HRD Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

HRD - Assignment Example It is important to note from the interview that this profession requires some patience on the part of the person and resilience that many other positions in the organization may not have. Being a human resources manager is not a job that one comes to be over night but it takes some time as one rises up the ladder of leadership. Since this assignment has to deal with the personnel which are basically a social society of people, a manager need to learn to know the psychology of various people. This will influence his mode of actions in the line of duty can be consistent with social norms. To become an established Human resource professional, the career has to be built with time from a junior level so that experience is gained with time over the observed behavior of people in the workplace so that one is in a position to deal with workers in various social circumstances. The length of time one stays with the organization as learnt from Mr. Ali who has worked with the department for over 15 years reveals some positive correlation with performance. Human resource development must be undertaken in line with the tradition of the organization and this simply means that it will take person practicing this career to take some time with the organization to learn how the workers mentality is tied to the existing culture. It is important to note that various organizations have varied cultural beliefs and this significantly influence the conduct of workers and their productivity. It is a profession that requires relatively lengthy attachment with a given organization so that one continually learn how to incorporate interpersonal skills into the management method and it is always appropriate that most of the organizations groom one for at least five years with intensive on job training and a number of seminars and conferences that would strengthen the understan ding of the managers. Various

Decorating Appropriately Essay Example for Free

Decorating Appropriately Essay Ornament, is generally defined as a decoration used to embellish parts of a building, has also been a controversial debating topic when architecture was introduced to the Modernism period. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, absence of ornaments became a hallmark of Modern architecture and equated the moral virtues of honesty, simplicity and purity. Le Corbusier, one of the prominent modernist figures, had always supported the ideals of simplistic and honest design. He blamed the deceit in ornamentations as it disguised the flaws in manufacture. However by the mid-1950s, he broke his own rules by producing several highly expressive, sculptural concrete works due to his realization of ornaments could equally serve practical purposes in architecture. In the essay Decorating Appropriately, French architect and theorist Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc unfolded numerous clear ideas about how and in what circumstances ornament should be employed by looking at different approaches to ornamentation in the cultures of Egypt, Greece and the Middle Ages. The first and perhaps the oldest approach is the natural ornament adopted by the ancient Egyptian culture. Ornaments were inherent in the building’s material and they took the forms from the natural world and decorated with the images of it. The second approach of ornamentation is the result of ancient Greek civilization. Many new forms of ornaments were created at that time and they served to articulate the building visually, organizing it into a series of coordinated visual units that could be comprehended as a whole. Viollet-le-Duc believed this approach is the most rational because its fitness and clearness have unified the entire structure. Aside from the Parthenon mentioned in the essay, the Temple of Hephaestus is another example that belongs to the second approach of ornamentation. Only 18 of 68 metopes of the temple were sculptured and they were mostly located on the east side of the structure, the rest of the metopes were painted. The third ornamentation system appeared in the Middle Ages, it was a system derived from the Egyptian and the Greek approaches yet developed differently regarding to the composition. Although colossal sculpture and bas-relief were not allowed, figures are grouped and concentrated to create a scenic effect and dynamic contrast between the rich and plain parts. Viollet-le-Duc appreciated this system remarkably in his essay as it provided the greatest variety of expression that can be achieved. In conclusion ornamentation functions beyond a decoration but equally a cultural reference, a symbolic communication, a suggestion of individuality, as well as design tactics for establishing scales, signaling entries and aiding direction finding. The notions suggested by Viollet-le-Duc on the application of ornaments should be considered as very valid and still applicable to architectures today. Ornamentation should always engage in the building structure as a whole to create sympathy between ornament and structure so that each enhancing the value of the other. From the ancient Egyptian time to the current technology-dominated era, ornament continuously evolves to have a broader meaning and different definition. Historically the surface behind the ornaments has been seen as a background wanted to be wore. The technology and software at our disposal now gives us enormous control over the form and therefore ornaments and structure are no longer an individual unit. One of the greatest examples would be the residential tower in Dubai designed by Zaha Hadid, which the skin is perforated with hundreds of geometric openings in an amazingly complex arrangement producing a graphically elegant facade treatment. As the tower rises, the frequency of openings becomes greater so that the cladding becomes lighter as it reaches up toward the sky. Today ornamentation has been integrated into architecture structurally and conceptually. Whether we are about to enter a digital age with the intellectual ornament that has been substantially altered, a century after Viollet-le-Duc’s great polemic, his considerations are still truly applicable to the architecture in the present days.

Marshall McLuhans Understanding Media Essay -- McLuhan Understanding

Marshall McLuhan's Understanding Media In his groundbreaking work, Understanding Media, Marshall McLuhan posits that technologies in the â€Å"electric age† rendered it impossible for the individual to remain â€Å"aloof† anymore . Over the course of the late 19th to early 20th centuries, while an increasing presence of electric machines in daily life irrefutably signaled our nation’s arrival into the electric age, society’s â€Å"central nervous system [was] technologically extended to involve [each individual] in the whole of mankind,† McLuhan states (20). Previously disconnected, isolated individuals and groups suddenly became compressed, involved in each others’ lives, and unified into a network. As opposed to the preceding mechanical age, this was an age that sought â€Å"wholeness†-- an aspiration that McLuhan refers to as a â€Å"natural adjunct of electric technology† (21). McLuhan believes that great progress was made in the electric age; that wholeness was sought and worked towards eagerly. However, at the turn of the century, three individuals—the philosopher, historian, and writer Henry Adams, the author Henry James, and the escape artist Harry Houdini—seemed to believe society was falling short of the goals that McLuhan claims it held. To these artists, the dreams of making everything seem attainable and everyone reachable were unrealistic; complete global unification, involvement, and wholeness served as a foil for disintegrating interpersonal relations. These American artists saw technology not so much as a device that brings individuals together, but rather as a means of escaping each other, individual social lives, as well as the constraints of the natural world. The Autobiography of Henry Adams, first printed privately in 19... ... not yield wholeness, grant individual freedom, and give Americans the infinite mobility they dream of. On the contrary, technology may cause separation, destruction, and confinement. The question of whether future technologies will unite individuals peacefully or destroy civilizations ruthlessly is just as relevant, if not in fact more pressing today, at the turn of the 21st century, with a global presence of weapons of mass destruction haunting America, than it was at the turn of the 20th century. Based on his law of acceleration and increased danger, Adams might be surprised that America withstood two world wars and even entered the 21st century. But since we have, there is reason to hope that individuals and fellow nations may continue to defy Adams’ fears; that we may continue to â€Å"jump† headfirst into the future, and in doing so, eventually make progress.

Front Office Operations

Front office and guest safety and security Security Issues ———————- Security encompasses areas such as security of the property itself, company assets, employees' and customers' personal belongings and valuables, life security, personal security etc. In all workplaces management stipulates that it is not responsible for valuables and employees personal belongings (their handbags, items kept in the personal lockers, etc. . Yet management must take all possible measures to prevent theft among employees and of employee belongings through its hiring practices and through the implementation of effective management, human resources and operational policies, such as:    †¢ Background checks of selected applicants †¢ Policies related to employees' entry to, and exit from, the workplace †¢ Spot checks of locker rooms and lockers Effective supervision and control during the work cycle †¢ Policies related to the discovery of criminal records and wrongdoing among, and by,   employees †¢ Control of people entering and exiting the workplace With regard to guest valuables, management informs guests that the hotel is not responsible for valuables left in the room, advising them to secure these in safety deposit boxes provided by the hotel.Besides taking care of security issues related to the people they employ (as outlined above), management must undertake some necessary measures, among which: †¢ Providing â€Å"secure† (safety) deposit boxes and areas to keep valuables †¢ Policies and practices to ensure the security of these boxes and areas †¢ Management and operational policies regarding the security of guest rooms †¢ Management and operational policies regarding the security of public areas †¢ Security policies and practices for the back-of-the-house areas †¢ Employment and training of security personnel Policies and practices to minimize the â€Å"presenceâ €  and â€Å"patronage† of   Ã¢â‚¬Å"shady characters† and criminals, verification of registration and check-in personal data and documentation submitted, and curtailing free movement of unknowns on the premises, as well as direct, free flowing communication with local, national and international security authorities) †¢ Training of staff in guest and valuable security †¢ Effective supervision and control procedures. Some of the security measures taken by hotels:   | |Key Card Locks: | |While key card locks on guest rooms are quickly becoming the standard, some hotels still don't take advantage of the added safety | |provided to guests. | |Guest room locking systems these days include punch and magnetic key cards which have locks with flash memory and other productivity | |linked functions. The system can directly be linked with PMS. |Security Guards: | |Most hotels do not have security guards while some employ them only at night. At Best Western Sterl ing Inn, we have our own staff of | |trained security guards working 24-hours every day to provide the best in safety and security for our guests | |Defibrillation Units: | |A life saving device in case of heart attacks, defibrillation units are starting to be deployed among police and emergency personnel | |across the nation. |Security Cameras: | |Few Hotels have security cameras with digital technology, intelligent access central system, software interface with CCTV for matching| |undesirable visitors and criminals, interfacing with motion detectors, pocket lie detectors and spy cameras and use of biometric | |readers like hand key reader or face recognition system etc. |Fire Alarms: | |While most hotels now have smoke detectors and fire alarms, Some hotels have a state of the art alarm system with smoke detectors in | |each guest room and throughout the entire complex that is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days per week that pinpoints the exact point of | |the alarm allowing our s ecurity staff to respond immediately to the area of any alarm condition. |Emergency Power: | |Very few hotels have any provision for emergency power in case of an electrical outage while a few hotels provide limited emergency | |stand-by power to provide elevator service and some lighting. Some hotels has a 2-Megawatt stand-by generator that provides 100% | |emergency power that can provide uninterrupted guest service during a power outage. |Emergency Manual: | |Hotels maintain an emergency manual, detailing operations in the event of a variety of emergencies. | |Employee Photo ID: | |For added security, some hotels have employees wearing a photo ID nametag allowing quick identification. |In-Room Safes: | |In addition to the safety deposit boxes offered by most hotels at the front desks, Some hotels provide in-room guest safes capable of | |holding a lap-top computer that use the guest's own credit card as the key. | |Guest elevators: | |Elevators may also be interfaced with a ro om electronic locking system, where swiping the room card key takes the guest to the floor | |on which he is staying. | Bomb threat security:Precautions and measures that may be taken in the above case: 1. Security nets and body searches for guests not known to the staff. 2. Banqueting suites and other non-public areas should be security checked and locked after use 3. Goods received and bags should be checked and kept tidy. 4. If a bomb threat is received via telephone, the telephonist should note carefully what exactly is said, the time of the call received the accent of the caller and background noise if any. After the alert the GM should stay put in the lobby where he can be reached easily. . Duties and responsibility of staff during an emergency should be well-defined. 6. The hotel should work closely with the police to keep them updated. 7. Chamber maids and HK supervisors should be trained to conduct security checks in the guest rooms. Security measures for women travelers -M irrored walls of the guestroom floor elevators so that you can see who is walking behind you -Well-lit public areas such a s lobby bars -Valet parking services to avoid the need o a woman to enter the parking lot -Assigning rooms closer to the elevator If a woman traveler is not assigned a room on the special executive floor , hotels most often on request, upgrade her accommodation to that floor without an increase in room rate. The floor is staffed almost 24 hours a day with a concierge IMPORTANCE OF A SECURITY SYSTEM The guest, who comes to a particular hotel, comes with an understanding that he and his belongings both will be safe and secure during his stay at the hotel. At the same time it is also quite important that the hotel staff and assets are protected and secure.Hence it is very important to have a proper security system in place to protect staff, guests and physical resources and assets such as equipment, appliances buildings, gardens of the hotel and also the belongings of the guest. The management must take care that the security and safety systems cover the following areas: ? Guest: Protection from crimes such as murder, abduction and health hazards from outsiders, hotel staff, pests, food poisoning etc. ? Staff: Providing staff lockers, insurances, health schemes, provident funds etc.Protective clothing, shoes, fire fighting drills, supply of clean drinking water use of aqua guards, sanitized wash rooms etc. ? Guest luggage: Secure luggage store rooms and proper equipment such as luggage trolley and bell hop trolley should be provided. ? Hotel Equipments: Lifts, Boilers, Kitchen equipment, furniture fitting and building etc. must be protected and for these the security and safety should cover up fire safety equipment, bomb threat security system, water floods security system, earthquake security system , safe vault security system etc. Protection of raw materials, goods, provisions and groceries etc. for this the security system should cover pr oper storage and pest control systems, apart from the application of total material management system. TYPES OF SECURITY: 1) Physical aspect 2) Security of persons 3) Security of systems 1) Physical aspect is divided into two parts a) Internal b)external a) Internal security Against theft Fire safety Proper lighting Safeguarding assets Track unwanted guests b) External Security Proper lighting outside the buildingProper fencing of the building Fecing of pool area to avoid accidents in the night Manning of service gates to restrict entry Fixing of closed circuit TV cameras 2) Security aspects of persons a) Staff Effective recruitment and selection Identification of staff Key control Red tag system Training Locker inspection b) Guests: Check scanty baggage guests Guests suspected of taking away hotel property should be charged according to hotel policy Guest room security: Provide wide angle door viewer, dead bolt locks, night torch, chains on doors tc Employees should be trained to n ot give any information abount in house guests to outsiders While issuing a card key ask for key card if in doubt of the guest. House keeping staff should never leave keys expose on unattended carts in corridors 3) Security aspects of systems: Record of all losses and missing items immediately Inventory control should be proper Auditing should be done on a regular basis Proper system for cash disbursements should be made The term system implies the operations of the hotel eg: all the equipment used for operation, procedures laid down for operations and policies to be followed.Systems procedures and policies if followed properly shall safeguard the assets and increase life span of equipment as well as avoid any breakdown maintenance This would mean the following: Fix duties and responsibilities: Fix duties of staff members so that they don’t interfere with others’ work. Make surprise checks Staff who have access to liquid assets should be made to sign a bond so that in case of theft the concerned person can easily be caught Hiring of some independent security company to check the security system of the hotel Safety issues —————–When we take the same hotel as example, it is management's duty to ensure â€Å"safety† in several areas, such as: †¢ The structure itself †¢ Installations and fixtures (check electrical, plumbing, air-conditioning and other installations) †¢ Public and work areas (e. g. slippery floors,   hazardous obstacles in traffic areas), safety of furniture, equipment, appliances, and utensils. This is followed by: †¢ Health safety (nontoxic cleaning material and detergents used) †¢ Good quality air (what we breathe, dependent upon the type of equipment, installations and fixtures used, and regular repairs and maintenance) Food safety (a whole world in itself including sanitation, food quality, food spoilage, correct handling procedures, allowable and recomme nded temperatures, etc. ), and checking and control procedures. An important â€Å"preventive measure† is eliminating the possibility of communicating contagious diseases. Even if local regulations do not require it, it is recommended to send food and beverage handlers for a regular medical checkup. Another preventive measure is the formulation and implementation of policies and procedures related to employee accidents which may present a threat to food sanitation.Culinary staff who cut themselves accidentally at work, as often happens while slicing food products, have to immediately stop handling food, and report to their Executive Chef and to the person in charge of First Aid in their company (Security or Human Resources Department) for preliminary treatment and handling. Healing and precautionary measures are taken before they are allowed back at their job. There are also some basic â€Å"dress† requirements for staff involved in food and beverage preparations:    e. g.Chefs' hats (to prevent hair and whatever hair contains to fall into the food), discreet earrings (non-dangling) or no earrings for women, and long hair neatly and securely tied in a bun at the back of the head. Of no lesser importance is the safety of work tools and work procedures covering all areas, such as stable ladders, secure shelving, safety shoes, well-fitting work garments, clearly written and complete safety procedures and guidelines from management, safety training, and safety installations and equipment, e. g. ire fighting units, regular maintenance schedules for safety equipment and installations, wider traffic areas (to prevent accidents), adequate staffing, and last but not least, continuous effective training in work procedures. All of this necessitates comprehensive planning, the creation of clear policies and work procedures, organization, implementation, training of supervisors and employees, supervision and control. FIRE: Fires in the hotel may result in th e injury and loss of life of both the guests and the staff. Main causes of fire are: i) Smoking: -Smoke only where allowed. -Put out cigarettes in the right place. Sufficient ash trays should be provided in eating places and in rooms, but away from curtains and draperies. -Educate the guests about fire possibilities due to smoking. ii) Defective wiring, faulty appliances and motor and worn out insulation Such hazards should be immediately reported to the concerned person and such equipment should be immediately repaired iii) Laundry Areas: Care should be taken to see that none of the electrical equipment is left on after use iv)Gas leaks: Precautions should be taken against this especially in kitchen areas. v) Combustible waste Combustible material should never b e left near the boiler room i) Kitchen All equipment such as chimneys, exhausts, ventilators, grills, hoods etc. which collect a lot of fume vapor and catch fire easily should be cleaned regularly. vii) Elevator shafts: The se require constant check and inspection. Cigarette butts can ignite the debris and oils that gather at the bottom of elevator shafts. Types of Fire and fire extinguishers: Hotel personnel are trained about the fire protection procedure and the types of fire. They must be able to recognize the various types of fire, all fire require air. Air contains O2 which is necessary for combustion.Fire has been classified in 5 categories depending on how they can be extinguished- Class A Fire- It is the fire of wood, paper, linen and similar dry materials. They are extinguished by cooling and quenching effect of water. The water reduces the temperature of burning substances below their combustion temperature. These are the most frequent and easiest to extinguish when there is an ample water supply and when water can be directed on the combustible material . Keeping the other combustible material wet will limit the spreading of fire Class B Fire-These include fires of oil, gasoline, grease and other petroleum product.These fires are extinguished by blanketing the source of burning substances and eliminating the supply of O2. Petroleum products is lighter than water and will float on water and continue to burn and spread by means of flowing water to other section of the building, hence water is never used for this category. Class C Fire-These are the fires of pressurized gases. For e. g. L. P. G. , most of the gases are lighter than air but L. P. G. is heavier than air. Water is not to be used for this class of fire. Class D Fire-These are fire of metals having low burning temperature for e. g. Na, Mg etc.This class of fire does not exist in the hotel. Class E Fire-These are electrical fire. The fire extinguishing agent must not conduct electrical energy which could spread the fire. Electrical fires are usually blanketed and cooled down. Water is a good cooling agent but it also conducts electricity, so it is not used to control or extinguish this class of fire. Electrical fire is usually caused by a part of circuit overheating or by short circuit. Controlling the sizes of electrical fuses and circuit breaker will often minimize this class of fire. There are 2 systems of fire protection . Portable fire extinguisher. 2. Stationary fire fighting system. Portable fire extinguisher a. Soda acid fire extinguisher- It is used for class A fire. The extinguishing agent is H2O. The fire extinguisher is a cylinder type of pan in which a rubber or flexible hose is attached to the top. When it is desired to use the extinguisher, it is carried to the fire and inverted. A small bottle of acid usually H2SO4 is spilled when the cylinder is inverted or turn upside down. Powdered sodas, bicarbonate of soda (Baking Soda) is mixed with H2O when the tank is charge or fills with water.The chemical reaction of acid and soda water creates a pressure which forces the water out of the cylinder or tank. The hose is used to direct the flow of water to the fire. It has 2 disadva ntages:- -It must be kept away from freezing -Acid causes corrogen problem which reduce the life of the tank or cylinder. The corrogen problem has been minimized by replacing the acid with CO2 cartridge. Upon the cylinder inversion the cartridge opens and releases CO2 gas under high pressure. The high pressure gas than forces the water out of cylinder. b. CaCl2 fire extinguisher-It is also used on class A fire. CaCl2 is a salt which when added to water form brine which has very low freezing temperature. CO2 cartridge is used as pressure agent to force H2O and CaCl2 out of the cylinder to the fire. These extinguishers are used where freezing is a potential hazard c. Foam type extinguisher-It is used on class B type of fire. The extinguisher is charged with special chemical (Al2SiO4), the chemical spread on the burning material and the solution, blanket the fire by excluding O2. d. CO2 fire extinguisher- It is used on C, D and E class of fire. The CO2 types spray a chemical fog toward s the fire.The fog quickly excludes the O2 from the burning material and blanket the combustible material. e. D. C. P. extinguisher- It can be used on C, D and E class of fire. The most common extinguishing agent is sodium bicarbonate or plain baking soda. The extinguisher is charged with the dry chemical and a small tank of CO2 gas. The CO2 gas exerts pressure on dry chemical and forces it out of a nozzle directly to the fire. The powder strict the fire and the heat from the fire breaks down the chemical which releases CO2 gas on a large scale which helps in extinguishing the fire.Stationary fire fighting system a. Automatic sprinklers-It is generally mounted just below the ceiling height with a temperature detector or smoke detector, attached with each sprinkler. The temperature from the fire melts the fusible link on the detector, which opens a water valve. The water is then sprayed on the ceiling and falls on the floor, extinguishing the fire. If the fire area should spread, mor e sprinklers are automatically opened, thus confining the fire to a small area. The temperature detector can be purchased for different activating temperature.The high temperature detectors are often used in kitchens. b. Fire Hose System-It is a semi portable system. In this system the fire hose box is permanently located but the flexible hose can be moved to various distances throughout the building. The hose used to fight fire within a building should be of linen type. The linen allows some water seepage through it which will prevent its burning when in use. HANDLING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS Apart from fire and bomb threat etc. the front office staff at some point of time have to handle a lot of unusual situations also.Some such situations may be death and illness of guests, theft in hotels etc and many others. 1) Death of a guest in the hotel : ? Once the information comes to the front desk it should directly be reported to the front office manager. ? The front office manager will th en report it to the GM or resident manager ? The security manager should also be informed immediately ? The police is informed and the hotel doctor is summoned who will check and confirm the death ? Meanwhile the hotel will locate the residential address of the deceased and will inform the relatives. Once the police complete all formalities and activities and gives the permission, the dead body is fully covered and then removed from the room on a stretcher. For this purpose the service elevator and not the guest elevator is used ? A death certificate is obtained from the doctor ? A report should be prepared as to who informed of the death, time, room number and date of death. In case there is any luggage of the deceased in the room a list should be prepared and the luggage should be kept in the luggage room and the person performing this activity should sign this report ? The guest room is locked and sealed. After obtaining clearance from the police the room is opened and thoroughly disinfected and spring cleaned and only after permission of the police and subsequent permission of the GM or resident manager the room should be sold. Some important facts to be kept in mind are: ? Donot enter the room alone always take the lobby manager and security officer with you ? In case you are aware that the deceased was under the treatment of a specific doctor, the same should be called instead of the hotel doctor. His physician will also be helpful in knowing and notifying the incident to the relatives and people known to him ?Donot disturb the body or touch anything before the arrival of the police as this may be a murder or suicide case. 2) Handling accident cases: †¢ A knowledge of first aid would come very handy in such situations. In general the following points should be taken care of : †¢ Remove the person who has met with accident from the site of accident {as early as possible and take him to a more comfortable area, use a stretcher in case the need be } †¢ Call the doctor and if possible give him the details of accident and gravity of the accident. Take someone along with you to the site of the accident as you may need help †¢ Keep alert you must serve the victim immediately by providing first aid †¢ Try to protect your establishment from any false allegations Prepare a full report of the whole accident giving details of the date and time who reported the incident, room no. , site of the accident etc. Also make your comments as to the reason of the accident and how could it have been prevented and what action is to be taken to avoid the same in the future.The accident book: – An accident book is usually maintained in all organizations and the receptionist should record all details of accidents which have occurred to employees whilst carrying out their daily activities. – The book must be kept in a place easily accessible by any injured person or a person bona fide – Particulars of an accident m ay be entered here in either by the injured person himself or by a person acting on his behalf – The accident ook when filled up should be preserved for a period of three years after the date of the last entry – Every employer is required to take steps to investigate the circumstances of the accident recorded and if there happens to be any discrepancy between the circumstances found by him and the entry made, he is required to record the circumstances so found. 3) Situation of Theft: Theft is divided into four categories: I. Theft by employees of the hotel can be avoided by: – Work business and personal references should be checked before the employee is hired. A detailed record of all employees who enter the guest room such as chamber maids bellboys room boys maintenance etc – All hotel keys should be returned to the department concerned and no employee should be allowed to take keys out of the hotel’s premises. II. Damage of hotel property by the guest can be avoided by: – The hotel staff should identify the main cause for the damage. – If the damage is appears to be done intentionally the hotel can ask the guest to pay compensation for the same. For this it is necessary that the front desk is well versed with the cost of the damaged item.III. Theft of hotel property by the guest: Can be avoided by taking the following steps: – Installing automatic locks on the guest room doors – Appointing a security officer who would walk and take rounds at regular intervals – Inform guests to use the safe vault of the hotel and not to keep valuables in the guest room – Keep a watch on walk in as their likelihood of being a thief is more as compared to a guest who has undergone a process of making a reservation in the hotel – Avoid giving room numbers of resident guests to visitors or over the telephone callers. In case the guest loses his key and asks housekeeping to open the room door for them, HK should direct them to front desk – Master key should be kept under strict supervision and control Theft by outside visitors can be avoided by: – being aware of suspicious persons – regular and irregular schedule of vigil and rounds – Stagger lunch and rest periods of employees so as to keep one person on duty on each floor at all times – Instruct eh telephone operator not to connect calls to the guest room incase the request is made by the caller by room number.The receptionist should insist on knowing the name of the guest who the caller wishes to speak to. – Guest should be informed to keep the balcony door closed to avoid anyone entering the rooms from the balcony – Closed circuit televisions should be used 4) Situation of illness and epidemics: – The receptionist may be called for assistance during sickness of a guest. – Patient should be advised to consult the house physician but in case the guest has his own physician the same should be called. Housekeeping needs to be notified about the sickness and instructions if any – If the case of serious sickness, the guest should be moved to a nursing home – During epidemics all precautionary measures especially in food and beverage service area should be followed 5) Handling a drunk guest : – The guest should be removed from the lobby as early as possible but being careful not to irritate/offend him. – Preferably taken to the back office or to his room. – If he behaves unruly, the hotel security must be called.Safe deposit facility in the hotel for security of guests’ valuables: – It is the responsibility of management to develop and maintain proper safe deposit procedures for its property. – If this facility is available for guests, notices regarding it should be put up in various conspicuous/noticeable places in the hotel and also should be mentioned to the guest. – Safe depos it boxes should be located in an area, in vicinity of the front desk and which has limited access.Unauthorized guests or personnel should not be permitted inside the area. – Front office staff should be well-versed with the procedures regarding safe deposit boxes. – Strict control should apply to the storage and issue of safe deposit keys. – At any point of time there should be only one key issued for each safe even if more than one person is using the safe. – Two keys are required to open a safe deposit box: one being the guest’s key and the other being the control key/guard key put in by the cashier/safe deposit attendant. After the verification f the identity of the guest, the safe deposit attendant/cashier should accompany the guest to the safe deposit area where in clear sight should make use of the control key and the guest’s key to open the safe. Sometimes the hotel may not be able to meet the demand for individual safe box; in that c ase a large box containing the belongings of more than one guest is used. Each guest’s belongings are put in an envelope which is sealed. The key to this box is stored in a secure place and a log is maintained which records an entry each time the key is used to open the box

Core competencies of Indigo Airlines Essay

1. Only debt free company in the aviation sector – It has enough cash in his kitty to sustain itself for another two years. With the amount of cash that indigo possesses it will surely be one of the big players in the low-cost space globally with its expected fleet size of about 100 planes by the year 2016. Indigo’s fleet makes up approximately 6.5% of India’s combined fleet size and comparing this figure with the market share of 27.40%. 2. Word of Mouth & Repeat Customers – Indigo has hardly advertised and indulged in brand building activities. It spends less than 1% of revenue on marketing. It is only lately that it started to realize the value of advertising and launched a couple of ads. The secret behind the immense success of the airline is the word of mouth advertising & repeat purchases by the customers. Indigo outperformed its rivals by establishing a difference; it created greater value to its customers at lower price. Hence, Delivering greater value allowed them to charge higher and Greater efficiency resulted in lower average costs. 3. Price Sensitive & Time Sensitive – The company achieves cost advantage through various processes such as avoiding the in flight services, No free meals, Highest no. of seats in the aircraft, Lower employees per aircraft, Lightest passenger seats in India which weigh only 12.8 kgs and using paint which overall weights 50 Kgs less. Indigo has broken up the job into small parcels with time targets and each of these is monitored. They have even turned around an aircraft in 14 minutes. 4. Operational Efficiency & Innovation- Indigo has set up a centralized operations control centre which monitors the weather, anticipate delays and even provides advance information to the ground staff. Average age of the fleet is about 1 year, the occurrence of technical faults are low and hence less maintenance issues. Because of this Indigo has managed to achieve high On-Time performance. Indigo keeps implementing new and innovative ideas to increase the quality of customer service. Recent example is: Indigo has roving â€Å"check-in counters† where passengers with only cabin baggage can check-in with an Indigo official with a handheld device, rather than lining up at the check-in counter. Calculating Success of Indigo Airlines (Load Factor) â€Å"Indigo has reported a Load Factor of 75.7% when the Industry’s average was 65.6%† * Load factor represents the proportion of airline output that is actually consumed. To calculate load factor, divide RPMs by ASMs * RPM(Revenue Passenger Miles) – It is calculated by dividing passenger revenue by available seat miles * ASM (Available Seat Miles) -One aircraft seat flown one mile, whether occupied or not. For example-An aircraft with 200 passenger seats, flown a distance of 200 miles, generates 40,000 available seat miles.

The Industrial Revolution Essay by BestEssay.Education

The Industrial Revolution Essay Any student in a modern western civilization or history course will of course reach those units related to the Industrial Revolution – the early Industrial Revolution (1750-1850) in England and the ensuing second Industrial Revolution that spread to the rest of Western Europe and America. This was a fascinating time in man’s journey, for it brought changes in lifestyles that no one could have imagined, along with social, economic, and political upheaval. It is no wonder, then, that instructors and professors love to assign essay and research papers on a huge variety of topics related to both Industrial Revolutions. If you have options for topics, you will have no problem finding one that interests you, because they are so varied. And almost any type of essay can be written as well – descriptive, definition, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, and persuasive/argumentative. Here are some topic ideas for essays of each type. Descriptive Describe the working conditions in specific industries – meat packing, coal mining, steel or automotive factories. Describe the impact of the invention of the steam engine on industries other than transportation Describe the exodus from rural to urban areas and the living conditions in urban areas surrounding factories Definition What is an industrial revolution? Can we say that mankind, throughout all of history, has had mini industrial revolutions beginning with the invention of the wheel? Provide an extensive definition of the term division of labor both during the Industrial Revolution and today How did Henry Ford define the factory system that he created? Comparison/Contrast Contrast the manufacturing systems that used steam engine power with those that later came to use coal and hydroelectric power? Compare and contrast the lifestyles of so-called â€Å"native† Americans with those of newer immigrants who came from Eastern and Southern Europe. Contrast the public educational systems between the years 1875-1945 and today. Cause/Effect What were the effects of the Industrial Revolution on the family unit? What changes in governmental economic policies occurred as a result of the industrial revolution? What conditions and pressures resulted in child labor, work hours, and working conditions laws that restricted powerful industrial leaders? Persuasive/Argumentative Write a persuasive essay that supports or rejects the notion of laissez-faire capitalism. Minimum wage laws in the U.S. began in 1938. Make a case that they are or are not necessary today. Government regulations of industry and commerce began as early as the 1920’s. Are we-over-regulated today? What single invention during the Industrial Revolution (first or second) do you believe has, over time, had the greatest impact on man? Writing the Industrial Revolution Essay These essays, like those for any other courses, will require the same basic structure – introduction, body and conclusion. As well, be certain that you have included the following: A strong thesis statement in your introduction. Why is this topic important? The answer to that question will give you your thesis. You must have supportive detail for each point that you make in your body paragraphs. This means that you will need facts and figures from research – don’t’ scrimp! Begin your essay with a startling statistic or a short anecdote from your research. Be creative. Your essay can utilize interesting formats. For example, an essay that describes life on the factory floor might be written in the form of a letter that a new immigrant is writing to his family back in Europe. Writing the Industrial Revolution Research Paper Any of the topics above could be expanded to produce an excellent research paper. And, because of the time period involved, there are innumerable primary resource materials available. Use those, rather than secondary source materials. They are easy to find, and your instructor or professor will be greatly impressed! For these and any other essays or papers for which you need help, be sure to contact the helpful folks at .

Smoke Alarm Smart Smoke Detector

Smoke Alarm Smart Smoke Detector Introduction and Background It is usually very traumatising for homeowners in the event of house fires. Loss of property and life are the most likely outcomes associated with house fires. This situation is worsened if the homeowner is not insured or his insurance policy is limited to specific fire damages and causes.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Smoke Alarm Smart Smoke Detector specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In Australia, due to the high prevalence of bushfires, high quality smoke detectors have become an essential part and a compulsory fitting of every household in the country. This is necessary measure adopted to ensure safety of the occupants, and to minimize damages in case of house fires. A typical smoke detector is designed to intersect smoke particles. When smoke particles interfere with the path of light to the sensor, the sensor circuit sequential sets up an alarm irrespective of what caused the smoke. Thus, smoke emanating from cooking or incense stick could set off the alarm. This makes it quite difficult to distinguish between false or actual alarms. As a result, this can contribute to alarm assumptions, which may lead to great damages in cases of fire. What if there was a product that could overcome these issues and simply did the job it was intended to do, making it useful and less annoying? Our Smart Smoke Detector has been designed and built to satisfy the needs and requirements of a typical residential household. According to the National Fire Protection Agency, a well-chosen and working smoke detector will increase the chances of surviving a fire. This is because in case of a fire out break alarm goes on its occupants may have at most 2 minutes to evacuate. Smart Smoke detectors will allow customers to evade the smoke detector and to reduce the annoyance of the alarm. The alarm will still sound only this time by the use of a heat detector, sensitizing the homeowner of a potential fire problem. Approximately after 1 hour, a squeak will sound alerting the user that the smoke detector is being re-activated. Moreover, we will also have a peep to alert the user that the backup battery level is low. This report examines extensively and pinpoints the expected process that Global Engineering will follow to achieve a working prototype of the smart smoke detector. Project Plan The goal of this project is to assemble a Smart Smoke Detector with a smoke detour system. This will be a more inventive and improved adaptation of the conventional smoke detectors obtainable in the market. The main objectives are for this project are to be completed in time successfully and the final product to be marketable globally.Advertising Looking for report on other technology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In order for success to be realized, the team must take into account every aspect extensively to reduce possible failure risks. Consequently, it is crucial for the team to come up with a comprehensive project plan that will take into considerations all the project risks as well as the project completion timeline. This prior planning will ensure that the product is built in an efficient and effective manner enhancing its marketability. Global Engineering outlined the tasks necessary to build the final product while formulating the project plan. This project plan outlined the expected duration of the tasks n which Global Engineering could achieve optimum results. We used Gantt charts in our planning to facilitate the visual display and relationships of these tasks and their timings. Through Gantt chart predetermined project tasks timeline we could schedule resources and staff workloads as efficiently as possible. There are diverse requirements for every task; some tasks need others to be completed before they could be started, while others require employment of a specific knowledge and skill to achieve the complete it, etc. The team defined the project tasks based on various factors and concerns of technical and financial matters. It is most crucial in planning the project to make sure that the end product is priced appropriately, marketable and acceptable by the community. These concerns are enumerated below: Conducting market survey to ascertain whether or not the there is a demand for the product in the community. It is worthy to obtain feedback from current smoke detector users and firms selling smoke detectors. This survey will assist in setting a standard product cost and ascertaining how much people are capable and willing to pay for this product once they are mounted in their homes. In estimating market price for the new Smart Smoke Detector, Global Engineering will have to form a cost budget for construction of the product. Consequently, comprehensive product architecture required to be studied; the study will involve the varying of individual components on both cost and performance basis. Constructing, trying and validating the prototype to ensure that all of the product specifications are met and obtainable. This is conducted so as any fallacies and inadequacies in the prototype can be fixed before the production stage, and to confirm that the Smart Smoke Detector adheres to current safety standards. Developing a marketing and sales strategy which will deal with product promotion, advertising and preparation such as producing banners, brochures and setting up a booth for Trade Fairs. Global Engineering convenes every week to keep members informed on the progress of the project. This meeting also gives the chance to all team members to communicate project concerns and search for support and guidance from other colleagues. In addition, it will assist in identifying any unforeseen risks, hence allowing the team to make decisions and implement action plans to mitigate delays which may arise. These meetings will also operate as a sup port system for the team to attain its goal and ensure a quality product is created. Budget Budgets are very important while undertaking any project and usually determine its success. Budgets usually involve higher estimates than actual costs in order to cushion against any uncertainties or miscellaneous costs such as labour and materials fluctuations. These unforeseen problems can be caused by inadequate research during the initial concept development and architectural design and research stage of the project. In addition, there may be disagreements among members and may result project delays and additional expenses i.e. salaries and rentals on usage of labs which result to variances in the budget.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Smoke Alarm Smart Smoke Detector specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are a number of methods to combat such uncertainties which is inclusive of costs cutting wherever possible during t he early stages of a project. Secondly, carrying out extensive research to avoid testing failures, i.e. a certain component might not work, or the circuit as a whole might not work the way it was expected. This will enhance thorough product knowledge prior to the commencement and agreement among members. Consequently, these measures will ensure timely completion of the project within the budget.

Become a Marketable Medical Transcriptionist

Become a Marketable Medical Transcriptionist Whether you’re just starting along the path to a career in medical transcription or are looking to sharpen your skills, you need to be in top of your game at all times. Here are a few ways you can thrive in this important position. You will likely have to learn how to generate your own clients.  Always be in the lookout for opportunities to network. Keep your name active in industry forums and maintain consistent relationships with industry professionals: teachers from your certification program, former classmates and colleagues, and anyone you’ve worked for in the past. You want to remain fresh in the minds of people who might be looking to hire someone.Organization is key, especially because many positions will require that you work from home and maintain your own schedule. First, set up a professional space for yourself–make sure it’s clean, quiet, and equipped with the latest gear. You will definitely need a sturdy set of headphones and a quality sou nd card for your computer. Then, set up (and stick to!) an administration plan that works for you–paper or electronic files are fine, so long as you keep meticulous track of your assignments, due dates, and invoices.Finally, grow and hone your skills regularly. Practice is key to success, especially on real-life medical dictations. In this profession, time is money and efficiency is vital.Aim to stay at the top of your game in all professional and personal avenues and you’ll be primed to become a sought-after and marketable medical transcriptionist!5 Ways to Maximize Your Effectiveness as a Medical TranscriptionistRead More at www.careerstep.com

IPad in India Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

IPad in India - Research Paper Example s most advanced economies in terms of communication as the country can boost of the presence of some of the world’s largest communication companies. The product use pattern in India is highly consolidated with global usage pattern. What this means is that the people of India adjust themselves to product patterns as it applies to other parts of the world where most products are manufactured. Because of the influence that globalization has on product use pattern in India, consumers in most urban parts of India prefer sophisticated product features just as exists in manufacturing origins like America and Europe. Retailing is a major source of employment for most people in India (Bultez et al., 2009). Because of this, there is several retail shops scattered all around the country. Most of these outlets are however filled with basic electronic and technology products such as computer parts and mobile devices. Quite recently, the use of social media has come to dominant the medium of advertisement in India. There is also the use of sources like televisions, which has the highest patronage and reaches (Card, 2009). Billboards, radio advertisement, posters and newspaper advertisements are all popular. This section of the paper has been dedicated to looking at India as a potential and viable market destination for iPad products. It has been established that globalization is fast catching up with the people in India and so they seem highly advanced with the use of technology tools including mobile devices like the iPad. Patrons in India would want to purchase the newest and latest releases on the international market, as and when they are launched. India believes in organized market and so deals less with middlemen. The use of multiple forms of media has been identified to be the most effective way to reach out to a larger population of potential customers (Stern, and El-Ansari, 2002). This means that the electronic and press media will all be used. Due to the

Renaissance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Renaissance - Essay Example Interestingly, it was the journey into their souls, if we may call it, which made them believe and adore the concept of the dignity of man. The dignity of man attained its greatest prominence and was given its characteristic meaning in the Italian Renaissance. Though as an idea it is usually ill defined and tends to express a complex of notions, classical and Christian, which writers of the period desired to assert, this interest into the importance of manhood brought about important paradigmatic shifts in the European society. It is important to realise that this idea of the Renaissance was first coined in 1867 by Jakob Burckhardt in his book, The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy. The term has come to dominate our consciousness of what the historical experience of this period was. The Renaissance, as far as this book is concerned, is conceived as a departure from the Middle Ages, a fracture point where European culture suddenly changed into a new and different culture. It was a term that was formulated to stress the uniqueness of modern European culture, as something new on the face of human culture. Interestingly, in formulating a beginning for modern culture, the idea of the Renaissance also created the idea of the "middle ages," a period between the classical period and the Renaissance. Thinking of a period that is perhaps bes... in his Novum Organum, or 'New Instrument', tried to replace the methods put forward in Aristotle's Organon, on the other hand, we find that ideas such as Metacognition began to gain ground. If travellers and discovers like Magellan were finding new lands, there were people like John Milton who were still trying to trace the result of "Man's first Disobedience" so as to chart the Euro-centric God's "justification of the ways of men". If we look back and try to analyse what actually happened during the renaissance, we can perhaps find the reasons why Europe soon began to have colonies and how imperialism became rampant. It is to be kept in mind that where as the Europeans in the fifteenth century, thought they understood the universe pretty well, the discoveries of Columbus and other explorers had left them deeply shocked. Here was a civilisation which was based on the concepts of rationality, goodness, whiteness, and logic who were suddenly confronted by people who were not white, who were "uncivilised" and went about the places doing mysterious deeds and prayed to evil looking gods and goddesses. Put shortly, the New World that they discovered did not fit easily into the European scheme of things. So, what would they do They took it upon themselves to "civilise and educate" these beasts, something which is mocked today in postcolonial studies as the "White Man's Burden". It was this racial sense of the renaissa nce supremacy, added with their vigour for educating the uncivilised which found a race armed with Descartian rationalism to colonise the entire world. If there was anything that made renaissance what it is, it is the idea called Humanism. The attitude of Humanism emphasised the dignity and worth of the individual and held the basic premise of human

Racial Discrimination in Criminal Justice System Essay

Racial Discrimination in Criminal Justice System - Essay Example The targeting of these groups by the police on the notion that they commit more crimes acts to deepen the alienation and hostility between the police and these communities. These complain of such groups not taken seriously not withstanding that they are a target of regular police hostility and violence. These kinds of racist behavior done trough the complete awareness and consideration by legislators on the history of racism, and the societal challenges brought about by racist treatment of people. The criminal justice system comprises of the courts, police and the correctional facilities. Discrimination usually occurs to individuals who belong to a group either marginalized or belonging to a group that with history of social stigmatization. These individuals have a higher likely hood of torture or undergoing human degrading treatment. The racial origins of a suspect form the basis of making decisions police arrests and police shootings. The race-based discrimination is the greatest c rime in the criminal justice system where the targeted individuals face more aggressive and punishments as compared to the total population. Looking at the United State of America, for example, the African Americans are a target of racial discrimination and face a much harsher punishment and treatment than the whites. Racial discrimination The aspect of racial profiling by the police brings out the vice of racial discrimination by the police. ... In trying to eradicate this practice, the police have tried to keep away from the habits the police force has recruited individuals from these communities into force in order to try and increase the confidence of these communities in the police force. The view among the public citizens is that the functioning of race as a basis of deciding on whom to stop and search is wrong. This position, however, challenged by a section especially in connection to terrorist attacks, and the use of race to form the basis of stop and search seems necessary. The effect of racial profiling is that the police do not get assistance by these communities’ especially in investigations and during community policing done by the police on these neighborhoods. Changes aimed at reducing racial disparity Although considerable efforts made to reduce instances of racial discrimination and increase trust in policing strategies among the communities the practice yet still exists. Scarman's recommendations The Scarman’s report of the Brixton disorders in 1981 extensively seen as of immense significance in development of practices of policing. The inquiry of the Scarman regarded additional necessity by the flare of rioting across the country in the same year. The fundamentally concern was about the failure by the police to deal with riots resulting from repressive policing methods, the failure of approval and the lack of capability in conflict resolution and public disorder. It is essential to note that much of the police reforms conducted during the 1980 s. In consideration to changes in discriminatory practices and policing, Scarman in concluding his report states that the allegations by a number of individuals who offered

The Retrospect of European Upheaval Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Retrospect of European Upheaval - Essay Example Trade developed around a ‘triangle’; from Britain to West Africa taking goods such as Glassware , cloth and ammunition, from West Africa to the Americas carrying enslaved people, and finally from the Americas back to Britain with raw materials such as sugar, tobacco and cotton. This all resulted due to developments in maritime technology as it enabled European sailors to have longer voyage. Enslaved Africans were sold to work on plantations or in the households of the slave owners upon their arrival in America. They grew cash crops – tobacco, sugar, coffee, cocoa – for the European markets. Entrepreneurs on the islands of the Caribbean and in the US depended on slave labour to grow these crops profitably as the labour was cheap. 1500 Africans during the between Spain and Britain war escaped to mountains, evaded capture for 150 years and undertook guerilla warfare against the plantation owners. The French Revolution in 1789 created a new French republic and perturbed Haiti (which was created as a result of Successful rebellion) when the slaves revolted led by the formidable soldier Toussaint L’Ouverture, who himself was once a slave and self educated. He had an army of 100.000 revolts which took control of Spanish Santo Domingo(Now known as Haiti) and freed other slaves. Later on, he agreed to stop fighting if French would abolish the slavery. Mongol Empire, Ottoman Empire, 1453, Sunni Islam When Baghdad fell to Mongols by Slejuks, they declared an independent Sultanate in east and central Asia. Later on the Slejuks were overthrown by Uthman, an Uzbek of the Ottoman clan and proclaimed the Sultan of Asia Minor in 1301. Constantinople, heart of the Byzantine Empire became the capital of the Ottoman Empire when it was conquered in 1453 by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II. Mehmet slaughtered many of the population and forced the rest into exile. The city was repopulated by importing people scattered in Ottoman Territories. He renamed C onstantinople Istanbul – the 'city of Islam' - and embarked for recuperating physically and politically as he made it his capital. Scramble for Africa, Berlin Conference, King Leopold II, Congo Free State In 1884 a meeting was convened at the Berlin residence of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Foreign Ministers from fourteen European Nations and United States promulgated rules for further exploitation of African continent without making the inhabitant’s part of the process. Otto von Bismarck wanted not only to expand German spheres of influence in Africa but had a hidden agenda to play off Germany's colonial rivals against one another to the Germans' advantage. France, Germany, Great Britain, and Portugal were the major players in the conference, controlling most of colonial Africa at the time among the fourteen nations. The French were prevalent in West Africa, while the British had occupied in East and Southern Africa. The Belgians acquired the vast territory which lat er became The Congo. The Germans ruled in 4 colonies which were all across the region. The Portuguese held a small colony in West Africa and two large ones in Southern Africa. Kind Leopold II had coerced the Africans in Congo to gather rubber, illegal killing of elephants for their ivory and to facilitate export routes, infrastructure was build. Those who failed to meet these tasks were massacred. King Leopold regime is regarded as the most excruciating disasters of Africa as 10 million Congolese had been

Investigative journalism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Investigative journalism - Assignment Example quake struck the Port-au-Prince in 2010 January along the Hispaniola Dominican Republic-Haiti border, the initial response brought the two nations together. For instance, the two nations worked together by developing emergency aids tools equipped with health professionals supported by the United Nations to control the condition. Nevertheless, neither Dominican majority citizens nor its government has shown mercy to the Haitian Immigrants in their midst through political, social and human rights (Maximay, P. 73). For instance, Jenny Moron, a Santo Domingo based legal coordinator for the movement of the Dominican-Haiti women rights concur with abuses, discrimination and social prejudice faced by the Haitian immigrants from the Dominican Republic citizens. Conversely, within the Southern Border that provides a link between the Dominican Pedernales town, and the Anse-a-Pitre Haitian city emerge as the source of conflicts that exists between the two nations. Along this region, it has been found that, there are a lot of crimes cases committed by the Dominican border guards to the Haitians immigrants. For example, there are stabbing cases and shooting of the Haitian motorists who tries to cross the border for social amenities and human needs (Maximay, P. 59). However, when the January 2010 earthquake struck the Haitian-Dominican border, the Dominican Republic responded ineffectively to opening of the border for free cross of Humanitarians’, food and medical supplies. For this reason, there was a lot of congestion of the Haitian immigrants at the cross-border resulting in the outbreak of communicable diseases such as Cholera, increased cases of death and loss of property (Meruane & Rosenberg, P 156). At this pathetic condition, the Dominican Republic ordered the border closure with justification of trying to control the spread of the communicable diseases. From a different scenario, thousand Haitian inhabitants that are dependent on the Dominican Pedernales markets for

The Retrospect of European Upheaval Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Retrospect of European Upheaval - Essay Example Trade developed around a ‘triangle’; from Britain to West Africa taking goods such as Glassware , cloth and ammunition, from West Africa to the Americas carrying enslaved people, and finally from the Americas back to Britain with raw materials such as sugar, tobacco and cotton. This all resulted due to developments in maritime technology as it enabled European sailors to have longer voyage. Enslaved Africans were sold to work on plantations or in the households of the slave owners upon their arrival in America. They grew cash crops – tobacco, sugar, coffee, cocoa – for the European markets. Entrepreneurs on the islands of the Caribbean and in the US depended on slave labour to grow these crops profitably as the labour was cheap. 1500 Africans during the between Spain and Britain war escaped to mountains, evaded capture for 150 years and undertook guerilla warfare against the plantation owners. The French Revolution in 1789 created a new French republic and perturbed Haiti (which was created as a result of Successful rebellion) when the slaves revolted led by the formidable soldier Toussaint L’Ouverture, who himself was once a slave and self educated. He had an army of 100.000 revolts which took control of Spanish Santo Domingo(Now known as Haiti) and freed other slaves. Later on, he agreed to stop fighting if French would abolish the slavery. Mongol Empire, Ottoman Empire, 1453, Sunni Islam When Baghdad fell to Mongols by Slejuks, they declared an independent Sultanate in east and central Asia. Later on the Slejuks were overthrown by Uthman, an Uzbek of the Ottoman clan and proclaimed the Sultan of Asia Minor in 1301. Constantinople, heart of the Byzantine Empire became the capital of the Ottoman Empire when it was conquered in 1453 by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II. Mehmet slaughtered many of the population and forced the rest into exile. The city was repopulated by importing people scattered in Ottoman Territories. He renamed C onstantinople Istanbul – the 'city of Islam' - and embarked for recuperating physically and politically as he made it his capital. Scramble for Africa, Berlin Conference, King Leopold II, Congo Free State In 1884 a meeting was convened at the Berlin residence of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Foreign Ministers from fourteen European Nations and United States promulgated rules for further exploitation of African continent without making the inhabitant’s part of the process. Otto von Bismarck wanted not only to expand German spheres of influence in Africa but had a hidden agenda to play off Germany's colonial rivals against one another to the Germans' advantage. France, Germany, Great Britain, and Portugal were the major players in the conference, controlling most of colonial Africa at the time among the fourteen nations. The French were prevalent in West Africa, while the British had occupied in East and Southern Africa. The Belgians acquired the vast territory which lat er became The Congo. The Germans ruled in 4 colonies which were all across the region. The Portuguese held a small colony in West Africa and two large ones in Southern Africa. Kind Leopold II had coerced the Africans in Congo to gather rubber, illegal killing of elephants for their ivory and to facilitate export routes, infrastructure was build. Those who failed to meet these tasks were massacred. King Leopold regime is regarded as the most excruciating disasters of Africa as 10 million Congolese had been

Arbitration Law paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Arbitration Law paper - Essay Example For example, section 1(c) stipulates â€Å"in matters governed by this part the court should not intervene except as provided by this part†. Nevertheless, the Act makes several provisions for court intervention at various stages of the proceeding. Arbitration agreement is an agreement to submit to arbitration present or future disputes.6 The Arbitration Act 1996 and the Scotland equivalent, Arbitration Act 2010, have several provisions with regards to requirements for a valid arbitration agreement; for example, it should be in writing.7 If the agreement does not satiate any of the requirements, a party can challenge its validity in court. The court has the power to rule on the validity of the arbitration agreement. It is crucial for courts to exercise powers with regards to the arbitration agreement, so as to maintain autonomy of the parties in making an agreement. The will of the parties to enter into the agreement should be genuine, and therefore if a party is coerced into t he agreement, the court should invalidate it. Section 10(2) of the Scotland Act goes ahead and invalidates any provision in the arbitral agreement that prevents the bringing of a legal action. Moreover, courts, pursuant to section 7 have the power to severe an arbitration agreement from the rest of the contract where the contract is held void for some reason. In Heyman v Darwins the House of Lords held that, â€Å"an arbitration agreement was not terminated by a breach of the underlying contract.†8 In Amir Weissfisch V. Anthony Julius, Rami Weissfisch, and Philip Davis9, the court upheld an arbitration agreement where the arbitrator would rule on whether he has jurisdiction over arbitration, even though the party argued that the agreement was void due to fraudulent acts committed by the arbitrator. With regards to the jurisdiction of the tribunal, section 31 enshrines the competence-competence principle, whereby the tribunal is empowered to rule on its own jurisdiction. Secti on 32(1) provides that the court may, on the application of a party to arbitral proceeding (upon notice to the other parties); determine any question as to the substantive jurisdiction of the tribunal. Courts have been entertaining many cases of this nature. In First Options v Kaplan10 the Supreme Court ruled that clear and unmistakable evidence should be submitted by the parties as agreed to submit to the arbitrator the question of the arbitrator’s jurisdiction. If not, the court will determine whether or not the arbitrator had a mandate to arbitrate.11 In Paine Webber Inc. v Mohammad S Elahi, the Court of Appeals held that, unless the parties specifically agreed otherwise it was incumbent for the court to determine both jurisdictional arbitrability and subject matter it was empowered to take up. Section 7 empowers the court to stay proceedings and refer parties to arbitration if an action subject to the agreement is commenced. An application to the effect is made by the oth er party subject to taking steps in those proceeding, to answer the substantive claim against him.12 The law requires the court to grant a stay of legal proceeding unless it is satisfied that the arbitration agree

John Donne Essay Example for Free

John Donne Essay A text is essentially a product of its context, as its prevailing values are inherently derived by the author from society. However, the emergence of post-modern theories allows for audience interpretation, thus it must be recognised that meaning in texts can be shaped and reshaped. Significantly, this may occur as connections between texts are explored. These notions are reflected in the compostion of Edson’s W;t and Donne’s poetry as their relationship is established through intertextual references, corresponding values and ideas and the use of language features. Edson particularly portrays key values surrounding the notions of the importance of loved based relationships, and death and resurrection: central themes of Donne’s Holy Sonnets and Divine Poems. The purpose of these authors distinctly correlate as each has attempted to provide fresh insight into the human condition by challenging prevalent ideals. Thus, Edson incorporates Donne’s work to illuminate both explicit and implicit themes, creating an undeniable condition. Prior to John Donnes Judeo Christian conversion he believed that life was only fulfilling if shared with another individual. He conveyed in his pre-conversion poems and stressed the power and importance of love to a persons well being and existence. Donne contrives the idea that love must not be a Dull Sublunary lovers love, rather a relationship where two souls are one, a love, he explores his conceit, so strong it can stretch like gold to aery thinness. His geometrical conceit explains that relationships Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere; This bed thy centre is, these walls, thy sphere. During the 17th century everything revolved around the sun, saying that lovers went against it was seen as going against the, thus showing how vital relationships are to human existence. The medium of a play allows us to a different view on how important love is one lifes, and what is to be lost with its absence Donnes values according to lifes meaning and relationships are reworked by Margaret Edson within W;t. Vivian Bearing is constructed to reflect the secular view point, preferring research to humanity, the motif Edson creates in Bearing as she misses the point Donne makes about relationships, seeking instead to be making a significant contribution to knowledge. Bearing does not mind the lack of relationship she has, correcting Susie she has none, to be precise, distinctively juxtaposing Donnes views on relationships and their importance. Bearing reflect the individualism of the estern culture when she is distinguishing the [herself] in illness facing the world alone. However Bearing reflects how after many years with being uncomfortable with kindness she wishes her doctor would take more interest in personal contact. The implicit connections Edison portrays between an orange two stick Popsicle shared between Bearing and Susie, and Donnes twin compass displays Bearings recognition of the importance relationships should play in life. Edison challenges secular humanists through her textual construction of dialogue and motifs to question the importance relationships play in order for a meaningful life to be attained. The existential question of what lies after death is one that writes have pondered for years. Donne explicitly demonstrates his battle with this concept and his beliefs about theology, death and afterlife after he is converted to his Judeo Christian faith. Death was not easy to ignore in the 17th century as executions and daily mortuary carts attributed to the fear and awareness of death. His compliant tone throughout his poetry clearly indicates that he feels that he feels some degree of confidence that God will accept his soul into heaven, evident when he apostrophises death to be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, that death should not be feared as it is a rest and sleep till the forgiven wake eternally. A possible passage through the American continent to the indies was earnestly being explored just as the poets body was probably being probed and prodded to seek enlightenment or a successful path. This analogy is made clear by the clever extended pun on straits as both a trade route and a personal dilemma. They are itemised so that the link is not missed for the Western Sea, to which all the straits led, also represents death and entry into the next life: So death doth touch the Resurrection Likewise to John Donne, Edison engages with the concept of death and what, if anything comes after it. While Bearing does not openly ponder what comes after death in the play, she is tangibly struggling with the fear of death. Her own feelings are mirrored by Donnes If poisnous minerals is shown through her analysis. In her analysis she says, Donne finds Gods forgiveness hard to believe, so he crawls under a rock to hide. Rather than trust Gods mercy I want to hide. I just want to curl up into a little ball. Donnes poem If Poisonous Minerals has a direction relationship to the The Runaway Bunny read by Bearing in her childhood. It provides for her an allegory for Gods mercy allowing her to find solace, No matter where it hides, God will find it. Where Donne presents this same allegory in a complex manner, the book is simple. Bearing is redeemed and able to die peacefully with this understanding of compassion. It is in the final scene that Edson reshapes Donnes ideas on eternity and resurrection of the play with bearings humanistic post-modern sight. Donne, in his Judeo Christian context, prepares himself for God to take his soul into heaven, whereas the humanistic post-modern understanding of the resurre ction that Bearing obtains brings an end to her suffering an pain when the lights out.

Marketing Analysis of the NHS

Marketing Analysis of the NHS NHS Resource Profile The essence of developing a marketing strategy for a company is to ensure that the companys capabilities are matched to the competitive market environment in which it operates, notjust for today, but into the foreseeable future. At the heart of strategy liesthe need to assess critically both the organisations resource profile (often referred to as its strengths and weaknesses) and the environment it faces (Hooley, Saunders and Piercy, (2004).) With reference to academicliterature and to the National Health Service as an organisation, criticallyevaluate the mechanisms available to management by which it can assess: The organisations resource profile and The marketing environment it faces. Background to the NHS The NHS was set up on 5thJuly 1948 to provide healthcare for all citizens, based on need, not theability to pay. (www.nhs.uk) Prior to this date access to treatment depended oneither the ability to pay, or the goodwill of doctors in hospitals funded bycharitable donations. The latter was a very strained resource and often it wasonly the working parent, usually the man, who was able to access suchtreatment, which he often paid for by way of deductions from salary to schemessuch as the Hospital Saving Association ( www.hsa.co.uk ). Today the healthservice is formed of many trusts, reporting into the department of health,consisting of community services Trusts, Ambulance Trusts to Hospital Trusts.Care is made available for all who need it. Current government statedpriorities, as quoted on www.nhs.uk are given in National Service Frameworks are Cancer Paediatric Intensive Care Mental Health Coronary Heart Disease Older People Diabetes Renal services Childrens services Long Term Conditions The launch of the health servicewas very high profile (www.bbc.co.uk) and still often shown within healthcaretelevision coverage today. Over the last fifty years, many changes have beenmade to the service (www.nhs.uk/history) to enhance itsofferings to the public, yet today the NHS is often in the news for negative reasons. Despite the obvious good work that the NHS does, it is the longwaiting lists, MRSA and occasional health problems that come to the forefrontin the eyes of the media. Again, marketing can play a big part in theperception of the service in the eyes of the public. Organisations resource profile At the heart of strategy lies theneed to assess critically both the organisations resource profile (oftenreferred to as its strengths and weaknesses) and the environment it faces(Hooley, Saunders and Piercy).) In the 1990s the inside-out approach tomarketing, the resource based view (RBV) became popular with strategists suchas Grant, for its new approach which looked inside the firm to assess itscore competencies and to determine which competencies should be used for competitiveadvantage. A neo-classical approach, the resource view was that the externalenvironment was constantly changing and that it would be difficult forcompanies to keep changing with it, rather they ought to stick with what theyknow best and concentrate on their core offerings. The value chain approachoffered by Michael Porter, reaffirmed by Johnson and Scholes, also emphasisedthe importance of understanding how the internal organisational factors addvalue to and impact on the external environmental influences affe cting thefirm. The value chain activities are split into primary activities (inboundand outbound logistics, operations, marketing, sales and customer service) andsecondary activities (infrastructure, human resource management, technologydevelopment and procurement). All of the above chain linkages will need tobe assessed for the NHS in trying to ascertain the organisations resourceprofile. Taking the Value Chain approachand applying it to the NHS The value chain will now be takenand applied to what is known about the NHS in the public domain. (newspapers,media and www.nhs.co.uk) Primary activities Inbound and outbound logisticsrelate to the receiving and distribution of goods and services. Within the NHSlogistics would consist of the following Patients, who would either be transported by their own methods or by ambulances in order to receive the treatment. Drugs, dressings and other pharmaceutical supplies Staff who may travel to and from hospitals, to and from other medical establishments and from either of the former to a patients home/ destination and so on Medical equipment, such as surgical instruments and monitors Non medical equipment such as beds, linen, catering requirements, cleaning equipment and stationary Warehousing of goods From the above, it is noticeablethat there are a range of logistical activities, notably many of these aremanaged by different departments and others outsourced, such as catering andcleaning. Obviously where outsourcing has taken place, NHS Managers have takenthe decision that such services do not come under its core competencies andplaced the management of such activities in external hands. Non the less,outsourced activities are still very much an integral part of a companys valuechain, but where control of activities is outsourced there is a chance of aweak link (Porter) and notably much of the bad publicity (regularly referencedon national and regional news) surrounding the hospitals is indeed as a resultof questionable cleanliness (such as MRSA) and poor quality nutrition. Poorpublicity has an impact on public perception of service quality and the waythat the NHS counteracts this by efficient use of marketing is of importance. Operations transforms these variousinputs into the final product or service (Johnson and Scholes) by pulling allthe operational activities together, be they controlled directly oroutsourced. It is therefore a key link in the chain to ensure servicedelivery. The marketing and sales activitiesare responsible for raising awareness of the services provided by the NHS andthe perception of the quality of service it supplies to the public. Doctorswaiting rooms are full of adverts for services to prolong life, enhance healthand therefore use the service less such as those that target smokers to stop,heart disease campaigns to encourage the public to eat 5 or more portions offruit and vegetables per day, well man and well woman clinics and so on. Manyof these adverts run into national advertising, such as the daily newspaper,whilst local initiatives are often mentioned on the regional news. In additionthe NHS has an informative website www.nhs.uk which gives advice offeringa section on your health (to include self help guidance) and information oncurrent national health campaigns such as help a heart week and everymanmale cancer campaign. Just how much the website is referenced is unknown andone must question whether indeed the public even know of its existence. But marketing is not all aboutadvertising campaigns, especially within the not for profit sector where thereis a reliance on key relationships and networks (Caeson, Cromie, McGowan,Hill). Whilst logistics partners have already been referenced, a goodrelationship between the NHS marketing departments and the outsourced companiesis very important to ensure consistency of message on joint issues, such as thecleaning contractors approach to cleanliness and the rise of MRSA. Within thenot for profit sector there is a reliance on corporate support, national andlocal government support and the goodwill of the public, some of whom areinvolved in management committees (positions are advertised within the localpress). With the NHS being split into multiple trusts, some with differingspecialisms inter trust relationships are key to the treatment of certainpatients, thus creating more linkages in the chain and more marketingrelationships required. All of the above impact on bothinternal and external customer service and perception of service. Secondary activities Secondary activities are sometimescalled support activities as they support the primary activities mentionedabove. Procurement is the processes foracquiring the various resource inputs to the primary activitiesoccurs in manyparts of the organisation. (Johnson and Scholes). Within a complexorganisation, such as a trust, there are many ways to procure goods andservices from both the physical approach to the electronic methods. Technology development ranges fromthe hospital Consultants know how, to computer systems used for medicalrecords, to pharmacy systems linked to drugs. All of these will be managed byhuman resources some directly employed by the trust, some contracted to thetrust and some working for contract companies contracted to the trust. Allstaff will report directly to their line manager, and ultimately they to thetrust manager, advised by a committee, and that manager to the Secretary ofState for Health. Non-the-less, each member of staff employed by or within atrust is an internal marketer (Gummesson) and who they interact with bothinside and outside of the trust gains an impression of the trust by associationwith them. This is all held together by thefirms infrastructure, the systems of planning, finance, quality control,information management (Johnson and Scholes). Marketing environment facing theNHS Successfulcompanies take an outside-inside view of their business. They recognise thatthe marketing environment is constantly spinning new opportunities and threatsand understand the importance of continuously monitoring and adapting to thechanging environment. (Kotler) Analysing theenvironment for any organisation will involve a review of the political,economic, social and technical (PEST) environment it is in or faces. For theNHS, it is a UK based healthcare provider for the public, funded bycontributions made from taxes distributed by the government to each of thetrusts. It operates within a politically stable economy with funds pledged byboth the current and previous governments to the service for improvements inhealthcare and salaries for staff. The economic environment facing the NHS isa growing economy with a rising elderly population and less working people tosupport them. In addition, it has become increasingly difficult to recruitmedical staff (national press) and shortages have often been counteracted byemploying staff from other EU countries, which in turn increases the populationwithin the UK. This again has been a subject of press attention, againnegative for the NHS. The social/ cultural environment shapes beliefs, valuesand norms (Ko tler). Belief in the core values of the health service and theservices it offers was high on the publics list of concerns during the lastgeneral election, as if the NHS is an integral part of the UK and its culture. The technological environment is moving fast within the health caresector, as well as drugs being continually developed, techniques for operationsare being advanced and the use of technologies for both medical andadministrative procedures. Such are rarely mentioned in the press. Traditionally,before formulating a marketing strategy a company would usually undertake aSWOT analysis, that is to understand its strengths and weaknesses and realiseopportunities and steer clear of known and potential threats. The keyelements, in the authors opinion are listed below. Strengths Although not a monopoly, there is no real competitor for the NHS. Whilst private hospitals are available throughout the UK, the Accident and Emergency service is unique to the NHS. The fact that there is continual monitoring of waiting lists is proof that the demand outstrips supply The NHS has been established since 1948 and continues to grow and expand upon its services. Weaknesses Unable to cope with the demand due to the increasing population Possibly the management of the linkages of the chain, per the resource analysis Opportunities To use marketing strategies to raise the profile of the NHS Increase of private investment Threats Image of the NHS being affected by the work of contractors Staff turnover high Of course, theabove SWOT is written down by the author with no first hand working knowing ofthe NHS trusts. As with most SWOTs, the above is based on perception which,in turn, is based on the interpretation of information in the public domain,based on regular articles in the media. So in effect, marketing has alreadyhad an impact on this view. It is likely that many people will all havedifferent perceptions of the NHS, depending on their outlook and any personalexperience they may have. However, given the number of NHS trusts in operationand the number of different operating units even an employee working for onebusiness unit is likely to have a different perception to another. Another tool toassess the NHS would be to undertake a marketing audit, a comprehensive,systematic, independent, and periodic examination of a companys marketingenvironment.with a view to determining problem areas and opportunities(Kotler) . This would indeed be a complex affair. Each trust is strategicallyresponsible for itself, so it may be presumed that it is responsible for itsmarketing activity, but with one NHS website indications are that it iscentrally controlled. Included within the audit would need to be an audit ofthe outsourced companies and their way of representing the NHS. With differentcompanies and indeed trusts operational throughout the UK there are bound to be different corporate cultures and core values which would need tobe considered and addressed if possible. Resource basedview resume v marketing based strategies recommendations From theresource based critique, it was seen that marketing affects every part of theNHS. Having evaluated the NHS against the resource based view, using thevalue chain model; it can be observed that the NHS is indeed a complex organisation.Over the years, it has gone from being a totally autonomous organisation whichdoes everything for itself, to one that now out sources various functions suchas technology, hygiene, and distribution and so on. Of course it hasrecognised that its core competencies lie within the medical services itprovides to its customers, patients, and has concentrated on this side.However, despite the obvious good work it undertakes and millions of livestreated, there is not much awareness made of this important achievement in thenational press, rather it is the down side that is much advertised, much ofwhich is as a result of losing control by outsourcing activities such ashygiene. The NHS does not appear to use marketing as a way of counter attackingsuch reports with headlines such as Doctor saves x many lives in one year.. The resource based view takes very much the relational approach of the notfor profit sector, relying on goodwill, government interaction, committees,initiatives and letting the public know via a website. Probably the marketingfunction is not prominent within the NHS Trust. Whilst the traditional 4Ps (price,product, place, promotion) approach to marketing may not necessarily be thebest approach for the NHS Trust, given its unique prominence in healthcarewithin the UK, there is a definite need to promote the success stories, ofwhich there are most likely to be numerous. Key recommendations for futuremarketing and development are to Place marketing at the centre of the management function Enhance PR activities to both feed positive information into the government as well as out to the various publics in the country. Appoint marketing oriented representatives on each of the trusts managing committees. Internally market successes to staff and try and retain staff for longer. (A separate exit interview exercise will need to be taken for this) Encourage more private investment to grow the service and its core staff. Bibliography Brassington, F, Pettitt, S (2000) Principles of Marketing (2nd Edition) (Essex,Pearson Education Limited: 2000) Caeson, D., Cromie, S., McGowan,P., Hill, J. (1995) Marketing and entrepreneurship inSMEs: An Innovative Approach (Harlow: Financial Times, Prentice Hall) Donaldson, B (1995) Customer Service as a Competitive Strategy Journal ofStrategic Marketing, Vol.3 No.2: June 1995 Doyle, P (1998) Marketing Management and Strategy (2nd Edition)(Hemel Hempstead, Prentice Hall: 1998) Drummond, G, Ensor, J, Ashford, R (2003) Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control (2ndEdition) (Oxford, Butterworth Heinemann: 2003) Egan, C (1997) Creating Organisational Advantage (3rd Edition)(Oxford, Butterworth Heinemann: 1997) Grant, R (1992) Contemporary Strategy Analysis (2nd Edition)(Cambridge Massachusetts, Blackwell Publishers: 1992) Gummesson, E (1998) Implementation Requires a Relationship Marketing ParadigmJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Vol.26, No.3, pages 242 249 Johnson, G. Scholes, K (2002) Exploring Corporate Strategy (6th edition) (Harlow, Financial Times, Prentice Hall: 2002) Kotler, P (1997) Marketing Management Analysis, Planning, Implementationand Control) (9th Edition) (New Jersey, Prentice Hall: 1997) Lynch, R (2003) Corporate Strategy 3rd edition. (London, Financial Times Pitman: 2003) Porter, M (1985) Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance (New York, Free Press: 1985) Whittington, R (1997) What is Strategy and does it Matter? (London, InternationalThompson Business Press: 1997) www.bbc.co.uk www.hsa.co.uk www.nhs.uk

life after 9/11 :: essays research papers

or most of us, airports are the only places where life has really changed since 9/11. The terminal has become a vast theater of the absurd where aspiring passengers line up halfway back to town. The shoes of little old ladies are gravely removed and inspected. Men in suits take their cell phones out of the bag and put their laptop computers into the bag—no, wait, cell phones in and computers out. Random passengers stand spread-eagled while strangers say to them softly, "Now I'm going to run my hands around your waist. Is that all right?" Somewhere unseen, a food-service worker is assembling plastic knives but metal forks in meals headed for first class. And all the while the public-address system hectors us to "report any suspicious activity." Many people, understandably skeptical about these quasi-religious rituals, have stopped flying instead. Others are thinking about moving out of New York and other big cities, and some have done so. These are responses more in keeping with the scale and drama of the episode that provoked them, but they may not make any more sense. David G. Myers of Hope College in Holland, Mich., calculated that terrorists would have to hijack 50 planes a year and kill everyone aboard before flying would be more dangerous than driving an equal distance. The steps we have taken to protect ourselves from terrorism (not counting the military effort to stop it at the source) seem either farcically trivial or farcically excessive. Is there a rational middle ground? Dealing rationally with the risks of terrorism is hard for several reasons. First, human beings are bad at assessing small risks of large catastrophes. And Americans are especially bad at this because we are Americans, and catastrophes are not supposed to happen to us. Our legal culture, our political culture and our media culture all push us toward excessive caution by guaranteeing that any large disaster will produce an orgy of hindsight. Lawyers will sue, politicians will hold hearings, newspapers and newsmagazines will publish overexcited revelations about secret memos that could be interpreted as having warned of this if held up to the light at a certain angle. Second, the actual risk of being a terror victim is not merely small—it is unknown and unknowable. Economists make a distinction between "risk" and "uncertainty." Risk refers to hard mathematical odds. Uncertainty refers to situations in which the odds are anybody's guess