The Giver Essay Example

The Giver Paper The Giver You: Mom, Dad; do you love me? Mom and Dad: Are you kidding me!? In the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry, the main character, Jonas changes and reveals a very important theme. Jonas in the beginning of the story was a very clueless character, and throughout the story he changes little by little and reveals a theme. Jonas in the beginning of the story was a absolutely oblivious to the real world happening around him. l felt the wanting This shows that Jonas doesnt even feel love or doesnt even know what it is. ( Lowry, page 35). Also, during the beginning of he book Jonas was very panicked because of a plane flying over head, and sent into the nearest building. (Lowry, page 3) This shows that Jonas, and even the community, is clueless to the common happenings. This actually shows a little single- mindedness, some one else somewhat controls them. Jonas shows some signs of carelessness in the beginning of the story. Jonas has changed throughout the story into a very dynamic character. When Jonas fgured out that release is basically a death sentence he makes a very interesting plan to return memories to the people and create a new respectful world or the people. Lowry, page 138) This shows a difference from the beginning of the story, because now he is willing to do something to change his community. Another Example is when Jonas was riding his bike and his bike Jolts and immediately grabs Gabriel. (Lowry, page 174) This shows that Jonas is actually cares for more people than from his family unit. Jonas has act ually changed very much over time. There is a theme revealed while reading throughout the whole book; choices are important. When the elders have chosen not to even have color this shows that they re afraid to lose control, the want mind-controlled freaks. We will write a custom essay sample on The Giver specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Giver specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Giver specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Its better to have even little choices like this to show some difference in the community. Taking away choices to keep from bad ones takes away good choices. Their Jobs are even chosen, so their futures are even chosen for them, so basically a planned future on a random stranger they barely know. Choices are important. Love is a probable statement, is it real? Jonas begins as a clueless and static character and blossoms into a great influence and has exposed a very important theme; choices are all on you. By Asendri

Abuse Of The Innocent Essays - Animal Welfare, Cruelty To Animals

Abuse Of The Innocent Essays - Animal Welfare, Cruelty To Animals Abuse of the Innocent Is it right to force a mouse to live it's live in a laboratory cage to test anti-cancer drug? How would you like to be squeezed in a cage with many other animals, not being able to touch the grass, run around and play, smell the flowers, or go for a walk in the warmth of the sunshine? Animal cruelty is wrong because we are hurting the Innocent. Animals experience and feel pain, fear , anxiety, stress, depression, boredom, joy and happiness. Animals are very intelligent, some ever learn our own language. Most people experience their first bond with an animal. Not only do they bring a companion and a friend into our lives, but also unconditional love and comfort. Pet shops and puppy mills mass produce, kennels are overcrowded and dirty, with very little nutrition. Cats/dogs are held in metal cages and lead miserable lives breeding continuously. Animals suffer and are neglected, some are sold to research laboratories. A large number of animals are raised for slaughter each year. A cow "has a natural life span of twenty- five to thirty years, but only survives for an average of five".1 An estimated "seventeen million raccoons, beavers, bobcats, lynx, coyotes, muskrats, nutria, and other animals are trapped each year in the United States for fur".2 They suffer from unbearable pain for several hours before their lives are ended by the trapper's club. Is the price of live worth the price of fur? Psalm 104, 27-30. All creatures depend on you to feed them throughout the year: you provide the food they eat, with generous hands you satisfy their hunger. You turn your face away, they suffer. You stop their breath, they die and revert to dust. You give breath, fresh life begins, you keep renewing the world. Disections have been practiced in biology classes for many years. Critics accuse some teachers of killing and argue that disection teaches nothing but cruelty. Nothing is learned by cutting up an animal that cannot be learned from photographs or drawings. Children do not learn about the human body by killing and disecting a person, they learn from diagrams and textbooks. Vivisection means "cutting alive". It is a worldwide practice involving millions of animals. Scientists say that vivisections may not necessarily be painful. Every living being with a brain, spinal column, and central nervous system feels pain. Animals were not created for entertainment. What do zoos really teach children? The animals are stolen from their natural habitats and are brutally transferred. They suffer from boredom and have natural needs such as running, climbing, flying, and natural mating. All of the magic and glitter of the circus hides the true animal cruelty. Several animals are confined to small cages, muzzled, and repeatedly whipped in training. They are declawed, have their teeth removed, and drugged to be obedient. Military research on animals include monkeys, baboons, rats, guinea pigs, sheep, dogs, cats, rabbits, and mice. "... when I see my closest relative locked in a restraining box, his head filled with electrodes, and all he has got to reach out to you is with his eyes, then how can we respond to that if we close ours?".3 Weapons are tested on innocent animals, nerve gas, bullets, and bombs are all used. "One sad insight is gleaned from this statement, made by a Porton workman who lost his bearings: 'I thought I was ill, I thought I was seeing things. It was a little monkey enclosed In a glass cage. Its eyes seemed to be falling out and it couldn't breathe. It was in dreadful, dreadful distress. I forgot everything and went near it and said something to it, and it buried its head in it's arms and sobbed like a child. I never slept that night, and the next day managed to go back to the same room, but it was nearly finished by then. It had sunk to a little heap at the bottom of the glass cage.'."4 Animal cruelty is wrong, we are hurting the innocent. Cruelty of animals can be stopped, not only do we have to open our eyes, but open our mouths as well. Read a book, write a letter, join a group or start a group, either way, an animal will be grateful for the chance of a happy life. 656 End Notes 1. Loraine Kay, Living Without Cruelty, (London: Sidwick & Jackson, 1990), p.15. 2. Laura Fraser, The Animal

Raptorex - Facts and Figures

Raptorex - Facts and Figures Name: Raptorex (Greek for thief king); pronounced RAP-toe-rex Habitat: Woodlands of central Asia Historical Period: Early Cretaceous (130 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 10 feet long and 150 pounds Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; stunted hands and arms About Raptorex Discovered in inner Mongolia by the famous paleontologist Paul Sereno, Raptorex lived about 60 million years before its more famous descendant Tyrannosaurus Rexbut this dinosaur already had the basic tyrannosaur body plan (big head, powerful legs, stunted arms), albeit in a diminutive package of only 150 pounds or so. (Based on an analysis of its bones, the sole specimen of Raptorex appears to have been a full-grown adult six years of age). Analogizing from other early tyrannosaurslike the Asian DilongRaptorex may have been covered with feathers, though as yet theres no definitive proof for this. A recent study of Raptorexs type fossil has cast some doubt on the conclusions reached by Sereno. Another team of paleontologists claims that the sediments Raptorex was found in have been dated incorrectly, and that this dinosaur was actually a juvenile of the late Cretaceous tyrannosaur Tarbosaurus! (The giveaway is that the fossil of a prehistoric fish uncovered alongside Raptorex was misidentified, and it fact belonged to a genus that plied the rivers of Mongolia during the late rather than early Cretaceous period.)

Business Plan - Swan Taxi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Plan - Swan Taxi - Essay Example The team for the company will be formed in such a way that the business succeeds in the long run. The team will be built in such a way that it should remain updated with the latest developments in the markets. Swan Taxi will be owned by four partners Yanallah, Mansour, Yousef, and Khalid. The company will employ five chauffeurs, who will be responsible for driving the passenger taxis, and few staff who will be engaged in daily office works.The key skills, attributes, and behaviors are must-haves for every entrepreneur in today’s society since the chances of business failure have gone significantly higher. The business environment has become increasingly complex with intense competition, innumerable product substitutes for customers, restrictive governmental regulations and higher customer expectations due to globalization.The economy of Swansea is advanced and diverse, with principal contributions from manufacturing and services sectors. In a 2010 report by Business Register a nd Employment Survey, services sector alone employed about 85% of the total workforce. This finding is important because the concentration of workforce in any particular sector denotes the growth and viability of that sector. The idea of starting a taxi business in Swansea gained prominence with an increase in demand for taxis by the passengers. It has been noticed that about 16,000 people regularly travel out of Swansea and about 26,000 people travel inside the city for their different purposes.

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

Microfinance - Essay Example Thus, it is essential to consider every region separately in order to come to the right conclusion. In the given paper we will analyze the effect of microfinance in India, Hyderabad. Microfinance is widely used in India and even had some positive results at the very beginning: â€Å"India’s microfinance sector was once touted as a saviour of the poor and a good bet for investors. The high point for the industry came when SKS—then India’s biggest microfinance company with a $1.2 billion loan book, a third of it in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh—went public in July 2010. The $350m offering was more than 13 times oversubscribed.† (â€Å"Road to redemption†) However, according to the same source, the situation started worsening at once. It is essential to analyze the reasons of worsening and make recommendations. According to the available statistics, the credit offered by Spandana and other Microfinance institutions working in the region of Hyderabad, was used by 37% of households. The percent is not very high if to take into account the purposes of taking loan (Chowdhury, 2007). Institutions do not state that credits were taken for business starting purposes. However, 30% of people who took loans said that they used this money mainly for this purpose, while 22% used these funds to buy facilities for the business they already have; 30% of borrowers spent loan to buy new facilities for their households (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation). Here we can see some positive dynamics. The availability of Microfinance institutions loans changed annual percent of newly created businesses from 5.3 to 7. Competition did not bring any difficulties to the existing businesses (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) The expenses are different and depend on the purpose of credit. Data shows that those who took a credit

Does Shakespeare successfully present Henry V Essay Example for Free

Does Shakespeare successfully present Henry V Essay My interpretation of a hero is somebody who is sincere and caring. They must be polite and well mannered. Someone who is strong and has a strong will in a tough situation. A person who is heroic, fearless, brave and courageous all rolled into one. A person who isnt afraid to say what they believe in. They must be confident and determined to follow something through to the very end and to fight for what is theirs. A person who is a good speaker and can put their point across to an audience. They must be prepared to make sacrifices as part of their job. Although all of the above things are important attributes of a hero I think there are two more important attributes. The first is to be loyal. To be loyal to your friends, family and country. Without loyalty there can never be trust. The second is the ability to change. To realise there is something wrong with you or your attitude and to do something about it. Ely and Canterbury talk about one of these attributes in Act one Scene one of the play. The ability to change. Shakespeare writes about one of the main attributes of a hero in the very first scene. When Canterbury looks back on the prospect of Henry being a King he says that, The courses of his youth promised it not. Canterbury believes this because as a youth, His companies unlettered, rude and shallow, His hours filled up with riots, banquets, sports, And never noted him any study. As Henry grows older though, never was such a sudden scholar made. Henry changes because he knew he had to. That takes determination and courage. No matter what anyone said he followed it through and did what he had to do. In the very first scene of the play Henry is already being talked about before we have even met him. Shakespeare has done this because he is giving Henry a real heros entrance, just like in any good film, he is telling the audience who he is and what he does. Canterbury and Ely are setting the scene and trying to make his entrance seem dramatic. Shakespeare does this to tell the audience that Henry is a well-known and well-talked about person. In other words Shakespeare is showing the audience that Henry is powerful. In Act one Scene two Henry is introduced to us for the first time. A first impression of him would be that he is very diplomatic and polite. Sure, we thank you. My learned lord, we pray you to proceed. Later on in the scene though, when the French challenge him he does not turn it down. Henry is pondering whether to stake a claim to the French throne. When he is sent a mocking gift of, Tennis balls, my liege. He acts on his instincts and declares war on France. This is very brave because it leaves him open to criticism and it could turn out to be the wrong decision. In Act two Scene two Henry finds out that three of his lords, and friends, are traitors. He is upset by this, What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop, thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage and inhuman creature? Although they are his friends he knows that he must, Arrest them to answer to the law. They are his friends but like any hero he must make sacrifices. Being a hero isnt just about fighting or being brave its also about thinking about and helping others. In Act three Scene one Shakespeare shows Henry giving a moving speech to his soldiers outside the walls of Harfleur. Once more unto the breach, dear friends On, on you noble English Be copy now to men of grosser blood, And teach them how to war Cry God for Harry, England and Saint George! Henry just doesnt go into battle and expect everybody to win. He knows how they must be feeling and he tries to encourage them. Henry also demonstrates that he is willing to do everything that his job entails. Shakespeare shows the audience another heroic quality by, instead of sending one of Henrys soldiers to do something for him, he writes it so that Henry does it himself. This is shown in Act three Scene four when he says, How yet resolves the governor of the town? This is the latest parle we will admit, Therefore to our best mercy give yourselves. Henrys strong words push the Governor of Harfleur to give in. As soon as Henry and his army are let into Harfleur he is showing good initiative by already thinking about the next stage, Upon the soldiers, we will retire to Calais. Shakespeare shows the audience again of Henrys heroism by showing us he can be polite and that he has good manners. How now, Llewellyn? Camest thou from the bridge? Although Henry is like a friend to his soldiers, just like a hero Shakespeare shows us that Henry must face up to his responsibilities. Bardolph has been caught stealing and he says, We would have all such offenders so cut off in our marches through the country there be nothing compelled from the villages. Even though things arent going as well as they should be Henry doesnt give up. In response to Montjoys offer for him to name his ransom he says, My army but a weak and sickly guard. Yet, God before, tell him we will come on Through France himself and such another neighbour stand in our way. Yet again in this extract of a speech Henry shows his strong beliefs in God. All of the above quotations came from Act three scene seven. Shakespeare makes the play very dramatic by using a chorus at the beginning of every act. These are very effective because it gives the audience a taster of what is going to happen but not enough to explain the act fully. This means that the audience want to know what is going to happen and when something does happen it makes it all the more dramatic. In Act four Scene one Shakespeare presents us the audience, with Henrys many heroic qualities. Not showing any signs of worry or weariness he tries his best to raise the morale of his soldiers. There is some soul of goodness in things evil For our bad neighbour makes us early stirrers, Which is both healthful and good husbandry. Henry also shows us like any hero or any person that he has feelings. He borrows a cloak and walks around the camp asking people what they think of him. King: Then you are a better man than the king. Pistol: the kings a bawock and a heart of gold, a lad of life, an imp of fame, of parents good, of fist most valiant. Later on in an argument (while in disguise) with Bates Henry stresses, I think the king is but a man as I am. The violet smells to him as it doth to me. Shakespeare shows the audience that Henry has a different side to his personality, he is caring and understanding. Rather proclaim it, Westmorland, though my host That he which hath no stomach to this fight Let him depart. He then shows us that he isnt just all talk and that he is brave by saying, We few, we happy few, we band of brothers-For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother. Henry again refers back to his belief in God by saying, Take it, brave York. Now soldiers, march away, And how Thou pleasest, God, dispose the day. He shows us this in Act four Scene three. You know when someone is a real hero because another person compares him or her to an already famous hero. Shakespeare does this in Act four Scene seven when Llewellyn compares Henry to Alexander, If you mark Alexanders life well, Harry of Monmouths life is come after it in incident well. Later on Henry shows again that he does have feelings. All of the boys guarding the luggage have been killed, I was not angry since I came to France Until this instant. When Henry knows that they have won the battle he is not boastful; this is another great attribute of a hero shown very clearly to the audience by Shakespeare. Instead he says, Praised be God, and not our strength, for it. He then shows that he is not afraid to show everybody his roots. I wear it for a memorable honour, For I am Welsh, you know, good countryman. Even though he is enjoying the moment of winning he has to get on with his job, Bring me just notice of the numbers dead On both our parts. Once again Henry refers to God, To boast of this, or to take that praise from God, Which is His only but with this acknowledgement, That God fought for us. During the battle Shakespeare uses another dramatic device by using very short scenes whilst everyone is fighting. This means that everything is constantly changing and the audience doesnt know what is going to happen next. It also builds up tension because Shakespeare is moving from one camp to the next. One minute you are in the French camp then the next you are in the English camp. After winning the battle Henry has to get back to his duties as king. Shakespeare shows the audience this side of Henry to show us that he is not just wrapped up in the glory of winning, he instead shows us that he is a true hero and still will face up to his responsibilities. Peace to this meeting, wherefor we are met. He then shows that a hero is just like any other man by trying to court the French kings daughter, Katherine. Fair Katherine if you will love me soundly with your French heart I will be glad to hear you confess it brokenly with your English tongue An angel is like you And therefore tell me, most fair Katherine, will you have me? After agreeing the peace treaty Henry says, prepare we for our marriage The above quotations were taken from Act Five Scene Two. Overall I think Shakespeare has been very successful in presenting Henry as a hero. He is everything a hero could be. He has shown the audience that a hero could be sitting amongst them, that a hero is just an ordinary man or woman. The audience can relate to this because one day they themselves know that they could be a hero. I also think that the play was more effective in Elizabethan times than it is now. This is because when Shakespeare wrote this particular play Queen Elizabeth was coming to the end of a very successful rein and she had no one to succeed her. The Elizabethan community were very worried that there wouldnt be anybody as good to take over, especially not a man. Shakespeare then wrote this play showing a truly heroic, male King. This raised the hopes of the Elizabethan people and made the play much more effective and much more popular.

The Bays of Pigs Invasion :: Cuba Politics

The Bays of Pigs Invasion The Bay of Pigs was one of the most important political decisions in the history of the United States. Its effects are still being felt to today, especially in the Cuban communities of the United States. The decisions that were made by the highest offices of our government showed us that the United States was, and is, far from perfect. They constructed a plan that wasn't completely thought through and paid a major price -- global embarrassment. They took the chance to destroy the communist threat that was quite close to our shores and, in the process, made the CIA and our government look incompetent. First, I will give some background information on the conflict. In 1960, President Eisenhower gave the CIA the order to begin training Cuban exiles to oppose Castro's rule in Cuba and having them lead resistance groups within Cuba. Therefore, we would have a force already in the country to slow down Cuban Forces when our invaders landed. It didn't quite work out this way. When the American troops landed on April 19, 1961, they made it only a little way inland. At that point, they were met by a force much greater than they had planned on. We figured that the Cuban people were upset with Castro so they wouldn't want to give much of a fight. What happened was that the military fought with great pride for their country and pushed the American troops back to the landing site. There, the forces either surrendered or fled to safety. 1500 troops landed on the coast. Over 100 of them were killed and many more were captured. In many ninds, the invasion was a complete failure for the American m ilitary. The main reason, and possibly the lone reason, for the Bay of Pigs invasion was to stop communism from reaching our country. This meant that the United States government wanted to provoke a counterrevolution in which democracy would be restored and all traces of communism would, subsequently, be destroyed. They tried this by sending the aforementioned group of Cubans into Cuba, an obviously unsuccessful tactic. They also decided to spend thousands of dollars on propaganda against Cuba. Articles, posters, and even comic books were written and distributed to spread cynicism towards Castro and his government. The other method used to spread propaganda was to drop over 1 million flyers over Cuba, hopefully convincing the people to rise up against Castro.

New Hire Essay

Dear Mr. Hendricks, My name is Brad Johnson and I am writing you today because I understand you are looking for a new mechanic for your racing team. I would like to inform you of my experience in order to prove to you that I am the right fit for the job that you are offering. I have been following your career as the owner of the top NASCAR team for quite some time now and have always dreamed of being involved with such a successful race team. I have looked forward to being a mechanic since my freshman year of high school. I already have a racing background and hope to expand my horizons by becoming involved with NASCAR and Hendricks racing. I am only twenty years old, but I have been racing and wrenching on my own machines and vehicles since I was nine years old. I have paid keen attention to your team’s track record and I know that your engines are some of the most reliable engines out on the track each and every week. I would like to become the head mechanic for Hendricks racing someday in the near future, but as of now I would be perfectly fine with working as an apprentice to gain my experience and hopefully take over the head mechanic position. I have not only gained mechanical experience from working on my own vehicles and machines, but I have also gathered experience from work and school. I took auto shop in high school for two years and at that moment I knew what field I was to enter after high school. I also had a part time job at fabrication shop in Morgan Hill, California. This shop was Pacific Fabrication and I worked as an intern to broaden my knowledge in the automotive field. I learned a lot at this shop and continued to pursue my career in this industry. After working as an internship for a year, I decided to take my knowledge even further by joining the ThinkBig program offered by Caterpillar at Delta College in Stockton, Ca. I have been going to school to earn my Associates degree and also to get training to become a journeyman technician. I was hired by Peterson CAT as an apprentice and have been working with Peterson for over a year now. Thankfully they have put me through school and helped me grow in the field of a dealer service technician. I love what I do but am looking to go further in life by gaining  more experience and working on machines that I truly have a passion for. To be honest, many people discount my credibility as a technician because I am very young still and may not be as experienced as most of your other tech’s that work for you, but what I lack in age and knowledge, I make up for in my willingness to learn and my ability to reach my goals. I hope you consider me for such an opportunity. I could be a beneficial asset to your company. I have always been interested in high power engines and would love to become your next engine builder. I have been racing long enough to understand that the key to winning is having high quality engines that produce great power and outlast those in competition. I believe that with time and training I could continue to produce engines for your team with just as good of a track record. I have a keen attention to detail which is a necessity when building these high output engines. When I am put to a task I do not ever cut corners to complete it. I have always put much effort into what I do. I never do anything half-way. I have always given my best effort when it comes to completing a task. With the recent advancements in technology, more and longer term mechanics are finding it difficult to work on these machines. Almost everything now days are controlled by some type of computer system. Just a few years ago the engines in NASCAR were carbureted and completely mechanical. With recent advancements in technology, these cars have all been updated to electronic fuel injection systems. Now that these engines are controlled and programmed by a computer, many older mechanics are not able to comprehend this new style of tuning and adjusting which may lead to drawbacks in your racing team. I have been trained through Caterpillar to work on these newer style engines which are all controlled by computers. Most of the work we have been taught is to use laptops to program and troubleshoot problems which is a necessity for fine tuning these engines to make the most power while maintaining reliability. All in all I am a hard working young man that is eager to learn. With the right opportunity I will become the master mechanic that the Hendricks racing team needs more than ever now with the recent advances in technology. I recognize that I am young and may not be the most experienced applicant, but with my eagerness to learn, attention to detail, and experience with these new style computer systems, I am sure that I would be a great match for the Hendricks racing  team. My background knowledge and experience with racing gives me the leading edge over those general mechanics who have not received any kind of formal training in this field. I will strive to be the best employee and technician you have ever had, and I will do all I can to continue to represent Hendricks racing as the best racing team in the history of NASCAR. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Brad Johnson

Political Corruption Essay

Wrongdoing on the part of an authority or powerful party through means that are illegitimate, immoral, or incompatible with ethical standards. Corruption often results from patronage and is associated with bribery. In economy, corruption is payment for services or material which the recipient is not due, under law. This may be called bribery. Way back in 200 B.C., Kautilya meticulously described 40 different kinds of corruption in his Arthashastra. He has aptly commented: â€Å"Just as it is impossible not to taste honey or poison when it is at the tip of the tongue, so it is impossible for a government servant not to eat up a bit of revenue. And just as it cannot be found out whether a fish swimming through water drinks or not so also government servants cannot be found out while taking money for themselves.† Corruption is defined as moral depravity and influencing through bribery. Essentially, corruption is the abuse of trust in the interest of private gain. This normally involves business man and government. The extortive type is the kind where the donor is compelled to bribe in order to avoid harm being inflicted upon his person or his interest. It is not difficult to locate the causes of corruption. Corruption breeds at the top and then gradually filters down to the lower levels. Gone are the days when people who joined politics were imbued with the spirit of serving the nation. Those who plunged themselves into the fight for freedom knew that there were only sacrifices to be made, no return was expected. So only the selfless people came forward. But the modern politicians are of entirely different mould. They are not motivated by any lofty ideals. They win elections at a huge personal cost and then try to make the best of the opportunity they get. Powerful business magnates who are forced to give huge donations to political parties indulge in corrupt practices not only to make up their losses but also to consolidate their gains. Corruption in different fields Collusion is an agreement between two or more persons, sometimes illegal and therefore secretive, to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading, or  defrauding others of their legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law typically by defrauding or gaining an unfair advantage. Collusion is a corrupt activity. The different fields of corruption are 1. Political corruption 2. Police Corruption 3. Corporate corruption 4. Corruption in local Government 1. Political Corruption Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved with the government. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties, is done under color of law or involves trading in influence. Forms of corruption vary, but include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement. While corruption may facilitate criminal enterprise such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking, it is not restricted to these activities. The activities that constitute illegal corruption differ depending on the country or jurisdiction. For instance, certain political funding practices that are legal in one place may be illegal in another. In some cases, government officials have broad or poorly defined powers, which make it difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal actions. Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually. A state of unrestrained political corruption is known as a kleptocracy, literally meaning â€Å"rule by thieves†. When people in power indulge in corruption so unabashedly, the common man gets a kind of sanction. Ironically, instead of  fighting against the menace of corruption, our political leaders declare it a worldwide phenomenon and accept it as something inevitable. 2. Police Corruption Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, and/or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest. One common form of police corruption is soliciting and/or accepting bribes in exchange for not reporting organized drug or prostitution rings or other illegal activities. Another example is police officers flouting the police code of conduct in order to secure convictions of suspects — for example, through the use of falsified evidence. More rarely, police officers may deliberately and systematically participate in organized crime themselves. In most major cities there are internal affairs sections to investigate suspected police corruption or misconduct. Similar entities include the British Independent Police Complaints Commission. Police corruption is a significant widespread problem in many third world countries, such as Russia, Ukraine and Mexico. 3. Corporate Corruption Corporate crime refers to crimes committed either by a corporation (i.e., a business entity having a separate legal personality from the natural persons that manage its activities), or by individuals acting on behalf of a corporation or other business entity (see vicarious liability and corporate liability). Some negative behaviours by corporations may not actually be criminal; laws vary between jurisdictions. For example, some jurisdictions allow insider trading. Corporate crime overlaps with: †¢ White-collar crime, because the majority of individuals who may act as or represent the interests of the corporation are white-collar professionals; †¢ Organized crime, because criminals may set up corporations either for the purposes of crime or as vehicles for laundering the proceeds of crime. The world’s gross criminal product has been estimated at 20 percent of world trade. (de Brie 2000); and †¢ State-corporate crime because, in many contexts, the opportunity to commit crime emerges  from the relationship between the corporation and the state. 4. Corruption in Local Governments There are several types of political corruption that occur in local government. Some are more common than others, and some are more prevalent to local governments than to larger segments of government. Local governments may be more susceptible to corruption because interactions between private individuals and officials happen at greater levels of intimacy and with more frequency at more decentralized levels. Forms of corruption pertaining to money like bribery, extortion, embezzlement, and graft are found in local government systems. Other forms of political corruption are nepotism and patronage systems. Bribery Bribery is the offering of something which is most often money but can also be goods or services in order to gain an unfair advantage. Common advantages can be to sway a person’s opinion, action, or decision, reduce amounts fees collected, speed up a government grants, or change outcomes of legal processes. Extortion Extortion is threatening or inflicting harm to a person, their reputation, or their property in order to unjustly obtain money, actions, services, or other goods from that person. Blackmail is a form of extortion. Embezzlement Embezzlement is the illegal taking or appropriation of money or property that has been entrusted to a person but is actually owned by another. In political terms this is called graft which is when a political office holder unlawfully uses public funds for personal purposes. Nepotism Nepotism is the practice or inclination to favor a group or person who is a relative when giving promotions, jobs, raises, and other benefits to employees. This is often based on the concept of familism which believes that a person must always respect and favor family in all situations including those pertaining to politics and business. This leads some political officials to give privileges and positions of authority to  relatives based on relationships and regardless of their actual abilities. Patronage systems Patronage systems consist of the granting favors, contracts, or appointments to positions by a local public office holder or candidate for a political office in return for political support. Many times patronage is used to gain support and votes in elections or in passing legislation. Patronage systems disregard the formal rules of a local government and use personal instead of formalized channels to gain an advantage. Corruption Perceptions Index Since 1995, Transparency International (TI) publishes the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) annually ranking countries â€Å"by their perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys.† The CPI generally defines corruption as â€Å"the misuse of public power for private benefit.† The results of the 2010 edition, as every year, are sobering. No region or country in the world is immune to the damages of corruption, the vast majority of them score below 5. The CPI has played a critical role in branding the issue of corruption on the world’s conscience. It sends a powerful message and national governments have been forced to take notice and act. The demand for public sector governance that keeps the interests of its citizens first with openness and accountability is not limited to a country or region – this is a common goal that transcends borders and cultures. The public sector is just one side of a multi-faceted problem though. Transparency International conducts an array of global research, such as the Global Corruption Barometer, a world wide public opinion survey, and the Bribe Payers Index, which measures the likelihood of firms from leading exporting countries to bribe abroad, which taken together enables us to better comprehend the many sides of corruption. Corruption is notoriously difficult to measure. The complexity and secrecy that shroud corrupt deals mean that it is virtually impossible to quantify the financial cost of corruption. The human expense is clear to see though, and it is the poorest that are most vulnerable. The diversity of victims that seek help from one of TI’s Advocacy and Legal Advice Centers shows that corruption can affect anyone. As we support these individuals, their personal triumphs are translated into systemic change – proving that corruption can be fought and  beaten. It may be that the CPI scores are just a number to you, but for many people around the world it is their daily reality. It need not be so. As Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International, notes, â€Å"These 180 countries in our index are your countries, and their perceived levels of corruption will remain as such until you demand accountability.† India in Corruption Perception Index India’s ranking in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index too has slipped from 84 to 87 in 2010. All this exhibits a problem that is not going anywhere soon and mocks the high moral ground that we aspire to occupy in the international arena. Corruption has afflicted all the organs of our society including the polity, bureaucracy, judiciary, police, businessmen, and even public at large. It has rendered our governance apparatus hollow and ineffective. Countless efforts to combat corruption have not made any significant dent into this hydra headed monster. The public perception of India has been extensively damaged by the corrupt activities of politicians, bureaucrats and business houses. The telecom spectrum allocation scam – the biggest in the history of independent India – for which a minister, an MP and several corporate bosses are in jail and others are expected soon, the Commonwealth Games scandal in which the whole organizing committee, including the chairman are in jail, politicians grabbing prime real estate in housing Society meant for war widows in Mumbai, and the cash-for-vote scam involving parliamentarians have all badly eroded the public faith in government functioning in India. Corruption is silently eating into the vitals of our nation like termite. Bit by bit, it is denting our dignity and compromising our soul. Not only does it affect only individuals but alarmingly it affects our nation as a whole. India Against Corruption India Against Corruption (IAC) is a citizen’s movement to demand strong anti-corruption laws. Lokpal bills were introduced several times since 1968, yet they were never passed by the Indian Parliament. After a fast by veteran social activist Anna Hazare and widespread protests by citizens across India the Government of India constituted a 10-member Joint Committee of ministers  and civil society activists to draft an effective Jan Lokpal Bill. The primary focus of IAC movement is to ensure a strong Lokpal bill. This corruption in India does not lead simply to cabinet portfolio shifts or newspaper headlines, but to massive human deprivation and even more extreme income inequalities. Combating corruption in the region is not just about punishing corrupt politicians and bureaucrats but also saving human lives. The IAC is a strictly voluntary organization and its participants are bound by the IAC code of conduct. India Against Corruption Movement – Code Of Conduct 1. The movement is completely NONVIOLENT & PEACEFUL  2. It is INCLUSIVE & NON-DISCRIMINATORY. Encouraging every community regardless of religion, caste, language, region, culture, sex, age, profession, economic strata, etc. to be part of the movement and be treated equally. 3. The movement is completely SECULAR. Communalism is more dangerous than corruption. Also, the problems of this country cannot be solved without people from all faiths and religions coming together. 4. The volunteers should work in the spirit of SELFLESS SERVICE to fulfill the dream of realizing a strong Jan Lokpal Act for the country without expecting money, name, fame, recognition, etc. for oneself. 5. India Against Corruption is not a Sangathan or an NGO or any institution. It is a people’s movement, a collective expression of the people of India fighting against corruption and seeking a better future. Therefore, the movement cannot have any branches. Rather than an organizational structure, it seeks to develop an efficient communication structure to enable free flow of ideas. Every person participating in the movement does so as a citizen of India with a burning desire to do something for the country. No person is a representative of Anna Hazare or in any other position. 6. FRATERNITY & UNITY. People should work with a feeling of brotherhood and avoid conflicts within a group or across groups. The forces opposite us are so powerful. We must stay united if we have to win over them. Deficiencies in the present anti-corruption systems Central Government level: At central Government level, there is Central Vigilance Commission, Departmental vigilance and CBI. CVC and Departmental vigilance deal with vigilance (disciplinary proceedings) aspect of a corruption case and CBI deals with criminal aspect of that case. Central Vigilance Commission: CVC is the apex body for all vigilance cases in Government of India. †¢ However, it does not have adequate resources commensurate with the large number of complaints that it receives. CVC is a very small set up with a staff strength less than 200. It is supposed to check corruption in more than 1500 central government departments and ministries, some of them being as big as Central Excise, Railways, Income Tax etc. Therefore, it has to depend on the vigilance wings of respective departments and forwards most of the complaints for inquiry and report to them. While it monitors the progress of these complaints, there is delay and the complainants are often disturbed by this. It directly enquires into a few complaints on its own, especially when it suspects motivated delays or where senior officials could be implicated. But given the constraints of manpower, such number is really small. †¢ CVC is merely an advisory body. Central Government Departments seek CVC’s advice on various corruption cases. However, they are free to accept or reject CVC’s advice. Even in those cases, which are directly enquired into by the CVC, it can only advise government. CVC mentions these cases of non-acceptance in its monthly reports and the Annual Report to Parliament. But these are not much in focus in Parliamentary debates or by the media. †¢ Experience shows that CVC’s advice to initiate prosecution is rarely accepted and whenever CVC advised major penalty, it was reduced to minor penalty. Therefore, CVC can hardly be treated as an effective deterrent against corruption. †¢ CVC cannot direct CBI to initiate enquiries against any officer of the level of Joint Secretary and above on its own. The CBI has to seek the permission of that department, which obviously would not be granted if the senior officers of that department are involved and they could delay the case or see to it that permission would not be granted. †¢ CVC does not have powers to register criminal case. It deals only with vigilance or disciplinary matters. †¢ It does not have powers over politicians. If there is an involvement of a politician in any case, CVC could at best bring it to the notice of the Government. There are several cases of serious corruption in which officials and political executive are  involved together. †¢ It does not have any direct powers over departmental vigilance wings. Often it is seen that CVC forwards a complaint to a department and then keeps sending reminders to them to enquire and send report. Many a times, the departments just do not comply. CVC does not have any really effective powers over them to seek compliance of its orders. †¢ CVC does not have administrative control over officials in vigilance wings of various central government departments to which it forwards corruption complaints. Though the government does consult CVC before appointing the Chief Vigilance Officers of various departments, however, the final decision lies with the government. Also, the officials below CVO are appointed/transferred by that department only. Only in exceptional cases, if the CVO chooses to bring it to the notice of CVC, CVC could bring pressure on the Department to revoke orders but again such recommendations are not binding. †¢ Appointments to CVC are directly under the control of ruling political party, though the leader of the Opposition is a member of the Committee to select CVC and VCs. But the Committee only considers names put up before it and that is decided by the Government. The appointments are opaque. †¢ Therefore, though CVC is relatively independent in its functioning, it neither has resources nor powers to enquire and take action on complaints of corruption in a manner that meets the expectations of people or act as an effective deterrence against corruption. Departmental Vigilance Wings: Each Department has a vigilance wing, which is manned by officials from the same department (barring a few which have an outsider as Chief Vigilance Officer. However, all the officers under him belong to the same department). †¢ Since the officers in the vigilance wing of a department are from the same department and they can be posted to any position in that department anytime, it is practically impossible for them to be independent and objective while inquiring into complaints against their colleagues and seniors. If a complaint is received against a senior officer, it is impossible to enquire into that complaint because an officer who is in vigilance today might get posted under that senior officer some time in future. †¢ There have been instances of the officials posted in vigilance wing by that department having had a very corrupt past. While in vigilance, they try to scuttle all cases against themselves. They also turn vigilance wing into a hub of corruption, where cases are closed for  consideration. †¢ Departmental vigilance does not investigate into criminal aspect of any case. It does not have the powers to register an FIR. †¢ They also do not have any powers against politicians. †¢ Since the vigilance wing is directly under the control of the Head of that Department, it is practically impossible for them to enquire against senior officials of that department. †¢ Therefore, , the vigilance wing of any department is seen to softpedal on genuine complaints or used to enquire against † inconvenient† officers. CBI: CBI has powers of a police station to investigate and register FIR. It can investigate any case related to a Central Government department on its own or any case referred to it by any state government or any court. †¢ CBI is overburdened and does not accept cases even where amount of defalcation is alleged to be around Rs 1 crore. †¢ CBI is directly under the administrative control of Central Government. †¢ So, if a complaint pertains to any minister or politician who is part of a ruling coalition or a bureaucrat who is close to them, CBI’s credibility has suffered and there is increasing public perception that it cannot do a fair investigation and that it is influenced to to scuttle these cases. †¢ Again, because CBI is directly under the control of Central Government, CBI is perceived to have been often used to settle scores against inconvenient politicians. Therefore, if a citizen wants to make a complaint about corruption by a politician or an official in the Central Government, there isn’t a single anti-corruption agency which is effective and independent of the government, whose wrongdoings are sought to be investigated. CBI has powers but it is not independent. CVC is independent but it does not have sufficient powers or resources. Conclusion We are all part of this historic movement to eradicate corruption. Together, under the leadership of Anna Hazare, the â€Å"Jan Lokpal Bill† – a strong law to ensure swift and certain punishment to the corrupt political leaders and government officials is being drafted. Jan Lokpal Bill is a Law being made by the people and for the people. The success of this campaign depends entirely on us. So we have to support the fight for effective Jan Lokpal Bill. References http://www.google.co.in/ http://www.wikipedia.org/ http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org

Essay on Procurement Methods Available in the Construction Industry of Cyprus part 2

Essay on Procurement Methods Available in the Construction Industry of Cyprus part 2 Essay on Procurement Methods Available in the Construction Industry of Cyprus part 2 Essay on Procurement Methods Available in the Construction Industry of Cyprus part 2Essay on Procurement Methods Available in the Construction Industry of Cyprus part  1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Design and buildDesign and build obliges the contractor to undertake a large part of project works (preparation of a detailed project), while the investor provides only an outline of a project (Walker, Sidwell, Hampson 1999).   In such a way, the contractor practically prepares the project from the scratch and the customer just approves and covers the costs of the project, while all technical aspects are controlled and performed by the construction company. The development of the design and build procurement is accelerated now due to the increased demands of customers and attempts of construction companies to offer full service products to their customers, when companies take the full responsibility for the development and implementation of the construction project, wh ile the customer just needs to tell what he/she wants and the construction company offers possible options and different designs among which the customer can choose the most attractive one.There are several sub-types of design and build procurement, which have their own specificities but still operate within the design and build framework, the design and build procurement may be direct. In this case no competition is obtained in tenders. Some appraisal of the possible competitors may be made before tendering but only one tender is obtained (Mortledge, Smith, Kashiwagi 2006). The competitive design and build method implies that tenders are obtained from documents that are prepared to enable several contractors to offer competition in designs and in prices. In addition, there is the develop and construct design and build method, when consultants design the building required to a partial stage, often referred to as ‘scope design’, then competitive tenders are obtained from a select list of contractors to develop and complete the design and construct the building (Mortledge, Smith, Kashiwagi 2006). The amount of consultant design can vary depending on the client’s needs. The use of the design and build method is efficient and help to develop effective procurement that allows construction companies to develop construction projects from the beginning till the completion of the construction. In such a way, construction companies can develop effective and personalised approaches to each customer meeting customers’ needs and wants.Package deal is the method that is often used where the contractors competing will use a significant part of their own or another proprietary building system or they will be constructing variations of a repetitive theme. There is limited scope for innovation when this method is used. Some contractors may offer to find a site, to sell, mortgage or lease their product, obtain approvals etc at a risk to themselves or a t a charge to the client (Mortledge, Smith, Kashiwagi 2006). The package deal is effective, when customers need universal solutions and they are looking for the ready solutions from construction companies. In such a way, construction companies use the ready-made design projects which they offer to their customers and customers choose the project, which they like the most or that matches their current needs, wants or available financial resources.Novation is another method which sometimes is referred to a design, novate and construct. This is where the contractor takes over from the client a previous contract for the design work, completes the design and constructs the work (Mortledge, Smith, Kashiwagi 2006). Novation implies the development of new construction solutions and innovative projects designed and introduced by construction companies, which customers can choose and buy from construction companies.At the same time, the major drawback of the design and build method is the hig h costs of the implementation of this method because construction companies offer the wide range of services. In fact, construction companies offer the full services to the company. In such a way, construction companies can offer a variety of services that meet needs of customers but customers should come prepared to pay the high price for such construction.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Construction managementConstruction management the contractor acts as a consultant, and even though they manage the construction works undertaken by subcontractors, they are not directly responsible for subcontractors. The major advantages of construction management are as follows (Mortledge, Smith, Kashiwagi 2006):Reduced confrontation between the design teams and the team responsible forsupervising construction;early involvement of construction management expertise;overlap of design and construction;increased competition for construction work on large projects due to work packaging a nd splitting the construction activities into more digestible chunks;more even development of documentation;fewer contract variations;no need for nominated trade contractors; andpublic accountabilityAt the same time, along with the aforementioned advantages, the construction management has certain drawbacks. For instance, customers of a construction company rely heavily on construction companies. As a result, customers can little options to choose from options offered by the chosen construction company. If customers have little expertise in the development of construction projects, they may have substantial problems with the adequate assessment of recommendations provided by the construction company, if the latter wants to maximise its profits at cost of the customer.Management contractingManagement contracting is a hybrid form being a fusion between traditional method and construction management. The client appoints an independent professional team, and also a management contractor . Their involvement at pre-construction stages will be as adviser to the team, and during construction they will be responsible for executing the works using direct works contracts. With this type of contract it is possible to make an early start on-site and achieve early completion (Mortledge, Smith, Kashiwagi 2006). Because of its flexibility, it allows the client to change the design during construction because drawings and matters of detail can be adjusted and finalised as the work proceeds.For a management contract to be successful there must be trust and good teamwork on the part of the client, the design consultants and contractor. The contractor should preferably be appointed no later than the outline design stage. The contractor can advise on the design programme, tender action, delivery of materials and goods, and construction programmes (Mortledge, Smith, Kashiwagi 2006). The management contractor will normally make a written submission which includes a proposed managemen t fee, and will be appointed after interviews with the client and the design team. The fee will include for the total management service, expressed as a percentage of the total project cost, and for a service to cover pre-construction stages should the project not proceed to site.The management contractor undertakes the work on the basis of a contract cost plan prepared by a quantity surveyor, project drawings, and a project specification. The client accepts most of the risk because there is no certainty about costs and programme. Competitive tenders for works packages follow later and they will usually, though not always, will be lump sum contracts with bills of quantities (Mortledge, Smith, Kashiwagi 2006).Private finance initiativePrivate finance initiative is a DB form used at large projects, where the contractor provides an investment in return for licence to charge fare for using it in a designated period of time. The private finance initiative is not frequently used because t his approach requires substantial financial resources. As the current economic situation in Cyprus is unstable, companies prefer refusing from the private finance initiative and focus either on smaller projects or projects that require less financial resources.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Public-private partnershipPublic-private partnership is a form of long-term cooperation between government and private organisations. This approach implies the close cooperation between the government and private organisations. This method is effect in a long-run business development and construction projects. As a rule, this method is applied in the development of public facilities, infrastructure and transportation system development, when contractors can count on stable government funding and contracts in a long-run perspective. In a short-run, contractors may face difficulties with the development of effective business relations because profitability of such projects is low and this is why they are not interesting for private companies, if they are developed in a short-run perspective. Instead, long-run projects provide construction companies with the possibility to have the small but steady profit in the course of a long time, when the contractor cooperates with the government.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Framework contractingFramework contracting involves methods used at large projects, where the contractors are chosen following selective criteria and not only the prices. It is usually connected with long-term cooperation contracts including many different projects (Mortledge, Smith, Kashiwagi 2006). In fact, this use of the framework contracting sets strict requirements which contractors should match. Therefore, companies operating in the construction industry should match specific requirements that often means the focus on the quality of the construction rather than on its costs. Hence, one of possible drawbacks of this method of procur ement is the high costs but the high quality and reliability of contractors outweigh high costs of such procurement method.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Prime contractingPrime contracting is an expanded traditional form including long-term partnership. The contractor is usually obliged to undertake construction works and further building maintenance. It is commonly used by governmental institutions (Mortledge, Smith, Kashiwagi 2006). This procurement is quite efficient because it allows customers to rely on construction companies, who can keep maintaining facilities, even after the end of the construction. At the same time, such procurement method is beneficial for construction companies too because they can receive long-run contracts and the stable source of income in a long-run perspective.GraphIn this regard, it is possible to trace the trend to different risks which are imposed either on construction companies or their customers. In this regard, the design and bui ld procurement are the most risky for construction companies because they are fully responsible for designing and implementing projects. At the same time, management contract procurement is the mist risky for customers of construction companies. In such a situation, traditional contracting procurement is in between and risks may vary from the higher risks for customers to the higher risk for construction companies depending on the sub-type of the traditional contracting procurement.  At the same time, the design and build procurement method grows more and more popular along with the construction management and management contracting. Therefore these procurement methods are likely to challenge the traditional contracting procurement, if current trends in the construction industry of Cyprus persist. The enhancement of new procurement methods that challenge the traditional contracting is the result of the changing business environment and new trends in the socioeconomic development o f Cyprus. At this point, it is necessary to take into consideration such factors as the development of new technologies that open new opportunities for customers and construction companies to design and build facilities from the scratch. In addition, the integration of Cyprus into the EU and world economy stimulates the adoption of new procurement methods which have already proved their efficiency in other countries.Research QuestionnaireThe research questionnaire will focus on two groups of participants: a group consisting of engineers, architects and other representatives of construction companies and a group consisting of customers of construction companies. The involvement of these two groups helps to reveal two standpoints on the current situation in the construction industry of Cyprus and the existing procurement methods that are applied to the construction industry in Cyprus. The questionnaires help to reveal the position of professionals working in the construction industry, on the one hand, and the position of customers of the construction companies, on the other.

An Operational Analysis of Subway Restaurants

Each team member was charged with the task of visiting a Subway location near their residence. This way each member was given the opportunity to observe the concrete steps required for Subway to complete a service from beginning to end. When you hear the words â€Å"fast food,† you imagine being offered a service in which you are quickly in and out with your order, and nothing else to it. In this instance that is not the case; Subway did not become one of the largest sandwich chains overnight. It has taken years of productiveness from the owners, top managers, employees and each customer of Subway. Throughout this paper we will analyze Subway’s operations by identifying the type of process used and the basic layout of their facilities. We will also provide a detailed service blueprint that will help to get a better understanding of the service process from the beginning, when the customer places an order, to the end, when that paying customer walks out the door with their subway sandwich. After visiting our Subway locations, we will also be able to explain the strengths and weaknesses that we observed from the interaction between employees and customers and the overall Subway experience. One of the locations visited and observed during hours of operations was the Subway restaurant located at 19214 Clay Road, Suite A, Katy TX 77449. This restaurant has been serving the Katy community for approximately ten years. This particular location was observed in order to help create the service blueprint. The service blueprint lists all of the service functions that are performed and the average time expected to achieve the completion of each function. It begins with the customer’s action; the customer walks into the store and places an order, the employee then acknowledges the customer’s request. This is followed by the customer deciding on the size and type of sandwich they would like made. The Subway employee then begins to prepare the customer’s sandwich with their size and type specifications in mind. At this point, the employee asks the customer to decide on their type of meat and cheese, once the customer communicates this decision, the employee adds the requested meat and cheese. He/she gives the customer the choice of having their sandwich toasted or not. If the customer decides to toast the sandwich the employee then proceeds to put it in the toaster for a minute then moves on to adding the dressings and sauces. If the customer does not want their sandwich toasted, the employee continues along with the process. The interaction continues with the choosing of any vegetables and final touches which may include adding oil and vinegar or salt and pepper at the customer’s request. Finally, as we approach the end of the service process, the employees wraps the sandwich and offers the customer the option of adding a cookie or the option of making their sandwich purchase as a meal, which would then include chips or a drink for a set additional price. Once the customer has chosen, the employee then collects payment to complete the transaction, and hands the order over to the customer, thus concluding the service process. This entire process happens in between the line of interaction. A line of visibility does exist in all Subway locations, on one side you have the components that are visible to the customer, which include the bread baking and all of the products and produce used to make a Subway sandwich. On the other side of the line of visibility, you have those items not visible to the customers’ eyes, which include the preparation of the bread before baking it, the extra vegetables, meat, and cheeses to be cut and prepped, the chips and drinks used to stock the storefront, as well as the storage of all the other products necessary to perations such as paper products, bags and any office supplies. All of this is required in order to ensure the success of the service process. Even though the customer does not realize what exactly occurs behind the line of visibility, it does not mean they don’t care. Every paying customer hopes and expects that their food is being handled and prepared in the safest and best way possible. This means that employees must be equipped to complete all tasks required in the minimal time possible, while maintaining the utmost standards of sanitary handling and preparation. Please refer to blue print 1 for a visual representation of how the actual process explained above works. After getting a closer look at how the service process works by completing the blue print you can see that the employees work diligently to complete the process in less than five minutes. From this you can learn that during peak hours which include lunch and dinner rush, employees work faster than normal to meet the 5 minute process standard. This way may cause a customer to feel rushed. For instance if the employee sees that the customer line has exceeded more than five it begins to rush the process; this causes the customer to make abrupt decisions on what they want in their sandwich. At the same time this can easily cause the employees to make mistakes during the process. For instance they can accidently add the wrong vegetables or sauces simple because they are trying to rush through the process in order to get the customer in and out. This urgency of completing the process faster than usual can turn a customer away. Many paying customers like to have the undivided attention of the employees since they do feel like they should get their money’s worth through the service. To help both the employees and customers during this circumstances the manager should ensure the employees that yes you might have to pick up the speed to meet the lunch rush demand; but they will have to be courteous without making the customer feel rushed. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Subway location 19214 Clay Road, Suite A, Katy TX 77449

Project management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project management - Assignment Example Project Management Office (PMO) A Project Management Office (PMO) can be termed as a centralised organisational unit or body which is likely involve in different phases of a project. The body is the core entity that ensures to provide basic administrative along with advisory and consulting support to the overall operations of the project. Moreover, a PMO also involves in strategic and grievance services that are required to successfully achieve the desired goals and objectives of the project (Canfield University, 2004). With regard to the case scenario, Volkswagen (VW) Mexico had founded an effective PMO which was principally established in order to monitor and control operations performed in the Jetta component assembly line. The PMO of the company played a major role for the project in terms of coordinating an effective financial plan along with appropriate schedule for each project function. Moreover, the unit also contributed by playing a crucial role in terms of procuring and ma naging adequate resources to ensure effective performance within the Mexico project assembly line (Project Management Institute, 2012). Project Control System Project control system generally incorporates various steps performed by different operational and management groups which facilitate to successfully accomplish the ultimate objectives of a project (Public procurement Guide, 2008). With regard to the project control system of Jetta assembly line, VW Mexico had highly focused on six major steps including programming or estimation, identification, budgeting, cost control, scheduling of project activities and performance measurement. In relation to scheduling of project activities, VW Mexico component’s design strategy for installing Jetta assembly line would be completed within 21 months in a budget of around USD3.3 million. The work breakdown structure of the project is segregated into separate elements such as defining project which entails stage gate review and stakeho lder development. Subsequently, the planning stage would entail design and new suppliers along with preparing the blueprint of the entire work activities. In addition, the phase of training, implementation and risk assessment would be comprehensively followed to ensure complete success of the project. Moreover, risk assessment phase would facilitate to ensure optimisation of the undertaken project along with ascertaining proper commencement of the production of Axel, Motor and Corner module (Project Management Institute, 2012). In this regard, it can be said that one of the critical components of project control system is to mitigate situations when delay occurs in the project schedule. In relation to Jetta assembly line project as well, the project manager needs to remain cautious to avoid any kind of delays. The project manager in such scenarios can take control by preparing a work breakdown structure for each and every activity of the project. Moreover, the project manager needs to carefully and continuously monitor any delay creating activity and if by