Global Financial Institutions Essay

This paper briefly presents the role of global financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and Asian Development Bank in the global financing; and examines briefly their influence on exchange rate. International Monetary Fund (IMF) Established in 1944, the IMF has a headquarters in Washington DC. , employs 2,596 staff from 146 countries, and is owned and financed by 185 member countries (IMF, 2008). Its main task is to ensure the stability of the international monetary system—â€Å"the system of exchange rates and international payments that enables countries to buy goods and services from each other† (IMF, 2008). To maintain stability in the international monetary system, it provides (1) advice on appropriate social and economic policies, (2) financing to help member countries cope with balance of payments problems when foreign exchange payments exceed foreign exchange earnings, and (3) technical assistance and training to build needed expertise and institutions to attain economic growth (IMF, 2006). To maintain exchange rate stability, member countries prior to 1971 pegged their exchange rates that could only be adjusted with the IMF’s agreement. Since 1971, member countries can freely select any type of exchange rate arrangement: â€Å"allowing the currency to float freely; pegging it to another currency or a basket of currencies; adopting the currency of another country; or participating in a currency bloc† (IMF, 2006). The World Bank (the Bank) The Bank, established in 1944, has a headquarters in Washington DC with more than 100 country offices, and employs about 10,000 staff. It is owned and financed by 187 member countries (World Bank, 2008). The Bank is made up of two development institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and (2) the International Development Association (IDA). Each institution has a role in achieving the Bank’s mission of reducing global poverty and improving living standards. The IBRD is responsible for middle income poor countries, while IDA caters to the needs of the poorest countries in the world. Both provide interest-free credit and grants, and low-interest loans to developing countries for infrastructure, health, education, communications, and other purposes (World Bank, 2008). The Bank provides â€Å"local cost financing for projects in non-CFP borrowing countries† with clear indirect foreign costs and â€Å"if a specific project has too little foreign exchange cost to permit the Bank to achieve its project objectives by foreign exchange financing alone† (World Bank, 2007). It also has a project preparation facility that finances foreign exchange costs (World Bank, 2007). Asian Development Bank (ADB) Established in 1966, ADB has a headquarters in Manila with 26 country offices, and employs more than 2,400 staff. It is owned and financed by 67 members with 48 members from the region and other members from other parts of the world (ADB, 2008). As an international development finance institution, it helps its developing member countries reduce poverty and enhance people’s quality of life. It provides assistance to the public sector through grants, low-interest loans, advice, and knowledge as well as to private enterprises through loans, guarantees, and equity investments (ADB, 2008). In making direct loans, ADB assumes the foreign exchange risks involved in private sector operations, but not in public sector lending. To address the foreign exchange risks (e. g. , foreign exchange fluctuations between loan approved amount and disbursement), ADB introduced the LIBOR-based loan, which allows borrowing countries to match the procurement currencies with loan denomination currencies, or convert the loan denomination currencies at any time to match the revenue denomination currencies (ADB, 2004). ADB may also provide financing to meet the â€Å"indirect foreign exchange cost of items procured in local currency for ADB-financed projects with foreign exchange costs† (ADB, 2003). References Asian Development Bank (2008). About ADB. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://www. adb. org/About/default. asp. Asian Development Bank (2004, July 1). Foreign exchange risk. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://www. adb. org/Documents/Manuals/Operations/OMH07_1apr04. pdf. Asian Development Bank (2003, October 29). Financing indirect foreign exchange cost of projects. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://www. adb. org/Documents/Manuals/Operations/OMH07_1apr04. pdf. International Monetary Fund (2008, May). IMF at a glance. Retrieved June 12, 2008, from http://www. imf. org/external/np/exr/facts/glance. htm. International Monetary Fund (2006, September 30). What is IMF? Retrieved June 12, 2008, from http://www. imf. org/external/pubs/ft/exrp/what. htm/. The World Bank (2008). About us. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://web. worldbank. org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/0,,pagePK:50004410~piPK:36602~theSitePK:29708,00. html The World Bank (2007, March 23). Specific expenditure eligibility and cost sharing requirements for investment projects in countries without approved country financing parameters. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://wbln0018. worldbank. org/Institutional/Manuals/OpManual. nsf/22b87a45c65c

Alliances in World War I

Wars are large and complicated affairs. The First World War was the product of many things. Although the war officially began on July 28th, 1914, it had been building up for a while. The beginning of the war was a lot like a domino effect. It started when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. On July 29, Russia ordered a mobilization only against Austria-Hungary in support of Serbia. The Germans threatened war on July 31 if the Russians did not demobilize. France then mobilized. On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia, and two days later, on France.The German invasion of Belgium to attack France, which violated Belgium's official neutrality, prompted Britain to declare war on Germany. World War I had begun. Nationalism, militarism, and imperialism all prompted the rivalry between nations which led to WWI. Nationalism, the love and support of one's country, has always existed. At this time, however, it was so prominent, it helped cause the First World War. Since so much pride wa s devoted to countries, it made the possibilities of peace between past rivals less probable.People felt great loyalty and were willing to do anything for their country. In history, many wars have been over territorial disputes. A country feels nationalistic, and people's pride leads to people wanting to expand with more land. A country can feel so strongly about this that they will fight for it. The spark of the world was the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife. They were shot by a Serbian nationalist because of the crisis in the Balkans. The Balkan Peninsula was a mountainous area below Austria-Hungary and consisted of many different ethnic groups.Each group was very nationalistic and wanted to extend its borders, especially Serbia. Austria-Hungary took over two Balkan Slavic areas. Document 6 describes the tension in this region at the time. Serbia did not want Austria-Hungary to have Bosnia and Herzegovina. The archduke was shot because the Serbians fear ed that when he came into power he would continue to persecute the Serbs who lived in the Austro-Hungarian borders. The assassination, however, only created more problems. A harsh ultimatum was given to Serbia and when Serbia tried to negotiate the harsh terms, war was declared upon them.Serbia's ally, Russia joined right in the war, and soon after many other European countries. Nationalism was also a contributing factor to the alliance system. A country having more people on its side meant they felt more powerful, and more nationalistic. During World War I there were two alliance systems; the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. The Triple Alliance included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. The Triple Entente included Great, Britain, France, and Russia. Later on in the war, the United States entered the war on the Triple Entente side, and Russia left.Members of the Triple Alliance were also known as the Central Powers. This is because the three countries were grouped together in the center of Europe. On each side of them, they had enemies, which is not a good spot to be in if you want to have a war. The Triple Entente became known as the Allies. By the end of the war the Allies had won. The war was officially ended on November 11, 1918 by The Treaty of Versailles. This was supposed to be the treaty to end all wars, but it ultimately just fueled future conflict.

Heavenly Creatures Essay

heaGreat films often hinge on the successful presentation of one or two key scenes, to what degree do you agree with this statement Many great films do hinge on the successful presentation of one or two key scenes, these scenes are normally well crafted establishment scenes that straight away emerse the audience deep into the film and its culture or in most cases the scenes are climatic endings that bring together the central themes in a spectacular way. It is normally these central themes that a great film is marbled with and is most likely than not what makes a film hinge on being a great film. A great film is one sends a powerful message, influencing us to think and make great judgments through these central themes. However for these keys scenes to have any effect they must be presented successfully using well thought out visual and/or verbal film techniques that engage the audience. Therefore I agree with this statement to the full extent, as it is clear that the presentation of the key scenes in a film will either make or break a film giving it the title of being a â€Å"great† film. Will this is exactly why we write a thesis – here you have left the reader in no doubt as to your opinion on the question – good work. A Film that has become a great film through the successful presentation of two key scenes is Peter Jacksons Film Heavenly Creatures. It was a great film because the two key scenes that the movie hinged on, the beginning and end of the film, were successfully presented in such a way that the key ideas were brought together so the audience could freely engage with the movie and be influenced by its powerful messages. Heavenly creatures is about two young girls that attend Christchurch Girls High in 1950’s New Zealand. Jackson has presented to us the true story of how these girls committed Matricide. Matricide is the act of murdering your own mother. This story is compelling as it explores how the girls got to the point where they were able to go through with what was so alien to the rest of the population of Christchurch at the time. The first scene is key as it shows the girls running through Victoria park covered in blood screaming, this scene intercuts between the girls running onto a boat laughing and smiling. However the final scene of the movie shows the girls murdering their mum whilst also intercutting between the boat scene, whoever the difference is one of the girls, Pauline, is being left behind. These two scenes are key because whilst being similar, they had some relevant key differences that convey the key ideas well. Why Jackson was compelled to present this story as a film was because of the powerful message presented. This powerful message was the consequences of when a friendship becomes an obsession. This is what is conveyed and is what I think drove these girls to commit the act of matricide. Therefore it is the successful presentation of the beginning and the final scene of the movie via the use of well crafted visual techniques that conveyed this key idea making this film a great film. See the benefit of using the key words from the question – clarity. Firstly, Jackson’s presentation of the key idea of the consequences of when a friendship becomes an obsession is the intercutting of the scenes between the girls at Victoria park in both the beginning and end off the movie. Jackson used the visual technique of manipulated the images of the girls initially running onto the boat to a sepia tone to distinguish between the two scenes but to also distinguish that one is reality and one is fantasy.. This helped me to understand that the girls running onto the ship was a sort of metaphorical fantasy to the dream of how badly they wanted to be together to be happy. The fact that the girls were shown to be laughing told also reinforces this thought. The relevant point of difference between the two sepia scenes at the beginning and at the end is that in the end scene it is only Juliet running on to the boat and Pauline is getting pushed away by the crowd, not being able to get on the boat. As this scene is being intercut with the girls murdering Paul’s mother, it suggested to me that Pauline had finally come to the conclusion that no matter what the girls could not be together. Paul’s screams in the sepia images blend in with the screams from the murder in a dramatic and chilling way. I gained a sense for the tremendous emotional pain Pauline was feeling which contrasts from the laughing from the initial sepia scene. This helped me to understand how much of an obsession the girls friendship became and how it seems credible that this could consequently lead these girls to the murder. Therefore this is just one example of how these two key scenes have been successfully presented to powerfully convey the main idea of the film which is the consequences of a friendship becoming an obsession justifying that Heavenly Creatures is a great film. Good, good, good. Another way Jackson presents the key idea of the consequences of when a friendship becomes an obsession is by the use of camera visual techniques. The first camera technique that he uses that helped me understand this idea was the use of close-ups especially in the final scene. Jackson uses close-ups of the Honora’s terror filled face and both girls wicked blood thirsty faces as they took turns bludgeoning Honora to death. To me this hit home hard, Jackson’s use of close-ups to the audience made the viewing of the murder all the more real as the raw emotion of all the characters is forced upon us. I felt as though I was fully emerged and apart of the murder as much as the girls themselves which upon reflection there expressions helped me to understand the radicalism of the consequences of the girls out of control obsessive relationship. Including your own reaction is a convincing tactic. Furthermore, another visual technique used by Jackson to further convey the key idea of the film was the use of low angle shots in the final scene of the movie. Jackson used these to explain the shift in power of the relationship from Juliet to Pauline. This is shown where there are low angle shots of Pauline giving her a dominating stature in contrast to Juliet. This is a clever contrast to the start of the movie where Pauline is a shy low self esteemed girl, however to my understanding, it seems that as the movie has progressed Pauline and Juliet’s roles have reversed. This helped me to understand that the developed obsession between the girls friendship consequently changed Pauline for the worst and therefore had much greater consequences. Therefore, I believe Jackson’s use of camera visual techniques have helped to successfully present the two key scenes in the film as they have given me greater insight into the key idea of the film of the consequences of when a friendship becomes an obsession. As this theme has been portrayed effectively and compellingly this reiterates that this is a great film. In conclusion, Jackson has been successful in the presenting the key idea of the consequences of when a friendship becomes and obsession through the successful presentation of the two key scenes which are the beginning and end scenes in Victoria park. He has done this through the use of well thought out visual techniques and contrasting differences between the two scenes. Firstly showing how the friendship has become an obsession through the use of the intercutting between the sepia scenes. Secondly showin through the use of low angle shots how the obsessive relationship has changed paul and finally shown through the use of close-ups the terrible consequences of the girls obsession. The Consequences of when a friendship becomes an obsession has peen portrayed clearly and compellingly to the audience throughout this film. This was Peter Jacksons aim. He has specifically chosen this story due to its peculiar circumstances and presented his interpretation and exploration as to how two girls could go through with such an insane act, therefore he has developed this key idea and conveyed it successfully therefore making Heavenly Creatures a â€Å"great† film. Therefore this confirms that great films often hinge on the successful presentation of one or two key scenes as seen in Heavenly Creatures. William Dunlop William – a convincing response – using the tips given in class this week is a major contributor to this, such a small thing but highly effective. To move to Excellence, we need to hear about how what Jackson shows you also makes you think about, for example how can you relate to these key themes or who else or what else do they remind you of? (Universal perspective). Merit.

Richard Nixon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Richard Nixon - Essay Example CRP began a massive fund-raising campaign aimed at collecting as much money as possible before the reporting contributions became mandatory under a new law, and the money could be used for any purpose. Besides this official objective, under Nixon's orders, members of the CRP began conducting electronic surveillance of government officials and members of the press, in an attempt to control the flow of information regarding Nixon's activities. In the period between 1969 and 1971, wiretaps were installed on telephones around Washington DC in the name of "national security," and the Oval Office was equipped with voice-activated tape recorders, a decision that would later come back to haunt Nixon. In 1971, the CRP began to ramp up its political intelligence-gathering activities in preparation for the upcoming presidential election. The group planned to infiltrate the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters, located on the sixth floor of the Watergate apartment and office complex in Washington DC. Leading the conspiracy were US Attorney General John Mitchell, deputy director of the CRP Jeb Magruder, and CRP counsel G. Gordon Liddy. Their goal was to photograph campaign materials and place bugging devices in the office of Democratic National Chairman Lawrence F. ... The Watergate break-in eventually exposed a whole array of campaign practices designed to disrupt or embarrass the political opposition, all of which commentators later summarized as 'dirty tricks.' Investigation and Prosecution When making an attempt to break into the Watergate building in order to fix up previously installed wiretapping equipment, all the burglars were caught red-handed by the police on information of the building guard. The number of these burglars was five including Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzlez, Eugenio Martnez, James W. McCord, Jr., and Frank Sturgis. After investigation the police found telephone number of E. Howard Hunt in McCord's notebook who was Chief of Security at the Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP). This was a strong proof that strengthens the idea that there was surely a connection between the burglars and someone close to the President. Investigation started to find a link between McCord and the CIA and finally it was discovered that the CRP bribed McCord. The White House denied any knowledge of the break in. Six days later, John Haldeman, the White House Chief of Staff, met with Nixon to tell him that the FBI had traced the money found in the burglars' possession to CREEP. In a tape-recorded conversation, Nixon asked Haldeman to get in touch with the CIA to have the FBI's investigation stopped. In spring 1973, three of the five indicted men in the Watergate break-in pled guilty, while the remaining two were found guilty after a trial. The Cuban men were each sentenced to forty years in prison, and Hunt was sentenced to thirty-five. McCord sent word to Judge Sirica that he was willing to cooperate in exchange for a reduced sentence. White House counsel John Dean also approached the Judge and offered his

(not so sure about that)management and information system Essay

(not so sure about that)management and information system - Essay Example Of course, a lot of firms would like to know the different winning strategies that easyJet made in engaging its business online, given that a lot of business are now being done and facilitated by the internet. From this premise, this paper then would try to look at the approaches that easyJet used in establishing its presence on the internet. In this case, the researcher would try to look at the step by step approaches that easyJet made as it established its online presence as a key component of its growth. In addition, the researcher would also try to look into the different relevant scholarly readings to analyze the different approaches that easyJet made, in order to more accurately point out why these approaches actually came to be so much successful. At the end of the paper, the researcher would then summarize the different approaches that easyJet made in establishing its presence online, and would briefly give some recommendations on what may be learned from the approaches that easyJet made. ... to fly and operate on any route within the countries belonging to the European Union, which was before dominated solely by flag-carrying airlines (Pritchard, 2002). Due to this agreement, which provided for the deregulation of the airline industry for 10 years, easyJet actually began its existence (Pritchard, 2002). In the year 1995, easyJet actually began to operate, wherein the aviation company started to accommodate flights from London to nearby Edinburgh and Glasgow (Pritchard, 2002). By virtue of the companies earlier strategies, which involved offering lower fare for these routes, as well as aggressive advertising and publicity events, the company soon began to grow, albeit slowly at first (Pritchard, 2002). However, soon enough, the company began to grow rapidly by the time that it positioned itself in the world of e-commerce, and utilized the internet for projection, marketing and sales (Pritchard, 2002). In fact, just only after 28 months, the company was actually able to re ach its one millionth seats sold (Pritchard, 2002). Now, the company has already grown rapidly, being able to sell its third millionth seat, and has already merged with Go, a separate low-cost airline that was actually established by the British Airways, the flag carrier of the United Kingdom and Great Britain (Pritchard, 2002). Online Positioning and easyJet’s Success One of the first approaches that easyJet made was actually to venture into e-commerce, which was a relatively bold move for any company at that time (1998). But what is the definition of e-commerce? According to Dr, Mamooh Shah, e-commerce is actually â€Å"all electronically mediated information exchanges between an organization and its external stakeholders† (Shah, n. d.). In addition, Shah also outlines the different

Economic Objectives of the United States over the last three years Essay

Economic Objectives of the United States over the last three years - Essay Example Unfortunately, discretionary macroeconomic policies and a volatile environment of the US were closely related to awkward policies such as excessive government spending, high inflation, and an over-valued exchange rate render an economy prone to crisis. United States Government has always believed in broad consensus that exist on the utility of inflation-indexed or inflation linked bonds for which economists and policy makers make the sharing of risk between issuers of bonds and investors possible. In this context financial markets in the emerging market economies are deepened and when an emerging market government issues inflation-indexed bonds, this is seen as reducing the cost of educating the global investors regarding the benefits of these instruments. Though such policies in the past have reduced the co-ordination problems, but has left the most frequent areas devoid of discipline and these are the regulatory norms and supervisory structures. Today, the way the US is breathing a n unstable macroeconomic environment, these vulnerabilities of the financial sector readily spawn a crisis because of distortions in the real economy and serious macroeconomic policy.The macroeconomic policies or the economic crunch being witnessed for the last few years has not affected US military expenditure, since it has kept on increasing by 59 percent since 2001 and it is obvious that such increase reflects massive spending on military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, however it also includes increases in the ‘base’ defence budget.... Policies regarding public finance claims that only the most central, national government can successfully manage US economy's macro-economic swings and the resulting unemployment of labour and economic resources. The macroeconomics in this case does not held itself responsible for the inability to alleviate unemployment because it suggests that the mobility of factors of production in any economy and the inclination of a region's residents to spend their incomes on imported goods are responsible factors behind the raised unemployment rate (Inman & Rubinfield, 2001). Unemployment Compensation programs in the light of policies have been relatively modest in scale that has covered potential benefits during all these years of recession, however their duration is short and replacement rates are generally low. Recipiency rates are also relatively low (Vroman & Brusentsev, 2005: 145). The policies advice that many aspects of these programs highlight the association between inflation and Unemployment Compensation replacement rates without effective indexation provisions, high inflation would quickly erode the real value of monthly benefits (ibid). The main factor that explains why international trade and capital movements instead of other economical concerns have become a major concern of senior policymakers in the United States is the acceptance by all governments of responsibility for how well or poorly the domestic economy performs. The policymakers claim that the electorate's demand for a steady increase in the standard of living indicates that any policy that significantly affects domestic economic performance is an important variable in determining who is president and which party controls the

Understand the Organisational Purposes of Businesses Essay - 1

Understand the Organisational Purposes of Businesses - Essay Example Understand the Organisational Purposes of Businesses In order to be successful, for every kind of organisation irrespective of their categorisation as public, private or charitable, the purposes must be identified, i.e. what the organisations desire to accomplish in its future performances and in what ways they intend to achieve their anticipated purposes. Thus, several organisations intend to develop a mission statement which concisely ascertains the key purpose of the entity specifying the reason for its existence in the market (Cuedirectory, 2010). The public organisations are budgeted and operated by the government and are often termed as state controlled business entities. The key purpose of this kind of organisations is to serve the public offering quality services at minimum costs. In public organisations, funds are at times provided liberally for the improvement of the society. In other words, the public organisations encompass social well-being. Organisations of public sector majorly comprise educational establishments, heath services, national defence & safety sectors and finance segments among others. There are several public organisations which deliver essential services free of cost or below the usual rate. However, certain public organisations also aim toward increasing the revenue along with concentrating on providing quality services to the people (Cuedirectory, 2010). ... Charitable organisations: The third common type of organisation is the charitable establishments. It is also termed as ‘non-profit’ or ‘voluntary organisations’ which concentrates largely on providing services. The main purpose of the charitable sector is to raise finance from several sources which can be used for supporting a particular social concern such as education for poor or food for needy people among other services. Charitable organisations aim at making surplus from the businesses in order to reinvest for certain generous purposes. Unlike private organisations where customers are provided with high priorities, charity or social organisations provide priorities to the unprivileged group of people. Charity organisations basically demonstrate the portion of money which is used for donation purposes through financial statements (Pearson Education Limited, 2012). It can also be observed that the public and private organisations provide several monetary supports to the charitable organisations through or without strategic alliances in order to accomplish their individual social welfare objectives. Each kind of organisation has certain contribution to the society and economy as a whole. Contextually, it is worth mentioning that all kind of organisations need to carry out certain functions in order to ensure that the business runs efficiently performing its operations in relation to administration, marketing, production, customer service and research & development. These functions develop a linkage between the aims of the business with the strategies implemented to accomplish those purposes (Pearson Education Limited, 2012). Article 1.2 Northumbria Police Authority (NPA) is an independent organisation in the UK which provides persuasive quality and

The Global Reporting Initiative Has a Mission to Develop Global Essay

The Global Reporting Initiative Has a Mission to Develop Global Sustainability Reporting Guidelines for Voluntary Use by Organis - Essay Example The specific Initiative has been proved particularly valuable leading to the increase of the power of sustainability as related to organizational reporting. At this point, the following issue has appeared: which can be the actual value of the information provided through the reporting rules used in the context of GRI. The specific issue is examined and evaluated in this paper. Emphasis is given on the value of the above information for the firms’ shareholders. Reference is made, as an example, to four firms listed in FTSE 100, aiming to show that GRI can be highly valued by a firm’s shareholders, even if there is no previous involvement of a particular organization in similar initiatives. It is made clear that firms are urged to produce the specific type of information under the pressure to respond to the demands of different parties; the adoption of GRI rules by competitors can also lead firms to participate in the specific scheme. 2. Global Reporting Initiative 2.1 Ke y points of the Initiative As noted above, the key aim of the Global Reporting Initiative is to urge organizations to use sustainability-reporting rules (Global Reporting Initiative 2012). GRI is ‘a non-profit voluntary organization’ (Global Reporting Initiative 2012) that produces such rules. These rules are voluntary, meaning that organizations are not obliged to adopt them. However, it has been proved that these rules can help organizations to improve their relationship with their shareholders who seem to value the relevant information, as incorporated in each organization’s annual reports. In order to understand the increasing pressure on companies for adopting the reporting guidelines of GRI, it would be necessary to refer to sustainability reporting, as an activity related to the operations of organizations in different industries. According to GRI, sustainability reporting is ‘the practice of measuring, disclosing, and being accountable to internal a nd external stakeholders for organizational performance towards the goal of sustainable development’ (GRI rules, p.3). The framework of sustainability reporting, as promoting by GRI, is presented below in Figure 1. It is clear that for GRI there are two key parts of sustainability reporting: the rules on which the reporting will be based and the content of the report (GRI rules, p.3). Figure 1 – Sustainability Reporting under GRI (source: GRI rules, p.3) Using the protocols and principles suggested by GRI an organization should incorporate in its annual report, three different types of disclosures, entitled as ‘standard disclosures’ (GRI rules, p.4) in Figure 1 above. These disclosures include: ‘strategy and profile, management approach and performance indicators’ (GRI rules, p.5). These disclosures could be further analysed as follows: a) the strategy and profile disclosures showing the firm’s key strategies and profile, as related to the organizational performance, b) the key managerial decisions for handling various organizational issues can be also used for understanding organizational performance; this idea is promoted through the management approach disclosures; c) the ‘economic, social and environmental performance of each organization’ (GRI rules, p.5) need to be also presented to the stakeholders; the relevant information is provided through the third type of disclosures, the performance indicators disclosures. For responding to the needs of these disclosures, organizations need to produce

Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Managment - Essay Example In simple words, sustainability aims to combat with the latest challenges by allocating the resources and energies for the short term period without putting the future developments into jeopardy. Thus, sustainability is basically seen by neoclassical economists as a problem of managing a nation’s portfolio of capital to maintain it at a constant level, either in toto or per capita. It includes natural capital, in principle, but it also allows for virtually unlimited substitution between man-made and natural capital (Pearce et al., 1990: quoted in Ayers 2000 2). Hence, sustainability looks into the canvas of business environment with a larger and long term perspective. However, it does not mean that it absolutely nullifies the long-term planning. On the contrary, it works out on current corporate scenario in such a dedicated way, by exercising best of skills and proficiencies that it indirectly creates long-term shareholder value by increasing opportunities and minimizing risk factors for the future years to come. Sustainability is essentially the continuity of the satisfaction regarding the fulfillment of basic needs; the same can be witnessed by elaborating the concept within corporate point of view, where it is actually the strategy devised and articulated to keep the ball of commercial activities rolling. The analysts divide sustainability into two different levels, which include weak and strong sustainability. Weak sustainability is the idea that natural capital can be used up as long as it is converted into manufactured capital of equal value. On the other hand, strong sustainability is the idea that there are certain functions that the environment performs that cannot be duplicated by humans.(Hart, Maureen 1998 3) In other words, the theorists argue that different forms of capital can be utilized by converting it from natural form into manufactured capital form. Consequently, weak sustainability measures the value of natural objects, beauties and c apital within a monetary perspective without taking into account its worthwhile status as the pure object of nature. For instance, mountains offer countless beauties and finances are generated from the tourists and visitors. Additionally, there are countless natural products that could be obtained from mountains and hills. However, the weak sustainability mere calculates the gains that could be generated by turning the hilly areas into plains. Thus, the narrow-sightedness of the notion appears to be unable to provide an in-depth analysis of the objects of nature and mistakenly regard them as the wastage of resources out of which huge money could be generated. Similarly, a forest full of trees contains the worth quite different from the estimation made by an entrepreneur. A value can be calculated if you assume that all the trees are cut down and turned into furniture or paper. However, the forest provides a home for wildlife that provides food for hunters. It also provides a place f or hikers to enjoy the natural environment. (Hart, Maureen 1998 5) On the other hand, strong sustainability refutes the very idea that natural capital are substitute to one another and hence can be estimated in terms of materialistic and

The Effect of Social Media on Teenagers Essay Example for Free

The Effect of Social Media on Teenagers Essay Contrary to what many people think, Social Media actually has a negative effect on teenagers. Social media is a medium of communication shared by most adults and children, but most especially teenagers. It is sometimes helpful, entertaining and within the reach of the general public. It has become an important mass media around the world. Sadly, this resource is abused and taken advantage by most teenagers, and not used in a way that they could get the best benefits from. It can have negative effects on teenagers like addiction, psychological problems and cyber bullying which can decrease their self-esteem that can lead to depression and possibly self-harm. Many teenagers love social media because of its wide connectivity and function that people can receive it for free; it does not require money to make an account and use it. Facebook is the most visible among various social media. What’s impressive about this site is that you can easily connect with your long lost friends and see how they’re doing, or vice versa. You can also make new friends in Facebook. Though this could get addictive and may divert our attention away from the real world. Like what Cornell University’s Steven Strogatz said; â€Å"Social media sites can make it more difficult for us to distinguish between meaningful relationships we foster in the real world, and the numerous casual relationships formed through social media.† I strongly agree with this statement. Also, people become a whole new person, because it’s the Internet. People can be anything or anyone in the Internet. Another issue is the psychological problems it can affect the teenagers. Social networks like Twitter and Facebook also show another problem to ones emotional development and maturity, according to one study from the University of Southern California. This study monitored the development and expression of admiration and compassion in response to persuasive, actual-life stories in volunteers. Brain imaging was used to verify the responses. Social networks also messes with their ability to think independently. They’re more likely to change their mind about â€Å"liking† some things and posts if they see that it is popular or whatnot, because of course people like going with trend and they want to blend in like the rest.

Functions and role of a marketing audit

Functions and role of a marketing audit A marketing audit is a comprehensive, systematic, independent and periodic examination of companies or business units marketing environment , objectives, strategies and activities with a view to determining problem areas and opportunities and recommending a plan of action to improve the companys marketing performance'( Kotler.P,1977 ). Product- products in Hilton Kensington restaurant (west eleven) offering guest a wider selection of dishes and healthier choices. They not only incorporate important elements such as nutritional values, serving size and standards but also locally produced ingredients which is good. Price and promotion- price and promotion in west eleven restaurant is quiet amazing. The breakfast buffet is just  £12.95 which is a combination of both continental and English foods and dinner is contemporary European cuisine and carvery (buffet) for 21.95. Promotion includes highlife cards for regular guests which gives 50% discounted price for lunch and dinner. For promotion with kids meal drinks are free as well. People- The staffs and managers having a very good communication links and power distance is low to medium as well. The main strength is each and every staff working as a team and a team leader to control as well. So we are enable to make a good relationship with customers or in other words a good buyer- seller relationship. These all things help to realize that the reputation of brand that we are involved in, is in peoples hands. Process- In west eleven restaurant micros is a good technology which is using now to make good relation between waiters, chefs and the guest. The services of starters from 7min and main course 20min now a day. Physical evidence- we are maintaining a better brand image now for extending customer service relationships, selection, value, low price and to challenge with competing brands. It is the element of service mix as well which allows the customer again to make judgement on the organisation. Environment Environmental analysis enables an organisation to develop appropriate marketing strategies including the marketing mix. Environment can be divided into micro environment and macro environment. Important external forces that influence the marketing strategy include Customers- customers in west eleven restaurant always looks for quality of food rather than quantity. Most of the guests who are regular because they are meeting their needs. In the guest comments card 90% of the guest rating 7/10which is good not excellent. The major marketing segment is internet and apart from that print media, brouchers etc was there as well. The things like printed media will work inside the hotel wall posters of special offers, sports calendars etc to promote the guest. Competitors- competitors with Hilton Kensington hotel is Mariots south Kensington and novhotel Hammersmith which are upscale category but not luxurious category. The competition is taking place because they are patronized by same target customers, in same product class but there are differentiation, with a same geographic area and a similar price category. All of these hotels got good size, quality and interior decor in restaurants. But the price and value offered is just satisfactory when comparing to west eleven and the emarketig is not good enough as well. Both hotels having bit different strategies because they are concentrating more in leisure guest when Hilton restaurant is focusing mainly for business customers which includes business executives and airline staffs. PORTERS 5 FORCE MODEL Barriers of new entry Existing competitors entering new attractive domestic market.Economies of sale. Emergence of new entreprenal players. Supplier bargaining power Importance of volume to supplier Availability of skilled employees and management. Powerful brands( customers married to loyality scheme) No of competitiors Ratio demand capacity Industry profitability Buyers bargaining power Product diffrenciatioon Willingness to pay for brand name. Buyers incentives Threat of substitutes Switching costs Price-performance trade Of substitutes Products for products. Eg: same food ingredients and Products by competitors in differ-ent names. Five force analysis (source : porter 1980) Macro environment- it impacts on hospitality industry and affects all competitors. PEST frame work is very helpful in carrying out an environmental analysis of the organisation. PEST stands for political, economical, social and technological influences. Political/ legal:- political factors have a direct impact on the way of business operates. The political environment is not stable enough and things are getting changing in regular intervals. V.A.T is changing from January onwards from 17.5 to 20. Terrorism activities are increasing day by day. Economic:-Global recession happened in the mid of 2008s affects badly to the Hotel industry nationally and globally. But now its slowly recovering from the second quarter of 2010 and expected to continue the level of growth in the coming years. Currency inflation is playing a major role in economic growth. Intrest rates which are growing will affect partially as well. I.T has made a lot of difference in the current environment. Eg: If we take wi-fi or broadband in London 95% (est) of the people will use at home, work place or while travelling which is v.good, when comparing countries like Cuba which will be 5% or less which shows a huge penetration of I.T. Social:- one of the sociological factor increased population growth which adversely affecting hospitality industry. Now a days people are not spending much because of recession. When taking age distribution according to census of 2008 UK labour force is about 30.3 million workers, roughly the same size as the combined labour force of California and Texas. What the demographic trends shows is people of age group between 16-34 only working 30% of the total labour force which is bad as young people not working and the others work a lot. London society consists of a cosmopolitan culture which is much much larger in the amount when comparing with other major cities. Technological:-Introduction of ERP systems, emodels and High Speed Broadband systems increased their efficiency to serve their royal customers. But control measures have to take to mitigate the system failure risk, otherwise it will harmful the customer satisfaction. Productivity Productivity is a measure relating a quantity or quality of output to the inputs required to produce it. The benefits of marketing in Hilton are global reach, lower cost than traditional market methods, trackable and measureable results, personalisation, better conversion rates etc. In the other hand the risk which facing are dependability of technology, security, privacy issues, worldwide competition through globalization etc. The Main current problem and challenge which facing cost effectiveness are increased commodity prices. So now a days what is happening is food cost is going higher. Systems The use of intranet is more than extranet in my restaurant. The use of intranet is dominated by email followed by new service and product information, market information, employee listing etc. Marketing information systems providing accurate and timely information about development in the market place. Marketing control systems are good . The control procedures are looking and evaluating quarterly.most of the annual plan objectives are being achived. Provision is made to analyse periodically the profitability of different products, markets and channels of distribution. In my restaurant marketing auditor is responsible for all these systems. Organisation Marketing organisation audit is mainly considered as effectiveness of the organisation activities as well as efficiency of the operation of a company. The organisational structure supports most of the marketing activities. We got good working relation between sales and marketing. Product managers are able to plan profits and sales volume as well. Strategy The mission statement was not that much clear and feasible. The objectives stated in a clear form to guide marketing planning. The markets are segmented at an average fasion. For overall marketing decision process key things which are using are marketing performance audit and marketing competency audit. Marketing resources are some what allocted optimally to prime market segments and marketing mix like product quality,service,promotion, distribution etc.

Catering Industry | Marketing Essay

Catering Industry | Marketing Essay Catering Industry is a very wide industry, it has been categorised in different food outlets which are based on the nature of the demand, availability of place, availability of raw material and size of the organization. The catering industry has got different natures of outlets and catering can be organized at customers place. The following are some of the catering establishments: 1.1. Restaurant: The major known food outlet is a restaurant. A restaurant can be a part of the hotel or can be stand alone. A restaurant is an establishment that serves the customers with prepared food and beverages to order, to be consumed on the premises. The term restaurant includes a diversity of different venues and a diversity of styles of cuisines. Different Restaurants have got their own quality or nature of work. A restaurant can be a speciality restaurant or multi-cuisine, Fast food or may have got other nature. Typically a hotel, where the food items are provided for the convenience of the residents and for the hotel to maximize their potential revenue, such restaurants are often open to non-residents also (Lundburg D.E.1985). 1.2. Transport Catering: Transport Catering is the second widest class if catering. After restaurants, Transport catering is the catering which caters for most of the customers. Transport catering includes an airline catering, Railway catering, Ship catering etc. Serving the food and beverages to passengers, before, during and after a journey on trains, aircraft and ships and in buses or private vehicles is called as transport catering. Different transport caterings have got different nature. Sometimes transport catering services are to be offered to the general public who lives near to the surrounding of the service provider. The major forms of modern day transport catering are airline-catering, railways catering, ship catering and surface catering in coaches or buses which operate on long distance routes (Lawson F., 1994). 1.2.1. Airline Catering: Airline catering is the most expensive and important catering segment. Airline catering includes to provide food and beverages to the customer who are travelling by aircraft and restaurants situated in the airport area. In new era latest airports have a variety of food and beverage outlets to cater to the increasing number of air passengers. Catering to passengers en route is normally contracted out to a flight catering unit of a reputed hotel or to a catering contractor or to the catering unit operated by the airline itself as an independent entity (Jones P., 1995). 1.2.2. Railway Catering: Another segment of the transport catering is railway catering. It is basically includes; catering to railway passengers at the time of running journey as well as during halts at different railway stations is called railway catering. Long journey, especially travelling by train for long distances is sometimes exhausting; consequently a regular supply of variety of different refreshment (Food and Beverages) choices facilitates to make the journey less monotonous. On-board meal services are also provided on long distance trains (Kocher E M., 1960). 1.2.3. Ship Catering: This is once again another segment of the transport catering. Catering to the cargo crew and ship passengers is called Ship Catering. It includes providing the excellent services to both the internal customers and external customers. All the royal ships have kitchens and different kind of the restaurants on board these restaurants serves both A la Carte and Table Dhà ´te menus. The quality of service and facilities offered depends on the class of the ship and the price the passengers are willing to pay. There are cruises to suit every pocket. They range from room service and cocktail bars to speciality dining restaurants (International Labour Office, 1946). 1.3. Surface Catering: Surface Catering is stated to the catering outlets; which caters to passengers travelling by surface transport such as buses and private vehicles. This kind of the organizations are generally situated near to the bus terminals or may be near to the highways. There are different criteria for the entrepreneurship for these organizations, these establishments are owned by government or could be owned by the private owners. There is positive growth has been noticed in a survey by the United Kingdom government for this kind of the organizations. Of late there has been a growing popularity of Punjabi style eateries called dhabas on the highways (Banerjee S.C., 2000). 2. Types of Catering: Catering Industry is one of the major industries worldwide. The catering industry has segmented in to different- different diminutive sub industries but there are two major types of catering On premises and Off premises catering. These two types of caterings can be stated as large scale and small scale catering. On-premise catering for any function includes banquet, reception, or event that is held on the premise of the organization or provision that is organize or supporting the function. On-premise catering is totally different from off-premise catering, in the off premise catering; function takes place in a secluded location, such as a customers home, in the garden, in any event , or may be in the parking area, and the staff, food, and decor must be transported to the secluded location. In the off premise catering most of the times food is prepared in the central kitchen or may be in the main kitchen and after preparation this food is delivers to the different outlets that is clients location. Part or all of the production of food may be executed or finished at the location of the event (Buttle F., 1996). There are different statements about the categorizations of the catering industry. Catering can also be divided in other segments as public catering and corporate / business catering. Social or public catering includes such events as weddings, bar and get together, high school meeting, birthday parties, and charity events or may be sports related events. Business catering includes such events as association conventions and meetings, civic or community meetings, corporate sales or stockholder meetings, recognition banquets, new product commencing, training camps may be educational or work, provider and consumer meeting, service awards banquets, and entertaining in hospitality collection (Buttle F., 1996). 2.1. On-Premise Catering: As On premise catering is the most important catering because, basically in the On premise catering all the arrangement of the services and function done by the organizations itself. For example, a caterer within a food and beverage organization will prepare and cater all of the needs of the customer without taking any food or services out of the competence of the organization. In United Kingdom there are many catering organizations have particular rooms on-premise to give the services to the private-party function. A big catering organization could have a layout specially designed and separated in more than one dining room and attached to a centralized industrial food production kitchen. These different dining rooms may be available at the same time to maintain the operations in the outlet and for stipulation and brim over seating. In addition, these dinning rooms can be used and rented for the private party such as wedding, get together or birthday party celebration and may require their own specialized service and menu options. Other examples of on-premise catering include hospital catering, school, college catering (Shock P. J. et al. 2001). 2.2. Off Premises Catering: Off Premise catering is the segment of the catering; in which service is provided to the customer outside of the organization which may be away from the base catering unit. There is one instance of a food production facility which is a self-supporting commissary kitchen unit used exclusively for the preparation of meal which is to be delivered at other places. Other examples of production facilities include, but are not limited to, hotel, restaurant, and club kitchens. In most cases there is no existing kitchen facility at the location where the food is served. Caterers provide single-event foodservice, but not all caterers are created equal. Off Premise Catering is basically separated as three different categories: Party Food Caterers: Party Food caterers basically supply the food and drink items for a particular event. Party food caterers believe in the last minute preparation, they leave semi cooked food and leave any last-minute preparation, plus service and cleanup, to others. Hot Buffet Caterers: It is basically called as distance cooking in which hot buffet caterers provide hot foods to the pre arranged function, that are delivered from their commissaries in insulated containers. Hot Buffet Caterers sometimes send their contracted staff for serving the food and take the extra charges from the contractor. Full-Service Caterers: Full service caterers believe in both of the menus, A la Carte and Table Dhà ´te menu. They also arrange contracted staff for serving food at the event, and all the necessary catering concern utensils and equipments which are chinaware, different glasses for different uses, crockery, cutleries, tables and seating, tents, and so on. They can arrange for other services, like interior and music, as well. In brief, a full-service caterer can plan and execute an entire event, not just the food for it. (Shock P. J. et al. 2001). There are some other sub-divisions of catering industry which are as follows: 2.3. Outdoor Catering: Outdoor catering is the division of the catering industry. Basically outdoor catering comprises the stipulation of food and beverages away from home and indoor catering establishments. Venue for the outdoor catering may be different as per the customers choice. In new era most of the 5 star hotels, restaurants and different catering organizations trying to fulfil this growing demand. There are choices in the menu and set up for the event could be different depend on the customers willing to spend money. Outdoor catering includes catering for functions such as weddings; get together parties, birthday parties and conventions. 2.4. Retail Store Catering: In the United Kingdom market some big retail stores, are facilitating the additional facilities apart of their primary business. These stores keep the facility of dinning. Basically retail store catering develops when large departmental stores wants to facilitate their customers by provide food and beverages in the stores. These stores treat their customers as a part of their retailing perception. It is not convenient for the customers to take a break from shopping, to have some food and drinks at a different location and it can consume customers valuable time as well. Thus provoke the need for some sort of a dining facility in the retail store itself. This style of catering is becoming more popular and varied nowadays (Nystrom P H., 2009). 2.5. Club Catering: Club Catering is basically to facilitates the club members in terms of Food and Beverage. This type of catering includes a limited numbers of the consumers basically who are a part of the club. Here are some instances of clubs for people with similar interests are turf clubs, golf clubs, cricket clubs etc. In these kinds of clubs; quality of the food and beverages tend to be high and the services provides is good standard. With in the high quality of environment prices of the menu keep really low as compared to the big catering organizations. Night clubs are generally located in big cities that have a high class population. They offer entertainment with good food and expensive drinks (Loader G., 1974). 2.6. Welfare Catering: The Welfare Catering is basically the service of the food and beverages to the peoples as the communal responsibility determined by the acknowledge authority. This grew out of the welfare state concept, prevalent in western countries. The Welfare Catering includes providing food and beverages in the hospitals, Government schools, colleges, the armed forces and prisons (Loader G., 1974). 2.7. Industrial Catering: The Industrial Catering is the provision of service of food and beverages to the people who are working in industries and factories at highly subsidised rates. The criteria of service of industrial catering is quiet different depends on the nature of the organization. It is based on the assumption that better fed employees at concessional rates are happy and more productive. In the organizations where number of employees is really high may be undertaken by the management itself, or a contract can be established with the professional caterers. Depending on the choice of the menu suggested by the management, catering contractors undertake to feed the workforce for a fixed period of time at a predetermined price (Coates D.S., 1971). 2.8. Leisure-Linked Catering: This type of catering refers to the provision of food and beverages to people engaged in rest and recreation activities. Basically this type of catering includes the selling of food and beverages, refreshments through different cut outs and stands at theme parks, big exhibitions, photo galleries or entertainment places such as live theatres and cinema halls and so on. As the leisure and tourism spreading widely, the increase in the availability of leisure time and big payouts by employers for leisure activities has made it a very profitable form of catering (Heyward P., 2002). 3. Menu: For the Catering Industry a menu is the list of dishes which are ready for service or available food or beverage items for the customers to select from. The food items which are available for the customers to choose from are divided in to different categories. This depends on the time of meal taken or the particular event. The assemblage of a menu is the most important part of a caterers work. Menu Planning considered as an art which can be obtained by the time spending, experience and study. The menu is a link between the customer and the catering organization. A menu for an organization should be carefully considered and then planned by the establishments professionals, namely the food and beverage manager, the executive chef, and the food and beverage controller (Cousins J., 2002). The word menu came in consideration dates back to 1718, but the provision of planning and developing such a food and beverages list is much older. In the early times, the escriteau (bill of fare) or menu of traditional meals was displayed on one of the wall with the instruction for the kitchen staff to follow the order in which dishes to be served. In the old era it is said that, menus were maintained as a big glossary with different sections covering a diversity of dishes. As time passed the lengthy single copy menu became smaller but increased in number allowing a number of copies placed in table increased. Depending on the establishment and the occasion, the menu may be plain or artistic in its presentation (Davis B et al., 1998). 3.1 Types of Menu: In a restaurant, there are two different types of menus which are differentiated by the manner in which they are served and priced. A menu may be a la carte or table dhà ´te. 3.1.1. A La Carte Menu: An A La Carte Menu, is a multiple choice menu, with each dish priced separately. If a guest wishes to place an order, an a la carte is offered, from which one can choose the items one wants to eat. Traditionally, the original menus that offered consumers choices were prepared on a small chalkboard, a la carte in French; so foods chosen from a bill of fare are described as à   la carte, according to the board. In an a la carte menu all items are cooked to order including the sauces that are made with wine, cream or mustard. Depending on the dish chosen by the guest, the cooking time will vary. It is necessary to inform the guests about the time the preparation might take. An extensive a la carte menu is impressive but involves a huge amount of mise-en-place. 3.1.2. Table Dhà ´te Table dhà ´te is a French phrase which literally means hosts table. It is used to indicate a fixed menu where multi-course meals with limited choices are charged at a fixed price. Such a menu may also be called prix fixe (fixed price). It usually includes three or five courses meal available at a fixed price. It is also referred to as a fixed menu. Because the menu is set, the cutlery on the table may also already be set for all of the courses, with the first course cutlery on the outside, working in towards the plate as the courses progress. In olden days, when the inns or dining establishments offering a limited choice in the menu was not preferred by the guests, they started offering an a la carte menu for guests to select the type of food they wanted to eat. Fixed menus or table dhote menus are still used in various forms such as buffet menus, conference packages and on special occasions. A table dhote menu comprises a complete meal at a predetermined price. It is sometimes prin ted on a menu card or as in the case of banquets, it is agreed upon by the host of the party. A banquet style of fixed menu has more elaborate choices ranging from the soup to the dessert. For the banquets, the hosts invariably fix or select the menu in consultation with the hotel staff in advance. Most of the banquet food served in India is normally of Indian food. For this, a printed format offering a choice of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes is prepared, from which the guests make their choice. Western style fixed menus normally provide the choice of a starter or soup, a main course, and finally a dessert. In each course there could be a choice of dishes to suit the tastes of individual guests. Table dhote menus should be well planned and balanced. As the guest is not given a chance to plan his own meal, the meal should be interesting, without any similarity in the colour and taste of the courses as well as being palatable, delicious and well presented. If the main course is heavy, then the first course should be lighter, and act as an appetite stimulant for the courses to follow. Dishes that are heavy and hard to digest should be avoided. The colour, varieties of ingredients used, and the garnishes should, if possible, be different for each course. Fixed menus are prevalent in transport catering which include air, rail, and sea passengers. The guests have a variety of fixed or table dhote menus, with virtually no choice offered to the passengers (except the first class air passengers). Cruise liners may have elaborate fixed menus with multiple choices built into each course. 4. Menu Formats: Menus are also presented in different formats. Menus are not always printed on heavy paper and handed to the customer. Another popular format is the tabletop menu. This type of menu is oftentimes referred to as a table-top display or a table tent. It is used primarily to promote your money makers. The problem seems to be that guests dont usually read them. Or, if they do, they usually read them after they have given their orders to the server (John A. Drysdale, 1997) There is also the menu board or chalkboard. Think of this as a tabletop menu on steroids. A menu board is necessary if you operate a quick service facility and may also be required if you have a separate take-out area in your full-service restaurant. The chalkboard is popular in restaurants that wish to convey a European image. Like the typical table tent, though, guests usually dont read them completely until after they put in their orders. Some restaurants offer verbal menus. Many properties have their servers recite the food specials of the day at tableside. We prefer a printed menu insert instead of the time-consuming speech. Guests are usually chatting away and arent always eager to sit still long enough to hear the full spiel. Restaurants that offer interactive menus allow guests to mix and match their orders. For instance, in some Italian restaurants guests can select the type of pasta they want, the type of sauce, and so on (Lewis, 2002). You also might see this with some bingo catering menus. These menus have several lists of food and beverage items. Eventually he or she ends up with a personalized menu for the event. Some restaurants use wireless technology (WIFI) to display their wine lists. Sometimes a computer terminal is installed at each table. Or the floor manager brings a laptop to the table. Guests can interact, for example, by entering their desired entrees into the system and waiting for the computer to make wine suggestions. Another format is the chefs menu. This is the one you spring on people who dont want to see a menu (Lewis, 2002). They say, Let the chef order for me. There are three ways to go: You can ask the customer to give you some advance notice about what he or she wants, and then have those things ready upon arrival; you let the guest decide, or you can select items from your current menu(s). A third alternative is for you to put something unique together, something that doesnt appear on the regular menu(s). A potential downside of options 1 and 3 is you have to price them quickly; you need to know your numbers, as the bookkeeper may not be around. And you would need to know if you have enough food items and the right wines to pair with them, or if you have to make a special run to the vendor in order to get what you need Jack (Lewis, 2002). 5. Menu Planning: Menu is the statement of food and beverage items available or provided by food establishments primarily based on consumer demand and designed to achieve organizational objectives. It represents the focal point around which components of food service systems are based. The menu is designed carefully what the outlet wants to cater for, keeping in mind the type of clientele. The main advantage of a well-planned menu is that it leads to consumer satisfaction. It also helps to motivate the employees for a responsible and successful service. A successful menu depends upon composition-the right combination of foods, prepared perfectly, to the entire satisfaction of the customer. So claimed Antonin Careme (1784-1833), the French chef who is considered the founder of classical cuisine. Menu is a document that controls and directs an outlets operations and is considered the prime selling instrument of the restaurant (Johns P., 1988). Menu planning is the back bone of the catering industry. Menu planning gives the basic idea of the activities which are to be done for operation in any catering premises. This operation in the establishment means front office operation and back office operation. Menu planning in an organization depends on so many different factors which results different activities in the organization. Menu planning starts with the nature of the organization means it may be a restaurant or out door catering. So the nature of the work decides the clientele in the organization, their choices availability of the food raw material (Lockwood A., 1994). 5.1. Points to be considered while planning the menu: When planning the food and beverage for any event, its important for event planners to consider several not-so-obvious catering menu planning items to help ensure a successful program. Consider the following when planning your menu: 5.1.1. Knowledge of the Guest Profile: A menu planning Manager / Executive must have good knowledge about the Guest profile of the organization. What is the profile of the guests being invited to the event? For example, most business people attend many events throughout the year, and the phrase rubber chicken circuit is common among political, business and fundraising circles (and others). To prevent your event from having this description, consider the following: The professional level of your guest. The frequency your guest attends similar events. The location where guests reside. The ethnic background of your guests. 5.1.2. Knowledge of the Guests preference: For good menu planning and good customer service it is really important to understand the profile of the guest, this allows the event planner to begin considering what menu options to offer. These are some of the points which can help an event manager to serve the best food and service to the guest. Points are as follows: Old age people dont like more spicy food so it is really good to serve them mild spicy food. Attendees concerned about health may prefer more seafood and vegetables options. Younger or middle-aged guests may prefer spicier, more adventurous meals. The idea here is to consider what your guests will enjoy the most based on the type of event you are planning. 5.1.3. Provide Menu Choices: Anyone planning an event should offer several choices so that all guests will be pleased with whats available. Some general guidelines: Offer at least two choices of entrees (three is better). Offer three or more salad dressing options. Serve all condiments on the side. Offer two dessert options: one very indulgent, one healthy. 5.1.4. Incorporate Seasonal and Fresh Items: When selecting the menu, the time of year should play a large factor in determining food and beverage. Take into consideration which items are in season for spring or winter menus. Another important factor is to consider the region or location of the event and popular food items from the area. Incorporate fresh seafood or regionally grown produce. 5.1.5. Select a Menu that Fits the Event Schedule Sometimes the clock will be the greatest guide to determining Table dhote menu for an event. Some examples: Box lunches are best if you have 30 minutes or on the go. Plated meals usually requires at least 1.5 hours. Buffets may be finished in about 1 hour. Cocktail receptions require a minimum of 1 hour before dinner. Working breakfasts or lunches should incorporate menu items that can hold up for longer periods of time than others. 5.1.6. Anticipate Special Needs Before any event, it is critical for an event planner to find out if any of the guests have a special need so that the catering manager can address those needs prior to the event. Considerations include: Food allergies Religious requirements Dietary restrictions 5.1.7. Allow for a Comfortable Room Setup Choose the appropriate room layout that supports your event objectives. If youre serving a meal, the tables will be filled with used dishes and glassware, in addition to binders, notepads and pens. Thats why its important to choose the best room setup, and allow space for people to move. Examples: Boardroom setup should be for a maximum of 15 guests. U-shape and rectangle table layout to promote discussion. Class room style is great for a presentation. Banquet style promotes small group discussions. Regardless of the setup, allow for people to spread out. Tip: Setup for 8 in a 10 person banquet table. 5.1.8. Create Ethnic or Regional Menus Im a huge fan of planning events that have ethnic-specific themes. This allows an event planner and the executive chef to work together to bring region-specific and international foods into your event, and this will definitely please guests. Common ethnic catering includes the following: Asian/Chinese/Japanese French German Greek Italian Mexican Middle Eastern 5.1.9. Consider the Final Presentation of Food and Beverage We eat with our eyes and our nose before tasting it. Whether its served plated or buffet, a catered meal should visually colorful and fragrant. Therefore, the presentation of food should make your guests want to eat it. This means linens and decorations that complement the theme of the meal. If it doesnt look good and smell good, your guests will not be happy. Importance of menu planning: Good planning can make a huge difference! The menu influences almost every aspect of the food service operation, from what foods are purchased and how they are prepared, to whether or not meals are popular with the children (Lillicrap D. Et al. 2006). When planning the food and beverage for any event, its important for event planners to consider several not-so-obvious catering menu planning items to help ensure a successful program. Menu planning is basically includes the preferences of guests and the preferences of the owner as well like what the owner can spend and what kind of margin he is looking for. According to Dennis L. 1999, we can include some of the points during the Menu Planning consideration: Know the Guest profile Know the guests preferences Provide Menu choice Incorporate seasonal and fresh items Select a menu that fits the event schedule Anticipates special needs Allow for a comfortable room setup Create Ethnic or Regional menu Consider the final presentation of food and beverage Principles of menu planning: Basic Principles Cold and warm dishes are listed separately. Appetizers, soups, seafood and main courses are listed in separate groups. In every group the lighter dishes are listed before the richer ones. Salads should be highlighted. If offered, low-calorie foods should be specially indicated, and the number of calories should be stated. If foods are prepared with organically grown ingredients, this fact should be highlighted to the discriminating customer. Every dish should be described clearly and simply, in an appetizing way, without being too flowery. House specialties and seasonal items should correspond to the season and should change accordingly. Use a clip-on menu or special insert to attract attention to them. The dessert selection should be listed on a separate attractive card. The menu should inform the guests that such a card is available. The numbering of menu items can save time and confusion, especially with many of the new computerized cash registers. Numbering, however, discourages communication between guests and the service staff and thus does not help promote sales. For an easy compromise, place one numbered menu at the register or where orders are relayed to the kitchen so that one can punch in the guests order by number; the guest, however, orders the actual foods with words, not numbers. According to Larry, 1999 the five basic menu planning principles are: 1. Strive for balance. 2. Emphasize variety. 3. Add contrast. 4. Think about color. 5. Consider eye appeal. In many cases, especially in restaurants, serving haute cuisine, the part or table dhote menu is beautifully handwritten to emphasize the traditional character of the restaurant. In less fancy restaurants, a modern variant that is similar but simpler is often used: the blackboard, on which are written recommendations concerning the days specialties. In general, however, the table dhote or a part menu, which changes daily or cyclically, is prepared in-house (on a typewriter or computer) and duplicated as necessa Aldis International Strategic Management | Analysis Aldis International Strategic Management | Analysis Introduction Consumption plays a vital role in economic activities. In most developed countries, personal or household consumption takes up about 60% in GDPà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ OECD,2008à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °, of which retailing industry is often proven to be the most important industry. Recently, due to the economic growth, employment improvement, and favorable tax policies, retailing industry has the chance to develop in a more comfortable environment. According to statistics from Planet Retail, a Consultancy Organization for Retail Industry, in recent years, world retail industry has made a considerably fast development with a sales increase of 8.4% and 6.7% in 2005 and 2006 respectively(Network,2006à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. Although the environment is good for retail industry, the intensity of competitiveness is also stronger ever than before. Many super large retailing corporations, such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour are competing for expanding and dominating both domestic and overseas market by implementing every strateg y. Aldi, as a hard-discount retailer is very small and simple compared to those Wal-Mart or Carrefour regarding its sell items, store occupancy etc. However, Aldi has survived in this competitive retailing market and become one of the reputable retailers which could contend with other large retailing corporations. Therefore, based on Aldi in Australia, this article will analyze the Aldis business strategy and its management which contribute to its great success. Also the article will give an analysis of Aldis capability of competitiveness in terms of its internal and external environment. Brief introduction of Aldi Aldi is an international hard-discount supermarket chain which was established in 1946 by the brothers Theo and Karl Albrecht in Germany, has grown rapidly in the years characterized by low price (Mcloughlin and Aaker, 2010). By the end of 2003, Aldi has developed into one of the biggest retailers in the world with more than 7000 stores around the world and created an estimated annual turnover of 36.2 billion Euros. The first Aldi store opened in Australia in Sydney in January 2001. After making huge profits out of the first store, 72 additional stores were opened in other different areas in 2004. It was predicted that Aldi would run more than 300 stores in Australia by 2010. Business strategy applied in Aldi Strategic management is the ongoing process which enterprises apply to establish their visions and analyze their external environment and internal environment, thus to choose one or more strategies to adopt to create value for customers and benefit other stakeholders (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2008). Any corporation should set its overall corporative strategy to define what the organization is doing and where the organization wants to be in the future. Business strategy is one essential part of the companys overall corporate strategy. To be successful in the competitive market, managers must develop and execute an effective business strategy to promote its products in the market and account for a big market share. The business strategy concept implemented by Aldi can be regarded as very simple but effective. Aldis core business concept is to reduce cost in every way. Although both Aldi and Wal-Mart are the successful retailers by adopting cost reduction strategy, Aldi is very diff erent from Wal-Mart with regard to its method of implementation. Aldi is featured with high efficiency of operation and management based on the cost-reduction principle. All Aldis stores in the world are characterized by simple design and decoration thus to minimize the cost. Aldis cost-saving method is reflected through the followings: Compared to Wal-Mart, generally each Aldi store occupies only 750 square meters which can greatly cut down the rent and expenses of water and electricity consumption. Limited number of good-quality products for selling in the stores to save the expenses of shelves. A typical Aldi store only sells about 700 products which is less but able to satisfy the dairy necessities (Pradhan, 2010). The grocery structure saves the logistic cost greatly and enables Aldi the absolute advantages of negotiating to suppliers with respect to the quality control and price. Employee strategy: Aldi usually employs four or five employee for one store compared 15 employees at a standard supermarket. Although Aldi pays more to its employees but it have eventually reduced the employee cost. Simple promotion method: compared to Wal-Mart or Carrefour, Aldi never does advertising or public relations. Aldi holds the view of saving the cost for benefiting the customers because all the expenses related to the PR or marketing are all paid by customers. Another business strategy attached to Aldi is its good-quality assurance. Hard-discount is the most important feature of Aldi stores, but the low price is not based on the sacrifice of products quality. By contraries, Aldi always persist in providing customers with goods with the same quality of other supermarket but a relatively low price. In addition, Aldi has its own brands ranging from cookies to diaper and the quality is controlled very strictly. One of Aldis business strategies is emphasize the cooperation with suppliers and control the quality strictly. When Aldi purchases commodities from suppliers, Aldi puts forward its quality requirements and employ a third inspection organization besides the inspectors of Aldis company to conduct a strict inspection on the commodities. Whenever unqualified commodity is found, Aldi will not consider to cooperate with this supplier. Aldis business strategy is also based on the customers-orientation concept. Aldi focuses the needs of customers and pay much attention to develop customers loyalty. Aldi considers from the perspective of customers and provides customers with practical benefits. Aldi never applies the promotion ways of tying or wholesale which appear to give consumers the favorable benefits but actually ignore the needs of certain consumer groups. In addition, Aldi ensure the price of every commodity is the same despite the stores are located in different or remote places, therefore consumers should never worry the price difference case will happen. Another success secret of Aldi is that Aldi takes a slow step to expand the market. Aldi will open a trial store and analyze the profits before it launch other stores in that area. Meanwhile, Aldi uses decentralization management strategy. For example, Aldi North may sell more products than the Aldi South. The two companies maintain communication quite well, so that they are able to learn from each others managing experiences. Aldis success also can not separate from its strategy of Human Resources. Aldi attaches importance to the exploitation and development of HR. All managers and employees are well-trained about the knowledge of Aldis concepts before getting started in Aldi. Analysis of Aldis competitive environment in Australia Although Aldi expands very fast in Australia during the last years, it also faces challenges and competition from the local retailers in Australia, such as Woolworths and Coles Myer which are considered as the major rivalries in food retail industry. To analyze how Aldi can survive from this intense competition, it is very necessary to discuss both internal and external environment lying in Aldi Corporation. As the food retail industry develops very fast, some other large global retail players will probably enter in Australian market, such as Wal-Mart (US largest retailer) or Tesco (UKs largest retailer) and Lidl (another Germany retailer). Therefore the competition will become more and more intense ever than before as many retailers also prefer to adopt price strategy. Internal analysis of AldiStrengths and weakness For an organizations development in the competitive environment, it is essential for the organization to conduct internal analysis of its organization. A comprehensive internal analysis will provide management with a detailed understanding of the business, how effective its current strategies are and how effectively it has deployed its resources in support of its strategies (Campbell, Stonehouse and Houston, 2002). By executing internal analysis, a company will know their unique resources, capabilities, and competencies. In a word, by studying internal analysis, a company will identify what the can do. In Aldi case, it is oblivious that Aldis biggest strength in combating with other local retailers in Australia is its good-quality and low-price strategy. As mentioned in the previous part, Aldi stores offer customers with good quality commodities at a relatively lower price than in other retail stores. Aldi maintains to manufacture 90% of its commodities tagged with its own brand which are exclusively sold in its stores, which attracts customers. Meanwhile, the quality is ensured in this way. Aldi is a famous brand in Germany ranked as the third best corporate brand, which will accelerate its recognition by customers(RiesenbeckPerrey,2009). Aldi always persists in its management and business principles which seldom have been changed. It can be regarded both good and bad for the development of the organization. As we know the outside environment is changing everyday and peoples thinking is changing, so the Aldi should probably think about change some of the principles to acclimatize itself to the changeable environment in order to get better development. External analysis of Aldi-Threats and Opportunities External analysis is one of the strategic management processes in terms of analyzing the organizations external operating environment. The purpose of external analysis is to examine the strategic opportunities and threats in the organizations operating environment which will affect how it pursue its mission (Hill and Jones, 2009). External environment analysis requires analyzing the overall environment of the industry which the business operates in (is it good or bad for developing in the industry? What is the current macro environment of the industry?). By studying the external environment, firms can identify what are the opportunities and threats for its operation in the market and will know what they might choose to do. The macro environment of retailing industry is very prosperous because the daily consuming commodities are essential in peoples life. In Australia, the situation is the same; peoples consumption of the general stuff for food and household products is increasing as well. Therefore there is great increasing market in terms of retailing sectors, which contributes to a great development chance for all retailers including Aldi. Some prediction shows Aldi will continue to expand more market in Australia with more than 300 stores and capture 10 percent of the Australian packaged grocery dollar market by 2010. Meanwhile, as the development of globalization, Aldi could also have chance to enter into other overseas market such as China or other Asian countries. There is a great potential in these markets. As Aldi is very confident for its expansion plan in Australia, Aldi still faces the coming threats from its local existing rivalries and oncoming large retail competitors. The threat first co mes from the price competition from other local retailers. As the competition between retailers is becoming more and more intense, the local retailers also play price strategy as low-price offers for certain products. Other threat for Aldi comes from the potential entrants of other worlds largest retailers, like mentioned in the above, Wal-Mart, Tesco and Lidl. Once these largest retail players move into Australia, Aldi will have to face combat not only with the domestic retailers but also have to survive from the competition with these largest players. Conclusions In conclusion, Aldi is very successful in the retailing industry and famous for its unique operation styles in terms of its concept of running small-quantity products and cost-saving strategy and hard-discount strategy to attract buyers. Aldi is very wise in its expansion strategy, it never risk to expand to open another store unless it sees the previous store is making profits in that area. The concept of Aldi seems very simple which is centered at the customers and seeking for customers benefits. In this way, Aldi wins a lot of loyal consumers. However, despite these advantages Aldi has, the competition is cruel and Aldi may need to take further actions to combat with its rivalries. Recommendations After making analysis of Aldi case in terms of its business strategies and external and internal environment, two recommendations are made as to Aldis development in Australia: Although Aldi is competitive in some ways, it never changes its business strategy despite the external environment changes. Therefore, in my opinion, Aldi should make some changes regarding its business strategy and management to cope with the changeable market environment. As Aldi made profits from the 72 stores in Australia, Aldi should consider expanding market potential in other Australian states and territories before new rivalries move into Australia.

Affluenza: To Buy or Not To Buy Essay -- essays research papers

Affluenza: To Buy or Not To Buy There is an epidemic widespread throughout the country. A highly contagious disease of being out of control; overconsumption, and the symptoms normally include compulsive shopping, high debt, overwork, a sense of entitlement, obsession with externals and "having it all," wastefulness, and stress. The disease is called affluenza, which is derived from the word â€Å"affluence,† meaning: abundant supply, wealth, and riches. Affluenza has been described as: â€Å" 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth.† It is a fact that â€Å"advertisers who promote and shape a consumer’s way of life seek to condition us to the idea that by trading our â€Å"life† for the money needed to buy their product, in hopes we can fulfill our hopes for power, happiness, acceptance, success, achievement, and personal worth.† Example the factory worker who dreams of winning the lottery and devotes a chunk of his weekly paycheck toward buying tickets. The secretary who spends her grocery money at a shoe sale nearly every week before paying the household bills. â€Å"What is Affluenza† a web site I read to better understand what Affluenza really meant, warns that â€Å"those of us who buy into the advertisers' messages find our time so consumed by jobs we don't even like, ...

The Communist Manifesto Essay -- Communist Manifesto Essays

The Communist Manifesto   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marx describes the problem in great detail in the first chapter. He feels there is a problem between the bourgeoisie and the proletarians. The bourgeoisie were the oppressed class before the French Revolution and he argues that they are now the oppressors. The proletarians are the new working class, which works in the large factory and industries. He says that through mass industry they have sacrificed everything from the old way of religion, employment, to a man’s self worth and replaced it with monetary value. He is mad that the people of ole that use to be upper class such as skills man, trades people, & shopkeepers, are now slipping into the proletarians or working class. He talks of the bourgeoisie getting to be so greedy that they are forced to nest all over the world to hock their goods. This is talking about the new import and export system that has formed. He says the working class has to deal with the flux of the market and is disposed of more eas ily than the machines used in the market. He says that they actually become part of the machine while working. Doing the simplest and most monotonous part of the job. In this new system Marx says â€Å"as repulsiveness of work increases, the wage of work decreases†. He also prophesizes that machines will become so advanced that the wages for man will become one extremely low rate. He says the proletarians live a life of exploitation. By being exploited at work in the w...

Facebook and Student Essay

People use Facebook for many reasons; some of them consider it the vehicle to communicate with their friends, including old friends or current friends; some agree that it also helps them relax when they are stressful; others, on the other hand, might argue that Facebook brings distractions to them (Facebook 101). For instance, my friend, a quite person, did not socialize with people in both real life and in the Internet community. However, after knowing Facebook in a short period of time, he became addicted to it. He used most of his time to chat with friends, to play games, and to stare at his Facebook profile. Now, his friends list comes up to 300 and he daily logs on Facebook from 3 to 4 hours a day. Hopefully, this research of our group will help college students get better understanding of the role of Facebook in students’ lives. Moreover, not only students in general but also people of all ages will gain their cognitive of the advantages and disadvantages of Facebook. The research will benefit reader to determine whether Facebook is good or bad for human being. Furthermore, if people use it as a habit or want to check of how frequently they use it, they could apply this research as an important source to figure out whether they are addicted to Facebook or not, or where they are in the rank. Hypotheses: Our research paper is mainly focused on the impacts of Facebook on BHCC students. The effects will be discussed on both negative and positive sides of Facebook. First of all, we predict that Facebook will mostly bring negative effects on students and employees. If they use it so repeatedly, they might be addicted and cause distractions in working or studying. This is already proved in the story of my friend. Secondly, because of the separation of geographies or busy life, people tend to talk less and type more in this modern life. So, we also want to check it out of how many percentages that Facebook occupies our private lives. The last assumption will mention about privacy threat on Facebook. On the other hand, besides of its negative, our group wants to observe how people use Facebook effectively since it is the most useful communication tool to most people. Research Method: Our research was done with the survey format of 22 questions. We developed questions with many concerns about Facebook. All the questions were related directly to our purposes, which are substitution of social life, distractions to school/work, privacy theft, and communication tool. Approximately each category will cover from 4 to 5 questions to get into deep understanding of the aspects. Each of the questions shows the list of answers for participants to demonstrate their thoughts. When we provide the survey to participants, we are not stay close to them to make sure that they could feel comfortable when filling the questions. We are not going to record any participants’ names and to remain them anonymous. To do that, we could get the answers honestly and that would serve the expectation of our group. Participants and Procedure: Our group met several times for the research very carefully to discuss what we would do for the plan. First, we decided to work on Facebook but it was such the general issue for us whether to go on its good or bad sides. Properly, many college students just see advantage sides but they do not perspective of its side effects. Hence, we combined both sides, and decided that we would concentrate more on the negative effects of Facebook. After gathering all the questions of each member, we filtered and arranged them in order in the survey. To collect and choose which questions are suitable for out hypotheses, it took us almost two weeks to come up with all agreements. Understanding that people are hesitating to help our research, the reasons are vary as they are in rush, they are lazy, or even they do not want to listen to what we talking about. Furthermore, we targeted on BHCC’s college student, so we finally chose to go to the BHCC’s library or started with our other classmates to get the results. Moreover, we provided our team members spent a week conducting the survey to ensure that they could do the project thoroughly. Especially, we already created Facebook group account for our members to share, to debate, and to discuss and make sure we were on the right track. Surprisingly, the results came out our pleasure: BHCC’s students were eager and happy to help us when asked to fill out with Facebook questions. However, very few numbers of participants answer our  survey quickly and unready, so we already ignore those minorities. Data Results and Analysis: Our group had a total of 162 surveys, which were added by all of our group members. In our last question we asking people about â€Å"What would you rather describe Facebook as?†, and the result did not surprise us, we already knew that as an assumption. More than half of our participants –118 out of 162 or 73 percent of total result– consented that Facebook as a useful communication too. Some of them added that they used Facebook to communicate with friends and families, to share pictures, videos, status and information, or to kill time if bored; therefore, most of them choose to pick its good side as an answer. The last 27 percent, 44 of 162, chose â€Å"a powerful distraction† as the result (Figure 1). As you can see on the chart (Figure 2), it can explain why three-fourth of our participants prefers Facebook as useful tool (Figure 1). There are so many ways to use Facebook that suite with people interests. The majority of participants use Facebook to check mail, to chat, to communicate, and to update friends’ information as 97 of 497 (19%), 80 of 497 (16%), 75 of 497 (15%), and 62 of 497 (13%) respectively. Besides that, 4% users also log in Facebook for playing games/quizzes, and 9% use it for relaxing when bored. It is interesting that there are a small number of participants – 11 students, approximately 2% in total – choose Facebook as a studying tool. As we mention above, Facebook is also distractive at work and school, and the statistic already proved this. 56 percentages – slightly above half of the percentages — access to Facebook at home, 21 percentages and 4 percentages do that at work and school. The rest 19 percentages access by cell phones; even though we do not know exactly where they use them, we indicate they are not properly use them at home. (Figure 3) According to the results from survey, we divided this bar chart into two categories: addicted group and non-addicted group. The first group includes many times/day, more than 2 hours/day, 1-2 hours/day, and 3-5 hours/week. The other is 1-2 hours/week and less than an hour/week. Both groups have  nearly equal balance about 50 percent each; therefore, we could have more trustful information and it is not bias. (Figure 4) After all, we conclude BHCC’s students are not really addicted on Facebook. They contribute equally in both studying/working and relaxing on Facebook. We agree that Facebook right now is the most popular use in the world and it is on the way growing up, yet it still cannot replace other multimedia communications like phones in general, instant messengers, and in direct with person. In the figure 5, Facebook occupies the smallest percentage in the pie chart with 17%. The next two common ways of communicating with friends are using instant messengers like Yahoo, AIM, MSN, or Skype (19%), and socializing with friend face to face (18%). Absolutely, instant messengers and in person have theirs advantages in communication because we can listen and talk simultaneously, or even we can see our partner faces by webcams. The largest percentage is using phones which are 46%. They are still the most familiar way to exchange all the time by talking and texting. We assume that because of its lack of â€Å"live† features like those above, Facebook still cannot be a substitution in personal life. Figure 6 and figure 7 show us â€Å"How many friends are there in participant friend’s list?†, and â€Å"With how many out of your Facebook friends do you frequently communicate?† People tent to protect their privacies by having fewer friends than ever on Facebook, 53 percentages and 35 percentages are chosen to have less than 100 friends and from 100 to 200 friends in friends’ list (Figure 6). In there, 25% and 50% is the most common rank to contact with friends on friends’ list, approximately 52 percentages. The next best option is less than 25% with 31 percentages (Figure 7). Our results in the survey proved that people do not really want to socialize usually on Facebook; they just need Facebook to relax, not the place for them to put their personal information. In the next graph will show how Facebook users think of privacy when using it. (Figure 8) More than half of our respondents do not want to add unknown people as friends, about 70% (Figure 8). This could be explained, if they add them as friends, they do not contact with them on Facebook, according to figure 7. Generally speaking, people do not want to express themselves on social network. Conclusion: The result of doing this survey gives us better interpretation of how a social network could affect on people life. Especially BHCC’s students, they adopt and love Facebook’s features, but they could still control their time spending on it. Therefore, most of the students consider Facebook a helpful tool to socialize with others. Even though Facebook is good for students to communicate with other people and make their social life happier, sometimes, Facebook appears to be a distraction to their study and private life. Using Facebook too much can make student exhausted and also affect their health badly. In addition, it is important to realize that Facebook is only an online tool, and it cannot replace human being’s activities. Students should allocate their time spending on studying, socializing, and using Facebook effectively, so that they can balance their real life and their online life to avoid being distracted by any network. Limitation: Even our team has done with the research, but it still has limitations when doing this. Due to the lack of processing time and missing experience in each member of us, we extend more time on choosing questions, or picking for secondary research, and then filtering the result as well. The amount of seven weeks seems not enough for us to accomplish a professional research as others. In addition, funding is also significant too. Because we did have any fund for the research, so we mainly focus on BHCC college’s students and limit on the number of respondents. In our questionnaires, we would want to ask more questions about how distractive in performance of workers and students at Bunker Hill Community College, and we desire to collect more information from school staffs and professors. However, our results from the participants are appropriated because of respondent’s excitements and their honest answers. We are glad that they did cooperate very well with us. Works Cited N.p., n.d. â€Å"Facebook- The Complete Biography† Web. 13 May 2010. . â€Å"Facebook 101: Ten Things You Need to Know About Facebook.† EBSCOhost. Ed. Thomas Krivak. Information Today Inc. 2010. Web. 01 May 2010 .