Does any IR theory present a convincing framework for understanding Essay

Does any IR theory present a convincing framework for understanding global governance Why or why not Discuss with reference to - Essay Example The first time that the concept of IR theory as an academic discipline can be traced back to the book ‘the Twenty Years Crisis’ which was published in 1939 and was written by E.H. Carr. The publication of this book, the occurrence of the First World War and the consequent complexities on the international sphere prompted the University of Wales, Aberystwyth to set up a department dedicated to this subject (Burchill, et al., 2005). With the passage of time, conceptual models evolved in an attempt to explain the complex nature of post World War II- world and currently, several theories are present that aim to explain international politics. We now come to the second part of the question which is global governance. The concept itself is an old one but it has re-emerged in recent years by the name of globalization. Global governance refers to interaction of political nature between transnational actors aimed at solving common issues and problems in the absence of a power of enforcement. These issues and problems may be solved by arrangements which may be formal in the form of laws, treaties and constitutions involving governments, IGOs, NGOs, MNCs and civil society or it may be informal in the form of guidelines or coalitions. ... Secondly, the benefits of globalization have to reach all levels of population so that global governance is sustainable. Thirdly, the difference between global governance and world government needs to be established. Global governance does not seek a central power for the system to work where as world government does. Global governance aims to take some power away from the state in order for global institutions to be strong, autonomous and effective. Only then can global economy, politics and culture be transparent. Global governance has several underlying themes such as a global economy, environmental concerns, democratic political legitimacy at all levels, conflict resolution, freedom of scientific, academic and communication modes and maintenance of peace and security. Successful examples have shown that this is only possible through effective interaction between state and non-state actors. While it has its own merits and demerits, global governance is a new chapter in world polit ics and it is worthy of being explained by at least one of the established IR theories. Of the several IR theories that are present, three will be discussed in an attempt to explain global governance in this piece of literature. They are realism, constructivism and liberalism. Realism is one of the pioneer theories of the discipline of international relations. It consists of three main components namely statism, survival and self-help. Statism refers to the belief that only state actors play a major role in world politics and all the rest of the functional elements of a political system are merely pawns. Survival refers to the belief that there the international system is based upon anarchy or

The Triumph of Science Over Religion In the West Essay Example for Free

The Triumph of Science Over Religion In the West Essay By the sixteenth century, the Western experience with religion had turned bitter. The Catholic Reformation, also referred to as a Counter Reformation, was a response to the great Protestant Reformation in Europe during this period of time. There were two elements of the Catholic Reformation. First of all, Catholics were being called for a renewal of piety and of virtue in the form of renewed commitments to prayer as well as mysticism. This component of the Reformation was particularly evident in the clerical orders. The ordinary folks had nothing whatsoever to do with this component of the Reformation, seeing that even the clerical orders were not looked upon as worthy guides. Secondly, the Church was being asked to reform in order to deal with unparalleled as well as swift changes in society, and abuses that accompanied those changes. There was turbulence witnessed in the societal structure, and one of the reasons why it was necessary to initiate the Catholic Reformation was that the humanists had revived classical pagan philosophy in the fifteenth century, using the new miracle of printing to shift the attention of society from the after life to the present. At the same time as the classical pagan philosophy was being circulated, the Church was going through a period of decline with a desiccation of scholastic thinking. Internal abuses at the Church were also well-known, and these involved simony, the sale of indulges, multiple benefices, and much more. The Church could not be trusted as much as it was meant to be. As a matter of fact, the condition of religion in the sixteenth century was characterized by turmoil. King Henry VIII of England created the Church of England in the year 1533 A.D. by splitting from the Roman Catholic Church. Around the same time, the French Wars of Religion were waged between the Catholics and the Huguenots in France. How much confusion such chaos would have given birth to in the minds of Western Christians with respect to their religion could only be imagined. Christianity was, after all, supposed to be a religion of peace and unconditional love. The Western religion around 1500 A.D. was chiefly Christian, and the sixteenth century has been described as â€Å"probably the most intolerant period in Christian history.† It was not the scientists that were killed during this time because they came up with new ideas. Rather, in the sixteenth century, there were thousands of people that were killed because they were called heretics. Michael Servetus was only one such individual. He was burned in 1553 A.D., alive, on the order of John Calvin in addition to the city authorities, because he had made theological speculations that Calvin was sure were falsehoods. To put it another way, the religious authorities of the time would not allow people even to deviate in their thinking with respect to religion. Christians of the West were required to think of Christianity in the way that the religious authorities felt was appropriate. Critical thinking or questioning was not allowed by any means. What is more, the religious authorities themselves were known to be corrupt enough for places of worship to be closed down. Lindsay Clarke reports: In January, 1535, the newly appointed Vicar-General of the English Church, Thomas Cromwell, sent out his agents to conduct a commission of enquiry into the character and value of all ecclesiastical property in the kingdom. Overtly, they were reformers, exercising the new powers accorded to the Crown by the Act of Supremacy: from time to time to visit, repress, redress, reform, order, correct, restrain and amend all such errors, heresies, abuses, offences, contempts and enormities . . . which ought or may be lawfully reformed. But Dr. Richard Layton, Dr. Thomas Legh, Dr. John London, and the other tough-minded and venal officials chosen for the job had no doubt what the Crown expected of them. It took them only six months to submit for Cromwells scrutiny an accurate and detailed tax-book, the Valor Ecclesiasticus. Along with it came evidence of corruption and scandalous immorality in Englands monasteries. Such evidence was not hard to find, for by the 16th century many of the religious houses had long since lost their sense of purpose. The religious turbulence of the sixteenth century was continued into the seventeenth century. The government of England had become known for its harassment of Catholics as well as Jesuits. On 20 May 1604, certain religious men began to plot the destruction of the government after having heard Mass. A priest knew of this plotting, and was made to pay the price of this knowledge later on. And yet, the religious authorities of the Near and Far East were not facing religious turmoil around this time. Nor were the people of the advanced civilizations of the Near and Far East being confronted with religious confusion. Furthermore, scientists of the Near East were especially involved with their work during the sixteenth century, as for a number of centuries before. The Ottoman astronomer, Taqi al-Din, created astronomical tables in the sixteenth century. These tables were considered as accurate as the ones made by Tycho Brahe in Denmark during the same period of time. All the same, the Ottomans are known to have ceased their support for scientific innovations and research a century later, as their priorities took a shift. The West, however, continued scientific explorations even after the sixteenth century. The East had maintained its religions. It was only the West that had showed immense intolerance toward different religious beliefs and practices, even with respect to its own faith. Whereas religious authorities stopped Westerners from thinking and reasoning, science opened up a new world to the ordinary people. They were not called heretics because of their new scientific ideas. Rather, people who came up with new scientific ideas were in the company of many others who came up with great new ideas in the scientific arena. Giordano Bruno, Girolamo Cardano, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, William Gilbert, Johannes Kepler, Paracelsus, John Napier, and Andreas Vesalius are only few of the important Western scientists of the sixteenth century. Besides, this century saw the birthing of Copernicus’ theory, the import of new plant species from the Americas into Europe, and new inventions that revolutionized manufacturing and other features of living. The wheel-lock musket, the helicopter, the spinning wheel, the pocket watch, the diving bell, the seed drill, the camera obscura, the knitting machine, the compound microscope, the Gregorian Calendar, and the enameling of pottery were all brought into the world in the sixteenth century. So, while religion disappointed people, science brought renewed hope of existence through new products and discoveries. No scientist could be killed in the name of science. Hence, science was safely meant to stay on in the West despite the good or bad luck of religion. Bibliography 1. Clark, Lindsay. â€Å"The Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th Century.† Available from http://www.historynet.com/. Internet; accessed 31 March 2007. 2. Hogge, Alice. God’s Secret Agents: Queen Elizabeth’s Forbidden Priests and the Hatching of the Gunpowder Plot. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005. 3. MacroHistory. â€Å"How the Idea of Religious Tolerance Came to the West.† Available from http://www.fsmitha.com/review/index.html. Internet; accessed 31 March 2007. 4. Lewis, Jone Johnson. Women Saints: Doctors of the Church. London: Penguin, 1998. 5. Magic Dragon Multimedia. â€Å"Timeline 16th Century.† Available from http://www.magicdragon.com/UltimateSF/timeline16.html. Internet; accessed 31 March 2007. 6. Olin, John. Catholic Reformation: From Cardinal Ximenes to the Council of Trent, 1495-1563. New York: Fordham University Press, 1990. 7. Pollen, J. H. â€Å"The Counter Reformation.† The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: K. Knight, 2004.

Conflicting Emotions :: Personal Narrative Writing

Conflicting Emotions I want us to do better. I want us to be stewards of our lands and keepers of our brothers'. I want men and women to be peaceful, loving creatures across the board and across the world. I have hope for these things. Yet, I am angry. I am frustrated and overwhelmed by the legacy from which I have come. My ancestors are murderous, violent people who are responsible for such evils as colonialism, slavery and genocide. They ravaged not only countless ethnicities around the world but the natural environment as well. I am the daughter, the granddaughter and the great-great-great granddaughter of the "White Man". The liar, the treaty breaker, the villain; that is who brought me into this world. So what then does that make me? It makes me a confused and conflicted woman. My Mother has always been very open with me about my family heritage. She never hid from me the fact that my family initially made their fortune on cotton and tobacco plantations in South Carolina and Georgia. There are towns in both of these states named after my slave-owning family members. My Mother still has in her possession the slave ledgers which recount the numbers and the prices of the slaves bought and sold by our family. She has always reminded me that we need to be knowledgeable about our history, even if that knowledge is of shameful and painful things. And let me tell you, it is both of these things. I have never really been able to reconcile my own personal beliefs with the cultural heritage that was passed on to me with my DNA. As I have begun to delve deeper into the history, ecology and current state of the Everglades I have begun to reflect on the role that my family has played in the recent history of the Everglades. My great-great-great grandfather Chipley was the man who brought the railroad to Northern Florida. It was his line that Flager built upon and extended into Southern Florida. Countless people made their way into the southern part of this state on the path that my family began. My great-grandfather, who was a biologist, came to southern Florida as an early "pioneer". He subsequently made his fortune off a company called Shark Industries which slaughtered sharks and sold their body parts around the world.

Case 4 Ginger – Smart Basics.Pdf Uploaded Successfully

C AS E 4 Ginger: Smart BasicsTM Dr Mukta Kamplikar1 Roots Corporation Limited develops and operates a fast-expanding chain of economy hotels across India under the â€Å"Ginger† brand. There is currently a lack of competition in the branded economy hotels segment and Ginger is the only branded economy hotel chain in India. The Ginger hotels are built around a concept that provides facilities to meet the key needs of today’s traveler, at affordable rates.Ginger faces challenges in different aspects of its business as it aims to deliver consistently, quality service to the customer and manage customer expectations. COMPANY BACKGROUND Exhibit 1: The proportion of hotel segments across Indian cities. Jaipur Cochin Goa Pune Hyderabad Bangalore Chennai Kolkata Mumbai Delhi/National Capital Region Budget Mid-market First class Lurxury R oots Corporation Limited (RCL) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL). IHCL is a part of the Tata Group of c ompanies (see www. tata. om), India’s premier business house. Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces comprises 77 hotels, 7 palaces, 6 private islands and 12 resorts in 40 locations across India with an additional 18 international hotels in the Maldives, Mauritius, Malaysia, Australia, UK, US, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa, and the Middle East. Incorporated on 24 December 2003, Roots Corporation Limited operates the ? rst-of-its-kind category of Smart Basicsâ„ ¢ hotels across India. Launched in June 2004, the Smart Basicsâ„ ¢ concept created a revolution in the world of Indian hospitality.Roots Corporation Limited develops and operates a fast-expanding chain of economy hotels across India under the â€Å"Ginger† brand. The company either owns/ leases land on which it develops and operates hotels and has now started entering into joint developments where the owner brings in the land and bare shell and leases the same to the company. The company’s recent growth has been organic, through developing and operating hotels in new cities or by going for additional hotels in existing markets; thus expanding the geographic reach of the hotel chain.The company intends to develop and operate additional hotels under both business models to maintain or achieve a dominant position in every market covered by their Ginger hotel chain. The Economy Segment Historically, hotel development projects in India generally focused on upscale hotels that were primarily targeted at international tourists and corporate travelers. New hotels will be concentrated in 18 main cities over the next 10 years, as shown in the following chart. Exhibit 2: Projected hotel expansion rate over 10 years. 60 50 Number of hotels 40 30 20 10 0De lhi N Mu CR Ba mba n Hy galo i de re rab ad P Ch une en n Ja ai ipu r G Ko oa lka Vis t akh Ko a ap chi Ah atn em am da b Ud ad aip u A r Lud gra h Luc iana kn M ow Co yso imb re ato re Source: HVS International. 446 Case Study Between 2007 and 2010, supply will increase in all categories of hotels, as shown in the chart below. Exhibit 3: Projected supply increase in all categories of hotel. Increase over Five Year Development of Supply Mid-market First Class Proposed Supply Existing Supply Budget Luxury a? liations as opposed to Ginger hotels, which are part of a network of hotels).Going forward we see competition continuing from the unorganized section of the market as well as from newer international and local hotel companies who have announced their intent to set-up hotels across the country in the value segment. The market is witnessing a fair amount of activity in this segment of the hotel market. Some of the companies who have announced plans to establish a presence in the country are shown in Exhibit 4. Exhibit 4: Lodging brands venturing into India. Brand Formule 1 Promoters Plans Agra Ahmedabad Bangalore Chennai Delhi (NCR) Goa Hyperabad Jaipur Kolkata Mumbai Other Cities ,336 519 1,906 2,075 7,030 2,252 1,442 1,298 1 ,354 7,402 8,056 384 462 7,794 4,407 28. 7% 89. 0% 408. 9% 212. 4% 69% 48% 55% 36% 74% 18% 57% 42 61% 36% 47% 31. 1% 28. 0% 24. 8% 12. 4% 25. 4% 11. 7% 11. 2% 30. 8% 3. 9% 32. 5% 16. 7% 38. 0% 27. 0% 43. 6% 34. 4% 36. 3% 29. 4% 28. 9% 18. 6% 37. 5% 15. 6% 37. 0% 23. 1% 38. 2% 25. 6% 21. 3% 26. 0% 49. 7% 26. 7% 24. 0% 62. 5% 51. 9% 14. 2% 10. 9% 10. 0% 18. 4% 18. 8% 26. 0% 9. 7% 13. 6% 53. 5% 10,856 154. 4% 2,632 7,408 2,770 2,465 9,318 6,870 116. 9% 513. 7% 213. 4% 182. 1% 125. 9% 85. 3%Accor in a 100 hotels in the next decade joint venture with Emaar MGF Isthitmar, Dubai New look pod hotels Easy Hotels Sleep Inn Source: HVS International. Choice 10 hotels by 2010; ? rst hotels Hotels with to be in Tirupati and Vizag Gupta Group Air Asia, Malaysia Lemon Tree partnered by Warburg Pincus First hotel to be in Goa 10 hotels by 2010 While growth is expected in the upscale hotels, the growth in the economy segment is still minimal. While several chains, both domestic and international, ha ve announced plans for development of hotels in this segment, visible action on the ground is limited.Economy hotel chains in India mainly target value-conscious domestic business and leisure travelers who demand convenient lodging, a consistent product and high-quality services. According to a study conducted by Ginger, currently, 37 percent of economy hotel guests are individual business travelers, 23 percent are contract corporate customers and 20 percent are individual leisure travelers. Economy hotel chains aim to satisfy customers’ basic accommodation needs with a? ordable pricing, a comfortable lodging experience and a standardized service-product.Lack of competition in the branded economy hotels segment is a great opportunity for Ginger. Tune Hotels Red Fox Peppermint Royal Orchid 50 hotels by 2010; bids for 11 Hotels hotels on Railway land are held up; ? rst hotel open in Hyderabad Kamat Hotels 50 hotels in the next ? ve years; focused on West coast; tie-up with ONGC /MRPL Wyndham with Gammon 38 hotels by 2011 Kamfotel Days Inn / Super 8 Premier Travel Inn Whitbread 80 hotels in 10 years in a joint venture with Emaar MGF Landmark 20 hotels by 2009 Group, Dubai DIC Starwood No numbers mentioned No numbers mentioned City Max Hotels TravelodgeCOMPETITION The lodging industry in India is highly fragmented and competitive, and competition is expected to persist and intensify. Currently, Ginger competes with three-star full-service hotels from the unorganized sector (these are hotels developed and operated as standalone hotels with no chain/hotel group Campanile While some developments have started in the mid-market segment with Lemon Tree Hotels, Ibis (Accor), Keys (Bergruen Hotels), Day Hotels (Dawnay Day), Hometel (Sarovar Group), Hilton Garden Inn Hotels (DLF) and Taj Gateway Hotels, not much activity is visible at the economy end of the spectrum.This is possibly on account of the high prices of real estate. Ginger: Smart BasicsTM 447 CASE STUDY Ginger—The Service Concept The concept of Ginger was developed in association with renowned corporate strategy thinker, Dr C. K. Prahalad, and the hotels were indigenously designed and developed by the Indian Hotels Company Limited. The Ginger hotels are built around a concept that provides facilities to meet the key needs of today’s traveler, at a? ordable rates. Smart Basicsâ„ ¢ is a philosophy of providing intelligent, thoughtout facilities and services at a ‘value’ pricing and re? cts the new spirit in which people live and work today. It signi? es the emerging lifestyle which is visible in the degree to which individuals have taken control of their various activities viz. the use of e-mail instead of letters, as also the use of mobile phones, conference calls and video conferences to get things done quickly and e? ciently. Essentially, it is simplicity and convenience in ease of doing business (awareness, booking channels, payment gateways); inform ality, style, warmth and modernity in its approach to product design, service philosophy and a? rdability in pricing. The ? rst of the Smart Basicsâ„ ¢ hotel was launched in Bangalore and was called indiOne. When the test marketing of the concept was completed, there were slight changes to improve the hotel facilities and services. After that, the Smart BasicsTM concept was rolled out across India. This category of hotels was launched with a new name, Ginger hotels, in line with the fresh, simple yet stylish and warm world of Smart Basicsâ„ ¢. An up-and-coming category of hotels, Ginger de? nitely signi? es simplicity, convenience, informality, style, warmth, modernity and a? rdability. The target segment for Ginger is the large growing middle class with increasing disposable incomes. They are the class of travelers who would spend on travel but not on luxury accommodations. These travelers look for value-for-money accommodation that is clean and secure and also include intern ational travelers looking for hygienic accommodation in the smaller cities. Ginger is the only branded economy hotel chain in India with a nationwide network of 12 hotels, with an additional 20 hotels under development as of 31 May, 2008.Their early-mover status in many markets and established regional operational synergy has enabled Ginger to develop and operate hotels e? ciently and successfully in targeted markets. As the only branded economy hotel chain in India, the chain has been able to establish credibility with property owners and secure desirable properties on favorable lease terms. The economy segment (3-star) is better protected against and more resilient to the volatility in the hospitality segment as compared to the upscale segment. THE OFFERING—SMART BASICSâ„ ¢Ginger hotels designed their facilities and services to include The Square Mealâ„ ¢Ã¢â‚¬â€a multi-cuisine restaurant, on-site cyber cafe, a meeting room (that seats 10 people), laundry facility (sa me day delivery), on-site ATM, a Gymnasium, secure parking and Doctor-on-call. Ginger lays special emphasis on environmental and ecological issues through the use of compact ? uorescent lights (CFL), well utilized natural lighting, auto-time management for air-conditioning and energy-e? cient hydro-pneumatic systems. Ginger provides ingle rooms for the lone traveler; twin rooms with separate beds for those who travel together; double rooms with a queen-size bed; and special rooms for the speci? c needs of the physically challenged. The rooms are packed with electronic locking systems, cable TV, Internet connectivity, a mini fridge, tea/co? ee makers, self controlled air-conditioners, an ergonomic work area, and a 17-inch ? at screen TV. Each room has branded toiletries, 24-hour hot and cold running water, a shower area, and bath and hand towels. Exhibit 5: Smart BasicsTM amenities. 48 Case Study Exhibit 6: Innovative promotion — A life-size model created for a campaign that i s carried to metros across India. Ginger operates predominantly in a large geography of nonmetros with uncontested market opportunity. Exhibit 7: The Ginger Development Map To ensure safety, Ginger is equipped with 24-hour security, closed-circuit TV to maintain records of all visitors, swipe card locks and digital safes located at a Give ‘n’ Takeâ„ ¢ counter at the lobby. In addition, it has supporting infrastructural facilities including administrative o? es, kitchens, housekeeping, HVAC facilities, diesel generators for emergency power supply, water treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, etc. Ginger has outsourced food and beverage to partners operating on a revenue-share model, which includes Cafe Co? ee Day in selected properties. Ginger also o? ers other facilities like â€Å"SMART Wellness†, which is an Ayurvedic wellness facility for business travelers at a low cost. This has been developed with Arya Vaidya Pharmacy at all businesscum-leisure locatio ns.Ginger has introduced â€Å"SMART Sleep,† which includes a posture-pedic mattress for absorbing and redistributing pressure from the body weight, a tropical duvet and an anti-allergy pillow. The company has also introduced selfoperated vending machines that accept Indian currency for customer’s convenience. The company is now developing a â€Å"SMART Shower†. The organization believes that a customer’s sleep and bath are his most important needs at their hotels. Going forward, Ginger plans to develop its own range of merchandise that will be o? ered in its hotels and on its website.The merchandise is to include their bath collection, bedding collection, furnishings and decor, apparel, accessories, travel accessories and etc. Ginger intends to increase their revenue per available room by adopting a ? exible pricing approach/policy, which will be linked to the occupancy levels in the individual hotels. EMPLOYEES AND TRAINING Ginger believes that their ab ility to attract good talent, train and retain employees is critical for their growth strategy, as people are critical to maintaining the quality and consistency of their services, and thereby their brand and reputation.The business model of Ginger uses a fair amount of outsourcing. Only about 10 managers per hotel are on the payrolls of Ginger, while all other facilities like kitchen, restaurant, backend maintenance, are outsourced. Ginger has a total of about 175 permanent employees. Since housekeeping and food and beverage are outsourced operations, these employees are on the vendors’ payrolls. Ginger tries to leverage on hotel management schools to develop a management talent pool with su? cient capacity to meet the demands presented by their rapid growth.The company aims to recruit, train and retain the best talent through a multi-step recruiting and training process, and career advancement opportunities. Ginger has implemented extensive training programs and periodic te sts for managerial and other hotel-based sta? primarily through training partners. New unit managers of the hotels are required to undergo a two-month training, during which they receive training in managing all core aspects of the hotel operations, as well as the company culture and philosophy. Ginger: Smart BasicsTM 449In addition to training, Ginger has implemented periodic web-based tests to assess the relevant knowledge and skills of their managerial and other employees. The company uses performance-linked compensation structure, careeroriented training and career advancement opportunities as key drivers to motivate its employees. Ginger’s challenge is also to ensure that the outsourced partner delivers up to the service standards that was agreed upon. To be able to create/modify the outsourced partner’s systems and processes to its needs in order to deliver consistent good quality of service to the customer is critical.Since each person in the system is working t owards the same goal of delighting the customer, there are few di? erences in terms of the employee pro? les between employees of the outsourced partner and the employees on the payrolls of Ginger. It is important to ensure that the people working for the outsourced partner see themselves as a part of the same team. It is also important that the outsourced partner sees the advantages in following the policies, processes and systems of Ginger. Ginger operates in a large geography of smaller cities where the pro? es of employees in terms of their exposure to technology, comfort with modern amenities, etc. are di? erent from that of a metropolitan city. The challenge therefore lies in getting these employees to perform up to expectations. To design systems to recruit the right kind of people and provide the right kind of training to employees is a challenge for Ginger because, while the developmental inputs do not need to be the same across unit locations, the output in terms of consis tent service to ful? ll customer needs has to be fairly identical. Additionally, acquiring professionally quali? d employees locally (in remote areas and non-metro cities) and retaining talent at those locations is an area of concern. In their endeavor to retain talent, Ginger makes e? orts to ensure that employees see additional value in non-monetary rewards like developing employees competencies by making this visible to their employees through certi? cations, etc. But to be able to consistently ensure this across locations remains a challenge. If there is attrition, to be able to train and retrain employees (since the numbers are very small) at remote locations becomes very di? ult. Ginger’s people challenges are thus attracting talent and keeping them continuously motivated, given the vast opportunities for most of their young talent. Ginger training head, Bhanot, says: â€Å"We are cost conscious and so we need to use unconventional methods of recruitment because conven tional methods like placement agencies turn out to be very expensive. We recruit through [email  protected], our recruitment portal, and about 48 percent of recruitment happens through this site. The rest of the recruitment is through referral programmes (with rewards for referring).These methods have been successful. We also build relationships with business schools and our employees go to colleges and partner with them by linking with their syllabi, calling students for get-togethers, using students as summer interns; instead of going once in a year like most companies do. We try to build relationships before the recruitment even starts. We also try to address the challenge of keeping our young sta? motivated by giving them opportunities to learn and grow by continuously upgrading their skills.We are a budget hotel and we have chosen e-learning initiatives to cut costs. We have in-house training, induction, training operations and e-learning modules (based on customer feedback s ystems) and program content is created internally. † CENTRALIZED HOTEL MANAGEMENT Personnel at corporate o? ce perform strategic planning, ? nance, project development, sales and marketing, training and other functions and guide, support and monitor the on-site hotel operations and executives. The key elements of Ginger’s centralized hotel management program are: Budgeting and MonitoringThe annual budget is based on historical operating performance of the hotel, planned targeted marketing, planned renovations, operational e? ciencies and local market conditions. Quality Assurance and Training–Quality standards These have been de? ned for all aspects of hotel operations, covering housekeeping and hotel maintenance, as well as ensuring compliance with these quality standards. A set of procedural manuals have been created and employees are trained to ensure the e? ectiveness and uniformity through 450 Case Study the human resources department at our corporate o? e a s well as through outsourced training vendors. The compliance with quality standards is monitored through both scheduled and unannounced visits and reviews conducted periodically at each hotel. Employees are required take periodic tests (including e-certi? cation) in order to monitor compliance with quality standards. In addition, the practice of mystery audits and tracking customer comments through guest comment cards, and the direct solicitation of guest opinions regarding speci? c items, allows Ginger to improve services and amenities at each hotel across the chain.To maintain a competitive edge and enhance their hotels’ appeal the company requires each hotel to allocate a ? xed percentage of their revenue for periodic renovation and replacement of furnishings and equipment to maintain the quality and standards of its facilities. Ginger has implemented a centralized procurement system (where possible, along with the parent company, IHCL) to obtain the best pricing availabl e for the quality of goods sourced to the hotels and to minimize the operating expenses. Ginger supports local sales e? rts of each of its hotels along with corporate o? ce sales executives who develop and implement new marketing programs, and monitor and respond to speci? c market needs and preferences. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Large travel agencies and smaller travel agents. Call Center—Ginger currently has a call center which can be reached through a toll-free number. Travel portals and other travel related websites. Distribution partners—Partners like BPCL, which is currently rolling out Travel Desks in various BPCL petrol pumps across the country, is also used as a channel for distribution.Access to these channels enhances occupancy rates of the units (hotels) on a day-to-day basis. The Ginger brand, trade names, trademarks, trade secrets and other intellectual properties are used to distinguish and protect their technology platforms, services and products from those of their competitors. This also contribute to their competitive advantage in the economy-hotel segment of the lodging industry in India. These intellectual properties are currently owned by the parent company, Indian Hotels Company Limited.To protect the Ginger brand and other intellectual properties, they rely on laws governing trademarks, trade secrets and copyrights as well as imposing con? dentiality obligations on their employees, contractors and others. Ginger has registered trademarks in India, including â€Å" † and a registered domain name viz. www. gingerhotels. com. Ginger’s corporate marketing and advertising programs are designed to enhance consumer awareness and preference for the Ginger brand—which is to o? r the best value, convenience and comfort in the economy hotel segment of the Indian lodging industry; and to encourage customers’ use of their centralized reservation system. Marketing and advertising e? orts include outdoor advertisements, distribution of ? yers and other marketing collateral on their hotel properties, television, Internet, radio advertising, print advertising in consumer media, promotional events, special holiday promotions and joint promotional activities.In reshaping customers’ expectations to make the brand endearing, Ginger does not provide room service, valet and concierge, and communicates the message â€Å"Please help yourselves† through its advertisements. The advertisements convey that since none of the above facilities are provided by the hotel, the customer saves on tips. However, there is clearly an expectation-perception gap as the Indian customer is still uncomfortable with the concept of Smart BasicsTM. They grapple with â€Å"there was nobody to receive me,† â€Å"nobody gave me water in the room,† â€Å"I called 7 times andMARKETING GINGER Ginger’s core targeted customers consist of corporate customers, value-oriented individual SME business travelers and leisure travelers seeking comfortable and convenient lodging at an a? ordable price. Ginger reviews hotel pricing twice a year and typically adjust room rates annually based on the local market conditions of the city and the speci? c location of each hotel. The corporate o? ce team and the city and hotel managers jointly develop tailored marketing plans to drive sales for each hotel and in each city.Ginger operates in a large geography of non-metropolitan cities like Agartala, Nashik, Bhubhaneshwar and Durgapur where pro? les of customer in terms of their exposure to technology, comfort with modern amenities, etc. are di? erent. The challenge therefore lies in customer responses to these. Ginger is currently using the following distribution channels which includes online media. †¢ Website—Internet Booking Engine hosted on the Ginger website is one of the main channels used for making the bookings. Ginger: Smart BasicsTM 51 the room boy did not tur n up. † Ginger sees many customers each day who enter the hotel not knowing what to expect. The many complaints on the websites and complaints registered across the counters at the hotels have to do with services Ginger does not provide (by design) rather than dissatisfactions caused by Ginger’s service. Creating awareness for the Ginger brand at this point in time is a challenge, and since the business model does not allow huge expenditure on media, innovative promotion is needed.Ginger made quirky use of outdoor media by materializing the idea of using a life-size 3-dimensional hoarding of some parts of the hotel, including getting someone to live in it. This was taken across a couple of metros for promotion and received extensive coverage in the electronic media. Ginger needs to ensure their customers come in recognizing and knowing what they should be expecting from the hotel. The challenge is not only in communication through advertisements, but also to communicate it clearly when a customer checks in. Ginger’s ability to communicate clearly what the customer can expect is an area of concern.This is because there is a tendency not to explain either because the customer does not have the patience to listen or there is a fear of losing this customer. Ginger has been trying to plug this by educating the customer before he/she checks in by having commercials playing in the hotel, training front line managers to give clear messages to the customer as to what Ginger can deliver, and communicating this through advertising. STUDY QUESTIONS 1. 2. 3. 4. What is Ginger’s service concept? Use the Flower of Service to aid you in your answer. How does Ginger create customer value?How can Ginger manage customer expectations more e? ectively? Evaluate Ginger’s brand positioning and communications strategy. Given that the number of players in the budget hotels market is increasing, how can Ginger sustain its unique positioning? Ginger fac es challenges relating to people. How can they overcome these challenges? What are the key challenges in the way to service excellence for Ginger? Give recommendations to Ginger to overcome these challenges? 5. 6. 1  © 2009 Dr Mukta Kampllikar, Senior Practice Consultant, Tata Management Training Center, Pune, India. 452 Case Study

Andres Bonifacio: Story of Life Essay

Bonifacio was the son of Santiago Bonifacio and Catalina de Castro in Tondo, Manila, and was the eldest of five children.[7] His father was a tailor who served as a tenyente mayor of Tondo, Manila, while his mother was a mestiza born of a Spanish father and a Filipino-Chinese mother who worked at a cigarette factory. As was custom, upon baptism he was named for the saint on whose feast he was born, Andrew the Apostle. Bonifacio’s normal schooling was cut short when he dropped out to support his siblings after both their parents died of illness. He sold canes and paper fans he made himself and made posters for business firms. In his late teens, he worked as a mandatory for the British trading firm Fleming and Company, where he rose to become a corregidor of tar, rattant and other goods. He later transferred to Fressell and Company, a German trading firm, where he worked as a bodeguero (storehouse worker). Bonifacio was also a part-time actor who performed in moro-moro plays. Not finishing his normal education, Bonifacio was self-educated. He read books about the French Revolution, biographies of the Presidents of the United States, books about contemporary Philippine penal and civil codes, and novels such as Victor Hugo’s Les Misà ©rables, Eugà ¨ne Sue’s Le Juif errant and Josà © Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Aside from Tagalog and Spanish, he could speak a little English, learnt from his working for J.M. Fleming and Co.[8] Bonifacio was married twice, first to a certain Monica who died of leprosy. He then married Gregoria de Jesà ºs of Caloocan in 1893. They had one son named Andrà ©s who died in infancy of smallpox (Chickenpox). In 1892 he joined Rizal’s La Liga Filipina, an organisation which called for political reform in the colonial government of the Philippines. However, La Liga disbanded after only one meeting as Rizal was arrested and deported to Dapitan in Mindanao. Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini and others revived La Liga in Rizal’s absence and Bonifacio was active at organising local chapters in Manila. La Liga Filipina contributed moral and financial support to Propaganda Movement Filipino reformists in Spain.

Filipino Biologist Angel Alcala and Artifical Coral Reefs

Filipino Biologist Angel Alcala and Artifical Coral Reefs Angel Alcal has more than thirty years of experience in tropical marine resource conservationa. Angel Alcala is considered a world class authority in ecology and biogeography of amphibians and reptiles, and is behind the invention of artifical coral reefs to be used for fisheries in Southeast Asia. Angel Alcala is the Director of the Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management. Angel Alcala - Degrees: Undergraduate degree Silliman UniversityPh.D. Stanford University Angel Alcala - Awards: 1994 - The Field Museum Founders Council Award of Merit for contributions to environmental biologyMagsaysay Award for Public ServicePew Fellowship in Marine Conservation Work with Philippine Amphibians Reptiles: Angel Alcala has done the most comprehensive studies on Philippine amphibians and reptiles, and minor studies on birds and mammals. His research done between 1954 to 1999 lead to the addition of fifty new species of amphibians and reptiles.

Colonist Revolt essays

Colonist Revolt essays Throughout American history there have been many ups and downs, especially in the beginning. When different groups from different parts of the world come together you are going to have conflicts no matter what the situation is. In the case of the American colonists revolting against Great Britain I feel that the American colonist had every right to be angry and wage war. The colonists were treated unfairly and they helped out in changing they way America was and they way it is today. In the beginning Great Britain wanted to tax the American colonist on top of what they had already were being taxed by the local governments. The American colonists did not feel that this was fair and did not want to pay the taxes. I agree with the colonists. There is no reason that they should be taxed twice for the same thing. I do realize that Great Britain was in debt a lot of money from coming to America and helping out to start the New World. I do not feel that they were wrong for what they were trying to do but it was not fair and they could have come up with other solutions. The revolt changed the country economically in many ways. First, the revolt had a huge affect on what was taxed and what was not taxed. I feel that it was appropriate for things to be taxed. With out taxation things can not be paid for to help the economy and help out in fixing things and paying government officials. I can not take the side of the colonist or Great Britain. I feel that they Britain had good intentions and the colonist were just upset because of all the taxation taking place at one time. The different taxes such as the tea tax, the stamp act, and other taxes were brilliant ideas in my mind to take care of the debt and for numerous other things. It is not possible for the government to have any authority without it. I feel that the revolt after it was all over brought many people together and helped to change the way peop ...

Big Problems with Massive Open Online Courses

Big Problems with Massive Open Online Courses Massive  Open Online Courses (commonly known as MOOCs) are free, publicly-available classes with high enrollment. With MOOCs, you can enroll in a course at no cost, do as much work as you please, and learn just about anything from computer science to transcendental poetry. Platforms like EdX, Coursera, and Udacity bring together colleges and professors that want to contribute to the field of open education. The Atlantic called MOOCs the single most important experiment in higher education and theres no doubt that they are changing the way we learn. However, not everything in the world of open education is going well. As MOOCs have become more popular, their problems have become more pronounced. Hello†¦Is Anybody Out There? One of the biggest problems with MOOCs is their impersonal nature. In many cases, thousands of students enroll in a single section with a single instructor. Sometimes the instructor is only a facilitator rather than the course creator, and other times the instructor is absent altogether. Assignments designed to be interactive such as group discussions can reinforce the impersonal nature of these large courses. Its hard enough for a class of 30 to get to know each other, forget learning the names of your 500 peers. For some subjects, particularly those that are math and science heavy, this isnt a major problem. But, arts and humanities course traditionally rely on in-depth discussion and debate. Learners often feel that they are missing something when they study in isolation. A Student Without Feedback In traditional classrooms, the point of instructor feedback isnt just to rank students. Ideally, students are able to learn from feedback and catch future mistakes. Unfortunately, in-depth feedback simply isnt possible in most MOOCs. Many instructors teach unpaid and even the most generous simply arent capable of correcting hundreds or thousands of papers a week. In some cases, MOOCs provide automatic feedback in the form of quizzes or interactives. However, without a mentor, some students find themselves repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Few Make it to the Finish Line MOOCS: Many will try but few will pass. Those high enrollment numbers may be deceiving. When enrollment is nothing more than a few mouse clicks, getting a class of 1000 can be simple. People find out through social media, blog posts, or internet surfing and enroll in just a couple minutes. But, they soon fall behind or forget to log in to the course from the beginning. In many cases, this isnt a negative. It gives the student the chance to try out a subject without risk and allows access to materials for those that may not be willing to make a larger time commitment. However, for some students, the low completion rate means that they just werent able to stay on top of the work. The self-motivated, work-as-you-please atmosphere doesnt work for everyone. Some students thrive in a more structured environment with set deadlines and in-person motivation. Forget About the Fancy Paper Currently, theres no way to earn a degree by taking MOOCs. There has been a lot of talk about awarding credit for MOOC completion, but little action has been taken. Although there are a few ways to earn college credit, its best to think about MOOCs as a way to enrich your life or further your education without receiving formal recognition. Academia is About the Money - At Least a Little Open education has offered many benefits to students. But, some worry about the negative repercussions to teachers. In many cases, professors are developing and teaching MOOCs (as well as providing e-textbooks) for free. While professorial pay has never been particularly high, instructors used to be able to count on making a supplemental income from research, textbook writing, and additional teaching assignments. When professors become expected to do more for free, one of two things will happen: colleges will need to adjust salaries accordingly or many of the most talented academics will find work elsewhere. Students benefit when they learn from the best and brightest, so this is a concern that will increasingly affect everyone in the academic sphere.

Report on the company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Report on the company - Essay Example By the very essence of its existence, the Coca-Cola Company definitely has stakeholders. This paper will analyse the stakeholders of the Coca-Cola Company and how they are affected by the company as well as how they affect the organization. The Coca-Cola Company is an American company that has its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America. The company was established in 1886 by John Pemberton and Asa Griggs Candler (Coca-Cola 2014). The company has a presence in many countries, estimated to be over 200, including the U.S., Britain, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, among numerous other countries. By the fact of its presence in several countries, the company is a multi-national. The business entity is a public limited liability company and has its shares traded in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The company has well over 500 brands to its name, its main brand being the Coca-Cola drink (or simply, Coke) (Coca-Cola 2014). The company makes, sells, and distributes soft drinks including Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Minute Maid Juices, Dasani mineral water, orange juice, and different brands of coffee and tea, to name a few (Coca-Cola 2014). It is estimated that worldwide, people consume at least 1.5 billion servings of one brand or another of the Coca-Cola Company every single day (Edinburgh Evening News 2010). Beyond any doubt the high level of consumption of Coca-Cola brands translates to high turnovers and profits for the company. In 2010, the company earned in excess of 10 billion Euros in the U.K. alone (Edinburgh Evening News 2010). The company is a strong brand, the reason it has several franchises across the world. In fact, most of the sales and profits that the company gets credited for come from the franchises. Some of the main stakeholders of an organization include the owners/shareholders, government, customers, community members, employees, and management (BBC 2014). Like many other

Habit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Habit - Essay Example Although it is not the goal of this brief analysis to discuss the means through which safety and comfort are innate within habit itself, this fact can obviously be denoted in a number of different ways. For purposes of this brief analysis, the author will discuss what is known as â€Å"the habit loop†; a theoretical interpretation of human habit and the underlying reason that prompts individuals to behave in a repetitive manner with regards to the choices, actions, and/or decisions they make. In order to understand this in something of a microcosm, the author will be presenting the reader with a brief examination of a habit that is engaged and whether or not this habit applies, follows, and typifies the â€Å"habit loop† that is previously been referenced. As such, it is the hope of this author that the reader will come away with a more profound understanding and appreciation of the way in which the habit loop impact describes and finds the way in which actions are repe ated. With regards to the habit that will be analyzed, this author will consider the individual ordering process that is exhibited with regards to the fast food chain – Taco Bell. ... This craving is of course awaiting a cue; at which time a direct level of connection between the initial craving and reward is bridged by a routine that the mind has come to accept. Although this may seem a relatively intricate and complex process, the fact of the matter is that this is engaged in each and every single habitual choice that any individual makes. A craving is initially exhibited within the mind; waiting for a cue. Once the queue is triggered, the reward is understood by the mind and can only be reached through the application of an applicable routine. In this way, with regards to the habit in question, the proclivity to order the same meal, regardless of the multitude of different offerings, represents a craving that is connected to a reward that is understood as only being satisfied by a particular menu choice. Psychologists have argued that the Golden rule of habit change states that the most effective way of seeking to change a given habit is to somehow keep the ini tial cue and reward that is able to be enjoyed whereas only modifying the routine itself. Naturally, this can be understood with regards to the way in which smoking cessation, Alcoholics Anonymous, and a number of other addictive substance counseling services seek to integrate with the patient. However, on even a more benign level, the golden rule habit change can also be applied the situation question. Instead of merely arriving at the understanding that the reward can only be derived through the set routine, the queue must be reconnected with an understanding of the fact that reward can also be derived from the alternate set of circumstances and/or an alternate set of choices. As such, seeking to change the routine in question would necessarily be

Quantitative Methods Portfolio Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 3

Quantitative Methods Portfolio - Assignment Example This report has selected Mercure London Bridge Hotel to find the trend of its customers, their perceptions and views of the hotel services (Prospects, 2013). The objective here is to apply statistical methods to assess the position of the Mercure London Bridge Hotel in terms of delivering good quality services to its customers. The paper will use descriptive statistics, cross tabulation method and t-test to present comprehensive findings and discussion. The study has adapted the quantitative research method, which implies the statistical approach of analysis and assessment. Using a primary source of data collection that is by conducting a sirvey of customers of Mercure London Bridge Hotel, this study is based on a primary research design. The approach adapted is deductive and therefore, follows a pattern of conclusiveness and close understanding (Noorossana et al., 2012). The sampling technique applied in the study is a random sampling, which brought to a sample of 100 visitors of the Mercure London Bridge Hotel from the population of total number of guests staying at the hotel (Abbott & McKinney, 2013). The questionnaire for the study is comprised of 20 questions in which 9 questions are based on demographics of the participants and 11 questions are in regard of the hotel service quality. Each question is from a different segment of assessment including reservation, room, staff, food and web service quality respectively. The questionnaire covers participants’ point of opinion with respect to their age, gender, and income differences. The primary data was collected at Mercure London Bridge Hotel, where guests were quested to participate in the survey at their own will. This primary data is utilized to bring out findings and discussions from the study. To conduct this quantitative study, the approach of statistical analysis is adopted. Descriptive statistics, cross tabulation, and T-Tests are tools applied in the study. For comparative analysis, cross

Business Proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Proposal - Assignment Example ment has not previously been submitted for assessment in any other course or at any other time in the same course and that I have not copied in part or whole or otherwise plagiarised the work of other students and/or persons. Webster food industries are in need for a reduction in the electricity and water bills. The electricity and water bills have gone up since the financial year began. It has created an increase in the costs of production and has led to the overall reduction in the company’s profits. Reduction In the costs will cause better management, improving the employees’ salaries and getting better equipment for production It has come to my attention that most of the employees leave the water running after washing their hands and most of them do forget to switch off the electric equipment’s when they are not in use, this has led to a significant increase in the costs of electricity and water bills, which has led to loses. Electricity and water bills are major costs in companies and creating awareness by seminars and reminding them through notifications in the affected areas will reduce the costs. Giving employees the responsibility of reminding their fellow colleges to do the small things like not leave the water running and to switch equipment is and lights off whenever they leave a room will lead to division of responsibility, which will lead to a growth of a positive response towards change. In order for the reduction of electricity and water costs to work, we need to start with a seminar for our employees to educate them on a better way to use the water and electricity in our company to reduce costs and improve profits. We can start by setting dates in which the seminars will be implemented and getting a well-known spokesperson to educate our employees on better ways of usage of the company’s resources ( Bloomsbury information ltd 2009). Typing notification in the bathroom sinks reminding employees not to leave the water running after use,

Casual Factors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Casual Factors - Essay Example mer includes such factors as genetic disposition and peri-natal conditioning, chemical imbalances, damages to the central nervous system, etc., while the latter includes such factors as schooling system, family and other cultural aspects. The remainder of this essay will foray into ways of identifying these factors, their consequences, and ways of mitigating them (Dodge, 1993) Emotional disorders caused by family can take several shapes. For example, a child that is constantly exposed to domestic violence, sexual abuse, excessive insults, constant poverty and loss of a parent can develop symptoms related to anxiety and depressive disorders. Some tell-tale signs of family-induced psychological disorders are: an introverted personality, academic underperformance, poor social skills, juvenile delinquency, etc. Recognizing early signs can be difficult as the affected children can assume a normal external disposition (Dodge, 1993). Usually, the underlying problem comes to light only after a traumatic episode. Nevertheless, child counselors can play a significant role in remedying some of the emotional and behavioral patterns through application of such techniques as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Primal Therapy, etc. Medications such as lithium, Buspirone, Fluoxetine, Bupropion, etc. can also be useful but have to be used with caution. Also, medications d on’t provide permanent cure but only temporary symptomatic relief. Hence, a prolonged counseling regime to change negative cognitive and behavior patterns is the most efficacious of the treatment options (Stewart, 1999). Emotional disturbances that are caused by an unsuitable school environment are similar to those that are caused by chaotic family circumstances. Inappropriate corporal punishments, bullying by peers, lack of proper attention from teachers, etc., can make the child feel sad and lonely. The child is also likely to experience feelings of guilt and worthlessness. The afflicted child

Business Proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Proposal - Assignment Example ment has not previously been submitted for assessment in any other course or at any other time in the same course and that I have not copied in part or whole or otherwise plagiarised the work of other students and/or persons. Webster food industries are in need for a reduction in the electricity and water bills. The electricity and water bills have gone up since the financial year began. It has created an increase in the costs of production and has led to the overall reduction in the company’s profits. Reduction In the costs will cause better management, improving the employees’ salaries and getting better equipment for production It has come to my attention that most of the employees leave the water running after washing their hands and most of them do forget to switch off the electric equipment’s when they are not in use, this has led to a significant increase in the costs of electricity and water bills, which has led to loses. Electricity and water bills are major costs in companies and creating awareness by seminars and reminding them through notifications in the affected areas will reduce the costs. Giving employees the responsibility of reminding their fellow colleges to do the small things like not leave the water running and to switch equipment is and lights off whenever they leave a room will lead to division of responsibility, which will lead to a growth of a positive response towards change. In order for the reduction of electricity and water costs to work, we need to start with a seminar for our employees to educate them on a better way to use the water and electricity in our company to reduce costs and improve profits. We can start by setting dates in which the seminars will be implemented and getting a well-known spokesperson to educate our employees on better ways of usage of the company’s resources ( Bloomsbury information ltd 2009). Typing notification in the bathroom sinks reminding employees not to leave the water running after use,

Film Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film Analysis - Essay Example He joined a Neo- Kazi movement where he befriended the leaders of that group, and started his mission with rage. When in the movement he killed two black men who were members of the gang. Before he killed them he found them trying to break into the truck that his father had left for him. Later he was imprisoned for three years as a result of manslaughter. As the film starts, there is a flashback, where Danny is trying to get some sleep but he cannot sleep because he was disturbed by the noise coming out from his brothers’ room. The brother was having sex with his girlfriend. He then hears another voice from outside, when he peeped through the window he saw a black man who was trying to break into his brothers’ truck. Danny ran into his brothers’ room to inform him about what he had seen. Derrick ran out with his pistol and started firing at the black men, and he managed to kill all of them. After that incidence Derrick is sentenced for three years imprisonment. I n prison, he was raped by the fellow skinheads but later was befriended by a black man whom he had to work for, just for his security in prison. The experience that Derrick went through, when in prison changed him forever. On his return home he realized that his younger brother Danny had started to involve himself with the group of white supremacy. Danny was spitting the racial slurs right and left, the same way that Derrick used to do before he was imprisoned (Smith, 2007). Derrick was in dismay when he realized that his family was torn apart, due to his violent action. Immediately after his release he goes to try and see if he can bring the family together. He wanted to reconcile with his sisters and mother, and also to change Danny from his behaviors that were disturbing. Towards the end of the film, it was clear that Derrick was able to change Danny to be the boy that he ones. To distance themselves from the white supremacy the boys had to tear down the pro-Nazi and racist propa ganda that were on the walls in Danny’s bedroom. After he stripped off the hate that was in his room Danny embarked working on his schoolwork paper. The initial intention of that paper was to share about hi Derrick’s lifestyle when in the Neo-Kazi movement (Christopher, 2008). But when he saw how his brother had transformed, his paper took another direction. He wrote a paper full of hope, telling how he and his brother were freed from bondage of rage and bigotry. Towards the end of the film Derrick escorts his brother to school and he bid him bye. After a short while when he went Derrick heard gun shots when he ran to the site he saw his brother lying on the floor with the essay next to him. The film American history X shows some incivility. The emotions of incivility are created in the film because there is a group in the film that is known as the white supremacy. Derrick was in the group and his rage to the blacks is shown when he kills the three black men. He murder ed them brutally because he considered the blacks, an inferior race. Another emotion of incivility is by that instance in the film American history, where Danny was shot by a black (Parfit, 2008). This boy killed him because he was filled with hatred against the whites. The other incidence that shows incivility is when Derricks’ father was murdered by a black man who was a drug dealer. When Danny died Derrick ran to him and started mourning as he asked himself what he had done that led to his

Death benefits Essay Example for Free

Death benefits Essay Scholars such as Gnckenzie (2007) advised people to take action before the 1st of July in order to ensure that they stand an opportunity to benefit under the new super rules. Among the things people were advised to do were to make a clear review on their nominations of death benefits, to make sure that they were still appropriate and in the current manner. Doing a review on insurance cover was also necessary to consider whether the amount in the account should be increased or not. Another strategy was to do a combination of all or part of the money for those who started their funds before 1983, the 1st of July. The set one million as a limit was also supposed to be utilized by people if they were to get advantage in the new changes. According to Betamann (2006) a person was supposed to make sure that they had effectively quoted the number on the tax file (TFN) to make good use of the new rules on their superannuation funds. Co-contributions were to be appropriately made to the government for the people whose contributions on the super is non-concessional, all these were recommended to be done before 1st July 2007. People were also advised to review their arrangements on salary contributions and confirm that the contributions they made did not go above the set limits. The set one million as a limit should be utilized by people if they are to get advantage in the new changes. A recommendation was also made that one should make sure that they have effectively quoted the TFN to make good use of the new rules on their superannuation funds. Co-contributions should be appropriately made to the government for the people whose contributions on the super is non-concessional. Annette (2006) advised people to make a review on minimum payments allocated on pension and be careful about the amount of money they withdraw, because if one withdraws a lot of money, then it means their accounts would soon run out. There was an advice to people to make applications for the health card of the seniors if they were legible for that. Checking whether one would suitably fit in the non-commutable to be able to enjoy the benefit of exception on the asset test which is on a 50% limit. Conclusion By and large the, the changes made on the 2007 simplified superannuation Act as Gnckenzie (2007) stated, have had a great improvement on the lives of the employees who were approaching retirement period. The exemption of tax, tax deduction, reduction of tax on death penalties and tax free death benefits upon the immediate dependents are among the benefits the seniors have enjoyed. However, the limitations introduced in the Act may have negative effects on the retirees who may not be able to comply. If a retiree takes action on the advice offered by the scholars, then they stand a great chance to take advantage of the 1st of July simplified superannuation Act. References Annette, N. (2006).Choices of Individual Investment and Retirement Enhancement: The Subcommittee Hearing. New York: McGraw Publishers. Batemann, H. (2006). Retirement Provision in Scary Markets (3rd ed. ). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Clare, S. (2005). Retirement in Australia and Superannuation: The Government Fund. Cambridge: Anderson Publishers. Cohen, P. (1998). Superannuation and Retirement (2nd ed. ). Chicago: Moody Press Gnckenzie, R. (2007). The Book That talks On Money: How to Manage Your Money Well. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Contributions Of Lim Guan Eng In Penang

Contributions Of Lim Guan Eng In Penang As a democracy country, there are many politicians in Malaysia. Based on the Oxford English Dictionary, politician means that a person who is professionally involved in politics, especially as a holder of an elected office. Besides, due to the Macmillan Dictionary, it is defined that politician is someone who has a job in politics and especially a member of parliament. Other than that, politician is a leader engaged in civil administration and always active in party politics. For those who are interested to become a politician or a political leader, he or she is involved in influencing public policy and decision making. This may be included people who hold decision making positions in government, and people who seek to those positions. However, politics is not limited to governance through public office. Political offices may also be held in corporations, and other entities that are governed by self-defined political processes. This can be known as freedom fighters. In order to become a politician in Malaysia, the individuals must be very active in political area. They are politically active especially in party politics. They must be a person who is holding or seeking political office whether elected or appointed, whether professionally or otherwise. Besides, the positions range is from local offices to executive, legislative and judicial offices of state and national governments. Some law enforcement officers, such as sheriffs are considered to be politicians also. There are many roles that need to be carried up as a politician. It is a common error to assume that the politicians role is to create jobs, encourage economic activity, enhance the welfare and well-being of his subjects, preserve the territorial integrity of his country, and fulfill a host of other functions. However, in truth, the politician has a single and exclusive role which is to get re-elected. His primary responsibility is to his party and its members. His relationship is with his real constituency, the partys rank and file. So, we can simplify that a politician is just like the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and he needs to answer to the corporations major shareholders. Lastly, a politician must manage to persuade people that everything will just go on getting better. As a general rule, politicians cannot lie. They can just say the real thing to the society. All politicians know that they will never get elected if they did not tell out the truth and try to lie to the society. No opposition politician will make strong statements pointing out structural difficulties or impending disaster because one day they hope to be in power and so they will do nothing that might frighten the electorate. So, a politician must be a very sincere person and he or she must stand towards the justice. Biography One of the respected and honorable politician in Malaysia is Lim Guan Eng. Lim Guan Eng is a Chinese man who was born on 8 December 1960. The place of birth of Lim Guan Eng is in Johor Bahru. Lim Guan Eng is a Chinese name and Lim is the family name. The father of Lim Guan Eng is Lim Kit Siang who was also involved in politic before this. Lim Kit Siang, father of Lim Guan Eng is a prominent leader of the Democratic Action Party. This is a democratic socialist opposition party in Malaysia. Lim Kit Siang had become the leader of the opposition party in the Dewan Rakyat from 1973 to 1999 and 2004 to 2008. Besides, Lim Guan Eng is married to Betty Chew Gek Cheng. Betty Chew Gek Cheng is one of the Malaysian Chinese politicians. She is coming from the Democratic Action Party which is also known as (DAP). In the year of 2005, Betty Chew Gek Cheng became the chief of the DAP Malacca womens wing. Other than that, she is also represents the constituency of Kota Laksamana in the State Assembly of Malacca.  [1]  Lim Guan Eng and Betty Chew Gek Cheng have a total of four children. They have three sons and a daughter only. In addition, Lim Guan Eng himself is a Member of Parliament for Bagan, State Assembly man for Air Puteh. He is the 4th Chief Minister of the State of Penang. He is also the Secretary-General of the Malaysian Democratic Action Party (DAP). DAP completed a clean sweep of all 19 Penang state seats it contested in the 12th Malaysian General Election. Moreover, there is also the early education of Lim Guan Eng. First and foremost, Lim Guan Eng attended to the La Salle Primary English School which is situated in Petaling Jaya. After that, he also continued for his study at Montfort Primary English School which is situated at Batu Pahat. Next, as for his secondary education, he went to the High School which is also situated in Batu Pahat. Later, he went to the Malacca High School to further his study. As for his universitys life, he was study at Monash University which is one of the famous universities in Australia. The course that he was taking during that time was the Bachelor of Economics. Finally, Lim Guan Eng managed to graduate from Monash University, Australia. He was successfully became a qualified professional accountant in the year of 1983. Other than that, he was also the president of (MUISS) which is known as Monash University International Student Society. Political Career Furthermore, there was also the early career of Lim Guan Eng. Before participating himself into the political area, Lim Guan Eng was a Bank Senior executive. He was first elected as a Member of Parliament for Kota Melaka in the year of 1986 by defeating the former Malaysian football captain, Soh Chin Aun with a majority of 17,606 votes. In October of the year 1987, Lim Guan Eng was detained in Operation Lalang under the inhumane Internal Security Act also known as ISA for almost 18 months. He was released after 18 months on April 1989. After joining in the Democratic Action Party, his political life becomes more active. As a proof to show that he began to active in the political area, he was appointed as the DAP Socialist Youth Chairman in the year of 1989. Then, he was elected to that post in the year of 1992. Besides, he was then re-elected in the subsequent year of 1990 and 1995 for general elections as MP for Kota Melaka for the second and third term, albeit with reduced majority votes. He thus became the first person to be elected for three consecutive terms in Kota Melaka. Other than that, he was also the first Malacca High School alumnus to achieve this. In the year 1995 also, he was elected as the DAP Deputy Secretary-General. Unfortunately, Lim Guan Eng was charged under the Sedition Act during this year also. After 12 months, Lim Guan Eng was released which is on 25 August 1999 due to his good behavior. Due to his incarceration, he was barred from standing for election for a period of five years. Therefore, he was ineligible to contest in the 2004 General Election. So in the year of 2004, he became the Secretary-General of the party in May. In 8 March 2008, Lim Guan Eng again contested in the Bagan parliamentary seat and Air Putih state seat in the General Election. Finally, he won the Bagan seat, defeated Song Choy Leng (BN) with a majority of 22,070 votes, and the Air Putih seat beating Tan Yoke Cheng (BN) with a 4,061 vote margin. Besides, during 11 March 2008, he also sworn in as the Chief Minister of Penang and initiated a system of governance which is based on the principles of Competency, Accountability and Transparency and with a soul as one that adopts an ethical and moral leadership that professes and gives faith, hope and love. Problems and obstacles faced by Lim Guan Eng Based on the whole political career stated above, Lim Guan Eng had faced some problems and obstructs in the year of 1994. He was arrested by the Malaysian police in 1994. This is because of his criticism on the governments handling of allegations of statutory rape in one of his constituents by former Chief Minister of the state of Melaka, Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik. Consequently, while the Attorney General decided not to press charges on Rahim Thamby Chik, Lim Guan Eng was charged under Section 4(1) (b) of the Sedition Act 1948 and also under Section 8A (1). The victim who was actually a Malay girl was initially detained by Malaysian police without parental consent for 10 days. With the verdict on the trial of Malaysian parliamentarian Lim Guan Eng due to be delivered shortly, Amnesty International reiterates its concern that Lim Guan Eng could face up to six years in jail and be disqualified from Parliament. Amnesty International considers that the charges against Lim Guan Eng were politically motivated, designed to intimidate dissenting voices and to limit debate on an issue of genuine public concern. Amnesty International believes that if convicted, he would be a prisoner of conscience imprisoned solely for the peaceful expression of his political views. Lim Guan Eng was charged in 1995 under the Sedition Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act. His trial opened in January 1996 and concluded on 28 February 1997 at the Malacca High Court. The judge who was Datuk Mohd Noor Abdullah was expected to deliver his judgment on 28 April 1997. Due to the happening of this incident, Lim Guan Eng was barred from standing for election for a period of five years. Base on the rule, members of parliament who are jailed for a year, or who are fined more than RM2000 (approximately US$780), will automatically forfeit their parliamentary seats. In addition, Amnesty International concern that Lim Guan Eng could be imprisoned. Besides, the organization is also concerned that if he is convicted, his constituents will be denied their elected representative simply because he spoke out on their behalf. Malaysian police arrested and charged Lim Guan Eng after he had publicly criticized the governments handling of allegations of statutory rape against the former Chief Minister of Malacca, Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik in the year 1994. In January 1995, Lim Guan Eng also stated that double standards were being applied in the statutory rape case. Attorney General Mohtar Abdullah had decided not to prosecute Rahim Tamby Chik, while the underaged alleged victim, a fifteen-year old Muslim school girl was placed under protective custody. On 28 February 1995, Lim Guan Eng was accused under Section 4(1) (b) of the Sedition Act of prompting disaffection with the administration of justice in Malaysia. If he found guilty, he need to face up to three years in jail and a RM5000 (approximately US$1,960) fine or both. In addition, on 17 March 1995, Lim Guan Eng was charged under Section 8A (1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act for maliciously printing a pamphlet containing allegedly false information specifically because he had used the term imprisoned victim in reference to the alleged rape victim. This charge carries a jail term of three years, a fine not exceeding RM20000 (approximately US$7,894) or both. Following the Federal Courts ruling, Judge Datuk Mohd Noor Abdullah ruled that the prosecution had in fact proved both charges against Lim Guan Eng beyond reasonable doubt and that the defense had a case to answer. Regarding Lim Guan Engs allegedly seditious verbal statements, the judge ruled that the report of a single junior police officer which was unsupported by an audio recording, constituted sufficient evidence to proceed. Besides, regarding the charges of printing false information, the judge ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt evidence and suggesting that the phrase imprisoned victim was false. This was apparently ignoring assertions that the statutory rape victim had been detained by police for ten days without parental consent. Finally, after a series of appeals, Lim Guan Eng was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment. However, he was released after 12 months on August 25 in the year of 1999. During the judicial procedure, Lim Guan Eng said that If I fail and have to go to jail, I have no regrets. I have no regrets of going down fighting for the principles of truth and justice and pursuit of human rights, especially womens rights. There can be no womens rights if women rape victims are considered equally responsible, and even detained, whilst the accused remain free.  [2]  Lim Guan Eng is such a good politician that stands on behalf of justice. Contributions of Lim Guan Eng in Penang As a politician, Lim Guan Eng does play his roles and manage to carry on all his responsibility towards the society. He had contributed so many things that are benefit to our society. In Malaysian general election at the year of 2008, the coalition of DAP-PKR-PAS later known as the Pakatan Rakyat had won 29 out of 40 state seats contested, in which DAP is the largest winning party with 19 seats, PKR 9 seats, and PAS 1. Thus, it defeated the former ruling coalition of Barisan Nasional for the authority to rule Penang for the next five years. However, Lim Guan Eng is not a resident in Penang. So, as the Secretary-General of DAP, he was nominated to be the next Chief Minister (CM) of Penang and replacing the long serving former Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon. Senior DAP leaders of Penang such as Lim Hock Seng, Phee Boon Poh, and Chow Kon Yeow were bypassed and were instead appointed as excos. As the new Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng announced an amnesty on all summonses issued by the Penang Municipal Council and Seberang Perai Municipal Council which involving vendors licenses and parking offences issued before March 2008. On March 14, a rowdy group comprising mostly Umno members and supporters took to the streets illegally after Friday prayers to protest his statements on the NEP. No arrests were made but two men were taken in for questioning. Various BN-backed groups and NGOs continued to make different sorts of protest and lodge police reports as a form of continued harassment.  [3]   Besides, in year 2008 on March 19, Lim Guan Eng announced that the state exco had approved an open tender system for projects exceeding RM50,000. For projects between RM20,000 and RM50,000, a balloting system will be introduced. Furthermore, a two-week objection period would be given for both the open tender and balloting systems. This is a stark contrast to BN governments usual way of directly awarding lucrative contracts to companies without any form of open tendering, mostly to shell companies created by connected personnel or BN politicians. For example, there is a major project which is the Penang International Convention Centre (PICC) was nearly launched without open tender. As of 2010, Penang remains the only state in Malaysia that practices a blanket open tendering system.  [4]   During his tenure as Chief Minister in Penang, it has ranked top among the list of investments in Malaysia which attracting RM12.2 billion worth of total capital investments in 2010. This is also a 465% increase compared to the total investment of RM2.17 billion as of 2009. Consequently in 2011, Penang became top in manufacturing investment in Malaysia for the second consecutive year, with RM9.1 billion in total. In a new measurement indicator of total investment however, which comprises manufacturing, services and private sectors, Penang ranked second in Malaysia after Sarawak in total investments, with the total amount of RM14.038 billion, this was due to not having much primary sector investments.  [5]  Consequently, the public debt in Penang has decreased by 95% from RM630 million in 2008 to RM30 million at the end of 2011.  [6]   On April 28, 2011, Lim signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with China. This is witnessed by Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao and Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak on the proposal of the construction of three road and tunnel projects in Penang island. This had including a 6.5 km undersea tunnel, a third link between the island and Butterworth on the mainland. The purpose for Lim Guan Eng to do so is because this will manage to ease the traffic congestion in the area and to improve the links between the island and the mainland.  [7]   Moreover, Lim Guan Eng has launched the concept of Competency, Accountability and Transparency (CAT) in his governance. This slogan is to make sure that the state government can achieve an efficient, responsible and clean government. Other than that, the emphasis of the slogan aims to allow people in Penang in order to share the state governments prosperity when the slogan is achieved. Besides, CAT also comprises positive work ethics and inculcates a team spirit based on performance. This slogan is eventually achieved when the state government enjoys record budget surpluses in successfully attracting up to RM 12.2 billion of total capital investments and practicing an open tender system.  [8]  The reform of the government with its new policies has ended the cronyism and corruption that led to major deficits under the previous regime according to the report in international weekly newsmagazine-The Economist.  [9]   As a result, the Auditor-General praise the Penang state government as the best financially managed state in Malaysia each year from 2008 until 2010. According to the AG report, the consolidated fund has increased by 2.7%, from RM1101.89mil in 2009 to RM1,131.17mil in 2010. Likewise, the consolidated revenue fund has surged by 6.2% from RM538.95mil in 2009 to RM572.49mil in 2010.  [10]   Other than that, there is one program in the Penang state government which is named by Cleaner, Greener Penang. This program is launched by Lim Guan Eng in the year of 2010. The purpose of this program is to transform Penang into the environmentally friendliest and most livable city in Malaysia through education, enforcement and appreciation. This is to restore the current living environment into a cleaner and more sustainable city, which in turn improving the quality of life.  [11]   There are basically four objectives of Cleaner, Greener Penang. The first objective is to improve the quality of life and create a greener public realm. This is to create a sustainable and inclusive community in order to achieve a better living environment. The second objective is to raise awareness and education. This is to encourage the spirit of volunteerism and to forge a committed leadership, strong partnership active community involvement, desire for quality and innovation. The third objective is to carry out policy mapping and institutional Improvements. Lastly, the last objective is to to get the basics right. This is to have effective policies and department process maps to tackle the cleanliness issues and to raise awareness to provide a better living environment for the communities. There are also many reasons for the program of Cleaner, Greener Penang. The first reason is to envision a better living environment. Next, this program is to reposition Penang as a sustainable city. The other reason is to revitalize the urban space and streetscape. Finally, it is an initiative that brings change to the way of Penang residents lifestyle and to be the Habitat of Choice, My Penang My Pride. Due to the program of Cleaner, Greener Penang, Lim Guan Eng enforced the ban on free plastic bags throughout the state on January 1 in the year of 2010. In order to ensure of the renewal of business licenses, retail stores, food outlets and hawker stalls state-wide are required to adhere to the rulings which is the ban of free plastic bags. The proceedings from the sale of plastic bags went to the Partners against Poverty Special Fund to assist the states hardcore poor. This initiative was the first of its kind in Malaysia.  [12]   In the other hand, on December 11 of the year 2011, Lim Guan Eng initiated the Car Free Day which would be held every Sunday at particular stretches of roads in the interior city of George Town, Penang. All motorized vehicles are prohibited from entering these areas on that day, which are part of his efforts transform Penang into a sustainable city and fight climate change.  [13]   In addition, the state government is also considering a proposal to set up bicycle lanes around Penang Island, which is mainly along coastal areas and Seberang Perai, which is scheduled to complete by 2020. Lim Guan Eng wanted to promote Penang as the first state that practice cycling as a healthy form of activity and reduce dependency on motorized vehicles.  [14]   Another contribution that had been done by Lim Guan Eng to the Penang residents is the welfare aids and program. These record budget surpluses are directed towards social benefits such as financial aid to the hardcore poor, cash handouts to the elderly as anti-corruption dividend, upgrading of public housing, free Wi-Fi internet services at selected hot spots and free bus services within the city and between Penang island and Seberang Perai for workers.  [15]  Social welfare aid of RM100 is awarded annually to senior citizens, single mothers, disabled individuals, new-born babies and school-going pupils in Primary 1 to 4 as well as Form 1 to 4.  [16]   Besides, Lim Guan Eng had launched a program due to the bus service in Penang on March 1 in the year of 2011. The main purpose of this bus service is to increase the usage of public transport. In the other hand, this bus service can reduce traffic congestion during peak hours on the Penang Bridge and therefore ease the financial burden of the factory workers. One of the example is the Bridge Express Shuttle Transit which is also known as (BEST) is a free-of-charge park and ride shuttle bus services which ferries commuters across the Penang Bridge from Seberang Jaya to Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone. Other than that, there is also a SMART Centre in Penang which is an initiative set up by the Penang state government. In June 2009, during the Penang Outlook Forum, Lim Guan Eng also launched a think tank invest in Penang. The intention of this SMART Centre is to provide market intelligence, business advisory, information and resources and training services to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Penang. In assisting these SMEs, it focuses on promotion of local sourcing, investments and networking by providing various programs such as business matching, seminars and talks.  [17]   Under Pakatan Rakyats Agenda Economic Social (AES) or also called as Social Economic Agenda, The Penang state government is aiming to be the first state in Malaysia to eradicate poverty by ensuring every household in Penang has an income of at least RM770 per month. In Peninsular Malaysia, the poverty line is RM763 per month for every family. However, those families with less than RM770 monthly income will have the difference topped up by the state government every month. In other words, a family with RM600 monthly income will receive RM170 monthly under this program.  [18]   Controversy in His Political Life On September 20, 2011, Australia Broadcasting Corporation had conducted an interview with Lim Guan Eng. However, the Malaysian news agency, Bernama reported that he had criticized over disparaging remarks about security of the state of Johor.  [19]  During his speech, he said that You dont have to worry about your safety when you come to Penang. In Johor, if you are a Singaporean, you are likely to get kidnapped. Lim Guan Eng insisted he never mentioned Johor during his interview. Wong Kim Fei, who is a press secretary of Lim Guan Eng had wrote a letter to Bernama editor-in-chief Datuk Yoo Soo Heong, saying that the article that had published was false, untrue and a pack of lies. Instead, he said Lim Guan Eng had merely discussed the Malaysia Solution deal with Australia, the governments pledge to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA) and Penang issues. Besides, he demanded that Bernama retract their story and issue a formal apology or face a lawsuit.  [20]  He also hopes th at they will continue to uphold professional journalistic standards of integrity and truthfulness by doing so again. Opinion is free but facts are sacred. After that, Lim Guan Eng has apologized to the Sultan of Johor and his subjects over the alleged disparaging remarks he made about Johor in Singapore. It is because the recording of his remark was revealed by the government controlled television channel, TV3, showing clear evidence of his proclaiming that Singaporeans who are in Johor are likely to be kidnapped. On December 14, 2011, Lim Guan Eng has won the defamation suit against Malay daily Utusan Malaysia, which has been ordered by a High Court to pay RM200,000 in damages for publishing a defamatory article about Lim Guan Eng and a cost of RM25,000 to him. Justice Varghese George Varughese, in allowing the defamation suit by Lim Guan Eng against the Malay daily, said he had examined the seven paragraphs containing the defamatory words and found that they were malicious, had intention to mislead readers and was written in bad faith. The article is entitled Kebiadapan Guan Eng (Guan Engs Arrogance) which had defamed his political career and subsequently picturing him and Democratic Action Party (DAP) as anti-Malay and anti-Muslim. The papers publication company, Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd, in its statement of defence, stated that the article was published in response to Lim Guan Engs verbal attack against the paper during his speech at the Pakatan Rakyat convention in Kepala Batas on 19 Decembe r 2010.  [21]   On June 22, 2011, Lim Guan Eng has won the second defamation suit against Utusan Malaysia, which was ordered by the Penang High Court to pay Lim Guan Eng RM200,000 in damages and RM20,000 in costs. Lim Guan Eng had claimed a March 12, 2008 article headlined Tiada Lagi DEB (No More NEP) in the Malay-language newspaper which said he would abolish the New Economic Policy was inaccurate.  [22]   Earlier in 2012, Penang state UMNO claimed that the developer of Penang World City in Bayan Mutiara made no provision for mosques, pointing out that the plot has yet to be subdivided. According to Chief Shaik Hussein Mydin, under the Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) 1976, all land must be sub-divided according to an approved project plan before land title can be transferred to the developer. However, he said that the Penang government had failed to observe the rule in the Bayan Mutiara land deal. Lim Guan Eng responded that the developer Ivory Properties Group Bhd (IPGB) will only do the subdivision when it submits development plans for the 41.5-ha real estate to Penang Municipal Council (MPPP). In his statement, he said that the new plans and subdivision of title has not yet even been submitted, how can Umno claim that the mosque or school land has been sold or disappeared. Umno must remember that there are standard requirements for schools and places of worship including surau or mosque that are compulsory by local government or must be included in any development project. He also stressed that the people-centric state government would hold on to its fundamental principles and not let land marked for schools and places of worship to disappear. The DAP secretary-general will take legal action against Umno and Utusan Malaysia for claiming that he had sold off the mosque land, and warned Barisan Nasional (BN) from further stoking religious tension. Lim Guan Eng was willing to retire from politics if critics of the deal could prove that the land sale was not done through an open and competitive tender.  [23]   On 6 December, 2012, Lim Guan Eng wants to prove in court that he is not corrupt and doesnt take RM 40 million donations. Penang UMNO Youth Chief Shaik Hussein Mydin and Gerakan have claimed that the Chief Minister has personally received money from Kuala Lumpur International Dental Centre (KLIDC) in respect of its proposed private hospital in Penang. His special legal officer Andrew Yong said in a statement that they have made a baseless claim against the Chief Minister. Alternatively, they should prove their case in court when Lim Guan Eng sues them for their defamatory statements, which are intended to damage his public image and political career. Shaik, UMNO Youth nor Gerakan have so far shown any proof to back their baseless allegations that KLIDC offered money to the Chief Minister to help secure the tender award for the 1.1 acre piece of land in Taman Manggis to build a private hospital. In fact, it was Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai himself who announced that KLIDC has finally obtained a license to operate the private hospital in Penang. In other words, are UMNO Youth and Gerakan also implying that Liow Tiong Lai must also have received money from KLIDC? So, there is a conflict occur on their statement. Nevertheless, KLIDC was given no advantage or favors when it won the bid for the Taman Manggis land, which was offered to the public by open competitive tender. KLIDC made the highest bid of RM 232 per square foot, and the highest bid was chosen.  [24]   Changing Penang in a Changing World: Transforming Penang Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was given a speech on foreign news agencies Club in Singapore on August 12, 2011. The first main point about todays changing wo

Quality Control :: essays research papers fc

Topics in Liberal Arts Math. Quality Control Quality control, as described through the Encarta Dictionary, is a system used in many companies, departments, and businesses for achieving or maintaining a desired level of quality in a manufactured product by inspecting samples and assessing what changes may be needed in the manufacturing process. To do this inspectors are hired and made to look over every step of the manufacturing process to make sure the product is as the company’s standards want it to be. There are many businesses that use this technique, but one in particular which hinges its success on the quality of its product is the food industry. In no other industry is quality control more important than in this field. If the quality is not checked in all products it can spell disaster for a food processing company. Not only can poorly processed food taste bad, but, in some instances it can lead to sickness, leaving the industry in a very difficult and possibly legally responsible situation. So, to prevent this, th e food industry, as well as many others, chose to use quality control in the form of sampling, to make sure their products go on the market not only tasting good, but being safe as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the food industry, quality control is used to make sure that only the tastiest product goes on the market, and in order to do this, only the best ingredients must be chosen for a company’s product. Take for example tomato paste. The most vital ingredient in tomato paste is just that, tomato. Therefore, a company specializing in tomato paste must first check and guarantee that all the tomato’s meet there specifications. The first step in this process would then have to be creating quality specifications. The most popular method amongst the food industry for creating this is checking the food product through what they call â€Å"food attributes†. In the case of a tomato this can be anything from color, size, shape, any damage on the tomato, and the hardness of the fruit. Once this is completed and agreed upon, inspectors are hired to overview and test a representative sample of the food, in this case tomatoes, to make sure the batch meets the specifications set out by the company.