Marketing intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marketing intelligence - Essay Example More and more consumers are shifting their buying patterns and are aligning them with the ethical consumption which caters for the requirements of environment. (Joergens, 2006) As consumers are becoming more ethical in nature, they expect the firms which they deal with to act ethically, too. Showing concern for environment and protecting it are also important ethical issues. (Bezencon and Blili, 2010) New and renewed concern for the environment is translating itself into unique consumer buying decisions. There is a growing trend where consumers also tend to prefer to do their weddings in a manner which supports the environment. The overall market of green weddings is on the rise, as people are showing more concern for the environment and are willing to act as eco-friendly stakeholders. (Grant, 2008) The existing location Manor house and its overall proximity with the nature can really prepare it to cater to the needs of customers who need green weddings. However, in order to know whe ther consumers will be willing to do business with us and utilize our green wedding facilities, it is important to perform a system marketing research and review to understand the trends. ... In order to particularly cater to the needs of customers looking for eco-friendly places to perform their weddings, it is critical to develop cross-selling opportunities so that consumers can get a complete shopping experience. (Askegaard and Bengtsson, 2005) In order to understand the dynamics of the market and to understand consumers’ buying behavior, it is important to perform a market research. In order to develop a comprehensive marketing plan, it is important to perform external and internal analysis of the environment in which this proposed business will operate. External Analysis Political Environment Political environment in UK is stable, with government being supportive of establishing free enterprises. Laws are being made in a manner which is supportive of the firms, with little or no interference from state into the affairs of the firms. There may be no risks of political destabilization which can actually result into significant threats and risks for business. Eco nomic Environment The economy of the UK is experiencing economic downturn and is not experiencing the required level of economic growth. Low economic growth and the depressed future outlook, therefore, are adversely affecting the consumer confidence. Low consumer confidence may result into low consumer buying activity and hence can reduce the demand for new services and products. Consumers prefer to save rather than spend, causing suppression in consumer spending and demand. Social Factors As discussed above, trends are suggesting that society as a whole prefers to conserve the environment and give more credibility to the firms which enhance the environment and protect it. Consumers are becoming more aware of

We live in a patriarchal society discuss how gender links to Essay

We live in a patriarchal society discuss how gender links to inequality in society using examples from the past and present and in England and Arab spring - Essay Example Not only have there been both overt and covert means to ensure that the status quo is maintained, but even in the modern era, it has become common for openly discriminatory actions against women to be promoted at almost every level of society. The world today has seen numerous changes and women have come to experience opportunities that were not open to them for many centuries. It is therefore important that a comprehensive discussion of how gender links to inequality in society be conducted. In Elizabethan England, it was a common belief among individuals in society that women were inferior in all aspects to men. This belief ensured that women were put in a subordinate status where they did not have the same opportunities as those that were given to men (Ellis, 1839). Even Queen Elizabeth I herself seemed to promote this bias and she did this through accepting that she was indeed as physically weak as any woman, but despite this, she was also a woman who had the heart and stomach of a king. It seems that she compared herself thus because she wanted to attribute some of the male features that were believed to be superior to herself. Moreover, even the most prominent writers of the time such as Shakespeare and John Knox, the protestant leader, all believed that women were inferior. The latter especially promoted this belief by stating that women were created in perfection in order to serve and obey man, a statement that shows the predominance of patriarchy in society (Fle tcher, 1994). This attitude towards women continued to be propagated in later centuries and some of its aspects have remained prevalent to this day. The patriarchal nature of English society has led to a situation where women have continued to be discriminated against despite the development of ideals such as gender equality. The sometimes-unconscious discrimination against women in society has led to the continuation of

Eth125 r8 stereotypes prejudice 1 Essay Example for Free

Eth125 r8 stereotypes prejudice 1 Essay Please complete the following exercises, remembering that you are in an academic setting and should remain unbiased, considerate, and professional when completing this worksheet. Part I Select three of the identity categories below and name or describe at least 3 related stereotypes for each: ?Race ?Ethnicity ?Religion ?Gender ?Sexual orientation ?Age ?Disability Category Stereotype 1 Stereotype 2 Stereotype 3 Race All Mexicans are illegal. All Asains are bad drivers. Blacks are good at all sports. Gender Women are bad drivers Men are dirty. A woman can’t work the same jobs as a man. Disability Disabled people are sick. Someone with a disability should be treated special. Disabled people will not have a fulfilled life. Part II Answer each question in 50 to 100 words related to those stereotypes. Provide citations for all the sources you use. ?What are the positive aspects of stereotypes, if any? There is no positive aspects of stereotypes in any form because judging others by sterotypes is wrong and gives people the wrong ideas about a group of people baised on looks. There is no positives in grouping people all into one category and leaving no room for individuality. ?What are the negative aspects of stereotypes? There are many negitive aspects of sterotypes and one is that a communitie is never treated as a whole because of the stereotypes given. People are labled and put into different catigories because of the sterotypes that have been labled on them. Copyright  © 2012 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Stereotypes and Prejudice Worksheet ETH/125 Version 8 2 Part III Answer each question in 50 to 150 words related to those stereotypes. Provide citations for all the sources you use. ?Define stereotypes and prejudice. What is the difference between stereotyping and prejudice? Use examples to illustrate the differences. Stereotyping is when a person is labled into a large group of people instead of just their own individual category. Prejudice is when someone has a certin attitude towards a group. Prejudice is more associated with discrimination then stereotyping. Groups that are prejudice can be violent. Hate crimes are committed because of people’s prejudice and racism. ?What is the relationship between stereotyping and prejudice? I believe the relationship between stereotyping and prejudice is the same because it has the same results. Violence results from peoples ignorant views on different cultures. Sterotyping just enforces the views that racist people have. We have had to create laws just to keep people from fighting other people based on the color of there skin. ?What can be done to prevent prejudice from occurring? I think that if we educated people to not be judgemental and teach our children while they are young that everyone is equal to them and should not be judge on the ethinic background, culture, gender, sexual orentaion, and religion then prevention of prejudice will stop occurring. People learn how to be prejudice from ignorant adults who are close minded and racist. Copyright  © 2012 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.

Is Unbridled Freedom A Myth Or Reality Education Essay

Is Unbridled Freedom A Myth Or Reality Education Essay Freedom has been an object of study and discussion since antiquity. The definition, extent and implications of the idea of human freedom have been discussed in disciplines ranging from the arts, humanities and even the sciences. Freedom has been variously defined by many people. These definitions can be broadly classified into 2 categories for simplicity.  [1]   External Freedoms These include Legal and human rights that are conferred on human beings from the outside. These are circumstantial in nature. Their absence, misuse or withdrawal can be clearly seen and is usually protested against. These include freedom of speech and expression, freedom of religion, Freedom from want, Freedom from fear, freedom of association, freedom of thought, etc. Internal Freedoms These are more Metaphysical in nature. Internal freedoms concern our inner mechanisms, thought- processes and the freedom to self-determination. These are less obviously visible, more complex and have far reaching consequences for our powers of decision making, judging accountability and responsibility. It is these internal freedoms that are the subject of interest for students of psychology and for those interested in understanding human behavior. The most contentious issue has been whether human beings can be free at all. Is Unbridled Human freedom a myth? Are we always constrained by internal and external forces that shape our ideas and beliefs or does each individual have some autonomy to make his/her own decisions? Generally speaking, the disparate views on this issue fall into three main categories  [2]   The Deterministic View The Libertarian View The Compatibilist Approach The first two approaches agree that both freedom and natural causality cannot exist simultaneously. However, they derive two opposite conclusions from this incompatibility. The deterministic approach asserts that there is no possibility of freedom. Thought, action, events are already decided and human choices are severely constrained by events beyond our control. The idea of freedom is hence an illusion. The libertarian approach says the exact opposite. Inspired by modern, rationalist school of thought, it concludes that human beings have unlimited choices and are absolutely free to pick and choose, to think and to act, keeping in mind physical limitations. . These choices may be influenced by certain factors, but these decisions have the power to change the direction of natural events. The third approach is therefore called the compatibilist position. Some actions are free, while others are reflexive. Freedom and free will is understood as a part of the workings of the human brain. A person is responsible for an action when this action results from a conscious intention. To be responsible for an action is not to be ultimately responsible for it, in the sense of also being responsible for all the events in the causal chains that led to the existence of the conscious intention that determined the action. In this project, we will be taking the third position. We will attempt to show, by taking some examples relevant to our lives, that unbridled freedom is indeed a myth. Further, we propose that unbridled freedom is not an ideal to be cherished either. There are certain limits to the freedom that one person can enjoy, without trespassing on the freedoms of others or spreading chaos and disturbance in society. It is desirable to have some restrictions that enable us to live in society and differentiate us from animals. The first restriction that human beings face in the exercise of unlimited freedom is the constraints put upon us by society. Human beings are social animals that have agreed to give up certain rights and freedoms in order to gain the benefits of living in society. This has been explained by various social theorists under the idea of the Social Contract.  [1]   Living within society, human beings are influenced by three types of factors.  [2]   The genetic factors The way they are activated Interaction between inner potential and outer surroundings The first factor talks of our inheritance from society and parents. Both in terms of genetic material passed down to the next generation, as well as the collective social conscience, which is a determinate system of ideas and beliefs which creates social likeness among all members of society  [1]  . The second factor consists of inner characteristics inherited from our parents as they are expressed in us. Some are recessive, some are dominant, but both types play a role in determining who we are. The third factor brings in the importance of the interaction with society from birth, that moulds and shapes our personality in millions of imperceptible ways. The third factor is considered to be the most relevant and potent since its influence begins the moment we are born and serves to shape and mould the ideas generated through the first and second factors. Society is always present, both inside and outside us. It guides our behaviours, determines the range of our choices and influences our decision making process. Most of the time, we are unaware of this situation. Many times, we do not mind this intrusion. because most of the time we ourselves desire just that which society expects of us. We want to obey the rules. We want the parts that society has assigned to us  [2]   This is evident in the way that advertisements  [3]  , for example shape our choices. Individuals are often attracted to products that they may not otherwise buy, need or use, purely on the basis of the way it is presented on the television, in the print media etc. The advertising and marketing industries try to appeal to this tendency- to seek the opinion of others, to do what everyone else is doing, to conform to social norms and standards- to their own advantage. Another example of purely external factors influencing personal decisions is seen in the concept of opinion and exit polls. The Indian government has banned the airing of exit polls on television, until all phases of voting is over, due to the fear that expected results in one region may hamper the influence the voting patterns in other regions. Similarly, opinion polls can often become opinion-generating mechanisms. Another factor that has been very effective in influencing thoughts, actions and behaviour has been religion. All over the world, various religions have encouraged people to think within preset frameworks. There are however, two sides to this coin. The unifying potential of religion has been well researched by thinkers such as Emile Durkheim who has claimed that- A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, i.e., things set apart and forbiddenbeliefs and practices which unite in one single  moral community  all those who adhere to them.  [1]   This positive view of religion is countered by Karl Marx who refers to religion as opium for the masses i.e. something that distracts them from alienation and hardship in this life, by promising leisure and comfort in the next, thereby serving the interests of the bourgeoisie. As an intrinsic part of the society we live in, religion- whether we accept it or not- is an important factor that influences the early development of our personalities. Its morals, values and teachings are instilled in us, and even if later in life we choose to turn away, these collective values remain with us. Another crucial institution that shapes us is the education system. The issue of freedom within the classroom and its importance in the learning process has been the subject matter of many debates. It is evident that unbridled freedom in a classroom, especially when the students are young or immature will only lead to chaos and confusion. The focus will be diffused since the authority of the teacher- who enforces discipline and concentration in the class will be lost. Also, the students, who are unaware of future benefits of studying certain difficult or complex subjects, will tend to avoid them altogether. As we have all experienced ourselves, unbridled freedom in the form of no attendance constraints usually leads to high levels of absenteeism. However, it is also important to consider what would be the case in a class with absolutely no freedom at all. Where the teacher is the absolute dictator and students have no rights, and only one duty- to listen to the authoritarian teacher. Such a scenario cannot be beneficial to the overall growth of the students. Their creativity will be stifled. Not allowed to ask questions or think independently, their curious and questioning natures will be subsumed under the weight of conformity, mediocrity and obedience. Education then divorces itself from understanding and development of the personality. It reduces to merely rote learning and superficial information gathering. This will have consequences for their future where they will be unable to take any independent decisions, never having faced that prospect earlier. As earlier, the most beneficial approach lies in the middle of these two extremes. Children must be given freedom within the classroom and within the education system. But how much authority should the teacher retain and how much he/she should leave the children to make their own decisions is a difficult question to answer. A number of theories have been put forward by various authors in this regard. Pioneers in child developmental theory- Jean Piaget (1896-1980), and Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934), have powerfully influenced beliefs about interacting with children, how to set up learning environments, and expectations for childrens development.  [1]   There are some similarities and differences between Piagets and Vygotskys theories and these differences influence how teachers struggle and negotiate the location of their control and the childrens freedom in child-centred classrooms. The key difference between Piagets cognitive- constructivist theory and Vygotskys social constructivist theory lies in the role each theory assigns to the individual child and the social context of play in a Childs development. Although both approaches support the idea that individuals construct knowledge, Piaget and Vygotsky viewed nature (individual) and nurture (social context) as taking different roles in this process  [2]  . From the Piagetian perspective, individuals construct a personal reality based on previous knowledge and new experiences. Knowing is therefore, an interaction between the environment and the individual. For Vygotsky, learning is an interactive and constructive activity, and both society and individuals play essential roles in learning.  [3]   Both approaches emphasize the importance of social adaptation and social interaction in childrens learning, the difference comes in determining the direction of influence, that is, whether knowledge is constructed as a result of social interaction and then internalized (the Vygotskian view), or whether knowledge is constructed by the individual as a result of experience and then refined through testing in social situations (the Piagetian view) Moreover, both approaches locate learning within a social context, but each attributes different functions to that context. For Piaget, the importance of the social context is that it provides children with a means of testing the knowledge they had constructed. For Vygotsky, the social context is both the source and the cultural repository of the learning. The classrooms guided by Piagets theory give children the greatest degree of freedom. Teachers set up a rich environment for children to explore by themselves. Teachers are observers. On the other hand the classroom applying Vygotskys theory seeks to find a balance between teacher-directed and child-initiated activities. Teachers assist children and give them challenges in order that children may attain the top level within their zone of proximal development. Two other writers who have provided valuable insights about the tension between childrens autonomy and the teachers authority in classroom teaching are John Dewey (1859- 1952) and Maria Montessori (1870-1952). Both, Deweys Experience and Education (1998) and Montessoris Absorbent Mind (1995) discuss many points about the relationship between childrens freedom and teachers roles in education. Although their ideas about education are widely considered to be child-centred, they hold divergent views about childrens freedom and the role of the teacher. In Deweys Progressive Theory, democracy is the aim of schooling. The curriculum is child-centred and is rooted in the ideas of continuity and interaction in a social context. Learning is experiencing. Teachers and children decide together what experience is meaningful to each individual students current learning needs and later development. Moreover, the experience is always a transaction taking place between the individual and the environment.  [1]   Therefore, as children develop within a school that functions like a democratic society, they learn and develop the ability to function well in the larger democratic society. Dewey (1998) believed that childrens freedom should be constructed, that it is not simply a product of their free will. He made a distinction between freedom based entirely on free will (doing whatever one wants to do) and freedom of intelligence, which is constructed from purposes that are intrinsically worthwhile, through observation and exercise of judgment in real-life situations.  [2]   Further, he believed that, Guidance given by the teacher to the exercise of the pupils intelligence is an aid to freedom, not a restriction upon it  [3]   Therefore, teachers should act as the representative and agent of the interests of the group as a whole, and should be responsible for each Childs on-going growth with the community. Moreover, Dewey indicated that the ideal aim of education is the creation of self-control. The mere removal of restriction or external control is no guarantee that children have self-control.  [1]   Maria Montessori believed that children and their proper education is the key to building a new world. Education must develop the potential abilities of children, who (she believed) are endowed with unknown powers. The role of education is therefore, to offer an orderly environment and materials which children can explore, by themselves, in order to promote their development. Montessoris educational philosophy is centred on the interaction between objects and the individual. The teacher acts as an observer to find a childs inner spirit and offers an orderly environment in which children can develop and grow. Montessori believed that the child has the power to teach herself. Children can adapt and have the ability to develop freely, which can become directly visible if their minds are not oppressed by adults who may limit the childs inner work and weigh down his spirit  [2]   She indicated that child herself must become the centre of education and should be guided by her inward mind. Therefore, the teachers task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives that inspire children to develop without any need of direct instruction However, Montessori did not ask teachers to completely abdicate authority. She believed that authority does not come from the adults dignity, but from the help that parents or teachers are able to give to their children. Therefore, authority consists of teachers aim to help children construct their work, without posing a threat to the childrens minds or reconstructing the childrens work.  [3]   Although Montessori suggested that teachers should refrain from either interfering with children as they are absorbed in their work or preventing childrens free expansion, she still believed that teachers should interrupt children if the children persistently annoy the others, because it means the childrens spirits or disciplines of development would unfold negatively. Therefore, the teachers should interrupt to break this negative development and guide children toward the right track These theories lead to 2 types of classrooms, with varying degrees of teacher control and childrens freedom. It would be generally expected that these ruminations on students freedom would lead to a low teacher control and high student freedom scenario. However, this is not the case. Low Teachers control, High Students Freedom Some people may assume that the progressive way of teaching should be located in this quadrant because they believe high teacher control (the application of teacher authority) may oppress children and cause unjust power relationships between teachers and children. However, it has been seen that is impossible to help children attain educational goals without the teachers guidance. Those who advocate this view must critically examine the following questions: Does teacher control have to be contradictory to childrens freedom? Does teacher control automatically oppress childrens freedom? Does teacher control prohibit childrens learning initiatives?  [1]   High Teachers control, High Students Freedom Reflected by both Piagets and Vygotskys theories. A teacher may respect and value childrens unfolding development, but he/she must also set up the expectations and goals for learning and give some guidance to children. In this kind of interaction, teacher control and Childrens freedom are not thought of as opposite to one to another; they coexist and both are highly valued in the whole process of teaching  [2]   This process of education, that gives great degree of freedom to the student, yet locates a certain degree of guidance and control with the teacher has implications for the professional domain as well. When these students grow up and enter organizations, the degree of freedom they are used to exercising and the decision-making skills that have been instilled in them through the process acquire great significance. The degree of freedom that an organization gives to its employees is also an important factor. The interaction between freedom given to employees within an organization and the degree of freedom the employees are accustomed to function under is very complex and gives rise to different types of behaviours. For example, those who are brought up through a process that involves high degree of control by parents, teachers etc. may, on finding a low control environment within the organization, be unable to function and take independent decisions, or they may end up mis-using those freedoms. Freedom within an organization has many meanings, and always involves the complex dynamics between individual freedom and the importance of meeting organizational/ professional targets. Some of these include: Freedom to have flexible work hours to accommodate family and lifestyle, while still meeting organizational goals. Freedom to come to leadership with new ideas and opposing viewpoints, while learning to trust people and letting go of absolute control. Freedom to do things differently by leveraging personal strengths to achieve goals, while still maintaining a professional, formal attitude. Freedom to leverage social media to communicate professionally and to help build brand awareness for your organization, while not devoting too much time to personal issues. Freedom to celebrate great accomplishments and milestones, while at the same time, having the freedom to say (without judgment,), I dont know or I cant handle any more or I made a mistake. Freedom to be compensated fairly, equitably, and even sometimes generously There is no debate that these, and many more such freedoms within the workplace will unleash creativity, encourage an environment of innovation, lead to relaxed and more productive employees, increase employee retention, make jobs more interesting and inspire employees to perform better. But, like in the case of implementing freedom within the education system, here too, there needs to be a delicate balance between employee freedom and organizational support and guidance. To make this possible, one of the major factors is the top leadership and their management style. Many people contend that this is exactly what makes companies like Google India, MakeMyTrip,Intel Technology,  Marriott Hotels, NetApp India the top 5 places to work in (in India). Freedom can be planned. It is the result of a designing triad consisting of the planning agents assumptions, the planning systems conditions and the opportunities and/or barriers which enhance or hinder the exercise of freedom.  [1]   Depending upon the amount of freedom and flexibility that organizations give to employees, and the qualities and skills they expect in their employees, they can be classified under 3 broad categories  [2]  : The industrial organization The Industrial Economy required the mass scaling of production and distribution. It met the requirements for the design of systems for scale, and was successful in plugging workers in to execute their specialized tasks. This type of organization is based on physical capital. Intellect, obedience and diligence are important employee characteristics. Employees have little or no decision-making freedom. The information Organization The information organization Information is used to uncover patterns, reduce the costs of production and consumption and find new solutions to vexing issues. Workers employ their intellect to solve problems relating to data. This type of organization is based on similar employee characteristics as the industrial, but gives a greater degree of freedom to its employees. The creative/learning organization  [2]   The creative organization is based on ideas and values qualities like initiative, creativity and passion. These qualities are intrinsic to employees, and when given freedom, bloom to provide a competitive advantage to the company. These assets are not physical in nature like commodities; hence the organization needs to work on retaining its highly skilled employees. Gary Hamel has given some great examples of companies that are innovating in terms of management to encourage these traits in their employees. W.L. Gore is one such example. It has made the list of Best Places to work for the past 25 years. The Great Place to Work organization noted these four aspects of W.L. Gores culture: People experience tremendous freedom at Gore: the freedom to talk with whomever they need or want to, the freedom to make comments and provide input, the freedom to bring who they are to work, and the freedom to make commitments.  [3]   To conclude, this paper tries to argue that there is no such thing as unbridled freedom. Human beings are essentially social animals and they are born within society. Society shapes and moulds human behaviour, which may also be influenced by certain intrinsic genetic predispositions of individuals. However, Institutions like Religion, Education, the state, family, friends, etc. have a huge role to play in the way we develop into adults. These may be conducive to the development of a balanced personality. However, they may sometimes be oppressive and may deter us from reaching our full potential in terms of faculties like creativity, innovation, lateral thinking etc. Further, unbridled freedom, even if it existed, is undesirable since it disconnects us from the social nature of our lives. Unbridled freedom can be destructive, chaotic and may in fact hamper the optimum developmental process, as was explained in the discussion on freedom within education earlier. The situation with high teacher control and high student freedom was found to be the best approach to bringing freedom within the classroom. Finally, the degree of freedom we are used to exercising and functioning under has a significant impact in the professional scenario- both for the employee as well as the organization. Employees must learn to handle freedom with responsibility and accountability while organizations must work on loosening bureaucratic hierarchical controls and give more freedom to make decisions to their employees.

Alcoholism :: essays research papers

Alcoholism, chronic and usually progressive illness,. Alcoholism is thought to arise from a combination of a wide range of physiological, psychological, social, and genetic factors. It is characterized by an emotional and often physical dependence on alcohol, and it frequently leads to brain damage or early death. More males than females are affected by alcoholism, but drinking among the young and among women is increasing. Consumption of alcohol is apparently on the rise in the United States, as is the total alcohol consumption and prevalence of alcohol-related problems in the former communist countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This increase is paralleled in other countries, including developing nations. After 1980, however, consumption remained relatively stable in many western European nations. Development Alcoholism, as opposed to merely excessive or irresponsible drinking, has been thought of as a symptom of psychological or social stress or as a learned, maladaptive coping behaviour. More recently, and probably more accurately, it has come to be viewed as a complex disease in its own right. Alcoholism usually develops over a period of years. Alcohol comes to be used more as a mood-changing drug than as a foodstuff or beverage served as a part of social custom or religious ritual. Initially, the alcoholic may demonstrate a high tolerance to alcohol, consuming more and showing fewer adverse effects than others. Subsequently, however, the person begins to drink against his or her own best interests, as alcohol comes to assume more importance than personal relationships, work, reputation, or even physical health. The person commonly loses control over drinking and is increasingly unable to predict how much alcohol will be consumed on a given occasion or, if the person is currently abstaining, when the drinking will resume again. Physical addiction to the drug may occur, sometimes eventually leading to drinking around the clock to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Effects Alcohol has direct toxic as well as sedative effects on the body, and failure to take care of nutritional and other physical needs during prolonged periods of excessive drinking may further complicate matters. Advanced cases often require hospitalization. The effects on major organ systems are cumulative and include a wide range of digestive-system disorders such as ulcers, inflammation of the pancreas, and cirrhosis of the liver. The central and peripheral nervous systems can be permanently damaged. Blackouts, hallucinations, and extreme tremors may occur. The latter symptoms are involved in the most serious alcohol withdrawal syndrome, delirium tremens, which can prove fatal despite prompt treatment.

The Holocaust :: European Europe History

The Holocaust The Holocaust was the extermination of the Jews and other people whom Hitler considered inferior. It took place from 1933 to 1945. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany led this effort. About 12 million people were murdered, half of them being Jews. When Hitler took over control of Germany, everything changed. Hitler had a very strong prejudice against the Jews. He wanted to create the perfect race of blonde haired blue eyed Germans. His followers, who were the soldiers in the camps, were called Nazis. They enforced all killing that Hitler wanted done. Also, there were many other people involved in this massive genocide. Different people were leading the killing and different groups of people were being killed, not only Jews. For instance, there were many doctors who ran tests on people, but didn't care if the patients were hurt or even killed, which they usually were. All surgeries were performed without any anesthetic. These are just a couple general things that happened durin g the Holocaust. There are so many things that happened in this time period that are impossible to imagine or just are too horrible to think about. The things about the Holocaust that I find the most unnerving are the torture and pain they put the Jews and other groups through. The two main topics I feel are most serious or crucial are the medical experiments and their results and reactions on the patients. Also, the different camps, their strong points and general methods for killing used there. There are three camps that are familiar to me and I hear mentioned the most. They are Dachau, Treblinka, and of course, Auschwitz. The doctor who was most infamous for carrying out horrible experiments was Mengele. Dachau, Treblinka, and Auschwitz were three of the six concentration camps that were used for execution of Jews and other groups considered inferior. At Treblinka, 700,000 to over 1,000,000 people were killed. The gassings at Dachau never went past the experimental stage. They were in no way used as the gas chambers in Auschwitz were. Also, at Dachau, they performed Intense Cooling experiments. A summary of what they did was they'd dress the subject in certain clothes and either put their whole body, to include the brain stem, or only up to the brain stem in water which was from 2.5 to 12 degrees Centigrade. Fatalities only occurred when the brain stem and back of head were also chilled.

Private Fitness Essay

Six months ago, Rosemary Worth established Private Fitness, Inc in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Her experience as an aerobics instructor and notoriety as a US Fitness model were the perfect tools for building a business. The facilities were paid for through personal savings and a bank loan. Rosemary used $150,000 of the funds to renovate the facilities and purchase equipment. Five rooms were created; two locker rooms, an office, a weight room containing free weights and machines, and an aerobics room with treadmills, stair climbers, and other similar pieces of machinery. As a way to set the business apart, Rosemary found five instructors with specialized skills to meet the wide variety of classes available to the members. These instructors are given a commission of twenty to fifty percent depending on experience and if the client was brought in by them or not. One of the instructors, Kate Hoffman, was given a salary in addition to the commission and expected to manage the facilit ies. This included marketing, bookkeeping, facilities upkeep, and record keeping of the clients. Kate was proving to be successful with the steady increase in clients. To provide the best experience for clients, the equipment is not open for members to use freely. During peak hours, clients are charged $50 for an hour of training with an instructor. Non-peak hours cost $35 an hour, students are charge $12, and discounts are offered for prepayment. Rosemary discovered that Kate was stealing from the company by verifying the register amounts and confronting Kate about discrepancies. Not only were deposits short, but Kate was training clients, offering discounts, and pocketing the entire fee. When confronted with this, she denied the accusation of theft multiple times, before finally admitting to it. Now, Rosemary must decide how to handle Kate’s theft and improve the weaknesses of the current control processes. The largest culprit for the theft (besides Kate’s poor choic e) is the lack of proper management control systems. Rosemary has the ability to implement four different control measures, results-based, action-based, personnel-based, and culture-based. According to Merchant and Van der Stede, results controls empower employees to make the best decisions for the organization by aligning the personal goals with the organization. To implement these MCSs, managers/owners need to know exactly what results are desired, how to monitor these results, any weaknesses that may be addressed, and the rewards that should be given for reaching the desired results  (2012). Rosemary attempted to implement this control when she offered a commission based on the direct impact an instructor had in bringing in a new client. She left the control incomplete when she failed to properly segregate duties between the manager and instructors. Kate had a conflict of interest since she was paid salary, regardless if she enacting as a manager or instructor, and could gain more by working as an instructor. Without any additional costs, Rosemary would be better suited to hire a manager specifically trained in marketing and back office work, rather than an instru ctor. By continuing to pay the manager a set salary, he or she will not be tempted to steal clients. As a reward for growing the business, the manager can be directly rewarded for reaching certain revenue thresholds. The instructors should be rewarded for bringing in a certain amount of new clientele. If an instructor brings in five additional clients, they see a $100 bonus in their pay. Only the manager can approve new clientele and Rosemary must sign off on any paycheck that includes this bonus as a way to review who is bringing in new business or manipulating the system. The action controls are a direct management control that places constraints on employees to ensure bad decisions are not possible or at least difficult to perform (Merchant & Van der Stede, 2012). Rosemary failed with this control when she placed Kate in the managerial role with full control of the record keeping, cash box, deposits, and access to the facilities. Kate’s actions proved in the end that she w as not capable of handling the responsibilities. By hiring a new manager and front desk clerk, Rosemary can ensure they meet the needs of the company and incorporate additional segregation of duties. The clerk can run the deposits to the bank, while the manager can be responsible with preparing the deposits. All instructors should be required to submit new clients to the manager and provide a log of training sessions. This will allow instructors to see what is owed to them and keep them accountable for all training sessions. Personnel and Cultural controls are put into place to ensure that properly trained employees have an established culture to cultivate desired results (Merchant & Van Der Stede, 2012). Private Fitness, Inc. is still very new and has not established a set culture. Rosemary needs to create a code of conduct for employees to live by and reinforce the importance of acting with integrity. Additionally, key employees should be in positions to influence others and push this culture. Disciplinary actions need to be enforced for all breaches in misconduct. These actions can range from written warnings, penalties in pay, or even termination. Rosemary should hire a permanent manager with the skills to properly market the business, run the back office, and keep the integrity necessary to prevent fraud. To reward the manager, a financial incentive should be offered for meeting specific revenue goals and meeting a specific level of customer satisfaction with the facilities. An additional tiered reward should be awarded for new customers being brought in by the instructors. Instructors will not be allowed to hold managerial positions and the front desk clerk can run the register and make deposits after the new manager prepares the deposit. A new code of conduct list should be established and signed by all employees. The manager, Rosemary, and another instructor who exemplifies these characteristics should be responsible for holding others to these standards. Kate should be removed the managerial role and reprimanded by paying back all lost revenues. Additionally, she should be placed on probation. The reason she should not be fired is because she has proved to be an asset to the company. Also, clearly defined expectations had not been established. This allows Rosemary to recoup some of her losses and keep a full and diversified group of instructors. With the new controls in place, Kate will not be able to cheat Rosemary out of business again. The proposed solution tightens the current controls and adds necessary components to proactively combat operational deficiencies. Rosemary will still have the ability to spend time with her children. She can feel confident her business is running with the right standards in place, even when she is not present. In addition, the business will not face additional costs that will make success unlikely. References Merchant, Kenneth A. and Van der Stede, Wim A. Management control systems: performance measurement, evaluation and incentives. (3rd ed.). Harlow, England: Pearson Education Limited.