Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Laissez Faire Leadership Is A Hands Off Style Essay

Topic Introduction Laissez-faire leadership is a hands-off style characterized by leaders who give the least amount of guidance to their subordinates as possible. These leaders believe that people are at their most creative and efficient when a leader focuses their energy into facilitating an environment where distractions from the outside are mitigated and trust is placed in the employee to solve their problems in the best ways imaginable. The main focus of Inju Yang’s conceptual exploration of laissez-faire leadership is that â€Å"subordinates appreciate being left alone to manage their own affairs.† Furthermore, â€Å"A hands-off approach by a leader can allow employees to feel respected and autonomous† (Yang, p. 1247). Yang stresses, however that this style can be as extremely harmful to a team if not composed of the right people with positive attitudes who are familiar with their job. Laissez-faire leadership requires a high level of motivation in subordinates, as the abil ity to shirk responsibilities is heightened greatly by a leader who does not poke in frequently to ask questions, lay eyes on employees, and demand regular status updates. Giving little guidance to employees does not mean a leader can avoid â€Å"keeping an eye† on the team to watch for people who do not seem to be carrying their load or to watch for budding interpersonal conflicts on the team. It must also be expected that non-formal types of leadership will emerge on the team, and the leader must be vigilantShow MoreRelatedPrinciples And Characteristics Of Laissez Faire1114 Words   |  5 Pagesquote by the late Steve Jobs perfectly captures the essence of laissez faire leadership. The model is rather a paradox within the leadership theories, because of its hands-off nature. The leader and subordinate roles are almost turned upside down, making it a difficult theory to grasp. So what does it take to lead with a laissez faire philosophy? In this guide, we’ll explore what is the definition and history behind laissez faire leadership. We’ll analyse the essential characteristics of the frameworkRead MoreLaissez Faire s Faire Leadership Style1366 Words   |  6 PagesThe laissez-faire leadership style can be seen by some as lazy or a type of leadership style where the leader is non-existent. A leader who uses the laissez-faire leadership style is backing away from the traditional idea of a manager or leader, and allowing the employees to make decisions or tackle problems on their own. The laissez-faire leadership style was developed in 1938 in compilation with both autocratic and democratic leadership styles. This leadership style is best when the workforce isRead MoreCharacteristics Of Autocratic Leadership946 Words   |  4 PagesCommunity and Family Studies Leadership is the action of leading a group of people or an organization. There are four leadership styles, these include: Autocratic, Laissez-faire, Transformational and Democratic. Autocratic Autocratic leadership also known as authoritarian leadership, refers to the leadership style by which an individual has sole control of all decisions with little consultation from members within the group. An autocratic leader will typically make choices based on their ownRead MoreThe Leadership Style Of The 21st Century1435 Words   |  6 Pagesmarket touting new theories and new styles of management that are proven to be successful. Even out of the three most common leadership styles, authoritarian, democratic and laissez-faire, the latter, is still considered a fad and too risky. Laissez-faire (french for leave us alone ) is a style where the workers have the decision making power. Even as recent as 2008 Samual C. Certo wrote â€Å"Supervisors are rarely, if ever, able to practice this style of leadership because the nature of the supervisorRead MoreManagement Styles in the Workplace Essay1266 Words   |  6 Pages Management Styles in the Workplace Purpose Statement: My purpose today is to inform you on four different management styles in the workplace. Thesis Statement: It is important for managers to understand their management style when certain situations arise in the work place, by knowing your management style you will become a better leader. Introduction: Have you ever been told, â€Å"Do it this way or don’t do it at all?† if so do you know what type of leadership or management style this. Well todayRead MoreDifferent leadership styles in the public service Essay example1148 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Different leadership styles in the public services Team leaders and there roles in leadership There are several different leadership styles used within the public services. Therefore there are many varied suggestions that define someone as being a strong leader. However a ‘leadership style’ is a unique style that people recognise to encourage or influence other people in a way others do not so that they admire and want to be like. A team leader’s role in the public services is to provide instructionRead MoreDifferent Types Of Leadership Styles1718 Words   |  7 Pageskinds of leadership styles used to facilitate the actions of others. Mirriam-Webster.com defines leadership as â€Å"a position as a leader of a group, organization, etc†. Another more inclusive definition regarding the leading role is â€Å"managers motivating employees, directing their activities, selecting the most effective communication channels, or resolving conflicts among members† (Robbins, Judge, 2013). If a company or organization suffers from poor, none, or the wr ong leadership styles, everyoneRead MoreKurt Lewin s Leadership Styles1526 Words   |  7 PagesLeadership Styles There are three classic leadership styles. Kurt Lewin’s leadership styles vary in the degree of control that they give their followers. Kurt Lewin (1890-1947) was a social psychologist whose extensive work covered studies of leadership styles and their effects, along with many other theories (Kurt Lewin). Along with two other colleagues, Lewin performed research on the effects of three different leadership styles and the outcome on groups of boys. The three leadership styles thatRead MoreLeadership Style For A New Supervisor1422 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper will discuss and help understand the best leadership style for a new supervisor. The leadership style that is selected will determine the willingness of subordinates to work for you or against you. A new supervisor will be confronted with issues and problems they were not aware of when they were a front line officer. The responsibilities of a new supervisor will increase substantially and they will be held accounta ble for their subordinates’ actions. One of the biggest challenges forRead MoreLaissez Faire And Transformational Leadership Styles Essay1615 Words   |  7 PagesComparatively, Laissez-faire leadership is a great contrast to transactional and transformational leadership styles as defined by Cherry, K. (2016) Laissez-faire leadership, also known as delegative leadership, is a type of leadership style in which leaders are hands-off and allow group members to make the decisions. Because of this, researchers have found that this is generally the leadership style that leads to the lowest productivity among group members. Laissez-faire is often characterised by:

Monday, December 16, 2019

Mental Health and Social Inclusion Free Essays

Title: An examination of social exclusion policy and its effect on adults of a working age with serious mental health problems To begin, this essay will briefly define the term social exclusion and its historical background. It will then move on to the political history of social exclusion in the United Kingdom. Particularly the essay will focus on the reasons behind unemployment, and the resulting effect of excluding people from society. We will write a custom essay sample on Mental Health and Social Inclusion or any similar topic only for you Order Now The policies around employment and the benefit system will be discussed in some detail, and their consequences on working age adults, including those with serious long term mental health issues. The French socialist government termed the phrase ‘social exclusion’ in the 1980’s; it was used to define a group of people living on the edge of society whom did not have access to the system of social insurance (Room, 1995 citied in Percy-Smith 2000). The concept of social exclusion has been defined in many different ways since then. The European commission defines social exclusion as referring to the â€Å"multiple and changing factors resulting in people being excluded from the normal exchanges, practices and rights of modern society† (Commission of the European Communities, 1993 quoted in Percy-Smith 2000 p. 3). This was a move away from using the term underclass in the UK, which was not an acceptable phrase to some, as it was more related to poverty (Lavallette et al, 2001). The term social exclusion pointed at a much more complicated problem rather than just money, if you were excluded something or someone was excluding you and that could be sorted out. Although for some this new phrase just represented a ‘new’ form of the word poverty (Room, 1995 citied in Lavallette). In the UK the New Labour government set up the interdepartmental social exclusion unit in 1997 (Percy-Smith, 2000). Its aims were to â€Å"to find joined-up solutions to the joined-up problems of social exclusion† (No10 Website, 2004). The social exclusion task force works within a number of government departments such as work and pension, children school and family and the ministry of justice (No10 Website, 2004) The social exclusion unit published a series of reports in 1997 that criticised the way both central and local government had failed deprived groups and areas (Batty, 2002). It found that deprived area’s had fewer basic services such as GP surgeries and that little effort had been made to reintegrate some who had been excluded through unemployment (Batty, 2002). Unemployment is seen as one of the main causes of social exclusion (Percy-Smith, 2000). Being unemployed can have serious effects on a person’s confidence, sense of purpose and motivation (Percy-Smith, 2000). The person who works is seen as a full citizen, paying tax and contributing to society (Baldock et al, 1999). Unemployment can also be linked to mental health; a person is twice as likely to suffer from depression if they are not working. (Department of health, 1999). The period since the 1960’s saw a distinct decline in the British manufacturing industry leading to a shift in the type of work available, the service sector and office based jobs replaced the manual jobs and altered the pattern of demand in the labour market. Baldock et al, 1999) The unemployment rate for semi skilled / unskilled workers if four times that compared to managerial / professional workers (Percy-Smith, 2000). Those people who live in area’s with low demand for low skilled workers are highly likely to be unemployed for a very long time, leading to a near permanence in exclusion from the labour market (Percy-Smith, 2000). Welfare to work policies were the answer from the Labour government in 19 97, `They set out plans to encourage people back into the labour market. Labour came up with the New Deal family of policies. These where aimed at specific groups. For example young people, adults and new deal for people with a disability (Percy-Smith, 2000). One of the results of this policy was to create Job centre plus from a merger of the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency. (Hoben, no date given) The Tories previously had set up the job seekers allowance, which had changed the Insurance-based unemployment benefit. (Baldock et al, 1999). With this allowance you had to prove you were actively seeking employment or you would not get your allowance. People who became unemployed would have to go for an initial interview where an adviser prepares an action plan, then short interviews are conducted every two weeks to review the claimants success at gaining new employment and to look at new job vacancies (Percy-Smith, 2000). New deal gateway is aimed at 18 – 24 year olds who had been out of work for 6 months. This offers subsidised work experience within the voluntary sector or with an employer with a ? 0 a week incentive. Also full time education/training is offered to those who did not have sufficient qualifications up the recognized NVQ level two. Young people also have an allocated personal advisor who offers assistance around job seeking, careers advice and in some circumstances drugs/homelessness advice (Percy-Smith, 2000). Anyone who refuses to take up these incentives will have their benefit cut. As Gordon Br own put it (the then Chancellor of the Exchequer) there will be no option â€Å"to stay at home in bed and watch television† (Baldock et al, 1999 p149). For people aged twenty five and above who have been on job seekers allowance for over six months then become eligible for a different set of measures, before becoming eligible for the ‘New Deal’. This is called ‘restart’. Work trials are offered as well as help with interview techniques and CV’s writing skills. After twelve months if the individual has not found work they attend a five-day ‘job plan workshop’ to assess the individuals job prospects. This happens again at eighteen months. If after two years they are still unemployed this is when ‘New Deal’ applies. New Deal’ offers training grants as well as an employment credit similar to that of the new deal gateway of sixty pounds a week and the benefit of a personal advisor. The budget for this was ? 250 million for the three years between 1999 and 2002 (Percy-Smith, 2000) It can be argued that jobseekers allowance forces people back to work or forces them to appear to be looking for work in a desperate attempt to keep their benefit. It can be seen as punitive (Percy-Smith, 2000) and with no option to opt out, and it does not actually increase the amount of jobs available. Without the creation of a sufficient number of jobs, people may lose their benefit, though not through lack of trying (Baldock et al, 1999). Also critics have commented on the cost of the new deal strategy with some say this money could be better used creating more jobs. (Percy-Smith, 2000) Other arguments against new deal look at the timescale difference between the young people and adult services, it cost a lot less to intervene early when someone becomes unemployed so why wait for two years in the case of the adult new deal. (Percy-Smith, 2000). The new deal policy has been quite effective, particularly at getting young people back into the labour market. However, for people with long term significant mental health problems finding paid work can be very difficult. (Layard, 2005) If social exclusion can be linked to unemployment then for people with mental health issues they are excluded by default, with not only unemployment but with the social stigma associated with their mental health difficulties (Layard, 2005). â€Å"There are now more mentally ill people on incapacity benefit than there are unemployed people on jobseekers allowance† (Layard, 2005 p1). Evidence suggests that work can be very therapeutic for people with mental health problems, but it seems doctors are sceptical about their patients finding and holding down jobs. (Layard, 2005) The problem gets worse the longer the person is on benefits, and as time passes social isolation increases and motivation decreases (Layard, 2005). Ninety percent of people on incapacity benefit say they would like to return to work but would find it very hard to find a job that pays as much as the benefit they receive (Layard, 2005). However, it has been an underlying trend in welfare policy that low paid work should always be the better option than state handouts. This goes way back to the poor law of 1832 where the workhouse provided the last option for very poor families, providing food and shelter for the exchange of labour. For most of those who lived in these workhouses life expectancy significantly dropped upon entering these desperate places (Higginbotham, 2008). In current times, however, sacrificing benefits and returning to work may mean a compromise in quality of life. People receiving incapacity benefit may also claim housing benefit, council tax benefit, free prescriptions and discretionary loans from the social fund to buy large more expensive items (Alcock, 2003). With all this help in place it is quite easy to see why people with a mental illness are unlikely to want to go back to full time employment and run the risk of losing money. This is known as the benefit trap. There is another problem, people who have been on benefits for a long time lack the right qualifications to join the labour market (Dummigan, 2007), increasing social exclusion. If a mentally ill person wanted to find a job but had little or no skills, the choices are very narrow normally leading to a low wage job, again making it unlikely for the individual to want to come off his/her benefits (Dummigan, 2007). The government has tried to rectify this problem by offering further incentives to get people back to work, such as disability tax credits that offer a tax break should some one find work but there is limited awareness of the financial incentives to return to work (Percy-Smith, 2000). Pathways to work is a recent government initiative with the aim of getting the recipients of incapacity benefit back to work, the claimant will have to take a personal capability assessment which is used to determine whether or not the person is eligable for the benefit, but will focus on â€Å"what the customer can do rather than what they cant† (Department of work and pensions, 2007). A mandatory work focused interview will also take place eight weeks after making the intial claim followed by a screening tool to establish who will have to have more work focused interviews and those who will be exempt from further manditory participation (Department of work and pensions, 2007). Pathways to work will offer a range of programmes to support the â€Å"customer† in preparing for work with a fourty pounds a week incentive or credit for twelve months if their salary is below fifteen thousand pounds a year (Department of work and pensions, 2007). Pathways to work is currently operating in fourty percent of the country. In an interesting move, the remaining sixty percent of pathway to work providers will be from the public sector leading to critism that the government is privatising the welfare system. The government’s chief welfare to work adviser, David Freud, said recently: â€Å"I worked out that it is economically rational to spend up to sixty thousand pounds on getting the average person on incapacity benefit into work, somebody will see a gap in the market and make their fortune. † (Quoted in Vaux, 2008). Some voluntary sector organizations have criticized the rather aggressive approach taken by the public sector organizations in winning the contracts, and feel that the voluntary sector would be in a better position to deliver the contracts (Vaux, 2008). Mind charity has criticized the pathways to work initiative stating it â€Å"places all the emphasis on the individual to find work†, yet, it said  there  was no obligation on employers to actively recruit people with mental health problems. It would also seem that if you disclose to an employer that you have a mental health problem you are more likely to be sacked before your sane colleagues. Also there is a lack of support in the work place for mental health sufferers, which lead to higher sickness rate, which in turn puts off employers recruiting future pathways to work employees (Lombard, 2008). In the recent action plan on social exclusion â€Å"Reaching out† the government recognizes the need for encouragement in the workplace for recruiting people with mental health issues and supports employer based anti-stigma campaigns. It also states that the government alone cannot address social exclusion, and that the wider community has a role to play. But most of all, the individual must want progress for themselves and those around them (Reaching Out, 2008). In the last five years mental health services have improved greatly (Layard, 2005) Better treatment and early intervention have empowered people to control their own lives, but though these services have improved the medical condition, mentally ill people still suffer from exclusion from society. The association with dependency that being on benefits brings leads to a segregation (Percy-Smith, 2000). In conclusion, social exclusion is a far reaching problem and not an easy task to overcome. Evidence suggests that the government still identifies the problem with unemployment and poverty, and has taken a great deal of measures in providing policies that aim to get people back into the work place. Unfortunately for some, as has been shown, work is not always a viable or the best option, and people who fall under this category may stay on the boundaries of society due to no fault of their own, or be forced into working at the detriment of their health. The changes around the incapacity benefit rules may leave some people worse off than when on benefits and this may increase the chances of a relapse in mental ealth issues, which in turn will make them less employable, continuing the cycle of social exclusion. As we enter another recession and unemployment rises again, this is likely to be a huge focus, and the government will have to rethink existing policies around unemployment. Those who are recently unemployed must be given sufficient support to regain employment to avoid falling into the benefit trap in order to avoid the danger of becoming socially excluded. Bibliography Alcock, P (2003) Social policy in Britain, Basingstoke, Palgrave Baldock J, Manning N, Miller S Vickerstaff S (1999) Social Policy. Oxford University press, Oxford Lavalette,M Pratt A (2001) Social Policy a conceptual and theoretical introduction. Sage publications London Percy-Smith, J (2000) Policy responses to social exclusion. Open university press. Oxford Batty, D (2002) Social exclusion: the issue explained (Online), available at http://www. guardian. co. uk/society/2002/jan/15/socialexclusion1 (accessed on 28/10/08) Department for work and pensions, (2008) Pathways to work process. (Online) Available at http://www. dwp. gov. k/welfarereform/pathways_process. asp (accessed on 5/12/08) Department of health, (1999) National service framework for mental health, modern standards and service models. (Online) available at http://www. dh. gov. uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4009598 (accessed on 1/12/08) Dummigan, G (2007) The benefit trap. (Online) available at http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/programme s/politics_show/6403329. stm (accessed on 4/12/08) Higginbotham, P (2008) Poor laws (Online) available from http://www. workhouses. org. uk(accessed on 4/12/08) Hoban,M Thomas, J (No date given) DW response to welfare to work – discussion paper. (Online) available at http://www. voicefromthewheelchair. co. uk/pages/dw-response-to-welfare-to-work (accessed on 1/12/08) Layard, R (2005) Mental health: Britain’s biggest social problem? (Online) Available from http://cep. lse. ac. uk/textonly/research/mentalhealth/RL414d. pdf (accessed on 1/12/08) Lombard, D (2008) The replacement of incapacity benefit. (Online), available at http://www. communitycare. co. uk/Articles/2008/10/27/109795/incapacity-benefit-reform-will-leave-some-disabled-people-worse-off. tml (accessed on 5/12/08) Reaching out, (2006) An action plan on social exclusion (Online), available from http://www. cabinetoffice. gov. uk/media/cabinetoffice/social_exclusion_task_force/assets/reaching_out/chapter1. pdf (accessed on 28/10/08) Social exclusion trends show success (2004) Online, available from http://www. number10. gov. uk/page5544 (accessed on 28/10/08) Vaux, G ( 2008). Pathways to work, to help those unfit for work. (Online), available at http://www. communitycare. co. uk/Articles/Article. aspx? liArticleID=107551PrinterFriendly=true (accessed on 1/12/08) How to cite Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Papers

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Organizational Design and Change The Key Propositions

Question: Describe about the Organizational Design and Change for The Key Propositions. Answer: 1. The relevant concepts related to change management consists of the key propositions, which includes the success of modern organizations in matching of the internal abilities and the existing resources along with the demands from the external environment. The concepts also range from the requirement is required from the development and maintenance of the approach of developing the organization. It has been further observed that the organizations tend to accept the designated method of doing a business, which is both disruptive and incremental in nature. The different categories of external influence can be widely used to welcome the stakeholders (Gollenia 2016). It has been further analyzed that there is no single strategy for implementing the effective change and with every situation the value for guiding the framework changes. The assignment summary has further provided the details stating that most of the change initiatives required commensurate change, which are designed as per the organizations activities. A positive correlation is eminent in case of the degree of stakeholder and the involvement in the design and the change process for the ultimate success of any business organization. It can be further stated that the implementation of the change ranges from varied range of predictable and unpredictable conflicts, which acts as a resistance to change (Cameron and Green 2015). During the time of contemplating with the design and implementation of the major change process, it has been observed that the large firms mobilize their human resources in the role of primary change agent and the skill base traditionally require the involvement of HR practice. The different types of change process are further seen to acknowledge the continuous and bygone process of the change. The key concepts of the application of the change process have been seen in terms of the organization Cloud Plus (Hayes 2014). In order to make proposition for the validity of the statement the main principles are the parameters for the change management process has been studied in terms of improved value proposition in the customers perspective, application of the concept of ongoing change and reciprocal process. The company has further studied the change process with the commitment of ongoing, reciprocal and corporate philosophy through a series of individually managed projects. The change management processes in itself a commitment for continuous improvement and hence it is nonnegotiable element of any organization. The organizational philosophy this involves the primary objectives that the organization is willing to apply for meeting the changing demands of the external environment (Goetsch and Davis 2014). The mean and ability of cloud plus has been seen in terms of revenue growth of $ 4.47 million in the year 2016 and it is ranked as the 8th small and medium enterprises based in Australia (Cloudplus.com. 2016).The main change management is seen in form of the innovative storage solution provided by the company. It is not only provides seamless access of data but also ensures that the cloud storage is completely private in nature. This form of application of change management process has ensured that the client gets 24x7 monitoring of the data and 100% uptime guarantee along with total transparency and control. Hence, it is considered as one of the smart companies which is implemented the change management process (Smartcompany.com.au.2016). Reference List Cameron, E. and Green, M., 2015.Making sense of change management: a complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers. Cloudplus.com. (2016).Cloud Plus provides highly integrated private cloud solutions in Australia and New Zealand. [online] Available at: https://cloudplus.com/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016]. Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014.Quality management for organizational excellence. pearson. Gollenia, L.A., 2016.Business Transformation Management Methodology. Routledge. Hayes, J., 2014.The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan. Smartcompany.com.au. (2016). [online] Available at: https://www.smartcompany.com.au/smart50-awards-2015/page/6/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Management of SMEs Kapai Case Study Analysis Essay Example

Management of SMEs: Kapai Case Study Analysis Essay James and Justine were intent NT on establishing a business concept that reached far beyond the confines of a traditional salad bar, and they were determined to develop their business as a leading nationwide retailer of health why fast food. Drawing on their love of New Zealand and their proud kiwi heritage, James and Justine wanted the concept to be uniquely kiwi, incorporating as much as they could into their business idea Developing the correct product has been critical to the success of Kappa. Jam sees and Justine have been keen to capitalism on the growing health and wellness trends Of consumers an d create a range of menu items that differentiates from the typical fast-food products that are alarm dead in the industry such as burgers, fries and pizzas etc. To get Kappa off the ground both men have taken separate roles within man king the business. James is currently working full-time as the General Manager running the off-site kick en whilst Justine is currently employed full-time job as a practicing lawyer and works as Business Development Manager part-time in the evenings. We will write a custom essay sample on Management of SMEs: Kapai Case Study Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Management of SMEs: Kapai Case Study Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Management of SMEs: Kapai Case Study Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Kappa is currently experiencing issues with regards to aligning their growth, ma reeking, and organizational strategies in line with their existing business plan. These issue s have been identified through internal and external analysis of the company and its external environ meet. Using a SOOT analysis and Porters Five Forces, this report will aim to illustrates e these issues providing an in depth analysis and discussion on the companys core competencies and areas of concern. Discussion is also centered around the company s business level strategies, star structure, and control systems to create a bigger picture of where alterations need to be made. Race emendations are provided at the end of this report with suggestions for improvements and chaw Eng. Page 3 2 Internal Analysis This report begins with an internal analysis of Kappa using the SOOT method t o identify the Meanys strengths and weaknesses with regards to how the company is pop aerating within its core environment. 2. 1 Strengths 2. 1. Early-Mover Advantage Kappa has the competitive advantage of being an early-mover within the health why alternative fast-food market. As discussed by Historic, Peters, Shepherd (2011), early or first-move errs within a market have the benefits of cost advantage, less competitive rivalry, securing imports NT channels, are better positioned to satisfy customers and are able to gain expertise through paretic potion. By recognizing this gap in the market and the gro wing consumer trend towards healthy eaten , Kappa has been able to differentiate and position itself as a leading healthy alternative within the Wellington region. With the growing number of stores Kappa has opened over the last seven year s, the company achieves cost advantages as it moves down the experience curve allowing the company y to achieve greater economies of scale. Apart from the likes of Subway who holds considerable s hare within the market, Kappa faces less competitive rivalry from chained incumbents such as McDonald Ids, Burger King and KEF etc. Who are yet to compete for considerable share within this space. Kappa h s also developed strong relationships with its suppliers especially with the likes of Potato an d its fruit juice provider; who both emboss Kappas logo on their packaging and have tailored products specifically to meet the needs of Kappa. This first-mover advantage allows Kappa to gain considerable expertise in this space as it learns, grows, and improves its strategies within this growing market. 2. 1. 2 Menu Design Range With its diverse array of salads, wraps, baked potatoes, soups and smoothies etc. Kappa has designed its menu to target the growing health and wellness segment within the fast-of d industry. Page 4 Compared to the majority of competitors such as McDonalds, KEF, Burger Kin g etc. , Kappa offers a distinctive alternative to traditional fast-food items like burgers and fries with creative salad options that customers can mix and match to create their own. Salads can also be up graded to Puke or Long John allowing customers to have salads in a wrap or toasted flattered. All food produce is sourced in New Zealand from local growers and is of the highest standard an d quality. These nutritious menu options provide a unique point of difference for Kappa allowing the company to et the needs of consumers wanting healthy fast-food alternatives. 2. 1. 3 Financial Management Kappas financial management strategy has proven to be effective. With the pr Mary investment to fund the initial start-up coming from James and Justine own savings albeit wit h the help of non smaller investors, James and Justine have successfully managed Kappas finance s to avoid any cash flow issues. Operational assumptions and forecasting outlined in the original busing sees plan have provided strong direction allowing both owners to re-invest the majority of profits earn deed to sufficiently fund Roth of the business and the opening of additional stores in the Wellington region. 2. 1. 4 Kappa Brand Significant effort has been made towards developing and creating a distinct N ewe Zealand identity in order to distinguish the Kappa brand against other retail competitors within the e fast-food industry. This has involved incorporating unique kiwi elements within the brand such a s the Maori term Kappa as the company name; use of the koru within the compass logo; the use of Maori proverbs and quotes as wall and cabinet art within the stores; building on the environment al image of New Zealand tit biodegradable packaging, and subtle greens and browns in the styling of stores and uniforms for staff. By carefully choosing each of these elements to reinforce and represent the b rand, Kappa has aimed to achieve a unique point Of difference within the fast-food industry, ultimate y building strong brand equity. 2. 1. Social Consciousness and Environmental Responsibility With todays consumers concerned about their health and well being, and the growing shift towards tackling obesity within society, Kappa has recognized this need and positioned itself as an alternative page 5 provider of healthy fast food. This strategy towards social consciousness not only includes providing healthy meals a t an affordable price to consumers, but also supporting the WI deer community by purchasing produce through local food producers; focusing on positive employ Yemen strategies for their staff and donating a percentage Of profits to local ventures. Latest research also indicates a rapidly growing trend in consumer attitudes t awards sustain ability and environmental responsibility. This is an important element of the Kappa p hilltops to ensure that all activities are undertaken to make as small as impact as impossible on he environment. Such activities include having biodegradable packaging, recycling, adopting a zero- waste policy and using environmentally friendly cleaning products to lessen their impact. Combined together, these strategies provide valuable competitive advantage for Kappa. 2. 1. 6 Organizational Design Informal Structure Having a strong organizational culture is key to promoting and delivering the right identity in line with the Kappa brand and its values. As discussed by Historic teal (2011), culture WI thin an organization is described as the informal Structure built around the mix Of people, their attitude sees, personalities, characters, skills, and abilities within the organization. Attaining the right mix of people to create the desired culture (informal structure), is critical in achieving the objectives and g owls of the organization as set out in the business plan. This is evident in Kappas commitment to attract the right staff for the company y who are Young, vibrant, into healthy food and the outdoors. Although this was a challenge at first with turnover relatively high, the majority Of new employees are found through word Of MO HTH from existing staff members who consider Kappa as a great place to work. Attracting these people shows strength in Kappas cultural philosophy within t he organization. 2. 2 Weaknesses 2. 2. 1 Marketing Analysis of the Kappa marketing mix identifies issues regarding the companies advertising and promotional strategies (Appendix 1). Although management feel that they ca n achieve maximum exposure for the company through the use Of guerrilla advertising tactics and unpaid public relations page 6 activities, there is questionable debate as to whether these actions alone, are enough to achieve maximum awareness in order to grow the brand. Market trends obtained from Remuneration (2012) indicate high levels of prom action throughout the fast food sector, especially from leading chained players; such activities include e extensive promotional campaigns through print, online, Was and radio. There is also a growing interest in social media through channels such as Backbone, Twitter and Youth to cap true audiences and increase awareness. Although Kappa does have a company website and has adopted a social midi a approach through the use of Backbone, this does not appear to be enough to protect its existing ma reek.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

9 Should You Take It

What Is PSAT 8/9 Should You Take It SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The College Board now offers the PSAT 8/9 to eighth graders and high school freshmen as the first hurdle in the group of tests they call the "SAT Suite of Assessments." The PSAT 8/9 is a precursor to the PSAT 10, the PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT. But when is the PSAT 8/9 offered? And should you even bother taking it? In this article I'll give you all the details! What Is the PSAT 8/9? The PSAT 8/9 is the first exam in the College Board's "SAT Suite of Assessments" and is offered to eighth and ninth graders. The purpose of the PSAT 8/9 is to establish a starting point in terms of college and career readiness as students transition to high school. It's a way for students to practice for the PSAT 10, the PSAT/NMSQT, and the SAT. The test is offered between the fall and spring. Schools choose the dates on an individual basis, unlike the SAT, which is administered at designated test on dates determined by the College Board. Your school may offer the PSAT 8/9 between September 23rd 2019 and March 27th 2020 or between April 14th and 30th 2020. To sign up for the test, you will have to go through your school counselor. It costs $12 to order the materials, but some schools will cover this fee for you. Accommodations can also be made for students with disabilities. You don't need College Board approval to get accommodations for the PSAT 8/9, but test coordinators at your school must order any special materials before the ordering deadline. What's on the PSAT 8/9, and How Is It Scored? The PSAT 8/9, like the PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT and SAT, has three testing areas: Reading, Writing and Language, and Math. The Reading and Writing subject areas are combined for an Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section score. Math has its own separate section score. On the PSAT 8/9, you will get a total score between 240 and 1440, which is the sum of the two section scores in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math that each range from 120 to 720. You'll also get three test scores for Reading, Writing, and Math that each range from 6-36. In addition to regular section scores, you'll be given Cross-Test scores which analyze questions across the three subject areas and separate them into a score for Analysis in History/Social Studies and a score for Analysis in Science. Each of these scores ranges from 6-36 as well. The subject areas are broken down into six additional subscores measured on a scale of 1-15. WHEW that's a lot of scores! It might be hard to make sense of all of them at first, but the purpose of having so many different scores is to show you specifically where you might need improvement. Along with scores, you'll get percentiles to help you discover how your scores compare to other students'. Your score percentile provides the percentage of students that score at or below your level. This can help you figure out whether you're on the right track for getting a high score on the PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT and SAT. Since the SAT is scored out of 1600, your scores on the PSAT 8/9 will be easily comparable to real SAT scores. The PSAT 8/9 is a way to practice for the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT so that you will be used to the test format and end up with high enough scores to possibly qualify for a National Merit Scholarship. It's just a practice Practice SAT! Studying for the SAT and learning how to yoyo are surprisingly similar How Does the PSAT 8/9 Differ From the PSAT 10 and the PSAT/NMSQT? Although all the PSAT exams share similarities, there are key ways the PSAT 8/9 differs from the other exams. Test Structure Differences The PSAT 8/9 is slightly different from the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT in length and scoring. The PSAT 8/9, as stated in the previous section, records scores on a scale of 240 to 1440. Scores on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT range from 320 to 1520. Part of the reason for this difference in scoring is that the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT are longer than the PSAT 8/9 and have more questions. Take a look at the chart below comparing the PSAT 8/9 (highlighted in yellow), PSAT 10, and PSAT/NMSQT side by side. PSAT 8/9 PSAT 10 PSAT/NMSQT What is the range of possible scores? 240-1440 320-1520 320-1520 How long is it? 2 hrs25 min. 2 hrs45 min. 2 hrs 45 min. # of Reading Qs 42 47 47 # of Writing Qs 40 44 44 # of Math Qs 38 48 48 Can your score qualify you for a National Merit Scholarship? No No Yes The biggest difference between the PSAT 8/9 and the other two tests is in the number of Math questions: There are ten more questions on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT than there are on the PSAT 8/9. The SAT has still more questions and is slightly longer than the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT- three hours, with an optional fifty-minute essay. There are 52 Reading questions, 44 Writing and Language questions, and 58 Math questions. Test Content Differences PSAT 8/9 Reading On the reading section of the PSAT 8/9, you won't have to make any complex inferences. You will mainly be expected to read passages and draw simple, one step conclusions that are spelled out in the text. On the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT, however, you'll have to make more difficult inferences that aren't as literal. For the PSAT 8/9 you will also be asked to identify relationships described in the passages based on straightforward information in the text. This is in contrast to the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT, where you will see questions about complex relationships that are based on more subtle information. Since the reading section on the real SAT includes a data interpretation component, the PSAT 8/9 will expect you to determine explicit meaning from graphs or text (read something off of a graph). You won't have to worry about recognizing data trends yet. That starts on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT. Overall, the passages won't be quite as long, and the questions will be more literal and less complicated. PSAT 8/9 Writing and Language On the Writing section of the PSAT 8/9, you'll see questions about punctuation usage in simple contexts. This means you should have knowledge of basic rules like how to use commas to separate a list. On the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT you will be asked to use punctuation in more complex ways (things like semicolons to separate clauses or colons to introduce lists). For the PSAT 8/9, you will edit straightforward sentences that might contain one grammatical challenge like an introductory phrase. On the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT you will be faced with compound complex sentences where errors might be less clear. Like the Reading section, the Writing and Language section will also incorporate graphics, which will be fairly basic for the PSAT 8/9 but become more complex on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT. PSAT 8/9 Math On the Math section of the PSAT 8/9, problems usually require one or two steps to solve, whereas math problems on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT may have two or more steps. You'll see ratios, percents, proportions, introductory probability, and statistics on the PSAT 8/9, but you won't see the comparisons between linear and exponential growth that show up on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT. Trigonometry-wise, you'll want to know the properties of right triangles, but you won't need to know trigonometric ratios yet. Those are only tested on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT. Want to get a head start on the PSAT NMQST? We have the industry's leading PSAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today: Why Should You Take the PSAT 8/9? The point of the PSAT 8/9 is to provide insight into the subject areas where you need to make the most score improvements before you take the PSAT and ultimately the SAT. Although a few schools may use the PSAT 8/9 as a placement test, for most students the exam has no stakes- it's just a way to see how you're doing without any consequences if you end up bombing it. If you're really set on getting a great score on the PSAT/NMSQT, it might be a good idea to take the PSAT 8/9. Since the PSAT/NMSQT is only offered once a year in October, you will only have two chances maximum to take it (one in 10th grade and one in th grade). If you want to win a National Merit Scholarship, you have to do really well on one of those two tests. The best way to know which areas you need to work on is to take the PSAT 8/9. Based on your PSAT 8/9 scores, you will get personalized SAT study materials through Khan Academy. If you're not set on winning a scholarship, you probably don't need to take the PSAT 8/9. Just plan on taking the PSAT/NMSQT so that you can get an idea of where you are score-wise before the real SAT and where you need to improve. You can also take the PSAT 10 your Sophomore year to prepare for the PSAT/NMSQT. PSAT 10 scores, like PSAT 8/9 scores, aren't considered as a factor in the National Merit Scholarship competition, but they can give you more information about what areas you need to work on. A very prestigious Scholar Ship How Can You Prepare for the PSAT 8/9? Because the PSAT 8/9 is just a way to see how prepared you are for the PSAT 10, which is a way to practice for the PSAT/NMSQT which itself is a way to prepare for the SAT, most students don't need to prepare for the PSAT 8/9. Just taking the test and reviewing your scores is enough to give you an idea of how well you're doing and which areas you might want to consider focusing on later on when you prepare for the other exams. However, if you do want to study for the PSAT 8/9, there are resources. There are no official practice PSAT 8/9 tests, but the College Board's PSAT 8/9 Student Guide has a handful of practice questions for each section of the test. There are some unofficial practice PSAT 8/9 exams available, but we don't recommend them since they typically don't recreate test questions very accurately. Instead, we recommend using official study resources and practice tests for the PSAT/NMSQT. The formats of the two exams are very similar, but you won't see the most difficult questions from the PSAT/NMSQT on the PSAT 8/9, since the latter is meant for younger students. There are two official PSAT practice tests available: Official PSAT Practice Test 1- Score Your Test- Answer Explanations Official PSAT Practice Test 2- Score Your Test- Answer Explanations The Bottom Line The PSAT 8/9 is the first step on the path to the SAT. You can take it in 8th or 9th grade, and it's somewhat similar to the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT. The main differences are that there is no scholarship associated with it, it's shorter, and it has a lower score range. The PSAT 8/9 is essentially just another way to practice for the PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT. If you're really invested in figuring out where you need to improve your scores in order to do well enough on the PSAT/NMSQT to win a National Merit Scholarship, the PSAT 8/9 is a useful low-stakes assessment tool. Otherwise, just wait and take the PSAT/NMSQT your sophomore or junior year before you take the SAT, or take the PSAT 10 your sophomore year and the PSAT/NMSQT your junior year. What's Next? Are you wondering whether you should take the PSAT 10 or the PSAT/NMSQT? Read this article to find out what's best for you. Looking to practice your skills and see where you need to improve? Here are some PSAT practice tests to get your studying started. Learn more here about how PSAT scores translate into SAT scores and whether one reliably predicts the other. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Friday, November 22, 2019

Why Arguments Against Free Trade Are Flawed

Why Arguments Against Free Trade Are Flawed Economists conclude, under some simple assumptions, that allowing free trade in an economy improves welfare for society overall. If free trade opens up a market to imports, then consumers benefit from the low-priced imports more than producers are hurt by them. If free trade opens up a market for exports, then producers benefit from the new place to sell more than consumers are hurt by higher prices. Nonetheless, there are a number of common arguments made against the principle of free trade. Lets go through each of them in turn and discuss their validity and applicability. The Jobs Argument One of the main arguments against free trade is that, when trade introduces lower cost international competitors, it puts domestic producers out of business. While this argument isnt technically incorrect, it is short-sighted. When looking at the free trade issue more broadly, on the other hand, it becomes clear that there are two other important considerations. First, the loss of domestic jobs is coupled with reductions in prices of goods that consumers buy, and these benefits shouldnt be ignored when weighing the tradeoffs involved in protecting domestic production versus free trade. Second, free trade not only reduces jobs in some industries, but it also creates jobs in other industries. This dynamic occurs both because there are usually industries where the domestic producers end up being exporters (which increases employment) and because the increased income held by foreigners who benefited from free trade is at least partly used to buy domestic goods, which also increases employment. The National Security Argument Another common argument against free trade is that it is risky to depend on potentially hostile countries for vital goods and services. Under this argument, certain industries should be protected in the interests of national security. While this argument is also not technically incorrect, it is often applied much more broadly than it should be in order to preserve the interests of producers and special interests at the expense of consumers. The Infant-Industry Argument In some industries, pretty significant learning curves exist such that production efficiency increases rapidly as a company stays in business longer and gets better at what it is doing. In these cases, companies often lobby for temporary protection from international competition so that they can have a chance to catch up and be competitive. Theoretically, these companies should be willing to incur short-term losses if the long-term gains are substantial enough, and thus shouldnt need assistance from the government. In some cases, however, companies are liquidity constrained enough that it cant weather the short-term losses, but, in those cases, it makes more sense for governments to provide liquidity via loans than to provide trade protection. The Strategic-Protection Argument Some proponents of trade restrictions argue that the threat of  tariffs, quotas, and the like can be used as a bargaining chip in international negotiations. In reality, this is often a risky and unproductive strategy, largely because threatening to take action that is not in a nations best interest is often viewed as a non-credible threat. The Unfair-Competition Argument People often like to point out that its not fair to allow competition from other nations because other countries dont necessarily play by the same rules, have the same costs of production, and so on. These people are correct in that its not fair, but what they dont realize is that the lack of fairness actually helps them rather than hurts them. Logically, if another country is taking actions to keep its prices low, domestic consumers benefit from the existence of low-priced imports. Granted, this competition can put some domestic producers out of business, but its important to remember that consumers benefit more than producers lose in exactly the same way as when other countries are playing fair but happen to be able to produce at lower cost anyway. In summary, the typical arguments made against free trade are generally not convincing enough to outweigh the benefits of free trade except in very particular circumstances.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Through the Years - from High School to Adulthood Article

Through the Years - from High School to Adulthood - Article Example During those times we had very little worries. Sometimes we thought school work was hard, but we learned in the future that it only gets more challenging during and after the college years. I remember that college was a hot topic of discussion in the last year of high school. We supported each other a lot and the advice of our friends provided great input to help us decide what to study and at which university. Throughout the years our friendship and comradery have not changed. We still care a lot about each other. Social friendship sites such as Facebook have helped a lot of us keep in touch. I like going to our high school page on Facebook to see old pictures of when we were back in high school. I phone call a lot of old high school classmates at least once a month. High school helps built lasting relationships. Over the years we have had many mini-reunions and get together. High school reunions help people renew old friendships (Lamb & Reeder). Some of our reunions have been very successful, but in others, attendance has been low. Even those that don’t attend always get a taste of what occurred in the event since it is customary for us to send everyone several videos and photos of the event’s activities. There is a log with the emails of all the members of the 1987 graduation class. All classmates are notified of special events such as reunions. During the last 25 years, t he class has held at least one activity every three years. On some years we have had more than one activity. Another medium that was introduced about three years ago was a forum created by one of the classmates who specializes in programming and designing websites. The forum is a great way for us to talk and leave messages for all of us to share. We never forget of any of our friends. Some of the members never attend the activities of the class of 1987 and some are not users of Facebook. We never forget about any of the girls.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

'Employees cannot be motivated with money' Discuss Essay

'Employees cannot be motivated with money' Discuss - Essay Example from GE since as a company it has been focused on HR and committed to its employees in many ways which go beyond the norms of motivation as compared to other companies. It has an innovative way of rewarding employees who uphold the values considered important by GE and this has given the company the respect and admiration of many business gurus (Demos, 2006). While the rewards for working at GE are many, the reward selection process uses a ranking system that connects with both the process and content theories by punishes those employees who do perform up to the expected level. The overall effect of GE’s motivation techniques has been very positive and is well regarded by industry experts therefore it becomes a good example for matching with the theories of motivation. A theory based on content considers the idea that individuals are motivated by inner desires to fulfil their needs and such fulfilment can come from their work if the work they do is able to combine the rewards for working with their desires. The primary work in this branch of motivation comes form Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which includes five levels including the basic needs of nourishment, second order needs for safety and security, third order needs for social affiliations, fourth order needs for esteem and fifth order needs for self-actualization of the individual. Clearly while the first, second and third order needs might be fulfilled by having enough money, fourth and fifth order needs might not be obtainable just by getting a salary alone. GE is one company that recognises this and uses a peer recognition system called QuickThanks! to show appreciation of the work done by one member of the company to another. Kerr (1996) gives an inside view of what happens at GE where this program is used for increasing the level of motivation of employees. Broadly speaking, this system allows employees to nominate other employees (even across departments) with a $25 gift certificate for certain

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The major purposes of financial statements Essay Example for Free

The major purposes of financial statements Essay The major purpose of financial statement is to provide an overview of the company’s overall performance of the company’s operations and also assess the company’s worth during the year. Financial statement not only assists the financial managers but also the outsiders like creditors, stockholders etc. After reviewing the financial statements of the company all the stakeholders assess the company growth, investment opportunity ,dividend profile etc after that note all the stakeholders made appropriate decisions regarding the firm’s future’s perspective. . Financial statements are also helpful in submitting the tax return of the year (Besley, Brigham, 2001). In basic terms financial statement is comprises on Profit Loss Statement, Balance Sheet, and on Statement of cash flows. There could be several reasons which signify the fact that it is gravely essential for one to understand the business or the industry in order to understand the financial statements better. Some of them may be: 2. The type of information financial statements provides. There are mainly three types of information is available in Profit Loss Statement, Balance Sheet, and Statement of cash flows. All the statements have own importance. Profit Loss Statement debates over the company’s revenue generation power, cost behavior and structure and in the end on Net Income. The balance sheet provides an overview regarding the company’s financial position. In the same time the balance sheet also discussed about the company’s assets, liabilities and owners equity. Cash flow statement discussed over the company’s operating, investing and financing activities during the year. It also discussed on the in flow and outflow of the cash and also on the cash equivalents. 3. The limitations of financial statements. The limitations of financial statements are stated below: †¢ Financial statements are debates over the historical facts they can’t address the trends like inflation, growth rates etc (Erich A. Helfert, 2001). †¢ The qualitative factors are not evaluated in the financial statements and often neglected because no organization discussed the qualitative factors in the monetary terms. Like reputation of the company, employees performance etc (Erich A. Helfert, 2001). †¢ It is the reality that out dated information of the company’s financial profile is not worthy especially when the company’s management is willing to take more debt from bank (Garrison, 2004). †¢ Whenever the financial statements are presented with out the notes then all the reported figures are picture less. 4. The outside factors upon which the conclusions drawn from these statements are reliant. The most relying outside factors that makes an impression on the financial statements are stated below: †¢ Frequently changes in the tax percentages make an impact on the firm’s net income, dividend, EPS, owner’s equity, stock price, etc (Besley, Brigham, 2001). †¢ Government’s regulation on any appropriate business slight distorts the financial statements of the company (Besley, Brigham, 2001). †¢ Events happening after balance sheet dates like case filed in the court of law make a negative impact on the reported figures of the company (Garrison, 2004). †¢ Fluctuation the interest rate percentage makes an impression on the interest expense of the company and also on the prices of the bonds. 5. How items in common-size statements are presented. In order to create common size statements we express it in the form of percentages rather than dollar amounts. It is easier to understand that we take the differences of amounts year by year and divided that difference amount with the total amount. Let’s assume: 2008 2007 Difference increase/ (decrease) Cash $150,000 $100,000 $50,000 And Total Assets is $500,000. Then Difference Amount/Total Assets x 100 50,000/500,000 x 100 10%. Means there is an increment of 10% is reviewed from the year 2007 to 2008. 6. How ratios in ratio analysis are computed and used. The formula of some important ratios is stated below: †¢ Average collection period (in times) = Net Credit sales / Average debtors †¢ Inventory turnover (in times) = Cost of goods Sold / Average Stock †¢ Current Ratio = (Current Assets / Current Liabilities) †¢ Total Debt Ratio = (Total Liabilities / Total Assets) †¢ Return on Equity = (Net Income / Average Equity) †¢ Return on Assets = (Net Income / Average Total Assets) The uses of ratios are sated below: †¢ Dividend yield which expressed as a rate of return on the market price of the stock. †¢ Interest coverage ratio shows the debt servicing ability and capability of a company and also indicator of a company’s ability to meet its interest payment obligations (Myers, Brealey and Marcus, 2001). †¢ Debt ratio shows the percentage of total asset financed by debt, from a creditor / bank’s view point, the lower debt ratio gives a positive signal to the creditor. †¢ Current ratio also suggest the firms liquidity position lower current ratio gives alarming and negative signal to the creditor that firm is financial crises and on the edge of financial crunch (Myers, Brealey and Marcus, 2001). 7. Why most financial analysts prefer ratio analysis to common-size statements. It is quite easy to assess the financial performance of the company at a glance. It is the shortest way to get an appropriate result. Moreover, common size statement is slightly tenacious and complicated to examine the different accounting heads (Erich A. Helfert, 2001). Reference Besley, Brigham, Scott, Eugene F. (2001). Principles of Finance. Florida: Harcourt College Publishers. Brealey, Richard A. , Stewart C. Myers, Alan J. Marcus, (2001). Fundamentals of Corporate Finance. New York. McGraw Hill Helfert, Erich A. (2001). Financial Analysis Tools and Techniques: A Guide For Managers. McGraw-Hill. Noreen, Eric W. , Peter C. Brewer, Ray H. Garrison. Managerial Accounting. 11. 2004.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Serial Killers Essay -- Essays Papers

Serial Killers Serial killers kill because of three patterns we see develop throughout their lives. These patterns are the development of youthful characteristics and habits, abusing events in their lives, and the final push. To be qualified as a serial killer one must murder more than three victims, one at a time, in a relatively short time period. The most common serial killers are white, heterosexual, sexually frustrated, young adult males with low self-esteem. Lester Ballard, the main character in Child of God, by Cormac McCarthy, displays these patterns as I have found it described in texts on serial killers. The earliest warning signs of serial killers can be traced back to their childhood. It is believed that the mind of a murderer is charged with a turbulence of emotions stored from early childhood (Abrahamsen 18). When these often repressed emotions are activated, the mind, particularly when aroused or frustrated, becomes violent, and so it is that a person who may appear quite normal and well adjusted on the surface, becomes possessed by a mind that murders (Abrahamsen 18). The study of 36 incarcerated killers by Robert Ressler, Ann Burgess, and John Douglas, which can be found in their book Sexual Homicide Patterns and Motives, found many common behavior indicators in their childhoods. These behaviors include daydreaming, compulsive masturbation, isolation, chronic lying, bed wetting, rebelliousness, nightmares, destroying property, fire setting stealing, cruelty to children, poor body image, temper tantrums, sleep problems, display assault toward adults, phobias, ru nning away, cruelty to animals, accident prone, headaches, destroying possessions, eating problems, convulsions, and... ...nd. New York: Harper and Row, 1973. Bardsley, Marilyn. Jeffrey Dahmer. Dark Horse Multimedia, 2000. Bell, Rachel. The Crime Library: Everything You Need to Know About Ted Bundy. Dark Horse Multimedia Inc, 2001. Mendoza, Antonio. Internet Crime Archives. 2000. McCarthy, Cormac. Child of God. New York: Vintage Books, 1973. Newton, Michael. Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. New York: Facts on File, 2000. Serial Killers Exposed. Serial Killers Info Polls. 2000. Winn, Steven. Ted Bundy, The Killer Next Door. New York: Buntam Books, 1979.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Reproductive Health Bill Philippines Essay

When I hear the RH Bill, What comes to my mind? I must say that I am in favor to this law in the Philippines . This law means having control of the growing population in the Philipines and this will lessen poverty due to the lesser family members. The law states that the people has choices to pick in starting a family like contraceptives, condoms, pills, IUD. This Bill will help people much especially the uneducated ones to know more information about family planning, prevention of abortion, sex education, prevention of HIV/AIDS and others. The poorest family may have the biggest family, now is the time for them to give education about controlling by approving this bill. I think this bill was aimed to the poor ones because they are the ones who cannot support their family and most of them has no education, this means more problem. This helps us to make the lives of the filipino future to be more productive. We are already in a modern world, many of the people know about sex. Even out of wed lock have sex, even friends have sex but the bill helps to control having birth and being safe. Most especially teens, they are the one mostly who are engaging in sex. By giving them proper explanation by their parents to be responsible and do what is right, do you think that their children will listen? Well, it’s up to them but parents should always be reminding their children to do what is wrong from right. Why do others are against it? Maybe because it’s also against the Roman Catholic Church and the beliefs of other groups. But people has their own right what they will do and what they want to believe and use.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Disruption in Attachment

Attachments can often be disrupted between an infant and its primary caregiver and these particular children can find themselves growing up and developing outside the traditional family environment. Thus not forming attachments can have serious impacts on the development of the infant. Disruptions to attachments can take place due to the lack of physical and emotional attachment (Privation) and separation from the primary caregiver. In disruption of attachments there are long-term and short-term effects of separation.In short-term effects of separation, the infants are likely to respond to the separation from their primary attachment figure with a behaviour pattern in three stages; Protest, Despair and Detachment. Robertson and Bowlby investigated the effects of infants separated from their mothers and found that the distress felt by the infants fell into three categories (PDD). Conversely other researchers such as Barrett have argued that the childs initial response to separation is actually the effort to cope with the feelings produced due to separation.Protest is the beginning, when the child starts to cry, scream and protest with rage when the parent leaves them. The infant at this point will try to cling on to the parent and will reject all attempts by others to try and pick them up. Despair, is when the infants anger seems to have calmed down although they may still feel a little upset, the infant will lose interest in the environment around him and will again reject attempts by other people to console the infant.Lastly there is detachment, at this point if the separation has continued the infant will have started to engage with other people but may still seem cautious, they will also reject the caregiver on reunion and engage with signs of anger. The reaction to short-term was shown by Robertson’s in their study of 17 months old John who was placed in a residential nursery for nine days, where he was neither mothered by the nurses nor protected fr om other children who attacked him, eventually he became very distressed and at reunion with his mother he rejected her.A few long-term effect of separation are; separation anxiety, extreme clinginess (the child will try their best to stay with the primary caregiver as much as possible, wherever they may go), detachment (the child will refuse any physical love such as being hugged, this may be to prevent the primary caregiver from leaving next time), the child will also be more demanding of their attachment figure. On the other hand not all children respond the same ay to separation, some infants may become more stressed or less distressed than others, factors that affect the child’s response are: the age of the child, the type of attachment they share with their primary caregiver, the gender of the child, with whom the child is left with and the quality of care they receive, the infants experience of previous separations. Schaffer and Callender studied the behaviour of 76 ba bies aged between 3 and 51 weeks of age.Their findings where that the seven months showed little clinging and upsetting behaviour however between 12 and 18 months of age the strength of the infants response had increased primarily due to the fact that they may have developed the idea that their primary attachment figure always returns. A securely attached child has a higher chance of coping with separation than an insecure-ambivalent type. Lastly, boys seem to react more strongly to separation than girls.A small number of children experience privation, which is the lack of any attachment at all in their early childhood development. The two types of studies carried out in order to inform us about the severe effects of privation are; case studies of infants who have been brought up in very bad conditions where they were also unable to form any attachments, and the studies of children who have been raised in institutionalised care.Koluchova reported a case study of twin boys who were b orn in Czechoslovakia and brought up in care soon after their mother had died and their father and step-mother had inhumanely treated them, they were severely malnourished, when they were discovered they had no speech and they were also beaten and starved in an unheated cellar away from human activity, this caused them extreme health conditions. They were later adopted by two sisters and gained average intelligence, they attended a mainstream school and there early damage had been repaired with no cognitive issues.Case studies can raise a major ethical issue of making the children who were involved feel as if they were just part of a psychological experiment and were used merely as objects of research, later on in life. Case studies may not always appear accurate, because digging up the past of the participants and concluding from case study research may not always be accurate. However in natural experiment this issue is overcome foe example: Tizard and Hodges study of the long-term effects of emotional privation.Institutionalisation refers to the various behavioural patterns of children who have been raised in institutions, orphanages and children’s care homes. Tizard and Hodges carried out a natural experiment where 65 children were brought up in a children’s home until they were four. For this period of time the children and staff were prohibited from forming attachments with one another, only so the children would not get upset if the person left. Due to the lack of attachment the children did not show fear of strangers, they ran to any adult that entered and cried when they left.This behaviour pattern is known as a disinhibited attachment. When the babies were restored, adopted or remained in the children’s home they were given (participants, teachers, peers, parents etc. ) assessments to complete via questionnaires or interviews. Tizard and Hodges found that the adopted group formed stronger bonds with their parents than the restored infants. This may have been because the restored children felt neglected. The restored children also had worse relationship with their siblings.Nonetheless, all three groups formed very weak peer to peer relationships. The study uses a range of research methods to collect information which is very beneficial for a final conclusion. One major disadvantage of a longitudinal study is the problem of participant attrition, and this was also a problem for Tizard and Hodges research. Ethical issues involved high sensitivity when it came to family relationships and the researchers had to make sure they were extremely cautious during the follow up interviews.They also had to make sure that the participants were in no pressure to continue with the research. In spite of the severe effects of institutionalisation and privation, if infants are removed at six months such as the Romanian orphans (Rutter et al study) tend to make better developmental progress. Children are able to recover from the se only if they are placed under a loving and caring environment after institutionalisation/ privation and they need an opportunity to form a strong bond with an adult who provides them with sufficient attention.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Supervision And Skills In The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay Essays

Supervision And Skills In The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay Essays Supervision And Skills In The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay Essay Supervision And Skills In The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay Essay This study gives a elaborate analysis of the instance survey The Courthouse Hotel and besides answers the chief inquiries of staffing issues for the hotel in the approaching months along with the schemes which will assist to work out the jobs. Besides it describes the staff s reaction when the hotel is being upgraded to a four star and besides when the German delegates will be remaining in the hotel and utilizing its services followed by the stairss which will be taken by the supervisor take to minimise the impact of reaction to the proposed alterations in the hotel. The hotel is a three star located in the metropolis Centre. It has 150 suites with a Carver manner eating house and a little map room. Among the entire staff, 95 % work for full clip lasting contract and the staying 5 % are portion clip members. Majority of the invitees stay merely during the weeknights so the staff works merely for one weekend out of every four weekends. It besides faces competition signifier good known national and international hotels. Harmonizing to the instance a celebrated concern adult male took over the hotel before three months. He found that many other hotels are developing up including the convention Centre which is coming up really near by hotel so he thought to convey up the class of the hotel to a four star. For that he added on assorted services which include the big feasting installation, an a La menu eating house, a porter service and besides the room service. So if the needed criterions of a four star hotel and those of a competition are achieved he expects the concern to travel up by 60 % . Following summer the Courthouse has large challenge as inter governmental conference is to be held in the metropolis and for that the German delegates which includes the Chancellor of the Exchequer, politicians, advisers, civil retainers and other journalists are coming and non merely remaining in the hotel but besides have assorted imperativeness conferences and it is their concern to maintain them happy and non merely to give them what they expect but besides exceed their outlooks by giving exceeding service. This is merely possible if the interpersonal accomplishments are improved, the staff is trained and client service criterions are adhered to. 2. Staffing issues and schemes Staffing is the major portion of the direction map and plays an of import function in planing the operation of the organisation. Without staff the organisation can non be. So it is necessary that all the issues related to the staffs are solved and guaranting that staff are happy with the organisation. Because it is said that If you [ the director ] return attention of the employees, the employees will take attention of the invitees, and the net incomes will take attention of themselves ( Anon, cited in Miller 2006, p17 ) . So the issues followed by its schemes are described below. 2.1 Issues Lack of interpersonal accomplishments: The Courthouse hotels staff deficiency in interpersonal accomplishments. It is the basic accomplishment which is expected from an hotelkeeper. The word is self explanatory which means that the staff should be able to understand others what he/she want to convey and on the other manus he/she should be able to convey the message in such a manner that the intent is understood. This is missing among the staff and it needs to be improved. It is a serious issue because if the staffs convey the incorrect message so straight or indirectly it will surely impact the invitee and therefore the gross of the hotel will besides be affected. Lack of proper Shift timings: The displacement timings presently followed in the hotel is 6.30-3.30 and 3.00-11.00. This timing is non executable because of the high criterions of the hotel and besides when the German Chancellor and his squad arrive in the hotel they will hold to execute work more expeditiously and exactly and besides at a great gait which involves batch of difficult work. So the hotel should hold the timings in such a manner that all staff is every bit distributed in all the displacements. The timings can be from 0600-1600, 1500-23.00, 0900-1800 and 2200-0700. Ratio of lasting staff and portion clip staff: Presently there is 95 % of the lasting staff and merely 5 % are under portion clip. But with the current state of affairs where the criterions are high and besides the reaching of German Chancellors staffing is a major job in the hotel. Unless and until the staffing is changed and there is a equal distribution of permanent every bit good as portion clip staff the hotel will non be able to run swimmingly. If we appoint more of portion clip staff members than the full clip staff so the staff cost will be reduced and besides acquire the work done. This will besides cut down political relations among the staff which is a major concern these yearss. Staffs merely work for hebdomad darks: It is said that the staff merely work for hebdomad yearss and every one hebdomad terminal out of four. But in a four star hotel where service affairs, staff demand to work for 24/7 with equal distribution of displacements. So it is besides a major concern for the hotel because for an efficient room service staff needs to work more and every twenty-four hours. Rather than working merely for one hebdomad terminal, staff should be given off for at least one twenty-four hours per hebdomad and work for all the hebdomad ends. Competition Because of many developments in the hotel in the close by countries, the competition has increased to a great extent. All hotels have the same eating houses, suites and installations what affairs is the type of service offered. 2.2 Schemes Enrolling the prospective staff: The really first measure for the hotel is to hold a good homo resource squad who will enroll the possible staff who has the needed quality of an hotelkeeper and is willing to function the invitees. The human resource squad should measure each and every campaigner via personal interview and prove his capablenesss and cognition. Here enrolling the experient staff will be of great aid. Developing the interpersonal accomplishments of the staff: The staff should be able to pass on clearly and exactly with his couples and besides with the invitees. It is because an person can non run the hotel or a eating house own his ain. Team work is a must for the staff. For illustration if a steward does nt convey the right thing to the chef the chef would non understand and finally the invitee will be unsated and angry and consequence in ailments. If the staffs have good interpersonal accomplishments so they besides will be able to function the invitee every bit rapidly as possible which will cut down the bringing clip and aid in good clip direction. If the house maintaining staff do nt convey about the room clearance the forepart office will non be able to sell room to the invitees which will impact the gross of the hotel. So a good interpersonal accomplishment is a must in each and every administration. Motivating the staff: Motivation can be defined as the art of acquiring people to make what you want them to make because they want to make it ( US President Dwight Eisenhower, cited in quotations.about.com ) . In other words motive is the interior power or energy to make a undertaking with full enthusiasm. Motivation can be applied to each and every thing whether it is little or large it does nt count. It is the most of import key to success ( sasson2008 ) . So in the approaching months the staffs of Courthouse Hotel needs to be motivated. For that each and every staff needs to hold a end. The direction should give inducements or honor the staff for giving a good public presentation. Besides organizing certain Tourss and games will besides maintain the staff motivated. Supplying appropriate preparation: The staff should be trained harmonizing to the criterions of the hotel because the hotel is being upgraded to a four star it will hold a new set of processs and criterions which need to be followed purely. The proficient cognition should besides be given to the staff because unless the staffs have a good cognition they will non be able to work confidently in forepart of the invitees. So a good proficient cognition along with cognition related to the basic criterions of client service will assist to function the invitees more confidently and exactly. Follow set service criterions and processs: As the hotel is upgraded to a four star and besides it has German Delegates and Chancellors remaining in the hotel, so the hotel has to develop new service criterions and processs which is necessary for all the staff non merely to cognize but besides follow. If found non found following the regulations the staff should be penalised. 3. Staff reaction to the proposed alterations and supervisors actions It is said that alteration is the jurisprudence of nature. So change harmonizing to the demand has to be at that place. As the universe is altering fast and the administrations should besides alter and follow the new alterations harmonizing to the demand. The administrations who can follow the alteration solves the job of the staff and keeps them motivated survives and excels while the other has to fight difficult to last. So staff may respond in many ways to these proposed alterations which needs to be evaluated and solved to understate it every bit much as it can be with the aid of supervisors. 3.1 Staff reaction The staff may respond in a figure of ways to these alterations of hotel up step and reaching of Germans. Staff might go forth the hotel: Due to the up step of the hotel staff might decline to work. It is so because they are accustomed to that type of environment and do nt desire to alter. It is besides possible that they do nt desire to work excess and pass more clip in the hotel because with this alteration staff will be holding a batch of load. Staff might travel on work stoppage: With this sudden alteration in the hotel the staff might oppose these alterations and they might organize a brotherhood and travel on work stoppage. It is so because they do nt wish to alter or do nt believe the new concern adult male who has taken over the hotel. This will give a negative promotion to the hotel and will convey down the hotels position really severely. Might work half heartedly: Even though the staff might work after the alterations has been made but would non work the same manner as they were working antecedently. They would non respond in the same enthusiastically as they were antecedently. They would non follow the new regulations which will be developed for the improvement of the service and hotel and besides go irregular. This will straight impact the hotels concern negatively. Might develop a negative attitude: Staff besides would non follow the supervisors order and consequence in struggles and grudges and accordingly affect the staffs inter relation which will impact the service criterions. They might besides develop an attitude of being non loyal to the company. It is besides possible that the staff might be really positive to these reactions: Apart from these negative reactions it is possible that the staff might respond really positively and take it as a great challenge. It will besides assist in positive promotion of the hotel. 3.2 Supervisors actions to understate the impact of reactions A supervisor is any individual who manages people who make merchandises and/or perform services ( Miller et al, 2006, p5 ) . So supervisors public presentation depends on his staffs public presentation. So if he is able to pull off them decently and efficaciously he will success in his work. It is the work of supervisor to pull off resources, procedure, information and people. A supervisor should hold a good proficient cognition, communicate decently, handle struggle, supply support and offer congratulations. He should besides be able to work out jobs, make determinations and manage clip efficaciously. The supervisor should convey them all together and work in a group together. It has to be a squad work because cipher can work entirely. He should convert all the staff to work united. He should put himself as an illustration to his squad. He should take by giving those illustrations where he has truly excelled in any work and has given an extraordinary end product. This will animate them besides to make the same for the company and besides for themselves. Make a positive work environment. The environment sets it all. They should actuate them all and should continuously honor the staff for their good work. He should be able to make the flow of work which will do them busy in such a manner that they do nt experience bored. Motivate the staff. Supervisor should continuously honor the staff for their good work and should besides throw an unfastened party to the staff for an exceeding twenty-four hours. Obtain the necessary resources, and pull off them suitably. He should garner all the resources and set together to work by pull offing them decently. Treat all squad members reasonably and every bit without any favoritism of sex. ( Wagen etal.2003p15-21 ) 4. Decision The hotel Courthouse is being up graded and besides it has German delegates and Chancellor of the Exchequers coming and remaining in the hotel. So in the months to come it is traveling to confront many jobs. So in order to get the better of those jobs it has to hold a scheme and solutions which will assist them to over semen and assist them to maintain up their criterions. One of the biggest jobs is the deficiency of interpersonal accomplishments which can be developed via appropriate preparation by bettering the communicating accomplishments, developing the squad work and supplying the appropriate cognition. The staff timings and displacements besides need changed and an appropriate measure demands to be taken which will split the staff every bit in all the displacements without any favoritism and jobs. The chief scheme to get the better of the job is to enroll merely the budding staffs that are capable of making and giving their best what is expected. For that the campaigners need to be personally interviewed and tested on their cognition and managing state of affairss. In this instance of hotel up step experient staff can assist a batch in actuating staff and acquiring the best out of the employees. Due to the major alterations in the hotel staff may respond in a figure of ways. Some may wish it and take it really sportingly and lend in the improvement of the administration. Where as some may oppose it and can travel on work stoppage, might work half heartedly or might go forth the occupation in the fright of excess load and work and besides some do nt wish to alter and prefer to work as they are. In order to cut down the staff jobs and their negative reactions the supervisor has to take effectual reactions which will assist the constitution in the improvement of them.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

4 overrated recruiting concepts you need to ditch this year

4 overrated recruiting concepts you need to ditch this year Attention HR professionals: As 2018 continues to unfold, you’re undoubtedly focused on achieving your staffing and recruiting goals for the year, which likely means plenty of advanced planning and strategy sessions, all designed to help you and your company hit its predetermined targets.For successful companies, this is beyond important- it’s an absolutely essential business function. According to an article by Empxtrack, the recruitment and selection process is one of the most important of all HR functions and has a great impact on the revenue growth and profit margins of a company as compared to other tasks such as retention,  onboarding, leadership development, and managing talent.Effective recruiting requires careful planning- from the first steps to the last- under the watchful eye of a seasoned HR professional or team with business savvy, a deep knowledge of their company’s core needs, and an ability to plan for short-term and long-term growth and success .Strategic recruiting also requires a thorough understanding of what concepts don’t work or have become outdated to the point of irrelevance and belong in the HR recycling bin. The truth is, in today’s rapidly evolving professional landscape, concepts that may have once been proven sound may no longer hold up today. It’s the job of all HR professionals to stay on top of current trends, shifts, and forces that help shape the face of modern recruitment- or else they risk becoming outdated and irrelevant.That said, there is a prevailing conventional wisdom in the world of recruiting that helps determine which recruiting concepts should be embraced and which are overrated and should be left behind. LinkedIn recently published an article on recruiting concepts that should likely be reconsidered or shuttered for good. Use the following information to help you and your company strategize effectively.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});1. Culture fit is critical.We’re all aware of the omnipresence of â€Å"culture fit† and its perceived value in companies across industries. In fact, some organizations rank perceived culture fit at the very top of their determination criteria when making key hiring decisions. But what are we really getting here? Is a company that prides itself on having employees who are an excellent cultural fit denying itself a level of healthy diversity that could really help move the needle? Think about it, do game changing ideas that truly disrupt the status quo always come from those who fit neatly into the corporate mold, or do they often come from those oddball outliers with enough creative and perceptual distance to really effect change?Savvy, forward-thinking HR professionals know better when they weigh the value of culture fit, and recognize potential talent who may not fit the traditional corporate mold but who could potentially offer their organizations something far more v aluable- a fresh new way of approaching their business.2. The reference check is essential.The traditional HR process of performing a reference check on potential candidates is as old (and as time-consuming) as it gets, and if we stop and really take a close look at it, we may realize that it’s likely not worth the effort. Why? Because what the process really involves is reaching out (often, many times before getting a response) to a carefully curated list of individuals who have undoubtedly been told to expect a call from you, and who will invariably provide a glowing review of the candidate in question and go on and on about how they’re absolutely the ideal candidate in every conceivable way.Admittedly, there may be some value in some instances to performing this time-tested HR ritual, but if you’re waiting for a candidate to provide a reference that will offer a completely honest, unbiased, and critical review of a candidate, don’t hold your breath bec ause it’s not likely to happen anytime soon. Does this sound to you like an effective way to really get to evaluate a potential new employee?3. Traditional interviews are everything.It’s almost inconceivable to imagine a hiring process- at any company or for any position- that does not include some aspect of what we commonly refer to as a traditional interview, in which a meeting (often several) takes place between a potential candidate and the hiring personnel of a company and an exchange of pleasantries, questions, answers, and conversation takes place as each side evaluates the other for consideration.However, you might be shocked to learn that the level of correlation between how a candidate fares on an interview and how they do on the job is shockingly low. According to LinkedIn’s article:â€Å"Candidate interviews have been the single most important tool for recruiters since forever, but that doesn’t mean they’re all that great.  Googleâ⠂¬â„¢s Laszlo Bock spilled the beans in 2013 that their analytics showed that interviews were totally useless: ‘We looked at tens of thousands of interviews, and everyone who had done the interviews and what they scored the candidate, and how that person ultimately performed in their job. We found zero relationship.’†4. Purpose does not replace perks.It’s true, the idea of working for a company with a brand identity, mission, and purpose that resonates with potential candidates can really be an attractive and compelling notion- and many HR professionals work hard to cultivate and maintain their organization’s culture and brand identity and communicate them to prospective employees- but it does not completely replace the tried and true employee perks that lie at the heart of an individual’s decision regarding whether or not to sign on the dotted line when a job offer is made.Sure, your organization’s volunteer efforts, charitable pursuit s, dedication to the environment and desire to make positive and lasting change in the world will be of interest to candidates, but if it isn’t matched by competitive salaries, benefits packages, and employee perks, then don’t be surprised if the individuals you’re hoping to bring on board decide to take their talents elsewhere.There you have it- some overrated recruiting concepts that may have worked well in the past but may no longer hold water as we move through 2018. If you’re using any of these as part your professional recruitment strategy, consider making a change.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Illusion of Beauty Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Illusion of Beauty - Movie Review Example This drama film is the representation of all those problems which are significantly associated with the American Dream, especially for the middle economic class. It is a remarkable portrayal of tensions in the life of middle class men in order to thrive for better living. There is another sufficient illumination which is efficiently presented by Medes through his direction. This issue is related to the difference is between the conventional conception of beauty in concordance with the American Dream and the real concept of beauty which leads an individual towards happiness rather than mere pleasure. This paper is focused on describing the myth of beauty in the conventional concept which can lead to the illusion of happiness; however, it is a disturbing shift from happiness to misery. This will be described by the analysis of the last scene of Lester in this film in terms of cinematography and mise-en-scene. Description The scene begins in the kitchen where Angela and Lester are in a conversation right after Angela eats something. After some general dialogues about food and unusual incident occurred between them, Lester asks Angela about his daughter Jane. He asks that how is she? Is she happy or miserable? On which Angela replies that Jane is satisfied, and she is in love with Ricky. Lester acts in a calm manner and this answer of Angela brings a smile on his face. This is followed by Angela’s question as she asks Lester about how is he? Lester gently tells Angela that he has not being asked any of such questions regarding his self for a long time. He further tells Angela after a significant pause that he is high. Angela excuses for going to the bathroom and leaves (Spacey, Bening and Birch 01:48:58-01:51:47). The scene continues with Lester in the frame, and he smiles again and repeats that he is high. After repeating his dialogue, he smiles and looks to the left side. Lester moves towards left as the shot cuts and a larger frame covers Lester’s motion towards the photo. Lester picks that photo frame in his hands and starts to look at it while walking towards the dining table, and he sits on a chair (Spacey, Bening and Birch 01:48:58-01:51:47). Lester keeps on staring at the photo ahead of which a flower vase is placed with red roses in it. The short cuts and shifts towards the photo in which Lester and Carolyn (Lester’s wife) and preadolescent Jane are present. In the photo, the whole family seems to be happy. The shot shifts in 180 degree camera angle, framing Lester’s face and he delivers his dialogues. He says, â€Å"Man o man† and the shot shifts towards the left shoulder framing his face in a wide angle from the left shoulder (Spacey, Bening and Birch 01:48:58-01:51:47). He repeats his dialogue and a nozzle of a gun comes into the frame from the right side. The scene follows as the camera pans towards the left side covering the photo and the vase with the red roses in motion. The camera stops on t he white wall opposite to Lester's direction, and the sound of a gunshot takes place with Lester’s blood sprayed on the wall. The scene ends on the wall on which Lester’s blood drops down in a downwards flow (Spacey, Bening and Birch 01:48:58-01:51:47). Cinematography This scene of the American drama film American Beauty, which has been described in the previous heading, is one of the most significant scenes of the film. In