the use of tools to control inanimate objects. Possibly the best illustration of the use of technology to control people is Zuboffs (1988) example of Benthams Panopticon. Here a prison is designed with glass walls and corridors radiating out like spokes from a wheel. The concept is that these corridors can be controlled by one guard situated at the centre of the wheel. The technology (in this case glass walls, a rotating chair and innovative design) is used to control the inmates. This is not an image totally distant from modern information systems within tourism and hospitality. (Chapter in Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism (edited by D.Fesenmaier), Springer, Wien, 2000) (Cultural tourism product emphasising on information and infrastructure, by Daniela Freund De Klumbis Wil Munster in Developments in the hotel industry: Design meets Historic Properties) Sector (significance of under ANOVA 0.000). Hotels had 68.6% in the enthusiastic user category, whilst restaurants could only count 41.9% in this group. (Martin Peacock, 1994) Modern information systems privilege a vision of technology which has close links with Benthams glass prison. In the NEDC working party report on competitiveness in tourism (1992), TGI Fridays use of technology to provide control and monitoring systems, is listed under Case Studies Best Practices. The same report also praises McDonalds use of systems. Baker et al (1998) suggested that the EPOS system developed for Bass Taverns removed the uncertainties of operative fraud and the black economy for public house managers. (Chapter in Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism (edited by D.Fesenmaier), Springer, Wien, 2000) This systematic standardisation of the hospitality product provoked a counter-movement inspired by consumers searching for hotels with unique or sophisticated and innovative characteristics, called boutique, design or lifestyle hotels. In the beginning of the 80s of the last century the term boutique hotel swept through the market and was used to describe unique 50-100 rooms properties, non chain-operated, with attention to fine detail and individual decoration in European or Asian influenced furnishings (literally a boutique as opposed to a department store). Sophistication and innovation explain the growth of the design and lifestyle hotel niches. In order to employ a generic term for these new niches, we will refer hereafter to the boutique, design and lifestyle concepts with the term lifestyle hotels. Being independent enterprises, lifestyle hotels join voluntary groups (membership affiliations, consortia) in order to benefit from the advantages of chains especially global marketing and promotion services, common packages and international reservation systems without having the disadvantages of chain box hotels like absence of management autonomy, architectural uniformity and standardized operational procedures (Yu, 1996; Andrew, 2001). Examples of these voluntary groups are marketing and sales reservation networks (e.g. SRS World Hotels) and free alliances. The confrontation of box and lifestyle hotels by means of Kotler ´s product levels shows clear differences between both concepts. On the core and facilitating product levels, box hotel companies present savings in building and staff costs due to the standards of performance as a major advantage to the hotel operator. In the marketing policy, the uniformity of the concept and the strong recognition of the brand are used to influence the consumers choice. Commoditization generates, within traditional segments, a feeling of security and familiarity. For the widely-travelled tourist, however, the stay in a box hotel turns into alienation and anonymity. Many of them share the experience of awaking in a hotel room while asking oneself: Where am I now? This negative guest experience, caused by impersonality, predictability and boredom, has led to an important loss of clients and turnover with box hotel companies. Table below shows us, by means of a confrontation matrix, the hotel guests main differences in choice criteria (Naber, 2002). BOX HOTELS LIFE STYLE HOTELS Demands quality guarantee Expects quality given the high quality level of lifestyle hotels Minimum standards Exceeding standards No annoying surprises Surprise-adventure-history Experiences are sought outside the hotel The hotel stay is an experience in itself Recognition of the product Recognition as a guest To feel at home by means of the hardware To feel at home by means of the software Reliable unique selling propositions Really unique selling propositions Familiar with the brand image Search for a specific identity (By Daniela Freund De Klumbis Wil Munster in Developments in the hotel industry: Design meets Historic Properties) What is key component to drive todays hospitality industry? Information technology is the key component which is driving hospitality industry. It has already revolutionised hospitality industry in post modern era and now it is driving it as major decisions are being taken and are based on Information systems provided by IT. Claims of overall increases in productivity caused by increasing use of information technology are difficult to justify empirically both at the local and the global level. US improvements in productivity can be linked directly to computer manufacturing (Anonymous, 1999) with productivity growth in other sectors stalled or falling. Landauer (1995) reported Roachs findings that information workers in the US (1960-87) had seen no increase in productivity. Martin Peacock and Humphery Shaw, (1996); Bytes and Bias suggests in this paper that the specific issue of the attitudes to new technology in the hospitality industry. Yet, outside the specific question of the industry, society too illustrates very ambivalent attitudes to new technology. One of the best illustrations of this is the Unabomber debate. The Unabomber is an American mail bomber who has attacked pro-technology targets (principally academics) over the last 18 years. Last year his manifesto was published in the Washington Post and other American publications (Anonymous, 1995). Technological change defines the horizon of our material world as it shapes the limiting conditions of what is possible and what is barely imaginable. It erodes taken-for-granted assumptions about the nature of our reality, the pattern in which we dwell, and lays open new choices. (Zuboff, 1988) New technologies do not spell the end of traditional technologies. The synthesiser has not replaced the piano. Each has their traditional and contemporary roles to fulfil. However, the advent of the synthesiser has effected the way in which we see and use the piano. It is something different to what it was. (Biggs, 1991) Tiles Oberdiek suggests in 1995 that modern technologies in short, behave like ecosystems. When we intervene here, unexpected consequences pop up there. As Tiles Oberdiek suggests in 1995 that on the other hand there are people who have become deeply pessimistic as a result of observing the path of so called technical progress. As they see it, we are strangely impotent in the face of, indeed are enslaved by, a pervasive technology that, ironically, we ourselves have made. Belonging to the primary tourism enterprises, the hospitality industry is an essential component of the cultural tourism product. Hospitality products need to fulfil customers needs on several levels (Kotler, 2003): (a) The core product answers the basic question: what is the buyer really buying? It refers basically to the benefits provided by the hotel to the consumer and not the features, e.g. room comfort and convenient location. (b) Facilitating products are those services or goods that must be present for the guests to use the core product, e.g. bellboy in a luxury hotel. (c) Supporting products are extra products offered to add value to the core product and help to position it through differentiation from the competitors, e.g. full-service health spa. (d) The augmented product includes atmosphere and customers interaction with the service organization and each other, e.g. lobby socializing. The augmented product is an important concept because it is in this level were the main differences arise between the various hospitality concepts, e.g. atmosphere created by focus on lightning, marriage of textures and colours to please the senses. How Technology works in Claridges? The expansion of the international hotel chains, in their vast majority, was accompanied and made possible by a process of standardisation and commoditization. Technological innovation has had huge impact on this expansion. Research data, which hotel chains keep and also have track record of ever changing customer needs is really important in order to expand the hotel chain as well as keeping an iconic image in the market. Claridges hotel has uniqueness which is to keep itself as one and only one hotel. It is part of group of hotels which is called Maybourne Hotel Group who has three big hotels (Claridges, Connaught, The Berkeley) in their portfolio and few other hotels internationally. Customers like to book online using Claridges website. Travel professionals in tourism industry also have online access available through website where they can make bookings on behalf of their customers. Booking online provides facility to customers to request anything extra they want to the hotel and that will fulfilled. Due to recent trend in technology and use of internet has changed the old perspective of booking via phone. A customer can book anywhere while sitting in airport or in a cab and as soon as they arrive at the hotel, everything is ready for them. It is very important to show in this document what are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats which are being faced by Claridges. This analysis shows this data using SWOT technique which can be applied to other life style hotels as well and will give sufficient information in order to take the required decisions. SWOT Analysis of the Claridges hotel Strengths Weaknesses Well-defined concepts with an unique identity and a modern character, taking into account the four levels of the hospitality product. Need to re-adapt constantly to the fast changing market demands. Diversity in guest experience. In some cases, hotel becomes the cultural attraction in itself Larger hotels groups cause lifestyle-fatigue through over-branding Low costs of soft branded distribution by the sharing of costs of distribution, technology and purchasing Low profitability as compared to box hotels Autonomous control over operations by the hotel itself, allowing the personal expression of passion for hospitality High maintenance and staffing costs Opportunities Threats Emergence of new soft brand distribution models: organization of independent hotels (e.g. Design Hotels Resorts) Global chains dominate supply through acquisition and development. They practise brand management across multiple brands (economies of scale) Design is becoming an element adopted by the various hospitality products (e.g. Accors backpackers concept Base) Emergence of low service stylised concepts or imitators Create programs that allow customers to spend all their money Aggressive down-pricing by box hotel chains to retain market share Needs and wants of the post-modern consumer: quality tourism, traditional hospitality, personal approach, sustainable hotels, the brand as a self image, diversity of experiences Familiar with travelling, nowadays consumers expect value and quality for their money. Effective use of Customer-Relationship-Management databases and customer-choice-modelling experiments can allow hospitality establishments to personalize products and services thus increasing satisfaction, retention and loyalty. Good informed and critical consumers Use of co-branding synergies with other lifestyle brands as the allocation to an existing Claridges brand name enables a quick transfer of the hospitality product values and contents to the client (e.g. Gordon Ramsay at Claridges Restaurant) Because of the unpredictable buying behaviour of the post-modern consumer, brand loyalty is difficult to achieve. Many consumers can no longer be easily segmented on the basis of education, income, social class and geographic origin. Utilisation of opinion leaders in the segment addressed and of the power of famous influencers (e.g. Famous hotel for George Clooney when he is in London) The consumer is wary to media, makes his choices and can hardly be influenced. ICT solutions for one-to-one marketing High cost level of ICT-investments Development of websites that convey the types of pleasurable experiences promised by the hotel and ensure pleasant browsing experiences High complexity of the global distribution model Conclusions By using the research methods and proper use of literature, it is quite apparent that technological innovation is inevitable and in hospitality, any establishment who does not believe in this will be out of the industry in no time. It is and will always be the case of being more innovative and creative in information technology and more strategic decisions are being taken by using proper IT research methods. It is imperative to keep up to date information systems in place if to succeed in the market is the goal. In future, it will not only the case of looking good and be more hospitalise but also to use core hospitality techniques along with good knowledge of customer needs. This knowledge can only be gained if proper information system is in place. Author believes that customer should have the power to customise the facility according to his/her needs. Hotel should accommodate customer and help him/her to customise as per requirement. This can only be done if hotel has sufficient information available which covers all expected and legitimate needs of any customer. Cline (2002) as well as Peacock (1995) point out the industrys slow and measured approach to IT and to innovation generally. But as the sophistication of technology increases (e.g. Fisk, 1999) it was suggested that a more organic or humanistic approach to IT is needed to make the technology more useable to the organisation, employees and customers. Effective innovation appears more at the operative level, at the point of sale. Creative problem solving, product remodelling, and effective marketing have been encouraged by technological change in other industries. New modes of service delivery have grown directly from the potential of new software (Barras, 1990). It is the imaginative coupling of new technology with new services and new modes of organisation which represents its real potential. (Martin Peacock Humphery Shaw, (1996); Bytes and Bias) Competition is fierce on the international hotel market and imitation of successful concepts is a proven method to attract new target groups. So it is no wonder that many of the ingredients which contribute to the lifestyle hotel experience, have been adopted by box hotels. Glocalisation, the combination of globalisation and localisation, has been introduced as a leading principle in marketing policies of chain hotels. In promotional campaigns of box hotels, the role of local culture as component of the hospitality product is highlighted by means of slogans like Think locally, act globally (Hilton Hotels) and International standards, local flavours (Claridges). While ten years ago design and style were unique selling propositions, nowadays they are minimum requirements to attract the sybaritic post-modern guest. Large hotel groups are even causing lifestyle-fatigue through over-branding and, at the same time, the number of low service stylish concepts is increasing with design becomi ng an element adopted by various hospitality products, e.g. Base, the backpacker concept of the Accor group. In this competitive struggle, the cornerstone of success for the lifestyle hotel product will be to pursue to satisfy the fast changing needs and wants of the post-modern consumer by offering an inimitable individuality and a full-balanced hospitality experience. The effective use of customer-relationship-management databases and one-to-one marketing actions has to be strengthened in order to be able to personalize products and services, thus increasing satisfaction, retention and loyalty. The quality of the staff will continue to be a key success issue because the lifestyle traveller seeks more than advice or recommendations. Hotel employees should not only be trained to manage the information exchange, but also be required to match guests to experiences. To perform such a consultancy task, they are expected to be informed about the hospitality product itself as well as its cultural environment (Freund, 2002). Furthermore, hospitality employees will be required to possess commercial skills based primarily on making the most out of each customer transaction by creating experiential programs that push the guest to spend the greater part of their money at the hotel. It should be noticed in this respect that consumers see food, accommodation and culture merely as elements of a greater whole relating to a total experience. Because of this, a relevant opportunity for lifestyle hotels, from a marketing perspective, consists in co-branding the property with a leading brand outside the tourism industry, e.g. fashion designers, retail companies, lifestyle brands. As the allocation to an existing brand name enables a quick transfer of the product values and contents to the client, co-branded hotels (e.g. Cerrutti, Armani and Bulgari Hotels) have a competitive edge in penetrating the market. However, co-branding in the hospitality industry requires a profound evaluation of both brand partners strengths and weaknesses, a strategy for the long term co-operation and, above all, a prudent implementation. References Freund de Klumbis, D. (2002), Seeking the ultimate hotel experience, paper originally presented at the XIIe International Leisure and Tourism Symposium ESADE-Fira de Barcelona, Barcelona, April 2002, and published in Gestià ³n en H, No. 11, May-June 2003, pp. 58-76. Naber, T. (2002), Chain or independent: box hotel or boutique hotel? lecture given at the Eurhodip Conference 2002 Hospitality Management in Europe: Moving into a New Dimension, Maastricht, May 2002. Andrew, G. (2001), Evolution of tourist offers: the importance of an individual hotel experience in an independent hotel chain, lecture given at the Eurhodip Conference 2001 The Hotel and Catering Trades for Employment and Economic Development in Europe, Venice, November 2001. Peacock, M., Information Technology in the Hospitality Industry, Cassell, London, 1995 Smith, T., Does Technology Drive History, The MIT Press, London, 1994 OConnor, Peter Using computers in Hospitality, Cassel, 1996. `Bytes and Bias: Technophilia in technology writing, (refereed conference paper for `Hospitality Information Technology Association Worldwide Conference, 1996). Ms. Rita Fernandas (2010); observations during meetings held with Ms. Fernandas, a receptionist at Claridges hotel. Online Sources: www.claridges.co.uk http://www.maybourne.com/page.aspx?id=4458 http://www.maybourne.com/uploadedFiles/Claridges/About_the_hotel/Claridges_London_English.pdf http://www.maybourne.com/uploadedFiles/Maybourne/Supplementary_Navigation/Travel_professionals/Downloads/Group_Guarantee_UK.pdf http://www.avlk87.dsl.pipex.com/martin/hospital.htm , (Hospitality managers who love computers too little?) by Dr. Martin Peacock

The Disturbing Tone of Rapunzel Essay -- Grimm Rapunzel Essays

The Disturbing Tone of Rapunzel The story of "Rapunzel" has been passed throughout generations in the form of a fairy tale. Typical fairy tales come to a resolution ending ‘happily ever after’. It seems that there is always a villain, always a hero, and some sort of a moral or lesson to be grasped from each story (Rhetoric 102K/L class discussion/lecture, January 18, 2001). Most of the traditional fairy tales involve a ‘damsel in distress’, in which she is happily rescued by a true love. These types of stories leave readers feeling that those who are in pain and anguish will eventually rise above and be granted pure happiness. It is this break in the traditional style that sets the Grimm stories apart from others. Using the formalistic approach allows for the Grimm version of Rapunzel to be analyzed closely. For starters, the way a story begins and the first impression upon the reader are extremely important. The authors creatively set up a situation in which they manipulate the minds of their readers. They have to pave the road they want their readers to follow in order to have a greater impact. The road starts with the title, which is a direct indication of the main character, Rapunzel. While reading the story the authors have already given the reader a previous insight of what is to come. The story begins describing the situation of â€Å"a man and his wife, who had long wished for a child, but in vain†(Grimm 514). This opening line begins to unfold much of the story and reveals the main part of the story, how Rapunzel was the center of their wishes. The names of the characters are insightful for the reader to relate the events and make connections. In th... ...ere no one else can go without permission. They climb a golden ladder to discover beauty. Rapunzel is perceived as innocent and pure. When the witch discovers her sin of connecting to the world and ruining this purity, her beauty is lost. Hence, the loss of her famous trait, her locks of hair. This version of Rapunzel is still a fairy tale. It has the villain, the 'damsel in distress', the hero, and the happy ending. However, the tone of the story is more disturbing. The prince has a genuine affection for Rapunzel despite the loss of her gorgeous hair. The story explains how he seeked finding her originally because her "song had entered his heart"(Grimm 516). The word choice here is very effective. The prince liked her before the display of her beauty. This is a typical fairy tale idea that they are meant to be together through fate.

Pros Of Green Revolution :: essays research papers

With the rapid growth of our global population pouring into the next millennium, we will witness an ever-growing hunger rate around the world. That is unless we call for a revolution on the global scale. The Green Revolution which already sprouted in the early part of the century only need to add a bit more momentum and we will see a bright future for the human race, a future without hunger and starvation  ¡V hopefully.It is becoming increasingly difficult for the planet to support its overwhelming population. And since the amount of arable land available is becoming scarce, we must seek ways to dramatically improve crop yields of existing cropland. By implementing new farming techniques provided with the new technological advances in machines we can see abundant harvest in even the poorest third world countries. For example, the Green Revolution has already showed admirable progress in the northern part of India ever since it took start in 1950. By 1997, northern India increased its grain production by 37 percent. This has proven that traditional farming methods are being rendered obsolete. And because by the year 2000, there will be half the land per person in developing countries as there was in 1970, we need to apply ultra-efficient methods to sustain the growing need. Not only does the Green Revolution enhances food output, it also preserves the environment. Traditional agriculture requires massive forest and grassland removal to obtain land necessary to farm on. Deforestation and overgrazing has caused erosion flooding, and enabled the expansion of deserts. But with drainage systems, leveling, and irrigation provided by the Green Rev, all this terra deforming will unlikely happen again. We can retain clean air and lessen the global warming effect caused by deforestation.Many people argue that a revamp in agriculture will be way too expensive and unrealistic especially for those poor farmers in third world countries. However many times, they exaggerate the price. In reality, farmers who take the first step in the revolution will most likely succeed and will have more money to invest in further development such as irrigation systems and wells and machineries.

Vietnam :: essays research papers

The ICP was formed in Hong Kong in 1930 from the amalgamation of the Vietnamese and the nascent Lao and Khmer communist groups, and it received its instructions from the Moscow-based Communist International (Comintern). Communist Movement The Vietnamese communist movement began in Paris in 1920, when Ho Chi Minh, using the pseudonym Nguyen Ai Quoc, became a charter member of the French Communist Party. Two years later, Ho went to Moscow to study Marxist doctrine and then proceeded to Canton as a Comintern representative. While in China, he formed the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League, setting the stage for the formation of the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930. French repression of nationalists and communists forced some of the insurgents underground, and others escaped to China. Other dissidents were imprisoned, some emerging later to play important roles in the anti-colonial movement. Ho Chi Minh was abroad at that time but was imprisoned later in Hong Kong by the British. He was released in 1933, and in 1936 a new French government released his compatriots who, at the outset of World War II, fled to China. There they were joined by Ho, who organized the Viet Minh-- purportedly a coalition of all anti-French Vietnamese groups. Official Vietnamese publications state that the Viet Minh was founded and led by the ICP. Because a Vichy French administration in Vietnam during World War II cooperated with occupying Japanese forces, the Viet Minh's anti-French activity was also directed against the Japanese, and, for a short period, there was cooperation between the Viet Minh and Allied forces. When the French were ousted by the Japanese in March 1945, the Viet Minh began to move into the countryside from their base areas in the mountains of northern Vietnam. By the time Allied troops--Chinese in the north and British in the south--arrived to take the surrender of Japanese troops, the Viet Minh leaders had already announced the formation of a Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) and on September 2, 1945, proclaimed Vietnam's independence. Deep divisions between Vietnamese communist and non-communist nationalists soon began to surface, however, especially in the south, and with the arrival of Allied forces later in September, the DRV was forced to begin negotiations with the French on their future relationship. The difficult negotiations broke down in December 1946, and fighting began with a Viet Minh attack on the French in Hanoi. Civil War A prolonged three-way struggle ensued among the Vietnamese communists (led by Ho Chi Minh), the French, and the Vietnamese nationalists (nominally led by Emperor Bao Dai). Vietnam :: essays research papers The ICP was formed in Hong Kong in 1930 from the amalgamation of the Vietnamese and the nascent Lao and Khmer communist groups, and it received its instructions from the Moscow-based Communist International (Comintern). Communist Movement The Vietnamese communist movement began in Paris in 1920, when Ho Chi Minh, using the pseudonym Nguyen Ai Quoc, became a charter member of the French Communist Party. Two years later, Ho went to Moscow to study Marxist doctrine and then proceeded to Canton as a Comintern representative. While in China, he formed the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League, setting the stage for the formation of the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930. French repression of nationalists and communists forced some of the insurgents underground, and others escaped to China. Other dissidents were imprisoned, some emerging later to play important roles in the anti-colonial movement. Ho Chi Minh was abroad at that time but was imprisoned later in Hong Kong by the British. He was released in 1933, and in 1936 a new French government released his compatriots who, at the outset of World War II, fled to China. There they were joined by Ho, who organized the Viet Minh-- purportedly a coalition of all anti-French Vietnamese groups. Official Vietnamese publications state that the Viet Minh was founded and led by the ICP. Because a Vichy French administration in Vietnam during World War II cooperated with occupying Japanese forces, the Viet Minh's anti-French activity was also directed against the Japanese, and, for a short period, there was cooperation between the Viet Minh and Allied forces. When the French were ousted by the Japanese in March 1945, the Viet Minh began to move into the countryside from their base areas in the mountains of northern Vietnam. By the time Allied troops--Chinese in the north and British in the south--arrived to take the surrender of Japanese troops, the Viet Minh leaders had already announced the formation of a Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) and on September 2, 1945, proclaimed Vietnam's independence. Deep divisions between Vietnamese communist and non-communist nationalists soon began to surface, however, especially in the south, and with the arrival of Allied forces later in September, the DRV was forced to begin negotiations with the French on their future relationship. The difficult negotiations broke down in December 1946, and fighting began with a Viet Minh attack on the French in Hanoi. Civil War A prolonged three-way struggle ensued among the Vietnamese communists (led by Ho Chi Minh), the French, and the Vietnamese nationalists (nominally led by Emperor Bao Dai).

Business of Data Warehousing Foundations Essay

Executive Summary mySupermarket is a grocery shopping and comparison website which aims to provide customers with the best price for their shopping. This report examines how data warehousing provided mySupermarket with the foundation in which to build a successful enterprise, and allowed a subsequent expansion into the ‘business intelligence’ sector. The research draws attention to the problems and limitations that mySupermarket encountered including; coping with diverse sources of data streams, customer loyalty issues, achieving real-time data, data integrity and generating a sustainable revenue stream. These problems were tackled respectively through; building their own data warehouse, adopting a CRM strategy underpinned by their warehouse, adopting Microsoft’s SQL software, supermarket website ‘crawling’, offering ‘targeted’ advertising space and the realisation that the granularity of detail they offered, would allow them to expand into the ‘busi ness intelligence’ sector. The report appreciates the importance of storing data, but concludes that data itself is the prerequisite to success, and that good management is needed to convert this data into meaningful information. It is therefore a combination of data warehousing and good management that has enabled mySupermarket to become a successful venture. Introduction â€Å"On the 31st August 2006, entrepreneur Johnny Stern received a seven-figure sum from investors to transform the way consumers shop for their groceries. From this, the price comparison site mySupermarket.co.uk was born and the company has utilised data warehousing to give consumers access to cheaper grocery shopping. The venture has not been without its problems, however four years on the company has withstood Adam Smith’s ‘Invisible Hand’[1] and grown into a c. £10m company†¦Ã¢â‚¬  mySupermarket is a grocery shopping and comparison site that allows customers to compare and shop from four main UK supermarkets in one central place. Their mission statement is â€Å"to get the best possible price for your supermarket trolley while enjoying an easier and more consumer-friendly shopping experience†. Through the use of SQL and data warehousing, mySupermarket is able to collect product pricing, promotion and availability data directly from retailers’ websites. It then uses its proprietary technology to match identical Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) across retailers. After initial investment from Greylock Partners and Pitango Venture Capital (investors in Facebook & LinkedIn), mySupermarket have faced the same difficulties as other price comparison sites in generating a sustainable revenue stream after Stern declared that â€Å"the portal would remain free in principle for shoppers†. The customer proposition for mySupermarket is to first log into their account. Then choose which supermarket to shop at from; Asda, Ocado/Waitrose, Sainsbury or Tesco. Tick their preferred supermarket and choose a delivery time/date, then start to shop. mySupermarket is updated on a daily basis so that the prices shown are the most competitive. Once the customer has made their choice of store, they start to shop by using the tabbed choices along the top of the page. These are divided up into â€Å"virtual aisles† so making a choice from Fruit and Veg, Meat, Fish & Poultry, or Drinks etc. Once shopping has been completed, it then shows basket prices across the four supermarkets and allows the customer an opportunity to switch supermarkets. This report will critically discuss how data warehousing has enabled mySupermarket to build a successful business model including the benefits and problems that have arisen from the use of this technology. The report will finally analyse the extent to which data warehousing has contributed to mySupermarket’s success. Technologies Discussed According to Bill Inmon[2] (1993) data warehousing can be defined as, â€Å"a  subject-orientated, integrated, time variant and non-volatile, collection of data in support of the management decision making process†. It is, in essence, a large data storage facility which enables an enterprise to gain a competitive advantage through analytics and business intelligence. Providing integrated access to multiple, distributed, heterogeneous databases and other information sources has become one of the leading issues in database research and industry, IEEE Computer (1991) which can be seen through the success of First American Corporation (FAC), Cooper et al (2000) and Tesco/Dunnhumby, J. Perry (2009). Data mining is the process of ‘digging-out’ patterns from data, usually through Clustering, Classification, Regression and Association rule learning. Data mining technology can generate new business opportunities by providing: †¢ Automated prediction of trends and behaviours. †¢ Automated discovery of previously unknown or hidden patterns – D. Champion and C. Coombs (2010) This process is carried out by sophisticated software packages such as Oracle, IBM and SQL. This alleviates the (potentially) very time consuming task of manually inputting and analysing the data Within data warehousing, there is a high importance placed on the quality of data, as without it, meaningful analysis is impossible. Data collection should therefore be taken with a high level of detail, and have solid definitions, as to avoid subjectivity. The purpose of a data warehouse is to support creative strategic decision making through a greater granularity of information with a consistent view of what’s happening. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) emerged in the 1990’s at a time when customers were becoming better informed and less brand loyal. CRM is an integration of technologies and business processes used to satisfy the needs of a customer during any interaction, Bose (2002, p. 89) and is underpinned by data warehousing. As with VISION in the FAC case (2000), the subsequent  benefits of CRM, is that firms are able to exploit the ‘80:20 principle’ which states that some customers are more important/profitable than others. These information sources can only come through data warehousing and data mining. mySupermarket – The Beginning The inspiration for mySupermarket came from Stern’s bargain-obsessed elderly relative; who would scour the aisles of Tesco’s to find his favourite tin of baked beans, jot down the price and travel to competitor stores to try and find a better deal. Stern identified the growing interest in online grocery shopping and felt that it was an area that could be exploited (Fig. 1). Figure 1: Mintel Intelligence – Online Grocery Data Stern spent 18 months before the launch developing the software and tweaking the concept (Fig. 2). Figure 2: Adaption of Martin et al., 2005: 193 The data warehouse was developed through ‘crawling’[3] the four supermarket websites and adding product pricing, promotion and availability data to the warehouse. Once this data was implemented in the warehouse, proprietary technology and SQL software allowed mySupermarket to match identical SKU’s across retailers. This data was also used in developing its CRM strategy through the use of ‘cookies’[4] to store data in the customers computer using the functionality of their browser to find out whether the computer has visited the site before and what SKUs they purchased. â€Å"This enables us to operate an efficient service and to track the patterns of behaviour of visitors to the website.† – mysupermarket.co.uk. The feature enables mySupermarket to utilize this information by creating functions such as a ‘Regular Shop’ button, saving customers’ time on their shopping. mySupermarket – Problems Many problems can arise through the use of data warehousing, both technically and commercially. According to Mintel Intelligence (2009), â€Å"Consumer loyalty is fairly low in the [price comparison] market – with more than 14 million people (c.58% of market) having used three or more different price comparison sites†. Underlying these efforts was the recognition that, to succeed with this strategy, it must know its customers exceptionally well and leverage that knowledge in website design, service and interaction with their clients. mySupermarket would therefore have to find a strategy to retain a ‘loyal customer base’ in a notoriously disloyal sector. Kimball & Ross (2002) state that a common pitfall of data warehousing is to â€Å"presume that the business, its requirements, analytics, underlying data and supporting technology are static† – an early problem mySupermarket encountered was the variation in regional pricing and a growing demand for ‘real-time’ data. Another problem with data warehousing is ensuring the integrity of data, this is typically a human procedure and so subject to human error. Even the most sophisticated data mining systems cannot produce good analysis from poor data. A good illustration of this is from Blastard and Dilnot ‘The Tiger That Isn’t’ where a hospital survey found that an alarming amount of patients were being born on the 11th November 1911. Further investigation showed that nurses often would not fill in patient files properly and to save time, when asked to enter patient D.O.B. they would type 11/11/11 into the database. No matter how intelligent a computer system is, if you put ‘garbage-in’ you will get ‘garbage-out’. Beynon-Davies (2004) states that data warehousing projects are large scale development projects typically taking up to three years to complete. Some of the challenges of such problems may include; selecting, installing and integrating the different hardware and software and also, the diverse sources of data feeding a data warehouse introduces problems of design in terms of creating a homogenous data store. Finally, as with all comparison sites, the major obstacle facing  mySupermarket was generating a sustainable revenue stream from the database they had accumulated. mySupermarket.co.uk did not generate any revenue 5 months after the website went live. Originally, mySupermarket didn’t operate a ‘search advertisement’ scheme (a central platform for companies such as Google eg, BP paying for advertising of their oil spill cleanup when people typed in â€Å"BP Oil Spill† – G. Cheeseman, 2010) . There are also no revenue-sharing agreements in place with the four stores whose prices it monitors in effort to remain independent. This, in part, may stem from mySupermarket’s limited market, consisting of ‘a comparison of groceries’. mySupermarket recognised that they would have to expand their focus if they were to generate a large enough turnover to operate a successful business. mySupermarket – Technological Impact The first problem mySupermarket addressed was the industries poor ‘customer loyalty’. They decided to attack this through the implementation of a CRM strategy. After the initial launch, mySupermarket was receiving feedback from customers regarding such things as; healthy options, promotions on offer, printable shopping lists and regular shops. mySupermarket realised that the information stored in their data warehouse could be exploited to meet these demands and increase customer utility. Subsequently, a Health Checker feature was launched based on the Food Standard Authority’s approved ‘traffic light’ system. In November 2008, the mySupermarket ‘Quick Shop’ function was added, allowing users to type their shopping list on a virtual notepad and find their required items in one go. â€Å"As delivery slots started running out towards Christmas we also introduced a new ‘print your shopping list’ feature, which was popular,† said Stern. â€Å"A lot of our shoppers are using the website as a quick way to find the best deals and are then going to the supermarket to make their purchases†. Recent analysis of visits shows mysupermarket.co.uk has a loyal repeat following, with Stern claiming visitors are spending an average of 20 minutes on the site. â€Å"Until recently, there were few viable tools to provide real-time data warehousing nor an absolutely current picture of an organization’s business and customer† J. Vandermay (2001). To combat the problem of achieving  real-time and regional data, mySupermarket used Microsoft’s SQL software[5]. Most data integration solutions focus on moving data only between homogeneous systems and database software. However, SQL integration is capable of moving data among a wide range of databases and systems. It also offers transformational data integration tools to consolidate and synchronize heterogeneous data into a warehouse. This allows consumers to view whether a certain item is in stock in their local store, or view delivery slots for their specific region. This real-time data saves the mySupermarket team having to continually update the warehouse manually. Fortunately for mySupermarket, their website ‘crawling’ technique allows them to take the SKU data directly from the supermarkets themselves. Therefore data will only be wrong, if the supermarket has made the mistake (so would have to sell the item at that price) and so mySupermarket would not be liable. Although Stern took half the time recommended by Beynon-Davies, the warehouse has had to be continuously tweaked since its launch. After its launch mySupermarket noticed a data stream that wasn’t being filtered into the data warehouse – calories. After the realisation, mySupermarket were able to add a ‘calorie counter’ function on to the website. For any business to survive, it needs to generate a revenue stream to achieve a sustainable cash flow:mySupermarket were able to negotiate with supermarkets a commission of  £5 for every ‘first-time buyer’ that shops through their site and  £1 every time thereafter. Other sources of revenue came from the use of advertising, which could be split into two different segments on-site and search-related advertising. Marks & Spencer (Fig. 3) are one company that has chosen to advertise with mySupermarket.co.uk as the content is relevant and it is independent from the four supermarkets being compared. Advertisers will typically pay $1.00 – $1.50 per 1,000 run-of-site impressions for the advertising placement. However, advertisers may pay even more for targeted sidebar advertisements. Search advertisements are targeted to match key search terms entered on the search engine, these products (advertisements) will then appear first in the search. Danone (Fig. 3) has  pa id for advertisement when the search term ‘yoghurt’ is entered, and so their umbrella brands (eg, Activia) show at the top of the list, increasing its probability of being bought. Figure 3: mySupermarket.co.uk – advertising example Due to the amount of data mining available to mySupermarket, an opportunity was identified for expansion, called ‘mySupermarket insights’. It acts as real-time B2B data service for the ‘Fast Moving Consumer Goods’ (FMCG) sector. As mySupermarket has access to SKU by SKU trends, it is able to offer extremely high level, intelligent data. The services it offers include; New Product Development (NPD) alert reports, Online auditing reports, Price comparison reports, Product substitution report and Customer profiling reports (allowing for further use of CRM through ‘cluster analysis’[6]). This sort of information is of high value to companies and a subscription to the service can range from  £5,000 –  £20,000p.a. (current clients include Kellogg’s, Innocent Smoothies, Nielson and Ella’s Kitchen). Finally, mySupermarket is often contracted by media companies, such as ‘the Independent’ to analyse trends for news stories – J. Burchill (2010). I feel that information is now widely recognised as being one of the key corporate resources, needing to be carefully managed so that it can be effectively utilised in the decision-making process. Timely, accurate and relevant information can only be generated, however, if corporate data is stored in a secure, accessible and flexible manner. The following table provides a summary of the impact that data warehousing technology had for mySupermarket: Figure 6: Technological Impact Summary mySupermarket – Conclusion To conclude, data warehousing has enabled mySupermarket to overcome issues  such as customer retention, real-time data and generating revenue. It really does appear that â€Å"information is key†, whereby data is the prerequisite for information. J. Poole et al. (2003) state ‘†¦ the underlying economic justification is ultimately based on the value a given technology provides to the customers of the computing systems and software products’ and so the determinate of mySupermarket’s success is essentially based on ‘whether people use the technology’ and ‘the value of the company’. Based on an monthly unique user level of 1 million, and 500k registered users turning over c. £10m, we can assume that at this point in time mySupermarket is justified economically. On the other hand, you could argue that mySupermarket is a ‘recession business’ and not a sustainable enterprise. In which case, the rapid growth in recent years could be due to the economic climate and not because there is a long term demand. Looking towards the future, â€Å"Our investors have international ambitions,† Stern said. â€Å"They see the potential of transporting the model to different markets.† mySupermarket are looking to expand the company’s development team to support its entry into Europe and the US. mySupermarket are currently looking for another round of funding to bridge G. Murray’s (1994) second equity gap. Technology firms often require ‘follow on development funding’, as cash is heavily plowed into ‘Prototype testing’ and ‘Research & Development’. In terms of an exit, mySupermarket would be very attractive to major FMCG companies such as P&G, Unilever and Kraft’s venture arms. I believe that mySupermarket will achieve their second round funding as they are now profitable and have a proven concept that has high growth prospects for the future. Over the past few years there has been a huge growth in the use of ‘numbers’ and ‘analytics’. Businesses are recognising that it is not enough to work harder than the competition; they also have to work smarter. Davenport (2006) argues that it is â€Å"virtually impossible to differentiate yourself from competitors based on products alone† and so to pull ahead of the pack, businesses need to compete on analytics. In which case, ‘mySupermarket insights’ is poised in a perfect position to capitalize on this new thirst for ‘business intelligence’, whereby companies feel that  they will have to subscribe to the service to compete on an even playing field. However, it is not enough to just store data, it has to be managed, analyzed, implemented and utilised to convert raw data into real information. mySupermarket realised the benefits of data warehousing and were able to exploit this, expanding from a mere ‘price-comparison site’ to a ‘business intelligence provider’ to major FMCG companies. I believe that with the current shift towards analytics and business intelligence, mySupermarket has the potential to be a major force in the FMCG sector whilst offering a greater transparency for customers, all of which stems from good management and data warehousing. References: Beyon-Davies, P (2004) – Database Systems, 3rd edition, Palgrave, Basingstoke, pp. 527-538 and 547-553 Bose, R (2002) – Customer Relationship Management: Key concepts for IT success, Vol. 102, No. 2, pp. 89-97 Blastland, M & Dilnot, A (2007) – The Tiger That Isn’t: Seeing a World Through Numbers Burchill, J (Aug 2010) – The Independent: So the Prince of Green Hypocrites is going on tour. Thank God I’ll be abroad Cooper et al. (2000) – Data Warehousing Supports Corporate Strategy at First American Corporation Vol. 24, No. 4 Champion, D & Coombs, C (2010) – Handout: BSC070 Enterprise Information Systems Cheeseman, G (June 2010) – Triple Pundit: Is It Ethical For BP To Buy Oil-Spill-Related Google Search Terms? Davenport, T. H (2006) – Competing on Analytics IEEE Computer (Dec 1991) – Special Issue on Heterogeneous Distributed Database Systems, 24(12) Inmon, W.H. and Kelley, C (1993) – Developing the Data Warehouse. QED Publishing Group, Boston, Massachussetts Kimball, R & Ross, M (2002) – The Data Warehouse Toolkit: The Complete Guide to Dimensional Modeling, 2nd edition Martin et al., (2005): 193 – Managing Information Technology 5th Edition, Pearson Education Inc, pp. 192-195 Mintel Intelligence (Oct 2009) – Web Aggregators, UK Murray, G (1994) – The Second ‘Equity Gap’: Exit Problems for Seed and Early Stage Venture Capitalists Perry, J (Nov 2009) – Dunnhumby: A lifetime of loyalty? RetailWeek Poole, J et al. (2003) – Common Warehouse Metamodel: Introduction to the standard for data warehouse integration Smith, A (1959) – ‘The Theory of Moral Sentiments’ Vandermay, J (2001) – Considerations for Building a Real-time Data Warehousea