Ba Main Transformation Process

Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to discuss the main theories, models, frameworks and issues in the area of operations management, using British Airways as a working model, throughout the report. It was prepares for a coursework assignment as part of a Operations Management Module Academic journals and books from the area of operations management were used to illustrate the main points in the report to give evidence and back up the information provided. Key findings of this report show how quality impacts on the development of the operations strategy in British Airways and how the key elements of design contribute hugely in operations. The importance and role of supply chain was discussed and three quality control methods; Quality Sampling, Total Quality Management and ISO 9000 were evaluated to how they could improve the performance of British Airways. Conclusions were drawn and it was found that operations management, based on the points discussed is a major factor to an organisations success. Contents Page Page Number 1. Introduction4 2. BA’s Main Transformation Process 5 & 6 3. Quality & Operations Strategy 7, 8 & 9 4. Design in Operations 10 4. 1Concept Generation10 2. Concept Screening10 4. 3Preliminary Design 10 & 11 4. 4Evaluation and Improvement11 4. 5Prototyping and final design 11 & 12 5. The Role of Supply Chain 13 1. Quality13 2. Speed14 3. Dependability14 4. Flexibility15 5. Cost15 6. Quality Control Methods16 1. Quality Sampling17 2. Total Quality Management 17 & 18 3. ISO 900018 7. Conclusions19 8. References 20 & 21 1. Introduction This report has been issued by University as part of this Operations Management module, in which a company will be selected and used as a working model throughout the report. The chosen company that will be used in relation to operations management is British Airways (hereafter BA). The various elements of operations management will be researched and applied to BA’s main transformation process. This will be done using academic articles and books in the area of operations management to illustrate the main points. The report will begin with an overview of BA’s main transformation process indicating key inputs and outputs and then investigate how quality might impact upon the development of the operation strategy. Next it will review the key elements of design and how this impacts on the operation. Finally the role of supply chain in BA’s operation will be discussed and three different quality control methods will be evaluated to show how these might improve the performance in operations. Conclusions will be drawn and any overriding management issues identified. . BA’s Main Transformation Process The transformation process is a â€Å"model that describes operations in terms of their input resources, transforming processes and outputs of goods or services† (Slack et al, 2008, Page 8) BA use their aircrafts and staff which allows passengers and freight to travel from one destination to another thus, making this BA’s main transformation process. The operations fu nction of a business is the arrangement of the resources which are allocated to the production and delivery of an organisations goods and services. Three roles that are important for an operations function are the implementer, supporter and driver of the business strategy. In this example the operations functions follows the inputs of the transformation process. BA’s main transformation process inputs are the 238 aircraft in service, 32 million passengers, and 760,000 tonnes of cargo that it carried in 2009/10 along with the pilots and cabin crew. These are the transforming resources which allow the operation to take place and results in the service being provided. This uses the transformed resources which can be split into two types; facilities such as the buildings and equipment, and staff who are all the people involved in the operation in some way. (ba. com) â€Å"The main activities of British Airways Plc and its subsidiary undertakings are the operation of international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services† As BA is one of the worlds largest airlines operating internationally, the transformation process can be complicated with many units or departments interconnecting and contributing to the overall operation. Some of the operations with in BA include British Airways World Cargo carrying freight, mail and courier traffic. (ba. com) They key outputs of BA’s transformation process are the millions of transported passengers to over 300 worldwide destinations and the cargo including dangerous goods and live animals. The outputs are services and therefore intangible. 3. Quality & Operations Strategy Operations strategies plan how the function will achieve future goals which are aligned with the companies overall strategy. This can be done by understanding current capabilities and limitations, exploiting current capabilities in quality and process innovation. The basic role of operations is to implement strategy. â€Å"Operations strategy concerns the pattern of strategic decisions and actions which set the role, objectives and activities of the operation† (Slack et al, 2007, Page 63) Operations are the resources that create products and services. There are four perspectives on operations strategy; top down, market requirements, bottom up and operations resources perspective. BA states â€Å"Meeting the rising expectations of our customers’ remains central to our strategy of transforming British Airways into the world’s leading global premium airline† This includes investment in their staff, aeroplanes and facilities in order to provide a premium quality service to their customers. (ba. com) â€Å"Quality is consistent conformance to customers’ expectations† (Slack et al, 2007, Page 539) Relating this to the above strategy of BA the quality of the service would be the friendly and helpful cabin crew, the flight leaving on time, clean aircraft and baggage arriving at the same time and destination as the passenger. Punctuality ensures other operational processes run smoothly and remains a key factor in whether customers would recommend British airways to other travellers† (ba. com). Therefore if BA produces a quality service to all of its customers, it is likely that they will get more business through recommendation s and giving them an advantage over other airlines. As the quality of service that BA provides is paramount to the customer and can be a deciding factor on repeat business, this will have to be incorporated to the overall operations strategy of the organisation for it to be a success. In BA’s 2009/10 annual report and accounts their strategy and objectives include meeting customer needs and improving margins through new revenue streams. Total Quality Management can have an influential impact on this as quality can reduce costs and increase dependability. â€Å"Lowered total quality expenditures, increased level of quality and reallocation of quality resources to prevention and away from appraisal and defect/failure correction activities† (SAM Advanced Management Journal, 1990, Page 25). This supports the above strategy of BA. TQM enables the developing of strategic thinking due to its inter-disciplinary nature† (Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 2004, Page 264) Overall in respect to BA this means that there has to be quality control in place for the overall strategy to be successful. When developing the operations strategy, taking quality into consideration there may be a higher cost initially, however, referring to the research a bove costs may be reduced overall due to less errors and more emphasis being placed on prevention tactics. 4. Design in Operations There are five stages of service design which will be looked at individually in relation to BA; 4. 1Concept Generation If BA were to introduce a new destination to the existing range that they already offer if they decide to follow the market requirement perspective which is â€Å"what the market position requires operations to do† (Slack et al, 2001, Page 65). A lot of people would have to be involved from management at the top down to the customers. Market research would be a good idea to get ideas and suggestions from the customers for the proposed new estination. â€Å"Operations strategy involves translating marketing requirements into operations decisions† (Slack et al, 2007, Page 63) 2. Concept Screening This stage involves the ides going through feasibility, acceptability and vulnerability evaluation. Questions such as are the resources such as aircrafts and staff available, will it be accepted and what may go wrong with it and will it all be answered and evalua ted. At this stage the ideas will progressively get fewer as each one is evaluated until there is only one possibility left. . Preliminary Design Preliminary design is the identifying of component products and services in the package, which in this case is the new flight destination in BA and the process of this will also be defined at this stage. The components of the new flight destination may be the aircraft, cabin crew, pilot, information leaflets and arrangement of new flight path and times. BA is part of a mass service process type in which there are many customers transactions therefore there is limited contact time and not much room for customisation. For example BA cannot put on a special journey for a single person as there are a range of pre-planned journeys for passengers to choose between. 4. Evaluation and Improvement Design evaluation and improvement is used to see if the preliminary design can be improves and this can be done using various techniques including quality function deployment, value engineering and taguchi methods. Looking at Quality Function Deployment (QFD), which is a technique used to ensure that the eventual design of BA’s service actually meets the needs of the customers. For example the new flight destination would have to be where the customers want to go and figure how this can be achieved. 5. Prototyping and final design The final stage of design is to turn the design into a prototype. For the new flight destination this may be running the flight on a trial basis to get reactions and feedback from the BA customers. Through the design process the five performance objectives; quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost will be considered. For example it can be decided if the quality of service will be the same as a regular flight or if it is going to be increased and marketed as a premium flight. Will the flight be dependable and be on a regular basis and will the cost be in relation to the service as mentioned above and if the customers will be willing to pay more. This would be classed as a product layout within BA which â€Å"involves locating the transforming resources entirely for the convenience of the transformed resources† (Slack et al, 2007, page 193). The transforming resources being the people, for example in BA as they can move through the airport in a predetermined route to enable them to get to the aircraft. 5. 0The role of Supply Chain A supply chain can be described as â€Å"A linkage or strand of operations that provides goods and services through to end customers; within a supply network several supply chains will cross through an individual operation† (Slack et al, 2007, page 402) All supply chain management has a common objective to satisfy the end customer and in the case of BA this will be the people travelling on the flight or BA’s World Cargo. As mentioned in the design process the five performance objectives; quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost will have to achieve appropriate levels in the supply chain. These can be looked at individually in relation to BA: 1. Quality For a flight many onboard services are required including the equipment food and drink. By the time the meal reaches the customer on the flight it has gone through many operations in the supply chain. It is important that at each stage there are minimal errors as this multiplies by the time it reaches the customer. Each stage then needs to take responsibility for its own and their supplier’s performance. This can in turn, ensure that the supply chain can achieve a high level of customer satisfaction at the end and therefore increase the chance of returning custom. 2. Speed In relation to BA, speed can mean the time it takes a customer to be served from the time they request the item to when it arrives. For example, receiving a drink in-flight. A fast response may be achieved by ensuring there is enough resources and stock, such as flight attendants and beverages within the supply chain. If there is a large amount of stock then the customers demand will be fulfilled. In order for this to be successful, the products received from further up the supply chain, such as from the manufacturers need to have fast throughput time. Achieving this allows the customer demands to be met if there is stock readily available. 3. Dependability This means that BA has to have to correct stock in the right place at the right time. The airline needs to have the correct number or supplies or more on board at the time of a flight take off to ensure the demands of the customers are met. For example â€Å"If the individual operations in a chain do not deliver as promised on time, there will be a tendency for customers to over order, or order early, in order to provide some kind of insurance against late delivery† (Slack et al, 2007, page 404) A way that BA can control their â€Å"items of low value, fairly consistent usage and short lead time† (Tersine, 1982, page 432) such as beverages is the two bin re-ordering system. This is an effective way of controlling stock levels as it can easily be seen when the re-order point is reached. 4. Flexibility Flexibility is the supply chains ability to manage changes and disturbances. If BA’s stock levels are managed this should allow flexibility so the end customer’s needs are met and done so in a responsive manner. For BA to be flexible all operations in the supply chain must also be flexible. 5. Cost At each operational stage of the supply chain costs are incurred in order to produce the final product or service. A way of reducing costs is through JIT. Just-in-time is a Japanese management philosophy which tries to eliminate waste and always improve productivity. JIT has many roles to play in an organisation as â€Å"Continuous improvement processes are associated with JIT including product quality, process efficiency, information systems and operating value-added activities more effectively while eliminating non-value-added activities† (Wild, 2002, page 61) BA may also incur costs whilst finding the right suppliers or trying to find one supplier of there required costs to cut the cost of their transactions and come to a mutually beneficial agreement for both parties. 6. Quality Control Methods Measures for quality characteristics within BA can include functionality which is how well the service does the job, for example taking people to their required destination safely. Appearance is another which relates to the decor and cleanliness of aircraft, lounges and crew. Reliability, consistency of the flight service and keeping to the allocated times is another characteristic which is important to the service that BA provides. Durability ensures that the service provided is up to date and relevant to the customers needs. Recovery is the ease with which problems can be resolved and contact between airline staff and customers. These characteristics can be measured as variables and attributes. For quality control methods to take place operations must identify how the quality characteristics can be measured and a standard to which it can be checked against. As much of BA’s quality comes down to service it can be difficult to perceive as this has no quantified measure. Quality control uses statistics, process analysis and quality standards, these attempts are to solve the root cause of any quality problems. Quality means â€Å"doing things right, first time, every time† (Slack et al, 2010, Page 505) and in turn this will have a positive effect on revenues costs and customer satisfaction. The techniques of controlling quality that will be looked at in relation to BA are; quality sampling, total quality management and ISO 9000. 1. Quality Sampling This can be done by handing out surveys towards the end of the flight to receive customer feedback. The results can then be used to determine whether or not the quality characteristics mentioned above are up to the correct standards as expected by the customers and what BA wants to achieve. This will not be 100% checking as not every person will take the time to fill this out; however it can give a good indication of BA’s performance. The results of this can then be used to find areas that need to be approved for example the courtesy of the crew or areas that are positive such are the decor and cleanliness of the aircraft. Overall if action is taken this should help to improve the performance of BA. 2. Total Quality Management Total Quality Management, (TQM) means meeting the needs and expectations of customers. This includes all costs associated with quality which are prevention, appraisal, internal and external failure costs. Prevention costs are used to save failures and errors occurring. This can be the training and development of personnel and designing and improving of services and aircrafts to reduce any quality problems. Appraisal costs that could be incurred with BA are the setting of sampling plans as mentioned above and also conducting customer surveys. Internal failure costs, dealt from within the BA may include lost time due to errors. For example if problems occur and a flight is delayed or unable to take off. If a strategy is in place this could prevent this error from happening. Finally external failure costs which are errors going out of the operation to the customer. An example can be an annoyed customer who take up the time of staff at a check in desk. The main aim of TQM is that the processes and products will be continually improved. 3. ISO 9000 Without any quality control methods there is little or no basis to measure and monitor quality performance. Certification to the ISO 9000 standard demonstrates if an organisations quality of service and products are acceptable. This may improve the performance of BA as it gives assurance to customers that the service has to be at a certain standard so therefore there could be an increase of custom. However this could prove costly to train staff and conducing audits. 7. Conclusions The main findings from this report were the effects of quality on the development of the operations strategy and how design also impacts on this within BA. It was shown how quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost form the basis to all the decisions that are made in the area of operations management. It was found that meeting the rising expectations of BA’s customers was paramount and quality control remained central in this. It was suggested that BA could us a survey to receive feedback to work on and improve if appropriate. This could increase the standard of quality of service within the organisation. The five stages of design in operations; concept generation, concept screening, preliminary design, evaluation and improvement and prototyping and final design were identified and evaluated. The role of supply chain was discussed against the five performance objectives; quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost will have to achieve appropriate levels in the supply chain. Quality and its importance were shown how it can improve the performance of BA. In final conclusion it as found that operations management, based on the points discussed is a major factor to an organisations success. 8. References LEONARD, D and MCADAM, R. , 2004. Total quality management in strategy and operations: dynamic grounded models, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management. online]. 15(3). Pp. 254-266. Available from: http://www. emeraldinsight. com/journals. htm? issn=1741-038X&volume=15&issue=3&articleid=851034&show=html www. emeraldinsight. com [Accessed 12th December 2010] www. ba. com [Accessed throughout December 2010] SLACK, N. , CHAMBERS, S. and JOHNSTON, R. , 2007. Operations Management. 5th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited GILMORE, H. L. , 1990. Continuous Incrementa l Improvement: An Operations Strategy for Higher Quality, Lower Costs, and Global Competitiveness. SAM Advanced Management Journal. online]. 55(1). Pp. 21. Available from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=10&hid=112&sid=a64d86a6-2b59-4820-89e8-685e3526e9e7%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh&AN=4601151 [Accessed 13th December 2010] SLACK, N. , CHAMBERS, S. and JOHNSTONE, R. , 2001. Operations Management. 3rd ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited WILD, T. , 2002. Best Practice in Inventory Management. 2nd ed. Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd TERSINE, R J. , 1982. Principles of Inventory and Materials Management. nd ed. New York, NY: Elsevier Science Publishing Co. , Inc TANNINEN, K. , PUUMALAINEN, K. and SANDSTROM, J. M. , 2010. the power of TQM: analysis of its effects on profitability, productivity and customer satisfaction. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence. [online] 21(2) Pp. 171-184. Available from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detai l? vid=7&hid=105&sid=15499fbe-0026-4e12-b2c1-b55559c94134%40sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh&AN=47760259 [Accessed 16th December 2010]

Hotel Report

BM 0970 Introduction to Hospitality & Tourism Executive Summary Introduction Hotel Rendezvous, Singapore Products/Services: They offer worldwide hotel services in countries such as Singapore, Shanghai and many parts of Australia. They are from The Marque Group of Hotels and they have hotels by the name of both Marque and Rendezvous. Hotel Rendezvous in Singapore offers good location too. It is situated in the heart of the civic, cultural and commercial district; Bras Basah Road, just stones throw from the always-crowded Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station. Without a doubt, this is the perfect place to rendezvous for business or pleasure. Competition: Hotels nearby includes the known Concorde Hotel, once known as Le Meridian Hotel, Hotel Fort Canning, Mandarin Orchard, which is a 5* Hotel and Hangout @ Mt. Emily, a themed budget hotel. Unique-selling points: Hotel Rendezvous Singapore has the â€Å"Telepresence† Room. This state-of-the-art facility connects users the world with unparalleled convenience and ease, while reducing corporate travel expenses and increasing productivity and environmental friendliness. The hotel is also the first to offer the facility, thus more business visitors will be attracted to stay in Rendezvous. Furthermore, those who book the facility will get discounts for rooms and also f/b services. Target Market: Business travellers Potential Opportunities & Challenges Of Hotel Rendezvous Challenges include: 1. Some hotels nearby in Orchard Road have better services An example will be Mandarin Orchard Hotel; they have: * Medical clinic in case of emergencies * Baby sitting services for customers who stays in the hotel with their families and need someone to mend their children when the parents are away * Postal services (Immediate mail from the hotel to Singapore Post) 2. Online guest reviews affect the competitiveness of Hotel Rendezvous Websites like Trip Advisor will have both negative and positive comments. While positive comments may encourage first-time travellers to visit Hotel rendezvous, negative comments will deter travellers to enter the hotel, especially the business travellers who want better services. Since, the negative comments will not be removed immediately, thus causing an influence to the choices made by first-time travellers. 3. Shopping centres are located far from hotel Major shopping malls like ION Orchard and Wisma Atria are located far from Bras Basah Road, where transportation is needed. 4. Due to IR, business and leisure tourists may prefer hotels such as Marina Bay Sands for stay in Singapore instead. 5. F1 Night Race The F1 night race occurs in the month of September each year and during this period, it is much more inaccessible to get to Hotel Rendezvous. Major road closures at locations such as Orchard Road and Stamford Road will make it harder for drivers to get to the hotel. Challenges: Since F1 will end in 2011, the hotels surround the F1 track race may experience a significant drop in hotel occupancy rate. Therefore, suggestions such as organising local Singapore track race are recommended. Key Developments & Opportunities 1. Zoukout An annual music, dance and art event hosted at Sentosa Island. Organised by Zouk Club. Tourists all over the world come to Singapore where â€Å"30- 35% of the total turnout come from the region, mainly from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong and also as far off as the United States. †   This year’s Zoukout has guests like David Guetta and Tiesto, who are known worldwide. . Christmas Light Ups The Christmas light ups are done annually on the stretch of Orchard Road, where many tourists can photograph their memories with wonderful lights on the background. 3. Great Singapore Sale Great Singapore Sale is an annual event with extensive discounts to attract global and Singapore shoppers to buy merchand ises from international brands such as Topshop, Nike, and River Island. Foreign shoppers may need an accommodation to stay when they come to Singapore and shop. Since Rendezvous hotel is located near major shopping district, it is an opportunity for the hotel to attract both leisure and business tourists. They can collaborate with GSS such as private sale for Rendezvous hotel’s patrons or discounted room rates if they purchase $500 with 3 combined receipts during this Sale period. Resources available 1. Transportation; Shuttle Services For easier travel, the Rendezvous Singapore Hotel offers an airport shuttle service for guest use. However, the international airport can be reached within minutes by guests driving their own vehicles and the MRT station nearby offers additional transportation options. Airport Airport is air transportation for international tourist to reach Singapore. With airport, it is 20 minutes away to reach hotel rendezvous which give tourists convenience to reach their accommodation faster. It increases the probability for business tourists to choose Rendezvous as their accommodation since it is not far from airport. The 20 minute distance allows better traffic to enter Hotel rendezvous. As such, it is a resource that Hotel Rendezvous can tap on to further establishes its status as a business tourist’s hotel. 2. Land; Minor expansion of the hotel grounds can be done at the fountain lounge (Ref 1. 4), where more space can be given to the Palong Bar, since its size is small. With the expansion, a dancing floor, with a disco theme can be built for guests to have parties or dinner and dance events in future. We have also found out that with the inclusion of a duty free shop in hotels may earn the hotel more revenue with the fees for rental and commissions. An example will be Royal Plaza on Scotts, where DFS Galleria is located in the hotel premises. Many foreigners love to shop at DFS because their products are much cheaper too. Thus, we recommend that Hotel Rendezvous should hire services from DFS Galleria for the land expansion, to cater to guests who ove shopping, at their convenience. 3. Relationship (Networking); The Cathay Cineplexes The Cathay Cineplexes are just stones throw away from Hotel Rendezvous. Guests at the hotel can go there for shopping paradise and movie galore. The Cathay Building has been a distinct landmark since 1939 when it first opened its doors to avid movie-goers. Now a shopping mall infused with fashion and trends, five storeys house retail and dining indulgences while two floors are dedicated to an eight-hall multiplex cinema, including The Picturehouse – Singapore's first arthouse theatre. Guests will be interested to watch movies there, and with winning movies from the Cannes Film Festival, it is a good place for guests to watch it first hand here in Singapore. Recommendation: The Cathay Cineplexes could collaborate together with Hotel Rendezvous to have priority seats for the guests by showing their hotel keys or vouchers issued from the hotel. There should also be a convenience service for advance booking of tickets which allows guests to get their tickets at the reception of Hotel Rendezvous This will allow them to get their tickets at ease, without having to rush between meetings and leisure. The Cathay will then receive better exposure via putting up advertisements such as pamphlets in the hotel to gain reputation among the travellers. Also, collaboration may bring higher revenue since the priority seats is an incentive for them to watch movie in The Cathay. Guests might even recommend the movie theatre to their colleagues who might come to Singapore in future. The Cathay could also provide Hotel Rendezvous complimentary movie passes to be given away to guests. When the guests visit The Cathay Building for the movie, there may be higher chances of them visiting the retail outlets as well. Therefore, it will increase revenue and in turn, they can increase the monthly rental of the shops. 4. Labour (Human Resources); When guests enter the hotel, the first people they are greeted by are the staffs at the hotel lobby. Porters/Bellmen are those who meet and greet customers upon their arrival. Hotel Rendezvous have about 4 porters and security officers on duty on a normal business day. Valet parking is also a special service the hotel offers for guests who drive. The porters also collect and deliver luggage to guests’ hotel rooms once they arrive. In Hotel Rendezvous, receptionists are better called as Guest Reception Officer. . Technology; The hotel needs a good room allocation system. We have researched for best technology supplies and one of which we recommend is Pelican E-Hotel Distribution System. This company provides services such as central reservation and also the Global Distribution System (GDS), which connects with over 600,000 travel agencies worldwide. T his will benefit the hotel through preventing confusions over room allocations. Different guests may want particular rooms such as: * Smoking/Non-smoking rooms * High/Low levels * Queen/2 Single Bed Rooms, etc. We have also found a company, First Data ®, which processes all major credit cards. They can also use the Payment Software solution to process debit/ATM cards, checks, stored value/gift cards, even private label cards and line-of-credit applications. Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS), a Singapore-based payment method can also be used by the hotel to provide smooth transactions for guests. 6. Entrepreneurship; Capitalization through opportunities 1. Attractions and entertainment; Museums Singapore Arts Museum, National Museum, Asian Civilizations Museum are located near Rendezvous Hotel. These museums usually have different exhibitions shown at different periods of the year. An example will be Pompeii: Life in a Roman Town 79CE, at the National Museum of Singapore till January 23rd. Istana The Istana is the official residence of the President where he receives and entertains state guests. The entire domain occupies over 100 acres and is located along the busy Orchard Road. The grounds also contain: * Sri Temasek, also built in 1869, for the Colonial Secretary and was the official residence of the Prime Minister * The Annexe * The Istana Villa (1938) * The Lodge (1974) * The Japanese Gun, presented to Lord  Louis Mountbatten  after the Japanese * surrender in 1945 Marsh  Garden (1970) * Lily  ponds * A nine-hole  golf course * A  burial place  of the  Bencoolen  Muslims, who came to Singapore between 1825 and 1828, located on the southern slopes of the grounds close to the Orchard Road entrance The main purpose of guests to visit Istana is to see the architecture, the facilities, which is only unique to Singapore 2. Destinations; Peranak an Museum The museum explores the culture of Peranakan communities in the former Straits Settlements of Singapore, Malacca and Penang and their links with other communities in Southeast Asia (SEA). It is a boutique museum with one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of Peranakan artefacts in the world. Three floors of permanent galleries illustrate important rituals, practices and the material culture of the Peranakans, as well as how the unique fusion culture is viewed today. The Peranakan Museum provides an enjoyable and educational experience for all, with intricate displays innovatively presented in ten galleries, children’s interactive and special merchandising in two shops. Two temporary exhibition galleries will present a programme of special exhibitions throughout the year. The Peranakan museum is a museum under the Asian Civilisations Museum. Recommendation: Due to the popularity of Mediacorp drama Little Nyonya, the museum may attract Chinese-indo to appreciate the historical artefacts from this museum. In addition, non-Nyonya tourists who want to experience Nyonya culture, they may want to visit this attraction. As such, the hotel may collaborate with the museum with promotional activities like 15% discount off the museum ticket price with any 2 night stay in the hotel. Also, Hotel Rendezvous may collaborate with Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to showcase their promotions and activities regarding Peranakan Museum through STB website. With STB a reliable source for travellers, not only the collaboration will expose Hotel Rendezvous to leisure travellers, and also gain higher reputation among business travellers. For STB, this collaboration will fulfil their mission: We develop and champion tourism, so as to build the sector into a key driver of economic growth for Singapore by the increase in popularity of Hotel Rendezvous and the need to experience Peranakan culture. The Battle Box The Battle Box provides tours to tourists and also local residents of Singapore. For a price of S$5 for children and S$8 for adults, visitors can attend a guided tour of the location. It is the latest military operations complex in Singapore and was the hub of the Malaya Command Head quarters during World War II. They use the specially arranged audio and video effect, high quality animatronics and crafted figurines; they bring back February 15th 1942 to guests, when Singapore fell to the Japanese. So, this destination allows guests of Hotel Rendezvous to get to know the history of Singapore better while they are here. Killing two birds with one stone, they get to do work and know Singapore. In-hotel Resources Meeting rooms and Events Venues * Six functions rooms which can accommodate from 10 to 240 people and a Telepresence Suite * A total  880 square metres of banquet space * A superb selection of food ; beverage packages * The latest in audio visual ; web technology * Special accommodation rates Technical Equipment The latest in audio visual ; web technology is conveniently available upon request. We will be pleased to discuss with you any special presentation requirements you may have, whatever your requests, we will help make your event a success. Value Promise (Fig 1. 1) This service is available free of charge. The hotel promises value to their customers and thus, more of them will go back to the hotel more than once. Business Benefits (Fig 1. 2) This service costs less than a full breakfast meal; $29. 50 Lowest Price Guarantee (Fig 1. 3) Customers are assured that they get the lowest rate they can find in the nearest vicinity. They will even get claims if they find a lower room rate somewhere else with the equivalent facilities/services. Conclusion The top three resources that are significant to the success is labour, technology and travel agencies. Firstly, labour is important in the business. Workers like the receptionist might be the first person the customers will meet when they reach the hotel. If the workers do not treat their work seriously, customer might have a bad impression of the hotel. However, if the workers give a pleasant first impression to the customer, customer might visit the hotel again or recommend the hotel to their friends and family. This will increase the hotel revenue. Secondly, having better technology than other hotel will enable customer to enjoy better benefits that they can’t enjoy in other hotel. An example will be, customers will choose a hotel with wireless than a hotel which doesn’t have as wireless enable customer to surf the net easily. Better technology will also mean that the workers can serve the customer better as the waiting time will be shorter. An example will be customer checking-in to the hotel. Customer will than doesn’t have to wait for long queue to check-in to the hotel if the computer system is able to locate the customer room easily. Lastly, travel agencies play an important role in the hotel. If many travel agencies are willing to advertise to the customer the hotel, there will be huge increase of customers coming to the hotel, which result to more revenue. Working with travel agencies will greatly helps the hotel to earn more revenue. However, if no travel agency wants to help the hotel to their customers, hotel would have lesser customer than hotel with travel agencies helps.

Chinese fiction Essay

â€Å"No Longer Human† is a Japanese novel written by Osamu Dazai. It is considered as Dazai’s masterpiece and categorized as the second-best selling novel in Japan, whereas â€Å"To Live† was written by Yu Hua is a Chinese fiction. â€Å"No Longer Human† is describe as a labor of fiction, the novel is recited in the first person and have several elements which laid down an autobiographical source, such as suicide, a recurring theme in the author’s life whereas, the story of â€Å"To Live† started some time in the 1940s. The main character of this sotry is Xu Fugui who is a local rich man’s son and habitual gambler, who lose his family property to the tricky Longer, driving his father to his grave in the process. His attitude also causes his long-suffering wife Jiazhen to leave him with their daughter, Fengxia and their unborn son, Youqing, the same thing with Oba Yozo in â€Å"No Longer Human†. The novel â€Å"No Longer Human† covers the portrayal of the life of Oba Yozo, who is a trouble soul not capable of revealing his true self to others and who is instead forced to uphold an impression of worthless jocularity. This story tells the emotional and interesting story of a young man who is caught between the disintegration of the traditions of a northern Japanese aristocratic family and the impact of Western ideas. The novel is made up of three chapters which narrate the life of Oba Yozo from early childhood to late adolescence. In the first chapter of the novel, it deals on how the overcome by an extreme feeling of alienation and finding it nearly impossible to socialize with those who besiege him, Oba Yozo can but resort to buffoonery in order to ascertain an interpersonal relationships and fit into place in a vain effort to disregard the furious sexual abuse he was subjected to by a couple of servants during his childhood. In the second chapter, Oba Yozo becomes more and more troubled over the potential penetrability of his cheerful impression, which, together with the pressures of academic life, leads him into a violent cycle of drinking, smoking and harlotry, ending in a one-night stand with a married woman with whom he planned to commit double suicide. Though he survived, the woman passed away, leaving him with nothing but an unbearable feeling of guilt. In the this chapter, several years later, Oba Yozo is dropped out from High School and commits into a relationship with a destructive woman, who immediately betrays him with another man. Oba Yozo is once again driven to the edge of committing suicide, but was not able to do so because he becomes an alcoholic and a morphine addict. The story comes to a close with Oba Yozo’s confinement in a mental institution where he finally assumes he is no longer human, neither happy nor unhappy, but merely a man of excesses. The story of â€Å"To Live† is somewhat similar to the novel â€Å"No Longer Human† in a sense that both the main characters of the novels were engaged into alcoholism, drug addiction and losss of their families. However, in the novel of â€Å"No Longer Human† the main character’s story ended upon his confinement in a mental insitution, while in the story of â€Å"To Live† the main character after he loses his entire family fortune, eventually reunites with his wife and children, but is forced to start a shadow puppet troupe with partner Chunsheng to support his family. The story of â€Å"To Live† during the Chinese Civil War is in full swing, and both Fugui and Chunsheng are forcibly enlisted into the Kuomintang forces during a performance. After a heavy battle, Fugui and Chunsheng are captured by the communist side, where they quickly become entertainers for the troops. Eventually Fugui is able to return home, and once there, finds out that Fengxia has become mute due to a fever. The story of â€Å"To Live† gives emphasis to the peak of the Great Leap Forward. During this period the local town chief enlists Fugui and Jiazhen to donate all scrap iron in their possession to the national drive to produce steel and make weaponry for liberating Taiwan. As an entertainer, Fugui performs for the entire town, which has been devoted entirely over to producing steel. They enter this work with great passion, and the movie devotes some time to portraying the family’s unity and happiness. For example, the young boy Youqing defends his sisters from bullies picking on her for her muteness. Aside from the Great Leap Forward period, the novel also give attention to the period of Cultural Revolution. The village chief advises Fugui’s family to burn their shadow puppet drama props, which have been deemed as counter-revolutionary as they are traditional cultural elements. Also, Fugui’s daughter is now grown up. Her family arranges for her to meet Wan Erxi, who is a local leader of the Red Guards, a worker with a salary, and also a kind-hearted and caring man, but lame in one leg. They fall in love and marry. During Fengxia’s childbirth, her parents and husband accompany her to the county hospital, where they find out that nurses are in charge as all doctors have been sent to do hard labor for being â€Å"reactionary academic authorities†. The nurses assure the family that they have nothing to fear, but the family is skeptical, and manages to retrieve a doctor from confinement to oversee the birth, under the pretext of making the doctor â€Å"see his revolutionary mistakes†. As the doctor has not eaten for several days, the family purchases for him seven steamed buns. However, the young woman begins to hemorrhage, and the nurses panic, admitting that they are only students and do not know what to do. The frantic family and nurses seek the advice of the doctor, but it is found out that he has overeaten and is semiconscious. The family is helpless, and Jiazhen can only hold the hand of her daughter as she slowly dies. The story ends several years later, with the family now consisting of Fugui, Jiazhen, their son-in-law Erxi, and grandson Mantou. The family visits the graves of Youqing and Fengxia, where Jiazhen, as per tradition, leaves dumplings for her son. Erxi buys for his son a box full of young chicks, which they decide to keep in the puppet drama prop chest, now empty of its contents. â€Å"To Live† such is not the same as â€Å"No Longer Human† because as you can see the character of the novel â€Å"No Longer Human† is more on of being useless to the family and to the society because Oba Yozo just ended up in confinement because his woman had another man. Another distinction between the two stories was that the character of â€Å"To Live† realized and did something good for himself and for his family, whereas in the novel â€Å"No Longer Human† the main character shows no changes in his life. â€Å"No Longer Human† on the other hand is basically autobiographical, founded on events from Dazai’s own life. He was a literary rock star, but a deeply unhappy guy, attempting suicide several times before finally succeeding. There is in fact a monument at the spot where he killed himself that is, along with his mistress. The book is uncommon from what we think of as autobiography, in that the reason for writing is not so much to tell a story – there is no real employment, beginning, middle, and end in the traditional sense, but rather, the text is a sort of rambling exploration of the self. There is no forced form, instead, an effort to create a straightforward relation between author and reader, to explain a precise point of view. The book itself is very fascinating. It makes the reader want to learn Japanese, for beginners, because no matter how talented the translator, there is no getting throughout the fact that the grammatical structure of Japanese is completely different from that of English in that it is completely possible, and even ordinary, to compose a sentence in Japanese with no subject. Clearly, the entire book is written in this form, which would be particularly appropriate to the work itself. The book is the related story of a very unhappy guy who is essentially chronicling his downward spiral. Nevertheless it is hard to say if it is really a downward spiral, that is, though he does identify a moment at which he came to an end to be human, it is not totally clear that he was ever really human, through his own definition, to begin with. One question is what it means, in his eyes, to be human. . Oba Yozo’s character is raging against rationality, and the way, in which it dehumanizes people, so in a sense, though he calls himself a mouse, etc, he could be seen as claiming that he is really the only human. Dazai’s character, Oba Yozo in the novel, sees himself as inhuman, primarily, it seems, because he lacks certain fundamental human character. He maintains for instance, that he has in no way felt starving. On the other hand, there is also a certain issue of domination at play like; he is not capable to say no to anyone, to refuse permission for anything. In this sense, one could say that he is entirely determined by the outside world. Notwithstanding the fact that he has an inner life, he maintains it hidden from the outside world. As a matter of fact, his behavior is entirely, he claims, an act, he â€Å"plays the clown† for the pleasure of others, declining to let his own emotions reveal. The main characters of the novel have a clear similarity to notes from deeply unhappy men who are convinced of their own uniqueness, but there are definitely differences the way they choses to end up their stories. References: Dazai, Osamu. No Longer Human. New York: New Directions, 1973. Yu Hua. To Live: A Novel. (1993). Trans. Michael Berry. New York: Anchor-Random House, 2003.

Single-Case Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Single-Case Design - Essay Example In the context of this diversity, researchers should be cautious in selecting an appropriate research method. The Single case design method is considered a good example of human studies that has been so called because of the nature of human research and its use of individual samples i.e., only one or few numbers of participants. Gustav Fecner was the first scholar who has used Single case design in 1860 to develop the discipline of psychophysics. During the initial development of this design, Fecner conducted his research on only two participants (himself and his brother). According to Kerlinger and Lee (2000), Fecner is credited with inventing methods that are still used to measure sensory thresholds. According to Kerlinger and Lee (2000), I.P. Pavlov, through his use of this research design, did pioneering work on instrumental conditioning using dogs. Using single cases was the first step, which led to the development and expansion of this method. Single case design encompasses a s et of characteristics that distinguishes it from others. For example, single-case design, or single participant experimental design, is defined as a strategy by which control in experiments over one or just few participants is achieved. That is why the method is sometimes referred to as the N=1 design (Barker, Pistrang, & Elliott, 2002).

Financial Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Strategy - Essay Example Thus, a risk-conscious enterprise already has strategic plans in hand to handle any sort of crises prior to its happening and furthermore, it would inculcate such strategies in its daily working environment which would minimize any foreseen risks so as to avoid danger. To begin with a theoretical point of view a firm that does not prioritize and foresee danger points in the ongoing business lacks the power to cope up with any kind of transformation that a potential risk may bring in the long run. It might overrate its focus upon other profit-making strategies than making alternative strategically workable plans to overcome those risks (Ackermann, pp.5-6, 2008). As a matter of fact, potential risks that big firms and organizations may face are divided into three categories which include hazard risks, operating risks and financial risks (Slywotzky, 2007). The case of Toyota is quite obvious in this regards. In the 90s, though the company enjoyed a very good position and had a well know n repute in the eyes of its consumers with leverage over other competitors, they worried about what future could bring to them since; a period of maturity never lives very long. The foreseeing ability of potential threats of the company made the executives plan for the first ever car of the 21st century by Toyota even a decade ago. They penned down unique characteristics of any comfortable car ever and assigned an engineer, who had never worked for a whole new developmental project, to transform the ideas into concrete proposal. The Japanese automaker lived up to its promises when it launched its breakthrough car Prius in the 90s. The strategy was to lend three years to the task force of the new car to analyze each aspect of the internal working of Toyota and to have the company’s first hand knowledge to produce the new generation of the model. This move worked a lot and the assigned engineer made his team from the most talented engineers whose ages reflected maturity yet eag erness in adaptability. The idea was to introduce hybrid engine in the newly-designed car. Nevertheless, the potential risk was that the competitors were experimenting the same sort of experiments. Assessing the risks, Toyota decided to make their breakthrough as fast as possible so as to be ahead of all (Slywotzky, 2007). One crucial move that Toyota took was to bring the Resident Engineers (REs) during the phase of design development who usually work at the manufacturing plants to take care of the problems that arise in the production stage. This move was taken so as to avoid any possible fault that is probable to happen in a stage where everything is in blueprint. One more strategy that it employed was to create alternative options with regards to engine design and the overall car design so that they may end up choosing one which proves to be the best among all. During the whole process, cross-referencing of the experts continued to be taking place to implement the best given ide a in the making (Slywotzky, 2007). Consequently, the world knows how Prius took over the market in a few period of time. In theory, the Competitive Strategy Theory by Michael Porter talks about certain focus points to be made and implemented by any firm to achieve a sustainable ground in any market in the absence of which the company is prone to serious losses. A firm’s risk consciousness is quite visible if it emphasizes upon planning for ‘differentiation, overall cost leadership and focus’

How can Artificial Intelligence enhance life in the 21st century. Are Essay

How can Artificial Intelligence enhance life in the 21st century. Are there any drawbacks If so, what are they, and how can they be overcome - Essay Example AI can be widely applied at privet homes for personal assistance. The more work is done by machines the less work is required by humans. As the result, the number of injuries and work-related stress are reduced. The debate over the need to apply AI in everyday life will persist for many years; however, the advantages offered by AI exceed all possible drawbacks. Only twenty years ago scientists did not dare to imagine computers understanding the human speech, while today the speech recognition programs are widely used. People are able to work with computers and mobile phones by talking to technology. AI made technology usable by people with disabilities, for example. The vision programs made it possible to develop robots that can see and talk. Such robots are already used for exploration purposes. AT is applied to teaching programs; impersonal software is able to adapt to its users. The capabilities of machines are infinite and the future of it is positive and optimistic. The strongest argument against AI is that machines are dead and, therefore, cannot possess intelligence. However, AI is no longer a myth and humans have already created numerous intelligent machines to help in everyday life. The "honorable" mission of AI is not supported globally. "Within a few decades, computers and robots will be cleverer than us and we won't date to unplug them, while the new biotechnologies could transform our species" (Tudge, 2000, p. 23). Humans will not give up the science because they are in need of high tech for day-to-day survival. Undoubtedly, the human brain differs from computers in complexity and quality. Half a century ago, it did not matter whether computers would be conscious or intelligent. Nevertheless, today computers already have calculating power, endless patience, and bottomless memory. With the added consciousness and emotions, computers might become formidable. The main problem with the Artificial Intelligence is the fear that it may turn against the humans. AI has enormous learning capability and can accomplish many complex tasks that humans cannot. "By 2010, computers are expected to match computational capabilities of the human brain, an estimated 3,200,000 instructions per second" (Molitor, 2003, p. 65). Computers, ranging from massive supercomputers to PCs, offer wide range of services that make human life more interesting: cable TV, teleconferencing, electronic fund transfer systems, shopping without leaving the house, magazines on video, automatic home security services, special services for the people with disabilities, etc. This list has no end. The supercomputer developed by IBM beat the chess-player master Garry Kasparov in 1995 and laid the foundation for concerns on reasoning powers and learning potentials of machines. Problems that required teams of people working many years to solve can be solved by AI in a couple of seconds. Voice recognition, in particular, has achieved a 10,000 word-capacity with 98% accuracy (Molitor, 2003, p

Employment Relationship-Shewin Memorandum Essay

Employment Relationship-Shewin Memorandum - Essay Example For the past 6 years, she is in the same cadre. During 8 years of service, she was in the reporting line of George Doright, who was enjoying the fame of very competent, energetic and a good character boss. In the later years, the new management came in and started the process of re-organizing / re-structuring of the organization for a better performance. Accordingly, the management repositioned the location of Doright and he was transferred to another division to accomplish the assigned tasks. During the process of re-organization of the company, two editors stand retired leaving a vacuum behind them to be filled in. After mentioned development in the organization, she was transferred to work under the subordination of infamous Arthur King, the Senior Editor of Blabber. During the incumbency of King, she had to suffer a lot because she was not ready to meet the sexual desire of King. Issues After the retirement of two editors from the company, she was expecting for the said position. Despite having expertise and experience, which requires for a vacant position, she was not considered for the same. However, to fulfill the formalities of promotional requirement, she was just called for an interview. The outcome of the interview was nothing but sheer wastage of time. After a lapse of reasonable period of time in her organization, last month, she applied for a junior level position of Editor. It meant that in spite of all odds, she did not give up her hope for a respectable status in the organization, which she did not get due to obvious reasons. It is strange to note that for the vacant position, she has been interviewed by King, the Editor of Blabber, in a restaurant rather than in his office. The interview was against her expectation and she was not comfortable with the interviewer since the questions asked in the mock interview of personal nature instead of professional. The most questions revolved about her personal life and about her boy friend. She lost her confidence the way interview was conducted and of course gave up her hope for the position for which she applied for. It is interesting to note that after few weeks of conducting interview of Shewin by King, the senior Editor instead of promoting her for the post, hired the services of Gene Whiz, an outsider for the advertised vacancy although Gene has no comparison with Shewin in terms of age, qualification, working experience and expertise. Gene was just 26 years old, did her master in journalism the other day from the University of Chicago and joined local newspaper of small size to work as a reporter. Factors The self analysis of Shewin concerning key factors that disqualified her for the position applied for are: a) promotion of three women in the upper strata of management that took place before re-organization / restructuring process b) King had no role in the promotion decision c) She refused to join King outside business premises to discuss business invitations since his lu st for women / bad reputation was not hidden from anybody in the company d) filing of complaints against her male counter parts while Doright was in office about their attitude of discussing their dates with girlfriends in graphics details loudly the next Monday morning of each weekend e) Doright, the then incumbent, reprimanded her male counter parts for their mentioned deeds f) five African American senior

Social Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Contract - Essay Example Yet a system of recognized rules and specific regulatory procedures for dealing with unacceptable behavior is needed to prevent violence, exploitation, and pollution. Society would be more guarded and untrusting, since there is no recourse if someone wrongs you. The goal of the legal system is to have consequences that apply to everyone to keep order and fairness, while avoiding vigilantism and corruption. There are different avenues an individual can take if they are suspected of committing a crime. Laws are sometimes enforced unevenly, creating distrust among groups of people who are over represented in the jail system. The people who run the justice system are bound to make errors in judgment or receive inaccurate facts- from the police to lawyers, judges and jurors, and politician. This does not mean the entire system should be eliminated or ignored, but that you as an individual should act within the law or work to change the law with elected officials. You do this because if you were to be the victim of a robbery or reckless driving, you would want the responsible party to have consequences and pay restitution in some way. Living in a society in which most other people follow the law, and those that don't are usually punished, enforces the social contract an individ

Monitoring and Controlling Project Deliverables Essay

Monitoring and Controlling Project Deliverables - Essay Example There are many differences between physical security, and information security. Information security is concept that entangles most aspects of the society, majorly because of the ubiquitous adoption of computing technology in the modern world. In our daily lives, we use computers at work place for our employers, play on computers in homes, study online, do business, and check emails, and so on. The level of development in the modern world has greatly improved especially with the increased rate of innovation, and growing technology. Everyone in the modern world is impressed at how the level of technology is increasing so fast because they benefit from it in very many different ways (Matford & Whitman, 2012). Owing to the fact that most people have the urge to make things easier in the modern world, everyone is turning towards the direction of Information technology because online seems to be the future of everyone, and everything. The web is viewed as the future of most activities in the world today since currently it serves as a very useful tool even though it also has some intimidating proposition. Although technology enables more productivity and allows access to much information, it also carries a lot of security issues. Employers preserve information about their companies, employees, and other important documents on the computer systems. Banks also store vital information on money transaction between them, and other clients. One of the most common challenges in the modern technology world is hacking, and piracy. When someone hacks information about a company, then this leaves the company in danger of either breaking down or losing credibility from the public that it serves because this interferes with its reputation, and competitors can take advantage of this situation. Employers can lose millions of dollars, and suffer damage of reputation, face legal

Define three level of viewing images Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Define three level of viewing images - Essay Example And what is excluded in the image that should be included? To illustrate these points, the paper will use an image from one of the widely read internet news sites and attempt to answer all the questions above. The paper will also describe the surface meaning of the image, explain how the image has been manipulated to articulate a certain perspective, and evaluate the image using the checklist provided above. (Reuters) - Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan engaged in tag-team attacks on President Barack Obama and the Federal Reserve on Monday at a joint appearance that showcased the chemistry between the Republican presidential candidate and his running mate. A picture is worth a thousand words, so goes the popular saying. As Porter and Scheer suggests, analyzing an image requires three key steps. One has to observe the image and describe exactly what is seen in it. One has to identify the people and objects in the image, scrutinize the physical setting, and discern how everything is arranged. The second step is to summarize what one already knows about everything that is in the image. One should take note of the people, the subject matter, the situation, the social context and the time when the image was constructed or the period it depicts. The third step is interpretation. The observer has to use what they see in the image to make conclusions on what is going on, what the functions of objects in the picture are, who the people are, what the people are doing and what the period implies. Observation answers the questions of what, where and when. Observation takes cognizance of what is literally visible in the image. From the picture by Holland (2012) showed above, it depicts two men in the foreground and a crowd in the background. One of the men on the foreground is carrying a microphone and the people in the crowd are carrying placards and cameras. The background also shows the sky, some trees, and the steeple of a building. One’s

Using current primary literature, discuss the aromatase-inhibiting Essay

Using current primary literature, discuss the aromatase-inhibiting anticancer drugs - Essay Example The paper will, then, continue with a discussion of the molecular structures, binding methods, and corresponding effects of the aromatase inhibitors (AIs). The structure, function and binding interactions of the aromatase enzyme are still being investigated. Aromatase is a rate limiting enzyme in estrogen biosynthesis (Hong et al. 2009). It belongs to the monooxygenase family (particularly, the cytochrome P450 family) of enzymes and catalyzes the biosynthesis of oestrogen (specifically, oestrone) from androstenedione, involving a unique sequence of three reactions that require O2 molecules to produce an aromatic ring structure within the oestrogen molecule. The binding fit of androstenedione to aromatase is tight because the aromatase enzyme is not one of the promiscuous enzymes — which have looser fits for the various substrate structures they bind (Waterman, 2009). To conduct reactions, aromatase requires a partner enzyme, NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (Hong et al. 2009). High levels of aromatase enzyme expression and correspond oestrogen in tissues play a key role in augmented tumor growth. Blocking this biosynthesis pathwa y is the rationale behind the development of AIs (Pant & Dutta, 2008). The reason that most of the development and use of AI drugs have been for cancers of the breast is that most breast cancer cases have up to ten times the amount of oestrogen found in the average circulatory system. It is important to note that aromatase activity (and the formation of oestrone) is more pronounced in postmenopausal women, which is why most AIs are commonly used for postmenopausal women with breast cancer (Waterman, 2009). The aromatase enzyme has also been identified in endocrine tissues (such as ovary, uterus, prostate, and bone) and cancer associated with these tissues. Interestingly, the enzyme has also been found to be expressed in non-endocrine tissues, such as liver, lung, and colon cancers

A Beautiful Mind - Summary of the Movie Essay Example for Free

A Beautiful Mind Summary of the Movie Essay A Beautiful Mind (Total Points for assignment = 40) For this assignment, you will watch the movie A Beautiful Mind. Your textbook has a brief summary of the movie and compares the movie to what is known about John Nash’s life. I have also provided you with supplemental information on Schizophrenia in the powerpoint that is attached to this assignment. Using this checklist, provide evidence of the criteria with examples of Nash’s behavior. For example, under Dysfunction, give me examples of things that Nash did that are indications of his dysfunction. He was unable to continue teaching, etc. Using this same document, you can add the text under each symptom. Please italicize your text in order to make it easier for me to grade. Finally, at the end of the document, I want you to determine (using the powerpoint information) whether you think Nash’s Schizophrenia could be categorized as Paranoid Type, Disorganized Type, Catatonic Type, or Undifferentiated Type, or Residual Type. Explain how you made that choice. The DSM-IV criteria for Schizophrenia are as follows: †¢ Symptoms. Two or more of the following symptoms that have lasted for a substantial part of at least one month (or less, is effectively treated with medication) For at least six continuous months, the patient has shown some evidence of the disorder. At least one much must include the symptoms of frank psychosis mentioned above. Mood disorders with psychotic features and Schizoaffective Disorder have been ruled out, because the duration of any depressive or manic episodes that have occurred during the psychotic phase has been brief. †¢ Other Exclusions. This disorder is not directly caused by a general medical condition or the use of substances, including prescription medications. †¢ Developmental Disorder Exclusion. If the patient has a history of any pervasive developmental disorder (such as Autistic Disorder), Schizophrenia is diagnosed only if prominent hallucination or delusions are also present for a month or more (less, if treated). Hallucations are present for more than a month as is evident that John has a roommate and a boss. John is a paranoid schizophrenia. He is preoccupied with his delusions and hallucinations as he avoids everyone and becomes wrapped up his math work and his â€Å"work† with the government. While he does show a flat effect and disorganized behavior none are prominent. He is so wrapped up his what he thinks is real he neglects his work, family, social life and anything that is actually real and not part of his delusions.

Corporate Governance And Business Ethics Of IKEA Commerce Essay

Corporate Governance And Business Ethics Of IKEA Commerce Essay The origin of IKEA concept dates back to the year 1943 in Sweden. The founder of the organization Ingvar Kamprad was just 17 years old when he started this organization. The company is almost six decades old now. The organization which was started in a small village in Sweden today has spread across 36 countries world over and has created a brand image for itself as one of the worlds leading furniture dealers. The owner of the business, Ingvar Kamprad, as already stated was very young when he started this organization. It was his ambition to start his own business since his childhood years. He started selling small household things like matches etc, since the age of five. As he grew a little older he started going a little ahead of his neighborhood to carry out the selling of matches and he realizes that it is possible to buy matches in bulk at a lesser price and possible to earn decent profits. His product portfolio ranges from matches to various other things like Christmas gifts, greeting cards, pencils and ball point pens etc (IKEA, 2009). In the year 1943, at the age of 17 Ingvar receives a small sum of money from his father as a gift for his exceptional academic performance which he uses as capital for his business and starts his own business. The name of the company IKEA is actually the initials of the Founder Ingvar Kamprad and the first letters of the farm and village he grew up Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd. In the initial days of origination, the company used to sell stationery stuff like ball point pens, table runners, and other miscellaneous stuff like watches and jewelry etc. However, an interesting fact about the store is that the products were priced lesser. As the years passed, the product portfolio of the company increased and it has primarily become a furniture retailer. Today, the organization has got its presence in over 36 countries across the globe. From opening stores in various parts of the world to acquiring business units and being environment friendly, the company has created a name for itself in the world. Business Idea of IKEA IKEA is famous all across the globe for their affordable price range for the well-designed and varied range of functional home furniture. Price affordability is the predominant ides behind every step that the company takes, right from product development to product sales (IKEA, 2009). However, one may think how is the company making it possible to offer high quality products at a very low price? This is where the company differentiates itself from other players in the industry. The organization constantly develops ideas that are both innovative and at the same time cost-effective. Low prices, flat packing looking everything differently are a few such ideas of the organization to differentiate itself in the market. IKEA Responsibility IKEA strongly believes that taking responsibility for the society and the environment in which it does business are the foundation for its sustainability in the industry. The IKEA group has got managers who work constantly to ensure social and environmental responsibility in the day-to-day activities of the business. To support business, there are a number of specialists covering a wide range of areas, such as chemical experts, foresters, IWAY auditors and energy experts. All IKEA Group stores and distribution centers have environmental coordinators who work in the areas such as training, waste management, water and energy conservation (IKEA, 2009). Code of Conduct of IKEA IWAY The company introduced its code of conduct IWAY in the year 2000 and it applies to all of its suppliers. The company has got independent IWAYs for all of its various businesses. All of IKEAs suppliers and service providers are required to strictly adhere to this code of conduct. The code of conduct specifies certain requirements for suppliers and service providers and also the support that the company offers to them. The suppliers and service providers are required to communication the same to the co-workers and ensure that all of the channel members those are involved implement the same. Corporate Social Responsibility and its importance to todays Business Many corporate bodies have made an impression in the countries of their adoption. The impact is more so, in countries that are either developing or underdeveloped. These conglomerates play active roles in the social and economic development of the society they live in apart from generating highly profitable overtures from themselves in the bargain. This dissertation sets out to explore just this, and how they are able to manipulate their corporate social responsibilities (CSR) to ensure extremely favorable business conditions and growth. An individual must not forget that CSR alone is not enough for a company to progress; it takes a lot of personal involvement and hard management decisions to turn hostile terrains to viable solutions. Companies with high levels of CSR recognize the need to lead from the front; they show collective understanding of cultural, political and social issues, and issues pertaining to the local community and their grievance, as well as supporting their cause. A key element of business is knowledge management. Intangible assets can be easily shared through partnerships to achieve mutual benefits (Halal 2000)  [1]  . Kay (1993) argues that successful innovation and management of distinct possibilities for companies; such as the reputation of the company, which lead to the competitive advantage. Reputation, like knowledge management, is an intangible asset which can affect and be affected by the community in which a company operates. A company that supports the community wherein it operates , has the advantage of enhanced performance through image-building, and has the effect of empowering that community. It is therefore right in assessing that, those companies that play a major role in corporate social leadership can maintain their competitive advantage over other market players (Hilton and Gibbons 2002)  [2]  . A first in the market is seen as a big step forward to maintaining a competitive advantage. Becoming a CSR leader can also create competitive advantages. CSR helps to create a motivated workforce, which is easy to recruit and retain. It is thus natural to say that a constructive relationship with the community leads to knowledge exchange and mutual profit  [3]  (Halal 2000, Handy 2002). The link between CSR, community stakeholders and financial goals is seen at various levels from tenuous (Fryxell and Wang 1994), to relevant only as it impacts on primary stakeholders (MacMillan et al. 2004), to a necessity (Chakraborty et al. 2004) and finally as an investment (Schiebel and Pochtrager 2003). Chakraborty et al. (2004), says that in a developing country like India, for example, there is so much that can be done to fight poverty and deprivation and bring about advancement without losing track of its ethical and spiritual moorings. What these corporations seek is to support community development, while at the same time, concentrate on profitable propositions and enrich business practices. This can be done through cooperation with local NGOs who have reliable and time-tested networks and relationships in place (Millar et al. 2004)  [4]  . Stakeholder involvement through NGOs is not without its problems, as in many cases, some international and national NGOs have no accountability at the local level. Many areas in developing countries are either backward or tribal, which could lead to conflicting cultural norms within one geographic community area itself, and the possibility of inadvertent exclusion of any intended beneficiary can be disastrous (Blowfield, 2004)  [5]  . Another aspect of CSR is the expression of indirect marketing. CSR and marketing are frequently linked and thus, CSR is in more than one way, considered a marketing tool employed to generate profit and recognition. The overriding projection of CSR as a great marketing tool is as good as the benefits the community derives from these practices. There is no doubt that good work can enhance the reputation of the company and significantly affect the competitive advantage. There are two ways of aligning with the community they operate in. at first, the conglomerate uses the community to its advantage (cause-related marketing) while in the other, develops the community with the hope of deriving benefits in the long run (Banyan, 2004)  [6]  . Organizations function more effectively if they operate as open systems, interacting with and responding to changes in the external environment. Since such organizations are influenced by the transformations in the external setting, executives must comprehend the nature of this environment. The external environment of an organization consists of the mega environment otherwise called the general environment and the task environment. The mega environment reflects the major trends in the societies within which the organization operates. These societies have various sub components namely the technological, economic, socio-cultural and international  [7]  . The task environment consists of specific external elements with which an organizations interacts while conducting its business. These include customers and clients, competitors, suppliers, labor supply and government agencies. The task environment, which depends largely on the products and services offered by the organization and its business location, may vary from firm to firm. While a firm may to be able to directly influence its mega environment, it can certainly influence its task environment (ICFAI Centre for Management Research, 2003). Working within a large and complex external environment affects a business in terms of its social responsibility, its social responsiveness and its ethical behavior. During the initial years of the 20 century, business entities were predominantly concerned with maximizing their profits. In the 1970s, social advocates started to question industry enterprises singular objective of profit maximization. They argued that because businesses receive their existence from society, they need to have a little obligation towards it. The concept of social responsibility became popular after the publication of Howard R. Bowens Social Responsibilities of Business. Bowen argued that business enterprises should consider the impact of their decisions on society. The operational definition of social responsibility is as follows: Social responsibility contends that management is responsible to the organization itself and to all the interest groups with which it interacts. Other interest groups such as workers, customers, creditors, suppliers, government and society in general are placed essentially equal with shareholders (ICFAI Centre for Management Research, 2003). According to the above stated definitions, business entities should pay attention to the welfare of workers, consumers needs and their security, the wellbeing and privileges of creditors, government regulations and the obligations of the enterprise towards the social order as a whole. Nowadays, numerous organizations are concerned about social activities and are playing an active role in the same. While the outlook of the society have transformed, companies have become further conscious of their social responsibilities. A cautious analysis of opinions for and against the participation of organizations in social welfare activities is essential to conclude whether an organization should employ social programs. Arguments favoring Social Responsibilities of Business The needs of present day customers have changed, ensuing in a change in their outlook of businesses. As businesses oblige their profits to humanity, they have to thus counter to the needs of the society. Society and business gain mutual advantage when there is a symbiotic association between them. Society benefits through economic expansion and the proviso of employment prospects; and business gains through the employees and customers provided by the same society. By being socially responsible, business entities attract a smaller amount of attention from regulatory agencies, this gives them superior liberty and suppleness in their operations. Businesses have substantial command and influence. The application or use of this command should be accompanied by an equivalent amount of accountability. Most firms are open systems, that is, they interact with the external environment. The internal activities of such firms have an impact on the external environment to avoid negative impact on the external environment, firms should be socially responsible. In addition, by being socially involved a company can improve its image and thus protect its shareholders interests (ICFAI Centre for Management Research, 2003). Social responsibility entails the preservation of natural resources. Preservation can be beneficial for organizations. Through social involvement, a firm can create a favorable public image for itself and endear itself to society, by so doing a firm can attract customers, employees and investors. Businesses have a history of coming up with innovative ideas, therefore they are likely to come with solutions for social problems, which other institutions were unable to tackle. Businesses should make the best possible utilization of the expertise and aptitude of its managerial workforce and also its capital resources in order to manufacture good quality products and services. Thereby, the businesses will be able to accomplish their responsibility towards the society. It is in the interest of the business entity to avoid social harms. Instead of allowing large scale unemployment to lead to social unrest, which in turn will harm business interests, businesses can be resources of employment for qualified youth. Arguments against social responsibility of businesses The most important rationale of a business is revenue maximization. Hence social involvement may not be reasonably feasible for a business. When a business incurs disproportionate cost for social participation, it passes the charge on to its clientele in the form of elevated prices. Society, therefore, has to tolerate the burden of the social participation of business by paying elevated prices for its merchandise. A destabilized international balance of payments state may be created by the social participation of organizations, as the cost of social programs would be appended to the cost of the goods, the multinational companies doing business in international markets would be at a inconvenience when contending with domestic companies which may not be involved in social actions. Businesses are intrinsically prepared with a firm amount of power. Their participation in social activities can lead to an augment in their influence and power. This boost in power and influence may corrupt them. Business people do not have power over the necessary skills to tackle social problems. Their proficiency and knowledge may not be pertinent to deal with such problems. Until a proper method to establish the responsibility of businesses is developed, they should not get implicated in social activities. There is no conformity regarding the kind of socially responsible actions that a business should embark on (ICMR-ICFAI Centre for Management Research, 2003 Ref.no.BECG BR 122K3 08). Business owners have their own sense of skewed ideas of doing business and their business practices. When businesses take up social responsibilities, the business owners tend to get these quirks into such actions too. This might at times lead to disastrous consequences. As in most situations there is no firm right thinking or wrong thinking. Businesses getting involved in social activities have their own strengths and weaknesses. There are definitely both sides to the coin. A mere word of concern is that, there must be a sense of balance when businesses get involved in social activities and they must not go overboard nor overlook the primary purposes of their businesses. Social Stakeholders Business executives, who are worried about corporate social responsibility need to recognize a variety of interest groups which may persuade the operation of a firm and which, consequently, may be influenced by the organizations decisions. Business enterprises are primarily accountable to six major interest groups namely the shareholders, employees, customers, creditors and suppliers, the social order and the administration. These groups are otherwise known as the social stakeholders. Shareholders The prime accountability of a business is to protect the interests of its shareholders. The shareholders provide the core resource the capital that enables the organization to operate and grow. They expect the management to use the capital judiciously and operate the business in a way that ensures a good return on their investment, both through dividends and through increase in stock value. Shareholders should be provided with adequate and timely information about the functioning of the organization. The IKEA Group  co-operates with other companies, trade unions and organizations that represent stakeholders throughout the world. These include Building and Wood Workers International, Clean Cargo Working Group and dialogues with Greenpeace (IKEA, 2009). Employees Employees are the principal assets of an organization. Traditionally, managers regarded employees only as factors of production and denied them their rightful share in the distribution of income. However, in the present times, it is mandatory for business firms to protect the interests of their employees. Laws and government regulations now define the responsibilities of the employer. A few such laws include ensuring equal employment for men and women, offering pensions and other retirement benefits, and providing a safe and healthy work environment etc. IKEA products must be manufactured under acceptable working conditions by suppliers who take responsibility for the environment. IKEA is a production-oriented retail company. By being on site and conducting responsible business, IKEA contributes to better manufacturing and working conditions for suppliers and their workers (IKEA, 2009). Customers In recent years, customers have received great attention. Firms have begun to realize the importance of keeping customers happy. Moreover, the growth of consumerism has made firms more aware of their duties towards consumers. IKEA concept in itself is all about offering high-quality products and affordable prices. In order to ensure this, the company constantly works its way about cost-effectiveness and innovation. Creditors and Suppliers Creditors and Suppliers are responsible for providing inputs for production process in the form of raw material and capital. Management is responsible for fulfilling its obligations to its creditors and suppliers. This can be done by: i. Creating long-term and healthy business relationship with them. ii. Making prompt payments to creditors and suppliers. iii. Providing them with accurate, relevant and needed information. The IKEA Group believes that safe, healthy, non-discriminatory working conditions and the protection of the environment at our suppliers are prerequisites for doing good business (IKEA, 2009).As already mentioned above, IKEA has got a special code of conduct that clarifies the expectations of suppliers from the company and also the kind of support that the company offers in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the supply chain. Society Organizations function within a social system and draw their resources from this system. Therefore, they have certain obligations towards society. The management of business organizations can fulfill their obligations toward society by preserving and enhancing the well-being of the members of society. Management can do so in the following ways: i. Using its technical expertise to solve local problems. ii. Setting socially desirable standards of living and avoiding unnecessary and wasteful expenditure. iii. Playing an important role in civic affairs. Volunteers from some companies help the traffic police regulate traffic at busy intersections. Pizza Corner in Hyderabad, India is one such organization. Many companies also put up road signs along highways to encourage safe driving habits. For instance, liquor companies such as Shaw Wallace and United Breweries have put up road signs on mountain roads in various parts of India. These road signs caution drivers against driving under the influence of alcohol. iv. Providing basic amenities, healthcare and education facilities, hence creating better living conditions. v. Establishing development programs for the benefit of economically weaker class of the society. IKEA ensures that it contributes its part to the society by taking steps to prevent child labor. IKEA has a special code of conduct called The IKEA Way on Preventing Child Labor, which is a part of  The IKEA Way on Purchasing Home Furnishing Products. Monitoring of compliance to The IKEA Way on Preventing Child Labor is done by IKEA trading service offices and with unannounced visits by KPMG at suppliers and sub-contractors in South Asia (IKEA, 2009). Government The government of a country provides the basic facilities required for the survival and growth of businesses. The government monitors and, to a certain extent, controls the business systems of the country. Most of the controls imposed by the government are in the best interests of businesses. To fulfill its obligations to the government, the management of business organizations should: i. be law-abiding ii. Pay taxes and other dues fully, timely and honestly. iii. Not bribe government servants to obtain favors for the company. iv. Not try to use political influence in its favor. Measuring Social Responsiveness According to Keith Davis and William C. Fredrick, Social Responsiveness is the ability of a corporation to relate its operations and policies to the social environment in ways that are mutually beneficial to the company and to society (ICMR-ICFAI Centre for Management Research, 2003 Ref.no.BECG BR 122K3 08). Alternatively, it can be referred to the development of organizational decision procedures that enable managers to anticipate, respond to and manage the areas of social responsibility. Though the term social responsiveness is generally applied to business organizations, it is also applicable to not-for-profit organization also. Numerous endeavors have been made to measure social responsiveness. Some companies establish special committees to evaluate their social responsiveness. The various categories for measuring the social responsiveness of organizations are as follows: Contributions Companies make direct financial contributions to charitable and civic projects. Many companies made financial contributions towards relief and rehabilitation work to earthquakes and other similar environmental disasters. Infosys Foundation, set up by Infosys, provides financial assistance to war widows. Fund-raising This involves fund-raising for a social cause, either by the organization itself or by assisting voluntary social organization in fund-raising. Volunteerism Volunteerism refers to the involvement of employees in civic activities. The Boots Company has a volunteering program called Skills for Life, which gives employees a host of opportunities to get involved in community activities in company time. These include giving career talks; conduction mock interviews; supervising students during their work experience period; sharing business skills with local small businesses; and planting gardens and decorating community centers. Recycling To conserve the environment, materials like plastic, paper etc, can and should be recycled into useful products. . Such recycling efforts by business entities reduce the accumulation of plastic waste in landfills. Direct Corporate Investment Often, companies make direct investments to provide facilities for a locality or a community. Attention to consumers Consumers usually have a preference to buy goods that are of good eminence and are secure to use. Pollution Control Pollution is a major problem caused by rapid industrialization. Increasing public awareness and government pressure have made corporations more conscious about the environment. Conclusion Business owners have their own sense of skewed ideas of doing business and their business practices. When businesses take up social responsibilities, the business owners tend to get these quirks into such actions too. This might at times lead to disastrous consequences. As in the majority of situations there is no firm right thinking or wrong thinking. Businesses getting involved in social activities have their own strengths and weaknesses. There are definitely both sides to the coin. Only word of caution is that, there must be a sense of balance when businesses get involved in social activities and they must not go overboard nor overlook the primary purposes of their businesses.

Letter to President Jackson :: writing letters

Dear President Jackson,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sir, I have been meaning to write to you recently. I am truly devoted to your beliefs on how to treat our growing nation. Currently, I am a Senator for the State of NJ, and I feel strongly confident that you will lead us to a stronger and better nation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reason that I have felt the urge to write this letter to you persists to the formation of your spoils system. I am writing this letter to compliment you on your great accomplishment. Your spoils system gives many â€Å"common people† a spot in the national government. Along with you, I believe that this system is more democratic, and it fits our country just right. As you may already know, there have been many critic reviews posing against this system of yours. They believe that many qualified men aren’t getting a fair chance in the government. To reassure you, I believe that you are advancing with the necessary steps needed, and you will prevail amongst our people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. Jackson, I would also like to state that I thoroughly agree with this statement of yours, which pronounces, â€Å"The duties of all public officers are†¦so plain and simple that men of intelligence may readily qualify themselves for their performance.† This statement has led me to ask you this question, â€Å"If you like to reward only common people spots in the government, why have kept Van Buren?† If it is possible, please reply to this question and your letter. Besides the question mentioned above, I would like to compliment you once again for a job well done for our democracy.

A Students Reaction to Used Car Websites :: Sell Websites Buy Web Sites

A Student's Reaction to Used Car Websites Getting a used car instead of a new car is becoming a trend in America today. People do not want to spend money for new cars cause of the fact that cars’ values diminish significantly. This is exactly what my friend thought when he bought his used Acura CL 2.3 Coupe 2D for 13,500 dollars last years from a local dealer. Now the question is whether the price he paid really makes sense considering the current options and conditions of the car. Unfortunately, my friend didn’t even do any research before he bought this car. Thus, he bought this car with a relatively higher price than the price that he actually could have. Based on some of the used cars sales websites like kbb.com or edmunds.com which will be discussed later, he can actually buy that car for 12,585 (kbb.com), or 12,233 (edmunds.com). Inspired by my friend’s experience, I did some study on websites that can help you to negotiate for a used car like a pro. I come up with these two websites that I mentioned earlier—kbb.com and edmunds.com. Both these websites have their advantages and disadvantages. Later in the discussion, I will present all the features of each websites, and compare both websites. The question about which websites is better again depends on the user’s needs. The first website that will be evaluated is the kbb.com. This website which was created by Mike Kelley in 1981 is an online version of the standard Kelly Blue Book guidelines for all used cars. Why this website is trusted by a lot of people has a long history dated back to 1918 when Les Kelly, the Pioneer of this service, created the Kelly Blue Book. The background of the existence of the Kelly Blue Book will not be discussed too much since it is beyond the scope of this paper. However, this online version makes it much easier for people to browse through the internet and find out about the appropriate price they can bargain for with the local dealers or with the private owners. How so? This question can be simply answered by the user friendliness of the website itself. The graphic is simple, and the features are well organized so that it is easy for people to go from one feature to another.

Essay --

Task1: (i) In this section, we explain the strategy in detail and describe the actions we’re taking to pursue it. British airways main basically the entire mission to the customer requirement where is customer wanted to going and customer service. If the service not good for customer so then they complain which that impact on the British service. So that why reason every time want to wish a provide a good a service to the customer and always customer is happy. British vision always on the customer what are the customer requirements. All over the world responsible for this customer service to give them proper service and relationship with customer and cooperate. British give us all facilities because they want improve the service; they want to achieve a goal and mission. GLOBAL: British airways deals lots of things like they hold a civil aviation authority, they provide a people operating carry licence which that relates cargo more than 20 aircraft. And they provide this service individual and company. PREMIUM: British airways always give us good and unique premium service doesn’t matter customer where is and when contact with us because they recognize always better service and this service charge more money which that is worth for paying. AIRLINE: British airways always introduce new things and new products because they want to increase a business but they always focus on the customer service if the customer is happy so then they invest more money. They always trying to provide a cargo service its means they focus on the civil aviation authority. Because they us new products time by time. They provide all products in tough economic environment and different challenging... ...y and no timing but British airways airline crew decided introduce something new for customer to using a strategic planning. And day by day they increase a business and introduce a new flights everywhere in domestic level, and after that they introduce a website and some official pages for helping a customes. Strategic planning is more than ensuring your association will remain financially sound and be able to maintain its reserves it’s projecting where your association expects to be in five, ten, or fifteen years and how your association will get there. It is a systematic planning process involving a number of steps that identify the current status of the association, including its mission, vision for the future, operating values, needs strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, goals, prioritized actions and strategies, action plans, and monitoring plans.