Evaluate leadership as practiced in the life of Jesus Christ in the Essay

Evaluate leadership as practiced in the life of Jesus Christ in the light of 21st century context - Essay Example The paper will touch on Jesus’ ministry and its application in modern church leadership. The analysis will draw its facts mainly from the Gospels. From the start of his ministry, Jesus set out to mentor leaders that would lead the early church. He selected twelve disciples with different skills, talents, passions and personalities and mentored them to become a team. He taught them to use their varied strengths in order to support each other in the ministry. Christ shaped a leadership structure with a leader who had others supporting him. By the time he ascended to Heaven, he had built a leadership structure comprising Peter as the Head and the other disciples supporting him in a united team that worked together. This team of early church leaders had a unity of purpose to spread the Gospel to all nations. They went out preaching and in their deeds complimented each other’s works. From this early structure, the modern church can draw lessons on how to structure its leadership to attain better results in ministering the Gospel. Traditionally, the church used the hierarchy model of leadership. However, with the growth of the church, there have been changes that have necessitated a shift to an empowered team model of leadership. Many leaders have found they overwhelmed and overworked under the hierarchy model. With the empowered team model, the problem is solved as the leaders work with others in a team. This model emphasizes mentorship of new leaders and the development of a team spirit among the leaders to enhance good working relations to boost delivery of the vision of the church. Empowerment means that leaders drop bureaucratic structures so that people develop a sense of ownership and belonging in the leadership process. It enables them put into use their skills, experiences, energies and ambitions. Active participation by the different members of the team will make them accept the responsibilities that come with the leadership (Maxwell, 2005, p.

Analysis of Cloud Storage In Robotic Environment

Analysis of Cloud Storage In Robotic Environment Cloud Computing: Analysis of Cloud Storage In Robotic Environment Tushar Gupta Sunil Yadav Abstract— Cloud is a well-designed data storage model concerned with the storage of information on the web. Such storage has greatly revolutionized the robotic environment for learning purpose. This paper provides an overview of how databases in cloud deliberate to store knowledge fabricated by both robots and human in a robot-readable open format that will support existing as well as forthcoming robots learn faster. These robots will pick up the aggregate knowledge which will be accumulated in the cloud storage so as to perform a set of tasks including navigation, task information like how to pick up an object as well as object-recognition data such as digital models of real-world objects, to simultaneously confine itself in the unknown environment and to construct a map of the environment without having any knowledge in advance. Keywords—cloud, storage, robotics, robobrain, rapyuta I. Introduction From decades, it has been noticed that robots are mainly empowered with programming embedded in a chip but a small defect could result into malfunctioning of the whole unit and hence affect learning ability of robots. As such certain mechanism is required that will provide guarantee in terms of reliability, security and robustness. Due to great processing power of cloud it paved the way as an appropriate utility in Robotic Environment. Cloud robotics is one such step taken towards, that has evolved idea of leveraging the Internet for robots, and offers extraordinary opportunities for robot learning. Instead of using the World Wide Web for rapid communication or faster reckoning, a key factor is allowed for robots to generate and collaboratively update shared knowledge repositories. Such knowledge bases will power robots to deal with the intricacies of human environments and offer a simple yet powerful way for life-long robot learning. [1] The objective of the European-Commission-fund ed initiative is to evolve proof-of-concept demonstrations that show the way that cloud repositories like RoboEarth’s databases can greatly prompt robot learning and how they may finally allow robots to act well beyond their preprogrammed behaviors. As many AI Researchers are putting effort in establishing a database in cloud which they called â€Å"RoboBrain† that will house all the information which robots have learned till now and help them further their knowledge by sharing that knowledge. On the developer’s hand, they will have access to RoboBrain’s massive database, free of charge and wirelessly. [2] Aditya Jami, from Cornell, who depicted the database for RoboBrain said this about it: â€Å"The RoboBrain will look like a gigantic, branching graph with abilities for multi-dimensional queries.† By sharingparameters, data, files and everythingelse robots have gathered till now, their developers will access and automates the robot’s grasp ing of their ambiances, including speech and voice recognition, grasping, navigating and perception of different objects. Year 2010 was firstly marked as the self-drivingcarscame in our lives which afterwards tracked by RoboEarth (a system that allow the robots to distribute their knowledge wirelessly between each other). II. Literature Review A. Cloud Robotics Cloud Robotics is a specialized application of cloud computing that deals with the study of robots and their environment. Since with the help of cloud all the data will get stored on the web which in turn has greatly boosted the ability of robots to perform all workings by sharing experience with each other in order to provide a precise response. Due to connection with cloud network it is easier for robots to collaborate with other objects, machines and human beings. At the same time, internet has highly augmented the capabilities of robots by providing service on demand and offloads computation. Cloud robotics has greatly overcome the problem of network robotics due to their resource, information and communication constraints. With the arrival of cloud robotics expenditure of maintenance and updates and requirement of custom middleware has solved up to a great extent. Fig 1: Driven by advances in mobile communication technologies, lots of robotics applications can be executed in the cloud environment[3]. Robots are able to perform some computationally heavy tasks such as mapping, planning and probabilistic interference through the accessibility of huge computational infrastructure. RoboEarth is one such attempt that offers a cloud based infrastructure, which can help a robot to send some data to cloud and get the data back from the cloud in some other form. RoboEarth is a kind of database that stores the knowledge generated by either humans or robot but in a machine readable format. RoboEarth knowledge base is supposed to consist of a variety of data including task knowledge (e.g. manipulation strategies, action recipes etc.), several software components, maps for navigation (e.g. world models and location of objects), model that aids in recognition of different objects.(e.g. object models, images). Rapyuta which is also considered as the RoboEarth cloud engine is highly responsible for powerful computations to the robots. It is implemented as Platform-as-a-Service which is open sour ce designed to suit robotics application. It enables the robots to unburden heavy computation to protect cloud’s computing environment with marginal configuration. Rapyuta is considered to provide efficient access to the bandwidth which in turn provides access to the repository of knowledge on cloud enabling robots to learn skills and share experience with other robots. The components of the cloud robotics are so well structured and interconnected that they provide the environment for the deployment of large robotic teams. B. Software Components RoboEarth system is powered with the cloud infrastructure which in turn supported by RoboEarth databases and RoboEarth cloud engine (Rapyuta) in addition with several software components. Such software components are responsible to interact with the RoboEarth database in order to enquiry and accumulate data and can be installed for their execution in cloud engine or locally on the robot. In certain scenario these components can also be used independently. Fig 3: A simple architecture diagram of the integrated RoboEarth system can be used during thefinal demonstrator [4]. Rapyuta: Rapyuta is a framework which is an open source framework for having utility in cloud robotics. The figure below give a simple outlook of the Rapyuta framework: Each robot attached to the Rapyuta is having a reliable computing environment (rectangular boxes) enhancing their efficiency to move their heavy computation in the cloud. Computing environment are interconnected in a well-structured way and have a high bandwidth connectivity to the repository of knowledge as shown in the figure by stacked circular disks. Fig 2: Rapyuta: A Cloud Robotics Framework [5] RoboEarth DB: The Apache Hadoop based WWW- style database used to store essential data for the robots. KnowRob: It is a system involved in the processing of knowledge that groups reasoning methods and knowledge representation with several techniques for acquiring the knowledge in the physical system. It also serves as a framework that gathers knowledge through the various sources and is used in RoboEarth as a local knowledge base for robots. Object Adapter: These are the set of ROS packages that enables both robots and users to build up a small cloud model from an object using a marker pattern, so that the resulting model can be stored in the RoboEarth’s repository of knowledge, and allow downloading the object models later and used them for detecting objects. WIRE: The WIRE stack allows generating and maintaining one stable world state gauze based on object detections. It is highly involved in the data association problem by retaining multiple hypotheses and facilitates following of various object attributes. C2TAM: C2TAM implements a system called visual SLAM which is dependent upon a distributed framework where the storage and expensive map optimization is allocated on an external server, whereas a light camera tracking client executes on the local machine. The robot onboard computers are released from a burden of calculation, the only additional requirement being an internet connection. III. Application of cloud storage in robotics Cloud Based Robotics has proved to have a number of applications and advantages over the traditional networked based robotics. Cloud storage provides a shared knowledge database by which the robots can easily share their information with each other and can aligned them to work collaboratively in order to achieve a common task. Cloud robotics offloads the computing tasks to the cloud which involves heavy computation. Moreover cloud robotics is cheaper, easier to maintain hardware and lighter which results in the long battery life. CPU hardware upgrades are undetectable and hassle free. Cloud Robotics involves skilled and well maintained database. Reusable library of capability or etiquette that map to perceived tasks requirements/complex situations. Data mining keep the history of all cloud which enable robots. Due to these advantages, cloud robotics had a wide range of potential applications in the computation-intensive or data-intensive tasks in the areas of health care, intelligent transportation, environment monitoring, smart home, entertainment, education and defense. In this section, we discuss the opportunity and challenges that cloud robotics bring to traditional robotic applications. Specifically we focus upon three robotic applications: Robotic Surgery, Defense and navigation. A. Robotic Surgery Consider a scenario where a situation demands instant operation of a patient but the problem is doctor is not available. Then to tackle with that situation Robots can help because they can capture the useful knowledge from the cloud regarding the operation tips as mentioned by the other robots who previously have tackled with the same situation who is currently present somewhere else. In this way the whole operation can be executed in a safe and reliable manner. B. Defense Cloud robotics has a huge application in defense where they can sense the area which has the maximum probability of finding enemy by selecting the appropriate map from cloud storage at appropriate time. Cloud storage can be fed with updated maps from time to time with the help of satellites. As such human life can be saved by using robots in place of them at the time of world war or any war happening in the country. C. Navigation Robotic Navigation involves a robot identifying its own position with respect to a certain reference by choosing an appropriate path from there to reach the desired destination from all possible paths available. Such activity involves a collection of tasks such as localization, path planning and mapping. Two types of approaches are available: mapless and map based approach [13]. Mapless approaches are based on the observation and perception of the sensors used in navigation. Due to the limited onboard resources, these approaches usually suffer from reliability issues. Map based robotic navigation is comparatively better then mapless if the map is available. It can either use an unknown map or build a map during navigation. On the other hand building maps requires too much computation and storage requirements. However, if the area is large process of creating map requires access to vast amount of data which is a challenging task. Cloud robotics highly aids cloud based navigation by fa cilitating the following two properties: In addition to provide vast storage space to store the large amount of map data, cloud also provide processing power to facilitate the construction and searching of the map quickly. Secondly, commercially available maps (e.g. Google maps, bing maps) can also be leveraged to develop consistent, active, and high range independent navigation solutions. IV. shortcomings of cloud storage in robotics One of the key issues regarding cloud robotics is threaten to cloud storage which is highly vulnerable to malicious attacks. Moreover the wireless network over which the robot communicates with cloud in order to exchange information can be challenged at any instant of time. As certain security mechanism needs to be provided that will result in the increasing overhead of the overall system. As discussed, previously that a developer has an access over the cloud. In the same manner if an intruder gets access to the cloud somehow then it might be possible the same intruder will replace the existing information in cloud with some other malicious information that will result in the malfunctioning of robots that proves to be highly destructive. Several other limitations of cloud robotics:- 1. As discussed in section II cloud supports the software part of the robot and it doesn’t have to deal with the hardware structure of the robots. So, it offload the hassle and costs of IT management. 2. Cloud robotics relies heavily on the cloud which in turn depends upon internet connection. So, if internet service will get affected from frequent outages or slow speed it fails to help the robots to continue their frequent communication in order to share knowledge from knowledge repository present on the cloud. 3. It is a hard fact to digest that robotics is lacking emotions. Such thing results in a huge impact on the people because of their adjustment with the machinery robots because there is high probability of thinking mismatch between them. Consider havoc where the people are suffering from the local environment conditions. As such if certain robotic team is send there for the rescue operation for their safety it is very hard for the humans to believe upon them. V. Possible Solutions And Future Scope Instead of fetching knowledge every time to perform an operation from cloud. A robot must be able to remember the already done tasks in order to tackle the same situation next time but at faster rate with greater efficiency. Robots can be taught to handle many different tasks through the installation of robotic apps. Very soon, these robots will enhance the real-time by connecting to the cloud and downloading apps from there [9]. An app store for robots – Downloading apps from the app store is one the biggest reality behind smartphones success. In the same way Robot Apps can be used to control the robot and imparting intelligence in them. Some Apps allow you to generate predefined-programmed movement sequences, while others are used for remote control, whereas software development platforms are used to make more sophisticated autonomous control systems. VI. ConClusion We have discussed a scenario where future robotics will rely heavily on cloud storage that will enhance their capability and functionality in terms of learning and sharing information in order to work collaboratively to achieve some goal which was limited earlier due to limited programming. Cloud storage also enabled the developers due to their accessibility to the cloud to control and coordinate the robot activities at any point where the situation demands that may not be favorable to nature. Cloud storage also supports some real time applications like Health Care, Intelligent transportation, Rescue Operation, Assembling of different parts in production of vehicles etc. Cloud Storage in some cases proves to be inadequate due to poor transfer rate and harmful due to security threats on cloud due to wireless networking access technique which could be easily challenged at any time resulting in a huge destruction. References M . Waibel , â€Å"Analysis: Robot learning in the cloud Covic â€Å"RoboBrain† Will Use Cloud to Teach Robots, Available: http://robohub.org/analysis-robot-learning-in-the-cloud/ V. Covic, â€Å"RoboBrain† Will Use Cloud to Teach Robots, Available: http://www.cloudwards.net/news/robobrain-will-use-the-cloud-to-teach-robots-4543/ RoboEarth, What is Cloud Robotics? Available: www.roboearth.org/cloud_robotics, 2013. RoboEarth, What are Software Components in Cloud Robotics? Available: http://roboearth.org/software-components/ Rapyuta: A Cloud Robotics Framework, A Cloud Robotics Platform Available: http://rapyuta.org/ Guoqiang Hu, Wee Peng Tay, and Yonggang Wen, â€Å"Cloud Robotics:Architecture, Challenges and Applications† IEEE NETWORK MAGAZINE S. Jordà ¡n*, T. Haidegger**, L. Kovà ¡cs**, I. Felde** and I. Rudas**, The Rising Prospects of Cloud Robotic Applications, IEEE 9th International Conference on Computational Cybernetics †¢ July 8-10, 2013 †¢ Tihany, Hungary Richard Voyles â€Å"Robotics as a â€Å"Singularity†: The Case for Cloud Robotics and Real-Time Big Data† Available:http://telerobot.cs.tamu.edu/CMA/slides/Voyles.CASECloudMfg.pdf, August 17, 2013 Grishin Robotics â€Å"Future of cloud Robotics† Available: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/278660295665464178/ K. Goldberg. Cloud Robotics. Available: goldberg.berkeley.edu/cloud- robotics, 2013. K. Goldberg and B. Kehoe, Cloud Robotics and Automation: A Survey of Related Work. UC Berkeley Technical Report No. UCB/EECS-2013-5. Available: http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/ 2013/EECS-2013-5.html, 2013. RobotShop, Pioneers Cloud Robotics, Interview With Mario Tremblay. Available: www.robotshop.com/blog/en/myrobots-com F. Bonin-Font, A. Ortiz, and G. Oliver, â€Å"Visual navigation for mobilerobots: A survey,† Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems, vol. 53, pp. 263–296, 2008. `

The CIAs Role Then And Now :: essays research papers fc

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) was created by President Truman as an insurance policy against that kind of surprise, which caught America off guard in World War II. According to the National Security Act of 1947 the CIA’s principal function was to be the correlation and evaluation of intelligence collected by other departments. In other words, the CIA is an All-Source Fusion Agency. The difference involving the direction of the CIA during the cold war and the function that the CIA plays now have changed somewhat, but these roles basically remain the same. During the cold war, global security rested on the shoulders of the two greatest nations: The United States and the Soviet Union. Other nations had capabilities to harm other smaller nations, but none had the world power control of the two greatest nations. The CIA’s mission in the spring of 1948 was â€Å"to collect secret intelligence on the Soviet Union itself, its military intentions, atomic weapons and advanced missiles; on Soviet actions in Eastern Europe, North Korea and North Vietnam.† (Richelson, 217). The mission set forth the guidelines for the CIA to protect the United States from the Soviet’s missiles. Now that the United States is dealing with nations of the former Soviet Union there is still a need to watch those Soviet missiles. The difference is now the CIA must track where the missiles and miscellaneous small arms are being distributed or sold. The mission of watching the missiles remains, but the role the CIA plays has slightly changed. The need for the CIA in today’s global society has increased to a higher level than that of the cold war. Today there is a threat from every corner of the world, instead of only between the major world powers. With the United States being the only world power and the Soviet Union collapsed, weapons of mass destruction have hit the open market. This new over-the-counter missile sale has multiplied America’s potential foes (Bissell, 205). Bin Laden has demonstrated that no activity oversees will be safe. With the horrific act of the attack on the USS Cole in October 2000, the Middle East has shown but one example of how the CIA’s roles of responsibility must change to watch smaller groups or organizations. The evil mix of fanaticism and flexibility that is the mark of today’s terrorist makes the next strike not a question of if, but of when and where.

Lead “Respect-Innovation-Teamwork and Dedication

1. Your using the Internet Internet has long been said to create life-changing impacts on the whole world. And I’m no exception as this worldwide network is an indispensable part of my daily life. First, it opens the global media and communication for me. Currently a student living far away from home, with the efficient help of the Internet, I can write email and have an online talk with my parent's and other family members, at any time we feel convenient. This advancement also grants me access to various mearns of entertainment, from my top-rated movies to the articles on the Times Magazine.On top of that, Internet redefines my way of collecting knowledge. Instead of looking up in huge books or turning through thousands pages of an encyclopedia, just typing the keyword in a search engine and a click is enough to get more than what you expect. As long as you are conscious of some faulty information, doing research online is a great idea. When assigned a paper or an essay on a subject, I don’t have to go through piles of books to collect data. With a computer connected to Internet, I can comfortably complete my research, which saves both my time and effort.And lastly, Internet provides me with the chance to study online inexpensively. Taking online foreign language courses, downloading precious e-books, attending lectures by famous university worldwide are some benefits of this. Overall, it seems to me that going online is advantageous in many ways. 2. A famous company You’ve probably heard of VAIO notebooks and ultrabooks, Walkman MP3 players, Cyber-shot ddigital cameras, PlayStation or Bravia TVs. Yes, I’m talking about Sony Corporation, a famous Japanese firm based right at the heart of Tokyo.Primarily focused on Electronics, Game, Entertainment and Financial Services, the company is one of the leading manufacturers of electronic products for the consumer and professional markets and has historically been notable for  creating it s own in-house standards for new recording and storage technologies, instead of adopting those of others. The name Sony is derived from the Latin word â€Å"sonus† (sound) and a slang word â€Å"sonny,† which connotes smart and presentable young men. First started with only $530 in 1946 as â€Å"Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation,† the company, known as Sony since 1958, has go through many ups and downs.They started doing business in the USA in the 1960s and played a major role in the development of Japan as a powerful exporter during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Their production quality significantly contributed to promoting the â€Å"Made in Japan† brand worldwide. What’s more, it’s Sony that encourages the development of the Compact Disc in the 1980s and the PlayStation in 1990s. Its media presence also greatly expands in this time with the purchase of CBS Records and Columbia Pictures. However, they did experience some problems .Amid the global recession in the 1980s, analysts used to say â€Å"It’s over for Sony,† while the 1990s saw its unrewarding expansion into new businesses. And for the mid-to-late 2000s, it became known for its stagnancy, with a fading brand name. Despite all of the above, Sony with the slogan â€Å"make. believe† still remains my dream future working place. 3. Your health and fitness I really like a healthy lifestyle, and that’s why I take up daily jogging. The place that I go jogging from 5pm to 6pm each day is the Thong Nhat Park, which is only 1km from my house. The main reason why I think this aactivity healthy is because it helps me relaxed.My daily life involves a lot of stress, due to the heavy workload both at school and at my part-time workplace. Usually, the first 15 minutes is spent on my day recap- whether it was a good day filled with great news or a terrible and forgettable day. But gradually all these stress and strains of my life disappea r. The mere thought in my head at this time is all about the beauty of the lakes, the green fields and gusts of wind blowing. As I count every step of mine on the road, I just forget all and feel like I am refreshed, like all the things I’m worry about are eased.By the time I come back, I feel fresh as a daisy and ready to get shined, changed to go back to work. And of course, it also keeps me fit and healthy. In general, it’s an all-round exercise, and I absolutely love it. 4. An unforgettable memory with our class Up to now, college life has been great for me. 5. A modern product you like Some people may think about computer when talking about a favorite modern product of theirs, or they even consider it of utmost importance. But I’d say television. Ever since this wonderful invention, human history has started a new page.First, TV allows us to learn about what’s going on the world and grasp new knowledge inexpensively. Simply by sitting at home in fron t of the screen, an FTU student, for example, still knows that there’s a great tsunami and earthquake in Japan or watches American President Obama’s live speech. Such useful information from around the globe enables us to get a better understanding of the world we are currently living in. Or you can take my friend for another example. Her family couldn’t afford the high tuition fees of preparation courses for the university entrance exam.So she decided to watch and learn from the TV series â€Å"Luyen thi dai hoc. † And she passed the exam with flying colors, thanks to TV. What’s more, TV provides a wide vvariety of interesting programs that many enjoy after a long working day. The visual effects shown in movies, dramas, music shows makes people feel less stressed and relaxed. Imagine how excited you will be when meeting your favorite actor in the latest episode of a Korean drama after completing your assignment, with the help of TV, of course. Plu s, TV offers numerous shows and series which cater for various groups’ taste.This explains why it remains popular regardless of other mearns of communication’s rapid development. For all of the above, television is among my top choices. 6. Vietnamese business culture The recent years have seen a constantly increasing number of foreigners doing business in Vietnam, and it’s vital that they know basic Vietnamese business etiquette. In my opinion, demonstrating proficiency in Vietnamese business culture will certainly impress our partners. The meeting etiquette in Vietnam is generally warm and accepting; so ensuring your success and prosperous collaboration is all about following some simple rules. First, be prepared.Some basic knowledge about the South East Asia region and Vietnam in particular is enough. Second, you should establish trust with your Vietnamese partner, as they consider it of prime importance. It’s the tie building from trust that binds Viet namese society. What’s more, you should learn the language. You can easily communicate with them in English, but as in any other country, local people appreciate foreigners who can speak and use Vietnamese in contexts. It’s the fastest way to get immersed in this Asian culture and customs. Conversational business Vietnamese is in no way difficult compared to some other Asian languages.

Research of Restaraunt for Business Research

Table of Contents Introduction3 Research Objectives3 Research Questions4 Answers to Research Questions5 Answer to Research Question 1. 5 Answer to Question 2. 6 Answer to Question 3. 7 Answer to Question 4. 8 Answer to Question 5. 9 Answer to Question 6. 10 Recommendations for the Remington’s Restaurant11 References14 Introduction The Remington restaurant, located in Tampa Florida, wanted to better understand their customer’s views and opinions of the restaurant by using a survey method.This method would reveal the perception of the customer to see what category the Remington restaurant is in, what performance the customer expects, and how satisfied the customers are when they leave the Remington restaurant. This is the best way for the Remington restaurant to improve their service because it paints a picture of what how the customer views their services. Even though competition is important to any business, the customers are the biggest asset to the company.By research ing the customer’s perception of the restaurant one will see how the customer chooses the restaurant desired, how important performance is to the customer, and what was the overall satisfactory. One can acquire such information by reviewing and discussing the survey, finding out what is most or least important to the customer, seeing what is expected on how the restaurant performs, and discussing the satisfaction of the customer. In order to get this information, different methods will be used such as coefficient of variation, coefficients of determination and other tatistical techniques. There are six main research questions that will be addressed that will help the Remington restaurant see how the customers view the restaurant as a whole, and show the restaurant where and how to improve their business. Research Objectives 1. Discuss the type of survey used by the Remington Restaurant and how effective it is by using a research survey design. Compare effectiveness of the res earch to the other research designs of the subordinate data, experiments or observation in the context of collecting information for this project. . Describe the demographic profile of the average Remington customer. 3. Classify and describe which influence is most important to the customers in selecting a place to eat, and what is the least important factor that influences customers in selecting a restaurant. 4. Examine the Remington Restaurant scores on each of the six perception of portions of food, knowledgeable employees, food quality, swift service, atmosphere, and prices. 5. Justify if the Remington Restaurant is providing the expectations that customers want when choosing a restaurant. 6.Decide if there is a connection between being satisfied with the Remington Restaurant and the service, food portion, smart employees, quality of food and fast service. 7. Review the surveys to see what the Zagat Review Research Questions 1. What kind of survey did the Remington Restaurant us e? What kind of result was found by the research design? Compare the effectiveness of the survey research to the other subordinate data, experimentation or observation in the perspective of gathering information for this project. 2. What is the demographic profile of the average Remington Restaurant customer? . Which is most important to the customer when selecting a restaurant and what is least important when selecting a restaurant? 4. How does the Remington Restaurant score on each of the six perception measures of food portions, smart employees, food quality, fast service, atmosphere and prices? 5. Is the Remington Restaurant producing a good influence when selecting a place to eat? 6. Is there a connection between customer’s satisfaction with the Remington Restaurant with the perception of large food portions, smart employees, food quality and quick service?Answers to Research Questions Answer to Research Question 1. The purpose of this section is to answer the first rese arch question. The first question, which is; what kind of survey did the Remington Restaurant use? What kind of result was found by the research design? Compare the effectiveness of the survey research to the other subordinate data, experimentation or observation in the perspective of gathering information for this project. The type of survey that the Remington Restaurant used was the self-administered Internet survey.This kind of survey is probably the cheapest survey for the person collecting data. It involves minimum personnel and low cost as compared with other methods. Since 73% of American households are actively using the Internet, an Internet survey would be the best idea to cover a large location fact while conserving energy, money, and time (Cooper, Schindler, 2008). Internet survey’s can also give one access to graphs, charts and percentages automatically. Also, the Internet survey will be able to give one an idea of the customer’s attitude and perception of the Remington’s Restaurant.By using secondary information one would be able to see general information such as, what the demographic is of the average family is in the area, what is the general income, and how many times the family eats at restaurant in a week. By shifting the focus off of the Remington’s Restaurant and on to the genre of restaurants the Remington’s Restaurant is associated with would dilute the information the Remington’s Restaurant wanted to know about their customer’s satisfaction with the Remington’s Restaurant. Methods such as observational and experimental research would not be ffective for the Remington’s Restaurant. The observational method would not be effective because it would only tell one the behavior of the people such as body language. The experimental method would require a laboratory setting and would not be practical. The main goal for the research is to find out how the customers perceive the perfo rmance of the restaurant and their satisfaction. Also, the Remington’s Restaurant wants to know how their customers select a restaurant. Answer to Question 2. The purpose for this section is to answer the second question.The second question is; what is the demographic profile of the average Remington Restaurant customer? The main variables are as follows: the children who live at home, viewed advertisements, gender, income, age, and familiar competitors. The questionnaire was simple and easy to understand. The applicant had to answer just one number on each question. On the table below one will see the demographic of people who visit the Remington’s Restaurant most often. In statistics the number (or in this case the persons) that occur most frequently is the mode.The information is from the results from the survey taken by customers. Table 1: Demographic Description of the Remington Restaurant’s customers ——————— —————————- VariableCentral TendencyResultStd. Deviation Age335-491 Gender0Male0 Number of Children11 to None1 Advertisements 0No0 Income235k-50k1 Competitors1Outback1 ————————————————- One can see by looking at the table above that the people who visit the Remington’s Restaurant frequently are males who are between the ages of 35 and 49, and make 35,000 to 50,000 a year.These men also have one child, have not seen advertisements for the Remington Restaurant, Outback, and Longhorn. One can also see that the major competitor is Outback Steakhouse. Answer to Question 3. The purpose for this section is to answer the third question which is; which is most important to the customer when selecting a restaurant and what is least important when selecting a restaurant? The variable for this question are as follows ; large food portions, smart employees, excellent food quality, fast service, good atmosphere, and good prices. The choices for these questions are fixed.The applicant had a choice to rate each variable from 1 to 7, which 1 was strongly disagree and 7 was strongly agree. The answer below includes the mean and standard deviation. Table 2: Remington’s Patron’s Criteria In Restaurant Selection ————————————————- ————————————————- VariableMeanStandard Deviation Large Portions5. 86 Quality of Food61. 02 Speed of Service71 Atmosphere5. 95 Reasonable Prices51. 04 From the information from the table above one can see that anything rated over 5 is important to the customer.The variable competent employees were rated under 5 and therefore not important to the majority of customers. Answer to Question 4. The purpose of this section is to answer the fourth question, which is; how does the Remington Restaurant score on each of the six perception measures of food portions, smart employees, food quality, fast service, atmosphere and prices? One will see what kind of perception the customers have of the variables listed in the question. These questions were asked in the same format as the third section. The questions had fixed answers from 1 to 7 with 1 strongly disagree and 7 strongly agree.The answers in the table include the mean and standard deviation. Table 3: Remington’s Patron’s Perceptions ————————————————- ————————————————- VariableMeanStandard Deviation Has Large Portions3. 91 Has Quality of Food6. 9 6 Has Speed of Service31. 21 Has Atmosphere61. 21 Has Reasonable Prices5. 81 Has Competent Employees41. 35 ————————————————- One can see from the table above that large portions and speed of service is below average. Food quality, atmosphere, and reasonable prices are above average.Competent employees are average. Answer to Question 5. The purpose for this section is to answer the fifth question; is the Remington Restaurant producing a good influence when selecting a place to eat? The variables in this case are similar to the previous question and include large food portions, competent employees, food quality, fast service, atmosphere, and reasonable prices. These variables were rated by the customer and given a choice to choose one number for each question. The numbers that represented the answers for the questions were at a range from 1 to 7.The number 1 represented that the customer strongly disagreed and the number 7 was that the customer strongly agreed. Table 4: Importance and Perceptions ————————————————- ————————————————- VariableWhat Customers Expect (Mean)Actual Performance (Mean) Quality of Food66 ————————————————- Fast Service63 One can see here that the Remington’s Restaurant is performing how the customer expects them to perform as a restaurant. This is almost one of the most important factors of the restaurant.The quality of food as expected, but the fast service needs improving. Answer to Question 6. The purpose of this section is to answer the final question, is there a connection between customer ’s satisfaction with the Remington Restaurant with the perception of large food portions, smart employees, food quality and quick service? From the table below one will find the correlation between the variable and the satisfaction of the customers. Table 4: Importance and Perceptions ————————————————- ————————————————-Variablerr2 Large Portions. 41. 17 ————————————————- Competent Employees. 55. 31 ————————————————- Food Quality. 33. 11 ————————————†”———- Speed of Service. -. 6. 004 ————————————————- Good Atmosphere. 40. 15 ————————————————- Good Prices. 06. 004 One can see here that there is a weak and positive relationship between the large portions and satisfaction. The large portions were 17% of the change in satisfaction.Having competent employees was a modest and positive correlation with satisfaction. If the competence of the employees increases, so does the satisfaction. There was a weak positive relationship with the food quality and satisfaction. Food quality was only 11% of satisfaction. There is also a weak and negative correlation between speed of service and satisfaction. In the end one can see that the competent employees are rated the highest in customer satisfaction. R ecommendations for the Remington’s Restaurant Regarding question one. The Remington’s Restaurant has done a good job in the survey method.The self administered, web based survey is the best way to cover a large geographical area in a short amount of time. The survey method is also a good way to retrieve data fast. One of the most important aspects about the survey method is how one can rate an attitude toward something. Regarding question two. The Remington’s Restaurant main customer was a 35-49 year old male who makes 35,001 to 49,000 dollars a year and has one child. The main customer has never seen an advertisement for the Remington’s Restaurant or any of its competitors.A good recommendation for the Remington’s Restaurant would be to advertise more. Also, the competition has not made an impact in the advertising category and would be in favor of the Remington’s Restaurant to pioneer this field. Regarding question three. The average custo mer held competent employees, atmosphere and quality of food of high importance. Being that the Remington’s Restaurant is in the food business, it should strive to keep the quality of food as a high priority. Having competent employees is an asset to the company but should not be valued over the quality of food.Regarding question four. When one looking at table 3 one can see that the Remington’s Restaurant is doing well with the quality of food, atmosphere and employees, but there are areas that need much improvement. Large portions and the speed of service are below average and must far exceed the customer’s expectations. Any business should not settle for average or below average results. Training the employees on time management and having a smooth flowing system to better serve the customers would be ideal in this situation.Also, if the portions can not expand anymore the restaurant should offer the customers free appetizers that are cheap and filling. Bread and chips would be a good start for this process. Offering the customer cheap food will allow for the portions to stay the same and not lose any money on the main courses. Regarding question five. The food must stay at the top of the priority list. The customers value food the most and should expect the food to always be outstanding. A strict procedure to test the quality of the food must be practiced on a regular schedule to ensure that all customers are receiving the same unique aste of the restaurant. Regarding question six. The employees must know what they are serving. The customer’s rated the employee’s knowledge 31% which is over a third of the satisfaction. It may be just a fraction, but it can also the opening and closing of a sale. When a customer feels like he is being taken care of, the sales will increase and the testimony of the company will prosper. Most people do not eat alone and will bring others with them References Cooper, D. & Schindler, P. (2008) . Business research methods (10th ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin

Arthur Anderson LLP

Arthur Anderson LLP Business Model Many conscientious and assiduous business professionals presuppose that success is determined principally by their capacity to offer products and services, meet customer demands and requirements, and run their operations using effective and efficient techniques.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Arthur Anderson LLP specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, in today’s dynamic, networked, and ever changing business environment, the business model has become a central tool of trade since it is inseparable from the product, process and operational approaches of a business enterprise in shaping how success is realized (Chesbrough, 2006, p. 18). More often than not, the difference between success and failure is thinly veiled in the type of business model adopted by an organization. Before its uneventful entry into questionable deals and fraud charges, Arthur Anderson LLP’s business mod el revolved around the concept of ‘thinking straight and talking straight,’ as proposed by its founder, Arthur Andersen (Smith Quirk, 2004, p.93). According to the case, the organization’s business model was founded on three fundamental tenets – honest accounting, elimination of conflicts of interests, and accountability to the investing shareholders rather than the organizations they audit. This rational plan helped the public auditing firm to generate and capture value in terms of increased revenue and clients during its heydays. Strategy A good business model can be enhanced by the right mix of business strategies. A strategy goes beyond a business model to secure an organization’s competitive advantage in the market, hence success (Chesbrough, 2006, p.26).Anderson’s business model had dictated the â€Å"standards for honest and law abiding accounting,† (Smith Quirk, 2004, p. 93).Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This had enabled the firm to gain confidence and trust from the public to a point where it adopted the strategy of diversifying its products through market segmentation by coming up with a management consulting arm of the firm. The organization also utilized an expansionist strategy to keep up with industry trends and beat stiff competition from other firms offering the same products such as Delloitte and KPMG (Squires et al, 2003, p. 43). The strategy of segmenting products worked against the firm, and indeed against the founder’s strategy of a ‘one-firm’ philosophy, after the consulting arm of the organization disembarked from the parent company to form Accenture. Team building, morale raising and yearly training programs forms a cluster of other strategies practiced by Anderson’s to sharpen its focus in the market (Smith Quirk, 2004, p. 93). Strategic Dilemma An organization’s strategic plan is as important as its business model, and is fundamentally important for the organization’s success. The use of ineffective or fraudulent strategies heralds an era of difficulties and legal tussles as it can be witnessed through Anderson’s case. In business terms, the firm’s descent from conscience-oriented and honest accounting maestro to a disgraced organization accused of obstructing justice is not an issue that happened overnight (Squires et al, 2003, p. 67). Rather, it originated from a succession of management misrepresentations and compromises on genuine accounting principles over the decades to limit the stream of professional fees charged on Enron for services rendered from drying up.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Arthur Anderson LLP specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The demand for the auditing partners to boost pro fits became intense after the organization expanded from a closely aggregated partnership of professionals sharing the same values to a global behemoth (Squires et al, 2003, p. 27). The management of the audit firm responded by forcing accounting partners to turn into salesmen, inarguably upsetting the fragile balance between safeguarding the interests of the public investors and satisfying the needs of a client, in this case Enron’s fraudulent needs. Ethically, the firm’s profits over professional services strategy matured into a rather insurmountable situation, where the management was caught in between a rock and a hard place. By turning a blind eye to the happenings at Enron, the auditing firm had committed it self to an ethical dilemma between what its values, business model, and strategies stood for on the one hand and what they were actually doing in practice on the other. The firm was supposed to be guided by a policy of openness and conformity to set rules and guidelines yet it was busy concealing vital information by shredding and deleting important files (Smith Quirk, 2004, p. 103). Also, on numerous occasions, the firm had breached fundamental ethical issues concerning conflicts of interests. The Pros and Cons of the Entire Debacle The failure by Andersen to draw a line between safeguarding the interests of the shareholders and gratifying the whims of its clients marked the departure point for the firm’s legal woes. In taking this line of thinking, the management must have been guided by the desire to generate more profits and kickbacks rather than the aspiration to offer quality auditing services. Consequently, profit was advanced over reputation. In this respect, Andersen stood to gain more profits by turning a blind eye on the fraudulent and corrupt nature of financial transactions and underhand dealings committed at Enron.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, the firm did not imagine the nature and magnitude of its shady dealings with the energy giant. Its reputation as a credible public auditing firm was at stake, and so was its survival as auditing firms thrives on their ability to gain and maintain public trust and confidence. The firm could not escape the public wrath either due to the fact that it was principally charged with the responsibility of detecting fraud by virtue of being Enron’s auditors for over 16 years (Smith Quirk, 2004, p. 101). The Consequences Andersen suffered irreversible consequences due to its underhand dealings with Enron. The public confidence and trust that the firm enjoyed over the decades was completely swept away within days after the shocking revelations judging by the way its shares price plummeted in just a matter of days. After the deception allegations were made public, the organization suffered yet again through the loss of major clients and key members of staff who felt that the cr edibility of the organization had been compromised by corrupt senior managers. Their insatiable appetite of profit over reputation heralded a major accounting scandal. Due to its unprofessional accounting practices despite being in the know, the firm was found guilty of obstructing justice by a Houston federal court, effectively sounding the death knell of one of most prominent public accounting firms the world has ever witnessed (Smith Quirk, 2004). Indeed, the account of the eventful birth and sad demise of the organization is loaded with critical lessons for managers and auditors – that the policy of openness and equal application of professional standards is the only way to go (Squires et al, 2003, p. 56). Reference List Chesbrough, H. (2006). Open Business Models: How to thrive in the new innovative  landscape. Harvard Business Press. ISBN: 1422104273 Smith, N.C., Quirk, M. (2009). From grace to disgrace: The rise and of Arthur Andersen. Journal of Business Ethics Ed ucation, Vol. 1, Issue 1, pp. 91-130 Squires, S.E., Smith, C.J., McDougall, L., Yeack, W.R. (2003). Inside Arthur Andersen:  Shifting values, unexpected consequences. FT Press. ISBN: 0131408968

I wish I were…

I wish I were†¦ I wish I were I wish I were By Maeve Maddox A reader wonders whether to use was or were in the following examples: I wish I wereorI wish I was If only it wasor If only it were What is the rule?   With these examples, the choice is obvous because the words wish and if only make it clear that the speaker is talking about something that is not so. In such a case the subjunctive is called for: I wish I were If only it were Sometimes the choice whether to use the subjunctive or the indicative is not so clear. To a large extent, English speakers dont pay much attention to the subjunctive. As long ago as 1926 H.W. Fowler called the subjunctive in English moribund. He went further and suggested that it never was possible to draw up a consistent table of uses of the subjunctive in English that would correspond to such tables for Latin. Although the subjunctive is not a big deal in English, some uses of it are still alive and not difficult to master. Depending on context, the choice between indicative and subjunctive can be as obvious as the examples with wish and if only. If I were/if he were/if she were These forms are called for when the statement refers to a state outside reality: If he were Governor he could pardon you. (Hes not the Governor.) If I were you, Id fix that leaky roof. (Im not you.) If she were an animal, shed be an armadillo. (Shes not an animal.) If I was/if he was/if she was These forms are called for when the statement refers to a state of being that existed, or could have existed in actual time: If he was ill, no wonder he left the oysters untouched. If I was unkind to you in those days, please forgive me. If she was lost in the woods, no one can blame her for being late. Sometimes the speaker must decide according to intended meaning: If she were sensible, shed order a background check on him. (I know her and shes not sensible.) If she was sensible, shed order a background check on him. (I dont know if shes sensible or not. She may be.) In his DCBLOG, David Crystal gives this example overheard in conversation: A If Jane was right for the part, Id cast her. B But thats the point. Is she right? A Well if she were, Id cast her, thats all Im saying This example shows an intermingling of indicative and subjunctive to achieve nuances of meaning. Stated rule at OWL DWT article on Mood Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Synonyms for â€Å"Angry†Five Spelling Rules for "Silent Final E"A Yes-and-No Answer About Hyphenating Phrases

Profile of Charles Starkweather, 1950s Spree Killer

Profile of Charles Starkweather, 1950s Spree Killer Charles Starkweather had all the makings of growing up to be a respectable man, but greed, resentments, and jealousy ate at his soul and turned him into a cold-blooded killer that murdered at will during an eight-day killing spree. With his 14-year-old girlfriend at his side, the two killed anyone that got in their way, regardless of their relationship to their victims. Childhood Years Starkweather was born on November 29, 1938, in Lincoln, Nebraska to Guy and Helen Starkweather. Unlike many serial killers, Starkweather grew up in a modest and respectable home with hardworking parents who provided for their seven children. Those who knew Charles as a child described him as well behaved and mild-mannered, as were all the Starkweather children. It was not until Charles started school that a deadly monster inside of him began to grow. Elementary School Years Born with genu varum, also known as bow-legged, Starkweather had to endure some early challenges. He also developed a speech impediment and was teased by his classmates. Suffering from undiagnosed severe myopia, which prevented him from being able to see objects twenty feet away, Starkweather was labeled as a poor student and perceived as being slow by his teachers, despite his 110 IQ. It wasnt until he was 15 that his inability to see was diagnosed, but it was too late for Charles, who was already severely lacking in primary education. Middle School Years Starkweather was one of the kids that sat in the back of the class, distracted and seemingly annoyed by having to be there. But when it came to gym time, his self-esteem shined. Physically he had developed into a robust and coordinated athlete. That could have been a positive factor in his life. Instead, Starkweather became one of the school bullies who his fellow students feared. As he grew older anyone who appeared better than him, regardless of if he knew them, was a possible victim of his quick kicks and hard fists. High School Drop Out At the age of 16, Starkweather dropped out of ninth grade and worked at a warehouse. He developed a passion for fast cars and renegade attitudes. Around this time James Dean hit the big screen in the movie classics, East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. Starkweather identified with James Deans role as Jim Start, the troubled and rebellious teenager. He started dressing like Dean with tight jeans, slicked-back hair and cowboy boots. Starkweather embraced the hood persona and all the attitudes that went with it. He had developed into a moody, ego-driven defensive trouble maker who had little control over his quick temper and brewing rage. Caril Fugate Caril Fugate was the 13-year-old younger sister of Starkweathers best friends girlfriend. The four began double dating, and the young impressionable Caril became infatuated with her James Dean look-alike boyfriend. Starkweather was equally infatuated with Caril. She was pretty, as rebellious as he was and she adored him. What little money Starkweather made was spent on keeping Caril happy. It did not take long for the word to get around that Caril was his, and anyone else who might be interested would be risking their lives to pursue her. He left his job at the warehouse after several run-ins with his boss and began working as a trash collector. He liked the job better. It allowed him more time to see Caril after she got out of school, something Carils parents did not like. When rumors circulated that Starkweather and Caril were going to get married and that she was pregnant the Fugates decided to stop the relationship. This did little to deter the two. They continued to see each other. The Unobtainable Starkweathers life was falling apart. His father had kicked him out of the house after the two argued over an accident that Caril had in a car that he and his father owned together. Carils parents totally rejected Starkweather and forbade their daughter from seeing him. He lost his job as a sanitation worker and got locked out of his room for not paying his rent. It is at this point that the depressed and frustrated Starkweather decided that he had no future, but what little future he did have was going to be spent with Caril Fugate and all the material things that up to now had been unobtainable. First Murder On December 1, 1957, Robert Colvert, 21, was working at his job at the Crest gas station, when Starkweather robbed, kidnapped, then shot him in the back of the head on a dirt road outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. The day before Colvert had refused credit to Starkweather who was short on cash and wanted to buy Fugate a stuffed animal. This hurt Starkweathers pride, and he wanted to get even. He could also use the $108 that he robbed from the station. As far as killing Colvert, in Starkweathers mind, the kid deserved it. He shouldnt have humiliated him the day before by refusing him credit. The following day Starkweather told Fugate about the murder. She did not end the relationship after hearing the news. For Starkweather, this was a sign that their relationship was forever sealed. What was going through the mind of Starkweather in the weeks before January 21, 1958, is not known, but the pressure of having to one day face the consequences for murdering Colvert were surely mounting. But now with the monster inside of him unleashed, there would be no going back to his normal, dismal life. The Bartlett Family According to Starkweather, on January 21 he decided to try to mend his relationship with Fugates parents. He went over to their house to invite her stepfather Marion Bartlett to go hunting. He also brought Fugates mother Velda Bartlett two pieces of carpet. The Bartletts, who believed that their young daughter was pregnant by Starkweather, were not swayed by his good intentions and an argument broke out. Starkweather became unhinged and shot Velda in the face and Marion in the back of the head. The Bartletts daughter (Fugates sister), two-and-a-half-year-old Betty Jean, was also not spared. Starkweather shut off her frightened cries by slashing her repeatedly in the throat with a knife. Then to make certain no one survived the massacre, he stabbed all of his victims again. He then put Veldas body inside the commode of the family outhouse. He put Betty Jeans body inside a box of garbage and also placed her in the outhouse. Marions body was left on the floor of the chicken coup. Life Goes On Starkweather and Fugate lived in her dead parents house like a couple honeymooning for the next six days. To those who stopped by they were greeted with a handwritten note stuck on the front door that said, Stay away Every Body is sick with the Flue. Friends and family of the Bartletts werent buying the flu note, and after a lot of persistence the police did a physical search of the home and found the bodies, but not before Starkweather and Fugate had fled. August Meyer Now on the run, Starkweather, and Fugate weaved through back roads and made it to Bennet, Nebraska, where August Meyer, 70, and a long time friend of the Starkweather family lived. As they made their way up the rough dirt road that led to Meyers farm their car got stuck in the  snow. The couple abandoned it and continued on foot to the old mans house. What transpired afterward is unclear, except that Starkweather and Meyer got into a confrontation and Meyer ended up dead from a shotgun blast that removed a large portion of his head. Well fed from food from Meyers kitchen and loaded up with the dead mans guns and whatever cash they could find, Starkweather and Fugate headed by foot to the nearest main road. If they were to survive, they needed to get their hands on a car. Robert Jensen, Jr. and Carol King The couple hitched a ride with Robert Jensen, Jr., 17, and 16-year-old Carol King. Without wasting any time, Starkweather forced Jensen to go to a torn down school that was nearby. The terrified couple was led to a storm cellar. There Starkweather shot Jensen six times in the head and King once in the head. When the police discovered the young couple, it was noted that Kings pants had been pulled down and her genitals had been slashed, but there were no signs that she had been sexually assaulted. Starkweather later said that Fugate was responsible for the slashing. She thought Starkweather was sexually attracted to King and acted out of jealousy. A Strange Turn of Events As more of Starkweathers victims were discovered the manhunt for the fugitives intensified. At first, Starkweather talked about going out of state to Washington, but for some strange reason the couple turned Jensens car around and headed back to Lincoln. They passed by Fugates family home, but when they spotted the police cars that surrounded the house, they headed to the more affluent side of town where the rich lived. The Wards and Lilian Fencil Starkweather was familiar with the big homes that lined the streets from his days as a trash collector. One of the wealthiest homes belonged to C. Lauer Ward, 47, and his wife Clara Ward, also 47. Ward was the president of the Capital Bridge Company and the Capital Steel Company and one of the wealthiest men in town. On January 30, 1958, now eight days on the run, Starkweather, and Fugate forced their way into the Ward home. Inside were Clara and their live-in maid Lilian Fencl. Starkweather told the women that they had nothing to fear, then ordered Clara to fix breakfast. He liked being waited on by the woman whose trash he had collected so often. He then tied each of the women up in separate rooms and stabbed them to death. Annoyed by Claras barking poodle, he crushed the dogs neck with his rifle, leaving it alive to suffer. When C. Lauer Ward returned home from work, he met with the same fate as his wife and Fencil. Starkweather shot him dead. The F.B.I. Starkweather and Fugate loaded up C. Lauer Wards 1956 black Packard with supplies and decided to get out of town. When the Wards bodies were discovered the Governor put the F.B.I. and the National Guard on the case to stop the fugitives. Merle Collison Starkweather decided that they needed to get rid of Packard after hearing descriptions of them and the car on the radio. Merle Collison was a traveling shoe salesman who decided to pull off on a side road for a nap just outside of Douglas, Wyoming. Starkweather spotted the napping man, pulled over and woke him up. He demanded that Collinson switch cars with him, but the salesman refused. Not having time to argue, Starkweather shot him in the head nine times. Collison had a Buick with a push-pedal emergency brake, and Starkweather did not know how to release it. When he stalled out a passer-by offered to help, he was met with a rifle pointed at his face and the two began to wrestle. At the same time deputy Sheriff William Romer drove up on the pair, and Fugate sprang from the front seat of the Buick, screaming and pointing at Starkweather, saying, Hes killed a man! Starkweather jumped into the Packard and took off with Romer following close behind. Romer called for back up as he tried to keep up with Starkweather who was driving up to 120 miles an hour. More officers joined the chase, and one of them managed to shoot out the back windshield of the Packard. When a piece of the spraying glass cut Starkweather, he thought he had been shot and quickly pulled over and surrendered. In Custody The killing spree of Starkweather and Fugate was over, but the task of putting together the pieces of who did what had just begun for authorities. At first, Starkweather said Fugate was not responsible for any of the killings. Fugate insisted she was a victim and not a participant in any crimes. She told investigators that she had been held hostage and that Starkweather said he would kill her family if she did not go along with his demands. Fugates hostage story quickly dissolved after she admitted to being present when her family was butchered. Both were charged with first-degree murder, and they were extradited to Nebraska to stand trial. The Trial of Charles Starkweather The list of charges against Starkweather was lengthy, and the only defense his lawyers could bring to the table that could save him from the electric chair was an insanity defense. But to Starkweather, going down in history as insane was unacceptable. He used every possible opportunity to thwart his lawyers efforts by announcing that he was indeed sane during his killing spree. Instead, he said he killed his victims out of self-defense, a position no one believed. The jury found him guilty on two charges of first-degree murder and recommended that he be put to death in the electric chair. The court agreed, and he was sentenced to die on June 25, 1959. The Trial of Fugate When Starkweather found out that Fugate said she was his hostage, he stopped protecting her and told the authorities of her activity which included slashing Carol Kings genitals and shooting C. Lauer Ward. He also said she was responsible for Merle Collisons murder and went as far as describing her as one of the most trigger happy people he had ever met. He testified against her in court, although it was pointed out by her defense that he had changed his story at least seven times in the past. Few believed Fugates defense of being a victim and she was found guilty of murdering Robert Jensen, Jr. and given a life sentence because of her age. In the years following her sentencing, she continued to insist that she was a victim. Her sentence was later commuted, and she was paroled in June 1976. Except for one interview, Fugate never spoke publically about her time spent with Starkweather. The Final Curtain Call On June 25, 1959, Starkweathers execution was on schedule. Earlier in the evening, he had ordered cold cuts for his final meal. He was asked if he wanted to donate his eyes, which he said no adding, Why should I? Nobody ever gave me anything. Just after midnight, ​the 20-year-old spree killer was escorted to the execution chamber with his head shaved and dressed in a prison denim shirt and jeans. When Starkweather was asked if he had any final words, he merely shook his head no. There was to be no last scene for the James Dean wannabe. No words to send journalist off scribbling in their notebooks. He, like other killers before him, was strapped into the electric chair, hit with 2200 volts of electricity and killed.

Problem Solving College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Problem Solving College - Essay Example In problem solving one should explore all options one by one until you come across the best one. However, in general, as one gains experience in solving problems, one develops one's own techniques and strategies, though they are often intangible. The computer is not an intelligent machine. It does not have the ability to think about the solution of the problem. Our task is to provide a series of steps, which when written in a programming language becomes a code. The computer runs the code for the solution. The good part is that the computer can run the solution consistently, again and again once we have written the code, saving us from the tedious and boring work. Programs are written to solve problems posed by people. The difficulty of writing the programs is driven by the difficulty of the problems. The difficulty of the problems is limited by the imagination of the people posing the problems. Now we'll see how problem solving by programming is difficult. Programming is a complex skill that takes time to master. To solve a specific problem via programming, you need to understand the nature of the problem. Think about the solution of the problem. Then we will choose a programming language. You need to have knowledge of the programming language you decide to use. ... Depending on the nature of the task problem solving can either be easy or difficult. Let's take a very simple example of finding the largest number from a given list of unsorted numbers. We can easily solve this problem manually, provided the given list of numbers is not too big. If we have to solve the same problem using programming then it is not so easy .We will have to explain the computer all the steps one by one and code it for the compiler to run the solution. Similarly, if we have a list of numbers which is very big, say ten thousand numbers and we have to find the maximum one so it would be easier to write a code for the problem rather than going through the whole list. There are many ways to find the maximum number in a given list of unsorted numbers. We will discuss one of the ways to solve it. Our first step would be to consider the first number as the largest. We will save that number in a temporary location .Then we will compare it with all the other numbers in the list and if we encounter any number greater than the number stored in our temporary location, we will update our location. The last noted item in our memory location is the largest in the list when the process is complete. Hence, we can say that it depends on the nature of the task whether problem solving is difficult with programming or not. Similarly, we consider another example of a factorial generating program. We can easily calculate the factorial of a small number in our minds but think about a program that will return you the factorial of any number you want. It can be as large as you want because you don't have to worry about the computations. The computer is going to

Criticism of a press release from Tourism Organization and relation of Essay

Criticism of a press release from Tourism Organization and relation of its content with theory - Essay Example Ban Kimoon emphasized the role that tourism can play in environmental sustainability and promotion of green growth as well as helping in the struggle to adapt to climate change. His speech was in relevance to the theme of the 2012 world tourism day that sought to emphasize the importance of sustainable energy to the tourism industry. As Ban Kimoon mentioned, the tourism industry stands in a capacity to contribute positively towards environmental sustainability. One of the indicators of the efforts made by the world tourism organization include the dedication of the 2012 world tourism day to addressing issues related to the value of adopting the use of renewable energy sources. Adoption of renewable energy sources by the tourism industry is an effort towards environmental sustainability. Since the industry’s activities involve a lot of transportation and washing. Transport involves both the aircrafts and vehicles. Adoption of energy sources that have minimal carbon emissions is one of the advances the tourism industry is making. Using such fuels minimizes air pollution as well as preventing ozone effects that have resulted to adverse climate changes (International Conference on Sustainable Tourism, Pineda, and Brebbia, 2010). In addition, the industry has a new invention of an online tool-kit that helps hoteliers get a reflection of their total energy consumption rates. In addition, the tool-kit offers the hoteliers strategies of saving energy. Moreover, hoteliers can use this kit in exploring the possible ways of adopting renewable energy sources. The launching of the kit intended to improve energy efficiency in most of the tourism facilities and increase their ventures in renewable energy. The kit bears the name ‘Hotel Energy Solutions’ and hoteliers have a free access to the kit online. This is a positive move towards environmental sustainability. The long-term effects of the use of the

Nursing Informatics Topic Meaningful Use for Nurses Implications and Coursework

Nursing Informatics Topic Meaningful Use for Nurses Implications and Recommendation Guidelines - Coursework Example The program was based on the principle that all patients have the right to the best available care at the lowest possible cost. As such, various care providers are encouraged to take part in the program by complying with the provisions that guide the use of certified Electronics Health Records. Practitioners and care providers are required to meaningfully use the available EHR to be able to meet various objectives and goals that will have a positive impact on patient care. Through it, health care facilities have been able to embrace health care IT while also impacting positively on the wellbeing of the patient. According to the HITECH Act, health care providers and professionals who do not exhibit meaningful use of the certified Electronic Health Records may receive less than one hundred percent of the medical fees for the professional services that they offer (Health IT. Gov, 2015). This is revenue penalty that is strategically put in place to help promote the program and inspire use of IT in health records. The available incentives and penalties have encouraged care providers to come up with the best EHR solutions and approaches that will ensure that the workflow needs are met as per the requirements of the HITECH Act. There are several objectives and benefits that are achieved when the Meaningful Use is implemented in a given health care setting. Cusack (2010) notes that Meaningful Use and EHR enhance quality, safety and efficiency of patient care while also minimizing health inequalities. Moreover, it enhances patient and family coordination during the care provision process thus improving the overall process. Meaningful care also facilitates the maintenance of privacy and the security of the patients’ health information. According to Tamara, McDonell, Helfrich, Jesse, Fihn & Rumsfeld (2010), privacy and security of the

Political Ideas and Political Change in Britain that Have Affected the Essay

Political Ideas and Political Change in Britain that Have Affected the Nature of Public Service - Essay Example Political ideas play a major role influencing the thinking and conduct of the leaders and when such leaders who when in power institute different approaches to governance which also shapes the public service used to achieve the goals of the electorates. The leader and his or her dominant political ideology determine strategies used handle the human nature and all the challenges facing the society. Government policies therefore originate from the main ideas of the political party that forms the government. At times, a government may modify or create radical change to the existing structure of governance and society as perceived suitable for achieving the desired outcome. Political ideas and Public Service An ideology is a as a set of ideas, visionary images and thinking patters that shapes how an individual or a class of people view society or other matters such as economic, political and governance systems. Political ideologies are therefore a set of ideas that provides a basis for o rganized political action, whether it intends to preserve, modify or overthrow the existing system of power. Ideas give a world-view, provide a model for the future, a vision for a good society, and outline how a political change can be brought about. Although democracy is a common system of governance worldwide, it is ideal governance approach but not an ideology. Ideologies are underlying principles that guide political action of an individual or a political class (Heywood, 2007). A political ideology may describe and interpret the past and present and define what the ideal future should be like, plus the appropriate strategies and policies for achieving the goals. Such political ideas therefore explain the human nature and history about the state in a way that steer political action and provides a plan for action. It also cut across political parties and may a leader may use different ideologies to support their policies. Identifying personal ideology involves having an understan ding of the human history that may have shaped the past and adopting a personal approach to shaping the world in future. This is important in any leader since human beings are controlled by motivation and events and at times structures. The ideas of the leader adopted to solve any situation may change the event and the condition and produce the desired change (Hoffman and Graham, 2006). Public service is an instrument used by the political leadership to achieve political goals and to serve citizens who pay tax to enjoy the common good. The public service therefore changes with the political ideology of the political party, which forms the government. Britain has had a number of ideologies brought by different leaders each of which introduces specific approaches to public service over the years. This is because public service is directly under the control of the political leadership and therefore the agenda of a political party, has to influence the structure and systems adopted by t he public service (Heywood, 2007). The main political ideologies The major political ideas, which have shaped the post war Britain to the present, include Liberalism, Socialism, Conservatism, Welfarism, Neo-liberalism, The Third Way and The Big Society. Each of these varies between two extremes of left which is also known as communism dominated by socialism and liberalism at the centre, then moves to conservatism the extreme right of either fascist or

Peer Review Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Peer Review - Article Example The writer mentioned several cases and even discussed three cases in detail where the person or a NP had to face legal actions afterwards after they tried to act as Good Samaritans. The methodology was not complex in this case because most of the specific data was reviewed and taken from cases in courts and articles published. Writer even went on to mention several suggestive measures for NP in specific and other medical professionals in general about the way they should act in case there is any emergency. The conclusion is very well supported by the case, writer has established. There is a definite confusion and synchronization among various states about this law so it is very important for a NP to act according to the law of the state she is working on. Moreover, the writer also stresses the need of stronger and better legislation among states so that NPs are not hesitant to act when they see any emergency situation. This would reduce morbidity and mortality and even provide NPs a chance to render their services for the goodwill of people. This law is not applicable in United State but has also been adopted in a slight different form by other countries as mentioned by the writer. This topic is very important for future consideration of nursing because it can relate to their life and presents a problem that any nurse can face even outside work environment. These discussions would help a nurse to make her decision in such a situation as per the laws of the state she is working in. This is a life saving procedure but involves some legal problems that can occur in some of the cases (Tumolo, J. 2002). This is one field that has a lot of scope for future research on the same lines. More studies and analysis of various cases would even highlight the issue which would help in proper law making in different states. Nurses should also be encouraged through research and publication not to hesitate when it is about

How motivation can affect employees' commitment and performance at Essay

How motivation can affect employees' commitment and performance at work - Essay Example Motivation is a weapon – if used correctly. It is a fact within the domains of an organization that motivation brings out the best within the employees and offers the organization a host of incentives and longstanding results.On the flip side, lack of motivation means that the organization would lose out on this count and the work processes would get delayed as a result of the same. There is a good amount of evidence available which suggests that motivation must come out in the open and bring out the best time and time again so that the employees are on their toes all the time, and that success must be achieved when it is most desired, i.e., always. Researchers have long studied and analyzed upon the fact as to how motivation has been the key in finding out the unique points within the working ideologies of the organizations, and how these have been the basis of incentives and benefits for the sake of the business processes in the very end. This paper identifies how motivation can be used to full extent within an organization and how employees must put their foot down and achieve the very best on a proactive basis.The encouragement is indeed the motivation that one has, which is either derived from his own self (self-motivation) or by embedding the same through his co-workers or top management realms. Here an effort has been made to incorporate as many real life examples as possible to bring the best results in the open. Motivation is central to the premise of employee performance within a management scenario. This is because motivation can be the cornerstone of success or the lack thereof if seen within the correct perspectives. Motivation is intrinsic to an employee as it asks of him to give his best in both the trying circumstances as well as the better off ones. It asks of the organizational top domains to encourage and motivate their own employees so that they could offer the best and thus do the same time and again. This is a very essential aspect of understanding how motivation comes about in full circle, and how important a role it plays within the global dynamics of business performance and the attached commitment that is a part of the same (Geen 1994). In essence, motivation is central to any productive undertaking that employees ask of their own selves. What this means is the fact that commitment must remain supreme at the end of the day as this will derive performance and get the best out of the employees on a consistent basis. If performance has to be tapped, the best way in which the same could be done is to find out how motivated the employees are and how well they will shape up within the changing times and scenarios. Motivation is central to the premise of a positive change – a change which is more helpful for the organization as it brings in value in the name of commitment and ultimate performance. A few pertinent theories that pinpoint the role of motivation within the lives of the employees are significan t to mention and understand here. One such theory is the Theory of Needs coined by Abraham Maslow which takes a deep look at how people’s attitudes and behaviors are shaped up, both within their personal life domains as well as at work. Maslow stated that the most important needs for a person to remain motivated are when he receives the most basic necessities of life. These include the housing, clothing and food intakes that he acquires. After these needs have been properly met, he goes after looking for employment and interacting with the people that live around him. After the same have been fulfilled, he can now go ahead and acquire societal needs of being praised within the different norms of the society that he lives within. This is indeed regarded as the need to be taken as a respectable person. The self-esteem needs are therefore important and thus lead one towards the self-actualization requirements where a person wants to explore new things and

Peer Review Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Peer Review - Article Example The writer mentioned several cases and even discussed three cases in detail where the person or a NP had to face legal actions afterwards after they tried to act as Good Samaritans. The methodology was not complex in this case because most of the specific data was reviewed and taken from cases in courts and articles published. Writer even went on to mention several suggestive measures for NP in specific and other medical professionals in general about the way they should act in case there is any emergency. The conclusion is very well supported by the case, writer has established. There is a definite confusion and synchronization among various states about this law so it is very important for a NP to act according to the law of the state she is working on. Moreover, the writer also stresses the need of stronger and better legislation among states so that NPs are not hesitant to act when they see any emergency situation. This would reduce morbidity and mortality and even provide NPs a chance to render their services for the goodwill of people. This law is not applicable in United State but has also been adopted in a slight different form by other countries as mentioned by the writer. This topic is very important for future consideration of nursing because it can relate to their life and presents a problem that any nurse can face even outside work environment. These discussions would help a nurse to make her decision in such a situation as per the laws of the state she is working in. This is a life saving procedure but involves some legal problems that can occur in some of the cases (Tumolo, J. 2002). This is one field that has a lot of scope for future research on the same lines. More studies and analysis of various cases would even highlight the issue which would help in proper law making in different states. Nurses should also be encouraged through research and publication not to hesitate when it is about

Management Accounting and Finance in U.K. Museums and Music Dissertation - 1

Management Accounting and Finance in U.K. Museums and Music Organisations - Dissertation Example The main functions that the manager carries out comprises of decision making, planning and controlling (Bhattacharyya, 2011; Chong, 2009). In order to execute their responsibilities in an effective manner the manager needs timely accurate information. Hence, information is a vital parameter in the success of a business and in order to provide appropriate information, managerial accounting identifies, gathers, measures, segregates and reports the information to the managers in such a way that management processes are fulfilled. Therefore, management accounting is the field of accounting that looks at providing information to the management. This information includes financial accounting, information related to decision making and planning, cost management, control, performance evaluation and determination of cost for the purpose of financial reporting. Management accounting consists of the reports that cater to the need of the management (Kulkarni and Mahajan, 2008). 1.2 Overview of M useum and Art organization The museums and art organizations that falls under the culture industry, has currently aroused the necessity of accounting but the dilemma persists regarding the methodology that should be used in order to measure the accountability. The debate remains whether for financial reporting, scientific collection, heritage and culture should be valued more and the extent to which accountability can be properly served by heavily emphasizing on the general purpose financial reporting alone. The debate related to accountability in the arts organization and museum is a subject of discourse for the last few decades. This has been further exaggerated by the need for viability in the art organizations and museum for ensuring long-term survival. Accountability... The study reveals that the organizations are now looking at additional sources of income by organizing events. The events that they are planning to launch are expected to generate high amount of income for the organization. The management of the art organization have decided not only to sell tickets of the events in order to generate revenue but also look for sponsorship of the event. In this context, before organizing any event the management is setting targets in form of budget for the whole event. This budget is set as such the expected expense that the organization will be incurring and income that they will be generating are estimated. This gives them a clear idea regarding the revenue that they will be generating. Accounting techniques like variance analysis, activity based costing, budgeting and other methods are used in order to conduct the management accounting efficiently. These methods have been proved effective in achieving the future goals of the organization. This revea ls that the art organization and museums are not only focussing on generating additional income but also creating satisfaction among the artists and the customers. This essay makes a conclusion that the main challenge for the art organization is that the economic crisis has affected the funding which is very important for the organizations that are not running for profitable ventures. These challenges have made the organizations to shift their focus from profit sharing model to profit generating model. On shifting to this model the accounting techniques used by the organization has also changed.

The Implication of EPOS Systems

The Implication of EPOS Systems William Hill is a major bookmaker worldwide, with over seventy years experience in offering betting services.   It is currently one of the leading gaming companies in the UK, where it operates over 1600 betting shops, serves over 800,000 betting slips each day via phone (standard and mobile), and recently began Britains first interactive digital television channel devoted entirely to gambling (Lee 2004).   It is the countrys most successful Internet gambling company in a country where over four million people bet in online gaming rooms every month (Thomas 2004).   William Hill was the first major gaming organisation to offer online betting, opening its website in 1996 (Lee 2004). The William Hill culture pairs low-cost, low-risk emphasis in businessdecision making with a willingness to be innovative, particularly inregards to use of technology (Hargrave 2004)).   This makes it all themore surprising that the organisation has waited so long to implementelectronic point of sale   (EPOS) machines in its betting shops.   Whilethese are expected to make the company more profitable, efficient, andcompetitive, the implications of these machine span across theorganisation.   Of specific interest is the effect of the system on thepeople involved, traditionally an important part of William Hillssuccess.   This study seeks to consider the possible benefits and losses to William Hill from the implementation of the EPOS system. Three specific areas of consideration are the effect of the machines oncorporate and local shop culture, whether the EPOS system will increase efficiency, and whether the system will contribute to increased competitiveness. The objectives of this study are to critically examine the introductionof an electronic point of sale system as implemented at William Hill.  Specifically, this study aims to examine the strategic considerationsof the EPOS and how its effectiveness can be optimised.   The studybegins with a review of literature and research available about WilliamHill, the firms operations, and EPOS systems in general.   ThisLiterature Review serves as a foundation for understanding analysis ofthe rest of this work.Following the Literature Review, of first consideration will be theeffect of EPOS on the corporate and local culture of William Hill.  Will EPOS enhance or detract from positive aspects of current culture?  Will the increase in customer information and the ease of its analysisdraw new customer groups into traditional betting shops?   If so, whatwill be the effect of this on the shops and their regulars?  Ã‚   How willstaff react to the changes caused by the EPOS system?   W ill EPOS changehow customers and staff interact?   How does the introduction of EPOScompare to the effect of technological advances on workers in general? The second objective is consideration of the efficiency of the EPOSsystem.   It will be compared to the traditional manual betting systemit replaced, with analysis of improvements in or negative effects ontime and cost.   Has William Hill become more efficient, and moreimportantly more effective, with the introduction of EPOS?   It is abetter organisation as the result of automation?   Finally, the study seeks to project the effects of EPOS on WilliamHills competitiveness.   Will the system encourage customers to switchto William Hill?   Can the organisations market share be expected toincrease?   What are the overall results on a holistic, corporate levelof automation, and how can the firm best implement such technologywithout undermining its established strengths?   What is the moststrategic way the system can be implemented, and how can it mostgreatly benefit the organisation as a whole?This study seeks to address these questions through the study ofinformation and data provided by William Hill and in literatureavailable about the firm, similar gambling companies, and electronicpoint of sale systems in general. It is anticipated that the EPOS system will be found to increaseefficiency and competitiveness for William Hill, albeit at some changeto and possible loss of culture.   This is anticipated to be an overallpositive innovation, however, increasing profit across several gamingplatforms, allowing for improved marketing activities, and increasingmarket share for the company.   The system is anticipated to provide afaster, more accurate, and more secure way of processing bets, inaddition to generating data relevant for market analysis. Many articles about William Hill, including the companys ownpublications, describe the organisation as an innovator (William Hill2005).   This is certainly the case, and low-cost, low-risk strategyhasnt kept the firm from pursuing technological advances and marketexpansion in many areas, the most recent being the installation of anEPOS system in its betting shops.   The company currently provides fourvehicles for gambling:   traditional betting shops, phones-basedbetting, including via mobile phones, Internet gaming, and interactivedigital television.   Plans to expand into casino gambling have beentemporarily shelved, as the Gambling Bill under consideration by thegovernment now appears less likely to benefit gaming organisations whoexpand into casinos (WH Annual Report 2005).   All of these may beeffected and possibly benefit from the introduction of EPOS machines.  Ã‚  EPOS can support all four major betting vehicles, and enhance how theycan work toget her to increase the number of customers, repeatcustomers, and customers spend.Traditional betting shops, also called retail shops, remain thebackbone of William Hills operations.   The retail division contributed166m of the pounds 232m, or almost seventy-two percent, of the totalprofits brought in by the organisation in 2004 (WH Annual Report2004).   The shops also provide a credibility and recognisable brandseen as contributing to the success of other gaming vehicles (Thomas2004).   The retail shops are the location of the EPOS machines, and arelikely to be most effected operationally and culturally by theirimplementation.   Demographically, the customers of William Hillsbetting shops tend to be older than customers using other bettingvehicles (Hargrave 2004).   It has been observed that shop customers arealso predominantly male. Internet gamblers are demographically younger, and many have neverentered a retail betting shop (Hargrave 2004).   They often participatein a variety of onlin e games in addition to traditional odds betting.  They are likely to hop from site to site, and show little loyalty toany one gaming organisation (Thomas 2004).   Online gambling firms musttherefore work harder to differentiate their site from the many othersavailable.   As over time a natural consolidation of the market islikely to occur, those organisations that can reinforce their marketpositioning are more likely to succeed (Thomas 2004).   William Hill hasthis positioning as a sector leader with multiple gambling vehicles.  This positioning will be enhanced by the EPOS system, a way to linktraditional shops with their credibility and market presence, to thefirms online offerings.   The convenience of EPOS and the organisations electronic vouchersystem could encourage online gamblers to consolidate their gamingactivity with William Hill.   The EPOS support William Hillsintegration of their online business and local shops, with onlinecustomers now able to deposit mo ney into or draw from accounts at anyWilliam Hill shop.   The voucher system allows customers to depositmoney or withdraw winning from any William Hill shop.   This wasoriginally handled over the counter; however, the new EPOS system nowallows the entire system to be handled by machine (Anon 2003).This has the potential to increase both shop-based and onlinebusiness.   For example, a thirty-something career woman might behesitant to frequent one of William Hills betting shops, perceivingthem to be historically male-dominated, older, and perhaps evenworking-class.   However, she is on her way to do some shopping, anddecides to quickly draw off her recent online winnings.   She stops in abetting shop, and has a positive experience.   It is clean, well run,with professional, courteous staff.   She can draw on her winningseasily using the EPOS terminal.   Because the woman has a favourableexperience with the product and people in her transaction, she issignificantly more likely to use the EPOS terminal again, and to stopin the betting shop.   William Hill has possibly converted an onlinecustomer to an online and shop customer.   Similarly, some shop regulars may eschew credit cards.   Online gamingis therefore unavailable to them.   EPOS in combination with WilliamHills combined online and shop accounts allow these customers todeposit cash at their local betting shop, and use those funds foronline bets.   This has the potential to further increase the firmsonline customer base.   Internet customers may be further intrigued bygaming options offered online that go beyond their options via shops orthe phone.   Using the Internet to place traditional bets, for example,increases the chance these customers will try arcade or casino gamesavailable online, thereby increasing the types of product purchased(Anon 2003).   This expands the purchase mix for William Hill, andincreases the likelihood of larger total purchases per customer.A concer n for management should be the potential of one gaming vehiclesuch as the Internet to draw customers away from the firms othervehicles, in effect cannibalising its own operations one for theother.   William Hills most recent Annual Report acknowledges thisissue (2004).   The company has analysed profit and other financialdata, and is confident that no cannibalising is taking place.   Allthree gaming vehicles in operation for the year have shown modest toimpressive growth, with no indication of one taking customers at thedetriment to the others (WH Annual Report 2004).Phone betting, including mobile betting via WAP technology, is seen bymany as the gaming vehicle of the future (Hargrave 2004).   The EPOSsystem could contribute to the expansion of phone betting by making iteasier to draw on winnings and deposit funds for future bets.   The OffTrack Betting organisation in New York City, USA, found lines andcustomer wait time reduced by up to forty percent at some outlets wit hthe implementation of various betting and point of sale machines (OTB2003).   The system can similarly support William Hills newest venture,interactive television.   There are questions whether the firms brandis strong enough to support a television channel, although thepotentials for increased revenue are significant (Hargrave 2004).   Theorganisation does not intend to broadcast many sporting or otherbet-producing events, given the prohibitive cost of doing so.   Rather,the television channel will offer number generated betting options, aswell as gambling games similar to those offered by the firm on itswebsite (Hargrave 2004).   This allows the non-computer literate toparticipate in betting outside of traditional shops.   Their anonymityand access to gambling increase, both of which have been linked toincreased consumer spend (Anon 2003).   Non-computer literate gamblersare no longer bound by the restricted hours of the betting shop, andcan play a variety of gambli ng games through their televisions(Hargrave 2004).   The EPOS s ystem supports this gaming vehicle in thatthese customers must have some way to deposit money for their gamblingactivities and withdraw any winnings they may have.   The EPOS systemallows them to do this conveniently and with the same discretionafforded to them by interactive television or the Internet gamblingvehicles.One potentially negative effect of the EPOS system is reduction ofcustomer loyalty.   Loyalty occurs when a consumer experiences goodproduct at a reasonable price and convenience, with acceptableservice.   If these expectations are met, the customer is likely torepeat the shopping experience.   Over time, the customer forms a habitof this shopping experience, which then develops into an attitude ofloyalty (Duffy 1998).   One component of loyalty development is staff,and in particular customers interaction with staff.   The peoplerepresenting an organisation and the service they provide can m ake orbreak a customers purchasing experience (Garavan 1997).   The EPOSsystem will replace some functions currently performed by people, whichmay have a negative impact on both customers and remaining staff.Repeat customers make up a significant portion of retail bets in thegaming sector, and many have established some form of relationship withretail staff.   These relationships contribute to the loyalty or habitsof customers, causing them to frequent one gaming retailer, and therebyincreasing the customer spend at that shop (Anon 2003).   This customersegment may feel overlooked with the replacement of some stafffunctions by machines.   For example, a man regularly frequents hislocal William Hill betting shop, gambling regularly as a hobby, but notto the gambling addiction level of play.   His visits to William Hillmay be for him the same as another persons frequenting a neighbourhoodpub; in this case he has the opportunity to interact with others whoshare his interest. The common denominator in such social interactionwill often be the shopkeeper or retail staff (Gamble and Gamble 2005).  If this social interaction is lost, the customer may switch to asimilar s hop operated by another organisation where such interactionis supported.   Fortunately for William Hill, the other major bookmakerswith whom it competes have already implemented EPOS systems, makingthis customer loss less likely to occur (Hargrave 2004).The EPOS removes the feeling of being disloyal to shop staff by bettingonline instead of at their establishment, which could also potentiallycontribute to lost customers.   Customers who shop at one establishmentfor a long period of time may feel guilty or embarrassed when changingto another store.   They may try to avoid contact with staff from theirprevious shopping preference if they have been trying out other storesfor a period of time (Gamble and Gamble 2005).   With the reduction ininteraction between William Hill staff and cu stomers caused by the EPOSsystem, the customers may no longer have social need to continue to betexclusively or predominantly with William Hill.Another possible loss is to the William Hill culture, particularly thatof local shops.   Steve Smethurst quotes David Russell, William Hillsgroup HR director, as acknowledging, â€Å"Once we have that in place [theEPOS system], the requirements on shop managers to settle bets will begone:   that challenges the very core of what people have been doing foryears† (2004, 36).   For one thing, the introduction of the machinesreduces the number of staff required at each shop.   The company has nostated plans for layoffs, but also has not addressed the impact EPOSwill have on staff (WH Annual Report 2004).   This may be in part to thetraditionally high turnover in some segments of the gaming business,although more prevalent in the telephonist position that in retail shopstaff (Smethurst 2004).Management of gaming organisations need to examine the importance ofpeople in their product differentiation.   Consideration is called forin examining the fact that all the major betting shops now utiliseelectronic point of sale technology, and much of this is produced bythe same company, Alphameric Red Onion (William Hill PLC 2004).   If onecan access the same machines at any shop, and each has similar bettingoptions, what would cause the customer to frequent one shop overanother?   While some online gaming organisations seek to an image ofglamour and escape to paradise after a long day at work, this type ofpositioning is more effective for the casino venturing into onlinegaming than the traditional betting shop down the street (Thomas2004).   Re-branding a company as old and established as William Hillwould be difficult, expensive, and unlikely to be effective.   Nor is it possible for any one gaming establishment to differential itsproduct on price in the long-term.   The EPOS system will produce costsavin gs compared to the former manual bet-taking and managementinformation systems (WH Annual Report 2004).   This cost savings occursfrom reduction in staff needed to operate a betting shop, more rapidprocessing of bets, and standardisation of bet settlement by removingthe local human component.   The EPOS system also replaces manual inputinto management information systems, allowing increased communicationbetween shops and the corporate offices, and increasing the companysability to respond to betting fluctuations (William Hill PLC 2004).  The firm did incur additional capital investment expense during 2004due to the purchase of the EPOS system, but the Annual Report indicatesthis is a negligible amount and will be easily amortised. Cost benefits, resulting in increased profits and more competitiveprice structures, in combination with lack of product differentiationin the gaming sector, can be expected to result in increased marketshare for William Hill.   This increase should occur across all four ofits gaming platforms, although primarily in Internet, mobile andtelevision sales, as lack of differentiation causes sector-wideconsolidation and the elimination or absorption of smaller firms byindustry leaders (Thomas 2004).   Some market advantage certainly goes to the organisations with the most(and most convenient) locations.   William Hill CEO David Hardingstresses the importance of place in the firms differentiation efforts,contending branding and convenience are the most important factors ingaming choice.   â€Å"People always underestimate the guiding principle ofbetting, and thats to make it convenient,† he states, â€Å"branding willalways remain dominant, and as long as you make it easy to gamble,people will do so† (Hargrave 2004, P20).   Along this line of thinking,over time the sector power of larger organisations with theirestablished shop sites will cause market consolidation, squeezing outsmaller firms (Thomas 2004).   This then further enhances theconvenience of the shops of large-sector players.   Organisations thatcan integrate their various services, as described above in theinteraction between internet gamblers, William Hill  rquote s voucher system, and EPOS machines in the local retail shops, also have an advantage in the convenience department.   However, loss of personal touch is something William Hill should beseriously considering.   Atomisation historically causes loss of jobs,and â€Å"William Hill employs more than 10,000 people:   8,500 in shops,1,000 in call centres, and 1,000 in support† (Smethurst 2004, 36).  People, particularly retail staff, play a major role in product andorganisation differentiation within a service-based firm such asWilliam Hill.   This is particularly relevant as the company pridesitself for its rigorous hiring practices and top-notch staff.   WilliamHill undertook a complicated pre-hiring screening process to help thecompany ensure i t was bringing in workers with the best possible jobfit (Smethurst 2004).   For example, the human resources department atWilliam Hill â€Å"identified the motivational factors that make someonegood at a job,† then formulated a profile of the ideal front-line staffperson (Smethurst 2004, 36).   This profile was used to c reate anautomated telephone screening process that was used with all initialapplicants to the retail shops.   The company then sends potentialrecruits through interviews and role-play exercises before making a joboffer (Smethurst 2004).   All these evaluate the attitude as well as theskills of potential employees.   Smethurst quotes Russell as saying,â€Å"you can add skills to people, but if they had the wrong attitude inthe first place then its not going to work† (2004, 36).   HopefullyWilliam Hill management has considered the possible impact on staff andtheir attitudes in their implementation of EPOS machines.Human Resources Consultant Richard Samson of the EraNova Instituterecently presented his theory of out-peopling (Frauenheim 2001).   Justas jobs can be off-shored from one country to another, so jobs can beout-peopled, going from work performed by people to work performed bymachines.   While this can offer short-term advantage, Samson arguesthat similar potential losses are likely in the long-term.   â€Å"Most ofthe work tasks done now by people will be done by smart technologywithin twenty to thirty years† (Frauenheim 2001).   Job loss causesanger and resentment amongst those put out of an organisation, andoften-sympathetic bad attitudes with workers who remain.   This shouldbe of particular relevance for a firm so concerned about workerattitude that they developed a complex and expensive screening processto ensure proper attitude amongst new hires.   Remaining employees alsobecome even more key to the generation and maintenance of customerloyalty, as   the fewer employees with whom an individual customerinteracts, the more important the quality of interaction with theemployee becomes (Garavan 1997).Reduction in employees in proportion to machines can also influence thepublics perceptions of the organisation.   William Hill is a companythat promotes service as part of its corporate image.   This serviceinfers a level of caring amongst those at the company for theircustomer (Company Website 2005).   If the customer begins to viewWilliam Hill shops as simply a place lined with electronic kiosks, muchlike the gambling version of the local Laundromat, this image of caringservice is no longer projected.   This can contribute to customerloyalty and repeat purchase over the long-term.   Management must find away to maintain its positive corporate image, therefore, while goingforward with its atomisation and cost-saving plans.Loss of jobs also creates macroeconomic impacts for both the sector andthe country.   This has historically been evidenced across manyse ctors.   In agriculture, for instance, small farms that once requiredan entire family to run have been swallowed up and consolidated withlarge commercial ventures that employ many machines and few people(Gottheil 1999).   Economic impacts of rapid changes in job availabilityand employment can destabilise an entire economy.   If unemploymentsoars and discretionary income plummets, William Hill and other gamingorganisations will likely see a sharp drop in profits, as they are adiscretionary spend for most consumers (Gottheil 1999).  Ã‚  Ã‚   More machines also lead to the increased likelihood of gamblingabuse.   The University of Sydney, Australia, undertook a significantstudy of the effect of gambling machines, ATM machines, and EPOSsystems on gambling abuse and addiction (Blaszczynski, Sharpe andWalker 2001).   They found customers were more likely to abuse gamblingor display addictive behaviour when gaming places were primarilymachine-serviced.   The more people invol ved in gaming transactions, theless likely addictive behaviour was evidenced, unless such behaviourwas encouraged by the staff involved (Blaszczynski, Sharpe and Walker2001).   They additionally found limiting the combination of machines,such as removing ATM machines from shops where EPOS and similar wereavailable reduced addictive behaviours.Also, while gambling addicts are often profitable in the short-term togaming establishments, too many people suffering from this malady hastraditionally led to public outcry, tightening of gaming regulation,and increased taxes on winnings (Blaszczynski, Sharpe and Walker2001).   It is in the best interests of all involved, therefore, forgaming organisations to strive to increase customers gambling spendingwithout crossing the line into gambling addiction.   The University ofSydney study showed that slowing the timing on machines, for example,reduced the likelihood of display of addictive behaviour Blaszczynski,Sharpe and Walker 2001.   Research and findings such as this should bestrongly evaluated by William Hill management to ensure the optimum useof gaming machines in its shops.Still, not withstanding possible detractions to the organisation, theEPOS system offers many potential benefits to the William Hill firm.  Electronic point of sale technology will enable the bookmaker to take,settle and pay bets electronically, record information from suchtransactions in a central software system, display and distributetargeted betting opportunities and manage estate-wide risk (WilliamHill PLC 2004).   Of these benefits, the two most intriguing from acorporate standpoint are the ability to gather data and profilecustomers, and the resulting use of such data in creating targeted andevent-specific marketing.The EPOS system also allows for extensive capture of customerinformation.   Data generated from customer input can include the numberand frequency of bets, the type of events bet upon, the average amountof each bet , and much more.   This allows the firms management tocreate customer profiles, representing current and target consumergroups.   (Woodruff and Gardial 1996).   For example, a middle-agedcustomer bets on dog races every other Friday.   He typically bets onthe favourites, in the total spend range of pounds forty to sixty, witha typical mix of eight to twelve bets of three to five pounds each.  Since he frequents William Hill, the company can assume some level ofretail brand or local shop loyalty.   The firm would like to see thecustomer bet more often, and in greater amount.   Because they havecollected this data on the customer through the EPOS system, they cansend him direct, targeted advertisements for dog races, and bettingwithin his favoured range.  Ã‚   If they can entice him to place a betoutside his pattern, they have potentially increased his regular spendin addition to this one betting event (Smethurst 2004).   Data gathered from the EPOS system can also b e used to create customerprofiles, which can then be targeted for marketing and event-specificadvertising.   William Hill noticed from similar data gathered on itswebsite that many were registering but not betting.   They hired aprivate firm to assist them in converting this web traffic into betting(Lee 2004).   The firm divided website registrants into four randomgroups.   One group was sent nothing, one was sent a service-led followup email, one was sent an offer-let follow up email, and one received areminder email that they had yet to place a bet.   The company was ableto demonstrate that service- and offer-led email follow up increasedthe number of registrants who became bettors by more than five percent(Lee 2004).   If an experiment such as this can have such positiveresults with random groups, imagine the impact of targeted emails andadvertising on William Hills customer base.Another benefit to the company is that electronic point-of-saletechnology will increase t he efficiency of William Hills bettingoperations.   Prior to the EPOS system, all bets were placed andrecorded manually in betting shops.   In an oversimplified explanationof the manual process, a customer would place a bet by giving a writtenticket to a retail shop staff member, who would give them a receipt inreturn.   The customers bet would be recorded in the shop, and if theywere entitled to winnings, these would be settled by the shop manageror designated staff person.   The organisation had various managementinformation systems into which data from individual shops was recorded,and this was forwarded to the central offices on a regular basis(Caldecote 2004).   Issues for management with the manual system included both the accuracyand detail of reporting.   For example, under scrutiny regarding theannual amount of unclaimed returns at William Hill, David Hood claimedthe company was unable to quantify annual unclaimed returns because thepre-EPOS reporting system did not record or allow for such (Caldecote2004).   This type of information is vital to managements analysis ofthe overall health of the organisation, in addition to profit and losscalculations.   The detail of information provided by the EPOS systemwill easily rectify these reporting difficulties.   The electronicsystem will also save time, allowing data from each shop to be capturedalmost instantly (William Hill PLC 2004).   This enables the company tocalculate statistics and perform analysis on events as they occur, forexample.   In a time-sensitive business such as gambling, this can be ofgreat advantage.Another benefit is that the EPOS system potentially allows William Hillto expand business hours at reduced cost.   As it reduces the need forstaff, betting shops can remain open longer for the same staff costs.  Longer hours give customers more opportunity to bet, increasing thelikelihood of more customers betting because of the enhancement inconvenience, and increas ing the amount customers are likely to bet, asthey are in the betting shop for a longer period of time.   Morecustomers and more spend mean more profit, and potentially more marketshare, all of which are naturally favourable to management (Woodruffand Gardial 1996).     Ã‚  Ã‚   Increased efficiency typically leads to increased competitiveness,provided the firm is being efficient about the right activities.  William Hill was a bit behind its competitors, being the last major UKbookmaker to implement an EPOS system.   It faces one primary competitorin the broader sector, Ladbrokes, and a slew of smaller competitors,primarily in the online market (Thomas 2004).   While many of thesesmaller competitors are striving for differentiation along a variety oflines, William Hill holds to its position that its company branding andstatus will carry it through against such firms.   It has the advantageover Ladbrokes of being in the online gambling arena longer, and hasstepped ahead of them in its entry into television.   Ladbrokes has alarger number of traditional shops, however, which must be factored ingiven William Hills emphasis on the importance of convenience andplace in its loyalty strategies (Thomas 2004, Hargrave 2004).   Ladbrokes also has employed EPOS for a longer time, and has thereforeincreased the integration of the machines and the data they generateinto its overall business and marketing strategies (Hargrave 2004).  The two have similar brand recognition, and are viewed as primecompetitors.   Given Ladbrokes already uses an EPOS system, it is morelikely that increased market share for William Hill will come from theelimination or absorption of smaller competitors, rather thansignificant customer win from Ladbrokes.  Ã‚   Findings of the analysis of available literature concerning WilliamHill, EPOS systems, and potential benefits and losses are generallyfavourable for the EPOS system.   The potential drawbacks of the EPOSsystem include lessened customer loyalty and damage to the corporateimage of a service-oriented firm.   Staff attitude and feeling of valuealso have the potential to suffer from automation.   The system fits inbroad corporate culture of a firm innovative in its use of technology,but may have a negative impact on employees and could potentiallychange local shop culture.   This is particularly important if jobs willbe lost or phased out due to the introduction of the EPOS machines,although the company has not indicated this will be the case.   Theorganisation must finally be cognisant during both implementation andcontinued operation of the potential for gambling abuse and addictionusing EPOS and other automated gambling devices, and make an effort toprovide   a safe, contro lled betting environment.The anticipated benefits of the system, however, outweigh potentialdrawbacks.   First, the EPOS system will increase efficiency in how betsare taken, settled, and paid, both increasing security in bettingtransactions and making each transaction faster and less expensive.  This provides the firm with the potential to forward such savings tothe consumer, increasing the companys ability to meet or beatcompetitors on price issues.   Whether or not any cost savings are passed along to the consumer, thesystem also makes William Hill more competitive in a number of otherways.   In combination with the voucher system already in place, theEPOS system greatly increases the convenience afforded to the customerin placing and settling bets, and withdrawing winnings.   This increasedconvenience is anticipated to result in new customers, particularlythose drawn from other