Health Sanitation Practices Essay

* a protected well or a developed spring with an outlet but without a distribution system * indicated for rural areas * serves 15-25 households; its outreach is not more than 250 m from the farthest user * yields 40-140 L/ min Level II (Communal Faucet or Stand Posts) * With a source, reservoir, piped distribution network and communal faucets * Located at not more than 25 m from the farthest house * Delivers 40-80 L of water per capital per day to an average of 100 households * Fit for rural areas where houses are densely clustered Level III (Individual House Connections or Waterworks System) * With a source, reservoir, piped distributor network and household taps * Fit for densely populated urban communities * Requires minimum treatment or disinfection Proper Excreta and Sewage Disposal Program EHS sets policies on approved types of toilet facilities: Level I * Non-water carriage toilet facility – no water necessary to wash the waste into receiving space e.g. pit latrines, reed odorless earth closet. * Toilet facilities requiring small amount of water to wash the waste into the receiving space e.g. pour flush toilet & aqua privies Level II * On site toilet facilities of the water carriage type with water-sealed and flush type with septic vault/tank disposal. Level III * Water carriage types of toilet facilities connected to septic tanks and/or to sewerage system to treatment plant. Objective: The objective of this study is to determine sanitation practices and preferences in sitio ganha-an.By examining differences between current practices and preferences, the study assesses if the communities are satisfied with their current sanitation options and if there is a demand for increased sanitation coverage and better facilities. Water Supply. The major problem for poor people in most countries is access to safe water in adequate quantity, with reasonable convenience, and at an affordable cost. Solutions include local grants to install household gutters and rainwater capture tanks; local wells designed to resist pollution; and small networks of water points served by a local well, borehole, or spring. The supply problems of major cities require integrated approaches that combine demand management, leak repair, backflow prevention, wastewater reuse, and the efficient, sustainable exploitation of sources. Solid Waste Disposal. The interdependence of sanitation aspects is illustrated by the need for adequate solid waste removal to prevent the blockage of rainwater drains. Collection of refuse in hot climates must be frequent since piles attract flies and rats, and it should rely more on local labor-intensive methods rather than on expensive trucks. For the operation to be successful requires close cooperation between the users and providers of the service, and financing must come either from municipal recurrent funds and/or user fees. Excreta Disposal. Large sewerage infrastructure projects tend to be too expensive for the vast majority of urban and rural people in developing countries, and it may be impossible to build a sewage network infrastructure in congested, narrow streets. On-site options include latrines, pourflush toilets, and septic tanks. There should be evaluated at each location according to needs and priorities. As water use grows in villages and towns, wastewater from washing and bathing (sullage) can be cost-effectively handled by a separate drainage system coupled to on-site excreta disposal. Garbage is a never ending cycle. Every day each household produces a significant amount of trash. The more we consume the more garbage we incur. Garbage disposal has been a monumental problem ever since. ( Yapchiongco, 2012) For a lack of historic time series of reliable nationally representative drinking water quality data, the JMP cannot report on the actual water safety aspect of the MDG drinking water target. The proxy indicator used in the global survey methodology – â€Å"use of improved drinking water sources† – does not guarantee that the quality of drinking water consumed by people meets the standards for safe drinking water as proposed in the WHO Guidelines for Drinking water Quality (WHO, 2011). Pollution from domestic and industrial sources, geogenic contamination, and poor sanitation and hygiene all threaten the safety of drinking water sources. In recognition of these threats, many drinking water supply operators and regulators are adopting an integrated risk assessment and management approach that takes risk spots and events into account along the chain of events from source to tap. Strategies include quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA), sanitary inspections, the application of health-based targets and water safety plans (WSPs). The practice of household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) can help improve water quality at the point of consumption, especially when drinking water sources are distant, unreliable or unsafe. However, HWTS is a stopgap measure only and does not replace the obligation of a service provider to provide access to safe drinking water. It is intended for people who have no access to improved drinking water sources at all, for people with access to improved sources outside of their home or premises (i.e. when contamination can occur during transport and storage), for people with unreliable piped supplies who have to store water to bridge the gaps between deliveries, and for people in emergency situations. People relying on unimproved drinking water sources who apply an appropriate household water treatment method are still not considered to have sustainable access to safe drinking water. Doing so would absolve the providers of their responsibility to provide safe drinking water and in effect transfer this responsibility to consumers. http://www.wssinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/resources/report_wash_low.pdf

Globalization and Everyday Life Essay

Globalization and Everyday Life Geographic boarders of nation states become less relevant as beliefs, traditions, and customs permeate and are accepted, practiced, and implemented across various societies and cultural arenas. Globalism deals with issues on a geopolitical scope and scale, in which the influence of one culture effects, directly or indirectly, affects the dynamic of other cultures or societies. The evolution of communication and travel has brought down the logistical barriers, once imposed by these forms of communication. Globalizations effects give our collective existence a new perspective and sheds light on both the positive and negative implications of individual and collective actions. Sociologists and governments can no longer ignore smaller or what they deemed to be insignificant components in the framework of globalization. A prime example, as illustrated in the text, is the international trade and commerce. If we Americans analyzed everything we own or buy, we would probably realize that >50 percent of these material goods are produced in other areas of the world. Globalization and Mass Media Everyone’s life is influenced by everyone else. Globalization of mass media has had a dramatic influence on in many cultures. One need not visit or live in a certain part of the world to emulate or adopt styles, behaviors, or traditions of another culture. The stronger the global ties becomes between various cultures the more interdependent they become. Commodities and Globalization The first example covered in the text, with regards to globalization, is coffee production and consumption. We as Americans consume 1/5 of the world’s production of coffee. Coffee is the centerpiece of many social settings and gatherings. It is incorporated into our daily activities as commonly as we brush our teeth in the morning. This commodity is usually produced in some of the poorest countries in the world. The people of these countries can be directly dependent on the benefits derived from the sale of  the coffee bean. If we as Americans decided to drink more water and less coffee we could directly impact the livelihoods of thousands of people. The small example elucidates the dramatic potential effects of globalization. Globalization and Entertainment The cross cultural availability of music, movies, books, and other forms of entertainment has had dramatic effects on many societies and cultures. Artists from different countries can collaborate through many means of communications; internet, satellite feeds, etc. to produce music that has an international blend or flair. This new music can influence moods and behaviors. Stimulation from sales can effectively change an individual’s financial situation, which could change their whole social dynamic. Globalism and International Tourism and Travel Many years ago the majority of people traveled of necessity and not recreation, because of the related expense, hassle, and danger involved. With the modernization of travel people can virtually come and go as they please. Traveling brings about the socialization and societal interaction. Friendships, business, and familial alliances can be the result. This facet of globalization can have dramatic economic influences, which can change people’s lives dramatically. Travel brings people together. The after-result of these encounters can be either positive or negative. Either way, globalization provides the medium for such changes. And the experiences can enrich a person and bring cultural awareness to the forefront. Globalization and Drug Trafficking The influences and availability of illicit drugs has been impacted by globalization. The untoward said effects of such activities are witnessed every day. Millions of dollars are spent and made, both in trying to prevent and in the sale of illegal drugs. The social costs can be equally as high. Murder, robbery, assault, and a death, can be direct or indirect consequences of such actions. These problems affect not only the people  directly involved, but also affect people indirectly. If the crime in one area necessitates an increased police presence, my city taxes may go up. If my costs go up I have less to spend on things for myself, such as new shoes. The people that depend on me to buy new shoes feel the secondary economic impact of this scenario. This small process, when magnified on a grander scale, can affect thousands of people across the globe. Throughout the text additional topics are discussed concerning and globalization and everyday life. The women’s movement, immigration, democracy, deindustrialization, and education, just a list of few, are some of the themes discussed. All of these factors play key roles in the evolution of globalization. Each helps to create changes in social interactions between individuals and entire societies. The positive and untoward effects of globalization will forever change the way in which we act and react to changes that occur in our lives as we continue to exist on a planet that is in a constant state of social flux.

Osmosis Lab Report

Osmosis Rates in Artificial Cells Daniel George Department of Biology Grand Valley State University 1 Campus Drive Allendale, MI 49401 [email  protected] gvsu. edu Abstract The lab for this paper was conducted for the topic of osmosis, the movement of water from high to low concentration. Five artificial cells were created, each being filled with different concentrated solutions of sucrose. These artificial cells were placed in hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic solutions for a period of 90 min. Over time, the rate of osmosis was measured by calculating the weight of each artificial cell on given intervals (every 10 minutes).The resulting weights were recorded and the data was graphed. We then could draw conclusions on the lab. Introduction Diffusion and Osmosis are two concepts that go hand in hand with each other. Diffusion is simply described as the movement of a substance from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration. In another words, the substance will move down its concentration gradient which is â€Å"the region along which the density of a chemical substance increases or decreases† (Campbell Biology pg. 132). If you understand the concept of diffusion then osmosis is a very simple process.It can be defined as the diffusion of water across a permeable membrane. Osmosis can be cellular or artificial, so even though we are creating artificial cells in this lab, it is still considered to be osmosis. During osmosis, a solvent is trying to get through a selectively permeable membrane to make the concentration of that solvent the same on both sides of the membrane. The rate of osmosis depends on the type of environment the cell is in. There are three different environments that a cell can find itself in, a hypertonic environment, a hypotonic environment, or an isotonic environment.The environment a cell is in will determine its tonicity which is â€Å"the ability of a surrounding solution to cause a cell to gain or lose weight † (Campbell Biology pg. 133). â€Å"In a hypertonic solution, the cell will lose water, shrivel up, and most likely die† (Campbell Biology pg. 133). The reason this happens is because there is a higher concentration of water in the cell then there is in the environment the cell is in. Like I said before, water travels down its concentration gradient from high concentration to low concentration.So the water inside the cell will cross the membrane and enter into the solution outside the cell and it will continue to do this until the concentration inside the cell membrane and outside the cell membrane are equal. The opposite of this would be if the cell was in a solution that is hypotonic to the cell. In a hypotonic solution, â€Å"water would enter the cell faster than it leaves and the cell will swell up and lyse (burst)† (Campbell Biology pg. 134). This will also cause the cell to die. Both a hypertonic and hypotonic solution are very harmful to cell and in most cases will cause the death of the cell.A solution that a cell wants to be in is an isotonic solution. If the concentration of water in the cell and in the surrounding environment is equal, there will be no net movement of water across the membrane and therefore the cell will not shrivel up or swell up. ). An experiment has been conducted to find out whether or not osmosis is occurring by using artificial cells made of dialysis tubing. To test this hypothesis the experiment will show the change in weight of each artificial cell across a 90 minute time span.The experiment will also show which type of environment (as previously stated) each cell is placed in and taken out of to be weighed. Materials and Methods This experiment will look at the effects of various sucrose concentrations on the rate of osmosis in artificial cells made up of dialysis tubing. To begin the experiment one strip of dialysis tubing will be filled with 10mL of tap water, the second will be filed with 10mL of 20% sucrose, the third with 10mL of 40% sucrose, the fourth with 10mL of 60% sucrose, and the fifth bag will be filled with 10mL of tap water also.The dialysis tubing will be clamped at one end in order to fill it and then clamped at the other end to seal the filled bag. If the bag is not soft and floppy, the experiment will not work. Blot a bag with a paper towel to absorb the moisture and weigh it, if this blotting process is not done it could interfere with the weight readings creating inaccurate information. After the bags of the solutions are prepared, they will be placed into five different beakers with different solutions. Beakers 1-4 will be filled with tap water and the fifth beaker is filled with 40% sucrose and water.Fill each beaker with just enough water or solution so that the bag is covered and place the bags in the beakers simultaneously and record each time. Every 10 min the bags are to be taken out, blotted, and weighed again before returning them back into their resp ective beaker for another 10 min. The process is repeated until you have reached 90 min. The weights should be recorded in grams (g). Results Table 1 shows the contents of the bags and the content of the concentration it was submersed in. Bags 2-4 each contain a solution of both sucrose and water. These bags were each put into beakers containing hypertonic solution.These bags gained weight over time because the water moved from its high concentration inside the beaker to the low concentration inside the membrane of the artificial cell, the membrane being the bags that consisted of dialysis tubing. The water will continue to move through the pores of the dialysis tubing into the concentration of water is the same in the beaker as well as inside the artificial cell. Bag 1, consisting of water, was also put into a breaker containing water. The weight of this bag remains the same because it was placed in an isotonic solution, where the concentration of water was the same.Because of this , osmosis does not occur. The last bag (bag 5) contained only water whereas the beaker it was immersed in was a solution of 40% sucrose. The solution is a hypertonic solution because the concentration of water was higher inside the artificial cell then outside the cell membrane, inside the beaker. Because of this, the weight of bag 5 decreased as time went on because water was constantly leaving the bag through the pores of the dialysis tubing in an attempt to make the concentration of water equal inside and outside of the bag.As you can see from the results plotted in Graph 1, the bags that were put into a hypotonic solution gained weight over time, whereas the bag that was put into a hypertonic solution lost weight over time. Conclusion/ Discussion As you look over the results of this experiment it is clear that indeed osmosis does occur in an artificial cell with a permeable membrane made of dialysis tubing. As the data shows, the artificial cells that were placed in hypotonic so lutions had a gain in weight, the artificial cell that was placed in a hypertonic solution lost weight, and the cell placed in an isotonic solution stayed the same.The amount of weight gained or lost depends on how concentrated the solutions are, and this did not show in our results (Graph 1). †The rate of diffusion or osmosis is dependent on such factors as temperature, partial size, and the concentration gradient† (General Biology I Laboratory experiments and exercises pg. 3-1). The cell containing 60% sucrose should have ended up being heavier than the cells containing 20% and 40% sucrose, but an error must have occurred during our lab that changed the data that was collected.All in all, the results still prove our hypothesis that osmosis does occur in artificial cells. This means that when an artificial cell is placed in a hypotonic solution, it will gain weight. If an artificial cell is placed in a hypertonic solution it will lose weight, and if it is placed in an i sotonic solution it will stay the same. There are many reasons why our data could have been misleading, weather it was a small hole in one of the dialysis bags, or a faulty scale, or the inability to plot the bags dry before weighing.To better this experiment I believe you should have a scale for each of the bags so that you can weigh the bags and get them back into their respective beaker of solution as quickly as possible. Also, I believe a more successful way of drying each bag before weighing needs to be introduced but the excess water on the outside of the bags could have defiantly thrown off the data. References Patrick A. Thorpe (ed). (2013). Biology 120 General Biology I Laboratory Experiments an Exercises. Plymouth, MI: Hayden-McNeil Publishing.Reece, Urry, Cain, Wasserman, Minorsky, Jackson (eds). (2011). Campbell Biology Ninth Edition. San Fransico, CA: Pearson Education Inc.. Bag| Bag Contents| Beaker Contents| Bag is in a _____solution | Bag will _______ weight. | | 1| tap water| tap water| isotonic| stay the same| | 2| 20% sucrose| tap water| hypotonic| gain| | 3| 40% sucrose| tap water| hypotonic| gain| | 4| 60% sucrose| tap water| hypotonic| gain| | 5| tap water| 40% sucrose| hypertonic| lose| | | | | | | | Table 1 Graph 1 TIME (MIN) TIME (MIN) W E I G H T (g) W E I G H T (g) Osmosis Lab Report Osmosis Rates in Artificial Cells Daniel George Department of Biology Grand Valley State University 1 Campus Drive Allendale, MI 49401 [email  protected] gvsu. edu Abstract The lab for this paper was conducted for the topic of osmosis, the movement of water from high to low concentration. Five artificial cells were created, each being filled with different concentrated solutions of sucrose. These artificial cells were placed in hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic solutions for a period of 90 min. Over time, the rate of osmosis was measured by calculating the weight of each artificial cell on given intervals (every 10 minutes).The resulting weights were recorded and the data was graphed. We then could draw conclusions on the lab. Introduction Diffusion and Osmosis are two concepts that go hand in hand with each other. Diffusion is simply described as the movement of a substance from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration. In another words, the substance will move down its concentration gradient which is â€Å"the region along which the density of a chemical substance increases or decreases† (Campbell Biology pg. 132). If you understand the concept of diffusion then osmosis is a very simple process.It can be defined as the diffusion of water across a permeable membrane. Osmosis can be cellular or artificial, so even though we are creating artificial cells in this lab, it is still considered to be osmosis. During osmosis, a solvent is trying to get through a selectively permeable membrane to make the concentration of that solvent the same on both sides of the membrane. The rate of osmosis depends on the type of environment the cell is in. There are three different environments that a cell can find itself in, a hypertonic environment, a hypotonic environment, or an isotonic environment.The environment a cell is in will determine its tonicity which is â€Å"the ability of a surrounding solution to cause a cell to gain or lose weight † (Campbell Biology pg. 133). â€Å"In a hypertonic solution, the cell will lose water, shrivel up, and most likely die† (Campbell Biology pg. 133). The reason this happens is because there is a higher concentration of water in the cell then there is in the environment the cell is in. Like I said before, water travels down its concentration gradient from high concentration to low concentration.So the water inside the cell will cross the membrane and enter into the solution outside the cell and it will continue to do this until the concentration inside the cell membrane and outside the cell membrane are equal. The opposite of this would be if the cell was in a solution that is hypotonic to the cell. In a hypotonic solution, â€Å"water would enter the cell faster than it leaves and the cell will swell up and lyse (burst)† (Campbell Biology pg. 134). This will also cause the cell to die. Both a hypertonic and hypotonic solution are very harmful to cell and in most cases will cause the death of the cell.A solution that a cell wants to be in is an isotonic solution. If the concentration of water in the cell and in the surrounding environment is equal, there will be no net movement of water across the membrane and therefore the cell will not shrivel up or swell up. ). An experiment has been conducted to find out whether or not osmosis is occurring by using artificial cells made of dialysis tubing. To test this hypothesis the experiment will show the change in weight of each artificial cell across a 90 minute time span.The experiment will also show which type of environment (as previously stated) each cell is placed in and taken out of to be weighed. Materials and Methods This experiment will look at the effects of various sucrose concentrations on the rate of osmosis in artificial cells made up of dialysis tubing. To begin the experiment one strip of dialysis tubing will be filled with 10mL of tap water, the second will be filed with 10mL of 20% sucrose, the third with 10mL of 40% sucrose, the fourth with 10mL of 60% sucrose, and the fifth bag will be filled with 10mL of tap water also.The dialysis tubing will be clamped at one end in order to fill it and then clamped at the other end to seal the filled bag. If the bag is not soft and floppy, the experiment will not work. Blot a bag with a paper towel to absorb the moisture and weigh it, if this blotting process is not done it could interfere with the weight readings creating inaccurate information. After the bags of the solutions are prepared, they will be placed into five different beakers with different solutions. Beakers 1-4 will be filled with tap water and the fifth beaker is filled with 40% sucrose and water.Fill each beaker with just enough water or solution so that the bag is covered and place the bags in the beakers simultaneously and record each time. Every 10 min the bags are to be taken out, blotted, and weighed again before returning them back into their resp ective beaker for another 10 min. The process is repeated until you have reached 90 min. The weights should be recorded in grams (g). Results Table 1 shows the contents of the bags and the content of the concentration it was submersed in. Bags 2-4 each contain a solution of both sucrose and water. These bags were each put into beakers containing hypertonic solution.These bags gained weight over time because the water moved from its high concentration inside the beaker to the low concentration inside the membrane of the artificial cell, the membrane being the bags that consisted of dialysis tubing. The water will continue to move through the pores of the dialysis tubing into the concentration of water is the same in the beaker as well as inside the artificial cell. Bag 1, consisting of water, was also put into a breaker containing water. The weight of this bag remains the same because it was placed in an isotonic solution, where the concentration of water was the same.Because of this , osmosis does not occur. The last bag (bag 5) contained only water whereas the beaker it was immersed in was a solution of 40% sucrose. The solution is a hypertonic solution because the concentration of water was higher inside the artificial cell then outside the cell membrane, inside the beaker. Because of this, the weight of bag 5 decreased as time went on because water was constantly leaving the bag through the pores of the dialysis tubing in an attempt to make the concentration of water equal inside and outside of the bag.As you can see from the results plotted in Graph 1, the bags that were put into a hypotonic solution gained weight over time, whereas the bag that was put into a hypertonic solution lost weight over time. Conclusion/ Discussion As you look over the results of this experiment it is clear that indeed osmosis does occur in an artificial cell with a permeable membrane made of dialysis tubing. As the data shows, the artificial cells that were placed in hypotonic so lutions had a gain in weight, the artificial cell that was placed in a hypertonic solution lost weight, and the cell placed in an isotonic solution stayed the same.The amount of weight gained or lost depends on how concentrated the solutions are, and this did not show in our results (Graph 1). †The rate of diffusion or osmosis is dependent on such factors as temperature, partial size, and the concentration gradient† (General Biology I Laboratory experiments and exercises pg. 3-1). The cell containing 60% sucrose should have ended up being heavier than the cells containing 20% and 40% sucrose, but an error must have occurred during our lab that changed the data that was collected.All in all, the results still prove our hypothesis that osmosis does occur in artificial cells. This means that when an artificial cell is placed in a hypotonic solution, it will gain weight. If an artificial cell is placed in a hypertonic solution it will lose weight, and if it is placed in an i sotonic solution it will stay the same. There are many reasons why our data could have been misleading, weather it was a small hole in one of the dialysis bags, or a faulty scale, or the inability to plot the bags dry before weighing.To better this experiment I believe you should have a scale for each of the bags so that you can weigh the bags and get them back into their respective beaker of solution as quickly as possible. Also, I believe a more successful way of drying each bag before weighing needs to be introduced but the excess water on the outside of the bags could have defiantly thrown off the data. References Patrick A. Thorpe (ed). (2013). Biology 120 General Biology I Laboratory Experiments an Exercises. Plymouth, MI: Hayden-McNeil Publishing.Reece, Urry, Cain, Wasserman, Minorsky, Jackson (eds). (2011). Campbell Biology Ninth Edition. San Fransico, CA: Pearson Education Inc.. Bag| Bag Contents| Beaker Contents| Bag is in a _____solution | Bag will _______ weight. | | 1| tap water| tap water| isotonic| stay the same| | 2| 20% sucrose| tap water| hypotonic| gain| | 3| 40% sucrose| tap water| hypotonic| gain| | 4| 60% sucrose| tap water| hypotonic| gain| | 5| tap water| 40% sucrose| hypertonic| lose| | | | | | | | Table 1 Graph 1 TIME (MIN) TIME (MIN) W E I G H T (g) W E I G H T (g)

Business requirements Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business requirements - Assignment Example Among the advances of technology, include the innovation of the micro processor which increased the amount of processed information as compared to the information that individuals and firms could have processed, internet innovation also led to availability of markets that are functional always whereby information could be passed at the appropriate time. On the other hand, changes in the communication sector makes businesses are allocated in areas where production costs are low but high profit margins. Advancements in the communication sector have led to creation on global markets since marketers effectively communicate with their consumers. Hence, the continuous innovation space in which recognized firms tend to thrive is shown by a dependence on subsisting value networks as well as a contented financial hurdle rate. Nevertheless, this space is not without defies even for original corporations. Thus, scrutinizing it facilitate the provision views on the hardships ascertained companie s stumble upon when they depart the relative comfort zone of maintaining innovation. Therefore, the article is all about identifying the main mobile business model aspects in conjunction with their interdependencies and providing analysis of MNOs with an aim of improving their BMs in this new competitive environment. Moreover, changes in technology have led to global businesses since firms have expand globally, transported products to their consumers at a cost effective price and communicate with them effectively. Likewise, the convergence of these technologies is to enable mobile users to converse richer information in extraordinary levels of litheness and expediency (Al-Debei & Avison 217). One of the essential uses of markets and hierarchies in the electronic business is that the electronic market is able to cover a broad range of activities for the seller and the customer that converge at one place. Activities become easier and convenient

Thirteen Movie Analysis Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Thirteen Analysis - Movie Review Example The film is a presentation of the confusion of a teenager in the age of puberty thus it is better suited to be studied as a whole since the story line or plot can be considered to have been built to point in the said direction. In relation, the main objective of the paper is to relate the film to women and their role in the world history. There are different points in the critical analysis of the film. One is the historical value. The film had been produced in 2003 thus representing the turn of the century. It can be observed with the manner the characters carry themselves through the clothes they wear and the music they listen to. Although the rebellious nature of teenagers transcends time, the factors affecting their decision making process vary. In terms of the use of drugs and other substances such as alcohol, the film is playing with the limits related to the issue. Both the main characters Tracey and Evie are intoxicated most of the time. Evie is an embodiment of the different vices. She knows all the persons to know in terms of bad habits and petty crime related activities. The greatest issue that can affect the audience is the manner by which sex is excessively portrayed through the fact that Evie is asking for it most of the time with every guy she talks to or encounters. In relation to the role of women in history then, the portrayal of indecisive and sensual women can be related to decades ago when the female members of the population are viewed as entities to serve and entertain the male population. Although there is a hint of this, the fact that the female characters within the plot are independent and determined, e.g. the mom who works and supports the family in different aspects including financial and emotional issues, can be considered as a portrayal of the modern role of women in history. Another factor that stood out in the film which can be related to history is the

Analysis of a research study article Descriptive Vividness Paper

Analysis of a study article Descriptive Vividness - Research Paper Example Actually the objective of the researchers was to find methods on how to implement a successful conversation on the part of the General Practitioners to urge patients to quit smoking. Descriptive Vividness The obvious thing which strikes the reader after reading the research paper is it vividness in description. The article starts with an abstract with gives a brief synopsis of the background, the methods, the results and the conclusion of the survey. The authors then proceed to describe each of these points in detail. The Background of the paper narrates the previous records of such surveys in cigarette smoking, the purpose of this survey, the sample population selected for the research and in general the theories deduced from previous surveys on cigarette smoking. The paper gives a brief overview of the method used (QCA) for deducing the results and goes on to describe the participants of the survey. This section enumerates how the interviewees were chosen from among the population and how ethical and legal permission was obtained for the survey. The paper then describes the interview process which was conducted in the participants’ home by the General Practitioner. ... The paper follows up the results a vivid discussion on the empirical results. This contains the analytical portion of the paper. The research ends with the Concluding part which presents the practical results of the survey in a nutshell. The role of the spouses and close associates in the life of a smoker is found to be very significant and can influence him to stop smoking. Also General Practitioners can become successful in encouraging their smoking patients to quit smoking, if they cite case studies from previous history. Therefore, the paper describes at length the entire research process. Methodological Congruence Tromso is a city on Northern Norway which housed 61,000 residents in 2001. The population of Tromso, which was above the age of sixty, was surveyed and it was discovered that 82% of the men and 53% of the women had been daily smokers at one point of time. Out of this, 23% of both the men and women still used to smoke. Thus, a large number of the population had stopped smoking. When the researchers wanted to discover methods to encourage people to stop smoking, the population of Tromso proved to be very suitable. Thus, it can be inferred that the sample population selected for the survey interview had the characteristics of being a good sample population. (Medbo, Melbye & Rudebeck 2011 p2) The surveyors designed as Interview Guide which outlined the general guidelines of the Interview Process. It did not follow a very strict format; instead the guidelines of the process were semi-structured. There are both advantages we well as disadvantages of such a format. There are some people who are comfortable answering a lenient form of interview, which is not based on a strict question format. Such people offer their honest opinions

How shopping centres and social spaces have changed in terms of Dissertation

How shopping centres and social spaces have changed in terms of architecture and design from 1976-2012 - Dissertation Example This paper discusses that from the perspective of history of art and visual design, the evolution from commercial marketing areas and shopping centres to departmental stores, supermarkets, malls and mega malls, are significant developments since 1976 in Britain. During the time Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, 1979-1990, a wide policy of privatization resulted in the establishment of urban development corporations. Control over urban development was seized from local government. This resulted in the widespread privatisation of public space such as the development of shopping centres or malls. According to McGuigan, â€Å"such privatisation of public space erodes urbanity and social cohesion†. During the last few decades, increasing private spaces in public areas have been identified; most are owned by private individuals, organisations and financial institutions; while government-owned space is considered as ‘public’. Privatisation in the public domain is ide ntified in various cases including the emergence of multipurpose shopping centres. Thus, one aspect of privatisation is known as Malling, which reshapes the structure of cities. London’s public spaces and mega shopping malls like Brent Cross in the north-west, Wood Green in the north and Westfield in west London focus on the multidimensional functions that mall culture offers to its clientele. Private developers are aiming to create miniature cities with high quality community space. An extensive variety of shops, services and car parks are provided in these modern interpretations of the High Street. Since they require large areas, they are usually located on the outer suburbs of the city (Grolle 7). Components of the built environment are related to abstract concepts, social relations or ideologies through culturally determined systems of association. They combine to communicate social meaning. The built environment first represents its function, expressing its practical pur pose. Thus, the shopping centre constructed in a wide range of styles â€Å"announces itself through its location and its conventional form as a palace of consumption† (Goss 36). Even the most technologically limited architectural solutions give symbolic expression. The built environment is full of meaning with various nuances; it serves its main objective and also extends beyond its primary function. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the history and development of the architectural design of London’s shopping centres from Brent Cross to Westfield including other malls like Wood Green, between 1976-2012. British mall culture’s roots in the United States will be identified. The transformations in visual design in malls and social spaces will be examined; and the impact of globalisation, consumerism, fashions, branding, and new product versions will be determined. ADVANCES IN THE DESIGN OF SHOPPING CENTRES AND SOCIAL SPACES FROM BRENT CROSS TO WESTFIELD: 1976 – 2012 Shopping is the most important contemporary social activity, and is mostly carried out in the shopping centre. Developers and designers of the retail built environment exploit the significance of the space to enhance consumption and subsequently ensure the realization of retail profits. They strive to provide other purposes for the shopping centre’s existence, â€Å"manipulate shoppers’ behaviour through the configuration of space, and consciously design a symbolic landscape that induces associative moods and nature in the shopper† (Goss 18). By examining these strategies, it will be possible to gain an understanding of how the retail environment works. â€Å"Brent Cross Shopping Centre and Wood Green Shopping City are both a product of the expansion and large scale investment that occurred in London during the 1970s†

Policing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Policing - Research Paper Example Policing How to Become a Police Officer in New York City New York has the second biggest police force in the United States with a total number of police officers in the department estimated to be about 5,000 (Skogan, 2006). The labor department foresees that there are going to be about 1,700 vacancies in the New York police department until 2018 (Skogan, 2006). Some of the positions available for interested candidates include aviation, highway patrol, criminal investigations, crime scene analysts as well as drug enforcement (Skogan, 2006). Educational requirements for candidates applying for positions in the police department in New York are a little bit higher as compared to other states. Candidates are required to have at least 60 credit units from college and a GPA of 2.0. The candidates are also required to be US citizens of about 21 years of age (Sherman & Eck, 2002). They must be New York residents with valid driving licenses and great vision of 20/100. Corrected vision with sp ectacle glasses has to be 20/20 for candidates to qualify. Apart from these qualifications, candidates are also taken through background investigations and tests as well as drug and substance abuse tests (Gaines & LeRoy Miller, 2006). The candidates are also obligated to take written Service Exam from the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). This examination helps the department to pick highly qualified candidates to serve in the police force. Other examination tests taken include the written psychological test. Candidates will also be taken through very rigorous oral interviews and job standardized test to determine how the candidates can perform at various police tasks. Qualifying candidates will undergo police training at the New York Police Training Academy for about 28 weeks, after which they will go through field training for 10 more weeks before they can start serving the police department (Sherman & Eck, 2002). Management Structure of the New York Police De partment The New York Police Department is structured into various bureaus and units that help maintain peace and order in the State. The head of the department is the New City York Police Commissioner. The commissioner appoints deputies and assistants to help him run the department. In total, the New York Police Department is divided into eight different bureaus, among which six act as enforcement bureaus (Gaines & LeRoy Miller, 2006). The head of each bureau is known as the Bureau Chief, for instance the Chief of Patrol or Chief of Internal affairs. Each bureau is subdivided into various units, divisions and sections, each dealing with a specific issue (Gaines & LeRoy Miller, 2006). The department also has some specialized units that do not fall under any bureau, for instance the Operations Unit. These specialized units report directly to the Police Commissioner (Braga, Kennedy, Waring, & Piehl, 2001). The Police Commissioner, who is the head of the department, is a civilian polic e officer appointed by the Mayor of New York City (Braga et al., 2001). The police staff of the department comprises both civilian and uniformed police. Uniformed police officers in the department are charged with the responsibility of investigating crimes and performing law enforcement operations in the state. On the other hand, the civilian police o

Project Evaluation Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project Evaluation - Math Problem Example The other option that Salsbury has is to open a health and fitness complex and it has a NPV of ?700,000. Furthermore, the report justifies the technique that has been used in order to evaluate the project by comparing it with other project evaluation techniques such as Accounting Rate of Return and Profitability Index. Moreover, the report then discusses other factors that the organization needs to consider while making the investment decision. ANALYSING THE FEASIBILITY OF THE PROJECT Net present value (NPV) is the technique that has been used to analyze the feasibility of the project. NPV shows the net future cash flows of the project after being discounted with the discount rate so that the present value or present worth of the cash flows can be calculated (McLaney, 2009). In the appendix 1 of the report, the forecasted cash flows for the 10 years are calculated and net present value of these cash flows are calculated with the discount rate of 14%. ... is higher than health and fitness complex, therefore the management should invest in opening a retail store than the health and fitness complex as it has higher NPV and projects with higher NPV should be accepted (Jensen, 2001). JUSTIFICATION ABOUT THE METHOD USED TO EVALUATE THE PROJECT The management has used Net Present Value method to evaluate whether the project is feasible or not. Although there are different project appraisal techniques such as Accenting Rate of Return (ARR), Payback Period, Profitability Index, Benefit to Cost Ratio (BCR), Internal Rate of Return and discounted payback period etc. However, the report discusses two of these techniques; ARR ad Profitability Index and compares these two techniques with NPV and justifies why NPV is a good method used to evaluate the feasibility of the project. NPV and Accounting Rate of Return Accounting Rate of Return (ARR) is the average return that the project would yield throughout its time period (Gitman, 2003). It can be ca lculated using the formula below: By using the above formula, ARR of the project is 27.24% It is better to use NPV than Accounting Rate of Return (ARR) as the NPV discounts the future cash flows whereas the ARR does not consider the time value of money. Therefore it is better for the management to use NPV as it will show the real value or worth of the project by considering the discount rate and even inflation rate but these rates are not considered by using the ARR. NPV and Profitability Index The other method that has been used to evaluate the feasibility of the project is the profitability index. Profitability index is calculated by following formula: The formula shows that profitability index considers the time value of money which accounting rate of return does not. Therefore it

Adultery and inappropriate relationships among the ranks in the Army Research Paper

Adultery and inappropriate relationships among the ranks in the Army - Research Paper Example Female and male veterans are reported to confirm reports of rampant sexual trauma during their service in the military. The military has been reluctant to take action against these allegations. Military officials are said to have received over 3000 reports on sexual assault in the year 2011. However, reports indicate that only 191 cases have successfully been convicted in the court-martial. This has encouraged the outrageous behavior in the military circles. No wonder, the majority sexual predators are repeat offenders. Sexual assailants in the military are said to be unaware of the impact of their actions to the lives of the victims. This essay seeks to explore the issue of adultery and inappropriate relationships among ranks in the military. Many people believe that sexual ethics in the military fall under personal choices and should never be governed by the military. Research shows that most people believe that extramarital affairs should not be punishable in the military. A poll indicated that 49 percent of Americans believe that adultery should be allowed in the military. The argument in based on the fact that adultery is a personal choice regardless to whether it is right or wrong. Most of the people who back adultery in the military use the natural law theory (Mitchell, 1998). The argument suggests that the essence of having sexual urges is to explore sexual relationships with multiple partners (Brinson, 2008). The natural law suggests that it is natural to fulfill the sexual urges and desires. Multiple cases have been reported dealing with cases of immorality in the military. Army major John Lonhouser, Air force General Joseph Ralston and General David Petraus are representative of what is happening in the top ranks of the United States military. The junior ranking troops imagine that the drill sergeants live in an insular world. The junior officers believe the word from their commanders is final. As a result, they suffer from rape and sexual assaults w hile serving in the United States military. Most of these troops suffer retaliation after reporting these cases (Brinson, 2008). Sexual assaults have resulted to demoralization of the United States military, especially those who have fallen victims. The military is expected to be a moral leader in the United States. Research indicates that there is a culture of condoning military adultery and improper sexual relationships in the units of the United States army. However, the rules tend to be different for the generals (Mitchell, 1998). According research, consensual sex seems to be widely tolerated in the United States army. The media seems to put top generals into limelight. However, the military structures, culture and attitude is accustomed to sexual offences (Valente & Wight). Soldiers are known to work in extreme conditions (Brinson, 2008). They spend most long period of time away from their families. This has been attributed to the multiple cases of adultery in improper relatio nships among the ranks in the army. The department of defense has conducted large-scale surveys with regard to adultery and improper relationships in the coast guards, Marine Corps, navy army and air force active-duty personnel (Mitchell, 1998). Research confirms the women and men experience gender-related discrimination which has been in the rise in the last one decade. For long, sexual harassment had been termed as a problem facing the military women. However, men are increasingly becoming targets of improper relationships at an alarming rate. The military culture and gender based imbalances while on active duty have been cited as some of the causes of adultery and improper relationships among the military personnel. The military environment provides the sexual offenders

The Reckless Decade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Reckless Decade - Essay Example Rockefeller. While they amassed wealth for themselves, those at the bottom of the economic heap earned poorly, an account in chapter three given by a journalist, Jacob Riis, which Jane Addams also contributed to. The lords of Chicago and Tammany bosses of New York City corruptibly laid the foundation for a big city government. In the fourth chapter, Brands focuses on the labour movement, giving a description of Eugene Debs’ career, the strike of Pullman and the bizarre incidence involving Coxey’s Army (129). Populism arose due to agricultural depression and immense division on the standard of gold, factors that also promoted the unsuccessful, though democratic presidency bid for William Jennings Bryan. The 1896 Supreme Court ruling of Plessy vs. Ferguson promoted the erosion of black civil rights through acceptance of separate, though equal, measure. The imperialistic country thus found a reason to get involved in Hawaii, the Philippines, Venezuela and Cuba. Thus, Brand s, through this book, gives a vivid narrative of momentous challenges that faced America towards an uncertain future. The author perceives the existence of parallels between the then America and the current one which still faces social, economic, political and technological

Cons Of Abortion Essay Example for Free

Cons Of Abortion Essay Abortions should be illegalized unless there are special circumstances and appropriate reasoning. One reason is because many people have taken advantage of legal abortions and use it as a form of birth control. Another reason being that killing an unborn is morally wrong and that its considered murder. Third, almost all women experience both physical and psychological disabilities whether theyre minor or very serious. An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by loss or destruction of the fetus before birth. An abortion may be spontaneous or induced. The latter is an act with ethical and legal ramifications. Many women experience physical and psychological complications after they have had an abortion. This leads to complications in their behavior and therefore many consider the care of a psychiatric or physician. Statistics prove that the risks of Physical problems among women who have aborted at least once are high. Approximately 10% of women undergoing abortion will have to suffer immediate abortions and about 2% of them are life threatening. Death is a very serious issue for all women considering abortions. Legal abortion is reported as the fifth leading cause of maternal death . Statistics prove that women who have had an abortion are four times more likely to die in the following year than ones that have carried their pregnancies to term are. Abortion is also clearly linked to a dramatic increase in suicide risk. Between 7 to 30% of all women who have aborted have been reported to attempt suicide. In Canada a study of government funded medical programs showed that 41% of women had to receive psychological treatment after having an abortion. Putting death and suicide aside, there are many other problems that one may have to suffer from. Facing complications in labor and having handicapped newborns. Statistics show that women who have aborted once are two to three times more likely to having a pre term delivery Not only does induced abortions increase the risks of pre- term delivery but also increases the risks delayed delivery. Because abortion is associated with cervical and uterine damage, these are the leading causes of handicapped among newborns. The authors found that if a partner is present and not supportive, the miscarriage rate is more than  double and the abortion rate is four times greater than if he is present and supportive. The partner is absent the abortion rate is six times greater. In total out of 1428 women surveyed, after having aborted, women visited their family doctor 80% more for all reasons possible and 180% of them went for psychosocial reasons. Abortion is stressful and emotionally difficult for most women . As well as having physical problems, more women experience psychological damages. A survey stated that almost eight weeks after having an abortion, 31% of women had regretted the decision. 44% had complained of having nervous disorders, 36% had experienced a loss or disturbances of sleep. Many of these women carry repressed feelings which leads to drug and alcohol abuse. Elliot research institutes researcher found that women who have aborted their pregnancies are 4 times more likely to get involved with drugs and alcohol. During an interview of 30 women who had aborted, 60% had increased their use or alcohol. Almost 45% of all abortions performed today are repeat abortions. If abortions were illegalized, a large proportion of repeat abortions can be eliminated. Not as many women would have to go through stress and other physical and psychological disorders. Outlawing abortions can reduce many of these common problems among women. The three main that women who have aborted give are, having a baby can change my life, If I were to have this baby, it could ruin my career, or My partner and I are currently having problems in the relationship . When asked public opinion, these reasons are quite selfish. It seems as if when there is no where else to turn, the option of abortion will stand out. Knowing that abortions are permitted and available some take it as the easy ticket out. During the 1970s, Canada was reported to having one of the highest teenage fertility rates in the world. Among unmarried women, teens have held the highest rate of child bearing in Canada and the United States. As these pregnancy rates have increased, abortion rates had doubled. Between 1975 and  1980 abortion rates have doubled from 20 to 44 abortions per 1000 women who were between the ages of fifteen and nineteen. This shows that many teenagers have been using abortions as a method of contraception to lower their fertility rate. To those whom consider abortion a negative issue say that, easy abortion leads to increased promiscuity; Available abortions lead to reduced contraceptive use . If abortion remains legalized it silently and subconsciously encourage selfish and irresponsible behavior among young women who may consider it as a backup plan incase of pregnancy. Since the abortion law made by the Supreme Court in 1973, teenage abortions had risen very greatly in numbers. Abortion rates for adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 raised from 244,070 to 448,570. Thats an increase of 84%. For girls under the ages of 15, the rate increased to a total of 31% (11630 to 15240). In 1980s, there was a decrease in abortion rates. This was due to the fact that the changes in law decreased the number of abortion providers all over Canada. Due to this abortions had decreased by 26% in 1984, 24% in 1989 and 21% in 1991. Looking a little deeper into this, one may come to the consideration that many if not all pregnancies that have been aborted have been due to carelessness in sexual behavior. With the exception of rape, incest or physical harm on the women, the procedure of all abortions should be banned. Many argue that abortion is immoral and it is in the same category as killing an innocent, newborn baby. All life is present from the moment of conception. Fetuses almost look like newborn infants and possess characteristics, such as a genetic code, that are found in all human beings. Anti abortionists say that it is always prima facie seriously wrong to take a human life or is it always prima facie seriously wrong to end the life of a baby . Some say it doesnt make sense to give rights to a being that would never have psychological traits, but one may argue that new born babies dont have these traits either, but if they were to be killed after birth, one would get charged. Therefore the argument that a fetus does not  carry psychological traits is a poor one. Other issues which makes killing a fetus wrong is the loss of the victims future. This can be supported by the consideration that killing is one of the worst crimes. People who know that they are going to die believe, of course, that dying is a very bad thing. These people know that their premature death is bad because they will miss out on what the future may have had to hold for them . For people who are severely ill and wish to die will not have suffered a loss if the were killed because they know they will have to face a future of pain. Abortion may also be compared to animal rights. Our society has always put humans before animals. Our rights are obviously more important than those of animals are. A couple months ago, two men were arrested because they had slit open the bodies of rats and photographed it saying it was art . Those who perform abortions are killing a living fetus, which will grow up to, possess characteristics much more complex than that of a rat. How can those who perform abortions get away with it and not those who kill rats? Medical science leads to a pro-life perspective rather than a pro-choice perspective. These arguments against abortions are compelling. One being that at conception the embryo is genetically distinct from the mother . It is said that a developing human being is genetically different from its mother because, for one, it is genetically different form the sperm and egg that created it. The DNA of an embryo can be distinguished form the DNA of the sperm and egg that created it. There are other medical arguments supporting the right to life for a fetus. Major one is the definition between life and death. In the past life was defined by the heartbeat. A stopped heartbeat would be a clear indication of death. By the eighteenth day in the womb, a fetus has a heart. If heartbeats were used to define life than all abortions would be outlawed. In the new age, brainwave activity is used to define death. Fetuses develop ECG patterns in their brains at about 40 to 43 after conception. A flat ECG pattern clearly determines death. Using brain wave activity, at least a majority of abortions could be outlawed. A third issue concerning abortions is if the fetus feels pain. Yes a fetus does feel pain. Try poking an infant with a pin, it will immediately pull away and begin to cry. If you tried to do the same with a fetus, it will open its mouth and pull away. This also causes an increase in the heart rate of the human fetus. Many other medical arguments can be used to try and  outlaw abortions. A fetus has unique set of fingerprints, it to is growing and developing, it has the same human like features as we do, and many others. Abortion is a very controversial subject and there are many debates between the pro-lifers and pro-choices. The views of the pro-lifers are that abortion should become banned all over hospitals and clinics. Pro- choicer may not agree with this because they argue that if abortions become banned then women will have to get illegal abortions. This is not true because statistics proved that when abortions were banned in Canada the rate had drop. Women who did not need abortions for a real reason did not get them. This brought down abortion rates considerably. If the number of abortions was decreased this will also decrease problems of physical and psychological stress. In conclusion, there are other ways of dealing with the situation of an unwanted pregnancy. The most one may do is give up the baby for adoption. Bibliography 1. Abortion: Choice and Conflict Editor Oliver Trager 2. The Ethics of Abortion Robert M. Baird and Stuart E. Rosenbaum 3. Internet site www.religioustlerance.org/abo_supr.htm 4. Abortion a Positive Decision By Patricia Lunneborg 5. The Big Evasion By Anne Collins 6. Perspectives on abortion By Paul Sachdev 7. Abortion Policies in US and Canada Studies in Public Opinion Edited by Ted G. Jelen

Porter’s notes

Porter’s notes Porters notes that ‘firms, not individual nations, compete in international markets.How does this statement help to explain some of the major challenges facing MNEs .How do the determinants of national competitive advantage help explain how companies can maintain their economic competitiveness? Porters note that firms and not individual nations compete in the international market is a statement that is very valid and cannot be overemphasized. The involvement of nations in the international market is just to weigh and to justify their existence in terms of the total output in term of production from the nation. A nation with a high production rate will be rated high in terms of its GDP which is the market value of the total amount of goods and services made within the borders of that particular country in a calendar year. This makes nations to encourage firms to establish in their countries while they provide conducive environment for such firms to operate. These firms are always beneficiary to the people of the nation by providing employments, goods and services, income to the government, and most importantly increase the GDP of the nation. The standard of living of people in the nation increases by a reasonable income per capita. However, firms not individual nation competes in international market (Porters; competitive advantage) and faces various challenges to have a competitive advantage over other firms in the same industry. Competitiveness is often confused with productivity. Productivity refers to the internal capability of an organization, while competitiveness refers to the relative position of an organization against its competitors. These two important concepts are often confused and interchangeably used. For example, in his famous book, The Competitive Advantage of Nations. Porter (1990, p. 6) says that the only meaningful concept of competitiveness at the national level is national productivity. Competitiveness may also have a distinctly different meaning at different levels of analysis — product, firm, industry, and nation. Porter (1990, p. 33) says that the basic unit of analysis for understanding competition is the â€Å"industry,† while the title of his book refers to â€Å"nations.† He also says that firms, not nations, compete in international markets. (http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/eb046319 ) To grow to the level of becoming a MNE, the company must have achieved to an extent in its home country before extending the production/services to the other country. In modern international competition, firms need not to be confined to their home nation; they can compete with global strategies in which activities are located in many countries (Michael .E. Porter, The Competitive Advantage of Nations). In achieving this, lot of things have to be put in place and various principles regarding to location of an industry have to be considered. There are various challenges been faced by multinational companies but first and foremost, I will like to explain what a multinational company is, and what it entails for a company to be a multinational. Moreover, I will like to look into reasons why companies go multinational and considering the major challenges they will have to overcome, using typical examples. Mullti-national Corporation (MNC) or transnational corporation (TNC), also called multinational enterprise (MNE), is a corporation or enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. Multinational corporations (MNCs) are corporations that own or control production or service facilities outside the country in which they are based.(United Nations, 1973, P. 23) The rise of Globalisation has forced and enabled more companies to venture abroad in order to thrive for more profitability: bigger market, cheaper raw materials, and lower labour costs. However, MNCs have also noticed that the more countries they enter, the more ethical issues appear. At best, even when MNCs are dealing with one only one culture, they are already facing ethical difficulties; as they encounter two or more different cultures, it would become extremely problematical. http://www.cheathouse.com/essay/essay_view.php?p_essay_id=50620#ixzz0fA3KI9ss Some of the major challenges firms faces includes; economic weakness, price competition, terrorism, higher expense, environmental concern, change of government/regulation problems, health problems/hazard, government policies etc. . By following the globalization campaign, multinational companies supply chains can be enriched, high costs work force can be transformed and potential markets can be expanded. Consequentially, competitive advantages of companies can be strengthened in a global market. Otherwise, some problems are met in the changed environments in foreign countries at the same time. The changed environments can be divided into four main aspects, namely, cultural environment, legal environment, economic environment and political system problems. All the changed environments make problems to multinational companies. In particular, problems which are caused by changed culture environment are the most serious aspect of running a multinational business. . (http://www.oppapers.c om/essays/Discuss-Management-Problems-Facing-Multinational-Companies/120224) Firms in various industries faces different challenges whether domestic or internatonal, this could be explained with the five competitive force where all the challenges are embodied. The five competitive forces according to Porters are: The threat of new entrants The threat of substitute products or services The bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of buyers The rivalry between the existing competitors. These five competitive forces determine the level of competitiveness and the structure of various industries. Porters five forces is a framework for the industry analysis and business strategy development developed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. It uses concepts developing, Industrial Organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. Attractiveness in this context refers to the overall industry profitability. An unattractive industry is one where the combination of forces acts to drive down overall profitability. A very unattractive industry would be one approaching pure competition. Three of Porters five forces refer to competition from external sources while the remaining two are internal threats. For proper and qualitative understanding, it is useful to use Porters five forces in conjunction with SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). Five Forces Analysis assumes that there are five important forces that determine competitive power in a situation. These are: Supplier Power: Here you assess how easy it is for suppliers to drive up prices. This is driven by the number of suppliers of each key input, the uniqueness of their product or service, their strength and control over you, the cost of switching from one to another, and so on. The fewer the supplier choices you have, and the more you need suppliers help, the more powerful your suppliers are. Buyer Power: Here you ask yourself how easy it is for buyers to drive prices down. Again, this is driven by the number of buyers, the importance of each individual buyer to your business, the cost to them of switching from your products and services to those of someone else, and so on. If you deal with few, powerful buyers, they are often able to dictate terms to you. Competitive Rivalry: What is important here is the number and capability of your competitors if you have many competitors, and they offer equally attractive products and services, then youll most likely have little power in the situation. If suppliers and buyers dont get a good deal from you, theyll go elsewhere. On the other hand, if no-one else can do what you do, then you can often have tremendous strength. Threat of Substitution: This is affected by the ability of your customers to find a different way of doing what you do for example, if you supply a unique software product that automates an important process, people may substitute by doing the process manually or by outsourcing it. If substitution is easy and substitution is viable, then this weakens your power. Threat of New Entry: Power is also affected by the ability of people to enter your market. If it costs little in time or money to enter your market and compete effectively, if there are few economies of scale in place, or if you have little protection for your key technologies, then new competitors can quickly enter your market and weaken your position. If you have strong and durable barriers to entry, then you can preserve a favourable position and take fair advantage of it. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_08.htm Nations role too could not be undermined in any international business. Using thePEST analysis (Political.Economical, Social and Technological), one will see that firms/industries can only flourish in areas where there is a stabilised political, economic, social, and technological activity. Considering the case of dell in Brazil, dell was at a point of dilemma just because of political issues (change of government). For multinational companies, political riskrefers to the risks been faced when a host country l make political decisions thatwill prove to have adverse effects on the multinationals profits and/or goals. Adverse political actions can range from very detrimental,such as widespread destruction due to revolution, to those of a more financial nature, such as the creation of laws that prevent the movement of capital. For example,after Fidel Castros government took control of Cubain 1959,hundreds of millions of dollars worth of American-ownedassets and companies wereexpropriate d.Unfortunately, most, if not all, of theseAmerican companies had no recoursefor getting any of that money back. (http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/06/politicalrisk.asp) NATIONAL COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE NEW TECHNOLOGY-new possibility of producing/design of new product NEW OR SHIFTING BUYER NEEDS-change in priority THE EMMERGENCE OF NEW INDUSTRY SEGMENT CHANGES IN GOVT REGULATIONS SHIFTING INPUT COSTS OR AVAILABILITY http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=B68DD8C0CD4FB01EF762C29BE22E6C93?contentType=ArticlehdAction=lnkpdfcontentId=1668938 How do the determinants of national competitive advantage help explain how companies can maintain their economic competitiveness? Porters Diamond Determining Factors of National Advantage Increasingly, corporate strategies have to be seen in a global context. Even if an organization does not plan to import or to export directly, management has to look at an international business environment, in which actions of competitors, buyers, sellers, new entrants of providers of substitutes may influence the domestic market. Information technology is reinforcing this trend. Michael Porter introduced a model that allows analyzing why some nations are more competitive than others are, and why some industries within nations are more competitive than others are, in his book The Competitive Advantage of Nations. This model of determining factors of national advantage has become known as Porters Diamond. It suggests that the national home base of an organization plays an important role in shaping the extent to which it is likely to achieve advantage on a global scale. This home base provides basic factors, which support or hinder organizations from building advantages in global competition. Porter distinguishes four determinants: (http://www.themanager.org/models/diamond.htm) Factor Conditions The situation in a country regarding production factors, like skilled labor, infrastructure, etc., which are relevant for competition in particular industries. These factors can be grouped into human resources (qualification level, cost of labor, commitment etc.), material resources (natural resources, vegetation, space etc.), knowledge resources, capital resources, and infrastructure. They also include factors like quality of research on universities, deregulation of labor markets, or liquidity of national stock markets. These national factors often provide initial advantages, which are subsequently built upon. Each country has its own particular set of factor conditions; hence, in each country will develop those industries for which the particular set of factor conditions is optimal. This explains the existence of so-called low-cost-countries (low costs of labor), agricultural countries (large countries with fertile soil), or the start-up culture in the United States (well developed venture capital market). Porter points out that these factors are not necessarily nature-made or inherited. They may develop and change. Political initiatives, technological progress or socio-cultural changes, for instance, may shape national factor conditions. A good example is the discussion on the ethics of genetic engineering and cloning that will influence knowledge capital in this field in North America and Europe. Home Demand Conditions Describes the state of home demand for products and services produced in a country.Home demand conditions influence the shaping of particular factor conditions. They have impact on the pace and direction of innovation and product development. According to Porter, home demand is determined by three major characteristics: their mixture (the mix of customers needs and wants), their scope and growth rate, and the mechanisms that transmit domestic preferences to foreign markets. Porter states that a country can achieve national advantages in an industry or market segment, if home demand provides clearer and earlier signals of demand trends to domestic suppliers than to foreign competitors. Normally, home markets have a much higher influence on an organizations ability to recognize customers needs than foreign markets do. Related and Supporting Industries The existence or non-existence of internationally competitive supplying industries and supporting industries. One internationally successful industry may lead to advantages in other related or supporting industries. Competitive supplying industries will reinforce innovation and internationalization in industries at later stages in the value system. Besides suppliers, related industries are of importance. These are industries that can use and coordinate particular activities in the value chain together, or that are concerned with complementary products (e.g. hardware and software). A typical example is the shoe and leather industry in Italy. Italy is not only successful with shoes and leather, but with related products and services such as leather working machinery, design, etc. Firm Strategy, Structure, and Rivalry The conditions in a country that determine how companies are established, are organized and are managed, and that determine the characteristics of domestic competition Here, cultural aspects play an important role. In different nations, factors like management structures, working morale, or interactions between companies are shaped differently. This will provide advantages and disadvantages for particular industries. Typical corporate objectives in relation to patterns of commitment among workforce are of special importance. They are heavily influenced by structures of ownership and control. Family-business based industries that are dominated by owner-managers will behave differently than publicly quoted companies. Porter argues that domestic rivalry and the search for competitive advantage within a nation can help provide organizations with bases for achieving such advantage on a more global scale. Porters Diamond has been used in various ways. Organizations may use the model to identify the extent to which they can build on home-based advantages to create competitive advantage in relation to others on a global front. On national level, governments can (and should) consider the policies that they should follow to establish national advantages, which enable industries in their country to develop a strong competitive position globally. According to Porter, governments can foster such advantages by ensuring high expectations of product performance, safety or environmental standards, or encouraging vertical co-operation between suppliers and buyers on a domestic level etc.

The Hong Kong tourism industry

The Hong Kong tourism industry Part B Abstract It is revealed that high labor turnover is a major global problem in hotel industry. The human resource management in the hotel industry is facing challenge about retaining employees and minimizes the turnover. Therefore, it is worth to investigate about the human resource management in the hotel industry. The purpose of this study is to explore the labor turnover in hotel industry, and its associated the factors affecting the labor turnover and how to manage the labor turnover. The labor turnover in hotel industry is influenced by the work related factors, external factors and external factors. According to some statistics, the cost of labor turnover in hotel industry is very high. Moreover, some retention strategy are propose to overcome the labor turnover are discussed including training, employee motivation and employee recognition. Section 1 :Introduction 1.1 Reason for choice of topic The tourism industry is the leading industry in many countries. Hong Kong tourism industry contributing $162.8 billion or 10.8% of gross domestic product in 2009(http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/, http://www.tourism.gov.hk/textonly/english/statistics/statistics_perform.html ) and Thailand tourism industry generate 6.5% of gross domestic product in 2008 (http://www.thaiwebsites.com/tourism.asp). Accommodation is an essential element of tourism service and it is vital to the quality of the tourist experience, as it constitutes a major part of consumption. This study is to investigate the labor turnover in the hotel organization. It is general known that the hospitality industry has a major challenge about the labor turnover and staff stability rates. These problems are usually occur in the front-line staff as it is related to a lot of unfavorable working conditions in hotel, such as the long working hours, unstable working schedule and lack of promotion opportunities. Therefore, many people are not willing to enter to the hotel industry or some people have work for many years in hotel industry but shift to another industry because of those unfavorable working conditions. Besides, the human resource management in the hotel industry are facing some serious problems about retaining the employees and recruits the right people to fill in the right job. Therefore, it is worthwhile to investigate the factors that cause the front-line employees to quit the job. In addition, to discuss what the human resource management can do to retain the st aff and manage the labor turnover in the hotel organization. Another reason for choosing this topic to study is the authors want to become the human resource manager in a hotel. Therefore, it is vital that the author have a clear understanding of what challenges that the human resource management are facing and to use the specific approach to overcome those problems. 1.2Academic objectives of dissertation This paper aims to achieve the followings objectives: To find out what is the meaning of labor turnover and have an overview of the turnover culture in the hotel industry To discuss the factors that influence labor turnover in hotel industry. To explain the cost of labor turnover in hotel industry. To find out what the human resource management can do to managing the labor turnover. 1.3 Outline of sections In section 1, the author talked about her reason for choice this topic and the major objectives through this project. In section 2, the authors explained the concepts of labor turnover briefly and provide an overview of the turnover culture in the hotel industry. In section 3, the author would explain the factors influence the turnover in the hotel industry and have an understanding of the cost of labor turnover. It could help to show the labor turnover is a serious problem within the industry. Moreover, in section 4, the author wants to make others understand how to manage the labor turnover in the hotel industry. Finally in section 5, would be the summary and conclusion about this project. Section 2:Literature review 2.1 What is labor turnover? According to Price (1977, p.15) the term ‘turnover is defined as the ratio of the number of organization members who have left during the period being considered divided by the average number of people in that organization during the period and also each time a position is vacated, a new employee must be hired and trained. This replacement cycle is known as turnover (Woods, 1995, p. 345). Labor turnover refers to the movement of employees in and out of a business. Labor turnover affects both workers and firms: workers may need to learn new job-specific skills, whilst firms incur the costs of hiring and training new workers (Brown et. al., 2009). The new workers may be more highly motivated and more highly skilled. Hence, turnover may enhance firm performance. However, high labor turnover causes problems for the firm as it is costly, lowers productivity and morale. Labor turnover can be divided into two main types: voluntary, where the employees leave of their own free will, and involuntary, where the employer decides that employment should terminate. Retirement can fall into either category (Boella, 2000). Most often the voluntary turnover arises where some employees leave to escape negative work environment factors and other are pulled away from the organization by more attractive opportunities and Cheng and Brown (1998) stated that people quit their job for many reasons, but most reasons are not related to management. In recent study, the involuntary turnover can applied to those employees have a poor performance or have did some serious mistakes then the organization would encourage them to quit than fire them. 2.2 The turnover culture in the hotel industry Everyone knows that the hotel industry is a highly labor-intensive industry but the high labor turnover is a serious problem within the industry all around the world. Some theorists such as Mobley (1977), Price (1977), Price and Mueller (1986) identified a range of other variables such as pay, communication, social integration, reutilization, role overload, promotional opportunity, training, supervisor and co-worker support, and distributive justice as having a significant impact upon turnover. According to the research Griffith University, the primary reason for managerial and operational turnover was voluntary resignation, followed by an internal transfer. Performance related terminations were very low. The main motivating factors for executives, managerial and supervisory staff to change jobs, within the hotel industry, were better career opportunities and better working hours. Changing jobs outside the industry was primarily motivated by higher salaries, working hours and better career opportunities. The data suggests that higher wages and better working hours are the major drivers for managerial employees to leave. Similarly, operational staff seek better wages, better working hours and improved career opportunities. In the pervious years, a small among of staff in hotel industry will stay for longer than five years but the voluntary turnover is gradually increase compared with the last decades. According to Kennedy and Berger (1994, p. 58) they stated that, in the hospitality industry, ‘the highest turnover occurred during the first 4 weeks (in employment). The cause of turnover is often poor human resource decisions and the unmet expectations of newcomers. 2.3 Factors affecting employee intent to leave in the hotel industry There are many factors affecting employee turnover. According to a widely accepted though, employees usually quit their jobs because of lack of wages. However, many studies show that there are also many complex factors affecting employee turnover other than wage, such as the management of the company, economics, and psychology. In the following section, some factors affecting employee turnover are discussed. 2.3.1 Work Related Factors The work related factors are other factors that will influence the labor turnover in the hotel industry. The following section will mainly focus on the job satisfaction, pay, working environment, work performance, promotion opportunities and the organization commitment how to influence the labor turnover. 2.3.1.1 Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction is containing the satisfaction with pay, satisfaction with the work itself, satisfaction with the supervision, satisfaction with the promotion opportunities (Khatri et. al., 2003). According to Davis (1981), job satisfaction can be defined as pleasantness or unpleasantness of employees while working. In addition, Oshagbemi (2000) has defined job satisfaction as ‘‘individuals positive emotional reaction to particular job. The term job satisfaction is considered an attribute that exists as the equity of a variety of desired and non-desired job-related experiences. It is also defines as the degree of fit between the features of a job and employees expectations. In addition, there are researchers who view that job satisfaction is a result of both employees expectations and aspirations and their existing status (Clark Oswald, 1996). When the employees with a lack of job satisfaction they will be quitting the job, and the basic reason is that they expect to ha ve a more satisfying job. On the other hand, if the employees have a high job satisfaction, the organization will be fewer labor turnovers. Price and Mueller (1981) stated that job satisfaction has an indirect influence on turnover through its direct influence on formation of intent to leave. Another study stated that employees with higher degree of trust would have higher levels of job satisfaction in the hospitality industry (Gill, 2008). 2.3.1.1.1 Pay According to the past study, the average annual wages of hotel are very low compare with the other industries such as the IT technology and education industry. A low starting salary is found in the frontline department in the hotel industry such as the housekeeping, Food and Beverage and front office. It was shown that dissatisfaction with pay is among the significant factors responsible for turnover (Pavesic and Brymer, 1990; Pizam and Ellis, 1999). Pay is received by the staff and money is equivalent to staffs effort to provide service. The salary, compensation and fringe benefit received by the staff are also the pay. Therefore, if the pay is increase, it can reduce the labor turnover. The relationship between pay and job satisfaction has received considerable attention (Churchill, FordWalker, 1974; Lawler, 1995). The pay was the most important job attribute contributing to job satisfaction in the Hong Kong hotel industry. Therefore, higher pay is significantly related to greater job satisfaction. The staff will be more satisfied with their job when the actual pay is more than the expected pay. The other situation that causes the staff to be more likely to leave their organization is that when they perceive that they are receiving lower salary but they know the other people elsewhere are offered better pay. Therefore, offering higher wages than competing organization will enable the organization to retain some talented worker. 2.3.1.1.2 The work itself The work itself is a critical dimension in employee job satisfaction (Luthans, 1992; Lawler, 1995; Qu, Ryan Chu, 2001; Groot Van Den Brink, 1999) and Glisson and Durick (1988) considered the worker and the nature of the work itself as two important factors affecting job satisfaction. The internal satisfactory factors are related to the work itself, such as: feeling of achievement, feeling of independence, self-esteem, feeling of control and other similar feelings obtained from work. And the external satisfactory factors such as: receiving praise from the boss, good relationships with colleagues, good working environment, high salary, good welfare and utilities. There is a relationship between job satisfaction and stress. Barsky, Thoresen, Warren and Kaplan(2004) argued that high level of work stress will be decrease the job satisfaction and finally leaving the organization because workers feel their job duties are difficult to fulfill. Price (1977) divided job stress into four types: lack of resources to perform, the amount of workload, the clarity of the role obligations and the role conflict. Those job stresses will also make the employees intent to quit the organization. 2.3.1.1.3 The supervision Supervision, being one of the dimensions of job satisfaction (Rust et al., 1996), is defined from the employee-centeredness perspective, it is manifested in ways such as checking to see how well the subordinate is doing, providing advice and assistance to the individual, and communicating with the worker on a personal as well as an official level (Luthans, 1992, pp. 121-122). Some information show that, satisfaction with supervisor will influence job satisfaction positively and finally decrease the labor turnover. If the supervisor provide more concern and social support to the employees, they will be more satisfy and the turnover will be decrease. 2.3.1.1.4 The promotion opportunities Price (2001) stated that promotion opportunities are the potential degree of movement to a higher level status within an organization. The promotion opportunities are also the important category to define the employees are satisfy or dissatisfy, because promotion opportunities are usually associated with increase the salary. However, the result show that hotel sector are lack of promotion opportunities rather than not having enough fair promotion policy (Iverson and Derry. 1997). Due to the hotel industry are lack of promotion opportunities, it will reduce the chance to retain the talented employees in the organization. When employees suffering from unfair treatment, they will change their job attitude immediately and may quit in long run (Vigoda, 2000). 2.3.1.2 The Organization Commitment According to Pennstate (2006), organizational commitment is the relative strength of an employees attachment or involvement with the organization where he or she is employed. Organizational commitment is important because committed employees are less likely to leave for another job and are more likely to perform at higher levels. There are three dimensions of organizational commitment, which are affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment. Turnover literature has consistently found a strong relationship between turnover and organizational commitment, indicating that employees with low commitment are likely to withdraw from the organization. Alternatively, a positive relationship has been found between organizational commitment and career progress or internal promotions indicating that promoted employees are more likely to exhibit higher organizational commitment. 2.3.1.3 Work Performance Employees work performance is another factor affecting labor turnover. According to a study conducted by Jewell and Siegal (2003), it was found that the employees having high performance were not willing to leave their jobs. At this point of view, if the employees having low performance leave their jobs for any reasons, labor turnover is not an important matter for the company. On the other hand, if the employees have a high job performance. Low wages, exclusion from prizes, unsuitable jobs are also among the reasons causing low performance and high employee turnover. 2.3.1.4 Personal Reason Some employees also leave their jobs because of personal reasons. A principal reason that employees leave their jobs is lack of incentives (Pizam and Ellis, 1999). Employees may simply want recognition or an opportunity in advance. For example, The Ritz Carlton Company has reduced employee turnover by focusing on quality recruitment, providing better training and orientation, establishing realistic career opportunities and creating long-term incentive and reward systems. 2.3.2 Demographic Factor Most voluntary turnover models include demographic variables such as age, gender, race, tenure, marital status, number of dependents, and educational experience. However, this paper only focuses on the level of education, gender, marital status and age. 2.3.2.1 Level of Education One of the major challenges of the hospitality industry is the retention of highly educated employees. We define highly educated staff as employees who have followed a higher education program at a bachelors or masters level successfully ( Deery and Shaw, 1999). Carbery et al. (2003) noted that those more highly educated managers or non-managers are more likely to intent to make a turnover decision. One research study by (Blomme et. al., 2010), it shows that among alumni of the Hotel School The Hague who are working worldwide has shown that within 6 years after graduation about 70% of all graduates from the hotel school The Hague leave the organization in which they are working. The more highly educated staff will be less easily satisfied with their jobs than those staff with lower education level because the highly educated staff have higher expectations in job status and salary and they may not be willing to join or stay in the hotel industry. In addition, the external labor market s will provide many opportunities for those highly educated people to satisfy their high expectation on financial benefit. (Wong, Siu Tseng, 1999) 2.3.2.2 Gender Some study noted that, the female and male have their particular behavior that would influence the labor turnover. According to a study conducted by(Doherty and Manfredi,2001:62), it was found that women workers leave their jobs more than men workers, because the roles of women have to taking care of children, having baby in a society and doing house work. In addition, Hersch and Stratton (1997) stated that women, especially married women, spend more time engaged in household activities and are substantially more prepared to quit their job for a family-related reason than men . Some women workers also do not want to return to their jobs after having baby. On the other hand, the study conducted by Tang and Talpade (1999), it stated that males tended to have higher satisfaction with pay than females, whereas females tended to have higher satisfaction with co-workers than males. Its means that women tend to rate social needs as more important than men such as working with people and being helpful to other. Men tend to consider pay more important than do women. Women often begin their careers with much lower expectations than men do and they are willing to take career risks and change employers to do so. Finally, women workers usually work at the entry level jobs in hotel and accordingly get less pay than their men co-workers. According to a study conducted by Iverson (2000) in the USA, it was found that women managers in hotel got very less wages than men managers whether in the beginning or top of their careers. In a similar study, it was found that men workers got more wages than women workers got (Burgess, 2000). It was also found that in order to balance the wage differences among men and women workers, basic and routine job were given to women workers than men workers. 2.3.2.3 Marital Status According to Pizam and Ellis (1999), it stated that marital status could influence labor turnover. Those married employees are most concerned with the balance between their work and family life. Hom and Griffeth (1995),stated that married employees will not want to have a voluntary turnover. Because they have many concerns about the financial needs for their family. If they cannot afford the long and unstable working hours, they will tend to give up the job. However, this issue mostly occurs on women. Therefore, they will have more time for family life and take care of their child. On the other side, the unmarried employees will consider factors related to their jobs such as promotion opportunities and organization commitment more than those married employees (Wong, Siu Tsang, 1999). Therefore, they are less satisfied with their job than married employees. 2.3.2.4 Age In recent study, Hartman and Yrle (1996) points out that the Generation Y employee mostly creates the labor turnover in hospitality industry. In addition, the study conducted by Iverson and Deery (1997), it stated that younger employees have a higher propensity to leave than older employees. The problem was arisen in this decade; as the employees born in the baby boomer are retire gradually. The baby boomer is anyone born between 1946 and 1964. They have been through periods of war; therefore have less opportunity in education institutions. They tend to demand more stability in their workplace, and they are very loyalty to their employees. On the other hand, the Generation Y employee who was born between the years 1979 and 1994, they can adapt the changes easily and seek a higher standard of life therefore, they consider more about their interest in the work. Furthermore, they usually change their job, as they want to gain more experience and make their life more diversity. 2.3.3External Factors The external factors are the factors that we cannot control and very difficult to predict. Some of these factors include political shifts, legislation, new or modified regulations, global economic conditions, technology changes and major mining disasters. In some study, the hotel industry is quite easily influenced by the global economic conditions. The economic situation could predict most of the labor turnover within the industry. Therefore, the unemployment rate affects the employees perception on job satisfaction. If the economic is down turn, the employees who perceive a high level of job dissatisfaction, they may still stay in organization because they dont want to lose their current job and also the job market is a lack of opportunities for them to get a better job. On the other hand, if the economic condition have improve, the employees will leave the organization immediately to find a better job. Therefore, it may create the high level of labor turnover when the economic have improved. In the later part of the literature will focus on how to manage the labor turnover in order to minimize the labor turnover within the hotel industry. 2.4 The cost of labor turnover In the previous section, some of the critical factors that affect the labor turnover are discussed. The following section will focus on the cost of labor turnover and its impact. Labor turnover is a significant cost to hotel and it may be the most significant factor affecting hotel profitability, service quality and skills training. (Davidson et. al., 2009). The cause of labor turnover is multidimensional, such as low morale, low productivity, low standard of performance and absenteeism. According to the statistics from TTF Australia(2006), the annual cost of replacing managerial employees was $109,909 per hotel and the annual cost of replacing operational employees was $9,591 per employee. The total annual cost of turnover ($49M) equates to 19.5% of 64 surveyed hotels total payroll costs ($250M). Another study stated that the Marriott Corporation alone estimated that each 1% increase in its employee turnover rate, costs the company between $5 and $15 million in lost revenues (Schlesinger and Heskett, 1991).Therefore, the cost of labor turnover is very high. Labour turnover is not only a significant tangible dollar cost but also an intangible or ‘hidden cost associated with loss of skills, inefficiency and replacement costs (Lashley Chaplain, 1999). The direct impact of labor turnover will cause financial suffering such as administrative cost and Lashley (1999) refers to lost investment in training and lost staff expertise as particular examples of turnover costs and opportunity costs. For the indirect impacts caused by high labor turnover are lack of manpower, poor quality of service and low morale of employees and also if turnover increases, service quality may decline as it takes time and resources to ‘back fill departing employees, especially at busy hotels (Lynn, 2002). Labour is a significant cost and the leakage of human capital through unnecessary turnover is an element of critical importance to bottom line performance. A number of HRM practices have been suggested as potential solutions for turnover, such as investment in training, offering organisational support, adopting innovative recruitment and selection processes, offering better career opportunities (Cheng Brown, 1998; Forrier Sels, 2003; Hinkin Tracey, 2000; Walsh Taylor, 2007; Walters Raybould, 2007) and adopting measures to increase job satisfaction and commitment. 2.5 How to manage the labor turnover in the hotel industry? High staff turnover is the common problem in hotel industry, it is also a major factor affecting workplace efficiency, productivity, and hotel cost structure. Labor turnover represents a challenge for contemporary HRM strategies and practices. Therefore, in this section, it will turn to focus on how to manage the labor turnover from the human resources perspective. In the previous section, the cost of labor turnover in the hotel is discussed. The total annual cost of turnover ($49M) equates to 19.5% of 64 surveyed hotels total payroll costs ($250M). The turnover cost are very high, thus the awareness of the importance of employees staying with an organization is evident. Hinkin and Tracey (2000) advocate that hospitality executives who understand the value of human capital and adopt organizational policies and management practices in pursuit of employee retention will outperform the competition. Effectively designed and well implemented employee retention programs that increase employee tenure more than pay for themselves through reduced turnover costs and increased productivity (Hinkin and Tracey, 2000). According to 2500 supervisors, managers and executives within this sector, the top five most important aspects a company can provide to retain their people are as follows: communication, Leadership, Career path, development and understanding aspirations and helping the individual towards achieving them.(Baum ,2006) This shows that, the employee are highly concern for this five elements to determine their job satisfaction. Therefore, when HRM design for a retention scheme, they can consider those five elements before their decision. 2.5.1Training In organizations where employees receive the proper training needed to assume greater responsibilities, turnover rates are generally lower. Several studies show that training activities are correlated with productivity and retention (Delery and Doty, 1996; Huselid, 1995; Kallenberg and Moody, 1994; MacDuffie, 1995; Shaw et al., 1998; Terpstra and Rozell, 1993; US Department of Labor, 1993, Walsh and Taylor, 2007; Youndt et al., 1996). Staff is a unique asset in the company. Therefore, many hotel have invest a huge number of money per year for staff development. Because they realize that provide training to their employees would enhance the organization produtivity and improve their job performance. For the long-term purpose, training can solve the problem of high labor turnover in a hotel. Moreover, the hotel industry are now have a general shortage of the middle management staff. Therefore, the training should be around to develop and train new management personnel. For example, in 2004 Shangri-La Hotel Resorts Shangri-La Academy was born, this is a full-time facility that handles internal training for progression up the ranks. In addition, the Intercontinental Hotel Group also launched an in-house training center in order to groom their high potential employees to take on managerial positions within their company. Those measures of the Shangri-La Hotel and the Intercontinental Hotel Group is to do the retention of their employees and confront the trend of shortage of experienced staff and try to minimize the labor turnover. 2.5.2 Motivate the employee Staff motivation is as vital to success as any skill or personal attribute and its also plays a key role in staff retention. Motivation is the process by which a persons efforts are energized, directed, and sustained toward attaining a goal.(Stephen Coulter, 2006:482) . Staff motivation is a key element in retaining staff and help them increase the job satisfaction thus the labor turnover rate may be decrease. It is essential for the management of hotels to develop efficient HRM polices and practices that enable them to motivate competent employees who can contribute to the achievement of