Farewell Speech Essay Example for Free

Farewell Speech Essay â€Å" Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end. † – Seneca. Middle school ended and now High school has begun. We all go into high school not knowing what to expect. Like if you’ll have the same classes as your best friend, if you’ll have nice teachers, or if you’ll get dumped in a trash can on â€Å"Freshman Friday. † The toughest thing is not knowing which of your friends for middle school will be at your school and which ones won’t be, if your best friend is going to a different school then you. But it’s O. K. high school is a new beginning we get to reconnect with old friends from elementary school and see our friends from last year to. As time goes by and with each of our classes you build new friendships that strengthen as the year goes on. The more you get involved in school the more you get to become friends with more people. I did Cheerleading for school this year and I have no regrets, I made so many new friends because of it they’re like my sisters now. I was also a wrestling manager and that was great I can’t wait to do it again next year, I didn’t only become close with the other managers I also became close with the wrestlers, they’re like brothers now. But no matter how many friends you made in high school you never lose touch with the ones you had in middle school. Every Freshman had those â€Å"Freshman Fears. † Some not as bad others, but everyone has them. Like the fear of â€Å"Freshman Friday† it’s funny because we never actually had that. It’s something they say to scare us†¦. And it works every time. We worry about if we have good teachers or not. Most of them are, but that’s your own opinion. Will we have a lot of our friends in our class? Are they going to have the same lunch as us? We get scared that we’ll get lost in the hall ways, or seniors will run us over. We have so many worries because of what we hear about high school, and that sense we’re the youngest in the school we have the worst teachers. It’s not like that at all in fact this year of high school was great, I wouldn’t change it at all. Yeah, this year wasn’t perfect, there was still drama and fights, but once everyone got past all that this year was really fun. Football games were always fun, everyone went to them and had a great time. Pep rallies are interesting, especially when the seniors and juniors try to win the spirit stick. A lot of people try to make high school sound scary and horrible, but it hasn’t been bad at all. I’ve had a great year and can’t wait to see how the rest of high school will be.

Assessing Service Quality At A 5 Star Hotel

Assessing Service Quality At A 5 Star Hotel 1.1 Introduction Tourism has become one of the great pillars in the Mauritian economy since some years. Today Mauritius is very popular in the Indian ocean and has emerged as a major tourist destination. According to statistical research done, we can say that Mauritius is facing a continual increase in the inflow of visitors during the recent years. Consequently, the hospitality industry faced a rapid growth to accommodate demands, causing a great increase in the number of hotels. The total passenger arrivals during the period January to September 2010 numbered 879,833 representing an increase of 7.3% over the figure of 819,741 for the corresponding period of 2009. Tourist arrivals for the first nine months of 2010 attained 646,656. This represents an increase of 6.2% over the figure of 608,885 registered in the corresponding period of 2009. However, one of the greatest challenges facing hotel organisations today is the ever-growing volume and high level of competition. (Kamdampully et al ,2000). In the highly competitive hotel industry, service becomes one of the most important elements for gaining a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. Improving quality gaps has become a critical issue for the hotel industry in Mauritius as it represents an important source of competitive advantage. In consequence, hotels need to ensure customer satisfaction through the provision of high quality service to their guests for achieving their financial objectives. Increased employee performance is a viable way for hotels to remain competitive. On the other hand, given that delivering service quality and satisfying customers has become the life hood of service providers. Per se, service quality and customer satisfaction need to be investigated to know where the hotel stands and to develop proper methods leading to excellence. The impression that tourists will have of the organisation as a whole will depend on their interaction with the front line employees which means that the latter have a role to play in service quality. However, service quality control is of great importance for customer retention. Customer loyalty is a key determinant for the long term financial performance of organisations (Jones sasser, 1995) . Reichheld and sasser (1990) found that if a firm increases its customer retention rate by 5%, then its total lifetime profits from a typical customer will rise by 25-125%. 1.2 Problem statement The tourism and hospitality industry in our island is developing more rapidly than other industries. Based on data available on tourist arrivals and information gathered from stakeholders, tourist arrivals for the year 2010 has been revised upwards to 920,000. This represents an increase of 5.6% over the figure of 871,356 in 2009. Service quality occupies a significant role in the hotel industry as there is a need to provide service properly. Efficiency cannot be achieved without good proper service quality standards. Assurance of service quality is of great importance in various hotels. So, it is important to alleviate all the downfalls of service quality in this sector to ensure satisfaction of customers . This study is mainly carried out because in Mauritius, the main problem that the hospitality industry is facing nowadays is that demand for high quality service is increasing considerably due to competition. As our country is focussing more on tourism for a better economy, it is vital to see whether the expected class of services are provided to the tourists at the hotels. This shall allow Mauritius to respond to the challenges of the incoming competitive global business environment. By providing high quality service, hotels can enjoy long term profitability. Adapting it to concerned hotel, it is important to know if the employees and the management of the hotel are providing high quality service to the guests to ensure customer satisfaction. 1.3 Objectives of the study The aim of the study is to assess the level of service quality provided by the Hotel. This study will help to know the needs and expectations of the customers of the hotel. The study will also identify the hotel`s current situation and this will help the management of the hotel to develop future strategies to improve services . The study will focus on these objectives : To assess customers` perceptions and expectations of the level of service provided by the Hotel using a modified servqual model. To identify aspects of service that reveal weak and strong areas ( Gaps ) of service quality. To evaluate the level of customer satisfaction at the hotel. To identify appropriate techniques, strategies or action plans to enhance the service at the hotel. 1.4 Profile of organisation Location This 5 star hotel is one of the worlds great resorts -the height of cool, modern elegance, imbued with the warmth of tropical Mauritius, truly one of the Leading Hotels of the World. It lies on a beautiful stretch of sandy coast, looking out over tranquil Trou dEau Douce Bay. Out in the lagoon, are two beautiful islands, including Ile aux Cerfs with its spectacular 18-hole championship golf course, designed by Bernhard Langer. This is 5-star luxury at its best, the perfect holiday setting for couples and families, with a fabulous range of facilities, including an extensive range of water sports and land-based activities, 5 restaurants, a renowned Givenchy spa and personal butler service. The Resort also features three spectacular waterfront Villas, which have redefined the benchmark for luxury in Mauritius. Opened in May 2005, the hotel offer ultra-exclusive and spacious accommodation, using the latest technology to meet the high expectations of the most discerning guests. The hotel comprises of 300 rooms including villas, standard rooms, junior suites, and royal suite. There are 2 Bars known and also 3 Restaurants 1.5 Outline of study The study on assessing service Quality comprises five chapters . Chapter 1 relates to the introduction on service quality in this new century. Then the problem statement is explained followed by the aims and objectives of the study and lastly the hotel profile is shown. Chapter 2 consists of the literature review on service quality and discusses all its related key theories. This chapter has the main objective of broadening knowledge on service quality and customer satisfaction. The second part of the literature review sets out to develop and understanding of the distinctiveness application of service quality and customer satisfaction concepts to the tourism and hospitality industry. Chapter 3 explains the methodology used throughout the study , the methods used for data collection, the sample size , the sample techniques , the data analysis , and the limitations of the study. Chapter 4 presents the actual data findings accompanied by the necessary analysis. Chapter 5 consists of the conclusion and recommendations pertaining to the study. Chapter 2 The literature review The chapter sets out to clarify various concepts around which the thesis would be based. This part is normally divided into three sections whereby the first part gives an insight into the world of services. Then secondly the concept of service quality and its determinants are dealt with on a general point of view. And finally the last section offers a review of customer satisfaction and some elements of services attached to it. Within the chapter, much emphasis has been focussed on the work of Parasuraman , Zeithaml and Berry (1988) who devoted particular attention to the field of service quality. Services Since a couple of years services are growing in importance in the world economy and this is majorly due to the advent in technology. Services are diverse and omnipresent in most industries. They are economic activities that create value and provide benefit for customers at specific times and places as a result of bringing about a desired change in the recipient of the service (Lovelock, 2003). Services can also be viewed as including all economic activities whose output is not physical product or construction , is generally consumed at the time it is produced, and provides added value in forms (such as convenience , amusement , timeliness, comfort or health) that are essentially intangible concerns of its first purchaser ( zeithaml and bitner,2003) Although the process of services may be tied up to physical products, their performances are essentially intangible and do not result in ownership of any kind. This can be identified in all the definitions .In simple terms services can be described as deeds, processes and performances. Characteristics of services Intangibility Services cannot be seen, tasted, felt, heard or smelled before they are bought, as they are rather performances than objects. Customers usually derive value from service without obtaining ownership of any tangible elements in most cases (lovelock 2003) . For example, a tourist cannot know how his holidays would be like, at a particular destination until he/she experiences it. Inseparability Production and consumption of services are done simultaneously, after that they had already been sold before hand. Services cannot be separated from their providers, whether they are people or machines ( Kotler and Armstrong,2001). Customers usually need to assist the production process or even participate in it. This often reveals to be an essential ingredient in the service experienced by the customer. Heterogeneity Services are subject to degrees of variability as they are performances that are frequently produced by humans ( Zeithaml and Bitner,2003). Performances vary from producer to producer, from the customer and from day to day. This is due to our uniqueness; productions of services are delivered differently and experiences, lived in unique ways. Perishability Services are highly perishable items since they cannot be stored for later use or sale. It has a shorterm supply elasticity. Services cannot be stored and carried forward to a future time period (Rathwell,1966,Donnelly,1976 ; and Zeithaml et al..1985).For example, if a tourist reserved for a stay in a hotel during peak seasons ,he may not be re imburse if he does not show up. Customer Expectations Customer expectations are beliefs about service delivery that works as standards or reference points against which performance is judged . It provides understanding of how the customer defines quality of service and facilitates the development of customer satisfaction questionnaires ( Pizam and Ellis,1999). Consumer expectations , therefore , serve as the cornerstone or foundation on which service quality is measured ( Clow et al ..,1997) and represent a critical step in delivering quality service. In simpler terms, Expectations is defined as a person`s thought of the future service that he/she will consume. These are expectations have arised by the person`s personal experience, on the internet, by friends and colleagues through word of mouth etc. Customer perceptions As diverse individuals, we all tend to see the world in our own specific ways. Customers act and react on the basis of their perceptions rather than on the objective reality, meaning that each customer experience services differently. Thus ,it is important for organisations to know how consumers perceive their services so as to take necessary dispositions to enhance quality. Perception is defined as the process by which an individual selects ,organizes and interprets stimuli into meaningful and coherent picture of the world ( Schiffman and kanuk,2002) . Each consumer`s interpretation process is based on this own needs, values and expectations : as such , a cognitive judgement. Customer perceptions are the evaluation of particular services by actually experiencing them. They are always considered relative to expectations . Oliver ( cited in Williams and buswell,2003) defined customer perceptions as `a comparison to excellence in service by the customer `. However , the notion of excellence is difficult to be known and whether this standard can be used to judge a particular service is questionable. Finally, customer perceptions should not only be viewed as being made at the end of and experience ( zeithaml and al..,1990) . It is believed that there is an endless potential for judgements to be made all through out the service delivery process. Perception creation starts whrn the customer first enters the service provider`s premise and continues during the service delivery process till it ends . Thus , it may be assumed that an overall perception is built after a particular experience. Service Quality Service quality is a central issue in this ever growing service economy. It is considered a critical determinant of competitiveness, as it is a source of differentiation for various firms . For instance, and appropriate service quality definition is an essential starting point. Through time , numerous quality concepts have been developed ,starting by shewhart ( cited in Williams and Buswells, 2003 ) with conformance to requirements. Then , Deming (1986) defined quality as the predictable degree of uniformity and dependability at low cost while juran proposed fitness for purpose ( Juran and godfrey,1999). Afterwards, Feigenbaum ( 1991) came with the total quality control throughout the organisation. Crosby ( 1979) equated quality to conformance to requirements until Peters ( 1987) offered the concept of customers perception excellence , which revealed be be fundamental in assessing quality. It is difficult to define service quality due to the various caracteristics of services ( such as tangibility ,perishability ) and to the changing needs and expectations of both providers and users. Quality practitioners view quality from various approaches but most of them prefer the user-based approach to quality. Kotler and Armstrong (2001) define quality as the ability to satisfy stated if implied needs with totality of features and characteristics of a service. In broad terms, quality focuses on the benefits created for customers` side of the equation (lovelock,2003). It is all about how customers, both internal and external , evaluate an organisation`s services. Service quality is modelled as the consumer comparing service attribute ( perceptions) to standards of excellence/ ideals for those attributes ( expectations) (oliver,1993;Parasuraman e al.. 1988). According to Deming ( cited in Van Der Wagen) , 1997) quality does not necessarily mean high quality. It means a predictable degree of uniformity and dependability, with a quality standard suited to the market . he also stated that as a concept , it is closely related to value for money. Whereas for Edvadsson ( 1998) , quality means satisfying needs and meeting expectations ; not only those of customers but also those of employees and owners. High quality service is considered as a critical determinant of long term profitability as service quality affects the repurchase intentions of both existing and potential customers ( Ghobadian e al..,1994 ) . Hence , it can be stated the concept is an effective means to ensure survival or even obtain a competitive position in today`s dynamic environment. However , the only appropriate means is to thrive for continuous improvement. Measuring service quality : As service quality is becoming a major part of business practice , it is important to be able to measure and research its effectiveness ( Mei et al..,1999) . For instance , different management practitioners and writers proposed various models to assess service quality. The figure 2.1 shows the gaps model of service quality Source : Zeithaml , V.A , Parasuraman, A.,Berry, L.L ( 1990) ,Delivering Quality Service : Balancing Customer perceptions and Expectations. Gap 1 : Customers expectation = Management Perceptions : as a result of inadequate marketing research orientation, lack of upward communication, insufficient relationship focus with both customer and stakeholders or even inadequate service recovery. Gap 2 : Service quality Specifications Management Perceptions: as a result of the absence of wholehearted management commitment to service quality , Poor service design, absence of customer defined service standards or even inappropriate goal setting. Gap 3 : Service Quality specifications Service Delivery : owing to poorly qualified employees , inadequate internal support systems , insufficient capacity to serve , customers not filling their roles or problems with service intermediaries among others. Gap 4 : Service Delivery External communications : due to inadequate horizontal communication and propensity to over promise. Gap 5 : Customer Expectations customer Perceptions : as a result of influences exerted from customers` side and because of the previous four gaps ( providers` gaps) Consequently, a process model ( Zeithaml et al..,1990) was developed to assess these gaps and take corrective actions. Servqual Model . SERVQUAL ( Parasuraman et al.,1990) had its roots from a strongly user oriented research done through numerous qualitative studies ( mainly focus groups). Parasuraman et al..,(1988) originally evolved a set of ten dimensions ,which was consolidated into five broad criteria after further in -depth research to evaluate service quality SERVQUAL is viewed as the mostly used ,valid and generally accepted measurement tool ( brown and bond,1995). It assesses customers` expectations and perceptions of quality through five generic dimensions described below : Reliability : ability to perform and deliver promised service dependablyand accurately. Responsiveness : Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. Assurance : Employee`s knowledge , courtesy and ability to inspire trust and confidence ; serving with a smile and be courteous in their approach. Empathy : Caring and individualized attention the firm provides its customers . Ability to make him feel unique and to cater to any of his requirements. Tangibles : Appearances of physical facilities , equipments,personnel and communication materials used to enhance image of the organisation and to signal quality. SERVQUAL questionnaire contains 2 sections : an expectations section consisting of 22 statements and a perceptions section consisting of a matching set of company-specific statements ( Zeithaml et al.,1990). Expectations are measured to serve as standards against which perceptions are compared to determine service quality gap. The instrument is applicable across a broad spectrum of services but it can be adapted or supplemented to fit the characteristics or specific research needs of an organisation. the model has been criticized by a number of academics (Carman 1990; Babakus and Boller 1992; Teas 1994). Criticism was directed at the conceptual and operational base of the model, mostly its validity, reliability, operationalization of expectations, and dimensional structure. However, there is general agreement that servqual items are reliable predictors of overall service quality (Khan 2003) SERVPERF MODEL SERVPERF is quite a different approach from SERVQUAL in the sense that it tries to eliminate the expectations /perceptions problems ( Cronin and taylor, 1994 ) . It considers customer satisfaction, rather than service quality , as the sole construct determining purchase intentions . It is a performance-based model that considers service quality to be same as performance and Robledo (2001) confirmed that it is more appropriate for satisfaction measurement of Business` process by customers ( Baggs and Kleiner,1996) Importance -Performance Analysis ( IPA) IPA is a technique used to identify attributes that are considered as important factors to customers. It measures their relative importance associated with a service/product and also indicates the degree of performance ,i.e level of satisfaction (Martilla and james ,1977). As SERVQUAL,IPA support the view that quality is a function of customer perceptions of performance. SERVPEX MODEL Another model is the SERVPEX (Robledo ,2001), developed for airline services , which possess 26 attributes and a three -factor structure (tangibles, reliability and customer care). It is a basic tool for investigating perceived service quality and expectations. Quality Audit Quality audit is also an instrument assessing quality . It is often carried out as part of quality standard certification processes (e.g ISO 9000) and in TQM programs ( Rajendra and Devadasan,2005). Various researches developed quality audit tools and techniques for specific fields ; chapman et al.,2002 ( cited in Rajendra et al., 2005), to enhance quality in libraries , while, Takeuchi et all,1983 ( cited in Chua Chow et al.,2005), to improve customer service. Critical Incident Technique ( CIT) A critical incident is an observable action or form of expression, which is complete enough in itself to allow inferences to be drawn ( Davis , 2006). CIT is a very useful technique in solving real workplace problems and Edvardsson and Roos (2001) confirmed its limitless capacities in dealing with these types of problems . For instance ,CIT provides a generic road map to identify and resolve organisational problems ,particularly customer- centered ones ( Davies,2006 ) . It is like analysing the interactions of customers with providers during a service delivery . As such , it can be applied to the total customer experience ( Williams and Buswell,2003). Unfortunately, CIT has had very little exposure in the practical sphere. Direct Investigation Approach (DIA) DIA is basically a qualitative technique , which is also known as mystery shopping . It involves disguising an inspector as a customer and allowing him to actually experience the service level of an organisation under evaluation ( Baggs and kleiner, 1996). It provides an objective snapshot of the service experience through the detailed report of encounters and observation that the inspector would submit. QUALITOMETRO QUALITROMETRO is a method on the service quality dimensions ,proposed by parasuraman et al.,1988, conceived for evaluation and ON-LINE service quality control(Francheschini and Rossetto, 1995b). It allows for the possibility of a separate measurement of expected (observed as ex-ante) and perceived (observed as ex-post) quality without the potential for cross-influence on the same questionnaire . But QUALITROMETRO is still under advanced experimentation ( Francheschinie et al.,1998). Managing service quality One road to success in this dynamic world of changing customer expectations is good management practices to maintain excellent quality levels. The pioneer in this field was an American ,W. Edwards Deming who developed quality management strategies for the Japanese. Quality strategies for the Japanese . Quality management came from two ideas about how to run organisations better ; the first is about customers and the second about efficiency . Service quality management is a philosophy of continuous evaluation and improvement ( Van Der Wagen,1997) . It encloses a blend of practices such as quality control , quality measurement and service management Research done by Stephan and Yvonne Lagrosen (2003) on quality management revealed that the following core values were necessary to dash off on a quality journey. 1.Customer orientation . satisfaction of the needs and wants of customers is the ultimate goal ,being considered as the basis for quality management. Both internal and external customers are included . It is of most relevance for services as customer participation is often required in production is often required on production and also due to the high interaction level. 2. leadership commitment . an active and visible commitment from management is required . Managers need to act as role models for quality ; focus need to be more on the processes rather than the outcomes. 3. Participation of everybody . Development of quality requires the participation of each organizational member. Employees should be empowered and for services , this is particularly important for the front staffs, who perform their duties in direct interaction with customers. 4. Continuous improvements . It is important to have a sustainable development of quality and to adopt a learning culture in today`s dynamic environment. Companies should constantly renew and improve all their services processes . Focus should not be only on short-term benefits but also on long term ones. 5. Management by facts. Effective management information systems must be developed ; decisions should be based on reliable and well-documented facts. A selection of indicators related to quality and satisfaction should be used. 6. Process orientation . Firms should have processes designed to enhance customer satisfaction . The way services are produced and delivered are essential to achieve service quality. Service blueprinting is a valuable and adequate tool in this context. Total Quality Management ( TQM ) TQM is one of the most common frameworks for managing quality. It can be regarded as the highest level of quality management ( Dale, 1999) . Development of this concept is largely attributed to Japanese manufacturing companies and to quality experts including W.Edward Deming , Joseph M. Juran and Philip Crosby ( cited in Peters, 1999 and Hutchins,1992 ) .TQM is principally designed to reduce an organisation`s defects , to determine its customers` requirements, and to satisfy these requirements ( Morrison,2001) . Five principles of TQM : Commitment to quality. Quality is the top priority of any firm instituting a TQM program . Management must take the responsibility to participate and direct the TQM process to ensure its success. Focus on customer satisfaction . TQM organisations recognise that customer care about quality and make the necessary efforts to find out their expected service quality levels. Upon determination of these standards, every effort is made to meet or exceed those expectations. Assessment of organisational culture. The consistency of the existing organisational culture must be assessed with the TQM principles . A team of top executives and employees usually does this practice over a period of several months. Empowerment of Employees and teams . The success of a TQM program is greatly due to the empowerment of employees that allows them to better satisfy each individual customer. Measurement of Quality Efforts. TQM firms must be able to measure the outcomes of their quality improvement efforts . Various service quality indicators ( such as customer satisfaction and employee performance measurements) should be utilized. HOLSERV Mei et al.., (1999) brought about some amendements to SERVQUAL and developed HOLSERV to fit the Australian hospitality industry . Three items were deleted and eight others were either modified or added to the initial measurement tool, transforming it to 27 items , divided into three dimensions ( employees, tangibles and reliability ) as a final scale. It is also more user friendly and reliable but the technique needs to be supplemented with qualitative research. JUWAHEER`S ADAPTED SERVQUAL Juwaheer ( 2004) modified the servqual to explore the international tourists` perception of hotel operations in Mauritius . 39 attributes were developed through nine hotel factors , which were identified as service quality and customer satisfaction determinants. Q-Sort technique Q-sort method ( Ekinci and Riley , 1999) serves the purpose of improving surveys . It addresses problems like where is no consensus on the meaning of a particular concept ( e.g service quality). Q-Sort technique can assess the validity of quality dimensions before they are used in measurement tools but its results must be subject to factors analysis to ensure reliability. It must further be noted that it is only a preliminary approach in scale development. Service Quality in tourism When we talk about tourism, we must also talk about quality issues to provide a quality tourism product. Among the service industries tourism is especially significant in terms of its sensitivity to quality issues and in fact, service quality is one of the goal tourism policy issues in the light of the rapid growth of the industry. Valid approaches regarding service quality for the tourism industry is the customer oriented and the value-oriented approach of Garvin`s five definition of quality (Williams et al..,2003) since the specific issue of quality in tourism has not yet been address by management academics and no specific definitions have been attributed to the industry. The customer-oriented approach views customers as central to the organisation and to all aspects of the operational procedures. This explains the necessity of constantly gathering information on guests` expectations (which Diaz-martin et al., 2000, considers as a segmentation variable in tourism), perceptions and complaints concerning services. Services are delivered according to the needs and wants of customers so as to enhance their holiday experience. Moreover, the customer must derive value from the tourism product ; the quality in tourism must be both in terms of the physical product ( hotel design, room,restaurant, menu items , etc ) and the service being offered. According to Horst Schulze, president and chief executive of the ritz carlton hotel company, ( service can only be accomplished by people. The hotel can be breathe-takingly beautiful adn the food memorable, but a poor employee can quickly sour the experience). The service element is crucial in enhancing the quality of the experience of the tourist , who will always be conscious of, and even assessing , the attitude , skills and competencies of the host delivering a particular service. Gronroos (1984) , regarded service quality from 2 point of view : technical adn functional quality. The technical quality is the actual outcome of the service while the functional quality is all about the process that has been undergone to deliver the outcome. Both are considered equally important owing to their impact on customers and can surely be applied in the tourism context. The world Tourism Organization (WTO, 2003b) has defined quality in tourism as : the result of a process which implies the satisfaction of all legitimate product and service needs, requirements and expectations of the customer , at an acceptable price , in conformity with the underlying quality determinants such as safety and security, hygiene , accessibility , transparency , authenticity and harmony of the tourism activity concerned with its human and natural environment. In the above definition we can clearly find that elements of both the customer-oriented and value oriented approach has been considered together with attributes which are directly connected with the tourism concept. Tourism quality is taken from a holistic perspective in this definition. One universal truth about the tourism industry, it is that nothing

The Godmother of All the Pretty Horses Essay -- Essays Papers

The Godmother of All the Pretty Horses In analysis of the character, Duena Alfonsa, in the novel All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, facets of her character are clearly revealed. From her physical deformity to her feelings of her father keeping her exiled in her own country, seventy-two year old Alfonsa is filled with a lifetime of complex situations. Her character was consistent and motivational in wisdom and provided greatness in her role in the novel. She is a grandaunt and godmother of Alejandra, a young teenager still in school. The Duena, one could say, is the "Godfather" of the novel. She literally "goes to the mattresses" in protecting her grandniece from a man. After seventy-two years of life, Alfonsa speaks of her life's experiences at an elevated level of knowledge. She is formal, polite, and full of assuredness. McCarthy describes Alfonsa's appearance as an "elegance chilling" (McCarthy 227). Her knowledge came from reading books. McCarthy writes of Alfonsa, "By the time I was sixteen I had read many books and I had become a freethinker" (McCarthy 232). Alfonsa's complexity included her physical deformity. She describes the loss of her last two fingers of her left hand in a shooting accident when she was seventeen years old where the barrel of the gun exploded while she was shooting for live pigeons. This placed her with several perspectives. Two of her perspectives in becoming deformed were, first, it lead her to the feelings...

The Nuremberg Trials Essay -- Essays Papers

The Nuremberg Trials On June 22, 1945 representatives from France, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States started to plan the prosecution of the main Axis war criminals. These representatives had to establish a fair way of trying the criminals because the world had never seen a situation like the one at hand. The result of the meeting was the International Military Tribunal. The Tribunal’s constitution set forth the principles the defendants were subject to. The panel of Allied representatives decided to hold the trial in Nuremberg. Nuremberg was chosen because the city served as the center of Nazi activities and offered nice facilities (Keeshan 3). Lawyers from the Allied powers submitted an indictment to the Tribunal on October 18, 1945. The indictment charged twenty-four Nazi leaders with crimes committed during World War II (Keeshan 9). The trials were set to start in the middle of November in 1945. Allied troops with the help of some German citizens restored the city because the city was in ruins prior to the scheduled starting date of the trial. The Nazi leaders were incarcerated in Nuremberg in August 10, 1945 (Keeshan 13). A defendant named Robert Ley committed suicide two weeks before the start of the trial. Therefor, an Allied guard was placed at the door of each Nazi leader’s prison door to stop them from killing themselves. When the November trial date finally arrived the city was restored, the defendants were secured and the trial was ready to begin (Keeshan 20). The brutal crimes that the defendants were on trial for revolved around the "Holocaust." It is important to understand the meaning of the word holocaust when viewing the defendant’s case. The definition of hol... ...onot 498). The rest of the guilty defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment including Rudolf Hess. Hess was the deputy to the Fuehrer and successor to Hitler after Goering. Hess hung himself in 1987. The men sentenced to death were killed on October 16, 1946 and their ashes were put into a river outside of Munich. Symbolically, "the center of the Nazi movement became the grave of its leaders (Conot 507)." Works Cited - Bosch, William. Judgement on Nuremberg. Chapel Hill, NC: U. of North Carolina Press, 1970. - Conot, Robert. Justice at Nuremberg. New York: Harper & Row Press, 1983. - Keeshan, Anne. Justice at Nuremberg. New York: Marvel Press, 1950. - Rosenbaum, Alan. Prosecuting Nazi War Criminals. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1993. - Smith, Bradley. The Road to Nuremberg. New York: Basic Books Publishers, 1981.

The Benefits of Vitamin E :: essays research papers

The benefits of vitamin E are now fairly well established. Out of a controversial past it has become clear that vitamin E plays important roles as an antioxidant, in your immune system, in preventing heart disease and even in helping prevent cancer. As if this wasn’t enough, the research continues into other beneficial effects that vitamin E may have. It’s not particularly easy to come by however meaning if you want to get all the benefits you probably should consider a supplement to your diet. Vitamin E has many uses. Vitamin E plays an important role as an antioxidant. This means that it is important in preventing the damaging effects of free radicals which are by-products of many normal body processes. Vitamin E can works alongside the other important antioxidants, vitamin C and beta-carotene. It is only relatively recently that the benefits of vitamin E in preventing heart disease have been well proven despite it being suspected since the 1940s. Studies have shown that taking regular vitamin E, either through diet or supplements can have quite dramatic effects to lower your risk of heart disease. In addition to it’s preventative effects, there have been other studies which have indicated that vitamin E can help stop the progression of heart disease which has already been established. Another way in which it acts is to help prevent severe blood clots which can in some cases be highly dangerous. So all around vitamin E can offer some great benefits against heart disease. It has been known for some time that vitamin E can boost the immune system. The antioxidant effects of vitamin E help the immune reaction, but in addition vitamin E works to protect cell membranes against being penetrated by attacking microbes. The idea that vitamin E might help prevent cancer came from observations that people with cancer often have low levels of vitamin E. So the question that needs answering is - does one cause the other? Do low levels of vitamin E make people more likely to develop cancer, or does having cancer cause your levels of vitamin E to drop? There is growing evidence that low levels of vitamin E do make you more likely to develop cancer. This is good news because we can do something about low levels of vitamin E – get more, and reduce our cancer risk. The antioxidant effects of vitamin E seem to be what is giving this protection. So far there is evidence of this effect in acting against colon, cervical and breast cancers and possibly lung cancer. Another benefit can come in patients who are receiving radiation therapy for cancer in whom vitamin E appears to help reduce the side effects of treatment. For normal nerve function vitamin E is essential.

Good Governance Essay

Good Governance has 8 major characteristics. It is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. It assures that corruption is minimized, the views of minorities are taken into account and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. It is also responsive to the present and future needs of society. But there is one characteristic I like most, it is the Accountability. Accountability is a key requirement of good governance. Not only governmental institutions but also the private sector and civil society organizations must be accountable to the public and to their institutional stakeholders. Who is accountable to who varies depending on whether decisions or actions taken are internal or external to an organization or institution. In general an organization or an institution is accountable to those who will be affected by its decisions or actions. Accountability cannot be enforced without transparency and the rule of law. Maybe some of you will ask why is accountability important to Governance? It is because it evaluates the ongoing effectiveness of public officials or public bodies ensures that they are performing to their full potential, providing value for money in the provision of public services, instilling confidence in the government and being responsive to the community they are meant to be serving. Being accountable is also being liable, responsible for every person that affects your decision. For example, me as a Student leader we are here to serve students, to fight for their rights. Therefore, we must consider first the sake of the students before we make a decision. Because when we took our positions there is a corresponding responsibility that we must face. Reproductive Health Bill informally known as the RH Bill, are proposed laws in the Republic of the Philippines aiming to guarantee universal access to methods of contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care. For sure you are wondering why this issue is in this essay, well I believe this issue is related on being accountable. Why? Did government even consider that our country is well known to be a religious country? That, in every time they use those contraceptives they are actually killing an innocent life? They always say that this is the only way to surpass, lessen poverty. But it’s actually wrong, do they consider the effect of this or should I say to they consider themselves accountable/liable for this? Corruption is definitely one of the problems seen by the citizen and the government as well. There have been lots of controversies relative to government officials being involved with money issues. The thing is that even though there are hearings and investigations, the truth never seems to come out–whether it’s positive or negative news. Poverty and employment would also be among the problems. There are more people that are going hungry. Government and Us are all accountable to it. Why? We as a citizen we can make a living among ourselves because at the end of the day we are still the driver of our own life. But, as a citizen we voted those who are on the position now because we believe that they will minimize our burdens. At the point that we elect them they are already accountable. But after they got what they want all their promises turn to trash. They do things without even considering us. In the end, nothings happen. Accountability or being accountable can be achieved by putting and doing all our jobs in our hearts. Yes, it’s hard but we chose to be in this place all we need to do is face it effectively and do the best we can for the better. Don’t be scared to commit mistakes because those are our experiences and lesson learned. Remember, think first before you make a decision.

Overview of SQUARE pharmaceuticals LTD Essay

Introduction: Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (SPL) has been the trendsetter in Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Market since its inception in 1958. Over the last decade SPL actually rose to a new standard moving beyond manufacturing quality medicines to win mindshare of patients, physicians, shareholders, business partners, and communities where we work and live. Our dedication to add more value to the common wealth of the society compounded by innovative strategies for growth and diversification, pioneering role in bringing new technology and implementing new ideas, and commitment for total quality management distills the glory of our success. Today SPL is not merely a market leader. Most of the products that it actively markets enjoy leadership position demonstrating incomparable trust of the healthcare professionals. Today SPL is ready to face the challenge of scarce sourcing of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) in the post-WTO era, with its advanced a manufacturing capability. SPL is one of the first companies to have an extensively computerized and automate working environment connecting every corner of the country to the centre. Productivity through connectivity is one of our heritages of progress. SPL is the first company to go beyond the national boundary, exporting its quality products in overseas markets in Asia Africa, and Europe. More than that, SPL has probably fulfilled a national aspiration of turning a once import dependent country into an exporter of quality medicines. We believe, with our technological and managerial know-how and ability to take on challenges, we will be able to progress much faster towards our objective of becoming the nation’s most Visionary Company Objectives: Our main objective is to prepare this project to know about the organization. We try to focus on the project SWOT analysis, potter five forces, organization design in Square Pharmaceutical Ltd. Scope: Our assignment is only document basis so we have not opportunity to take interview, survey and make observation. As it is a report about an  organization so we have opportunity to collect data by reading documents from their web sites. Methodology: To complete our project and reach in a decision we some methods. To collect information we search internet, read newspaper, and utilize our personal observation. ABOUT COMPANY: Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a leading edge pharmaceutical company based in Dhaka, Bangladesh and is acclaimed for its outstanding product quality, world-class manufacturing facilities, product development capabilities and outstanding professional services. SQUARE today symbolizes a name – a state of mind. But its journey to the growth and prosperity has been no bed of roses. From the inception in 1958, it has today burgeoned into one of the top line conglomerates in Bangladesh. Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd., the flagship company, is holding the strong leadership position in the pharmaceutical industry of Bangladesh since 1985 and is now on its way to becoming a high performance global player. Historical Background of Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Limited is the largest pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh and it has been continuously in the 1st position among all national and multinational companies since 1985. It was established in 1958 and converted into a public limited company in 1991. 1958: Debut of SQUARE Parma as a Partnership Firm. 1964: Converted into a Private Limited Company. 1985: Achieved market-leadership in the pharmaceutical market of Bangladesh among all national and multinational companies. 1987: Pioneer in pharmaceutical export from Bangladesh. 1991: Converted into a Public Limited Company 1997: Won the National Export trophy for exporting pharmaceuticals. 1998: Agro-chemicals & Veterinary Products division of SQUARE Pharmaceuticals starts its operation. 2001: US FDA/UK MCA standard new pharmaceutical factory goes into operation built under the supervision of Bevis Lend Lease, UK. 2005: New State-of-the-Art SQUARE Cephalosporin’s Ltd. goes into operation; built under the supervision of TELSTAR S.A. of Spain as per US FDA/ UK MHRA requirements. 2007: SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Dhaka Unit gets the UK MHRA approval. 2012: SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Dhaka Unit and SQUARE Cephalosporin’s Ltd. get the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia approval. Mission: Our Mission is to produce and provide quality & innovative healthcare relief for people, maintain stringently ethical standard in business operation also ensuring benefit to the Shareholders, stakeholders and the society at large. Visions: We view business as a means to the material and social wellbeing of the investors, employees and the society at large, leading to accretion of wealth through financial and moral gains as a part of the process of the human civilization. Objective: Our objectives are to conduct transparent business operation based on market mechanism within the legal & social framework with aims to attain the mission reflected by our vision. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large. SQUARE’s activity goes well beyond the sphere of business. As socially conscious and responsible corporate body SQUARE is committed to the improvement of the society as a whole. SQUARE helps many NGO’s in their effort to make available healthcare to the disadvantage population of the country. SQUARE is also a major sponsor of sporting events in the country. Organization Design: The Board of Directors is responsible for the strategic planning and overall policy guidelines of the bank. Besides, there is an audit committee in the Board to oversee compliance of major regulatory and operational issues. The CEO& MD, Deputy MD and group executives are responsible for  achieving business goals and overseeing the day to day operations. The CEO and MD assisted by a senior management group supervise operation of various decisions centrally and coordinate operation of branches. There is also a management committee comprising member of the senior executive headed by CEO and MD to look into all operational function and risk management of the bank. The workflow of the organizational structure is given in the figure below: 1. Work specialization 2. Departmentalization 3. Span of control 4. Chain of command 5. Centralization & Decentralization 6. Formalization Work specialization: Work specialization, which is dividing work activities into separate job task. Individual employees specialize in doing part of an activity rather than the entire activity in order to increase work output. It’s also known as division of labor. There are some work specialists in SPL. Research and Development Information Technology Human Resource Supply Chain Marketing Customer Development Business to Business Finance Department Departmentalization: Grouping jobs together is called departmentalization. Departmentalization and Division of labor is the same thing. Each and every organization follows some common forms of departmentalization. The five common forms of departmentalization are: Functional Departmentalization Geographical Departmentalization Product Departmentalization Process Departmentalization Customer Departmentalization Functional departmentalization: Groups jobs according to function. For instance it has the departments for marketing, accounting and finance, human resource and management information system separately. All the departments together form functional departmentalization under managing director Geographical Departmentalization: Groups Jobs according to Geographic region. Square distributes its products all over the country using its own distribution channel. It has a large number of vehicles and sales depots to ensure coverage of the whole country. Its coverage is the best in the country. Product Departmentalization: Groups jobs by product line. Process Departmentalization: In every distribution channel certain type of process is obtained to maintain the customer flow.. To show the way of working of Square Pharma Ltd. under process departmentalization, a diagram is presented below. Customer departmentalization: Groups on the basis of specific and unique customers. SPL has several product lines; the tasks are definitely different to serve the customer of individual product line. Customers’ needs and problems differ from one product line to another. Research and Development: This department brings ideas to improve and introduce their brands as well. Information Technology: The managers of this department find the new technologies available and use. This technology to drive competitive advantage. Human Resource Department: Managers of this dept use to drive the employees in a disciplined manner to achieve organizational goal. Here they also motivate the employees to the fullest possible extent. Customer Development: Building relationship with customer and maintain the relation is important job for any organization that and is done by the managers of this departments. This department also tries to find needs and wants of the customers. Supply Chain Department: After production how products should be distributed to the supplier- wholesalers, retailer or what would be the chain of supply of the products from production till sales to the final consumer is totally operated by this department. Marketing Department: Managers of Marketing department tries to create values of their brands to the customer by taking various steps like- promotion, advertisement, free distribution and so on. Finance Department: The vital role is played by finance department these departments develop plans for their financial activities and also prepare the budget for the coming fiscal year. Span of Control: How a manager can efficiently and effectively manage his subordinates is called span of control. In case of SPL, they strong span of control as a result they gain market leadership as well as their progress increasing. Formalization: SPL is a highly formalized organization; there are explicit job descriptions, numerous organizational rules, and clearly defined procedures covering work process. All employees have to follow guided rules and procedures in SPL. SWOT Analysis of the SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd. The overall evaluation of a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is called SWOT analysis. In general, a business unit has to monitor key macro environment forces (demographic- economic, technological, political-legal, and social-cultural) and significant microenvironment actors (customers, competitors, distributors, suppliers) that affect its  ability to earn profits. The business unit should set up a marketing intelligence system to track tends and important developments. For each trend or development, management needs to identify the associated opportunities and threats . Strengths: Recognizes as a global company. Brand value Strong brand portfolio. Strong relationship with retailers. Economies of scale. Largest organizations Advanced technology Well skilled professionals Good distribution network all over world Square Pharmaceuticals provided creative strategies Strong marketing and good image creation Wide distribution channels in both national and internal markets Decentralized decision-making. Weaknesses: Dual leadership Not connecting with customers. Inefficient management of brands. Focus on short term strategy High cost of restructuring Hard to manage and control company structure High cost limit promotions in company Opportunities: Changing consumer’s preference Increasing need for several diseases Rural areas are a large prospective market Employing external job applicants Gain high market share Introducing new distribution channel Promote its products in new geographic areas Customer base is increasing with effective marketing Take advantage of the changes of technology Population expanding at a rapid rate Low income consumers Threats: The threats of the pharmaceutical industry are the analysis of the external industry components that could create an opportunity for the SPL to decline, atrophy or lose some competitive edge. For example, the pharmaceutical industry’s threats could include increased government regulation, a declining economy, increasing research and development (R&D) costs or a decrease in the global population. The threats of SPL are discussed below. Product innovation is ineffective The high competition for market share increases rapidly Changes of people’s perception Political and Economic factors Increasing social awareness in society Unfavorable conditions Acquisition decision Lack of proper knowledge in medicine Industry Analysis: Is a vital part of the decision making process in business? Industry Analysis helps investor to take decision. Industry Analysis also helps entrepreneurs to iron out the wrinkles in their business plans. Michael Porter has identified five forces that are widely used to assets the structure of any industry. Porter’s five forces are: Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of Suppliers Current rivalry Threat of new entrants: Pharma industry is one of the most easily accessible industries for an entrepreneur in Bangladesh. The capital requirement for the industry is very low; creating a regional distribution network is easy, since the point of sales is restricted in this industry in Bangladesh. Economies of scale: Square pharma can easily produce based on economies of scale but it is quite difficult to new entrants for produce based on economies of scale First mover advantage:  It was established in 1958 and converted into a public limited company in 1991.First mover advantage is part of the standard lore of the I-Cubed Economy. It means that the first company into a market generally wins. Access to channels of distribution and relationship: The Square pharma is a large pharmaceutical company in our country so they have large distribution channel and good relationship with the retailers. Distribution Channel at a Glance: Threat of substitute Products: This is one of the great advantages of the pharma industry. Whatever happens, demand for pharma products continues and the industry thrives. One of the key reasons for high competitiveness in the industry is that as an ongoing concern, pharma industry seems to have an infinite future. However, in recent times, the advances made in the field of biotechnology, can prove to be a threat to the synthetic pharma industry. Bargaining power of buyers: The unique feature of pharma industry is that the end user of the product is different from the influencer. The consumer has no choice but to buy what doctor says. However, when we look at the buyer’s power, we look at the influence they have on the prices of the product. In pharma industry, the buyers are scattered and they as such does not wield much power in the pricing of the products. However, government with its policies plays an important role in regulating pricing through the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority. Price Sensitivity: Square pharma is produced the pharmaceutical products which are undifferentiated product and there are few switching cost. Relative Bargaining Power: Two factors related to the relative bargaining power †¢Number of buyer: The buyers bargaining power is determined by the number of buyer relative to the number of suppliers. †¢Volume per buyer: It is determined by volume of purchase by single buyer. The number of buyer of Square pharma is a single buyer with several alternative suppliers. Bargaining power of Suppliers: The pharma industry depends upon several organic chemicals. The chemical industry is again very competitive and fragmented. The chemicals used in the pharma industry are largely a commodity. The suppliers have very low bargaining power and the companies in the pharma in dusty can switch from their suppliers without incurring a very high cost. However, what can happen is that the supplier can go for forward integration to become a pharma company. Companies like Orchid Chemicals and Sasha Chemicals were basically chemical companies, who turned themselves into pharmaceutical companies. In case of Square pharma there is low bargaining powers of supplier Current revelry: Concentration and Balance Competitors: The number of firms in an industry and their relative sizes determine the degree of concentration. Lots of similar size and strong competitor exist in the market and price competition is likely to be harsh. So square pharma product price is competitive. Degree of differentiation and switching cost: Product differentiation is not the driver, cost competitiveness is. However, companies like Square pharma have created big brands in over the years, which act as product differentiation tools. Excess Capacity and Exit barrier: It is quit impractical for square pharma or other firms to exit from this  industry because of they cannot use those machineries in other purpose. Also here some rules and regulation exist no one cannot easily exist from this industry. Recommendation: Quality and control: According to international standard square pharmaceuticals ltd. Should maintain their product quality Local market share: At present in Bangladesh square pharmaceuticals is the market leader in pharmaceutical sector. Its followers and competitors always try to increase their percentage of market share. So square pharma concentrate more to increase his market share Dynamic sales strategies: Due to the customer complaint and the lack of guidelines to prevent untrained sales staff from serving customers, we recommended that square pharma should take dynamic sales strategies for higher customer satisfaction. Foreign market: Though SPL captured Asia, Africa, Middle East pharmaceutical market but the Europe market till now un-captured. So square pharma should concentrate more in Europe market. Conclusion: In finally, I can say that Square Pharmaceuticals Limited play an important for economic development of the country after creating job opportunities, and earning profits as well. SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Limited is the largest pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh and it has been continuously in the 1st position among all national and multinational companies since 1985. Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Pharmaceuticals http://www.squarepharma.com.bd/index.php http://www.scribd.com http://www.managementstudyguide.com/swot-analysis.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_five_forces_analysis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Departmentalization Books: Management-10th-Edition-Stephen P.Robbins & Mary Coulter