Hotel Ratings in the Modern World

Introduction Looking at the modern industry of hospitality, the hotel ratings seem too strange and unreliable. Having visited many hotels, I may say that there are a lot of those which do not correspond to the real estate of things. Having read two articles about hotel ratings, I should say that the modern system of hotel ratings is too poor and does not nave any reliable grounds.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Hotel Ratings in the Modern World specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Neither the rating which is given by the credible magazine which tries to follow the international standards nor the one presented by those who have visited the place can be trusted as most of the comments are left by the professional writers who are paid for a rating to make people believe that the place is good enough. There is also no guarantee that a hotel rating presented by a reliable company which is responsible for creating the rat ing is objective as all people do in the modern world are subjected to business relations. Body Hotel business is one of the most important ones as accommodation is the central aspect in the global political and economical relations in the world. Each company tries to be responsible for the ranks it gives, however, being based on the business relations there is no guarantee that the hotel is ranked adequately and no business relations are involved. Looking at the present situation in the accommodation business, the following aspects are to be considered. First, hotels want to get as many customers as possible, therefore, the marketing and promotion strategy is usually on the high level. The hotels create websites where people seem to express their opinion. However, in most cases professional writers leave comments. Of course, people are able to do it as well. One may come across several negative feedbacks, but a clever client would think that they are just the personal opinion of th ose who are always unsatisfied with everything as the vast majority of the feedbacks are going to be positive. Second, there are many companies which guarantee to provide hotel ranking services having compared and contrasted the hotel’s services with the standards and to draw the conclusions. However, the absence of any internationally accepted standards makes it possible for the companies to vary in their opinions. The business relations are based on the financial grounds, therefore, the companies get money and give a hotel rating it wants. Finally, hotel business is very competitive. The Internet has become the most important means of advertising. Many people in the world use the Internet for all needs and the information search is one of the main functions the Internet performs. Having understood this idea, many hotel promotion programs became to be oriented on the customers’ feedback. Conclusion Therefore, it should be concluded that hotel ratings in the modern wor ld are created just with business purposes and some of the hotels do not correspond to the level they are ranked with. Being positioned as 5 star hotels, most of the accommodation services are not that perfect as they are to be.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is impossible to get to know about a hotel the whole truth before staying in that hotel. The websites which seem to express client’s opinion are served by the professionals, the feedbacks are created to attract more customers and the ranking system is used just for marketing services as there are no international standards. This essay on Hotel Ratings in the Modern World was written and submitted by user J0s1e to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Customer Insight Research Paper

Customer Insight Research Paper Customer Insight Research Paper Introduction The aim of the interview of the interview was to find out some of the factors that motivate customers to choose online shopping and the factors that motivate other customers to opt for off-line sopping. The interview also sought to know and to establish the behavior patterns between the two groups of consumers, online and off-line shoppers. In the interview, customers started by identifying themselves either as online or offline shoppers, after which the interviewer asked them to describe the main reasons that motivate their mode of purchase, as well as their purchase patterns. The main reason of choosing questions aimed at identifying the motivation factors was to find out the differences between the two groups. For instance, a question such as; â€Å"why do you choose to buy products online?† was included in the interview questions because it gives the customer an opportunity to give a direct response that would give the interviewer a clear understanding of some of the factors. Analysis of Results The results of the online shoppers indicated that 45 percent of people in a highly competitive business environment would get out of the shops and make online payments at a discount of 2.5 percent. This shows that customers opting for online shopping and payment are enticed by the low price offers that retailers and wholesalers provide for such payments. The percentage increases to 60 percent for those customers who choose online shopping after getting a discount as high as 5 percent for all the purchases they make. Similarly, when retailers offer high discount rates which may reach 20 percent, only 13 percent of shoppers remain in selling stores to complete their purchases. These results are substantial evidence that online discounts are a motivating factor that influences the customers’ decision to purchase goods online. The survey also found out that the most common products bought online are electronics such as TVs, movies game items, laptops and audio equipment. However, many online shoppers showed little concern for home appliances such as fryers, kettles and vacuum cleaners. During the interview, the results also showed that show- rooming behavior is also significant feature that leaves many mortar and brick sellers with few offline customers. Many online customers reveled that show-rooming is anew habit that gives them an opportunity to compare prices from one store to another, just by the use of their mobile phones. Online customers also mentioned carrying out price comparisons from one in-store to another is more expensive compared to online stores. Online customers have changed their shopping to use the in-store premises as a step in their purchase processes, and not as the final point. Consumers decide to shop their household products because of instrumental reasons to achieve certain goals and because of experiential motives (Arnould Wallendorf, 1994, pp 486). However, in the interview, goal oriented customers tend to more common than experiential and instrumental oriented customers. Based on the interview, the interviewers employed 5 online and 5 offline groups and many online customers attributed their behavior to availability of information about the product, wide range of products and the opportunity to avoid unwanted contacts such as spouses or sales agents in the retail premises. The goal oriented online shopping gives rise to experiences that are too involving for customers (Batra Ahtola, 1999, pp 167), but which leads to little commitment to the buyers. Customers indicated that they buy online when they want, and have the convenience to abandon the shopping cart when they feel the products on sale are not pleasant. Whereas some customers ware more likely to explain their offline shopping rather than online shopping in experiential purposes, there was more experiential motivation for customers who choose to shop online than the offline shoppers. On the other hand, offline shoppers attribute their motivation to the social aspect and experiential benefits associated with visits to retail and wholesale in-stores. Many of these buyers describe online shopping as never enjoyable and sociable. They also described their liking for offline shopping as an opportunity to ask for a lot of information about the products they purchase. Others claimed that in- store purchases offers after sales services that many online stores were found to be lacking. Because of information security reasons (Citrin, Sprott, Silverman Stem, 2000, pp 298), some offline shoppers did indicate lack of trust that their card numbers and identification documents were safe if used to pay for goods online. A good number of off-line shoppers also indicated that the opportunity to bargain for good commodity prices motivates them to make purchases from in-store retailers since it enables them to save a lot of money. Another factor given by the offline shoppers for the dislike of online shopping is the difficulty experienced when inspecting a product or service that retailers sell online. This is attributed to internet shortcomings that do not enable a customer to employ other senses such a touch or taste, and consumers have to rely only on sight. Other offline customers dislike online shopping because of the fact that they have to wait for the product delivery, especially in cases of overseas shopping. Risks such as pilferage, perishable products and damage during transportation highly discourage some customers from shopping online (Chen Tan, 2004, pp 78). In this group of shoppers, the psychological risks are perceived to be more demotivating than even the financial risks. Thus, any initiatives by retailers to offer discounts on online goods and series does not some offline shoppers to change their shopping decisions. Customer behavior literature According to Foucault and Scheufele (2002, pp 411), in a study involving 1000 customers in the US, researchers used multiple hypothetical scenarios of showrooms of ten items with different prices to find out the behavior of online customers. The results showed that 44 percent of online customers used mobile phones to influence their purchase choices when purchasing goods online. The researchers also found out that when the price difference between the online and in-store products is more than 5 dollars, customers showed a preference for the online products. This is similar to the views given by online customers in the interviews conducted to understand consumer behavior for online shoppers. The US research further profiled their customers based on age and gender, and the outcome of the study indicated that young female shoppers made online purchases more frequently than any other age bracket. On the other hand, old male shoppers whose minimum age is 50 years came out as the group of shoppers who were easily swayed to make purchases offline in retail stores. Other customers who happened to get advice from sales agents were 12.5 percent likely to make purchases offline. The results of this study are similar to the outcome of the interviews conducted in the group survey, since many of the choices that a majority of shoppers made are similar in motive and influence. According to Wachman (2012, pp 14), people spent nearly 8 billion US dollars in December 2011 on goods bought 0onine despite the difficulty shopping experiences that are usually associated with the month of December. According to the Capgemini research, a business consultancy organization, people spent remarkable 68 billion US dollars online in the year 2011. This is an indication that the number f online shoppers is ever growing as people move from the conventional culture of in-store purchases. According to Graham (2012), in UK, online purchases account for 17 percent of the total retail business, and this predicted to increase with the growth in mobile technology. The number of retailers launching online stores is also growing at a remarkable rate. Other literature sources indicate that utilitarian or goal oriented shopping is understood to be rational, deliberate and efficient (Kelly, 1998, pp 45). Therefore, the online search provides the medium for this task because the costs associated with dramatically lower than in in-store search. Moreover, some shoppers prefer to carry out efficient searches on the online stores with remarkably few clicks of the computer to obtain the details they need. In line with the objectives of goal oriented online search, shoppers who employ internet services in their purchase tasks end up saving a lot of time. According to Modahl (2000, pp 67), some customers do not perceive online purchases to be shopping; rather they perceive it to be a â€Å"buying† experience. As well, other online shoppers believe that they only decide to buy products online when they are convinced that they need the particular product, which further describes online shopping to be attracting a majority of customers who have a planned activity. Some online shopping surveys indicated that offline shoppers are more impulsive than online shoppers, because of limited accessibility and convenience and the influence by sales people in retail stores. Unlike online shopping (Rayport, Sviokla, 1999, pp 89), offline shoppers are proud of the personal associations they establish with business owners, which can help them build loyalty. Such loyal customers have the advantage of accessing goods on credit, or on hire purchase agreements, a feature that online shoppers are denied. Other customers who enjoy using senses beyond the sense of sight are well placed to fulfill their pleasure by shopping online since in- store commodities provide them with the opportunity to touch, feel, smell or even taste some of the goods before they pay form them. As observed in the analysis of results in the section above, this was one of the reason some customers prefer getting goods from an in-store retail, as opposed to online stores. Some businesses perceive offline shopping to be appropriate over online shopping because it helps them manage the products that customers buy. For instance, as much a restaurant can employ online advertisement services, it cannot manage to serve its clients online (To, Liao Lin, 2007, pp 778). Similarly, an auto dealer may not be effective by leasing a car online, because of security and lease agreement procedures and requirements. Marketing strategy and recommendations In order to reap from the changes in consumer behavior, retailers have to be keen when designing their marketing techniques. A lot of focus should be on the provision of goods based on location and population features. As observed in the analysis of results, young female shoppers are most likely to spend more money shopping online than older male who are easily swayed by sales agents. Thus products which female consumers need to be marketed or sold online, while products meant for the old generation can be kept in in-retail premises. Many brands sold to the middle and low market ends continue to report poor sales results, while luxurious products that target high end customers are continuing to generate profits. This scenario is partly attributed to the spending behavior of consumers spending [patterns whereby middle and low income consumers are squeezed by inflation, while the wealthy are continuing to earn goo d income. In order to cope up with these market changes, retailers and wholesalers have to employ a wide range of marketing strategies that target each group of consumers in the market. E-retail business activities remain a significant component of the broad retail trend (Spiggle, 1994, pp 498), and marketers have to incorporate it in all the strategic company plans. Despite the reduction in consumers’ disposable income, online shopping continues to record impressive sales growth every year. In order to motivate a number of offline shoppers who are demotivated to shop online by psychological factors, retailers and companies need to implement appropriate initiatives that address the psychological concerns of such customers. Online grocery businesses are in the most sophisticated field, and to make the business efficient, they can give consumers the chance to choose the nearest collection and deliver points that enable consumers to access the products in reasonable time. Availability of storage facilities and frozen food is also a technique to see business people benefit from online ventures. It is worth noting that dealing with consumable goods such as drinks vegetables or fruits need a high standard of hygiene; thus, retailers need to ascertain the hygiene levels of the agents they appoint to distribute goods on the retailers’ behalf. By putting in place measures to encourage online shoppers develop loyalty in commodities and brands, organizations and companies need to incorporate information security protocols that will assure buyers of the safety of their bank accounts, and the need to trust the websites. Once customers are convinced that their details are safe, retailers will be able to provide for the needs of customers in order to attract other buyers.

Human resource development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Human resource development - Essay Example Gone are the days when, competency was defined by the level of education one has attained. Although, there is a link between academic qualifications and professional knowhow, competency can be enhanced via advanced training. It’s for this reason that the government has initiated lifelong learning as a main initiative, with the aim of raising employability. Through government spending on investments that promote lifelong leaning such as job training programmes, in addition to other normal education schemes, citizens not only get access to these facilities but also motivation to improve their skills. As matter of fact, it’s the mandate of the government to ensure steady economic growth as well as improving citizen’s welfare status, given that UK is a welfare state. Thus, since capital in UK has almost been fully employed, the only ways to increase productivity has been seen as increasing labour efficiency, achieved through generation of self-motivation of employees to lifelong learning. To boost self-motivation, the government provides work base awards through the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) initiative. Possessing an NVQ in a certain fields implies that one has satisfactorily completed a certain training and assessment and thus guarantees both capability and efficiency in the field. Moreover, training needs to be extended to include literacy help to refugees, asylum seekers, and mostly parents to increase their social lives which is exactly what the government has been doing. Competency movement, came into light with the aim of establishing the difference between academic qualification and job expertise, with the latter defining competence more precisely than the former. The development of competency movement was accompanied by economic growth as well as increased competition among all industries (Cohen-Scali, 2012). Due to this both private and public companies developed a culture of

The faulty logic behind race boundaries elucidated in literature Essay

The faulty logic behind race boundaries elucidated in literature - Essay Example Weinbaum's analysis of race treats ideologies of nationalism and racism within the American. Basically, Weinbaum's analyzes the connection between race and reproduction. Her ideas find that slavery as an institution validated by 'difference of the races' cannot continue to exist if reproduction does not occur separately inside and outside that institution. The basic statement offered in Wayward Reproductions is that America, as a racially divided nation, is in crisis. Social order is compromised because reproduction is not an orderly process. Weinbaum states that problems are grounded in "the failure of the social order, particularly the modern racial nation, to continually produce itself without a glitch" (p. 14). The basic concept to apply to the literary works by Chopin, Jacobs, and Brown, is that the idea of racial supremacy is faulty. Classification by race cannot exist in society as our reproduction isn't based nor does it occur within clear-cut racially-segregated boundaries. Weinbaum analyses Chopin's Dsire's Baby within her book and points out problems of identification and power struggle within the relationship between Dsire and her husband. Because the baby is not adequately and unquestionably Caucasian, onlookers to the child question which of the two parents have African ancestry. The thought is 'Who's guilty' Dsire is blamed for the physical appearance of the child and returns to the family home. "She disappeared among the reeds and willows that grew along the banks of the deep, sluggish bayou; and she did not come back again" (247). This is to say that Dsire, on behalf of her race being disclosed and African, is not welcome among the elite. However, in truth, Dsire's husband, who still resides in L'Abri, is the one, who due to 'racial inferiority' has been misappropriated his place. Kate Chopin expertly crafts her short story, Dsire's Baby, so that the reader will see the mockery of the premise of 'racial integrity.' Meanwhile, even the main characters are oblivious to the unfair hoax of racial divisions and the injustice those racial divisions cause, just as society cannot see the hoax that occurs among us. Via critique of Chopin's piece, Weinbaum also addresses Nationalism. Just as Desiree's household was interrupted, and Desiree returned to her family home, society is interrupted by assumptions based on race. This occurs and proves that social order is not stable. Models for classification, social control, and oppression (Weinbaum 3) of the races cannot function when those systems of classification have to be maintained through reproduction, which cannot be controlled. Both Harriet Jacobs and William Wells Brown include illustrations of autobiographical/biographical characters with mixed bloodlines who were born as slaves. Through them, race issues are addressed - issues such as racially-mixed reproduction, favorable treatment to those more Anglo-Saxon looking slaves, and the ever-present status of 'slave' or negro that contradicts the value of an individual. Constantly in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Clotel, Anglo-Saxon features of slaves are referred to as more attractive or more valuable. Degree of color is important to those telling these stories. Degree of color was of importance to the slaves themselves. Harriet Jacobs

Long Australian (New South Wales) contract law scenario Is Seymour Essay

Long Australian (New South Wales) contract law scenario Is Seymour bound to his contracts with Agnes and with Krustylu - Essay Example However section 52 provides a general prohibition against misleading or deceptive conduct in commercial activities. Whether the violation of contract might also be breach of section 52 is a significant issue. The basis of such argument is the consideration that contractual promises are obligations which contracting parties have undertaken to fulfil, and to enter in to a contractual undertaking and subsequently fail to adhere to it is misleading with in meaning of section 52. There have been several cases (FN2, FN3 and FN4) in which consideration has been given to the scope of section 52. However, if the agreement is signed without consideration of moral principles guided or defined as per Australian contract law there is a sufficient ground for the client to seek for the relaxation. As the Seymour Skinner was forced to sign the agreement or contract which is nothing but violating the legal principles of contract, he is not bound to the contract with Agnes and Krustylu Television Studios to full extent. It has to be assessed whether an unfulfilled contractual promise itself as opposed to a defect in the promise constitutes a breach of section 52. Several cases revealed that an unfulfilled promissory contractual term to be declared as misleading needs to be argued under long Australian contract law (FN5). ... Breach of this contract is recognized by the law and legal remedies can be provided.Once the legality of the contract is maintained, then any party who signed the contract have to obey the contract. The agreement between Seymour and Agnes and Krustylu Television Studios clearly violated the legality, hence it comes under illegality of Australian contract law. Any person involved intentionally under this contract may be punished and the person who was forced to sign will be given sufficient chance to represent his case. Once the judicial body finds sufficient ground in defence of client, it may reconsider or review the contract and may declare the contract as void. (2) This contract comes under violation of principle of performance and breach. Australian courts have not definitively established the non-fulfilment of a contractual promise as conduct itself being misleading with in section 52 (FN7). As long as the "conduct" definition (FN8 and FN9) is satisfied, the person violating or non-fulfilling contractual promise will be charged under misleading conduct. Other wise section 52 of Australian trade Practices act relaxes the condition for client. It will provide enough opportunity for client to represent his case and show sufficient proof of not meeting the definition of "conduct" by the other party under the contract. (3) This contract has not obeyed the principle of undue influence. Seymour has been put under pressure to sign the contract. Even though Seymour Skinner admits that his mother was behind his successful career, it is not proper to expect that Seymour should sign a trade contract in favour of his mother Agnes. As it is the responsibility of any mother to shape the career of her children it is not to be linked with trade

Water resources management in India

Water resources management in India CHAPTER III India is facing a serious problem of natural resource scarcity, especially that of water in view of population growth and economic development[1]. The annual average rainfall in the Indian terrain is a healthy 1869 cu/Km[2] which is much more the world average. The rainfall in India shows a very high spatial and temporal variability[3]. That indeed is the reason for water resource management becoming a complex affair in India, for, the rainfall that is received during this short period has to be distributed for a variety of activities. Traditionally India has been agriculture based economy and hence is the importance of development of irrigation schemes so as to reduce the dependence on ground water by effective utilisation of the river waters. The annual potential groundwater recharge from rainfall in India is about 342.43 Km3, which is 8.56 % of the total annual rainfall of the country[4]. While rain is a vital source of water for almost the whole of the Indian peninsula, the snowmelt from the glaciers of the Himalayan belt is a significant contributor to the water source to the valley parts and the foothill region of the Himalayas. While an exact value of water resources of the country is a difficult ask, estimates of the water resources has been done in a comprehensive manner by the Ministry of Water Resources. An analysis of the resources gives a very rosy picture, however the complexities involved in harnessing the resources in an optimum manner is what is causing nightmares to the ministry. There is a need t o ensure a delicate balance between the inflows to the water resources of a region and the outflow components. The National Water Policy[5] stipulates that the total quantity of nations ground water pumped out must be limited to annual recharge. Scientist using NASAs Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites have determined that ground water in North Western region of India is decreasing at a alarming rate[6]. If the ground water table goes down the government will be forced to think of alternatives which is more efficient use of river waters. The facts state that though water resource availability is adequate till year 2020 but because of the current rate of growth of the population the availability will become critical after 2020. Also the fact that India will be forced to look at other sources of river water than those granted by the IWT. Drought The drought prone area assessed in the country is of the order of 68% of the total land mass[7] which is roughly equivalent to 51.12 Mha[8] . Many interior parts of peninsular India, such as the Deccan plateau, Southern and Central India come under the grips of dry spells even in the monsoon season itself due to scanty rainfall. Drought is not the result of a single cause, but a cumulative effect of many causes. Not only the availability of water for irrigation of agricultural lands is acutely hit, but also the day to day human life is subjected to inconvenience due to shortage of water for personal use. History has chronicled several droughts in India, and no part of India has escaped dry spells due to failure of monsoons and the resultant drought. A disturbing fact as an offshoot of drought conditions is that even crime rates such as robbery and looting steeply increase, as a sequel to the migration of people affected by drought looking for a decent life, but taking to unsocial activities in the absence of job opportunities. Also it is during these times that sharing of river water by riparian states is a cause for concern. What is paradoxical is that states which have a long coastline or lesser water resources at their areas have not taken any steps to come out of this problem by way of concentrating on desalination, drip irrigation, rain harvesting changing crop pattern requiring less water etc. Drought prone areas in India The total area affected by inadequate rainfall is a little over one million square kilometres. The areas which are drought prone are Thar Desert terrain, Kalahandi- Koraput belt, areas such as North Arcot, (Tamil Nadu) Anantpur and Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh) Bellary and Bijapur (Karnataka) Osmanabad and Aurangabad ( Maharastra).[9] Most of the areas in this rain shadow zone is densely populated with hard working, knowledgeable and enterprising people. There are several towns having more than 100,000 population, besides innumerable villages situated in this zone. Sparse vegetation, Pediment type of wastelands and deep levels of ground water table make life difficult in these places. Wastelands dominate over cultivable fields and in the cultivable lands too only one crop is grown in an year. Proper water management in this terrain is capable of transforming the arid to semi arid conditions to a highly productive areas This area is ideal for drip/ sprinkler irrigation to reclaim the drou ght affected areas. Examples exist as is done at Israel. A few more pockets of chronic drought prone areas are- Ramanathpuram and Thirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu, the linear corridor between Coimbatore and Pallakad and the Saurashtra and Kachchh regions of Gujrat. Also reports of arable lands situated slightly further away from the flood plains and the Deltaic regions of Ganges, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery rivers coming under the grip of water scarcity for agricultural activities. Locations like Kodaikanal, Udhagamandalam and Nilgiri hills in Tamil Nadu,[10] and Dehradun and Mussorie in Uttaranchal are examples of excessive human interference leading to unsustainable urban development and decadent imbalance in availability of water resources in areas otherwise known for copious rainfall. A generation ago farmers in Gujrat used bullocks to lift water from shallow wells in leather buckets. Now farmers draw water from 300 metres below ground using electrical pumps. According to state water officials, water tables are dropping by 6 metres every year. India had a pump revolution in the last four decades and farmers have drilled approximately 21 million tube wells into the saturated strata beneath their fields. Every year farmers bring another million wells into service mostly outside the control of state irrigation authorities.[11] These pumps powered by subsidised electricity work day and night to irrigate fields of more water consuming crops like rice, sugarcane and alfalfa. The problem is serious and severe and keeping in view that agriculture is the backbone of our economy, replenishment methods like placing numerous dams across river beds, water harvesting and water shed schemes to recharge our underground resources besides flood management need to be given the right impetus. In crop production there is a need to encourage modern methods of irrigation. In spite of an abundance of water resources it has not been easy for the state to tap these resources. Discussion of internal water disputes is far beyond the scope of the dissertation and is therefore not being mentioned; however one disagreement due to the distribution of water of the Indus river system is worth having a look. Disagreement over the sharing of river waters from the Indus river system has been one of the major causes of the violent secession movement in the Punjab province of India in the 1980s and 1990s. This Sikh dominated province has been traditionally provided with a water supply from the Beas, Sutlej and Ravi Rivers. The demands of the downstream provinces of Rajasthan and Haryana persuaded the Indian government to construct canals and divert 60 per cent of Punjabs water and energy to Hindu majority regions[12]. This became a major point of confrontation due to which insurgency was encouraged. Water Demand and Resource Management If the total water availability in India is analysed that the logical conclusion would be that that there is adequate water for all. However water availability on the Indian subcontinent is strongly influenced by a number of climatic and geographic factors. Together these combine to provide India with enough freshwater to meet the various demands arising from the agricultural, industrial and domestic sectors. However, the actual distribution of water resources over space and time limits access to certain geographic regions and during a few months of the year. Government policies and economic incentives have also influenced the water distribution and consumption across India[13] Alarming Scarcity of Water in India, NK Garg and Q Hassan, Current Science Vol 93 No 7 10 Oct 2007. National Water Resource at a Glance Wrmin.nic.in accessed on 18 Nov 2009 Rakesh Kumar, R D Singh K D Sharma Water Resources of India Ibid p4. Indian Ministry of Water Resources, National Water Policy. Retrieved 09 Nov 2009 from www.nic.in/writereaderdata/linkimage/nwp2002.pdf GRACE reveals ground water depletion in India. Retrieved on 11 Dec 2009 from www.environmentalresearchweb.org Drought in India , Challenges and Initiatives, p5 , PACS Programme 2001-08 Water Resources of India, Rakesh Kumar, RD Singh and KD Singh, Current Science, Vol 89, No 5 , Sep 2005 ,pp794. H Sarvotham, Water Resources Augmentation, Management Policies p45. Peter P Molinga, On The Waterfront,p61. Harendar Raj Goutam Water Crisis and Rain Water Harvesting Kurukshetra Quaterly p4. Managing Water Conflicts by Ashok Swain , pp 21 Water privatization and Implications in India, Anitha Sampath , Association for Indias Development.

Essay --

1.0 Analysis on Ford Motor Company Financial Condition Based on question 1, the table in appendix 1 indicates the financial statement of Ford Motor Company from the year 2008 to 2012. According to the table, the balance sheet has shown that, there were a positive figure in Ford’s operating income from the year 2012 to 2012. Meanwhile, there were slight decrement in the balance sheet from the year 2008 to 2009, whereby has designates negative value in the operating income. A convergence in factors produced in December 2007 to June 2009, was Great Recession due to bad bank loans, improper credit ratings, lax regulatory policies and misguided government incentives that encouraged reckless borrowing and lending (Lutterell et al., 2011). Besides that, this crisis also had drastic effects towards oil price because in 2008, the oil price has increases up to 18 % from 13% per year because of the crunch. It has resulted loss of trust towards U.S government and its capitalist economic system. According to Fraser Institute Index of Economic freedom has indicated that, from the second rank of global ranking, U.S has drop to 18th in 2012 (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 2012) The increasing of economic challenges and crunch in 2008 has impacted badly on the annual reports of companies, in both terms of cash flow and operating losses. In the earlier year it is predictable weak, up to 15% drop in annual operational cash flows. Following the declines in automobile sales throughout 2008 has affected the other car maker in U.S, such as, General Motors (GM) and Ford Motor Company. In this case, the automobiles industry has requested for emergency loans in order to encounter upcoming cash shortages (Brent and Glass, 2009). Finally, with the resolv... ...7 compare to Ford which is 1.01 and GM 0.985 and as the average of the year the quick ratio is in positive form which is 0.981. In the past 5 years the total average of quick ratio which is been stated in the financial statement for Toyota is 0.9726 and Ford is 0.86 where else, GM has a low average 0.821 compare to Ford and Toyota. Finally, Ford and GM managed to step away from the low quick ratio issues and went up steadily due to their dedication in maintaining their current liabilities and inventories which Toyota failed to balance which resulted the decreased growth in the year 2012. To be concluded that Ford is the leading force in the automotive industry because of the expert staff, quality products and services. This company is the perfect investment opportunity; paying close attention to the risks and regulations and protecting their investors’ interests.

The fashion industry should not feel obligated

The fashion industry should not feel obligated to use plus sized models in their campaigns. Do you agree? BY sashays The fashion industry should not feel obligated to use plus sized models in their Women these days are constantly bombarded with advertisements and campaigns telling them what they should wear, what they should eat and how they should portray themselves. It has become a race to try and achieve a size zero look because women feel as if it has become the new norm. That is why, I believe the fashion industry should be obliged to use plus size model. A plus size model is a model who is a US size 8 or above.Even though these models are described in the â€Å"plus† category, making them appear to be an outcast, what is ironic is that the majority of women will fit into this category. Therefore, I agree that fashion industry should be obligated to use plus size models. There are three reasons why: firstly, to stop increasing the social pressure on first world women to h ave the ideal body image; secondly; prevent psychological effect on women in trying to maintain an ideal body image; thirdly, the potential increase in business. To begin with, the expectation for women to mirror the body image of a model has come omnipresent.You find them in fashion magazines, TV shows, fitness programs and even Barbie Dolls. Women, especially teenagers look at these icons as role models and have been manipulated by society into thinking they must look a certain way and weight a certain amount to fit in. It is the fashion industries to blame for this, because by using impossibly thin models in almost every campaign it is putting pressure on women to look perfect. However, women cannot attain these perfect bodies because not only have the images been altered but are unnatural and simply unachievable.Due to this, women now days are lacking confidence as they feel self-conscious about their body. In a recent survey done by the National Institute on Media and the Famil y in Washington, it was found that 40% of girls from ages 9-10 are dissatisfied with their weight. This suggests that the distressing and impairing body image concern seems to be becoming more prevalent at a younger and younger age. Furthermore, according to CDC, 20% of the teenage girls' suicide cases in USA are due to bullying about someone's weight. This clearly highlights the negative effect y Just using skinny models is having.The society has become superficial as it measures beauty in size. It is crucial that fashion industries are forced to use plus size model in order to change society's view of beauty. It is not right to put pressure on women to distort their healthy bodies too feel accepted. In addition, not having plus sized models in campaigns causes women to suffer from harmful effects as they try to replicate images of a zero size model. In a recent survey, it was found there are up to seventy million individuals worldwide who have an eating disorder, and of hem 90% ar e women between the ages of twelve and twenty-five (US Mental Health Administration).Some women have become so desperate to lose weight that they turned to starvation developing bulimia and anorexia. However, it is not the skinny models to blame for this, because they also suffer from these conditions. Even models feel pressurized to stay skinny and many models starve for days before a runway until they can barely keep their eyes open. Kristin Clement, former Vogue editor revealed that some models had turned to dangerous methods such as eating tissue. Yes, tissues. Models eat this dehydrated, bleached paper in order to become â€Å"Paris thin†.If this is not stopped it will not be long until all women struggling with weight loss will try this to. Have we become this inhuman that being skinny is more important than life? Hence, I believe it is vital for fashion industries to use plus size models to promote more healthy living and prevent unnecessary deaths. Finally, by using p lus sized models there would be an increase in business. The average plus size model ranges from size 8-14, they are not fat, they are healthy. A study done Warwick Business found that adverts and campaigns which predominantly feature skinny models are more likely to discourage sales.H have currently begun using plus size models for their swim suit campaigns. CEO Karl – John Person said he feels â€Å"irresponsible with the type of female body image being portrayed† and now is committed to market and encourage diverse body types. This has begun to influence many more women to feel confident about their body. According to the Business Insider, those who are labeled as plus size account for 67% of the apparel arching population, bringing in retail revenue of nearly $16 billion Just in US every year.This indicates clothes for plus sizes have become very important in the market. Furthermore, many stores have begun using plus size mannequins. By displaying larger mannequins , not only do women see how the clothes would fit their shape but they would also feel more confident due to the increase in publication of the plus size within the fashion industry. Hence are likely to purchase more. Therefore, I believe there fashion industries should use plus size models because here are many positive outcomes.However, some people may argue that many people are naturally really thin, but only 5% (SCUD) of the women have the skinny model body, the majority of the other 95% will resort to unhealthy living conditions. You may also argue that it's a models Job to look extremely skinny, however would you let your daughters risk their well-being for a moment of fame? Does that really make it okay? Even though plus size models have made a massive stride in obtaining respect in a business that demands skinny; resulting in more full figured women to race the high fashion magazine covers and to walk the main stream fashion shows.The portrayal that thinner is better is stil l deeply engraved in society. This is putting pressure on women to be someone they are not and resulting in harsh life threatening disease such as anorexia. There are countless advantages on having plus size models in the industries from benefits in business to benefits in well-being. Therefore, we need to do something to change the craving for the unrealistic body image. Plus size models do not promote obesity, they reflect reality.

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Our Privacy essays

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Our Privacy essays In George Orwells 1984, government controls an entire population by using rhetoric and language. Totalitarian societies in which people are controlled in every possible way; the thought of rebellion is always on their mind. Big Brother uses rhetoric and language to maintain his power and keep the masses controlled. Society must heed Orwells warnings to protect their well-being. In Adam Liptak s article, Justices Reject GPS Tracking In A Drug Case, in claims police violated the constitution when placing a GPS tracking device on a suspects vehicle. According to Mr. Dellinger almost any use of GPS electronic surveillance of a citizens movement will be legally questionable unless a warrant in obtained in advance. Authorities cannot place a tracking device on any vehicle as previously mentioned, taking away part of our freedom. This disproves 1984 by George Orwell on the account of several reasons. The Party can do whatever they please to in Oceana. Orwell warns society and for somebody to tell them Big Brother broke the law is foolish. Evidently, no one wants to go against the government, who is going to say you violated rights or freedom. Society is easily manipulated and just a victim in the big picture. If we pretend Big Brother exist in our every day life, and the government wanted to place a device on a particular entity; no civilian will to question the wrong doing. Big Brother Rules all, and it is not up to justices to decide a certain ruling in a case. However in Politics and the English Language, Orwell provides a solution to this crisis. Specifically to do what Big Brother says and there will be no problems. The thought of any potential rebellion is absurd. To live in a society were one is constantly watched is exactly what Big Brother wants; a bad nightmare is reality for people in 1984. Both articles have to do with a tracking device in one way or anot...

gullivers travels essays

gullivers travels essays Lemuel Gulliver- He is a sailor and observes many different cultures on multiple islands. Emperor of Lilliput- He uses Gulliver to defeat his enemy and then tries to kill him when King of Laputa- He is a peaceful and moral king. He runs a country without complexities and cannot understand abstract ideas. Queen of Laputa- Takes a special liking to Gulliver, and purchases him. She also owns a dwarf who hates Gulliver for gaining her favor. Munodi- The governor of Balnibarbi- Tells Gulliver about the history and problems of his island. The setting of the novel takes place on various islands throughout the world. His homeland is England. He travels to the islands of Lilliput, Blefscu, Surat, Brobdingag, Laputa(a flying island), Balnibarbi(another flying island), Lagado, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg, and Japan. The novel takes place in the first half of the 18th century. The book begins when Gulliver goes to sea. He is a surgeon on the ship, Antelope. During this voyage there is a windstorm, which sinks the ship causing Gulliver to swim to Lilliput. Once there he finds little men 6 inches tall. They take him to a temple, the only place large enough for him. The Emperor is not sure what to do with Gulliver, but he is very pleased with his behavior. Gulliver is granted partial freedom for cooperating with the emperor, and given plenty of food. Two countries are at war, Lilliput and Blefscu. The war started over a petty religious debate about which side of the table their eggs should be broken on. Blefscu soon tries to invade Lilliput put they are stopped by Gulliver. Gulliver, who wants a peace treaty, refused to completely destroy Blefscu. His disagreement with the Emperor is made worse when he puts out a fire in the palace by urinating on it. The Emperor pardons this act but is still at odds with Gulliver. Laws in Lilliput are particularly strict. The latest accusation against Gulliver is the worst of all of them. H...

THG Management Services Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

THG Management Services - Case Study Example It is apparent from the case study that the region in which THG is planning to run an HMO, has been lagging behind the rest of the nation in terms of availability of healthcare centers, which is resulting in higher costs for the services. With the announcement of the program called TennCare, healthcare in Tennessee became a national issue and it is now being felt that running a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) is bound to prove a profitable proposition because; i. Despite an increase in managed care in the state, the commercial premium per member/ per month in the HMO sector has not come down. It is worthwhile here to mention the hospital days for patients have instead come down. This indicates that there's still a growing demand for HMOs. ii. THG has been able to take advantage of the first mover advantage in several areas. This advantage reflects in the capitation in the commercial market. Capitation is the term used to identify the payments given to the physicians attached with HMOs. It is a fixed payment made to the physician depending upon the number of people enrolled with the HMO and the number of members put directly under the care of the physician. It is worthwhile here to mention that, the capitation amount is paid to the physician irrespective of the number of visits made by a member to the physician or irrespective of the number of members visiting the physician for their healthcare needs. Using the capitation network model, THG has been able to bring greater efficiency to the southern US healthcare market. iii. Having fixed its priorities, THG was able to develop a fast growing company with considerable success in short period of time. It was during their expansion plan that THG started evaluating the options of managing versus owning the risk. The two options being assessing the practical aspects of having a commercial group guaranteeing 8000 lives in Texas and managing Medicare projects in Atlanta, Georgia with another AMC. iv. Both HMO and PPO enter into an agreement with insurance companies, but the HMO offers its services at predetermined rates while in case of PPO the rates can vary depending upon the medical condition of the individual. v. HMOs often happen to be very restrictive and expect the individual to seek assistance for medical needs from within a network of doctors, medical practitioners, healthcare organizations. On the other hand a PPO doesn't have any preconditions attached and allows the individual to any place for treatment. Except in cases of emergency, tor an individual enrolled with HMO, it's a prerequisite that s/he must go through the primary care physician from within the HMO network and if this physician feels necessary then only the individual will be referred to any specialist. This might appear little restrictive in the sense that the individual has to follow couple of procedures before getting specialized treatment. On the other hand in case of PPO, there's no such restriction and an individual can seek the opinion of a specialist of his or her choice. But it is equally relevant

Autism spectrum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Autism spectrum - Essay Example Some individuals with Autism disability may live an independent life while others have learning disability and need a specialist support. Individuals with autism disorder may also experience under-or over-sensitivity to touch, sound, light, smells, colours, and taste. Andrew’s autism characteristics Andrew demonstrates some characteristics of autism disability, which makes him fit into the criteria for autism. You may come across people like Andrew in the stores, in the park, in schools, or at work. Andrew does not look different from other students, yet he behaves and communicates in a way that seems mysterious, or enigmatic (Baron-Cohen, 2008). Andrew’s autism disability has ruthlessly impaired a number of disabilities many people tend to take for granted. For instance, the teacher seems not to understand that Andrew has autism spectrum that is the way, the teacher sometimes feels that she is in a dilemma. In other words, she founds Andrew’s behaviour disruptiv e to others and becomes frustrated that, Andrew is not willing to confront to the standards of not interrupting others or involving in the school’s social activities (Baron-Cohen, 2008). ... Whether the teacher and other pupils are sad or cheerful, it sounds and looks the same to Andrew. Additionally, Andrew shows little interest in what other pupils are doing. The teacher claims that Andrew does not join or involve himself with other school activities. He ignores the class timetable and instead decides to read an encyclopedia that he carried around, or even arranging the cut grass around the school ground into neat, straight lines (Baron-Cohen, 2008). In general, Andrew focuses his attention on doing minor and simple activities. Instead of attending classes, he could spend hours arranging all the cut grass in the field behind the school into neat, straight lines (Baron-Cohen, 2008). This obsessive and repetitive habit of doing one thing all the time refers to stereotyped behaviours. Andrew however has a characteristic of disagreeing with other people’s ideas and lacks correct measures of explaining himself. This is highly depicted in his behaviour since he shouts out during classes the words like â€Å"How do you know?† or â€Å"Why?† whenever the teacher makes a certain assertion of a fact (Baron-Cohen, 2008). The teacher could note that Andrew had a natural curiosity that she was unable to stifle. All these characteristics, which Andrew has the inability to understand speech and talk, trouble and difficulties in socializing with other pupils, and stereotyped interests and behaviours-are the hub of autism spectrum (Baron-Cohen, 2008). These autism characteristics hinder Andrew from making friends and being unable to fit in at home, at school, or even in public places. Andrew has a severe type of autism behaviour. However, there are some theories that explain that causes of autism behaviour. Theories