The Protruding and Dominant Meanings of Boss

The Protruding and Dominant Meanings of Boss The Protruding and Dominant Meanings of Boss The Protruding and Dominant Meanings of Boss By Mark Nichol Boss has two distinct meanings, and though one might seem to be able to draw a connection between them- they both refer to something that stands out among others- they have different etymological origins. The earlier, and less prevalent, meaning is â€Å"protuberance,† from a Latin word of uncertain origin by way of the Old French term boce, meaning â€Å"swelling.† The word usually pertains to the protruding central component of a shield, which helped the bearer ward off blows from an opponent. The derived verb emboss and adjective embossed, formed by the attachment of a prefix meaning â€Å"in† or â€Å"into,† refers to raised ornamentation or inscription in general. Boss also refers to the hub of a propeller, a projecting stone block in a wall or other architectural element, a similar naturally occurring feature in geology, or a pad used in some crafty endeavors such as ceramics and glassmaking. Interestingly, bocle, a variation of the Old French precursor, is also the source of buckle, both a word referring to a ring of metal (or other material) used for fastening or the act of fastening something to it and a word meaning â€Å"bend out of shape,† and buckler, the name of a small, round shield (and the resulting term swashbuckler, referring to a literary genre involving feats of derring-do; the term is perhaps inspired by the image of a buckler-wielding hero). The dominant meaning of boss, that of â€Å"supervisor,† is from the Dutch word baas, meaning â€Å"master† (and possibly originally meaning â€Å"uncle†). The term was used to refer to the person in charge of a Dutch ship. (In English, the technically correct word is master, though it has been largely supplanted by captain.) The adoption of the Dutch term into English may be influenced by the assimilation of Dutch colonies in North America into the British colonies in the 1600s, with the attendant infiltration of Dutch vocabulary into American English, but it also may reflect an effort among Americans after the Revolutionary War to distance themselves from a term used by the English, and later from one that slave owners expected their slaves to use (though some slaves addressed their owners as â€Å"boss† as well). Boss also entered the language as a slang adjective meaning â€Å"excellent.† This first occurred in the late 1800s, but it returned to use in the 1950s and again in the 1970s, in similar usage as a synonym for cool. Another adjectival form is bossy, originally from the sense of â€Å"swelling† and meaning â€Å"projecting† or â€Å"decorated with bosses† but subsequently assigned to the later meaning, referring to someone who is domineering. And although the plodding, stubborn, mooing behavior of cattle may be interpreted as being bossy, that word as an endearing proper name for a cow is unrelated; that term stems from the Latin word bos, meaning â€Å"cow,† from which beef and bovine are derived. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"10 Techniques for More Precise Writing"Wracking" or "Racking" Your Brain?

Top 10 High Paying Allied Health Careers For People With No Degree

Top 10 High Paying Allied Health Careers For People With No Degree Allied health jobs make up about 60% of the healthcare workforce, and will probably continue to be a huge part of the industry, with millions of new jobs added in years to come. They usually have fewer educational requirements than other jobs in healthcare, and leave open lots of room for advancement. And the certification and education required can often be acquired online through an accredited institution. Here are 10 of the most high-paying jobs in this field that you can get without having a college degree- and their median salaries.1. Dental Hygienist: $71kHelp steer patients toward good dental- and overall health. You’ll need an accredited associate’s degree program in order to take  the exams required to earn your credentials and get licensed. Eventually, you might want to pursue more advanced degrees.2. Registered Nurse: $66kGet in with your associate’s and advance by earning your bachelor’s degree in this in-demand profession. As nurses are in s uch high demand, many employers will help you with tuition to advance.3. Diagnostic Medical Sonographer: $66kYou’ll need a good grasp of math and physics to take pictures of patients’ insides, and some employers require professional certification. But you can usually land this job with an associate’s or post-secondary certificate.4. Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA): $55kAssist an occupational therapist to get a hold within an in-demand profession. This job has super high growth and only requires a license and an associate’s to start.5. Medical Equipment Repairer: $44kAlso called â€Å"biomedical equipment technicians,† these folks typically need an associate’s degree in biomedical tech or engineering, but these positions do allow for flexible scheduling and nontraditional hours.6. Phlebotomist: $31.9kGet yourself a post-secondary certificate from a phlebotomy program, and get started drawing patients’ blood for lab testing.7. Surg ical Technologist: $45kOnly a few states regulate the educational requirements for this field. You’ll only need a post-secondary certificate or an associate’s degree to assist surgeons during operations, prepare the operating theatre, and assist in post-op care.8. Radiology/MRI Technician: $67.3kRadiologic techs will often be required to have an associate’s degree, as will MRI techs. It is also possible to begin as a radiologic tech and then specialize in operating MRI machinery as your career develops.9. Medical Records and Health IT: $38.8kMedical records and health information technicians need an associate’s or a post-secondary certificate. Many employers will require professional certification. There are kids coming out of fancy four-year colleges who will earn less!10. Clinical Lab Tech: $49kClinical laboratory technicians make great money for only being required to begin with an associate’s degree. Just don’t confuse this job with that of a laboratory technologist, who makes more money, but would require a bachelor’s degree. This job is also projected to grow 18% in the coming few years. So get in while the going’s good.

Journal Entry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journal Entry - Essay Example This not only helps us keep to the point and on the right track in the way of achieving our goals, but also makes us more confidant as we know what we want and what we need to do in order to accomplish our goals. Knowledge of self also has a good effect on others and others tend to think good of us because we are never impressed with people that are confused and unsure about what they want in life in general and in a particular setting in particular. One factor that I like about the chapter is that the author has supported the arguments with credible sources. Another factor that is worthy of appreciation is that the author has tried to make a holistic approach in discussing and analyzing various aspects of self-knowledge, be it the levels of management in an organization, or the three levels of self i.e. individual, interpersonal, and collective. Yet another factor that I like about this chapter is that it is not just a discussion of what self-knowledge is and what its different aspects are, but also mentions different exercises and activities doing which one’s knowledge of self can be increased. I did all of the activities mentioned in the chapter and as a result of this found a significant increase in my self-knowledge. These activities were quite interesting and easy to do. I intend to do these exercises and activities periodically; probably once every three months to see how I have changed as a person over the period. The author has made it very easy for the readers to understand him by not just discussing the complicated terms, but also defining them first e.g. emotional challenges and value maturity. I personally believe that knowledge of self is fundamental to one’s improvement as a human being. One cannot improve one’s personality unless one does not identify one’s flaws, strengths, and weaknesses. Reflection on

Historical Points of Organizational Change Coursework

Historical Points of Organizational Change - Coursework Example Organizational change has its biggest paradox in the fact that its peak production period is probably time to start implementing significant change. Finally, there is limited knowledge on how to implement organization change. However, organization change is inevitable and must be managed in order to attain the best out of it. While planned organizational change occurs according to steps, the real change does not. One historical perspective of organizational change is industrial and organizational psychology (Burke, 2009). In the time before and just after WWII, industrial psychology only dealt with military, industrial, and business organizations. Its major thrust dealt with testing and studies focused on efficiency and morale. Industrial psychology in the late 1940s to the early 1950s dealt with psychological test development and supervisory training. In 1953, Fleishman carried out studies to determine whether the behaviors and attitudes of the supervisors would change after a two week program. Two leadership actions were reflected by tests; initiation of structure and consideration of a leader’s subordinates. However, training can only be effective if the organization has the climate to support the training goals. Industrial psychologists have increased comprehension of organizational change during WWII and beyond. Another perspective into organizational change comes from the systems theory, introduced in 1950 by Van Bertalanffy (Langer et al, 2009). The theory approaches the organizations as interdependent parts with specific functions, as well as interrelated responsibilities. The emphasis with the perspective in organizational change is that real systems interact with, and are open to, acquisition of new properties via emergence, leading to continual evolution. Instead of bringing down an organization to its

Automobile and Scientific Inventions Essay Example for Free

Automobile and Scientific Inventions Essay There are many scientific inventions in our world. Some of these inventions are even in the houses that we live in. There are inventions such as computer games, the microwave oven, and even the Moto vehicle. These inventions make our lives much easier but it destroys the world as well. Everything and everyone gets harmed some way by these inventions. Let’s start off with this. The computer is entertaining but yet dangerous to our eyes. Children of our world love being on the computer. But they shouldn’t love it too much, because if you stare and are too close to the computer for far too long, your eyes begin to hurt and you become shot sighted. This is so because your brain decides that you don’t need to be able to see things far away and only see thing that are close to you. The computer is one of the best inventions because it helps you with a lot of things. Number one is work. It allows us to save all our important document and keeps them in a private file. The microwave oven. This is a machine that heats thing. It’s great in homes for when you want to heat foods. About 1/3 of the world has one. I’ll say this; microwave oven heats your foods but also destroys your health. As the microwave heats up, it sends of radiation inside and out. Your foods become polluted with radiation and if you’re too close to it you as well. Who likes eating cold food? I mean we all like food nice and hot, so we should have a microwave oven in our houses. I personally can’t go without a microwave. It one of my favorite scientific inventions. One of the most used scientific inventions would be the motor vehicle. Now this is brilliant! The motor vehicle or should I say, cars are very common to our modern day lives. EVERYBODY has one. Well if you have a license of course. Now cars are a complex piece of machinery. It’s like you’re basically holding a fully loaded gun. Almost every day there is an accident that occurs. We may not see it, but it happens. People get greatly injured or even die from car accidents. On the positive side, cars do have its advantages. People use cars to transport themselves around. It takes you from one place to another. Instead of having to walk, you drive. Another thing about cars, it pollutes the air badly. This is so because cars give off a great deal of smoke sometimes. This affects the greenhouse gases and even worse, the ozone layer. If the air is completely contaminated people with die. People that believe these machines are not good for our lives are somewhat correct but wrong. I believe that it has made our lives really easy and less complex. I think it has done wonders to the world and we should all appreciate the advantage we get from this.

Liberals LOVE Gun Control Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Liberals Love Gun Control      Ã‚  Ã‚   Gun Control can be called the 'acid test' of liberalism. All true liberals must favor stricter gun controls. After all, doesn't the United States have the most heavily armed population on the earth? Are we not the world's most violent people? Surely these facts must be at least casually connected. Therefore the apparently desperate need to "do something" about the vast quantity of firearms and firearms abuse is obvious.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Guns are employed in an enormous number of crimes in this country. In other countries with stricter gun laws, gun crimes are rare. Many of the firearms involved in crime are cheap handguns, so-called Saturday Night Specials for which there is no legitimate use or need.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The public is polarized on the issue of gun control, Anti-gun control activists believe that it is each and every American's individual right to bear arms. After all, the Second Amendment to the Constitution states that:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Advocates of gun control say that even with 20,000 gun control laws already in existence, the serious problems due to firearm misuse continue. Obviously, the controls that have been designed have not been sufficiently effective. Therefore the pro-gun controllers argue, we need more uniform legislation, more extensive gun controls, and effective enforcement.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Various pro-gun control organizations disagree on methods of gun control needed. For example, there are individuals who would ban all handgu... ...med there is less incidence of crime? The examples from California and Switzerland are evidence to that fact. Enough freedoms have already been lost in this country, can we afford to lose another? With some 20.000 firearms regulations now on the books, we do not need still more gun-control laws. We need to enforce the laws that we have now. It's time to stop the wait. The only thing Congress should rush is the adoption of meaningful criminal justice reforms to keep violent predators off our streets. We do not need more laws that restrict the ability and the right of honest women and men to protect themselves from criminal attack.    WORKS CITED    Lee, Patricia.   "Fighting for Freedom."   Guns & Ammo Sept. 1992: 26.    Cramer, Clayton.   Are Concealed Carry Permits a Threat to Public Safety?. American Rifleman Sept. 1993: 27-28

Foundations of Management and Organisation

Is rationalization a desirable strategy for managing and organizing Junction Hotel in the current economic climate? Discuss your answer with reference to the topic of organisational change. Rationalization is an organisational concept that aims to increase a firm’s productivity, as it grows in size, through a reorganisation of its current system of operations. Throughout this essay I will be referring to the Junction Hotel case study along with other articles and critiques of the rationalization theory to determine how suitable rationalisation is as a solution for the problems facing Junction Hotel within the current economic climate.Throughout the 19th century Frederick Taylor, a mechanical engineer, was one of the pioneers of the organisational management approach to business. He was renowned for his theory of scientific management, which focused primarily on increasing the physical efficiency of the individual worker. â€Å"The principal object of management should be to s ecure the maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with the maximum prosperity for each employee† (Fredrick Taylor, 1911, pg. 09).One of Taylor’s most famous studies involved designing shovels that could load the most efficient amount of material (21 1/2lbs) consecutively to save workers time and, in turn, increase productivity. Having a clear and structured command over workers allowed Taylor to experiment with efficiency, which was something he saw as paramount to having a successful workforce of employees. Relating this specifically to the Junction Hotel case study, it is apparent that there are some clear organisational problems that could be resolved using a more rational work design, such as the methods introduced by Taylor.Primarily there is a lack of any concise structure between the task expectations of the employees. The job roles of the General Manager, Deputy Manager, Head Chef and Company Accountant all contradict one another making it further unclear t o the rest of the workforce who they should report to as their boss. A rational organisational solution to this problem would be to introduce a more modern, bureaucratic style of management. â€Å"Though earlier societies had organisational structures, they were not nearly as effective as the bureaucracy† (George Ritzer, 1996, pg.  09).This can be implemented through the use of computer analysis of such things as employee timetables, busy periods, and popular items among customers. Specifically, organisational charts, which provide a clear formation of different job roles that are allocated in a hierarchy of either horizontal or vertical structure, would work effectively in restoring order and control. A hierarchy is most effective in assigning control to different regions of management in order to maintain a more specific level of control over a growing workforce.For Junction Hotel, this would be most appropriate for the separation of the different working areas, which, at the moment, are all under the control of the Deputy Manager. Instead, each area should be operated by group of employees that specialise in that service. From here, each section of workers can then have their own specific manager to report to for daily duties. This way the general manger can take more of an active role within the organisation relieving some of the pressure off of the Deputy Manager and allowing the Head Chef control over his own workforce.This would provide specific segmentation to each individual work force, allowing for a more direct focus from each manager. This would be the most appropriate way of applying a rational, bureaucratic work design to Junction hotel without having to sacrifice any quality of service. However, if Junction Hotel want to remain a competitive company within the hotel industry, some of the personal relationships between the cleaning and reception staff and the general manager may have to be limited in order to increase efficiency during t he working day.Taylor made it clear that he never saw the benefit of a social relationship between workers and managers. Eventually, he became so focused on increasing productivity that he began to see his employees as just another ‘cog in the machine’ of the production process. As time went on, employees would try and use this to their advantage by demonstrating their ‘asymmetric knowledge’. After years of practising their trade the workers would be able to determine the amount of time it would take to complete a specific task before they began it.With Taylor’s approach to his employees being so cold-hearted, it was often the case that the employees would exaggerate the time they needed to complete a task so as to insure they weren’t being over worked. This is an example of some of the social problems that Taylor had to face due to having such a strong rational approach to work. As a result, Taylor quickly began gaining criticism. Max Weber, a German sociologist, was one of Taylor’s biggest critics. Weber summarised Taylor’s scientific management theory as an ‘iron cage’ environment leaving workers trapped in working conditions that left them feeling dehumanized.As a counter belief, Weber explained that promotion by merit with career opportunities for employees was a superior option to the traditional hierarchy of power. However, Weber was aware this would not always be attainable in a realistic world. â€Å"Weber knew the bureaucracy he was designing was an ideal type and that it could not always be perfect† (French & Rayner, 2011, pg315-316). Weber developed the belief that there is no one perfect method of managing an organisation. Organisational change occurs when a business has a need to alter it’s current system of operations.Social, political, technological and economical factors are the four main external aspects that can influence change within an organisation. â€Å"No t only are there different types of change, which manifest themselves in different organisations, change also appears at different levels of an organisation† (Barbara Senior, 2001, pg. 57). Specifically, organisational change relates to the larger changes within a company, rather than just small adjustments to products or branding.â€Å"Organisational change refers to organisation-wide change rather than to small changes such as adding a new role or making minor modifications to a process. † (French & Rayner, 2011, pg. 574). For example, advancements in the technology used by a company would dramatically speed up the production process forcing them to alter the size of both their workforce and production outlets. Henry Ford, of Ford Motor Industries, was one of the most famous examples of an organisation implementing a change within their production process  through the Taylorism ideology.â€Å"Taylor and scientific management allied to Fordism† (Senior & Flemi ng, 2006, pg. 8). Instead of having a specific number of workers collectively working on one motor vehicle, Ford instead realised that he could save time and increase productivity by assigning each individual worker to a particular station on his assembly line. Therefore, Ford could just move the car around the assembly line where it would stop at each station to have a new part added to it.This enabled Ford to expand and increase his workforce whilst still increasing the amount of automobiles he was producing. â€Å"Only by doubling wages to his famous ‘5-dollar-a-day’ was he able to stabilize the work situation and persuade workers to accept the new technology† (Morgan G, 2006, pg. 25). This organisational change would be an example of a naive approach to change, which sees organizational change as a simple solid set of building blocks that are controlled from the top down, with a limited view of only the techno-structural side of the organisation.With one of t he main purposes of a business being to constantly strive to improve output and lower costs in order to increase revenue, the Taylorism and Fordism approaches became popular around the world and production efficiency was now of the utmost importance. However, this high level of efficiency came at a price for the employees. Many of Taylor’s and Ford’s workers found it difficult to maintain any humanistic grasp on their machinelike work due to its repetitive and boring nature.This led to a decrease in efficiency as workers became fatigued and after a while could no longer keep up with the rate of production. Charlie Chaplin outlines this perfectly in his video Modern Times (TheCharlesChaplin, 1936, Modern Times) whereby the worker is dragged along the conveyor belt assembly line because he is incapable of keeping up with the pace. In the Junction Hotel case study a similar situation is outlined with the front of house staff not being able to keep up with the orders given by the kitchen staff, leading to conflict between employees.Ultimately, this will lead to problems in the satisfaction levels of the customers, which can cause huge reputation problems for Junction Hotel, a company who pride themselves on having a high level of traditional customer service. One of the most effective ways of tackling employee confrontation is through the use of team building exercises. Team building exercises are effective as they encourage employees to collaborate with one another to achieve particular goals without having the stress element of actual work.Being new to the team building approach, the waiting and kitchen staff at Junction Hotel would benefit most from a more relaxed outdoor operation, such as raft building. â€Å"For a group that has never done team building before, outdoor experiences can be an exciting way to begin† (French & Rayner, 2011, pg. 410). As a result, when both sets of employees go back to work there will be a greater understandi ng between each member of staff creating a new atmosphere as a group identity. This social aspect of employees during working hours is a factor that was often overlooked by traditional methods of management, such as Taylorism.As a result, this 21st century social method of management is now considered a more popular modern alternative than the traditional Taylorism perspective. In the 1920s, Elton Mayo, an Australian psychologist, stumbled upon the importance of group dynamics whilst conducting a study investigating the levels of productivity in employees. His experiments, on 29,000 workers at the Hawthorne factory, examined the effect light had on productivity. His objectives were to discover the optimum level of lighting needed to gain maximum efficiency from workers.However, Mayo found that the level of lighting had no direct effect on production levels but instead the human cooperative systems that the workers were a part of had a huge effect on increasing worker efficiency. Wor kers being able to establish themselves within an occupational community introduced the concept of ‘group norms’ whereby workers had their own set of regulations to abide by that were considered more socially acceptable. â€Å"Members derived valued identities or self-images, directly from their occupational roles. † (Van Maanan & J & Barley, S, 1984, pg.  298).Expressions and labels such as; ‘rate buster’ and ‘the chisler’ became nicknames that were used to define workers as either an over-worker or under-achiever. The power of an informal organisation, where man is more than just a machine but as a social being was one of Mayo’s greatest findings. This became known as the Hawthorne Effect. Conversely, a bureaucratic style of management is most appropriately suited to those organisations that are willing to sacrifice quality in return for an increase in quantity of revenue.For example, Travelodge, a competing company within the hotel industry, make it clear to their customers that the service they offer is simple but covers all the necessary essentials needed for a comfortable stay. â€Å"If you’ve ever stayed at a Travelodge Hotel, you might have noticed they don’t have shampoo in the bathroom. † (Davis, Evan, 2009) This is known as value engineering and it is a smart way for larger companies to cut production costs whilst still keeping up a respectable level of quality.Higher-end hotels tend to ignore this strategy as it can harshly diminish their unique selling point of providing the best quality goods and services. This would be particularly true for Junction Hotel. Throughout the case study it is clearly outlined that Junction Hotel are a company who pride themselves on having a traditional approach to customer service. This would specifically involve having a very high focus on self-presentation, customer relations, and particularly individual customer requirements.Rationalisati on revolves more around a very routine and strategic attitude whereby all customers are greeted with the same standardised mannerisms and production is aimed at being a quick process, which sacrifices quality for speed. This is the first indication from the case material that suggests that rationalisation might not be the most appropriate method of management for a company that markets itself as ‘an oasis of calm in the city’ as Junction Hotel does. McDonald’s is a perfect example of how quality over quantity has been sacrificed to maximize output.A quick service where customers can walk in and point to a number on the menu as they order means workers can speed up the transaction process of payment for food allowing them to switch to new customers swiftly. â€Å"The manager ensures that all employees are allocated to those jobs in which they perform most efficiently, known as ‘aces in their places†. (Hill, Terry, (2005) McDonald's Corporation). This type of McDonaldization means there is no room for flexibility making it a real problem if customers request to manipulate the menu.This slows down the  process from kitchen staff to front of house staff, if one individual burger is needed to be adapted this will take precious time out of an employee’s schedule, which will have a domino effect on the time taken to serve other customers. Ultimately, the efficiency of the entire operation will have slowed dramatically, especially if this happens on more than one occasion throughout the working day. As Weber explained, dehumanization and lack of motivation are due side effects as a result of having such strict time schedules and regulations to keep to.â€Å"Nevertheless, organisations continue to strive for maximization in the hope that they will at least increase efficiency† (Ritzer, G, 2008, The McDonaldisation of Society). Junction Hotel, on the other hand, has a slightly different demographic to that of the market t hat McDonalds are focusing on. With the emphasis on high-end, premium quality goods and services Junction Hotel are attracting an older age range of those customer who can afford to spend extra on hotel costs. This will most likely be older people enjoying their retirement along with businessmen and women who have their expenses paid for.The reason this is important to identify is because of the current economic position of the UK. Having just emerged out of a recession, consumer spending within in the UK is still continuing at slow pace. This means, that for the more expensive and luxurious organisations it has become just as hard to keep current customers as it has been attracting any new ones. This is the second indication that suggests a complete rationalisation for Junction Hotel would not have much of a positive impact considering it would only increase the similarities they have with already well established rival companies such as Travelodge.In an economy that is still recov ering from a recent recession due to a ‘run on the banks’ consumer confidence is still very low which means less people are going to be willing to experiment with new organisations, especially the more expensive ones. However, some of the most recent economic reports have identified a rise in gross domestic produce, which is a positive sign for Junction Hotel as it means more consumers are starting to get comfortable with spending a little extra money.â€Å"The Office for National Statistics said its first estimate for gross domestic product (GDP) showed the economy grew 0. 3% during the first quarter of 2013. † (Hugh Pym, 2013, UK economy avoids triple dip recession). Although the increase is not a significant one this will benefit Junction Hotel in the long run as it shows signs of a slow but steady growth which is a good climate to begin setting up a new organization in. â€Å"Economists say the news should give a small psychological boost to consumers and bu sinesses†. (Hugh Pym, 2013, UK economy avoids triple dip recession).Keeping with the premium quality approach should provide a competitive edge in the favour of Junction hotel. This type of organizational change is a strategic intervention to provide Junction Hotel with a competitive advantage over their rivals in the hotel industry by aiming their services at a different demographic who will, in the current economic climate, be more likely to afford hotel accommodation. In conclusion to this essay, Junction Hotel will need to introduce a more rational work design to their organisation in order to maximize efficiency and start making a respectable profit.It is vital however that the rational approach is put into action in the most applicable places of the organisation as otherwise it could cause a detrimental effect to production the rates, as was evident with some areas of the McDonaldization. Firstly, a bureaucratic design should be implemented through the use of organisatio nal charts that clearly layout the different tiers of management throughout the entire organisation in a hierarchal fashion.This should enable each section of the work force to have a structured view of where they stand within the organisation and know exactly who to report to. Secondly, team-building exercises must be put into place at least quarterly throughout the year to dispose of any unwanted negative energy and allow workers to voice any concerns they may have with their superiors, especially kitchen and waiting staff. A formal relationship must be of the utmost importance in front of customers between all of the employees.Although, where customer service is not of a high importance, such as in the kitchen, a more relaxed attitude should be taken if it means the social side of individual worker will promote a higher level of efficiency. Overall, it is clear that with the right leadership and a positive attitude towards organisational change from the workers, rationalisation i s strategy that could have significant positive implications for Junction hotel.

Digital music and the internet age – The people vs. the recording industry association of America

Just as the Internet is fast becoming a way of life for many in the United States, music has had its roots embedded in people's lives, careers, and hobbies throughout history. What do you get when you merge music and the Internet in the year 2002? Chaos, it seems. In this heated debate, there are two sides that are prevalent. The first is brought by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which represents the major record labels, musicians, and artists in the United States. The RIAA claims that the Internet is responsible for rampant music piracy that has the power to destroy the music industry as we know it. The RIAA been in the center of countless lawsuits and trials, and is in the forefront of the digital music debate through its use of legal tactics. The other side of this debate is represented by you and me – the common people. We do not argue that music piracy is illegal and unethical. However, we have much at stake in this argument, as the RIAA has tried to gain approval for strict laws that could affect each and every one of us. The RIAA has tried to invade our privacy, sue the common people, prevent us from playing CDs in our computers, hack into our computers, stop the sale of personal music players, and change key pieces of legislature for their benefit. Rather than approach this issue with public support and regard for the consumers who make their industry possible, the RIAA has continually neglected public opinion and has put us on the back burner in order to protect their profit margins. The History So what exactly is this big mess about? In a nutshell, it boils down to digital music piracy. The music industry is hurting from a 9.2 percent global music sales slump in 2001. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, world CD sales fell seven percent last year, while singles and cassettes continued to decline (Wang 147). They claim that music piracy on the Internet is largely to blame for this trend. By merging the Internet and compact disc technologies, it became possible for people to convert the digital music stored on CDs into a very small computer file format called MP3. A music file converted to MP3 could then be sent to other people on the Internet quickly and easily. These technological advances eventually led to rampant music piracy on the Internet. While I do not condone nor support digital music piracy, I believe that the battle the RIAA is waging has been unfair, one-sided, and based on greed. In trying to protect their interests, this trade group has bitten the hands of the people who feed it – us. The Past In 1980, a case came upon the United States Supreme Court docket involving Universal City Studios, a Hollywood movie studio, and a new Sony technology called Betamax, or what we now refer to as the common VCR. Universal City Studios asked the courts to block Betamax sales, which were poised to enter the consumer market. The movie studio argued that consumers would use VCRs to copy and distribute copyrighted films (Wright 16). In 1984 the U.S. Supreme Court told the movie industry to back off, ruling that most people would use VCRs to record soap operas they missed while at work, rather than making illegal copies of films (Wright 18). One would think that a lesson was learned from this scenario. Sadly, that was not the case. Fast-forward fifteen years and we see a very similar situation unfold. RIAA vs. MP3 players In 1998, Diamond Multimedia introduced the Rio portable MP3 player to the consumer market. MP3 files were starting to become very popular. Using the Rio portable MP3 player, people would be able to convert files from CDs that they owned into MP3 format, and then transfer them onto the Rio MP3 player, which could store hours of music and would eliminate any need for CDs or cassettes (Musician's Internet, par. 8). Enter the Recording Industry Association of America. In 1999 the RIAA filed suit against Diamond Multimedia, the creators of the Rio MP3 player. They claimed that the player violated the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, which prohibits devices that make copies from digital music recordings. The RIAA believed that since people had the ability to illegally download music from the Internet, the portable MP3 player should be illegal (Musician's Internet, par. 9). This was a major flaw in logic for the RIAA. First of all, I personally cannot think of one person who does not own at least one CD these days. Even my grandmother has more than a handful! By trying to ban the portable MP3 player, the RIAA was saying that people did not have any legal or legitimate use for the product. However, people could easily copy songs from the many CDs they owned onto this portable MP3 player, and still remain perfectly law abiding citizens! Just as in the previous Betamax judgment, this case was thrown out. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Diamond Multimedia's technology was perfectly legal, as the player made copies from computer hard drives and CDs, not solely from digital music recordings (Musician's Internet, par.15). The portable MP3 player has now become immensely popular and successful, and is one of the current best-selling pieces of technology on the market today. In fact, analysts predict that 26 million portable MP3 players will be sold in 2005, threatening the dominance of even CDs (Brull 67)! The RIAA was trying to hinder change. If they had been successful, we would not have portable MP3 players in our lives today. RIAA vs. Napster The case of the Recording Industry Association of America versus Napster was very widely publicized. Napster was an online file-trading program that allowed people to trade both legal and illegal MP3 files with ease. The RIAA soon entered the scene, eventually succeeding in shutting Napster down. I do believe that the RIAA had very good reason to take action against Napster, as it was an online music piracy haven. However, in succeeding to shut the service down, they overlooked a very important issue; people loved downloading music from the Internet. Rather than start their own legal online file-sharing program, the RIAA and the music industry were very slow in action. The RIAA did not listen to public demand for such a service. With the demise of Napster, new illegal trading programs popped up. Unlike their predecessor Napster, however, these programs would be next to impossible to shut down as they have no central server location. These networks run from user to user. Essentially, the only way to stop the programs is to shut down the Internet itself. If the RIAA had listened to the people, it is very possible that they would be in a much better position in the fight against music piracy. However, they ignored the need of the public, and dug themselves an even deeper hole. There was a very legitimate and legal answer to Napster. Rather than trying to turn the service into a paying model or creating their own service, the RIAA simply shut it down. They gave no thought to the legal uses, such as promotion, sharing of files by independent artists not signed to any record label, uncopyrighted material, and music available with permission from the artist or record company. So why didn't the RIAA and the major record labels jump to start their own Napster-like networks? The answer is simple. Digital music distribution, as it stands now, offers much thinner profit margins. Rapper Chuck D says â€Å"a major label makes a CD for as little as 80 cents, then sells it wholesale for $10.50 so retailers can charge $14 – that's highway robbery.† He gloats further that â€Å"the true revenge will come when the major labels start dropping their prices† (Hopper, par. 7). If consumers are able to use inexpensive technology to download music free or of a much lesser charge, you can bet that they won't run to a record store and pay $14 for a CD. The key to that $10 profit margin they are making is that manufacturing and distribution would eventually fade in digital downloads, meaning the record labels would have to cut costs and make a smaller profit. It's all about money. With so much piracy occurring online and next to no way to stop it, what could the RIAA do next? How about prevent consumers from playing CDs in their computers, or better yet, how about hacking all of your computers? That is exactly what they are trying to do. RIAA vs. Your Computer Throughout its many legal battles thus far, the RIAA has continually neglected and disregarded the music consumers. So, it comes as no surprise that it happens yet again. However, this time their focus is on your very own personal computer. One of the first anti-piracy measures used by the RIAA and the major record labels was a technology called copy-protected CDs. Introduced in 2000, these CDs were designed to prevent a user from copying music tracks to a computer and then sharing them with others online (Cohen 43). Sounds good, right? Maybe not, as this technology has a major downfall. If you try to play a copy-protected CD in your computer, you will find out that it isn't possible! In fact, even some older regular CD players cannot play the copy-protected discs. By adding this copy-protection, the music industry effectively stops you from playing these CDs in your computer at all. In doing this, however, one of your personal rights has been taken away. Imagine that! The 1992 Audio Home Recording Act allows music listeners to make some personal digital copies of their music for their own use and backup (Brull 67). With copy-protected CDs, you are not able to make copies of the music that you have purchased and have every right to copy and backup – another strike against the RIAA. The copy-protection debate is currently being waged by lawmakers. Another way the Recording Industry Association of America is trying to stop you from copying music and sharing it with others is by hacking you! This is another debate currently up in the air in Congress. The RIAA has recruited Congressmen Howard Berman and Howard Coble to introduce a piece of legislature that would let content owners hack pirates' computers (Brull 68). So what does that mean to you? Essentially, it means that the record labels, the RIAA, and copyright owners would be able to hack into your computers and delete or replace your illegal files. This is a huge breach of privacy, but yet another act that the RIAA deems ‘necessary.' If they cannot stop the software used to trade illegal files, the industry hopes to attack your computer instead! RIAA vs. Privacy and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) However, the fight doesn't stop at your computer. Money means so much to these companies that they want to compromise your privacy as well. On July 23, 2002, the Recording Industry Association of America made an unprecedented request of Verizon Communications, a company that sells Internet access to consumers. The RIAA served the company with a subpoena, seeking the identity of a Verizon subscriber who allegedly illegally traded songs by artists including Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and N'Sync. The RIAA didn't specify why it wanted to know who the user was, or what it would do with the information (Hopper, par. 16). Luckily, Verizon denied the request and took this issue to court. Everyone has a right to be anonymous online. A user's anonymity should not be unmasked without any proof of misconduct. In fact, in defamation and trademark-infringement cases, a judge is first asked to weigh the evidence of illegal activity against the constitutionally protected right to anonymous speech (Black 9). The RIAA is trying to bypass judges, courts, and laws in order to force ISPs to reveal information about their subscribers without even making any charges. This is yet another personal right that the company is infringing upon. This debate is currently in court as well, and it should be interesting to see what happens in the end. It is very probable that the U.S. Supreme Court will settle this issue. RIAA vs. Your Integrity Even after showing no respect for your personal rights and laws as a consumer, the RIAA is now attacking your very own integrity. On September 26, 2002, ads began running on television and in print condemning online music piracy. These weren't your normal ads, however. This time around, the RIAA thought that since they couldn't get your attention, perhaps popular music superstars could (Healy, par. 2). These ads, by such artists as Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Madonna have one underlying message – we are thieves. â€Å"Would you go into a CD store and steal a CD?† Britney Spears asks in one ad. â€Å"It's the same thing, people going into the computers and stealing our music† (Healy, par. 4). Rapper Nelly had a similar message. â€Å"We really look at it as stealing, because to us it's black and white, either you pay for it or you don't. And, you're not paying for it† (Healy, par. 6). However, these ads are a bit hard to swallow for the average consumer. Let's look at this picture again. These are mega-selling superstars. In 2000, Madonna had reported assets in excess of $425 million. Britney Spears makes over $40 million yearly (Healy, par. 9). The RIAA wants us to believe that these artists are hurting from piracy? I don't know about you, but I don't feel too sorry. Conclusion In conclusion, I believe that the Recording Industry Association of America is a devious and thoughtless trade group. They have continuously put their profit margin ahead of the rights of the consumers. The numerous real-life examples presented in this paper should give you a firm understanding of the unethical antics that the RIAA has used to further their cause. Which side are you on – big business, or consumer rights?

Free Essays on Dragon

The role of animals in The Eyes of the Dragon is a very significant theme in the novel. Through the development of the novel, the animal kingdom is very apparent in the novel from insects to dogs and they all play their own, individual roles. The great black and white Andean Husky named Frisky who is, out of all of her dogs, Naomi’s favorite, leads Ben Staad and Naomi directly to the whereabouts of Dennis, Peter’s butler. Flagg’s animals are symbols of his plans for the downfall of Delain. The dragon that is killed by King Roland may be considered the most the memorable of all. In this tale, Thomas sees Flagg murder Thomas’s father through the eyes of the dragon. In the end of the novel, though, all of the animal’s roles fall into place. Frisky, Naomi’s companion, is a strong-willed, over-confident, Anduan Husky who may have been the greatest tracking dog that ever lived. This dog sums up the meaning of a man’s best friend. Frisky, who can track a three-day-old scent in the middle winter, is the reason the story takes place as it does. Frisky uses her keen sense of smell to pinpoint exactly where Dennis, son of Brandon, has journeyed to from Peyna’s farmhouse. Dennis’s mission is to go back to the castle where Thomas the Tax-Bringer and Flagg, the king’s magician, live and are at high power. Peyna, who has just given up his Judge-General’s bench, has a feeling that there is some reason why Peter has asked for the Royal Napkins and his mother’s dollhouse. Dennis is to find this reason by sending a letter to Peter, who is imprisoned at the time. Dennis journeys from Peyna’s farm in the Inner Baronies back to the fearful castle with nothing except f or the risks of getting killed. Five days later, with not a soul knowing the whereabouts of Dennis, Naomi and Ben Staad (Peter’s best friend) come upon the deserted farm. Naomi’s dogs have been pulling the sleds for thirty miles all the way from... Free Essays on Dragon Free Essays on Dragon The role of animals in The Eyes of the Dragon is a very significant theme in the novel. Through the development of the novel, the animal kingdom is very apparent in the novel from insects to dogs and they all play their own, individual roles. The great black and white Andean Husky named Frisky who is, out of all of her dogs, Naomi’s favorite, leads Ben Staad and Naomi directly to the whereabouts of Dennis, Peter’s butler. Flagg’s animals are symbols of his plans for the downfall of Delain. The dragon that is killed by King Roland may be considered the most the memorable of all. In this tale, Thomas sees Flagg murder Thomas’s father through the eyes of the dragon. In the end of the novel, though, all of the animal’s roles fall into place. Frisky, Naomi’s companion, is a strong-willed, over-confident, Anduan Husky who may have been the greatest tracking dog that ever lived. This dog sums up the meaning of a man’s best friend. Frisky, who can track a three-day-old scent in the middle winter, is the reason the story takes place as it does. Frisky uses her keen sense of smell to pinpoint exactly where Dennis, son of Brandon, has journeyed to from Peyna’s farmhouse. Dennis’s mission is to go back to the castle where Thomas the Tax-Bringer and Flagg, the king’s magician, live and are at high power. Peyna, who has just given up his Judge-General’s bench, has a feeling that there is some reason why Peter has asked for the Royal Napkins and his mother’s dollhouse. Dennis is to find this reason by sending a letter to Peter, who is imprisoned at the time. Dennis journeys from Peyna’s farm in the Inner Baronies back to the fearful castle with nothing except f or the risks of getting killed. Five days later, with not a soul knowing the whereabouts of Dennis, Naomi and Ben Staad (Peter’s best friend) come upon the deserted farm. Naomi’s dogs have been pulling the sleds for thirty miles all the way from...

How the Macbeth Witches Drive the Plays Plot

How the Macbeth Witches Drive the Play's Plot To say that the witches in William Shakespeares Macbeth play crucial roles in the drama would be an understatement. Without the witches, there would simply be no story to tell, as they move the plot.   The Five Predictions of the Macbeth Witches During the play, the Macbeth witches make five key predictions: Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor.Banquo’s children will become kings.They advise Macbeth to â€Å"beware Macduff.†Macbeth cannot be harmed by anyone â€Å"of woman born.†Macbeth cannot be beaten until â€Å"Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane shall come.† Four of these predictions are realized during the action, but one is not. Although Banquo’s children do not become kings during the course of the play, they do escape murder and could return at some point in the future. At the end of the play, it is left for the audience members to decide whether they believe the Macbeth witches.   Although the witches appear to have great skill at prophesying, its not certain whether their prophecies are preordained.  If not, do they simply encourage Macbeth to become active in constructing his own fate? It is perhaps part of Macbeth’s character to shape his life according to the predictions- whereas Banquo does not. This might explain why the only prophecy not realized by the end of the play relates directly to Banquo and cannot be shaped by Macbeth (although Macbeth would also have little control over the â€Å"Great Birnam Wood† prediction). The Macbeth Witches Influence The witches in Macbeth are important because they provide Macbeth’s call to action. The witches prophesies also affect Lady Macbeth, albeit indirectly when Macbeth writes his wife about seeing the weird sisters, as he calls them. After reading his letter, shes ready right away to plot to murder the king and worries her husband will be too full o  th milk of human kindness to commit such an act. Although he doesnt think he can do such a thing, Lady  Macbeth  has no question in her mind that they would succeed. Her ambition steels him. Thus, the witches influence on Lady Macbeth only increases their effect on Macbeth himself- and, by extension, the entire plot of the play. The Macbeth witches provide the dynamism that has made  Macbeth  one of Shakespeare’s most popular and intense  plays. How Shakespeare Made the Witches Stand Out   Shakespeare  used a number of devices to create a sense of otherness and malevolence for the  Macbeth  witches. For example, the witches speak in rhyming couplets, which distinguishes them from all other characters. This poetic device  has made their lines among the plays most memorable. Also, the Macbeth witches are said to have beards, making them difficult to identify as either gender. Last, they are always accompanied by storms and bad weather. Collectively, these traits give them an otherworldly cast. Shakespeares Age-Old Question By writing the Macbeth witches as he did, Shakespeare is asking an age-old question: Are our lives already mapped out for us, or do we have a hand in what happens? At the end of the play, the audience is forced to consider the extent to which the characters have control over their own lives. The debate over free will versus Gods preordained plan for humanity has been debated for centuries and continues to be debated today.

Earth's Dynamic Ocean & Atmosphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Earth's Dynamic Ocean & Atmosphere - Essay Example This refers to the deflection of circulating air due to the earth’s rotation (Mathez & Webster, 2004). This deflection causes the air to rotate to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in southern hemisphere. 1. During the development of tides, the moon offers a gravitational pull on the earth which causes the ocean to bulge (Mathez & Webster, 2004). The sun also offers gravitational force that causes tides. Inertia causes a centrifugal force that causes the ocean to bulge; hence the ocean bulges twice. 2. Variations in tidal ranges are caused by the distance and direction of the sun and the moon. Spring tides have the greater rangers which occur when the sun and the moon align themselves in a syzygy position (Mathez & Webster, 2004). One of the methods of preventing loss of property by erosion is preservation and imitation of nature whereby plants by the seashores are preserved to prevent erosion. The roots bind the earth together while the branches prevent erosion by rain. Another method is keeping the slopes gentle. This absorbs wave energy; hence prevents erosion by waves. The three cells involved in atmospheric circulation are: Hadley, Polar and Ferrel. Circulation of the Hadley cell results in two pressure belts: high pressure (subtropical ridge) and low pressure (near equatorial trough). The polar cell causes cold dense air at the pole which leads to high pressure and subsidence (Mathez & Webster, 2004). Lastly, the Ferrel cell causes a westerly flow which causes a strong downward vertical

Victimology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Victimology - Research Paper Example Moreover, the rights of the victims should also be considered in plea agreements in the court system. However, this does not imply that the victims of the offense in question should dictate the terms and type of the plea agreements. It simply means, when deciding on which plea agreement the prosecutor should give the offender, he or she should consider the effect the offense resulted in to the victim. For example in this case study, Mr. C is an elderly citizen and truly deserves leniency from the prosecutor. However, due to his drunk driving a man dearly loved by his wife lost his life. This loss of life resulted in a lot of emotional pain, and to some extent economic stress to the victim since naturally the husband might have been the bread winner. Hence, I would advise Mrs. C to follow up on the plea agreement since it is her right to be involved in the discussions of the plea agreement. It is the duty of the Judge or Magistrate to make sure that the victim’s rights are upheld during plea agreements. For example, in the case against Mr. C it is the duty of the Judge assigned to the case to inform Mrs. C that she should be involved in the plea agreement. The judge should also make sure that the victim’s rights are upheld by instructing the prosecution to involve her in the plea agreement between the state and Mr. C. The victim rights should and are considered by both the prosecution and Judge listening to the case. However, the victim is not involved in the sentencing. This is prohibited. There are various reasons why victims are not part of the decision regarding sentencing. One such reason is that the victim is expected to be biased due to the emotional effect the offense had on him or her. For example, Mrs. B is obviously very bitter at Mr. C for killing her husband. She feels like Mr. C took her husband away from her. Hence, she is very bitter at him and is obviously seeking revenge more than justice. So she would prefer a