Of Mice And Men By Steinbeck Success Essays - English-language Films

Of Mice And Men By Steinbeck Success Title: Of mice and men Author: John Stienbeck Category: Fiction Author John Stienbeck was conceived in Salinas, California in 1902. His initial three books were money related disappointments and he worked at different sorts of occupations to endure, including organic product picking. His first achievement was Tortilla Flat in 1935 which was trailed by various shorter works, paving the way to his incredible perfect work of art The Grapes of Fury which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940. In 1962, Stienbeck turned into the 6th American to win the Nobel Prize for writing. He passed on at his home in New York on December 1968. I found the composing style of this book to be truly slack and essential. The English in this book was rudimentary, straightforward and follow. There were certainly no analogies or comparisons. The main figures of discourse I could discover were the point at which he portraying the scene at the absolute starting point. For the special case of the depiction at the main, the whole book was straight exchange between the characters in the novel. One thing the novel was brimming with in spite of the fact that was neighborhood shading and language. All through the book he composed and spelled words as though they would have been said them. He likewise included articulations and nearby slang to add to the climate of the novel. I don't generally have any significant preferences or on the other hand abhorrences to the novel. I would need to state I enjoyed it extreme. There was no complex plot to make sense of or included characters to comprehend. The book just recounted to a story. It didn't clarify the musings or engage in the sentiments of the characters. They just thing you know is what is spoken so anyone might hear. I to some degree feel the creator could have accomplished more with the story develop it or go further into detail of what occurred during the story however despite the fact that it was so short I despite everything think it is a decent book. The epic happens during the early 40's in the United States. It depends on an anecdotal story of two men who travel from state, dealing with farms and searching for cash. One of men named Lennie was intellectually hindered however inconceivably solid. The second, George was clarified as Lennie's companion who assumes the liability of keeping his companion, Lennie in the clear. The story begins with the two principle characters strolling down an earth street toward their next activity. They understood they couldn't make the trip so they chose to go through the night by the waterway. That night we learn for the first run through around one of the significant topics of the novel. As George and Lennie sit at the pit fire, George recounts to a tale about their fantasy. He clarified in insight concerning how they were presently, that they have no home, anyplace that they have a place and that all that they truly need is a spot to themselves. A spot where they could live without anybody irritating them. We just acknowledge later that this spot truly exists however it is too expensive cash than they can bear alone yet with the assistance of a more seasoned man who has cash spared they understand their dream may occur. Not long after the elderly person's canine must be put down, he contends with different men not to shoot the canine however at long last concurs that he should be put down. The story proceeds with little else occurring before the peak. The characters contiune connecting with one another and a couple of minor occurrences occur prior to the peak. At the peak the fundamental character Lennie who is unweary of his strenght accidently slaughters somebody when he got frightened. This murdering welcomes on a crowd of men who are embarked to murder Lennie for his wrongdoing. His companion George begs them not to yet they leave to execute him in any case. George understands that they are going to murder him and he feels that on the off chance that he should kick the bucket he ought to do it himself rather than the argry horde doing it. Since he knows as of now where lennie would shroud he takes a weapon with him and as he's recounting lennie the narrative of how it will be the point at which they get their own place where they can live he shoots him in the rear of the head before the furious men shoot him. This is the thing that occurs however it is difficult to depict the importance behind it or even why it occurs without clarifying the whole

“Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” by William Carlos Williams Essay

The sonnet â€Å"Landscape with the Fall of Icarus†, by William Carlos Williams, depicts recorded as a hard copy the artwork by Brueghel. The piece delineates the Greek fantasy of the awfulness of Icarus, a kid who flew excessively near the sun with wax wings and fell into the ocean to his demise. The sonnet has no set rhyme plan or meter, a case of one of Williams’ many free section sonnets. In the wake of perusing the sonnet commonly, I began detecting a sentiment of irrelevance; that the disastrous occasion of Icarus’ passing was â€Å"quite unnoticed†. One factor adding to this inclination was the verse association. Every verse was exceptionally short, for the most part containing a sentence or less, and included numerous enjambments, â€Å"a rancher was furrowing/his field/the entire pageantry†, â€Å"of the year was/wakeful shivering/near†. The significantly short length of every refrain makes a sentiment of insignificance; with no endeavor at portraying the scene top to bottom, Williams just gives the peruser a shallow perspective on the scene. There are additionally a few verses that unequivocally express the inconsequentiality of Icarus’ fall, â€Å"the edge of the ocean/worried/with itself† and â€Å"insignificantly/off the coast/there was/a sprinkle very unnoticed/this was/Icarus drowning†. The first of these verses relates back to the artistic creation, where one can see Icarus suffocating at the edge of the ocean. As the refrain peruses, â€Å"the edge of the ocean/worried/with itself† the possibility that not even the sea thinks about Icarus suffocating fills the reader’s mind. In the composition, the part that has Icarus suffocating is incredibly little and concealed into the corner, away from the eye of the watcher. Williams complements this irrelevance by composing, â€Å"insignificantly/off the coast/there was/a sprinkle very unnoticed/this was/Icarus drowning†. When seeing the artistic creation, Williams more likely than not detected the meagerness of the mishap and effectively depicts this in an assortment of short and straightforward verses. While I was perusing the sonnet for a third time I took a gander at the title and saw the word â€Å"Fall†. After that I looked down at the sonnet itself and saw that the verses were written in a short straightforward manner to be sufficiently tight with the goal that the peruser can sort of sense the sentiment of falling. Subsequent to seeing that I additionally saw that the word â€Å"Icarus† seemed both at the top and base of the sonnet, and tying that with the feeling of falling, Iâ found an association with Icarus’ mishap. The principal refrain contains the words â€Å"Icarus fell† representing Icarus being up high in the sky and having his wings liquefied off. As the sonnet proceeds down it represents Icarus tumbling down to the sea until at last the sonnet arrives at the end with â€Å"Icarus drowning†, which is the finish of both the sonnet and Icarus.

Just 8% of People Achieve Their New Years Resolutions. Heres How They Do It.

Just 8% of People Achieve Their New Years Resolutions. Heres How They Do It. Most of us do it. At the end of every year, we sit down and evaluate our choices for the past one year, identify our mistakes and our flaws, and plan on how we are going to do better in the coming year.We draw up New Year’s resolutions that we feel passionate about and that we are quite sure we are going to commit to and achieve.We are convinced that we are going to be different versions of ourselves in the coming year.That we will work out more, quit eating junk food, learn a new skill, become more assertive at work, learn a new language, spend more time with the family, quit an addiction, you name it. Below are some of the common categories for New Year’s resolutions. Source: Finder.comAt the beginning of the year, each one of us is committed to our goals for the year, but did you realize that only 8% of people who make New Year’s resolutions actually achieve them? Surprising, right?Research done by Strava, a social network for athletes, shows that most people quit on their New Year’s resolutions around January 12, which makes this date the unofficial “Quitter’s Day.”Yet there is the 8% who persevere throughout the year and confidently place a check mark against all their goals at the end of the year.How do they do it? What is their superpower? Is it something we can learn?In today’s article, we are going to take a look at how you can achieve your New Year’s resolutions and become part of this exceptional 8% of the population.Let’s dive in!PICK ONE GOAL Enthusiasm is wonderful, but too much of it can actually be detrimental. If you are like most people, here’s what happens as the year comes to a close.You are so enthused about th e coming New Year, so filled with hope and optimism that you feel that you can achieve anything you set out to do.In a burst of inspiration, you sit down and draw up a list of things you are going to change in your life over the next one year.You decide that you are going to start going to the gym, learn how to code, save for a trip to Morocco, reduce your social media usage, quit smoking, and a bunch of other goals. At this point, you are so pumped and feel like nothing can stop you.A few weeks later, however, it hits you that you have dropped all of your resolutions. You feel drained. You feel that changing your life takes too much effort, and you eventually tell yourself that New Year’s resolutions are impossible to achieve, at least to the normal, everyday person.People who always attain their New Year’s resolutions must have something you don’t, they must be special.At the end of the year, you get a burst of motivation and once again set new resolutions, but the cycle rep eats itself, every year.The problem here is not that you are not capable of following through with your resolutions. Instead, the problem is that are pursuing too many goals at the same time.Imagine if you went to the university and tried to pursue a bachelor’s degree in software engineering, another bachelor’s degree in applied medicine, and another bachelor’s degree in applied physics, all at the same time, while still trying to start a business.Is that really feasible? Unless you are a genius, you would fail in at least two of the academic disciplines, and your business would probably go bust as well.This is because you would be spreading yourself thin. You wouldn’t have enough time and dedication to dedicate to each endeavor.This is the exact same thing that happens when you try to pursue multiple New Year’s resolutions at the same time.Remember, pursuing a new goal needs lots of determination and lots of effort.When you pursue multiple goals simultaneously, you are in creasing the amount of determination and effort you need to achieve all these goals, which makes it harder for you to achieve any of them.This is the same thing that happens in the classic phenomenon known as the Paradox of Choice, which author Barry Schwartz describes so aptly in his book Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less.The point here is that narrowing down your options gives you more control.Therefore, if you want to have a good shot at achieving your New Year’s resolutions, pick one goal that will have the most impact on your life at this particular point in time, and pursue it relentlessly.It is easier to succeed when your focus all your energy on one goal than if your attention is divided between multiple goals.Once you achieve one goal, you can then focus your attention on the next one.BE SPECIFIC“I want to lose weight.”“I want to make more money this year.”“I want to travel more this year.”The above statements are good examples of the New Year’s resolution s most people come up with at the beginning of each year.On the surface, these seem like sensible resolutions. Once you take a more detailed look at them, however, you realize that they are useless.What do they even mean? How much weight do you want to lose? If you lose just one pound, is that satisfactory? How much more money do you want to make? If you add $10 to your annual income, will you have achieved your goal? Where do you want to travel to?Most of us fail to achieve our goals because we do not define them in concrete terms. Losing weight, making more money, or traveling more are not real goals. They are just aspirations. They don’t inspire action.If you want to motivate yourself and keep moving toward your goal, you must learn how to be specific.Express or quantify your goal in words or numbers that are direct, specific, and realistic.Don’t be vague.When goals are vague, it becomes easy to give up on them.When goals are specific, you know exactly what you are quitting o n, and that makes quitting more painful.Knowing what exactly you are going for gives you the motivation to keep going even when things become tough.For instance, if your goal is to lose weight, that doesn’t give much inspiration.If your goal is to lose 25 pounds, however, it is much more inspiring, because you can now imagine how your body will look like after losing 25 pounds. It also becomes much easier to keep track of your progress.After losing 10 pounds, you can pat yourself on the back and keep pushing for the next 10 pounds, and so on.On the other hand, if your goal was to simply lose weight, you could have easily given up at 5 pounds, because you would still have achieved your ‘goal,’ though you would still have failed because you probably wouldn’t notice any change in your body, which is what you actually wanted.If you want to achieve your New Year’s resolution, don’t just come up with a vague goal.Instead, make your goal as specific as possible. Instead of sayi ng you want to make more money, say you want to make an extra $10,000 this year.Specific goals will keep it you motivated and make it possible for you to track your progress, which is critical in achieving your goals.BE REALISTICGoing back to our weight loss analogy, let’s say you haven’t worked out in years.You don’t eat healthy. Your incredibly busy schedule means that you almost always grab some take out junk food at the neighborhood fast food café because you rarely have time to cook a nice, healthy meal at home.Come New Year’s, you decide that you are going to lose 50 pounds.Why 50?Well, because it is a nice round number that will sound rather impressive when you afterward say to people, “Oh, I lost 50 pounds this year.”While saying that you lost 50 pounds might sound wonderful, the truth is that this goal might be too unrealistic, given that you have not built the resilience for it.It will require a lot of changes in your life that you might not be ready for all a t once. In essence, you are jumping into the deep end from the get-go.Of course you might be one of those incredibly self-willed people, or you have a strong motivating factor driving you to attain this goal, in which case it might actually be possible to achieve such a goal.If you are like most people who struggle with great forces of resistance when trying to accomplish something, however, then it might be wiser to pick a more realistic goal.Note that I am not saying that you should aim too low.Far from that.The goal must be high enough that you will feel wonderful when you attain it, and realistic enough that you feel it is attainable.The more unattainable your goal feels, the easier it becomes for you to lose motivation.It is also good to note that setting realistic goals requires self-awareness. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses, since they determine your likelihood of achieving a particular goal within a certain time frame.CREATE A SYSTEM TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALAnoth er thing that most people outside the exceptional 8% do is that they set goals without thinking about what it will take to achieve the goal.Going back to our weight loss analogy, people will say that they want to lose weight without taking the time to think about what they will have to do to lose weight.Will you start going for a jog each morning? Will you start going to the gym? Will you start dieting? What exactly are you going in order to lose weight?I hate to burst your bubble, but goals without a plan on how to achieve them are not goals. They are just dreams.Yet this is what most of us do. We are basically dreaming at the beginning of each year because we set goals without creating a plan on how we are going to achieve these goals.If you want to achieve your goal, think about what you need to do to achieve it.Take your goal, and reverse-engineer it to come up with the steps you need to take to achieve it.After figuring out exactly what you are going to do to achieve your goal, turn that into a system or a routine.If you do something habitually, willpower ceases to be the determining factor on whether you will keep doing it.Eventually, the habit becomes part of your character, and you start doing the action by default rather than by effort.DON’T BREAK THE CHAINA young comic once had the opportunity to talk to the great Jerry Seinfeld and he asked Seinfeld what advice he had for young comedians.Seinfeld replied that the only way to be a better comic is to create better jokes, and the only way to create better jokes is to write every day.Seinfeld then outlined his productivity system. It involves taking a large wall calendar, preferably one that shows the whole year on one page, and putting a huge X with red marker on the calendar every day that you write something.The more you write on consecutive days, the longer your chain grows. Seinfeld finished with these words of wisdom â€" “don’t break the chain.”Having a visual representation of your progre ss is a powerful motivating factor. Looking at the long, snaking chain of X’s makes you feel good about yourself. It makes you want to stay on track.You can do the same with your New Year’s resolution. After determining what you need to do on a daily basis in order to achieve your goal, put an X on the calendar for every day you get to do it.The longer the chain grows, the more motivated you will feel to keep taking action. If you cannot find a calendar, find some other form of visual proof of your progress.UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF COMPOUND INTERESTAnother thing that separates the 8% of people who achieve their New Year’s resolutions year after year and those who quit on their resolutions within the first few weeks of every year is that the 8% understand the power of compound interest.They know that small but consistent action can lead to significant results.At the start of the year, most of us are quite ambitious with our resolutions and goals for the year. We set goals that are meant to challenge us in a big way, and that is totally fine.However, there is one problem. Big goals are intimidating.Let’s say, for instance, you decide that you want to save $10,000 by the end of the year. The $10,000 figure by itself might sound a bit intimidating.However, when you break it down, you will realize that to achieve this goal, you only need to save about $27 each day.Doesn’t seem so intimidating now, does it?Similarly, if you wanted to write a 30,000 word book, it might seem like such a big undertaking.However, if you committed to writing about 1000 words every day (which is being modest), your book would be ready in about a month.The 8% of people who achieve their resolutions every year understand this concept of compound interest.They know that small efforts â€" like running for 15 minutes each day, writing for an hour each day, earning an extra 50 dollars each day, and so on â€" can add up to significant results at the end of the year.Therefore, when the y set a huge goal for themselves at the beginning of the year, they don’t see the huge goal.They break it into small actions that they have to perform each day.This in turn makes it easier for them to follow through with their goals even when their motivation is low.For instance, if your goal was to lose 25 pounds, sometimes your motivation will wane, and 25 pounds might seem like an unattainable goal.However, people within the 8% won’t have to convince themselves that losing 25 pounds is attainable.They only need to convince themselves to go for a 15 minute run. It is easier to convince yourself to go for a 15 minute run that convincing yourself that you it is possible to lose 25 pounds.They know that the 15 minute runs will eventually lead to the loss of 25 pounds. If you want to become part of the 8%, you should adopt a similar mindset.UNDERSTAND THAT SETBACKS ARE OKAY, BUT DON’T QUITWhen most people hit a snag, their first instinct is to quit.They miss the gym one day and suddenly start feeling like a failure, like they will never achieve their goal.You deviate from your diet one day and suddenly you start feeling like your goal is unachievable, your motivation tanks, and you give up on your goals.If you want to achieve your goals, you must understand that setbacks are inevitable. You cannot completely avoid them.Sometimes you will come from a business trip feeling so tired that you just can’t make it to the gym.You will slip some days and deviate from your diet.However, such a slip does not mean that it is now impossible to achieve your dreams.If you didn’t work out today, tomorrow is another day.Of course, you should be consistent and relentless at pursuing your goal as much as possible, but if you slip now and then, don’t give it too much credence.Everyone has their off days, even champions.What differentiates champions from the rest of us is that they don’t allow such setbacks to discourage them. They stay in the game.Adopt that mentality and you too will be a champion and achieve your New Year’s resolutions.REMAIN TRUE TO YOURSELFTry as you might, you cannot completely keep other people from influencing some aspects of your life, especially if you have a strong clique of friends.Social media has made things even worse. When everyone on social media is posting their New Year’s resolutions, you too can feel compelled to join them and post your own resolutions.The problem is that your resolutions in this case might not come from a deeply felt desire.Perhaps the only reason you are even thinking about changing a behavior or picking up a new habit is because resolutions are trendy in January.Even worse, the goal you picked could be something you picked simply because it’s a trendy resolution, something that will impress others.Well, here’s the thing. If your resolution does not stem from your own inner desires and intentions, you will probably never achieve it.When things get tough, there is a high chance that y ou will give up on this goal because you don’t care much about it.You are only pursuing it to impress your friends and social media followers. To avoid this, you need to remain true to yourself and only set New Year’s resolutions that are truly important to you.GET AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERHaving support is important, especially when you are aiming for a goal that is extremely difficult to attain. There will come moments when your motivation and determination will wane.In such instances, having someone to remind you why you started and to keep pushing you to go after your goal can be the difference between success and failure.Having an accountability partner increases your chances of achieving your New Year’s resolutions for a number of reasons.The first one is that they will encourage you to keep going after your goals even when you feel like quitting. The second one is that they are there to keep you accountable.They will call you out when they see that you are not following up with the daily actions that will help you achieve your goal. The third reason is psychological. People are more afraid of being seen as failures by others than they are of seeing themselves as failures.When no one knows your goals for the year, it doesn’t matter much, because no one will know that you failed.However, when someone knows about your goals, you will be compelled to work harder because you don’t want this person to see you as a failure.Therefore, to increase your chances of achieving your New Year’s resolutions, get an accountability partner. An accountability partner could be a friend or family member who cares about you. It could be a mentor.It could be someone you hire to keep you on track, such as a life coach. It could be someone working towards their own goal and the two of you keep each other accountable. It could also be a group, either of friends or of likeminded individuals committed to keeping each other accountable.WRAPPING UPTruth be told, followin g through and achieving your New Year’s resolutions is not an easy task. Still, it is possible, as evidenced by the 8% of people who achieve their resolutions every year.Not only will achieving your New Year’s resolutions improve the quality of your life, it will also encourage you to set and achieve even bigger resolutions.The best part is that you can also join this exceptional group of those who achieve their New Year’s resolutions by following the tips discussed above.

Critical Analysis Of Young Goodman Brown - 1393 Words

I believe that the short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is a fight between Evil and Good of both the mind and soul of Young Goodman Brown. Tries Retaining his faith but fails and sees those around him to be evil except himself. Evil is the nature of humankind it hides in the shadows of our inner thoughts. It is the temptation we face on a daily basis. We have the choice whether to give into it or merely overcome it. During his journey through the dark woods Young Goodman Brown sought out his inner evil. Young Goodman Brown, the main character travels into the dark, gloomy forest. We do not know the reason why he does. As we take a closer look at what is happening, we notice that he leaves during the late hours of the night where any evil†¦show more content†¦Perhaps the traveler he meets is his own â€Å"personal† devil it is the evil that lies in Brown’s heart. Hurley states that before this journey that Brown has come into contact with evil and sin b efore. As they travel together, the old man tells him that his father and his grandfather had taken the same path that he was taking. Goodman Brown in disbelief did not believe the elder traveler. Of course Brown did not believe the traveler how he could? How could someone he just met in the woods know things about himself? Through the story, Young Goodman Browns personality is shown to be as simple and with a pious nature. However, Young Goodman Brown does show he has faith towards God, but he has very little of it, unlike his wife. â€Å"Well; she’s a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night, I’ll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven†(Hawthorne 610). Young Goodman Brown would rather cling to his wife to get to heaven than perform any good action of his own. It defeats how he is seen by others he is no longer simple with a pious nature. It goes to show that perhaps Young Goodman Brown does have some faith but very little of it. As Young Goodman Brown continues to venture deeper into the woods, the Devil begins to tempt him little by little. Unfortunately Brown gives up all too easily which leads to losing his faith and becoming corrupted. He does what the Devil asks of him without questioningShow MoreRelatedYoung Goodman Brown from a Moral Standpoint1352 Words   |   6 PagesHawthorne discovered that his ancestors were founders and Puritan leaders of the Salem witch trials. Shortly after this tragic finding, he wrote â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† a tale that is considered one of the greatest in American literature. Analyzing Nathaniel Hawthorne’s work from a moral perspective can help illuminate his short story: â€Å"Young Goodman Brown.† Hawthorne was both prideful and embarrassed in the actions of his ancestors. According to Jacqueline Shoemaker, Hawthorne felt pride in seeingRead More A Critique of Puritanism in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essays635 Words   |  3 PagesYoung Goodman Brown: A Critique of Puritanism   Given Nathaniel Hawthornes background, it is not a stretch of the imagination to say that Young Goodman Brown is a critique of   Puritanism.   Hawthorne lived in the deeply scarred New England area, separated from puritanism by only one generation.   His grandfather had been one the judges who presided over the Salem Witch trials.   Some of the principle motifs that run through Hawthornes works are hidden sin, the supernatural, and the influenceRead More Ambiguity in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay1743 Words   |  7 PagesAmbiguity in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚         There is no end to the ambiguity in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†; this essay hopes to explore this problem.    Peter Conn in â€Å"Finding a Voice in an New Nation† makes a statement regarding Hawthorne’s ambiguity:      Almost all of Hawthorne’s finest stories are remote in time or place. The glare of contemporary reality immobillized his imagination. He required shadows and half-light, and he sought a nervous equilibriumRead MoreYoung Goodman Brown964 Words   |  4 PagesJordan Johnson Professor Christopher McBride ENGL 303 23 June 2013 Essay Assignment One: Reader-Response Criticism Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is a short story in which the author attempts to convey several different messages or themes throughout the literary piece. Themes in literary works can sometimes be better understood by analyzing the piece with a specific literary criticism technique. A few of these literary criticism techniques include Marxist, Formalism, andRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown1083 Words   |  5 Pagesmost known stories is â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† – a story wherein Hawthorne mixes faith and history to demonstrate humanity’s struggle with sin. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† could possibly be regarded as a Spiritual story of symbols and inevitably as a disapproval of Puritan Calvinism. This is apparent once someone considers the tale through a mixture of symbolism and an intellect of the Puritan beliefs. Hawthorne incorporates symbols and allegories all through the story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† to exemplify the PuritanRead More Formal Analysis of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay examples845 Words   |  4 PagesA Formal Analysis of Young Goodman Brownnbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown is an interesting short story that creatively tells two stories at once.nbsp; One story is of a man leaving his wife one night and venturing into the woods, and the other is of his struggle with his religious faith.nbsp; In reading this story, it is beneficial for one to look at it from a formalistic point of view.nbsp; Formal analysis makes the reader look closely atRead MoreEssay on The Ambiguity in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown1587 Words   |  7 PagesThe Ambiguity in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†      Ã‚  Ã‚     The literary critics agree that there is considerable ambiguity in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown.† This essay intends to illustrate the previous statement and to analyze the cause of this ambiguity.    Henry James in Hawthorne, when discussing â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† comments on how imaginative it is, then mentions how allegorical Hawthorne is, and how allegory should be expressed clearly:    I frankly confess that I haveRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown1543 Words   |  7 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne s short story of Young Goodman Brown, the author uses symbolism and allegories in order to showcase the Puritan faith as well as man s conflict between good and evil. This analysis will break down the techniques that the author uses to critique the puritan society and to show the difference between how people appear to be in society and the true colors that they are hidden inside of them. There has been a lot of great authors in our time, but none more interesting thanRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown1492 Words   |  6 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story of Young Goodman Brown, the author uses symbolism and allegories in order to showcase the Puritan faith as well as man’s conflict between good and evil. This analysis will breakdown the techniques that the author uses to critique the puritan society, and to show the difference between how people appear to be in society and the true colors that they are hidden inside of them. There has been a lot of great authors in our time, but none more interesting than NathanielRead MoreIdentity vs Society1047 Words   |  5 PagesThe short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† by Nathaniel Hawthorne, shows how society persuades us throughout our lives and the power between good and evil in a community. â€Å"Conscious of the guilty purpose† (7) conveyed Brown to devote himself to the devil because the rest of the town did also. The community’s fail to stay loyal to God shows how weak and persuasive an entire community can be, even as an individual. According to Davon Ferrara’s personal analysis based on â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† called â€Å"The Dual

The Social Cognitive Theory Of A Dynamic And Reciprocal...

OVERVIEW: The social cognitive theory in essence is the theory that proposes behavior is a result of personal, behavioral, and environmental factors that influence each other in a dynamic and reciprocal fashion. Environments shape behaviors, but individuals have the power to influence the environment as well as their own behaviors through self-reflection and self-regulatory process. Personal factors involve people’s thoughts and beliefs about the desired outcomes, their ability to perform the behavior or self- efficacy and ability to take charge. They may also have personal barriers in the way. In order to overcome these personal factors they will need goal setting, relapse prevention and reinforcement of positive outcomes. Behavioral†¦show more content†¦The popularity of this program stems from the focus on behaviors, which are impacted by several factors. Social cognitive theory states, â€Å"behavior is the result of personal, behavioral, and environmental factors that influence each other in dynamic and reciprocal fashion† (Contento, 2011). People’s thoughts and feelings, knowledge and skills, and physical and social environment, all impact the actions, behaviors and choices related towards health and nutrition. Interventions that used social cognitive theory in the field of nutrition include Challenge!, EatFit, Choice, Contro l, and Change and Planet Health. These programs encompass the main principles and strengths of social cognitive theory and yielded successful results. INTERVENTIONS: Challenge! is an example of an effective program that utilized social cognitive theory. Its goal was to promote health and prevent obesity in African-American youths, between the ages of 11-16. The program recruited adolescents from low-income, urban areas and implemented both home and community-based interventions for a total of twelve sessions (Black et al., 2010). One important construct of social cognitive theory is observational learning, which Challenge! incorporated by enlisting African-American mentors who attended college. These mentors were crucial because â€Å"teenagers learn from observing the food-related behaviors of

Malaysian Airlines vs Air Asia Free Essays

Malaysia Airlines Introduction Malaysia Airlines, the country’s national carrier, was first incorporated as Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) on 12 October 1937. It was a joint initiative of the Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool, the Straits Steamship of Singapore and Imperial Airways which led to a proposal to the Colonial Straits Settlement government to run an air service between Penang and Singapore. On 2 April 1947, MAL took to the skies with its first commercial flight as the national airline. We will write a custom essay sample on Malaysian Airlines vs Air Asia or any similar topic only for you Order Now Fuelled by a young and dynamic team of visionaries, the domestic carrier turned into an international airline in less than a decade. With the formation of Malaysia in 1963, the airline changed its name to Malaysian Airlines Limited. In 1965, with the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, MAL became a bi-national airline and was renamed Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). However, in 1973, the partners went separate ways. Malaysia introduced Malaysian Airline Limited, which was subsequently renamed Malaysian Airline System or in short, Malaysia Airlines. Today, Malaysia Airlines flies an average of 43,000 passengers daily to some 100 destinations worldwide and holds a lengthy record of service and best practices excellence. It was the recipient of the inaugural â€Å"World’s Best Cabin Staff† award by Skytrax,UK in 2001 and continued to retain this title for 2002-2004, 2007 and 2009 – the most for any airline. In 2010, Malaysia Airlines was recognised as the ‘World’s Leading Airline to Asia’, ‘Asia’s Leading Airline’ and ‘Asia’s Leading Business Class Airline’ by World Travel Awards (WTA). This year, WTA honoured Malaysia Airlines as ‘Asia’s Leading Airline’ and ‘Asia’s Leading Airline Lounge’. The national carrier’s engineering subsidiary, Malaysian Aerospace Engineering (MAE), has also been acknowledged as the top airline affiliated Maintenance and Repair Organisation (MRO) in the world by Aviation Week’s Overhaul Maintenance magazine. Its current fleet includes Boeing 747-400, B777-200, Airbus 330-300, Airbus 330-200, Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737-400. By the second quarter of 2012, Malaysia Airlines will also join the league of the Airbus A380 operators, when the first of the six aircraft ordered enters into service. The national carrier will be the eighth airline in the world to operate this biggest commercial aircraft. Malaysia Airlines is set to join oneworld by end of 2012, adding one of aviation’s most frequent award winners to the world leading quality airline alliance. When it becomes part of oneworld, its customer will gain access to the alliance’s truly global network. It will expand oneworld’s global coverage to almost 950 destinations in 150 countries, served by a combined fleet of more than 2,600 aircrafts operating some 10,000 flights a day. AirAsia Introduction AirAsia is a Malaysian-based low-cost airline. AirAsia is Asia’s largest low-fare, no-frills airline and a pioneer of low-cost travel in Asia. AirAsia was established in 1993 and began operations on 18 November 1996. It was originally founded by a government-owned conglomerate, DRB-Hicom. On 2 December 2001 the heavily-indebted airline was bought by former Time Warner executive Tony Fernandes’s company Tune Air Sdn Bhd for the token sum of one ringgit with USD 11 million worth of debts. Fernandes turned the company around, producing a profit in 2002 and launching new routes from its hub in Kuala Lumpur, undercutting former monopoly operator Malaysia Airlines with promotional fares as low as MYR 1. In 2003, AirAsia opened a second hub at Senai International Airport in Johor Bahru near Singapore and launched its first international flight to Bangkok. AirAsia has since started a Thai subsidiary, added Singapore itself to the destination list, and started flights to Indonesia. Flights to Macau began in June 2004, and flights to mainland China (Xiamen) and the Philippines (Manila) in April 2005. Flights to Vietnam and Cambodia followed later in 2005 and to Brunei and Myanmar in 2006, the latter by Thai AirAsia. On August 2006, AirAsia took over Malaysia Airlines’s Rural Air Service routes in Sabah and Sarawak, operating under the FlyAsianXpress brand. The routes were subsequently returned to MASwings a year later, citing commercial reasons. Qualitative characteristics Qualitative characteristics of accounting information refer to the characteristics that must be present in the accounting information to make it useful. These characteristics are divided into two categories; primary and secondary qualities. primary qualities The primary qualities of accounting information are relevant and reliability. a) Relevant In everyday terms, we might describe relevant as important or being related. In accounting, relevant is described as something that makes a difference in arriving at a decision. In other words, something is said to be relevant if it influences or affects the decision being made. The extent to which information is considered relevant depends on its importance in decision making and may differ between one decision maker to another. Information that is relevant to you might not be relevant to another person and vice versa. To become relevant, the information must have three characteristics, namely feedback value, forecast value and timeliness. (i) Feedback Value Relevant information must be able to assist users in substantiating or correcting early expectations matters at hand. (ii) Forecast Value Relevant information must be able to assist users in forecasting. (iii) Timeliness Relevant information must be obtained before it becomes obsolete or unusable. (b) Reliability Reliability means that users can rely or depend on the said information to make good decisions. This characteristic is important because users might not have the time or expertise to evaluate some information. Generally, users simply depend on the information presented by the related entity and assume it to be true. This information is then used in decision making. Reliability does not mean that the said information must be precise. This is because in accounting there are a lot of information that involves estimation and approximation that might not be precise. What is important is that the estimation and approximation made must be reliable. Reliable information must have the following characteristics: (i) Verifiable This means that the accounting information could be verified objectively by another person using the same method. (ii) Objective Objective in this case means that the information is not biased. Information contained in the financial statements must be able to fulfil the requirements of various users and not concentrating on certain groups only. (iii) Trustworthy Information presented is based on the actual result of economic activities using specified methods. secondary qualities. The secondary qualities are comparability and consistency. c) Comparability Comparability means that the information can be compared whether among companies, industries or different periods. This will enable users to identify the similarities or differences that might exist in the said information. This characteristic is important because information that can be compared is more useful. (d) Consistency Consistency means that an ent ity must use the same accounting procedures in every period. It is for the purpose of enabling comparison to be made more effectively. In other words, a company cannot change their accounting procedure every year. This does not mean that the company cannot change the accounting procedure at all. Changes can still be made, but the company must make complete disclosure in the financial statement to explain to the users why they are making the changes and the effect of the changes towards the financial statements. In summary, accounting information is only useful if it has relevant, reliability, comparability and consistency qualities. Statement Of Comprehensive Income Referring to the Annual reports for the year 2010 and 2011 it shows Air Asia gained a revenue of RM 4,495 Million for the year 2011 as compared to RM 3,948 Million for the year 2010. There was an increase of 547 Million, However, the net profit of the company after tax have shrunk down from RM 1,061 Million in 2010 to RM 555 Million Therefore, The company’s profit after tax have reduced by RM 506 Million. Malaysian Airlines gained revenue of RM 13,901 Million for the year 2011 as compared to RM 13,585 Million for the year 2010. There was an increase of 316 Million, However, company is facing a big loss after tax for the two years A loss of RM 237. 3 Million in 2010 to a loss of RM 2,521. Million in 2011 Therefore, with this information available the investors can see that Air Asia is having a good profit after tax but Malaysian airlines is in big loss after tax. Statement of Financial Position Total asset of Air Asia as on 2010 is RM 13,240 Million and got increased to RM 13,906 Million in 2011. Malaysian Airlines had a total asset of RM 613,639 Million in 2010 and increased to RM 815,468 Million. Statement Of Cash Flows One of the important point investor should look for when investing in a potential company is the company’s ability to produce cash. Just a pointer it is not necessary for a company that shows a profit in an income statement does not mean that it cannot get into problems later because of insufficient cash flow According to the Statement of Cash Flows in the annual report of Air Asia, The cash flow from operating activities is RM 1594 million in the year 2010 and RM 1404 Million in the year 2011 The cash flow from investing activities is RM 1868 Million in the year 2010 and RM 487 Million in the year 2011 The cash flow from financing activities is RM 1031 Million in the year 2010 and RM 300 Million in the year 2011 The net cash flow for the year 2010 is RM 757 million and RM 617 Million for the year 2011. According to the Statement of Cash Flows in the annual report of Malaysian Airlines, The cash flow from operating activities is RM 105. 5 million in the year 2010 and RM 960 Million in the year 2011 The cash flow from investing activities is RM 3362. 6 Million in the year 2010 and RM 1341. 6 Million in the year 2011 The cash flow from financing activities is RM 2922. 4 Million in the year 2010 and RM 1310. 4 Million in the year 2011 The net cash flow for the year 2010 is RM 1851 million and RM 860 Million for the year 2011. Statement of Changes in Equity The statement of changes in equity represents a company profit or loss for an accounting period. The items of income and expense which is recorded in the Statement of Comprehensive Income for the period, the effects of changes in accounting policies and corrections of error recognised in the period, and the amounts of investments by, and dividends and other distributions to, equity investors during the period. (didn’t find much info) ASSESSMENT OF INFORMATION RELEVANCE Information relevance refers to the feedback value, forecast value and timelines. If the net income and its components confirm investor expectations about future cash-generating ability, then the net income has feedback value for investors. This confirmation can also be useful in predicting future cash-generating ability as expectations are revised. For information to be relevant, it needs to be predictable. By looking at the data, forecast can be made whether income will be acquired. The last characteristic is timelines. To be relevant, the data should be up to date not outdated. The annual report of both Air Asia And Malaysian Airlines is available in their official website. There, they have an archive that lets you download the annual report according to year.. ASSESSMENT OF INFORMATION RELIABILITY Sometimes, the information given by the organization is the only data that the user depends on. This could be because of lack of knowledge to assess the information and lack of time to do so. In this case, the user must make sure the information given can be relied upon. To assess reliability, we have to think about three matters which are verifiable, objective and trustworthy. Verifiable means that the information can be validated by someone else. Both Air Asia and Malaysian Airlines annual report can be downloaded by everyone who owns a laptop or desktop. That means that the information can be verified by everyone else. From the 2009 annual income to the the 2010 net profit, it can be checked by everyone else. It is important to get someone who knows what to look for to validate the information for you. Without their validation, decision making can be hard to do. Make a conclusion that air asia is having a good profit but Malaysian airlines is going with heavy loss So its safe to invest with air asia than with Malaysian airlines How to cite Malaysian Airlines vs Air Asia, Papers

Emerging Issues In Hospitality And Tourism - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Emerging Issues In Hospitality And Tourism. Answer: Introduction It can be said that the issue of attracting and employing workers who are qualified in the tourism and hospitality sector is a major issue which has been existing for a long time. The problem of not being able to hire and employ qualified professions in the tourism sector can be considered to be a global challenge (Yu Byun and Lee 2014). It is to be mentioned that the factors contributing to the aforementioned problem are low wage levels, failure to satisfy the workers, failure to fulfill the needs and demands of the workers, long work hours and low pay. It can be said that innovative and effective strategies are being developed and implemented by creative professional workers to employ more skilled workers in the tourism industry (Baum, T. ed., 2016). It can be said that the tourism industry of Australia has been experiencing an acute shortage of skilled labor. It has become very difficult to find the employees who fit in with the culture of the tourism industry. It can be noted tha t the Australias tourism and hospitality industry is facing a boom and due to the same an additional requirement of 123000 workers in the aforementioned sector has been created. It can be sated that the Australian Government has come up with a guide to develop innovative plans for employment in the tourism industry. The shortage of skilled labor in the chosen sector can be also linked to the reason that overseas staff is not employed. It can be said that the imbalance lies between the labor demand and supply in Australia especially in the Tourism and Hospitality sector. It can be mentioned that motivating employees and giving them adequate training can help the tourism and hospitality industry to retain the skilled labor. Critical Analysis The reason it is difficult to find skilled and effective workforce in the aforementioned industry can be attributed to many reasons. According to Shani et al.(2014), demographics is one of the key factors for employment of skilled workforce in the tourism sector. It can be noted that population growth has been significantly slowing down in Europe, Australia and the United States of America. Therefore due to the decline in the growth rate of the population in the aforementioned places the workforce leaving the Travel and Tourism sector has been significantly higher in the past few decades. The number of employees leaving the sector is now higher that the number entering in the sector. It is due to this reason that the workforce is declining rapidly. On the other hand Lopes (2016), opined that another important factor is the retirement of the ageing workforce whose places are remaining vacant. According to Casado-Daz and Simn (2016), lagging wage rates of the tourism industry is an imp ortant factor responsible declining work force in the chosen sector. It is to be mentioned that the low wage rates is another important factor which is responsible for the inadequate recruitment of workforce in the aforementioned sector. The issue of low wage rate has always been existing in the aforementioned sector. The salary scale in this sector is comparative lower than other industries. It is because of this reason that the Travel and Tourism industry is facing difficulty in retaining the employees already employed. However on the contrary as opined by Liu and Pennington-Gray (2015) it can be said that the tourism and hospitality industry lacks the skilled workforce for not being able to earn a reputation in the market. The Hospitality industry has not earned enough reputation to attract promising candidates or college graduates. Due to the long work hours and low pay scale those who are working in the chosen sector are seeking employment in other sectors and switching careers to improve their living standards. Recommendations to solve the issue of labor and skill shortage It can be said that emphasizing more on the training of the employees employed in the sector will help them achieve more and also will create satisfaction (Jones et al. 2016). After the unfortunate terrorist attacks on 9/11 many hotels failed to organize effective training programs to enhance worker enrichment which used to happen in the 1980s. If the effective training can be provided to the staff it will not only be beneficial for the employees who receive such training but will also be beneficial to the entire tourism and Hospitality industry. It can be said that the tourism industries of all the countries need to work together in order to develop effective strategies for creating a lucrative image of the sector which is essential for attracting skilled and efficient workforce. It is to be stated that the best practices available in the market are to be put into use while developing employment training and retention programs. There are several industrial organizations which aim to provide training programs. In addition to the industrial organization independent firms are to be contacted which specialize in providing human resource training. The leading hotel companies need to develop internal training programs to create attractive career opportunities which are expected to attract the attention of the potential candidates (Knani 2014). It is important to provide potential candidates with the scope of growth and advancement within the sector as that is what is expected to attract their attention. It is to be said that the recruiters need to outline a career path to the employees hired. The recruiters should also set examples of the managers who joined the sector in entry level position and worked their way up the corporate ladder (Ladkin and Kichuk 2017). The best example of this practice of internal growth and advancement of employees is exhibited by Marriot. Hiring guest workers can also be expected to help overcome the aforementioned issue. It is to be said that many nations of the world provide guest worker programs. However, these programs are seasonal which means that the workers are provided seasonal employment in the tourism sector (Kim, Choi and Li 2016). The United States of America among all other nations brings guest workers from different nations to work in the tourism and hospitality sector under U.SH-2B visa (Terry 2016). This example can be followed by other nations as well to fill the gaps in the workforce. This practice will also create employment opportunities for others. Providing paid internships can also attract college graduates from all over the world. It can be stated that the sector of Hospitality is a sector which intensely labor intensive. Opportunities of automation are also quite limited and restricted in the chosen sector. Therefore providing incentives for increased productivity and configuring the work process are expected to benefit the tourism and hospitality sector. The managers of hotels should provide additional incentives to the employees if they succeed to meet their targets as set by the management. However for providing additional incentives strict guidelines are required to be met while fulfilling the targets. It can be said that due to low wage rates many employees quit change their career paths and deviate from the hospitality and tourism industry. Therefore providing additional incentives for meeting targets will motivate them to work harder and stay satisfied with the remuneration received by them. This can be beneficial to both the employees as well as the industry. Cross-utilization and Cross training of employees is also important to fill the void in the workforce. Cross training of employees can help employees master their skills which are required for a variety of positions so that they can be shifted to different positions as per the requirement of the job. Reference Baum, T. ed., 2016.Human resource issues in international tourism. Elsevier. Casado-Daz, J.M. and Simn, H., 2016. Wage differences in the hospitality sector.Tourism Management,52, pp.96-109. Jones, P., Jones, P., Hillier, D., Hillier, D., Comfort, D. and Comfort, D., 2016. Sustainability in the hospitality industry: some personal reflections on corporate challenges and research agendas.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,28(1), pp.36-67. Kim, W.G., Choi, H.M. and Li, J.J., 2016. Antecedents and outcomes of migrant workers sociocultural adjustment in the hospitality industry.International Journal of Hospitality Management,58, pp.1-12. Knani, M., 2014. Ethics in the hospitality industry: Review and research agenda.International Journal of Business and Management,9(3), p.1. Ladkin, A. and Kichuk, A., 2017. Career Progression in Hospitality and Tourism Settings. Liu, B. and Pennington-Gray, L., 2015. Bed bugs bite the hospitality industry? A framing analysis of bed bug news coverage.Tourism Management,48, pp.33-42. Lopes, M., 2016.The hospitality industry(Doctoral dissertation). Shani, A., Uriely, N., Reichel, A. and Ginsburg, L., 2014. Emotional labor in the hospitality industry: The influence of contextual factors.International Journal of Hospitality Management,37, pp.150-158. Terry, W.C., 2016. Solving seasonality in tourism? Labour shortages and guest worker programmes in the USA.Area,48(1), pp.111-118. Yu, Y., Byun, W.H. and Lee, T.J., 2014. Critical issues of globalisation in the international hotel industry.Current Issues in Tourism,17(2), pp.114-118.

What Dedication Is to Me free essay sample

Pondering the meaning of any word can be a struggle, as everyone has their own views of what the word really means; it is all perception. Dedication is one of the words that has many different meanings. To some, dedication is waking up every day and getting to work on time. Now, one may think that is a simple task. But maybe that person was the kind of guy who could never hold a job because he forgot to show up to work. Being on time may be his dedication. To me, dedication is much more. The word dedication and persistence go hand in hand. When I wake up every day, hungry to be the best I can, that is not enough. Dedication to me is the countless hours of work I put into myself, because when hockey and baseball season come around every year, I am always ready to be better than I was last time. We will write a custom essay sample on What Dedication Is to Me or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Dedication is a part of who I am, and I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon. The dictionary definition, â€Å"the quality of being dedicated or committed to a task or purpose,† serves me no good (Webster.) By the dictionary definition, someone who commits to anything is dedicated. Maybe this is true, but dedication to me is committing to the betterment of myself. Simply put, dedication is not easy. To me, it is waking up at 4:30 am early every day in the summer. From there, I make it over to the gym to be the first one there so that all of the equipment is open and ready to use. I may spend an hour in there, or maybe I will spend three. Whatever the case, I am home by 9 am. Many would be ready to hit the sheets again, and sleep for another few hours, but what good does that do? None, because then it is time to go to the hitting cages to get some swings in – after all, practice makes perfect. The time I spend at the cages could range from two hours to four hours, so by this time it is the afternoon. On some days, I go to the ice rink and work on my skills there. Others, I take some time to rest my body. Nonetheless, it is not easy, but it is how I love to spend my summer. Sometimes dedication is overlooked. A lot of times, no one knows what I do and when I put in work. Sure, they may see that I have gotten better, but they do not know the blood, sweat, and tears that I have put into it all. Better yet, people overlook my academic abilities. While school comes easy to some, being in two sports makes it tough to have time for schoolwork.I try to not let it stop me, though. If I ever find myself slacking off in a class, I make sure to do everything in my power to bring up my grade, whether it be studying until 1 am, or going into school early to seek help prior to a test.Currently, I am working on achieving a GPA of 3.7, and will not stop working until I do. Thomas Edison once said, (â€Å"Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.†) Be it school work, or work on myself for sports, the word genius is replaceable. This quote brings me back a ways, as I first heard it from my uncle. When I first heard this quote, it struck me profoundly like a plunge in an icy lake. My uncle is a very hardworking man, and has been all his life. He is no superstar, and to some people merely an average man, but to me he is much more. My uncle has not missed a day of work in 7 years. He goes in every day and gives it his best shot, even when he may not be right. He is a successful man, a family man, and I’m proud to call him my uncle. When I asked him how he was able to be such a success, for I used to think money was the definition of success, he answered me this, â€Å"It is not always about what you know now. It is not always about what you can do now. It is about working so hard that you become the best at those t hings you never once could do, or know those things you didn’t know like the back of your hand.† That, like the quote from Edison he later told me, has stayed with me all my life.Dedication is pushing through when you want so badly to give up.When running the marathon, at one point the only thing I had on my mind was giving up.It seemed to be just a matter of when I was going to give up, but I pushed through and finished the race. Dedication is not simply committing to it until you get where your goal is. Rather, it is realizing you hit that goal, only to set the next goal, and keep working for that. To some people, dedication is waking up in the morning and being on time to work. To me, dedication is putting everything I have into myself. Be it school, work, or sports, I make sure to wake up every day knowing I am better today than I was yesterday. Dedication is believing in yourself every single day, and waking up better than the last day. That is dedication. Works Cited â€Å"Dedication.† Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 9 Nov. 2017. â€Å"Quotes about Dedication.† GoodReads. What Dedication Is to Me free essay sample Pondering the meaning of any word can be a struggle, as everyone has their own views of what the word really means; it is all perception. Dedication is one of the words that has many different meanings. To some, dedication is waking up every day and getting to work on time. Now, one may think that is a simple task. But maybe that person was the kind of guy who could never hold a job because he forgot to show up to work. Being on time may be his dedication. To me, dedication is much more. The word dedication and persistence go hand in hand. When I wake up every day, hungry to be the best I can, that is not enough. Dedication to me is the countless hours of work I put into myself, because when hockey and baseball season come around every year, I am always ready to be better than I was last time. We will write a custom essay sample on What Dedication Is to Me or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Dedication is a part of who I am, and I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon. The dictionary definition, â€Å"the quality of being dedicated or committed to a task or purpose,† serves me no good (Webster.) By the dictionary definition, someone who commits to anything is dedicated. Maybe this is true, but dedication to me is committing to the betterment of myself. Simply put, dedication is not easy. To me, it is waking up at 4:30 am early every day in the summer. From there, I make it over to the gym to be the first one there so that all of the equipment is open and ready to use. I may spend an hour in there, or maybe I will spend three. Whatever the case, I am home by 9 am. Many would be ready to hit the sheets again, and sleep for another few hours, but what good does that do? None, because then it is time to go to the hitting cages to get some swings in – after all, practice makes perfect. The time I spend at the cages could range from two hours to four hours, so by this time it is the afternoon. On some days, I go to the ice rink and work on my skills there. Others, I take some time to rest my body. Nonetheless, it is not easy, but it is how I love to spend my summer. Sometimes dedication is overlooked. A lot of times, no one knows what I do and when I put in work. Sure, they may see that I have gotten better, but they do not know the blood, sweat, and tears that I have put into it all. Better yet, people overlook my academic abilities. While school comes easy to some, being in two sports makes it tough to have time for schoolwork.I try to not let it stop me, though. If I ever find myself slacking off in a class, I make sure to do everything in my power to bring up my grade, whether it be studying until 1 am, or going into school early to seek help prior to a test.Currently, I am working on achieving a GPA of 3.7, and will not stop working until I do. Thomas Edison once said, (â€Å"Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.†) Be it school work, or work on myself for sports, the word genius is replaceable. This quote brings me back a ways, as I first heard it from my uncle. When I first heard this quote, it struck me profoundly like a plunge in an icy lake. My uncle is a very hardworking man, and has been all his life. He is no superstar, and to some people merely an average man, but to me he is much more. My uncle has not missed a day of work in 7 years. He goes in every day and gives it his best shot, even when he may not be right. He is a successful man, a family man, and I’m proud to call him my uncle. When I asked him how he was able to be such a success, for I used to think money was the definition of success, he answered me this, â€Å"It is not always about what you know now. It is not always about what you can do now. It is about working so hard that you become the best at those t hings you never once could do, or know those things you didn’t know like the back of your hand.† That, like the quote from Edison he later told me, has stayed with me all my life.Dedication is pushing through when you want so badly to give up.When running the marathon, at one point the only thing I had on my mind was giving up.It seemed to be just a matter of when I was going to give up, but I pushed through and finished the race. Dedication is not simply committing to it until you get where your goal is. Rather, it is realizing you hit that goal, only to set the next goal, and keep working for that. To some people, dedication is waking up in the morning and being on time to work. To me, dedication is putting everything I have into myself. Be it school, work, or sports, I make sure to wake up every day knowing I am better today than I was yesterday. Dedication is believing in yourself every single day, and waking up better than the last day. That is dedication. Works Cited â€Å"Dedication.† Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 9 Nov. 2017. â€Å"Quotes about Dedication.† GoodReads. What Dedication Is to Me free essay sample Pondering the meaning of any word can be a struggle, as everyone has their own views of what the word really means; it is all perception. Dedication is one of the words that has many different meanings. To some, dedication is waking up every day and getting to work on time. Now, one may think that is a simple task. But maybe that person was the kind of guy who could never hold a job because he forgot to show up to work. Being on time may be his dedication. To me, dedication is much more. The word dedication and persistence go hand in hand. When I wake up every day, hungry to be the best I can, that is not enough. Dedication to me is the countless hours of work I put into myself, because when hockey and baseball season come around every year, I am always ready to be better than I was last time. We will write a custom essay sample on What Dedication Is to Me or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Dedication is a part of who I am, and I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon. The dictionary definition, â€Å"the quality of being dedicated or committed to a task or purpose,† serves me no good (Webster.) By the dictionary definition, someone who commits to anything is dedicated. Maybe this is true, but dedication to me is committing to the betterment of myself. Simply put, dedication is not easy. To me, it is waking up at 4:30 am early every day in the summer. From there, I make it over to the gym to be the first one there so that all of the equipment is open and ready to use. I may spend an hour in there, or maybe I will spend three. Whatever the case, I am home by 9 am. Many would be ready to hit the sheets again, and sleep for another few hours, but what good does that do? None, because then it is time to go to the hitting cages to get some swings in – after all, practice makes perfect. The time I spend at the cages could range from two hours to four hours, so by this time it is the afternoon. On some days, I go to the ice rink and work on my skills there. Others, I take some time to rest my body. Nonetheless, it is not easy, but it is how I love to spend my summer. Sometimes dedication is overlooked. A lot of times, no one knows what I do and when I put in work. Sure, they may see that I have gotten better, but they do not know the blood, sweat, and tears that I have put into it all. Better yet, people overlook my academic abilities. While school comes easy to some, being in two sports makes it tough to have time for schoolwork.I try to not let it stop me, though. If I ever find myself slacking off in a class, I make sure to do everything in my power to bring up my grade, whether it be studying until 1 am, or going into school early to seek help prior to a test.Currently, I am working on achieving a GPA of 3.7, and will not stop working until I do. Thomas Edison once said, (â€Å"Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.†) Be it school work, or work on myself for sports, the word genius is replaceable. This quote brings me back a ways, as I first heard it from my uncle. When I first heard this quote, it struck me profoundly like a plunge in an icy lake. My uncle is a very hardworking man, and has been all his life. He is no superstar, and to some people merely an average man, but to me he is much more. My uncle has not missed a day of work in 7 years. He goes in every day and gives it his best shot, even when he may not be right. He is a successful man, a family man, and I’m proud to call him my uncle. When I asked him how he was able to be such a success, for I used to think money was the definition of success, he answered me this, â€Å"It is not always about what you know now. It is not always about what you can do now. It is about working so hard that you become the best at those t hings you never once could do, or know those things you didn’t know like the back of your hand.† That, like the quote from Edison he later told me, has stayed with me all my life.Dedication is pushing through when you want so badly to give up.When running the marathon, at one point the only thing I had on my mind was giving up.It seemed to be just a matter of when I was going to give up, but I pushed through and finished the race. Dedication is not simply committing to it until you get where your goal is. Rather, it is realizing you hit that goal, only to set the next goal, and keep working for that. To some people, dedication is waking up in the morning and being on time to work. To me, dedication is putting everything I have into myself. Be it school, work, or sports, I make sure to wake up every day knowing I am better today than I was yesterday. Dedication is believing in yourself every single day, and waking up better than the last day. That is dedication. Works Cited â€Å"Dedication.† Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 9 Nov. 2017. â€Å"Quotes about Dedication.† GoodReads.

Antony And Cleopatra Essays - Cultural Depictions Of Cleopatra

Antony And Cleopatra Essays - Cultural Depictions Of Cleopatra Antony and Cleopatra In Shakespeare's tragedy/history/Roman play Antony and Cleopatra, we are told the story of two passionate and power-hungry lovers. In the first two Acts of the play we are introduced to some of the problems and dilemmas facing the couple (such as the fact that they are entwined in an adulterous relationship, and that both of them are forced to show their devotion to Caesar). Along with being introduced to Antony and Cleopatra's strange love affair, we are introduced to some interesting secondary characters. One of these characters is Enobarbus. Enobarbus is a high-ranking soldier in Antony's army who it seems is very close to his commander. We know this by the way Enobarbus is permitted to speak freely (at least in private) with Antony, and often is used as a person to whom Antony confides in. We see Antony confiding in Enobarbus in Act I, Scene ii, as Antony explains how Cleopatra is "cunning past man's thought" (I.ii.146). In reply to this Enobarbus speaks very freely of his view of Cleopatra, even if what he says is very positive: ...her passions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love. We cannot call her winds and waters sighs and tears; they are greater storms and tempests than almanacs can report. This cannot be cunning in her; if it be she makes a shower of rain as well as Jove. (I, ii, 147-152) After Antony reveals that he has just heard news of his wife's death, we are once again offered an example of Enobarbus' freedom to speak his mind, in that he tells Antony to "give the gods a thankful sacrifice" (I.ii.162), essentially saying that Fulvia's death is a good thing. Obviously, someone would never say something like this unless they were in very close company. While acting as a friend and promoter of Antony, Enobarbus lets the audience in on some of the myth and legend surrounding Cleopatra. Probably his biggest role in the play is to exaggerate Anthony and Cleopatra's relationship. Which he does so well in the following statements: When she first met Mark Antony, she pursed up his heart, upon the river of Cydnus. (II.ii.188-189) The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne, Burned on the water: the poop was beaten gold; Purple the sails, and so perfumed that The winds were lovesick with them; the oars were silver, (II.ii.193-197) And, for his ordinary, pays his heart For what his eyes eat only. (II.ii.227-228) Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety.... (II.ii.237-238) In these passages, Enobarbus turns Antony's and Cleopatra's meeting into a fairy tale and leads the audience into believing the two are inseparable. His speeches in Act II are absolutely vital to the play in that this is what Shakespeare wants the audience to view Antony and Cleopatra. Also, in these passages, Cleopatra is described as irresistible and beautiful beyond belief another view that is necessary for us to believe in order to buy the fact that a man with so much to lose would be willing to risk it all in order to win her love. Quite possibly, these passages may hint that Enobarbus is himself in love with Cleopatra. After all, it would be hard to come up with such flowery language if a person were not inspired. Enobarbus may be lamenting his own passions vicariously through the eyes of Antony. This would be convenient in questioning Enobarbus' loyalty, which becomes very important later on in the play (considering he kills himself over grief from fearing he betrayed his leader). The loyalty of Enobarbus is indeed questionable. Even though we never hear him utter a single disparaging remark against Antony, he does admit to Menas that he "will praise any man that will praise me" (II.iii.88), suggesting that his honor and loyalty may just be simple brown-nosing. Shakespeare probably fashioned Enobarbus as a means of relaying information to the audience that would otherwise be difficult or awkward to bring forth from other characters (such as Cleopatra's beauty and the story of her betrayal of Caesar), but he also uses him as way to inject some levity and humor in the play, showing the characters eagerness to have a good time. Evidence of this comes in Enobarbus' affinity for drunkenness. In both Act I and Act

Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Entrepreneurship - Essay Example Palmer is found to treat the people recruited as general partners who would help him to manage the funds. In case he would have treated his partners as limited, the entire burden of fund management had fallen on him. Thus, he can be taken as an example of a true entrepreneur in promoting a good teamwork. The case study of Maclean Palmer can be regarded as an ideal model for business entrepreneurship in the Venture Capital market. Maclean Palmer by dearth in the field of private equity investment is found successful in identifying a business opportunity and working out a plan to explore the opportunity cited. His decision to design the 200 million US Dollars on Equity Investment came from his interest to work on the area of minority business development. To this end, Palmer is seen to invite suggestions from Wanda Felton of Credit Suisse First and David Mazza of Grove Street Advisors to gain business expertise. Palmer considers the combination of expertise of the scholar minds with his rich experience of the equity market as a successful option in business entrepreneurship. It is seen that most of the minority business managers recruited were from business schools like Wharton and Harvard. Moreover, with the recommendation of Felton senior business executives were also taken in. Felt on in this context observes the marriage of the young and scholar minds with experienced people will certainly pave the way to business success. Palmer is found to give more importance on his people rather than on the experience and qualification parameters. He is observed to give considerable stress to form an environment of spontaneous teamwork. In regards to the opportunity cited by Maclean Palmer, David Mazza of Grove Street Advisors states that the decision to move into non-traditional investment sources was a profitable business decision taken by Maclean Palmer. It is because as Mazza

Dangers of drunk driving Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Dangers of drunk driving - Research Paper Example With the help of two informative articles, statistics and information on this very topic have been provided and discussed well within the confines of this paper in order for the reader to be able to gauge a better insight into the harmful effects that are caused by drunken driving. In the United States of America, the leading cause of deaths for people under the age of 24 has been branded as motor vehicle wrecks due to drinking and driving. It has been estimated that one American life is lost every 20 minutes due to a drunk driver on the road, or even drinking and driving. (Gieck, D, Joseph, and David M Slagle ) The main thing that most traffic policemen check is the blood alcohol concentration of a driver on the road. If this turns out to be about 0.10 or more, then the driver is seven times more likely to be involved in a car accident than a driver who is completely sober at the time of driving. Most college students and young adults form the population that undergoes these traffic related fatalities with respect to heavy episodes of drinking. Thus, the concept of a free ride was started in a number of states within the United States. The main aim of the free ride was to provide intoxicated drivers with a cheap mode of transportation so that they are able to reach home safely along with mitigating the chance of harming anyone else on the road. (Gieck, D, Joseph, and David M Slagle ) It is important for such programs to be effective all over and not just in parts of the world because according to harm theory, it has been suggested that most accidents due to the effects of alcohol happen due to secondary measures. This means that most people under the influence of alcohol cause harm on activities that they carry out rather than harming themselves directly. It is very important for people to be able to judge the level of alcohol that they have consumed before riding their vehicles on the

Analysis of Personnel Management and HRM Perspectives

Analysis of Personnel Management and HRM Perspectives INTRODUCTION The report has two sections; the first will focus on critically analysing the principals of Personnel Management (PM) and Human Resource Management (HRM) and the similarities and differences between them. Furthermore, John Storeys (1992), Guests (1987), Beer and Spectors (1985) points of difference will be provided and adapted to a Subway franchise. Finally, the appropriate recommendations on how the company could improve its HR procedures. The second will focus on context of Subway Franchisor Corporation which is currently the leading fast food company in the US, winning numerous awards since it was founded in 1965 by a 17 year old Fred DeLuca. It provides nutritious menu choices, flexible food options on its gourmet breads, sauces and toppings. The company also specialises in wraps, tortillas and salads as well as a variety of drinks. According to Subways official website (subway.co.uk), their mission is to supply good quality food and service, and also provide the tools and knowledge to entrepreneurs to gain competitive advantage over other fast food companies. It is important to understand Subways role as a franchisor. This report is not based on an analysis of the Subway Corporation, the franchisor, but rather on an individual Subway franchisee. 1 Personnel Management The history of PM began around the end of the 19th Century; a concept closely connected to the contradiction in relations between companies and their employees. It is believed that PM evolved through phases: Welfarist (until 1920s) Characterised by an emphasis on the provision of welfare facilities and efforts made to create the ideal factory (Cumming, 1993, pp.4-5). Personnel Administration (1930s) In the form of recruitment, basic training and record keeping (Armstrong, 1996, p.32). Development (1950s) Management of employee relations becomes the critical contingency factor of PM due to the rise in TU membership and collective bargaining. A wider range of personnel services were provided (Armstrong, 1996). A broad definition of PM is a function concerned with putting in place, the processes and procedures to make sure the organisation has the right staff at the right time so it can operate at a very basic level. Similarly, Cole (2002) describes PM as the function of management that has to deal with the recruitment, employment, training, redeployment, safety and departure of employees. 1.1 Functions of Personnel Management PM tries to maintain fair terms and conditions of employment, whilst efficiently managing day-to-day, personnel activities at the operational level. Heavily based on administrative tasks; It involves hiring and developing employees so that they become more valuable to the organisation. More specifically, the functions of PM are identified by Armstrong (1996) in Appendix 1. In broader terms, the functions include:- Conducting job analysis, recruiting and selecting and handling promotion internally. Training based on legal requirements of Health and Safety procedures, risk assessment. Remuneration: making sure the correct wage/salary is paid at the right time (Cole, 2002). Providing benefits and incentives. Appraising performance, resolving disputes in the form of grievance and discipline. Monitoring absences and sickness using techniques such as the Bradford Factor (identifies the number and patterns of absences). Redundancy: administration of and dismissal procedures (Cole, 2002, p.26) 1.2 Advantages and Disadvantages of Personnel Management Identifying people as the central function of an organisation which need controlling and allocated effectively (Bach, 2005), is the key advantage of PM as it is essential to the survival of the organisation. As previously mentioned, personnel managers can identify staffing gaps and assign the right number and type of people the organisation needs, (Armstrong, 1996, p.28). Furthermore, it is a very methodical. There are clear ideas of what has to be done in certain situations implying that there is transparency and consistency in the way individuals are treated. The advantages of PM may however also have negative implications. For example, Maslow (cited in Strage, 1992) identifies that individuals are different with different needs. The model is inflexible and standardised, dealing with each employee and every organisation in a certain way. This may not be appropriate for all employees or organisations. PM has often been described as routine and very process driven. This may be ideal for large organisations however not for smaller firms. The process is costly and time consuming to manage effectively. Finally, the culture and individual values of the workers are not considered, along with the adversarial relationship (the wanting of different things) between workers and management. 2 Shift from Personnel to HRM In the 20th Century there was a broad discussion whether or not HRM represents a fundamental change in people management or it just a phase of PM (Beardwell and Claydon, 2004). Some theorists emphasised a transformational shift from PM to HRM (Spector, 1985). Tyson and York (1993) believed that people are a businesss most important resource and that the achievement of organisational goals depends mostly on this. At the same time others believed that HRM was just a next step in PM development caused by historical and environmental factors (Bach and Sisson, 2000). It was stated that in PM, employees are seen as a variable cost, while HRM shows that they are a variable asset to the organisation. However, some theorists argued that change in name didnt bring a change in reality, therefore HRM was described as an old wine in new bottles (Armstrong, 1987) and as a wolf in sheeps clothing (Keenoy, 1990). Theorists tried to answer these questions by identifying similarities and differences between two approaches of people management. Legge (1995) identifies following similarities:- Both emphasise the importance of integration. Both linked employee development with the achievement of organisational goals. Both sought to ensure that the right people were in the right job. Both gave the responsibility of people management to line managers. 2.1 Beardwell and Claydon Model (2007) In contrast, Beer and Spector (1985), Guest (1987) and Storey (1992) compared the models and identified several points of difference which are summarised in a single model developed by Beardwell and Claydon, (2007, p.13). It examines differences between them in 5 perspectives seen in Appendix 2. 2.2 John Storeys Model (1992) Another model, underlying the previous one was made by John Storey, who identified 27 differences between PM and HRM. These points are grouped into four categories: beliefs and assumptions, strategic aspects, line management and key levers (Appendix 3). 2.2.1 Advantages Clearly identifies the differences between the two. Shows consideration to organisational culture, strategies, leadership. Identifies a two dimensional map: interventionary/non-interventionary and strategic/tactical (Armstrong, 1996, p.62) 2.2.2 Limitations Companies often combine both approaches and therefore cannot be characterised under just one. Organisations beliefs and assumptions as these are often invisible and non-tangible (Beardwell and Claydon, 2007). 3 Human Resource Management HRM presents a variety of different styles and models. Storey (1989) identifies its two types: hard and soft. Later, Michigan Business School (MBS) and Harvard University developed two different basic models, which have been very influential in the interpretation of HRM (Beardwell and Claydon, 2007): Matching model associated with a hard approach and Harvard model, in connection with soft. These two particular models underline the two main concepts: Matching model became a basis of best-fit school of Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM), whilst Harvard models ideas contributed to best-practice approach. These will be discussed further. 3.1 Soft/Hard approach to HRM The hard approach stresses the importance of close integration of HR policies, and activities and systems of business strategy. Also, the emphasis is placed on cost-reduction strategies (Schuler and Jackson, 1987). Furthermore, it detects the strong from the weak i.e. those whose attributes and skills help the company to achieve strong strategic positioning and competitive advantage. The soft approach recognises employees as valued assets to attain competitive advantage through their commitment, high quality, adaptability, performance and their skill set. Employees are proactive through collaborations and participation. Soft and hard approaches are very contrasting especially when implementing a single approach. Soft and hard approaches show an obvious gap between what would be characterised as rhetoric and reality. 3.2 Matching Model The model is developed by MBS (Fombrun et al.,1984). It shows an interconnection between different environmental forces (political, economical, cultural), business structure and strategy and HR policies and practices. It emphasise a close relationship between the last two (Appendix 4). The model is associated with a hard version of HRM that is characterised by using HR in order to meet business objectives. Two basic assumptions form a model (Beardwell and Claydon, 2007): Effective way of people management is not universal: it depends on the particular organisation. Employees should follow the same business views as managers and the owners in order to maximise organisational performance. 3.2.1 Advantages Takes into account the influence of external factors on an organisation and its HR polices. Emphasises tight fit between HR and business strategy that leads to competitive advantage (Beardwell and Claydon, 2007, p.7). 3.2.2 Disadvantages Business level strategy and HR strategy could not be linear (Bratton and Gold, 2001). Fails to generate employee commitment (Purcell, 1995, cited in Storey). Excessive fit could be a disadvantageous to achieving goals (Boxall, 1996). 3.3 The Best-Fit Model Best-fit model belongs to contingency school of SHRM that explores the link between stages of organisational development, strategy, HRM policies and practices (Boxall and Purcell, 2000). There are several best-fit models: life-cycle model (Kochan and Barocci, 1985), competitive advantage models (Schuler and Jackson, 1987 and Miles and Snow, 1984) and configurational perspective (Marchington and Wilkinson, 2002; Delery and Doty, 1996). 3.3.1 Life-Cycle Model The model matches HR policies and practises with the stage of organisational life-cycle (Appendix 5). In the start-up phase, HR polices should be flexible and attract talented and skilled employees. The growth stage should have more formal HR procedures, efficient management and organisational development. The maturity stage is characterised by cost control, HR strategy and, finally, in the decline stage, the company shifts to rationalisation with a reduction of workforce and redundancy implications (Kochan and Barocci, 1985). 3.3.2 Competitive Advantage Model The model links HR systems and organisational strategy. Porter (1980) argued that firms could follow only three generic strategies: cost leadership, differentiation or focus strategy. Schuler and Jackson (1987) matches these with a firms HRM polices (Appendix 6). The emphasis shifts from long-term focus, coordination and broad career path under the innovation strategy to fixed job descriptions, immediate focus and continuous training under quality enhancement and to short-term focus and minimal level of training under the cost reduction strategy (Schuler and Jackson, 1987). Miles and Snow (1978) classify companies into four distinct strategic groups (defenders, prospectors, analyzers and reactors) and base their response to three major problems: entrepreneurial, engineering, and administrative. Their competitive advantage framework (Miles and Snow, 1984) links three of these strategies with firms HR practices (Appendix 7). Application of their model to the organisation increases busi ness performance. 3.3.3 Configurational Model Contingency school was criticised for its lack of sophistication, because of its attempt to relate only to one variable. Configurational model is a more complicated approach that focuses on multiple independent variables that effect HRM strategy. This approach represents non-linear synergistic effects and higher order interaction to maximise performance of the company (Delery and Doty, 1996, p.808). The model emphasises internal congruence with organisational systems such as management style, finance and culture (Paauwe, 2004) as well as their vertical integration with strategic configuration (Marchington and Wilkinson, 2002). 3.3.4 Advantages of Best-fit model Analyses the influence of external environmental factors on organisation and its HR practises. Emphasises congruence and coordination between internal HR practises (Delery and Doty, 1996). Matches HR system with strategic management processes (Schuler and Jackson, 1999). 3.3.5 Disadvantages of the Best-fit model Ignores unique characteristics of individual businesses that could be the main source of competitive advantage (Beardwell and Claydon, 2004, pp.48-49). Ignores employee interests. Simplicity of classical approach in describing competitive strategies. Lacks sufficient attention to dynamics (Boxall, Purcell, 2000, p.187). 3.4 Harvard Model The soft approach Harvard model described by Beer et al. (1984) provides one of the first major statements on how managers should practise SHRM (Appendix 8). The analytical framework consists of six basic components: situational factors, stakeholders interest, HRM policy choices, HR outcomes, long term consequences and a feedback loop through which outputs flow directly into the organisation and to the stakeholders. It is associated with the goals of flexibility and adaptability and implies that communication plays a central role in management (Storey and Sisson, 1993). 3.4.1 Advantages Recognises and incorporates a range of stakeholder interests (Armstrong, 2003) Recognises the importance of trade-offs. Widens the context of HRM to include employee influence, the organisation of work and the associated questions of supervisory style (Armstrong, 2003). 3.4.2 Disadvantages Fails to show corporate or business strategy as key determinant of HRM strategies and polices (Tyson, 2006). This model does not explain SHRM functions in a detailed way (Loosemore, Dainty and Lingard, 2003). 3.5 Best Practice: High Commitment Models These models are tools which are used to enhance companys overall performance in improving employee spirits, behaviours, lowering labour turnover and absenteeism. The aim is to improve productivity, encourage high levels of expertise, and enhance quality and efficiency (Claydon et al. 2004). There are two approaches: the best practice SHRM and universalism. The best practice according to Guest (1989) has four objectives: strategic integration, commitment, flexibility, and quality. These objectives mentioned are required to achieve:- High job performance, Good problem solving among employees, Flexibility Lower employee turnover Another model is Pfeffers (1994): 16 HR practices for competitive advantage through people, later changed to seven practices for building income by putting people first (Appendix 9). This type of model signifies that HR enables organisations to adapt and innovate to gain a competitive advantage. With the universal approach, the concern is with how close organisations can get to the ideal of practices, (Claydon et al. 2004) the assumption being that the closer a company gets, the better the company performs. Other best practice models vary depending on the relationship of organisational performance. This can be seen in Appendix 10. Limitations of best practice models are: difficulty in determining whether or not the HRM practices lead to enhanced organisational performance or whether it is the current financial position which leads to increases in performance. It is also very difficult to determine how organisations with tight financial control operate within highly competitive markets and how they can invest in some of the HR practices advocated in the best practice models (Storey, 1995). Other limitations include: improved performance through efficiency and its tight financial control could be associated with the hard HR policies as mentioned in Storeys 27 points of differences. According to Boxall and Purcell (2003) high commitment models tend to fudge the question of pluralists goals and interests (Boxall et al, 2003) which has also led to negative comments of how best practice models assist with the organisations overall performance. 4 Subways Approach to Human Resource Management/Personnel Management In this part we explore and critically evaluate Subways Leicester based franchisees HR practises and procedures and assess their PM and HRM characteristics. Mannys Classic Subs Limited is a typical example of Subway UK based franchisee. HR practises in this company are conducted by the HR manager and Managing Director (MD), which include planning, advertising, interviewing, recruitment and selection, disciplinary procedures, training, payment and wages review, rewards system and retention. Some fundamental HR procedures are communicated from the head office; however, the way in which they are implemented depends on the management of individual franchisees. In this particular firm HR procedures are still being developed. 4.1 Role perspective There are several top management roles such as the MD, Restaurant Managers, and Company Secretary. These are however, not clearly defined. When looking at lower roles: within the stores themselves, there is a high level of specialisation. The specific roles include: Sandwich Artist involves customer service, paperwork accuracy, cash register, equipment usage, product preparation and taking phone orders. Shift Leader involves supervision of sandwich artist, deals with customer complaints, delegating work, enforcing policies and dealing with staffing issues. Assistant manager involves hiring, training and supervising procedures, weekly inventory and paperwork, food service certification, service counter marketing (Subway Operations Manual, 2009) According to Storey (1992) and Guest (1987), characteristics of PM can be seen at the lower levels and HRM at the top levels. It can however be said that the level of standardisation is high in general. This is because strict guidelines are passed down from the corporate Franchisor to each Franchisee in relation to its operations. In addition to this, communication throughout the company is direct in reference to HR approaches. This could be associated with the size of the company and with the stage within its life cycle. This company has 46 employees and therefore classified as a small firm. In addition, Subway is in the growth stage because it was established two years ago and its market share is still growing. 4.2 Training and Development A two week training program, in the corporate headquarters, in management, book-keeping and personnel procedures, is offered to new franchisees. Plus an additional 34 hours of job training at a nearest subway (Subway Staff Handbook, 2009). In contrast, staff training is provided by the local managers or supervisors however, when training employees in first aid, they are sent in groups to St Johns Ambulance to attend a four day training course in advance first aid. Preliminary courses are also organised before sales training. This way of controlling access to courses when training staff relates directly to PM. Furthermore, the Subway Staff Handout (2009) states that employees could be sponsored to obtain relevant qualifications that may be beneficial to their development within the company. 4.3 Recruitment and Selection The recruitment processes within Subway include e-recruitment (company website), job fairs and word-of-mouth from current employees. They clearly identify what they want from candidates especially in relation to punctuality, accuracy, communication, ability to take direction and follow rules and most importantly, customer friendliness. The selection process begins once the company has received candidates applications. The HR manager identifies the key characteristics of a candidate for example, age, availability and previous work experience. On the second stage of selection, the HR manager selects appropriate candidates for a telephone interview to discuss in detail the requirements of the role. The candidates that match the companys criteria are then invited to a face-to-face interview; ultimately leading to the selection of one candidate and the signing of the contract. The company contract is simple and generic as it applies to most employees. All requirements included within this contract are clearly stated implying a personnel approach. 4.4 Employment relations Managers treat employees according to the business needs. The main focus is on company stakeholders especially customers, who they believe is the heart of their business (Kang, 2009). Internal relationships between staff are fundamental to the company. If conflicts occur, they are de-emphasised and the main role for management is to manage climate and culture. This is a reflection of the HR approach. 4.5 Monitoring and Control Subway adopts a personnel approach to monitoring its employees so that all procedures and regulations set by senior management are followed. The monitoring system used is called KADCAM which ensures every transaction is processed accordingly and any errors within the process line inform the manager that employees are not following the rules. 4.6 Pay and Rewards Wage starts at  £7 per hour for all staff apart from store managers, after a trial period. These are then reviewed annually and depend upon company results and in accordance with the HR approach; pay is also based on individual performance. Company policy also includes promotion for suitable candidates with an appropriate level of experience and essential competencies (Subway Staff Handbook, 2009). CONCLUSION The first section of the report critically analysed PM and HRM and evaluated the similarities and differences between the two approaches. It was identified that PM sees employees as a cost and the objective is to minimise this. In contrast, HRM approach argues that people are a valuable asset and its practices are aimed to increase the employees commitment. They allow for HR policies to fit company strategy and ensure the company maximises business performance. In the second part of the report Subways approach to people management is analysed using comparative frameworks by Beer and Spector (1985), Guest (1987) and Storey (1992) and identified features of both personnel and HRM approaches in Subway. RECOMMENDATIONS According to the companys life cycle which is at the growth stage, and strategy involving maximising return on investment and providing excellent customer service (Subway Staff Handbook, 2009); they have relatively appropriate HR strategies in place. However, in order for them to adapt to the changing dynamic environment, they could improve and develop some of their procedures. From speaking directly with staff at the franchise, it was identified that the employees are given a high level of empowerment. When management first implemented this, staff members were allowed to give out free upgrades but werent given appropriate instructions on procedures. It is recommended that management provides training and supervision (in the form of instruction booklets) before employees are empowered. Subway currently closely controls its staff, but it could shift from PM, monitoring approach to nurturing in order to build trust between the company and its employees. As this franchise in particular is in the development stage, some HR procedures such as rewards and promotions are not clearly identified yet. The company could improve this in order to increase enthusiasm within employees, thus leads to achievement of organisational goals. Subway already emphasises the importance of teamwork however this can always be improved and develop for example by the use of team building workshops. They could also have an additional rewards set for teamwork as opposed to just individual rewards. Finally, rate of pay is fixed as there is no difference between weekend and week pay. Separate teams are allocated to work weekends and mid-week. With a separate team just working on the busier weekends, dissatisfaction may occur. In compliance with other fast food companies within the UK, a recommendation would be to increase the hourly pay rate for the members that work on the weekends. REFERENCE LIST Armstrong, M. (1987) Human resource management: a case of the emperors new clothes?, Personnel Management, 19(8), pp.30-35 Armstrong, M. (1996) A handbook of Personnel Management Practise 6th Edition, Kogan Page Ltd, pp.27-63 Armstrong, M. (2003) Human Resource Management Practice 9th ed. 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