The Impact of Mobile Phones and Tablets on Modern Business Coursework

The Impact of Mobile Phones and Tablets on Modern Business - Coursework Example This research will shed light on the potential and role of smartphones and tablets in increasing efficiency and effectiveness in organizations and to evaluate the attitudes of organizations towards the use of tablet and mobile phones in their operations and determine whether these attitudes and discernments differ among companies. Data will be gathered through questionnaires among 20 respondents. The data will be analyzed qualitatively. Over the past few years, technology has tremendously changed to include advanced gadgets such as mobile phones and tablets. These gadgets have been used for numerous purposes including entertaining and connecting friends and family. Tablets and phones have been fitted with numerous applications with different uses. The use and demand for smartphones and tablets have grown tremendously. The increment of tablets and smartphones across the world has created a complex environment and an opportunity for organizations. Tablets and smartphones have gained popularity over the past few years because of their comfort of interaction with the user and their entertainment uses. Numerous studies have suggested that tablets and smartphones have been primarily used for playing video games, watching videos and movies and reading books. However, tablets and smartphones are not entirely used for entertainment purposes. Since the functionality of smartphones and tablets is comparable to that of desktops and laptops, they have more undiscovered uses that can be beneficial not only to people but also to organizations. Presently, most organizations across the world have adopted the use of mobile phones and tablets to aid in their operations. Many of these organizations have employed smartphones and tablets to aid their business operations hoping to attain benefits from such usage. However, few of  these organizations understand the role and potential of mobile phones and tablets in business.  

Blue Shield 65 Plus Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Blue Shield 65 Plus - Assignment Example This study declares that similar to other Medicare companies, Blue Shield 65 Plus caters to people ages 65 and above who are considered as senior citizens, and people below 65 years old with specific disabilities. Moreover, the aim of the communication of Blue Shield 65 Plus is to give out information to the market. It aims to persuade the consumers, and prospective market to enroll in its Medicare plans. According to The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, in order to realize the purpose of a Medicare company’s communication, which includes Blue Shield 65 Plus, it must include in its advertisements the extra benefits and the savings the customers may get while enrolled in the plan. The approach of the ads must be simple and properly articulated for easy understanding. Also, the coverage of the plan on prescription drugs of the plan is also essential. Moreover, it is also advantageous that the advertisements include the customers’ freedom to choose and change his or her doctor and that there is no need to refer to a specialist. Lastly, the communication must include that Blue Shield 65 Plus is a brand that can be trusted in terms of the services that it provides. Moreover, it is important to bear in mind that the advertisement messages must be properly formulated for it to serve its optimum purpose. The message must be looked at in a manner of how it is conveyed, the structure, and its content. It is highly recommended that Blue Shield 65 Plus must continue advertising in television due to the fact that most of the seniors perceive television as their number one source of information.  

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of KFC

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of KFC 1. Introduction KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the worlds largest chains of fast food restaurants, serving more than 12 million customers daily in 109 countries and territories around the world. KFC is part of multi-brand operator Yum, which is the worlds largest restaurant company, owns more than 36,000 locations around the world. During a year around placement, my time at KFC was in a position of casher and then I got a promotion to a restaurant team leader, overseeing the daily shop operations as well as selling product. This placement offers me a great opportunity to observe the corporation and think about the CSR of KFC. A year placement has made me have a great view of KFC and also gives me an opportunity to analysis the corporate social responsibilities of KFC. This paper starts by briefly reviewing the literature on corporate social responsibility and then continues by providing some background on the fast food context. It is followed by the four kinds of social responsibilities constitute total CSR: economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic. Furthermore, this paper will introduce how KFC apply these four categories into practise. In the end of this report, it will state that the benefit of CSR and give the suggestion of how to improve the CSR to improve the whole brand of KFC. 2. The concept of CSR Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a welcomed business strategy, which is a commitment of a company to behave in an ethical and responsible manner, to minimise the negative impacts and maximise the positive impacts (Maignan, et. al, 2005) on both the business interests and stakeholders of company. In recent years, Zadek (2001) has noted that CSR is based on the concept of stakeholder democracy, which is stated that the business organisations are made up of a number of different stakeholders with a multiplicity of interests; all of the stakeholders have an influence over the companys interests. There are many definitions of CSR from different standpoints. In the last 30 years, CSR has been widely discussed. While Keith Davis in 1960 argued that CSR refers to businesses decisions and actions taken for reasons at least partially beyond the firms direct economic or technical interest, the other researches (Eells and Walton, 1961) thought that the CSR refers to the problem that arise when corporate enterprise casts its shadow on the social scene, and the ethical principles that ought to govern the relationship between the corporation and society. It is a trend that organizations pay more attention on every aspect of their performance than before; they are not only considering about the economic interest but also caring the social commentary and environmental protection. Also, in 2008, the economists report state that CSR is made up of three board layers, one on top of other, devoted respectively to CSR as traditional corporate philanthropyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. In the 21st centuryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Openness and transparency become the key slogan for organizations. More and more organizations recognize the important of social responsibility and they are trying to practice these concepts. The authors prefer the use of the term corporate social responsibility and present the following definition. Corporate social responsibility is a committal that made by the company to contribute to the society through the business practices and combining the corporate resources, that may includes improving the quality of life of humans and focusing on the environmental issues (Philip, K and Nancy, L, 2005). The CSR also includes the two kinds, one is instrumental CSR, which is pursued for business profitability, the other is intrinsic CSR, which is ignored the business profitability. These two clues are very important to the stakeholders. 3. Corporate social responsibility of KFC Carroll (1991) indicates that corporation should develop on both side: the economic side and social side. The he definite the CSR into four parts, therefore, the corporation should not only have the economic and legal obligations, but also they have the responsibility on the ethical and philanthropic sides. The main point for this concept is the company has to take all the four parts responsibilities to the society, not only economic responsibility which is the most fundamental responsibility. As mentioned, the four major responsibilities include economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic components (Carroll, 1991). As it can be seen, table 1 summarizes some important statements of these four major responsibilities. And a detailed description of each social responsibility follows. Table 1 Economic, legal, ethics and philanthropic components of CSR Economic components(responsibilities) Legal components (responsibilities) 1. It is important to perform in a manner consistent with maximizing earnings per share. 1. It is important to perform in a manner consistent with expectations of government and law. 2. It is important to be committed to being as profitable as possible. 2. It is important to comply with various federal, state, and local regulations. 3. It is important to maintain a strong competitive position. 3. It is important to be law-abiding corporate citizen. 4. It is important to maintain a high level of operating efficiency. 4. It is important that a successful firm be defined as one that fulfills its legal obligations. 5. It is important that a successful firm be defined as one that is consistently profitable. 5. It is important to provide goods and services that at least meet minimal legal requirements. Ethical components( responsibilities) Philanthropic components ( responsibilities) 1. It is important to perform in a manner consistent with expectations of societal mores and ethical norms. 1. It is important to perform in a manner consistent with the philanthropic and charitable expectations of society. 2. It is important to recognize and respect new or evolving ethical moral norms adopted by society. 2. It is important to assist the fine and performing arts. 3. It is important to prevent ethical norms being compromised in order to achieve corporate goals. 3. It is important that managers and employees participate in voluntary and charitable activities within their local communities. 4. It is important that good corporate citizenship be defined as dong what is expected morally or ethically. 4. It is important to provide assistance to private and public educational institutions. 5. It is important to recognize that corporate integrity and ethical behavior go beyond mere compliance with laws and regulations. 5. It is important to assist voluntarily those projects that enhance a communitys quality of life. (Source: Carroll, A.,2007. The Pyramid of corporate social responsibility) These responsibilities must be performed in order to benefit not only the company operators but also their stakeholders, including the local communities and the general public (Maignan et al.2005; MoIR,2001). As noted by Carroll (1979), the corporate social responsibilities push the companies should run the business in a way that enhances the well-being of their customers as well as the society. 3.1. Economic responsibility 3.1.1 The definition of economic responsibility Historically, the company was created as economic entities designed to provide goods and services that customers needed. The primary incentive for the corporation is to maximum profit for the shareholder. Therefore, the principle role for the corporation was to produce goods and services that customers needed and wanted and to make a proper profit during the business. It is the basic goal for the business organization. Without this economic responsibility, all other social responsibilities are become moot considerations (Carroll, 1991). Therefore, KFCs economic responsibility will be fully present in their annual report and finance report of 2009. 3.1.2 International market of KFC According to the 2009 annual report of Yum!, the parent company of KFC, which is stated that in last five years, their investments in high potential markets which included France, Russian, India, Brazil, South Africa and Vietnam are paying off(Yum! Annual report, 2009). Definitely, they are expanded the international market to satisfy more multinational customers needs while earning more profit as possible as they could. From a financial standpoint, Yum! had run a multi-year program to reduce their company ownership to around 5% at KFC, down from 18% at when they started at the end of 2007. This will have more significant and more predictable stream of franchise revenue. And also the company reducing the general and administrative expenses from company operations, they expect to generate at least as much profit with no capital expenditures by putting these restaurants in the hands of good franchise operators. 3.1.3 The financial performance of KFC Also, in their 2009 financial report, KFCs international sales revenue increased from $7394 in 2007 to $8230 in 2009, three years growth is 3 %( Yum financial data, 2010). Overall, KFC are satisfied with the economic responsibilities by increasing the profit in three years. However, there also have some problems of that. Due to my observation, KFC have increased its sales price, for example, in UK, the selling price of each meal are increased by 30p to 40p. There is no doubt that this price policy will increase the total profit as well. Even though KFC claimed that they will offer customers better service, it cannot depend on the increase the selling price to increase the profit. 3.2 Legal responsibilities 3.2.1 The definition of legal responsibilities Companies run the business according to the profit motive, at the same time, business also have to followed the laws and regulations promulgated by local governments. Corporations are expected to pursue their economic missions within the framework of the law (Carroll, 1991). Legal responsibilities reflect a view of codified ethics, which are enacted by local courts, such as working hours, wage and salary, equal opportunity, food safety etc. KFC have to follow the standards and legal requirements. 3.2.2 Employment practice According to the employment standards that KFC published on the website, employment practice include working hours conditions, non-discrimination, child labour, forced and indentured labour and notification to employees. The details can be seen in Appendix 1. During my placement, I found that our branch are basically applied the employment practice, however, it also need to focus on details. For example, since the KFCs employees are nearly all decided by the manager of each branch and each manager are from different country, they like to hire the employee from their own country. This may cause the indirect discrimination. Moreover, workers in the KFC are paid low wages. In UK, the employees wage rate just meets the lowest requirement of UK. KFC do not pay overtime rates even when employees work very long hours. Pressure to keep profits high and wage costs low results in understaffing, so staff have to work harder and faster. Not surprisingly staff turnover at KFC is high, making it virtually impossible to unionize and fight for a better deal (Royle, 2005). 3.2.3 Hygiene requirement As a fast food restaurant, KFC, need to pay more attention on the hygiene condition. It is not only to meet the legal hygiene requirement, but also to improve the corporate image. However, in 2009, one of the KFC outlet, which is in Leicester Square, London, was charged with 13 food hygiene charges by officials from Westminster Council, which is claiming a mouse was seen running across the floor and flies buzzed around their hands at the premises (caterersearch.com, 2009). Therefore, the manager of KFC should learn the lesson from the cases and KFC need more transparency on the food quality. According to my observation, actually, KFC management do care the hygiene requirement, but they cannot manage it in detail. Some employees ignore the hygiene requirement, this is the problem. 3.2.4 Animal welfare program KFC responded that by saying the chickens used in its products are brought from the suppliers like Perdue Farms, Tyson Foods, and Pilgrims Pride, and that these suppliers are routinely monitored for animal welfare violations. Headquarters of KFC also claimed that they are working at the animal conservation in order to build good brand image. In fact, KFC as the buyer of food products has responsibility to make sure animals have well treatment before they buy them. KFC pay more attention on the animal welfare than before, for instance, they use efficient system to ensure our suppliers are treating the animals humanely which supply to us. It is a necessary deal between KFC and suppliers that they have to agree with the commitment of animal welfare (kfc.com, 2010). However, since 2003, animal rights and welfare organizations, led by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), have been protesting KFCs treatment of the animals used for its product. This organisation claims that the recommendations of the KFC Animal Welfare Advisory Council have been ignored. And several PETA do the investigations and videos of these and other KFC suppliers purporting to show chicken being beaten, ripped apart and thrown against walls contradict KFCs claims. PETA has criticized some of the practices of chicken breeders, such as beak trimming and overcrowding, but the headquarters of KFC says its suppliers meets UK legal requirement. Due to the situation, the KFC animal Welfare Advisory Council is composed of  industrial experts, which offers the organization information and suggestion according to scientific data and study. Meanwhile, this council plays an important role in motivating the animal welfare plan (kfc.com, 2010). Under the councils proposal, KFC develops guidelines and audit plans for suppliers. In the meantime, according to the advice of National Council of Chain Restaurants and the Food Marketing Institute, KFC pays attention to the guiding principles for animals (kfc.com, 2010). 3.3. Ethics responsibilities 3.3.1 The definition of ethics responsibilities The economic and legal responsibilities have the ethical norms about fairness and justice, ethical responsibilities embrace those activities and practices that are expected or prohibited by the societal members even though they are not codified into law. Ethical responsibilities reflect those standards, norms, or expectations that reflect a concern for what customers, employees, shareholders, and the community regard as fair, keeping with the respect or protection of stakeholders moral rights. (Carroll, 2007) In one way, the current ethics and value may becoming the driving force to precede the establishment of law or regulations. For instance, the environmental, human rights and customer movements reflected basic alterations in societal values and therefore may be seen in the later legislations (Carroll, 2007). 3.3.2Food quality and customer service The product attributes of fast food could be broken up into several categories, such as nutritional, sensory and hygienic quality. Although these aspects could not be verified by foods actual consumption, it is very necessary for organizations to pay more attention on food production and processing (Baltas, 2001; Bredahl et al., 1998). In terms of environmental protection, the ethical production of human and animal welfare are key problems (Harper and Makatouni, 2002; Wier and Calverley, 2002; Grankvist et al., 2004). Holbrooks (1999) typology could be used as a tool which can measure generic costumer value. For instance, it could measure functional costumers value and ethics. A major driver of ethical trading practices within the retail marketplace is the growing phenomenon of ethical consumerism (Brinkman and Brinkman, 2002; Hosmer, 2002), equating to a UK market value of  £6.8 billion in 2001 (Co-operative Bank, 2003; cited Morven, G. and Monika.J.A. 2005). Organizations ethical behaviors could influence production distribution and customer satisfaction (Mohr et al., 2001; Morven, G. and Monika.J.A. 2005). Organizations always use branding as an effective tool to increase their reputation, add supplying meaning of consumer goods (De Chernatony, 2001, McCracken, 1993). Positive and negative perspectives have influences on brand value. As a social responsible organization, branding could affect the investment on production quality management and reduce customer disappointment. According to Bacon (2004), organizations have to pay more attention on product value and market behavior, because the customer trust not only the information provided by organizations but also the good performances of them. In the Yum! Annual report of 2009, it stated that KFC is going to improve the operations particularly around product availability and speed of service. KFC have actively raised their game by more aggressively pushing for higher standards by investing in more franchise field support, increasing operational audits and racking and stacking operating performance of both company and franchise stores. During the placement year, I found the KFC is better prepared to offer the consumer more choice, better value and better service, but KFC still have more to do. The goal of KFC is to stay focused on building the business back the right way and expect steady progress. 3.3.3Environment concerns KFC also should take environmental protection as important as food quality and customer service. In their annual report, the company claimed that we try our best to reduce environmental pollution and we will pay more attention on it in the future. It is very important for us to keep our customers protecting the environment. According to the facts which we are doing, people could understand and support environmental friendly. KFC commit that all paper packaging bags are 100% recycled content, all napkins and serviettes (does not include pre-packaged napkins) are 100% recycled content, and 30% of KFC bucket lid is made by recycled content. Also, more than 90% of KFC paperboard packaging would be certified by Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) in May of 2010(kfc.com, 2010). And also, for all KFC restaurants use more efficient lighting system, which reduce the Carbon emission obviously, and use Energy Star appliances, for instance, the highest energy efficient oven be used generally in these restaurants. KFC also use high-performance air conditioners. Additionally, these restaurants all install programmable thermostats which could reduce the Carbon emission. Moreover, KFCs first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) restaurant was opened by KFC-Taco Bell in Northampton and achieved one of LEEDs highest certifications. More and more franchisees are trying their best to use energy efficient lighting and programmable thermostats (kfc.com, 2010). However, it is very difficult for companies like KFC to recycle waste at the moment. Hence, many recycling contractors refuse to take waste which did not remove food completely, Steve Easterbrook point out, chief executive of waste contractor Veolia Environmental Services (Paton, 2007). Therefore, there are many fast food company have to send the waste to landfill. It is an alternative method of disposal for the environment and local community. From a business point of view, not only benefit for company that saving money, but also benefit for company that being a good citizen. Clearly, it is a great help with morale. In KFC, it would take some staff doing the waste recycling activities, like waste sorting, which helped them feel more involved in the decision-making. 3.4 Philanthropic responsibilities 3.4.1 The definition of philanthropic responsibilities Philanthropic responsibilities reflect those corporate actions that are in response to societys expectation that businesses be corporate citizens. This includes actively engaging in acts or programs to promote human welfare and goodwill. For example, the corporation is giving the financial resources and executive time to the arts, education, or the community (Carroll,1991). 3.4.2 The community KFC takes the issues of litter very seriously. KFC is committed to tackling the litter challenge through a number of initiatives such as litter patrols, packaging reductions, and bins. During my placement, our restaurant sent out patrols every say to pick up litter and empty bins, these patrols go out four times a day in the summer months and three times a day in the winter months., and to make sure the area surrounding the restaurant are as clean as possible. Moreover, KFC are aimed to reduce litter by reducing packaging volumes. According to the KFC website (2010), they cut packaging by 1,400 tonnes, the equivalent of approximately 127 double -ducker buses. This included switching the Fillet and Zinger burgers from cardboard clamshells to paper wrappers. In 2010, KFC are aimed to reduce the packaging in the boxed meals. 3.4.3 World Hunger Relief To celebrate World Hunger Relief week 2010, KFC and its parent company YUM! will co-operate again. As a hunger is a big issue problem of all over the world, make an effort to raise awareness of this, the Yum!s partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme have set up aim will mobilise staff, franchisees and customers to help with it. Many employees from more than 720 KFC restaurants in the UK will be arranging a number of fundraising activities in store, from sponsored silences to KFC car washes. In UK, every branch of KFC have the donate box which out in front of the cashiers, customers can donate their extra change to that box. KFC UK raised more than  £365,000 which helped fund a school food project in Africa last year. Yum!s global efforts spurred unparalleled global awareness, including four million volunteer hours and $20 million in overall donations. This year, KFC hope with customers help they will beat the target (kfc.com, 2010). In summary, the total corporate social responsibility of business entails the simultaneous fulfilment of the firms economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities. Negative: Employee hire standards and overtime rates; animal welfare programme Table 2 the positive and negative point of each responsibilities of KFC As it can be seen in table 2, even though KFC has done lots of things on CSR, there are still have more to do. Overall, according to my observation, should do more things on these four responsibilities. On economic part, even though KFC has increased its profit, at same time, they also increase the selling price on each meal; it seems that giving this economic responsibility to the customer and not in themselves. On legal responsibility side, KFC are claimed they are strictly following the supplier code, however, they still have to improve their standard which not just basically satisfy the supplier code. KFC should improve the employee hire standards and overtime rates, moreover, invest more resources on the animal welfare programme. Eventually, they should care about the food quality, not only to product more healthy food; it also has to do more contribution in the future. 4. Benefits that corporate social responsibility can bring As Kotler and Lee (2005) have already clearly indicated that corporations which participation in corporate social initiatives could get many potential benefits. It can be see in the Appendix 2, the benefits of CSR can give a good impression to potential customers, investors, financial analysts, business colleagues; also, companies will have a great image in annual report, in the media, even in the courtroom. It is also state that the CSR is good for the employees, current customers, stockholders, and board members. Kotler and Lee (2005) also conclude that companies have experienced a range of bottom-line benefits, they have summarized six points, and each point will be explained as follows. Increased sales and market value Drumwright (1994) already mentioned that CSR will have a great effect on the customer purchase behaviour. A survey which made by Klein (1990), have stated that 75% of customers have said their purchasing decisions are influenced by a companys reputation with respect to the environment, and eight in ten have said they would pay more for products that are environmentally friendly.Therefore, it is obviously that more social responsibility that corporations taken, more sales of the product. Strengthened brand positioning Pringle and Marjorie (2001) make a statement that a company or brands contribution which links to a relevant charity or cause can make to the spirit of the brand. In their book Brand Spirit, they concluded that customers are going beyond the practical issues of functional product performance or rational product benefits and future than the emotional and psychological aspects of brand personality and image. As mentioned above in each responsibility of KFC, the spirit that participation in corporate social initiatives has given to the KFC, the brand itself. Enhanced corporate image and clout The company will gain a good image and clout from the CSR, for example, the positive press from reports, and also with a strong reputation in the community can be a real asset in times of crisis. Companies that demonstrate they are engaging in practices that satisfy and go beyond regulatory compliance requirements are being given less scrutiny and more free rein by both national and local government entities (Kotler and Lee, 2005). Increased ability to attract, motivate, and retain employees The studies that made by Cone and Roper (2000) indicate that a company that contribute to the society can have a positive influence on their current employees, as well as citizens and executives. According to their survey in 2001, there are 38% of employees who in the CSR programme are proud of their companys value which is much better than the employees who are not involved in the CSR program. Decreased operating costs Most of the companies want to decrease operating costs and increased the revenue from several corporate social initiatives. The obvious thing for the companies to do is to adopt environmental initiatives to reduce waste, reuse materials, recycle, and conserve water and electricity (Kotler and Lee, 2005). And as mentioned above, all KFC restaurants use more efficient lighting system which not only reducing the Carbon emission, but also reducing the operating costs. Increased appeal to investors and financial analysts. There also have some argue that involvement in corporate social initiatives can increase the stock value. The company who involved in corporate social initiatives could have the ability to attract new investors and reduce exposure to risk in the event of corporate or management crises (Kotler and Lee, 2005). 5. The Recommendation for KFC Kotler and Lee (2005) has mentioned six major initiatives of the corporate social responsibilities, which will be cause promotions, cause-related marketing, corporate social marketing, corporate philanthropy community volunteering and socially responsible business practices. For KFC, they have done many of them. As it can be seen in table 3, it is a list of each initiative of KFC. Table 3 KFCs Corporate Social Initiatives Description Example Cause Promotions Supporting social causes through promotional sponsorships Yum! Sponsored the USA National Pavilion at 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Cause-Related Marketing Making a contribution or donating a percentage of revenues to a specific cause based on product sales or usage Animal Welfare Program Corporate Social Marketing Supporting behaviour change campaigns Food Quality Corporate Philanthropy Making direct contributions to a charity or cause World Hunger Relief Community Volunteering Providing volunteer services in the community KFC is committed to tackling the little challenge Socially Responsible Business Practices Adopting and conducting discretionary business practices and investments that support social causes Recycled Materials and efficient lighting system. (Source: Kotler, P Lee N. (2005). Corporate social responsibility: doing the most good for your company and your course.1st ed. John Wiley Sons, Inc: Hoboken, New Jersey. ) Even though it is seems that KFC have done most of the activities of CSR, it is also has some shortage. The most oblivious one is in the cause promotions part. Cause promotion is a corporation provides funds, in-kind contributions, or other corporate resources to increase awareness and concern about a social cause or to support fundraising, participation, or volunteer recruitment for a cause (Kotler LEE,2005). However, most activities in society are sponsored by KFCs parent company YUM!, not KFC itself. The biggest shortage of that is if the customers do not know KFC is belong to the YUM!, then the awareness of KFC do not exist. KFC should do more promotions and sponsored the event itself, not just relay on the YUM!. And this problem is happened on the corporate philanthropy part. 6. Conclusion Even though different authors have indicated different kinds of definition and elements about corporate social responsibility, eventually, the main part of CSR does not change. The public will also keep eyes on the environmental, social issues and ethical issues, especially for a company with an outstanding reputation. During the course of this paper the reader will come across several findings of the corporate social responsibility pose to the Kentucky Fried Chicken. KFC has held a successful presence in UK retail industry for many years, with high levels of brand image. Kentucky Fried Chicken takes responsibility that protecting environment and involving social measures instead of waiting the government imposes particular laws. KFC should realize the important of corporate social responsibility and choose the appropriate way to carry out those measures. My placement at KFC has been a valuable experience, being able to observe how to run a restaurant in regard to its social responsibility. Clearly, it is useful for my future career and reward for my whole life. Not only broad my horizon but also enrich my life. 7. Appendix 7.1 Appendix 1 Employment Practices: Working Hours Conditions: according to the relevant laws, code and regulations, suppliers should make sure their employees safety and healthy working conditions in everyday and every week; meanwhile, they could not ask employees for overtime work. Non-Discrimination: suppliers should follow the local laws which illuminate the organizations should not take color, religion, sex, age, physical and national origin as the reasons why they employ workers. Child Labor: suppliers should not hire the employees under the legal age. For instance, YUM! dose not hire the employees who under 14 years of age. Forced and Indentured Labor: According to the existing law status, any Suppliers should not use workers in servitude for working or producing goods for Yum. Also, the labor should be physically and legally free from any physical, psychological, confinement, or sexual harassment under the Suppliers control. Notification to Employees:

The Aztecs :: essays research papers

The Aztecs The Aztec people ruled from the Gulf of Mexico to present day Guatemala. There capital city was Tenochititlan. The greatest controlling force was religion. It was shown in their architecture and sculpture.   They also had writing, numbers and a calendar. They had recorded dates for religious holidays. The children were taught respect, courtesy, truthfulness and self control. Aztec boys learned practical tasks from their fathers at home. Then when they reached 15 they went to a youth house. There elders taught the boys religion, citizenship, history, traditions and art. They also learned war. Girls could also learn to be priestesses in temple schools. The Aztecs were divided into tribes   that were dived into clans. Each clan had its own officials that represented them at tribal meetings. The land was dived up by the tribes. They controlled the land but the peasants farmed it having to give some of it to the chiefs and priests. The Aztecs worshipped a host of gods that represented nature. To win the gods aid they performed rituals and offered penance. Human sacrifice played an important role. Since life was a mans most valued possession it was the best thing to offer up to the gods. As the Aztec empire grew so did the human sacrifice. Sometimes the Aztecs performed cannibalism, believing they absorb the virtues of the slain. The sacrificed people were thought to be given a high place in heaven. The average Aztec was a farmer. He lived outside the city and grew crops for his tribe. Farming was the most important means of survival due to the warm, humid climate. They lived in small huts. The male was the head of the family. He would often arrange marriages for their children. The language they spoke was the Nahuan language that originated from the west coast of the united states. They wore elaborate colorful clothing made from animal skins that were traded from

I woke up with the worst headache ever – Creative Writing

I woke up with the worst headache ever. I could hardly move but I managed to sit up with difficulty. I was in forest. I looked around to see if I could recognise where I was, but I didn't. Then it hit me. Who I was and what I was doing there? How did I get there? Where am I from? What's my name? I didn't know. My heart was thumping and I started screaming but I realised no one could hear me. I saw that a few trees had been burnt, recently burnt. I touched something, something liquid but it was too thick to be water. I went closer to it wondering what it could be I discovered it was blood. There was blood around me but I wasn't bleeding. I didn't get it. As I was trying to get up my leg hit something too heavy to be pushed away. I was on my feet wondering what it was I'd hit. She had dark eyes, black hair, she was beautiful, stunning but had been stabbed in the stomach. It was her blood I had all over my hands, her blood that my clothes had been drenched in. I thought for a while. This couldn't have been what I thought it was. Was I that sort of a person? Well if I was, I knew I had changed. I bent down and closed her eyes but they re-opened and her hand moved. I was so happy, I might not have known her but I was still happy because death is a terrible thing. Then she grabbed my hand in a tight grip, tight enough to get me on my knees. Struggling she put he arms around my neck and whispered, â€Å"Help me please.† Then she fell into my arms. I started to panic. I had some keys in my pocket, and one of them looked like car keys. I kind of guessed I owned a car. I picked her up and started walking. I had no idea where I was going and after twenty minutes I realised I was lost. But I didn't lose hope, I kept on going for I didn't care how tired I was. All that mattered to me was for this girl to stay alive and not to die. About ten minutes later I came to a car park. I was relieved. I took a look at the keys to see what car I had to look for. Within a minute I found the car I as looking for. A jaguar convertible and I was surprised, I expected a ford or a normal non-expensive car. I opened the passenger seat and put her in. I looked at her closely and muttered to myself, † I couldn't have stabbed her.† I sat in the drivers' seat and found a wallet. I opened it and there was a picture of a guy in it. Next to it there was the name Tyler Epps and the address 4208 Link, Connecticut Lane, Maryland, Silverspring. I looked in the mirror and realised that I was the guy in the picture and also had blood on my face. I didn't know whether to drive up or down? East or West? I decided to look for the main road and there might be signs that may help me. When I got to the main road, there were signs and I looked at them and tried to see if I recognised any of the places. I didn't but to my luck I saw † Newn Hospital 1 mile † I was so glad. When I got there a lady at the desk saw me and screamed, † Got a doctor urgently we have a stabbed patient.† I saw nurses rushing. They took her from me and put her on one of those wheely beds. I watched them vanish at the end of the corridor. A lady came to me to go and get my face cleaned up. There was a massive cut around my temple. A very deep one too, so I had been after all. It was really starting to hurt now. I was so shocked and scared before that I couldn't feel the pain. She asked me who she was, but I told her I had no idea. Then all of a sudden there was blankness. I woke up and to no surprise I found myself on a hospital bed. â€Å"Well good morning Mr. Epps,† a lady's voice said to me. I turned to my left and there was a nurse standing beside me. She was injecting me with something. â€Å"This will make you feel better,† she said as she was writing down something on a piece of paper. I didn't bother asking what it was as I could feel it working already. I didn't feel as weak anymore. â€Å"How long have I been here?† expecting her to say at least three hours. â€Å"Since November the 15th sir.† She paused looking too deep at whatever she was writing. † And today is the 17th of November sir.† She then walked out. I couldn't believe it, I had been unconscious for two days. I wondered what had happened to me to cause this. â€Å"Hey Tyler.† I looked up and it was her. The girl from the forest, she was alive. â€Å"The doctors said I'm going to be out of here soon,† she said with excitement. I was puzzled, she was very confident talking to me. Her face rapidly changed to normal. â€Å"Oh, I forgot,† She said sadly â€Å"Forgot what?† For I had no idea what she was going on about â€Å"Well the doctors told me you had lost your memory in the accident,† she said quietly. â€Å"What accident?† â€Å"I guess I will have to start from the beginning.† â€Å"We were going through the forest on our way to the lakeside, when this guy came to us and asked for the direction to the car park. Then all of a sudden he pulled a knife and stabbed me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She then took a heavy breath. â€Å"You turned and the knife but just as you were about to pull it out he hit you on the head with something, but I didn't quite see what it was.† She had a tear in her eye. â€Å"So, who are you?† She could be my cousin, my best friend, I had to know. â€Å"I'm Kyla, your girlfriend,† she smiled. â€Å"Girlfriend, whoa I can handle that.† I didn't know what else to say, I had a girlfriend and I didn't even remember her. Then again I could see why she's my girlfriend. No doubt she was a beautiful girl and she seemed like a nice person. The nurse came back, † Mr Epps, I've got good news. Your condition seems to have healed rapidly, therefore you can go home in two days, but we will have to run a few tests before that, just to be sure.† â€Å"That's good news, we get to go home together,† she said getting all excited again. â€Å"Home? Together?† I was still confused. † Yeah, we live together.† â€Å"We†¦live together?† â€Å"Tyler I'm your girlfriend you know and the least you can do is sound to surprised.† She was angry. â€Å"Well I am sorry, it's just that I don't even know myself and everything is moving too quick,† I said slowly and calmly. † I am sorry too, it's just that I'm not used to seeing you like this.† † Doesn't it feel good to be home?† â€Å"I don't remember home, but it sure does feel better thin that hospital.† My house as massive, so I kind of figured out that I was rich. I owned a jaguar and a massive house. Living with Kyla was great. She took me to see all my friends and family and helped me with all the things I needed to know and do. I proposed to her and she said yes. After about a year, I was gaining my life back, getting re-adapted to the worlds and living with Kyla. I realised that my life was worth living. I had a great family and a wonderful fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½e. I really did love her. How couldn't I? She was just perfect for me. She was beautiful, intelligent and never did anything wrong or anything to hurt me. She was the reason I lived. During that year Kyla let out the secret, our secret that nobody could know. We are different from everybody else. Kyla had the ability to control the mind and objects, which was weird but really cool. But as for me I just love fire I am a pyromaniac. It was real cool how I could make fire by looking at things. She told me what happened that night. The night in the forest, a night I could never forget. She has a brother named Camen. His power was to actually get into the anyone's body including animals. He didn't † Erm excuse me, I'm Aaron.† â€Å"And†¦Ã¢â‚¬  † I'm Kyla's brother†

Hamlet and His Characteristics Essay

The classic Tragic Hero â€Å"A hero is a man who does what he can. † Romain Rolland What is a tragic hero? Are tragic heroes considered to have better qualities, and yet suffer from the many shortcomings of life? I believe that a classic tragic hero is a person that has many excellent qualities for a hero, and yet dies due to the mistakes that he makes. As Romain said, â€Å"A hero is a man who does what he can† and Hamlet is a perfect example on how he had to give up everything to commit to his revenge. This is why I believe Hamlet is the perfect classic tragic hero, because although he did not do anything that was wrong, he still suffered and died because of his characteristics. This is why I believe that the seven soliloquies of Hamlet, show the progression of his characteristics, and show the multiple qualities of a hero, thus making him a perfect example of a classic tragic hero. The first soliloquy in Hamlet (Act I, Scene II), talks about the suffering that Hamlet is going through as he realizes that his father is dead and his mother has married his uncle. But two months dead! — nay, not so much, not two: So excellent a king; that was, to this, Hyperion to a satyr;† (I. II. 137-140) Hamlet doesn’t get why his mother married so fast and gets extremely mad about that. He wonders if she even loved his father and this causes his to think about suicide, but back in the Elizabethan era, suicide was looked down upon, which is seen in Act I, Scene II, Line 132-133. â€Å"†¦His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God! How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world! † This is the only reason why Hamlet can’t kill himself. Hamlet felt that he was the only one that thought that this marriage was an unnatural and starts to dislikes Claudius. Back in the day, women were not allowed to marry after their husbands died, so when Gertrude marries Claudius, Hamlet feels that something weird was going on. â€Å"Would have mourn’d longer†¦dexterity to incestuous sheets! † (I. II. 151-157) I think that he felt that his mother only married Claudius so that she wasn’t alone at nights and so that she could still remain queen over Denmark. He also doesn’t think Claudius can compare to his dad and a beginning of hatred and disgust rises within Hamlet for both Gertrude and Claudius. The first soliloquy also shows the multiple good qualities that develop Hamlet as the play goes on. â€Å"It is not, nor it cannot come to good; But break my heart, — for I must hold my tongue! †(I. II. 158-159) This is the first main quality that Hamlet, he knows when to speak his mind and only talks about his true self with only people he trusts like Horatio, and yet that might be the reason he was able to kill Claudius in the end, it also the reason why Ophelia and Gertrude died too. Since Ophelia died because she felt that Hamlet didn’t love her the way she did to him. His mother thought that Hamlet was really mad, and tried to help him in many a way, one of them was to drink the cup that would promote Hamlets health but which was actually poisoned. This is how the first soliloquy helps in developing his characteristics while showing his true qualities. The second soliloquy(Act 1, Scene 5) in Hamlet which takes place in Act I, Scene V, which when the ghost of his father tells him that he was murdered, and how he was murdered and, who killed him. He doesn’t believe that his father was murdered by Claudius when he says, â€Å"O all you host of heaven! O earth! what else? And shall I couple hell? O, fie! — Hold, my heart ;†( I. V. 92-93) He never thought that Claudius would commit murder to get the throne of Denmark, and he understands why he and his mother married so fast. â€Å"O most pernicious woman! O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain! †(I. V. 105-106) This is the beginning of his hatred towards Claudius, and this is also where he swears to the ghost to kill Claudius. Hamlet also feels confused when this unnatural act of nature happens. He knows that there is a chance that this ghost is either his father or the devil trying to make Hamlet commit a sin. This â€Å"ghost† also sparks a need to connect once again with his father as he continually keeps saying â€Å"Remember thee? † This shows that Hamlet misses his dad a lot, and is willing to do anything to allow King Hamlet rest in peace. This soliloquy furthermore brings out qualities in Hamlet that we have never seen faithfulness and also being honour bound. The perfect in this soliloquy that shows this is, â€Å"So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word;  It is ‘Adieu, adieu! emember me. ‘  I have sworn’t. † (I. V. 111-112). Hamlet feels that unless he swears to the ghost, he won’t find the motivation to kill Claudius. This also shows that he was faithful to his father ghost, even though he knew there was a chance it was actually the devil trying to trick him into committing a sin. In the third Soliloquy (Act 2, Sc ene 2), is quite a long soliloquy as he realizes that both his mother and Claudius had sent his two best friends to spy on him, and betraying him. This is also the same soliloquy where he plans and prepares for Claudius’s downfall. This is where the story of Hamlet truly begins and the introduction to Hamlet’s inner feelings. This is the first time Hamlet actually tell the audience what he feels inside, and what he will plan to do in the future. This soliloquy also reveals his inner fear on whether the ghost was the devil, seen in line 585 to 590 in Act II, Scene II- â€Å"†¦ The spirit that I have seen May be the devil: and the devil hath power To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps Out of my weakness and my melancholy, — As he is very potent with such spirits, — Abuses me to damn me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hamlet starts to doubt if the ghost was even his father, and if this is the case he needs to get more proof that Claudius killed his father, and then realizes that the actors were his tools to catch Claudius. I think that Hamlet felt that if Claudius had a reaction to the play in a manner that was ‘weird’ it would he knew that the ghost had told the truth. This soliloquy furthermore shows how restless Hamlet is as he wants to complete his vow to the ghost and kill his uncle. This is seen, â€Å"Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words And fall a-cursing like a very drab† (II. II. 571-573). He is angry and impatient that something as easy as killing as a person is so tough. I think that Hamlet, at this point doesn’t want to use words, and instead thinks that actions is the only thing that will help get him to his goals. This is why he uses the actors to re-enact, â€Å"The murder of Gonzago† which was similar to how Claudius killed the King. The one main quality that I found in the soliloquy, and throughout the book, Hamlet, is the fact that he thinks logically and doesn’t try to rush into things too fast. An example in this soliloquy is, â€Å"†¦I’ll have grounds, more relative than this. the play’s the thing, Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king† (II. II. 590-592). He thinks that the devil might be trying to fool him and he needed more proof that his uncle murdered King Hamlet. The fourth soliloquy (Act 3, Scene 1) is the most acknowledged soliloquy to the world, â€Å"To be or not to beâ₠¬ . This is where Hamlet talks about life and death, and although we know Hamlet is thinking about death, he says, â€Å"But that the dread of something after death, The undiscover’d country from whose bourn, No traveler returns, puzzles the will† (III. I. 78-80). This means that he is worried on what happens after he dies, and the fact that â€Å"afterlife† hasn’t been proven, he is scared to kill himself. At this point he starts arguing with himself on what happens after death and talks about the multiple trouble and pains of life. Then he realizes that since there is no proof that life after death exists, he might as well continue with his revenge. I believe that this soliloquy is also hints about whether he should continue with his revenge or not. This â€Å"indecision† within Hamlet is what causes the most amount of problems in the book, Hamlet, and with Hamlet himself. This soliloquy doesn’t particularly show any qualities within Hamlet, but one quality that I saw really made me realize how great Hamlet was, was the fact that no matter how he felt, he didn’t give up or deter from his path of revenge, making him a extremely faithful son to the king. The fifth soliloquy (Act 3, Scene 3) is before the play has its climax, before Hamlet talks to his mother and unknowingly kills Polonius. Hamlet is extremely mad with his mother, and wants to hurt her emotionally. He still thinks that she married Claudius so that her nights wouldn’t be lonely. He was so angry with her that he could have killed her, but he instead says, â€Å"Let me be cruel, not unnatural† (III. III. 379), which meant that he would be rude to her but, not commit a sin by killing her. â€Å"I will speak daggers to her, but use none† (III. III. 380). This meant that he felt that he needed to speak severely for what she did, but not physically hurt her. This soliloquy shows one main characteristic of a hero within Hamlet, which was not to harm women. Hamlet ad every right to physically hurt Gertrude for how she disgraced her gender, but he refrained from raising his hands as he felt as though it would be â€Å"unnatural†. The fact that he didn’t lose control till now, over what Gertrude did, shows how noble he is and how he still follows the rules of his era, even though his mother didn’t. This is my most favorite quality of Hamlet, and b ecause of this, Gertrude drank to his health, which caused her death. The sixth soliloquy is Act III, Scene III, lines 73-96 where Hamlet has a chance to kill his uncle, Claudius. As Hamlet enters the room, he sees Claudius â€Å"praying† and runs forwards to take his revenge. Eager Hamlet has a perfect chance to kill Claudius but then realizes that he would just send Claudius to heaven. â€Å"A villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. O, this is hire and salary, not revenge. † (III. III. 76-79) This soliloquy shows the eager and crazy side of Hamlet. After quite some time of planning, Hamlet finally sees an easy and quite way to kill Claudius but then like all other soliloquies, he over thinks about what might happen if he kills Claudius and postpones Claudius’s death. He thinks that he needs to catch and kill Claudius while he is committing a sin so that it guarantees that Claudius will go to hell. This soliloquy also shows the multiple good qualities within Hamlet, mainly, the quality of forgiveness and calculating. This is seen when he says, â€Å"As hell, whereto it goes. My mother stays This physic but prolongs thy sickly days. † (III. III95-96). This shows the forgiving nature of Hamlet as Claudius pretends to pray. Hamlet had every right to kill Claudius for his sins. Yet to make sure that Claudius went to hell, he made sure he killed him while Claudius was committing a sin. This is how the sixth soliloquy shows the characteristics and the qualities within Hamlet. The final and the seventh soliloquy is personally my most favorite soliloquy (Act IV, Scene V). This is the scene is where Fortinbras is talking with Hamlet and how steadfast he is on getting â€Å"revenge† on Denmark. He is annoyed when he realizes it takes so long for him to complete a simple plan, and decides to finish his revenge. We also see that he is quite unsure on what might happen, but is still honour bound to his oath, when he says, â€Å"When honour’s at the stake. How stand I, then, That have a father killed, a mother stained†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (IV. V. 56-57) He feels that Claudius deserves to die, even if it meant his own death. When he says, â€Å"To hide the slain? O, from this time forth, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! †(IV. V. 65-66). We see that he is preparing himself for what is about to come and know that he might lose his life too. The main quality of a hero that is seen in this soliloquy is courage and determination. Hamlet knows that he might die, and but he also knows that there is a chance that he will be able to kill Claudius. Hamlet feels that till now he was a coward and he needs to honour his father. He is so faithful to his father that he doesn’t care of the consequences that might occur. This is also the downfall of Hamlet’s as he does die in the end. The final soliloquy finalizes his inner feelings and commitments towards himself and his father and shows multiple qualities of a hero. This is why I believe that the seventh soliloquy is the strongest proof that Hamlet is indeed a tragic hero. Hamlet is quite the enigma as he keeps changing his mind about his commitments, but as the story continues we see that no matter what he faces, he continues to accomplish his duty to his father’s ghost. He is strong, philosophical, courageous, faithful, and quite the over-thinker, but overall has the perfect qualities to be called a tragic hero. In conclusion, I believe that the seven soliloquies of Hamlet, show the progression of his characteristics, and show the multiple qualities of a hero, thus making him a perfect example of a classic tragic hero. Works Cited BrainyQuote. Xplore, n. d. Web. 03 Nov. 2012. <http://www. brainyquote. com/quotes/authors/r/romain_rolland. html>. â€Å"Hamlet’s Fifth Soliloquy – Original Text and Summary. † HubPages. N. p. , n. d. Web. 03 Nov. 2012. <http://hunbbel-meer. hubpages. com/hub/Hamlets-Fifth-Soliloquy-Original-Text-and-Summary>. â€Å"Hamlet’s First Soliloquy (Act 1, Scene 2) – Original Text & Summary. † HubPages. N. p. , n. d. Web. 03 Nov.

Employee Turnover Essays

Employee Turnover Essays Employee Turnover Essay Employee Turnover Essay Nowadays, employee turnover is a concern for managers as it is costly and can affect the production schedules (Taplin Winterton, 2007). According to Afzaal and Taha (2013), the reason for people leaving the industry may be Job dissatisfaction, minimal degree of Job security, or other working conditions. The failure in success on employee Job satisfaction may be caused by many personal factors, such as attitudes, education levels, social network, parental support, and so on. Thus, it is the time headed for Emotional Intelligence (E). According to Dinnell (2007), there is no previous generation began their working lives moving between Jobs as frequently as Generation Y. This can be clearly seen in the current labour market. For example, if the work is not living up to Gen Ys expectations, they have the immediate intention to move to greater opportunities. However, Sunil et al. (2012) stated that turnover rate of employees in hotel industry is very high due to long working hours and low pay scale. Despite of this fact, people would prefer to work in other service sectors such as anks, Airlines and so on as there will be superior remuneration provided in comparison to hotels (Sunil et al. , 2012). Thus, the hotel industries are currently facing difficulties in retaining Gen Y employees as they are unable to identify the factors which contribute to employee satisfaction and the resultant loyalty (Rahman et al. , n. d. ). As an example, the turnover culture recognised in the I-JK and Australian hospitality industry by Deery (2002) as cited in Solnet and Hood (2008) found some rates as high as 300% per annum.

Free Essays on Dante

By: John Kame Dante Alighieri was the first and best Italian poet and wrote mainly on love and religion. His Divine Comedy is considered the greatest book of the last millennium. George Steiner said, "Dante’s totality of poet form and philosophic thought, of local universality and language, remains unrivaled. At a time where the notion of culture and of European culture in particular, is somewhat in doubt, Dante is the sovereign underwriter. His are the solutions beyond logic† (Twito 5). On June 5, 1265 Dante was born Durante Alighieri, Dante was a nickname, in Florence, Italy. His family was of decayed nobility with some pretensions to power (Giles 1). He was taught the classics and scholastic Christian literature, and wrote much poetry when he was young, consisting mainly of love lyrics in the style of Guido Guinizelli and Guido Cavalcanti. This style that used poetical art not only to speak about love, but to celebrate it, he called Stilnovo which means â€Å"new style† (Gil es 2). He fell in love with a woman named Beatrice, who was also called Bice di Folco Portinarti by some, whom he met only twice in 1274 and 1283 at the age of nine and eighteen respectively. His love was a transformation of courtly love popularized by the Provencal literature of minstrels, troubadours, and the such. To Dante, Beatrice symbolized divine grace and supreme beauty. He wrote La Vita Nuova about her, and she was his guide through Purgatory in La Divina Commedia (Auerbach 1). Because Beatrice died in 1290, Dante married Gemma di Manetto Donati even though he didn’t completely love her. They had between three and seven children together (Giles 1). 2 Dante, who was in the Guelph party, was deeply involved in the issues and events of his day, which reflected in his writing. He was a member of the Florentine cavalry that routed the Ghibellines at Campaldio in 1289. In 1300 he became one of the six priors, or governors, of Florence (Mojana 56). At t... Free Essays on Dante Free Essays on Dante By: John Kame Dante Alighieri was the first and best Italian poet and wrote mainly on love and religion. His Divine Comedy is considered the greatest book of the last millennium. George Steiner said, "Dante’s totality of poet form and philosophic thought, of local universality and language, remains unrivaled. At a time where the notion of culture and of European culture in particular, is somewhat in doubt, Dante is the sovereign underwriter. His are the solutions beyond logic† (Twito 5). On June 5, 1265 Dante was born Durante Alighieri, Dante was a nickname, in Florence, Italy. His family was of decayed nobility with some pretensions to power (Giles 1). He was taught the classics and scholastic Christian literature, and wrote much poetry when he was young, consisting mainly of love lyrics in the style of Guido Guinizelli and Guido Cavalcanti. This style that used poetical art not only to speak about love, but to celebrate it, he called Stilnovo which means â€Å"new style† (Gil es 2). He fell in love with a woman named Beatrice, who was also called Bice di Folco Portinarti by some, whom he met only twice in 1274 and 1283 at the age of nine and eighteen respectively. His love was a transformation of courtly love popularized by the Provencal literature of minstrels, troubadours, and the such. To Dante, Beatrice symbolized divine grace and supreme beauty. He wrote La Vita Nuova about her, and she was his guide through Purgatory in La Divina Commedia (Auerbach 1). Because Beatrice died in 1290, Dante married Gemma di Manetto Donati even though he didn’t completely love her. They had between three and seven children together (Giles 1). 2 Dante, who was in the Guelph party, was deeply involved in the issues and events of his day, which reflected in his writing. He was a member of the Florentine cavalry that routed the Ghibellines at Campaldio in 1289. In 1300 he became one of the six priors, or governors, of Florence (Mojana 56). At t...

Barbara Tuchman

Barbara Tuchman 1912-1989 On the cold winter morning of January 30, 1912 the girl was born to Maurice and Alma Wertheim 's parents. Her name is Barbara. One day she will be called the story historian and writer Barbara Tuchman. Barbara was born in a pleasant home in New York State, New York. She has a middle class, her mother and her father come from outstanding families. Because her father has had great commercial success, they may also be wealthy. A magnificent panoramic view of the late medieval period, historic thriller leaves us the impression that he knows another world and lives there. Eric Jager says that human beings are not so much in the past few years I invented a type that reminds me that things have not changed, reality is more important than life and is more attractive than fiction. Because a lot of audiences are irritated by the excited suppression, 2 People's deadly enemies concentrate on each other and their breath is burning behind their sun visors Everybody asks for the death of their opponents The walls which were originally prisons are shackles One will be destroyed and the other will be wiped out under the name of justice.If her husband fighting without rule fails then the fate of the woman is waiting. Glandular plague is one of the most deadly disasters in the Middle Ages. Many historians document this, but few have attracted the attention of readers like Barbara Tuchman. Historian Barbara Tuchman combines animated lighting and in-depth investigation to create fun, fun, disgusting articles. Tuchman wrote an article on the bubonic plague in her article This is the black death of the world has ended. Her article contains a description of the plague and its associated filth. In addition to his own writing, Tuchman also uses contemporary Pest historian's work to accurately portray the characteristics of the horror of that era. She also expressed a sense of confusion due to the great loss caused by the plague. Tuchman uses the description of filth, fear, and confusion to tell the reader the feeling of the fate of the future Essay.com / Barbara tuchman This is the end of the world: plague on black death Barbara Tuchman, who received the Pulitzer Prize, said that ook is the carrier of civilization, history is silent, literature is stupid, science is paralyzed, thinking and guesses are stopped It was. As I mentioned in her quotes, literature always reflects historical events that occur when books are written. For example, in the Anglo - Saxon era, by expanding Christianity and immortal life view in famous epic by becoming a hero in their own epic, Beowulf. Beowulf himself has always summoned the Lord before his fight and tried to compete with Glendell for his own heroic journey. British inhuman behavior to Irish farmers is reflected in Jonathan Swift's irony.

Marketing Mix & Complete Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Mix & Complete Plan - Essay Example Introduction Consumption of healthy food is an important aspect of staying health and controlling major diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, dental problem among other lifestyle related diseases. Many people have been enlightened and are avoiding unhealthy foods. In Canadians are fond of tasty desserts like cakes and ice creams but their major concern is the problems caused by high level sugar consumption especially diabetes and tooth cavity. It is estimated that about 9 million people have diabetic related health complication with at least 20 new diagnoses per hour (Canadian Diabetes Association n.d.). As a result of this, various desert and Ice Cream Company have shifted to use of other sweeteners but most of them have side effects. Xylitol is a sweetener from plant materials with less calories and glucose as compared to sugar thus preventing tooth decay and lowering amount of blood sugar Michelle, A. (n.d.). This paper will critically analyze a Canadian dessert company in regard to their xylitol based products, their target market, positioning, market segmentation and the four elements of market mix. Components of marketing mix Marketing mix comprises various activities undertaken by an organization that is targeting to produce products for a specific group of people (module- 5 n.d.). For instance the Canadian dessert company target urban resident who are aged between twenty years and fifty years who work in various sectors. This is a group of people who are energetic, self-assured, inquisitive, and adventuresome, like socializing and are also healthy conscious. The company then strategizes on providing the customers preferred products, at an appropriate price and distribution channels (Owomoyela, Olasunkanmi and Oyeniyi 2013). The company is also able to reach the target group through marketing and advertising (module-5 n.d.). A good strategy should ensure that the company satisfies the target customers while still meeting its objectives (Owomoye la, Olasunkanmi and Oyeniyi 2013). Product development Product is the most important element of marketing mix plan that a company offer to is target customers and must have unique characteristics that distinguish it from its competitors. Characteristics such as brand name, superiority, freshness, and contents, taste, appearances, wrapping, and writings influences the customers decisions(Owomoyela, Olasunkanmi and Oyeniyi 2013). In Canada, the major prevailing health problem and is attributed to uptake of products containing high sugar content is diabetes and tooth cavity. Most people are worried about these problems are careful about sugar content of their foods. Most companies are tapping into this by providing products that contain alternative sweeteners such as Xylitol. One such company is Montreal, Which is Xylitol- based dessert company that produces ice cream and cakes. The company will offer different range of cakes and ice cream that fit their customers’ needs to eat delicious desserts with lower quantities of sugar. These products will help to boost its competitive advantages compared to other dessert houses that offer similar products but has high sugar content or use other alternative sweeteners that have side effects. The Montreal Company will conduct extensive market research in order to produce quality products for its target customer. According to

Comparasion of Apple and Samsung Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

Comparasion of Apple and Samsung - Essay Example A comparison of the stock prices provides us with the information on the relative investor confidence on the two companies. A comparative analysis of the two companies helps the investors to reach an investment decision on the common stocks of Apple and Samsung. A comparison between two publicly traded companies Apple and Samsung could be done with the help of financial ratio analysis. The profitability ratio, liquidity ratio, investment value ratio and debt ratio has been taken into consideration for this comparison. The financial ratio has been determined by considering the financial statements of the two companies for the last two years. The return on assets for Apple is much higher with respect to Samsung. While Samsung produced an 8.83% return on assets in 2011, Apple registered an ROA of 22.28% in 2011. Apple focused to increase its asset base in 2012. The rate of increase in ROA for Samsung is more than that of Apple but the percentage return on assets for Apple is 23.70% which is more than 13.17% ROA for Samsung in 2012 (Bragg, 2012). The return on equity gives an indication of the efficiency of fund management by the companies to increase the wealth of the shareholders. The net income earned by the companies could be expressed as a percentage of the total equity of the company. The return on equity for Apple is more than the return on equity for Samsung in the last two years. In 2011, Samsung achieved a return on equity of 13.58% as compared Apple’s return on equity of 33.83%. From the 2011 to 2012, rate of increase in ROE for Samsung is more than Apple. Despite that, Apple recorded an ROE of 35.30% in 2012 which is more than 19.63% ROE for Samsung. A comparison of the asset turnover of Apple and Samsung provides a measure of utilization of assets of the two companies. Asset turnover indicates the amount of revenue generation of

The Concept of the Soul, by Plato Research Paper - 1

The Concept of the Soul, by Plato - Research Paper Example d "appetite." In an elaboration to this, it was assumed that not all the desires are part of the belief and therefore they had association with reason. All the part that form ones soul have certain desires within them, but when it comes to the appetitive or the spirited part of the soul then these desires are not merely constituted by belief or the decision making/ choices that is linked to good.The passion in these elements sprouts from independent faiths differentiating between what is good or bad. When it comes to the appetite, this is due to the arousal of desires that occur as a reaction to the hormonal or other events that take place inside the body. Lastly, the spirited part of the soul is because of the routine response that develops during the course of ones upbringing. Plato in his book Phaedrus, Plato explains this Tripartite Soul in detail. In this book he describes the human soul which is made up of three elements that follow three specific classes that prevail in the society of a fair city containing justice. If individuallyjustice comprises of balancing these three elements in such a way that the precise relationship is developed that is based on power. All this leads to a person that contains ruling with reasoning,reason that takes help from spirit, and also develop a satisfying appetite Platos Theory of the soul is the basic origin point of the Theory of the State. In this theory, Plato claims that a person who is happy is apparently a just/fair person. In the other words this canbe better explained by saying that a content person is one who is governed by reason.Thus "Plato and Aristotle each had a view of human nature that assigned reason a central role." (Kupperman, 59) Plato believed that that soul is comprised of the three constituents that enlighten the human: Reason, Emotion, and Appetite which I previously mentioned. It should be noted that Reason contains the utmost and supreme value whereas the remaining two are considered to be as

Factory collapse by tran tran Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Factory collapse by tran tran - Essay Example Prior to construction, the factory should have quality material in use. Some contractors may work too consume the minimum costs hence ends up using poor quality materials that pose extra risks to the factory. In addition to that, the machines the factory will also use act as a determining factor to the strength of the foundation. In such cases, some factories use machines that are at the dispensation of continuous vibration hence weakening the foundation of the building. All these can be on achievement when there is close monitoring and evaluation by a qualified architect and the rest of a multidisciplinary approach (Reynolds and McKeown, 660). Therefore, a societal strict policy should be in place to ensure that all the constructors utilize the quality steel and cement when constructing the factories avoids any future predicament. Such proactive approach is likely to ensure that there are no cases of factory

What ever Article is found Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What ever is found - Article Example Nortel’s shares peaked at 124.50 Canadian dollars in July 2000 in trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. On Wednesday, Nortel closed at a market price of 12 Canadian cents, or 1.2 cents after adjusting for a stock consolidation. While the current economic slump contributed to Nortel’s decision to file for protection in both Delaware and its hometown, Toronto, the company’s problems began in 2001, when it was hit by the technology stock price collapse and became mired in an accounting scandal that led to criminal charges against three of its former executives. There have sometimes been problems at Nortel, as there have been in any company that is more than 100 years old. An accounting scandal a few years ago put a dent in the company’s reputation. This, however, was an anomaly. Nortel has learned from its mistakes. It has a strict business and ethics code which goes a long way to restoring the company’s reputation. It is not necessary to tie Nortel down in a web of social responsibilities that will seriously cut into its margins. Those who suggest that Nortel should change its policies in order to pay pensioners first instead of real creditors are missing the big picture and are getting in the way of Nortels efforts to manage what assets it has in a way that can be considered for the greater good. It is in a sense understandable that people would ask Nortel to do this, but that is more of an emotional response than a reasonable one. There are many unintended consequences for those who push the Corporate Social Responsibility agenda. It does not always lead to the results that we might expect. Let businesses be businesses and let charities be charities. It is simply too confusing and leads to too many unintended consequences for things to be set up in any other manner. The bottom of a company sometimes falls out there: there are no sure things in life. These are dark economic times and it is important for Nortel

Organizational politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organizational politics - Essay Example Human temperament or characteristics are indeed the prime cause of all politics in any setup but there are certain core environmental factors for all human behavior and it would be mandatory to study and understand them in an effort to understand the reasons for organizational politics. This is also necessary given the central role that politics plays in any work environment. In this presentation it has suggested that power plays a critical role in the politics of an organization (McShane and Travaglione). At all levels the distribution of power is vital to the running of a company. While the types of power vested in a person or group is important in itself, the impact that this power has on the employees is our prime concern here. Power provides a person with the authority to allocate a resource (which is important if resources are scarce), to punish or reward people and to judge their performances. This in turn causes people to attempt build a better picture of themselves in the eyes of the people in whom power is vested. This can be done either by maligning coworkers or by creating circumstances where coworkers promote your image. The dynamics of interpersonal relationships between co workers and also the relationship of managers and team members comes into force in such cases. Ambition and drive which are subjective characters also come into play here. While such reasons present a dark image of ... In recent years in particular, there has been much effort to chanelize the power of politics and turn it into a useful tool for the running of organizations and this indeed is the way to go! Manuscript Explore the main reasons for political behavior in organizations "32% of managers believe it simply isn't possible to use office politics constructively because human nature is so appallingly selfish that people will always guard their turf and abuse their role power" Park, 2002 This quote accurately summarizes the main reasons for political behaviour in organizations. Human temperament or characteristics are indeed the prime cause of all politics in any setup! But then what is it that we call politics in organizations Politics in Organisations The use of power and influence for personal gains within an organizational set up is by far the bets definition of politics. It is distinctly different from nation-state politics in involving more interpersonal relationships (Provis 2002) and involves interplay of ethics morality and personal interest. It is also now increasingly being recognized as inevitable in organizations. The prime cause of politics is the distribution of power in an organization. A widely accepted model for the bases of power in an organization has been described by Foucault, (1980). He refers to several plausible sources of origin of and refers to them as Reward power, coercive Power, legitimate power, expert power. All these manifestations of power are found in any organization and while there is an ongoing debate on which power base is the best in terms of outcome, a functional consequence of any of them is know to be organizational politics. It is interesting to study the correlates of power and politics! Some primary and

What ever Article is found Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What ever is found - Article Example Nortel’s shares peaked at 124.50 Canadian dollars in July 2000 in trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. On Wednesday, Nortel closed at a market price of 12 Canadian cents, or 1.2 cents after adjusting for a stock consolidation. While the current economic slump contributed to Nortel’s decision to file for protection in both Delaware and its hometown, Toronto, the company’s problems began in 2001, when it was hit by the technology stock price collapse and became mired in an accounting scandal that led to criminal charges against three of its former executives. There have sometimes been problems at Nortel, as there have been in any company that is more than 100 years old. An accounting scandal a few years ago put a dent in the company’s reputation. This, however, was an anomaly. Nortel has learned from its mistakes. It has a strict business and ethics code which goes a long way to restoring the company’s reputation. It is not necessary to tie Nortel down in a web of social responsibilities that will seriously cut into its margins. Those who suggest that Nortel should change its policies in order to pay pensioners first instead of real creditors are missing the big picture and are getting in the way of Nortels efforts to manage what assets it has in a way that can be considered for the greater good. It is in a sense understandable that people would ask Nortel to do this, but that is more of an emotional response than a reasonable one. There are many unintended consequences for those who push the Corporate Social Responsibility agenda. It does not always lead to the results that we might expect. Let businesses be businesses and let charities be charities. It is simply too confusing and leads to too many unintended consequences for things to be set up in any other manner. The bottom of a company sometimes falls out there: there are no sure things in life. These are dark economic times and it is important for Nortel

Interpreting and Translation Essay Example for Free

Interpreting and Translation Essay The Similarity and Differences between Translation and Interpreting 1. Similarity †¢ Both transferring the message from Source Language (SL) into Target Language (TL) †¢ Both retaining the message †¢ Both restructuring or reproducing †¢ Both having SLT and TLT †¢ Both having the target audience 2. Differences. |Translation |Interpreting | |The medium is in written form |The medium is in oral form | |In reproducing the translation in the receptor language: |In reproducing the translation in the receptor language: | |not on the spot |on the spot | |can use dictionaries or thesaurus |direct translation (being able to translate in both directions, | |have more time to check and recheck the translation |without the use of any dictionaries) | | |have no time to check and recheck the translation) | |The doer : translator |The doer : Interpreter | The Theory. Interpreting consists of presenting in the Receptor Language, the exact message of what is uttered in the Source Language either simultaneously or consecutively preserving the tone of the speaker, such as formal and informal expressions, emotions, feelings, the choice of words, high and low pitch or tone in uttering words, etc. The Process of Interpreting There are 4 elements involve in the process of interpreting: †¢ the speaker †¢ the audience †¢ the message †¢ the interpreter The Process: (in TL) Messagesmessages†¦ (in SL) (1) (2)(3) (4). (1) Listening and understanding a spoken message of the Source Language ( (2) Storing/note-taking the message ( (3) Retrieving the message ( (4) Reproducing the message of the source language into the receptor language. Modes of Interpreting 1. Simultaneous Interpreting In simultaneous interpreting, the speaker and the interpreter speak almost at the same time. 2. Consecutive Interpreting In consecutive interpreting, the speaker speaks first, then after he/she finish his/her complete segment/speech, the interpreter takes the turn. Generally, during consecutive interpreting the speaker stops every 3-5 minutes (usually at the end of every paragraph or a complete thought) and the interpreter then steps in to transfer what was said into the receptor language. Model of Communication Flow in Consecutive Interpreting INTERPRETER SPEAKERAUDIENCE : indirect communication : direct communication Qualifications of a Good Interpreter †¢ An interpreter has to have knowledge of the general subject of the speeches that are to be interpreted. †¢ An interpreter has to have general erudition and intimate familiarity with both cultures. For example: when a speaker talks about American agriculture, then the interpreter has to know about American agriculture. †¢ An interpreter has to have extensive vocabulary in both languages (SL and RL). †¢ An interpreter has to have the ability to express thoughts clearly (easily to understand) and concisely (in brief) in both languages. †¢ An interpreter has to have an excellent note taking technique for consecutive interpreting. †¢ An interpreter at least 2-3 years of booth experience for simultaneous interpreting. In addition, in note taking of a paragraph uttered by a speaker, an interpreter has to be able to grab the main idea/topic of that paragraph. Therefore, the interpreter will understand what the paragraph that the speaker talks about. The Competencies Required for an Interpreter †¢ Language Competence A language competence is a good command of the source language and the receptor language which includes: ? Lexicon ? Grammatical structure ? Pronunciation †¢ Transfer Competence? Ability to reproduce a variety of synonymous or analogous expressions in both language; ? Ability to capture and reproduce register variations; ? Ability to recognize and reproduce domain-specific expressions in a form which will be regarded as ‘natural’ by the respective users; ? Ability to combine verbal and non-verbal communication cues from the SL and reproduce them in appropriate combinations in the RL; ? Ability to identify and exploit rhythm and tone patterns of languages in order to determine and utilize the ‘chunks’ of speech so as to maximize the efficiency of the interpreting; ? Ability to speedily analyze the utterance in the context of the communication in order to anticipate the direction in which the argument is proceeding and the strategy being used in developing the argument. †¢ Cultural Competence ? The possession of knowledge enabling the interpreter to comprehend the totality of the communicative intent of the speaker; ? Extra-linguistic knowledge about the world of the speaker and the audience; ? Social conventions, institutional practices, taboos, anthropologically and historically relevant elements of the cultures. †¢ Appropriate Technique ? Knowledge of the dynamic communication: Control of the speed; Control of the congruence of the tone of voice due to the emotional charge of the utterance and that of the interpretation of the utterance. ? Note-taking to avoid omission: Interpreter’s notes are very different from those of, say, a stenographer, because writing down words in the source language makes the interpreters job harder when he has to translate the speech into the target language. Many professional interpreters develop their own ideogramic symbology, which allows them to take down not the words, but the thoughts of the speaker in a sort of language-independent form. Then the interpreters output is more idiomatic and less source-language bound. ? Ordering information output; ? Voice production (audible, clear, unambiguous); †¢ Good Short Term Memory ? The comprehension ability to store information; ? The ability to recall with a high degree of accuracy what the speaker has said. †¢ Professional Competence? The ability to make independent judgments in terms of the linguistic, ethical, socio-cultural and effective issues which arise in an interpreted situation. The Skills Required for the Interpreter †¢ Listening skill: being able to ‘get the message’; †¢ Speaking skill: being able to ‘transmit the message’ (quality of voice, choice of idiom, vocabulary, phrasing, etc. ); Interpreting Ethics †¢ Impartiality: to carry out professional duties to the best of his/her ability regardless of who the clients are in terms of race, social and economic status, ethnicity, etc. In other words, the interpreter has to be fair and not taking side. †¢ Conflict of interest means to act without regard to other interests such as personal or financial gain. Things that Have to be Prepared in Becoming an Interpreter †¢ Be familiar with the subject of the conference and the subjects of speeches; †¢ Try to speak with the speaker and find out the general contents of speech and the time s/he intends to dedicate to the speech; †¢ Find copies of overhead transparencies, slides, or paper; †¢ Prepare a glossary for the interpretation to gather all the vocabulary which you might need for the job (terms, nouns, verbs, abbreviations, etc. ). ***

Microsofts Structure And Culture

Microsofts Structure And Culture The assignment is about six outcomes of Organizations and Behavior subject. The scenario company is Microsoft, founded in 1975, which is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential (Microsoft, n.d.).The other company to compare with Microsoft is Federal Express Corporation (FedEx Express), the largest company in providing a portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services under the FedEx brand. FedEx Express is an express transportation company, offering time-certain delivery within one to three business days and serving markets. FedEx Ground Package System, Inc. (FedEx Ground) is a provider of small-package ground delivery service. FedEx Freight Inc (FedEx Freight) is a provider of less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services. FedEx Corporate Services, Inc. (FedEx Services) provides the Companys other companies with sales, marketing, information technology, communications and back-office support (Fe dEx, n.d.). This assignment is going to explain and compare the organizational structures, cultures, leadership styles and performance of these two companies to find out about the organizational theories that underpin the practice of management. 1.1 Compare and contrast different organizational structures and culture 1.1.1 Microsofts structure and culture Microsofts Organizational Chart (The Official Board, 2012) According to the chart above, Microsoft has a flat structure. We can see that Microsoft has five product groups are Windows Live Windows Group, Server Software, Online Services, Microsoft Business and Entertainment and Devices. Each product group, which focuses on a specific line of goods and services, has one executive reports directly to the CEO. Each group has its own RD, sales, and customer service staff (Daft, 2009). This structure allows larger spans of control. Microsoft also has a matrix structure which works alongside the flat structure. The matrix structure is a structure where project teams are made up of workers with various specialisms from different functions of a business (BPP, 2004). The legal structure of Microsoft is Limited Liability Company because the company went public on March 13, 1986 (Time, n.d.). Microsoft has a task culture because it is a huge company with 94,420 employees around the world, just 56,934 in USA only (Microsoft, n.d.). It is impossible to manage a firm of that huge amount of workers with a person culture or a power culture. A two-time award-winning journalist Kurt Eichenwald described Microsofts work culture as the cannibalistic culture; a management system known as stack-ranking a program that forces every unit to declare a certain percentage of employees as top performers, good performers, average, and poor effectively crippled Microsofts ability to innovate, leading employees to compete with each other rather than competing with other companies (Vanity Fair, 2012). 1.1.2 FedExs structure and culture FedExs Organizational Chart (The Official Board, 2012) FedEx Corporation FedEx, introduced express delivery to the world in 1973, and is the worlds top express delivery service. The organizational structure of FedEx is flat. According to Organizational Behavior A Strategic Approach, FedEx Corporation should change their structure, because it adopted a multi-divisional structure (Hitt, Miller Colella, 2005). The corporation gives significant authorities to the subsidiaries. Operating independently, each subsidiary manages its own specialized network of services. FedEx employed over 280,000 employees worldwide (FedEx, n.d.), so obviously they have a task culture. The culture of FedEx is also market driven culture. All they care about is the customers; their culture center on the customer. They possess a strong customer-service organizational culture (McNeal, 2011). In short, both Microsoft and FedEx Corp. have a new style of management which is flat structure and task culture. However, FedEx is flatter than Microsoft in organizational structure. To look deeper, we can see differences in their culture as one cares about money, the other one cares about the customer. 1.2 Explain how the relationship between an organizations structure and culture can impact on the performance of the business 1.2.1 Microsoft Microsoft has a flat organizational structure and a task culture which is consider the new method of management. It is believed to be the right way to manage a company. This seems to works well when Microsofts 2011 revenue reached $69 billion (Microsoft, 2011). They make a very huge amount of money. The flat structure creates a lower hierarchy of power in Microsoft. It also allows CEOs direct involvement to make decision process quicker and less time consuming. Microsoft was topped ranking of the worlds 25 best multinational workplaces released by The Great Place to Work Institute (Industry Week, 2011). It is noticeable that employees satisfy their working environment in Microsoft. However, the stack ranking program can kill Microsofts creativity. The destructive management technique can be seen the key problem in Microsoft its management system (Frederick Allen, 2012). It can lead to risk of losing big amount of money. 1.2.2 FedEx FedEx increased revenue 12% in the February-to-May quarter and 13% in the fiscal year that ended May 31, reporting total annual revenue of $39.3 billion (William Cassidy, 2011). It is a large amount of money. The culture of FedEx influences its employees to work more effectively. It encourages them not only work hard but also work smart. FedExs managers also make right decisions, catching up with market trends and changing business needs. 1.3 Discuss the factors which influence individual behaviour at work The factors which influence individual behavior at work are: personality, perception, attitude, ability and aptitude, conflict, stress, and change. For the people of Microsoft, their personality is highly competitive. As discussed above, it is obviously that Microsoft has the culture of competition so the people who are working in a competitive culture will become competitive. If they are not yet competitive, the culture will itself make them competitive. Because they are competitive, they know how to get the money from customers and they will do it so well. Microsoft had always been characterized by a culture that was extremely competitive. When the company introduced new products then rocketing sales, the people responsible for the products did not meet to celebrate. Instead, they found what could have been done better instantly. Therefore, the company had always been a leading competitor, and Gates often sent out memos to remind employees about the competitive threats ahead. Gates truly drove a culture of innovation and vision (Microsoft People Problems, 2003). Thus, people were promoted to strive for the highest standards. However, when Gates left, Steve Ballmer has been a new CEO. Steve has been driving a culture of production rather than innovation (Kurt Eichenwald, 2012). For example, two ex-employees reviewd on Glassdor (Glassdoor is a website that collects information about workplaces and companies) that stack ranking made Microsoft be a less desirable place to work and higher stress workplace (Julie Bort, 2012). One more thing is that, Microsoft has discrimination between black and white workers of the corporation. In 2001, a group of current and former employees accused Microsoft of racism. The seven African American people required $5 billion in compensation, claiming they were paid less than their fellow employees and repeatedly passed over for promotions given to less-qualified white workers. The workers also claimed to have been subjected to racial harassment and retaliation when they complained. According to Willie Gary, who is a lawyer, pointed to 1999, government statistics that showed only 2.6% of Microsofts 21,429 employees, and only 1.6% of the companys 5,155 managers, were black (BBC, 2001). 2.1 Compare the effectiveness of different leadership style in different organizations 2.1.1 Microsoft Bill Gatess leadership styles are participative style and authoritative style. The reason is that, Gates involved his subordinates in decision making so they were good at delegating. He is a flexible person and he recognized his role was to be visionary of the company. Whenever needed, he brought professional managers for managing. Gates is a strong and energizing person. His enthusiasm, hard working nature and judgment skills reflect his personality. His motivating power and involving his friends to working with him became the success of Microsoft (Dip Kumar Dey,n.d.). Besides, Gates paid special attention to recruit and retain the best talent. He believed that the recruitment of talented software engineers was one of the most critical elements in the software industry. Gates looked for recruits who included the capacity to grasp new knowledge quickly and deep familiarity with programming structures. Despite a great number of potential recruits applied for jobs at Microsoft, Gates a ssumed that the best talent would never apply directly. Consequently, Microsofts HR managers had to hunt for the best talent and offer them a job. Giving autonomy to his managers, Gates delegated authorities to managers to run their independent departments. Gates involved a little in autocratic style, because control is basic to his nature and his management practice. He had an obsession with detail and with checking up. He tried to monopolize the World Wide Web software market and had legal problems with the department of justice. Also he did not like complaints (Dhananjay Kumar, n.d.). Microsoft used these styles of leadership very well as the company has great performance with net income of $14.569 billion (2009). 2.1.2 FedEx FedEx has a complex leadership style. The leadership style is combined between affiliative style, participative style and democratic style. Because FedEx has a flat structure; the managers give their subordinates authorities so they are good at delegating. Also, to be able to give subordinates authorities, they must trust their workers. Workers at FedEx are smart people so they do not want to be told what and how to do things. FedEx Corp. under the guidance of CEO Fred Smith has been named the Top Corporation of the Decade by Fortune magazine (Dumain, 2004). Smith was determined to make employees an integral part of the decision-making process, due to his belief that when people are placed first they will provide the highest possible service and profits will follow (FedEx, n.d.). Microsoft and FedEx have different leadership styles so they apply it differently to create different working environment for their workers. However, they both earn a huge amount of profit and manage their company so well. FedEx seems to have the right way to apply its leadership style on its employees than Microsoft. 2.2 Explain how organisational theory underpins the practice of management 2.2.1 Theory X and Y It can be easily seen that Microsoft and FedEx use the Y theory. Because both companies care about how their employees feel. Furthermore, workers at Microsoft and FedEx are smart people so they do not want to be told things. Workers at Microsoft and FedEx are very ambitious, passionate and committed to their work. Because the work load at Microsoft is very pressure but there are still many people wish to work at Microsoft. Because the salary they pay is high, $87,965 for normal employees and much higher for managers, engineers or directors. They all have a regular salary over $100,000 each person (Salary List, 2011). Theory Y is about trust. Both Microsoft and FedEx have flat structure; authorities are given through the chain. Therefore, they must trust the workers. It creates not only the trust of managers in workers, but also the trust of workers in managers. This theory helps to build a strong relationship among workers and managers and then it leads to a strong organization. It i s obviously that Microsoft and FedEx are both strong in structure, culture and financial. 2.2.2 Scientific management FedEx doesnt apply this theory in its management. Because based on the theory, the application of this approach was to break each job down into its smallest and simplest component parts or motions (BPP, 2004). Although the theory improves productivity, it creates de-humanity in the organization. Moreover, everyone at FedEx is smart and talented. Therefore, it is wastes to hire smart people to tell them just do the same job day by day. Scientific management doesnt work in an organization that needs innovation and ideas like FedEx. 2.2.3 Bureaucracy Under the dominated decade of CEO Steve Ballmer, Microsoft applied this theory in its management. For this reason, Microsoft was complained that toxic environment and bad managers for anyone who want to join the corporation. Current and former employees in Microsoft were affected seriously by bureaucracy and management of the company for years (Matt Rosoff, 2011). According an article, employees in Microsoft were more concerned with impressing bosses than creating things (Rebecca Greenfield, 2012). They have no incentive to innovate. Nothing has changed at all since the departure of former CEO Bill Gates. It seems to be Steve Ballmer applied an inefficient management system. All things have not worked out. 2.3 Evaluate the different approaches to management used by different organisations 2.3.1 Human relation approach Both Microsoft and FedEx use this management approach to manage their organization. As analyzed above, Microsoft cares about its employees in a wrong way. Steve Ballmer applied a management system which damage peoples creativity, making them to be bored with their work. Now the dominant tech company belongs to Apple. For FedEx, they care about their employees in a different way. They give employees passion and convenient facilities that allows workers to be more develop. Both Microsoft and FedEx know that how workers feel affects how well they work. However, this method is about what workers think, doesnt matter how the leader thinks about the workers. It is matter that the leader can create an image in the workers mind that they are what the leader wants them to believe they are. 2.3.2 The contingency approach It all depends is what we can define this theory. Managers of both Microsoft and FedEx have find out what is the suitable way to manage, not to find out what is the one right way to manage. This is considered the new management way. Microsoft and FedEx are the new organizations: everything is international, everything is new, everything is faster and everything is turbulent (BPP, 2004). This managing method fits these two organizations because organizations change all the time. This method worked very well for FedEx as the leader of FedEx lead the company through the economic crisis in 2008 to survive (The New York Times, 2012) In total, contingency approach is the correct choice for their management. CONCLUSION How an organization achieves its goals and become successful is the managers and leaders concern. Therefore, leaders and managers should build good relationship with their subordinates as well as good organizational structure, culture and good leadership style.