The Boys Life free essay sample

You know youve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend. † This quote by Paul Sweeney describes exactly how I felt after reading and watching Tobias Wolff’s memoir This Boy’s Life. After I closed the book and once the credits started to roll, I felt as if something in my life went missing. I speak for everyone when I say that it’s impossible to walk away from this story without taking something away from it. Audrey Hepburn says that everything she has learned in life, she learned from movies. A quote from Groucho Marx stated that when he read a book, he brought something away from it. Even if he learned a new word or a lesson in life that he could live by, he at least remembered something. After reading a book or watching a movie, there is always something that you can say you did not know before. We will write a custom essay sample on The Boys Life or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page So does the movie and memoir This Boy’s Life have any value? Yes this book does have value, what book doesn’t?. The value of this book and movie can be determined by the lessons it teaches, how people can relate to it, and new learning experience and fun it provides in the English curriculum. Slow and steady wins the race. He that has many friends has no friends. We all become familiar with these lessons but where did we learn them? We learn lessons from parents and grandparents that have passed them down but the most common place we learn valuable life lessons would be from books. Books, both fiction and non-fiction, teach lessons that can help us later on in life. Examples of books that have very valuable life lessons include The Tortoise and the Hare, Horton Hatches the Egg, and many other fables and children’s books. Horton Hatches the Egg teaches that it’s important to keep your promises because faithfulness has its own rewards. Like many other stories, This Boy’s Life has many important lessons in it too. Think before you act would be an example of a life lesson that this book teaches. During this story, Toby does not do much thinking before he acts and it gets him in many sticky situations. During the book and the movie, Toby hangs out with some of his friends from Concrete. While Toby was intoxicated, he thought it would be a good idea to walk across a tree branch. The tree branch suddenly snapped. He fell down and rolled down the hill until he landed in some bushes where his friends could not find him. Toby should have thought about the consequences of drinking before he decided to do it. Another incident, which happens in both the movie and the book, when Toby fails to think before he acts, occurs when he writes the obscene words on the bathroom wall. This got him in serious trouble and could have been avoided if he took a few seconds to think about it. Wolff writes, â€Å"It was 1955 and we were driving from Florida to Utah, to get away from a man my mother was afraid of and to get rich on uranium. We were going to change our luck. †. This demonstrates the lesson if you don’t succeed try and try again. They keep trying different places to live at and people to live with until they finally found somewhere that works for them. They try many different places like Utah, Seattle, and Concrete. As it stated at the end of the movie, Rosemary ended up going back to Florida while Toby went up to New York. This story also taught the lesson that every adult wants to embed in a child’s head, always tell the truth. Throughout the entire story Toby has a hard time telling the truth. An example is when he writes the letters to Annette and Alice. He told them that he was rich and that his father was a rancher or owned a fleet of fishing boats. He also lied to them about his age and where he lived. â€Å"The priest gave me my penance and absolved me. As I left the confessional I heard his own door open and close. Sister James cane forward to meet me again, and we waited together as the priest made his way to where we stood. Breathing hoarsely, he steadied himself against a pillar. He laid his other hand on my shoulder. â€Å"That was fine,† he said. â€Å"Just fine. He gave my shoulders a squeeze. â€Å"You have a fine boy here, Sister James. † She smiled. â€Å"So I do, Father. So I do. . Along with lying to Alice and Annette, he also did not tell the truth to the Father and Sister James. In the book and the movie we witness Jack talking to Sister James. She tells him all of her confessions. When he goes into confess, he tells the Father everythin g that Sister James said and not what he himself wants to confess. Lying to the priest, Sister James, Alice and Annette, and even his mother gave them false impressions which in some cases can make problems even worse. Not only does this memoir and movie have value because of the lessons it teaches but also because of the way people can relate to it. C. S. Lewis once said, â€Å"We read to know we are not alone. † When we read a book, our mind automatically try’s to find ways in which we can relate to a particular event or character in the story. Many people can relate to This Boy’s Life, especially teenagers. During the story Tobias Wolff, or also known as Toby and Jack, is a troubled teenager. He searches for acceptance by doing things like smoking, writing on walls, stealing things and also vandalism. In many of the scenes from the movie we see him smoking with his friends, and in others we see him drinking. Some call this type of behavior peer pressure. Peer pressure happens to everyone one time or another. Toby’s parents got a divorce and Toby ended up living with his mother. Since his father is in another state and he doesn’t have that much contact with him Toby misses a big part of his family. Many kids who don’t have a father or their parents have had a divorce can relate to Toby. During the movie and the book, Toby and his mother move around a lot. They have lived in many different states and in different houses. Many families move to either different cities or states because of jobs or sometimes family. So anyone who has moved, even just down the street, can relate to this part of the story. â€Å"At the end of every show the local station gave an address for Mousketeer Mail. I had been writing Annette. †. Every kid has or has had a crush on a TV show or movie character and most of us have probably written to them in hopes for a response just like Toby did. When writing to Alice and Annette, he lies about his life. He makes his life seem very extravagant and amazing. Many people lie to others to make their life or their experiences seem more enjoyable and exciting to listen to. The value of the memoir and movie can also be determined by the variety and the new learning experience it provides in the English classroom. When I walk into the room and my teacher says that we will be reading a book all I think to myself, â€Å"really another one † but this experience was anything but ordinary. After the book was over, I thought that we finished completely. Mrs. Harshman told us that we would be watching the movie that went along with the book. Watching a film after reading the book was like learning to ride a bike all over again. It became a great learning experience for both my classmates and I. It cleared up parts of the book that I may have been uncertain about and made the picture in my head more clear. For example, in one part of the movie Dwight and Toby drive up to Concrete and along the way Dwight stops at a tavern. Dwight drives drunk and swerves all over the road, which scares Toby. When I read this part of the book I did not know that Dwight was drunk at the time, I just thought he tried to scare Toby. When I saw the movie, it cleared this part of the book up for me. When we watched the movie it also gave us a chance to compare which one in our opinion was better. Along with that, we also found which parts of the book the director left out and let us brainstorm why we thought he left out those parts. By doing this, it helped us to walk in another person’s shoes because we had to think like directors. For instance, on page three and four, Wolff writes, â€Å"By the time we got there, quite a few people were standing along the cliff where the truck went over. It had smashed through the guardrails and fallen hundreds of feet through empty space to the river below, where it lay on its back among the boulders. It looked pitifully small. A stream of thick black smoke rose from the cab, feathering out the wind. My mother asked whether anyone had gone to report the accident. Someone had. We stood with the others at the cliff’s edge. Nobody spoke. My mother put her arm around my shoulder. †. On page three through four, Toby and his mother begin driving to Utah when they come across a car crash. The director did not include this part of the book in the movie. We all believed because he did not add it because it foreshadowed Toby and Rosemary’s future. Wolff writes, â€Å"Like chess or music, coolness claimed its own out of some mysterious impulse of recognition. Uncoolness did likewise. We had been claimed by uncoolness. †. This quote came from the section of the book where Toby and Silver stood front of the mirror with their hair combed back, cigarettes dangling out of their mouth, and their pants pulled down on their hips. Like the car crash scene, the director did not include this section of the book in the movie. Instead, the movie went straight to the scene where Toby, Silver and Taylor are watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. As the credits started to roll and the book closed, the whispers started to roar. From every direction you could hear opinions of the movie and the book. Whether the movie and the book were good or not is merely an opinion but whether the book has value or not can be answered with a simple yes. The value of the film and memoir This Boy’s Life can be determined by the lessons that it teaches, the ability to relate to the book, and the new learning experience and fun it puts into the English classroom.

A Brief History of Adidas

A Brief History of Adidas Although urban legend has it that the word Adidas is an anagram of the phrase all day I dream about sports, the athletic wear company gets its name from its founder, Adolph Adi Dassler. He and his brother founded the company that would become a worldwide brand, but their history as members of the Nazi Party isnt as well known. Beginnings of Adidas Shoes In 1920, at the age of 20, avid soccer player  Adolph  (Adi)  Dassler, son of a cobbler,  invented spiked shoes for track and field. Four years later Adi and his brother Rudolph (Rudi) founded the German sports shoe company  Gebrà ¼der Dassler OHG- later known as  Adidas. T By 1925 the Dasslers were making leather  shoes  with nailed studs and track shoes with hand-forged spikes. Beginning with the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, Adis uniquely designed shoes began to gain a worldwide reputation.  Jesse Owens  was wearing a pair of Dasslers track shoes when he won four gold medals for the US  at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. At the time of his death in 1959, Dassler held over 700 patents related to sports shoes and other athletic equipment. In 1978, he was inducted into the American Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame as one of the founders of the modern sporting goods industry. The Dassler Brothers and World War II During the war, both Dassler brothers were members of the NSDAP (The National Socialist German Workers Party)  and eventually even produced a weapon called Panzerschreck an anti-tank bazooka, made with the help of forced labor. The Dasslers both joined the Nazi Party prior to the war, and Adi supplied shoes to the Hitler Youth movement, and to German athletes at the 1936 Olympics. Its also believed that Adi Dassler used Russian prisoners of war to help at his factory during the war since there was a labor shortage due to the war effort. The Dasslers had a falling out during the war; Rudolf believed Adi had identified him as a traitor to American forces. In 1948, Rudi founded what would later become Puma, a rival shoe company to Adidas. Adidas in the Modern Era In the 1970s, Adidas was the top athletic shoe brand sold in the US. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier were both wearing Adidas boxing shoes in their Fight of the Century in 1971. Adidas was named the official supplier for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Although still a strong, well-known brand today, Adidas share of the world sports shoe market dropped over the years, and what began as a German family business is now a corporation (Adidas-Salomon AG) combined with the French global concern Salomon. In 2004 Adidas bought Valley Apparel Company, a U.S. company that held licenses for outfitting more than 140 U.S. college athletic teams. In 2005 Adidas announced that it was purchasing the American shoemaker Reebok, which allowed it to compete more directly with Nike in the U.S. But the Adidas world headquarters are still located in Adi Dasslers hometown of Herzogenaurach. They also have an ownership stake in German soccer club 1. FC Bayern Mà ¼nchen.

Martin Luther King College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Martin Luther King College - Essay Example stood by the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Much to the knowledge of everyone, he delivered what is regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history. King himself seemed to sense the historic importance of the moment as he opened his "I Have a Dream" speech by calling the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom "the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation." The landmark protest, which drew more than 200,000 people, announced a turning point in the civil rights movement and set the stage for the movement's two most important legislative achievements, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Microsoft Encarta 2005). It is interesting to speculate on what the course of American history might have been, if Martin Luther King, Jr. had not gone to Montgomery, Alabama in 1954. But he did go, and the America he had grown up in was forever changed. The historic bus boycott that began there in late 1955 brought him national recognition and triggered a decade of direct-action protest that permanently altered the status of black Americans. Andrew Young once said that Rosa Parks thrust greatness upon King. Rosa Parks is a leading member of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), who was famous for her refusal to give her bus seat to a white man. Certainly she shaped the setting in which he emerged as a national figure and challenged him to translate his theory of nonviolence into practice. King had no intention of initiating a major campaign in Montgomery, but Mrs. Parks' refusal to yield her bus seat to a white man on December 1, 1955 forced the first s erious test of King's willingness to undergo personal sacrifice for the sake of Negro freedom. She has never claimed much credit for what happened in Montgomery, but Rosa Parks' action was a catalyst in King's rise to prominence and the emergence of the southern civil rights movement that dominated American social history for a decade (SCLC/NH, National Conventions, 1980). Local leaders of the NAACP, especially Edgar D. Nixon, recognized that the arrest of the popular and highly respected Parks was the event that could rally local blacks to a bus protest. Nixonalsobelievedthat a citywide protest should be led by someone who could unify the community. Unlike Nixon and other leaders in Montgomery's black community, the recently arrived King had no enemies. Furthermore, Nixon saw King's public-speaking gifts as great assets in the battle for black civil rights in Montgomery. King was soon chosen as president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), the organization that directed the bus boycott. By the time the Supreme Court upheld the lower court decision in November 1956, King prominence elevated him to become leading black national figure. His memoir of the bus boycott, Stride Toward Freedom (1958), provided a thoughtful account of that experience and further extended King's national influence. Another important contribution of King is the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an organization of black churches and ministers that aimed to challenge racial segregation. As SCLC's president, King became the organization's dominant personality and its primary intellectual

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Research Paper Example Women have been ever frightened about this issue and think it to be the most derogatory thing that can happen to them. It is a shocking fact that most of the rapes go unnoticed and it happens within the family arena. There are lots of cases of sexual assault and rape among families and many of the children and individual are afraid to bring out this subject in to the public. Rape is a social violence and cannot be an act of passion as there is coercion happening in the act which results in damage to the physical and mental stability of the victim. â€Å"It is found in the study by National Institute of Justice and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention that 22 percent of male and 48 percent of female have confronted their first rape before the age of 12† (Golden,17). Rape is a social issue which most people encounter directly or indirectly in a particular social environment. Women are always subjected to sexual assault and suffer mainly because she is judged more as an object of sexual desire. Since ages they are looked upon as a medium to satisfy sexual gluttony of men, and she has been living in darkness when it is the matter of her individual right and freedom. In this novel, the girl named precious is forcefully impregnated by her father and less could be done by the girl to protect her virginity and self respect. However, this is not a frequent case in America where female are subjected to sexual exploitation and rape from the hands of parents, close relatives and friends. The main issue as in case of the character Precious is that there is less support offered from her mother when she has been molested and raped by her father .This mostly makes the scenarios worse and the victim feel helpless and hate her individuality and the social connection she share with her family members.â€Å"It was found that instead of lagging behind female rape along the stranger - acquaintance rape dimension, male rape was viewed predominantly in terms of Ã¢â‚¬Ë œother’ factors (factors not found on the stranger - acquaintance dimension, e.g. victim/rapist sexual orientation, rapist calls victim names), which were erroneous, sexualizing and homophobic† (Anderson,25-245). Rape is a social evil and many girls and women are victimized at the hands of parents, strangers and other men in the society at a staggering rate Rape as a heinous act as reached a high proportion in our society and has ruined many innocent lives on a permanent basis. The black girl in the book â€Å"Push† have found to be helpless and imprisoned in an atmosphere where she had no support to look for and has been struggling under the cruel hand of her father and ignorant mother. It is not only women who are subjected to rape, but also infants, corpse and men become a slave of this cruel act. Mostly it is found that the traumatized victims of rape are frightened and emotionally handicapped at such a level that they carry this tragedy through out their who le life. Trauma victims essentially need more private time to sort out their feelings, and grasp what had happened to them in order to get some professional help in dealing with their emotional tragedy. If we read the book ‘push’ we can find out that Precious the character which was subjected to sexual assault from her parents was illiterate and was from low class family. However, according to studies, rape more frequently it occurs among low classes as their social

Knowledge in American History Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Knowledge in American History - Term Paper Example These amendments were pivotal in the history of African Americans and along with the 20th century Civil Rights movement constitute the most crucial periods in terms of freedom for African Americans. Even as the Constitution guaranteed rights to African Americans there was still a substantial amount of resistance, particularly at the hands of Southern states. This era saw the rise of the Ku Klux Klan as a means of oppressing African Americans. The Klan would engage in acts of terrorism, including house burnings and murder, as a means of intimidating African Americans. The Civil Rights Act of 1871 was put in place to restrict ethnic violence in response to the Ku Klux Klan movement (Stevens, 2001). During this period ‘black codes’ were also enacted as a means of attempting to oppress the recently freed African Americans. These acts were enacted by some Southern states as a means of continuing to restrict the rights of African Americans through controlling employment, their right to own firearms, or act as jurors in trials of white individuals. With the Civil Rights Act of 1866 these acts were repealed (Stevens, 2001). With the added control over employment and the plentiful agricultural land in the Southern regions, African Americans began engaging in sharecropping activities. Sharecropping occurred on land that was previously used as a plantation. In these instances, African Americans would rent small plots of land from the plantation owner to harvest their own crops. During this period there were also extraordinarily high illiteracy rates among African Americans, with a reported 70% illiteracy rate in the Southern states (Stevens, 2001). In response, this era also witnessed the emergence of some of the first schools for black... This term paper mostly focuses on the period of American history, in which African Americans led their fight for equality in civil rights, in knowledge and opportunities. The researcher follows and examines the historical progression of African Americans throughout five distinct periods in American history spanning from 1865 through the present era. In the term paper, it’s clear that throughout the eras examined by the researcher the United States experienced significant historical progress in regards to the social and cultural position of African Americans. Unit One examines the Reconstruction period and how African Americans fought to achieve rights and prosperity in the wake of the Civil War. Unit Two of this term paper follows this progression as Southern states attempted to counteract black progress through enacting Jim Crow laws that would remain in place until the second half of the twentieth century. Unit Three explores the continued oppression of blacks through Jim Cr ow laws, as well as the Great Migration wherein great amounts of individuals migrated north to escape this oppression. The Great Migration consisted of the migration of over five million African Americans from the Southern to Northern States. Unit Four of the term paper examines the substantial progress made during the Civil Rights Movement. Finally, Unit Five examines this progress as African Americans made gains in achieving political office and experiencing employment gains. President Kennedy and Martin Luther King were mentioned in this part.

Shangri La Hotel Competition and Business Analysis

Shangri La Hotel Competition and Business Analysis Introduction Shangri-La Hotel is a world class deluxe Asian hotel chain which provides services and places for business and leisure travelers according to its Asian standards of hospitality. Shangri-La Hotel provides customers with a number of excellent services. More specifically, guests may enjoy high quality room services and resort, facilities such as sauna, Jacuzzi gym, lounge and pub. Moreover, the hotel chain also provides different and unique products like, The Spa at several hotels and resorts. Through its high quality services, Shangri-La receives international awards and recognition from prestigious publications and industry partners. Historical data Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts was founded in 1971 by the Malaysian-Chinese tycoon Robert Kuok and managed by Westin until January 1983. The headquarters are located in central Hong-Kong. Its name was inspired by James Hiltons legendary novel Lost Horizon. In 1982 the company incorporates Shangri-La Hotel and Resorts. Business Description Shangri-La Hotel is highly recognized for its service excellence. The hotel chain highly supports its mission statement, according to which customers should be delighted each and every timeÂÂ » More specifically, the company focuses on offering customers an unforgettable experience by blending cultures, exotic art and lively ambience. . Shangri-La Hospitality has developed five core principles: respect, humility, courtesy, helpfulness and sincerity. These core principles have positively affected the successful running of the business and thus they have as a result the creation of pleasant customers and employee relations. The service principles that Shangri-La has developed is consistent to every country they operate. In other words, customers receive the same level of services and treatment in every hotel no matter the country of location. This is very important as the customers identify Shangri-La hotels as high quality and trustworthy. The company operates 62 deluxe hotels and resorts under the Shangri-La and Traders Hotel brands in Asia and Middle East. Moreover, the company is willing to expand in Europe and North America. Apart from Shangri-Las ownership and operation of hotels, the company also leases commercial office buildings, retail space, apartments, real estate development and operation and golf club ownership and operation. Competition Competition in general is one of the factors that affect companys existence and growth. Even though Shangri-La is one of the top luxurious hotels in Asia, there is still fear from other top companies operating in the diversified hotel management industry. The profitability of every company depends on efficient operation because many costs are fixed and on effective marketing. The top three competitors of Shangri-la hotel are: The Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels Ltd which also operates in Asia, Australia and North America with 24 deluxe hotels, commercial and residential properties. New World Development is the second competitor of Shangri-La; the company develops and invests in properties in Hong Kong, mainland China, and Southeast Asia. Its property and infrastructure developments include apartments, office buildings, hotels, department stores, roads, and water and power plants. The third competitor is Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group which is incorporated in Bermuda and owns, manages and operates 40 upscale hotels in two dozen countries. The 2008 Olympic Games Event has affected Shangri-La Hotel since premium hotels such as Regent, Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt and Sheraton expanded in various cities in China, particularly in Beijing and Shanghai. Since Shangri-La is an Asian Company, it is highly recognized in Asia, the hotel chain had a competitive advantage as far as brand awareness is concerned. However, as many prestigious and luxurious hotel chains started expanding in the Asian continent Shangri-La faced more intense competition than before. The primary competitor of Shangri-La could be identified as the Marriott chain, which operates the Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance and Courtyard brands (26 hotels in China and expanding its portfolio to 100 by late 2010.) Driving forces in the company In order for the company to continue to compete within in the industry, Shangri-La decided on expanding its hotel chain. It went through a rapid expansion in the early 1980s and built 29 hotels over the next decade, and by the end of 1999, it was announced that they were operating 35 hotels within the Asian continent. Shangri-Las management group decided on expanding even more aggressively and therefore took advantage of their current success and raised fund during this period of time for further expansion. As a result during the early 00 Shangri-La began entering new markets through both management contracts and owner/operator development. In 2003 Shangri-La Dubai and Sydney were opened. The innovation of core brands of Shangri-La Asia Ltd, including the four-star Traders which was established in 1989, provides luxurious experience and sophistication to the business traveler, Rasa Resort and Spa which was launched in 2006 as a new brand spa provides treatment and relaxation based on Chinese principles, Far Eastern Plaza Hotel and Shang Palace are the force driving the changes in the industry. These hotel chains provide differentiated and unique products to a niche market. Key Success Factors: The key success factors of Shangri -La Hotel are the following: 1. Unique characteristics of Asian hospitality and high luxury quality of service and products offered to its customers 2. Differentiated products (spa and treatment in hotels and resorts) 3. The use of culture training program in everyday performance More specifically, Shangri-La Care Modules that line out what a service personnel should do and how to serve their customers in the best possible way Care 1: Shangri-La Hospitality from Caring People Making the guests feel special and important during their stay in the hotel and focusing on the core values of Shangri-Las hospitality. Care 2: Delighting Customer Delighting guests consistently not just the first time they visit but every single time in order to achieve srotng customer loyalty. Care 3: Recover to Gain Loyalty The importance of recovery when mistakes happen. A well done recovery may be an opportunity to gain further commitment and loyalty, and the other way round if recovery is poor. The five steps to recovery as developed by Shangri-La hotels: Listen, Apologies, Delight, Fix the Problem and Follow up. 4. Take Ownership. Effective promotion and special offer to attract the customers attention about the Shangri-La hotel. Promotion and special offer build long term relationship between Shangri-La hotel and their loyal customer. The promotion and special offer by the Shangri-La hotel include special festival, weekend special, value rate and value vacation. 5. Effective process management perspective. This refers to the system used to assist the organization in delivering the service. Shangri-La demonstrates processes involved in delivering the services provided into six encounters including among others check-in, room encounter, restaurant and breakfast, vacation trip, spa and check out. Check in Encounter: Shangri-La ensures that guests will be served directly at the receptionist counter or online. Room Encounter: it provides extra room accommodation for guests. For example, they provide extra bed for children under 12 to stay with their parents in the same room. Restaurant and Breakfast: Shangri-La provides Childrens Meal Plan; this accommodates hotel guests under 12 can enjoy complimentary meals in Coffee Shops and Pool Cafes. Vacation Trip: Specially trained staff is assigned in handling booklets with valuable information concerning rooms, airfare and car rental at popular Shangri-La destinations, in order to make guests planning vacation easier. The Spa: provides unique service for treatment activities such as massage, aroma therapy and bathe. Check-Out: same as check-in but may be crucial to determine the final outcome of satisfaction. 6. The use of effective advertising through television and online commercial 7. Compensation and Career Growth: this is a driving force for the employees to perform high standard performances within the company and making its employees valuable. If employees are motivated they are willing to provide and satisfy customers in any circumstances, therefore gain customer loyalty. Resource strengths and competitive capabilities of the company: Valuable organizational assets Organizational design is an important aspect in every company. Without an organized Chain of Command severe issues could occur in the company. Shangri-Las organizational design consists of five major levels in order to group its employees. More specifically: Level 1: Divisional Manager Level 2: Departmental Manager Level 3: Sectional Manager Level 4: Front Front-Line Supervisors Level 5: Front-Line Employees Note: Decision comes from the upper level of the structure Valuable intangible assets The employees are one of the most important intangible assets of Shangri-La. Therefore, Shangri Las corporate management heavily invests in employee development (to gain know-how asset) Another intangible assets of Shangri-La is its brand name, a synonymous for providing services with the unique characteristics of Asian Hospitality Unique products such as spa and treatments could also be considered as their intangible assets Valuable physical asset One of the most important and crucial physical assets of Shangri-La hotels are its architectural design externally and internally. Every single hotel of the chain has different characteristics and features that differentiate it from other Shangri-La hotels in the world. The design of every hotel matches the culture and environment where it operates. For instance, a typical Shangri-La hotel set in lushly landscaped tropical gardens with huge swimming pools that creates an oasis from the city thriving business and social center. Moreover, Shangri-La hotels and resorts provide hotel facilities like Airport Transfer, Parking, Foreign Exchange, Non-Smoking rooms, baby-Sitting or Child Care, Facilities for Disabled, Dining and Entertainment, Restaurant, Bar/Lounge, Sports Leisure, Spa, Sauna, Steam Room and Fitness Center. They have invested in these assets so as to provide customers with great experience during their stay in the hotel. Competitive Capabilities One of the strongest competitive advantages of Shangri-La hotel is the service quality that is provided to its customer. Shangri-La is an award winning hotel as it is highly praised for offering world class service and gracious hospitality that has earned a reputation of excellence throughout Asia. Identifying strongest and weakest points of competitive forces Competitive pressures created by the rivalry among competing sellers Competing with other world class luxurious hotels in the world is a strong competitive force that affects Shangri-la hotels. These other hotels have strong competitive strategies to maintain their position in the market. These hotels also provide the same high quality of service to the same target group. Competitive pressure of new entrants New entrants have always been considered as a threat by the existing ones. This is a strong force for the company since they target the same customers in the market. Competitive pressure from the sellers of substitute products High quality Motels and other local hotels are considered to be substitute for Shangri-La. This is a weak competitive force in the company since Shangri-La customers seek for high and unique quality of service Competitive Pressures Stemming from supplier bargaining power and supplier-seller collaboration Supplier bargaining power is a strong competitive force to Shangri-La hotel. Shangri-La has numbers of different suppliers; for example, food suppliers, material suppliers and information suppliers. If these suppliers increase price of goods and services to its customers then Shangri-la would also increase its operating costs .As a result, Shangri-La would increase prices, in order to cover its operating costs. Competitive Pressures stemming from buyer bargaining power and seller-buyer collaboration. Buyers bargaining power is a weak competitive force for Shangri-La Hotel since Shangri-La has a fixed price charge; and this cannot be negotiated. Business Strategy Strategy for Expansion to the East and West The companys main strategic plan is to incorporate the goal of expanding the Shangri-La brand globally with a strong foundation and reputation for its excellence in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America. According to industry analysts, China was one of the most attractive destinations for tourists in 2008 since The Olympic Games were held there. For this particular reason new hotel developments started to pour in the region. Shangri-Las strategy to expand in the East is an asset since their core principles of cultural values matches most of the countries in the Asian market but is still a challenge since most of the luxurious top hotels in the world have the same approach. In general Shangri-La has slow expansion growth in other part of continents like Europe and North America. Nevertheless, it was announced that the company decided to expand its hotel chains in different parts of the world particularly in Europe, North America and Australia as to be able to compete with their major competitors in the market. Even though the company constantly enters new markets, they still maintain and provide its worldwide service quality standards to its customers and ensure that Shangri-Las quality and service standards are translated to new hotels in new markets in order to deliver consistent experience of Shangri-La Hospitality. When Shangri-La enters new markets in new countries, the company brings new cultural understanding and expectations to these markets. This is a challenge for the company since bringing the essence of the brand to new cultures is tough. Another strategy of the company is to enhance Corporate Social Responsibility activities in five key areas: Environment, Health and Safety, Employees, Supply Chain Management and Stakeholder Relations. In the Environment section its main focus is in climate change, water use management, waste disposal management, ozone depletion and indoor air quality. Shangri-La has recognized that resource conservation, biodiversity and pollution prevention are ways to maintain a sustainable environment. By providing safe and healthy environment, Shangri-La protects its customers, employees, suppliers and the public. This includes training employees for emergency situation like fire, earthquake and any other natural disaster. Also, the company promotes wellness program to improve the health and well-being of the employees. As mentioned before, Shangri-La management recognizes that staff is one of their most important assets and so they are committed to providing fair employment opportunities, dignity and staff development. Shangri-La will provide an environment where employees may achieve their personal and career goals and fair labor practices as to avoid any activity that results in human right abuse. For the company to be able to mange its direct and indirect impacts in the environment, Shangri-La has to work effectively with its supply chain partners. The suppliers need to meet the local legal requirements relating to the environment, human rights and other regulatory work practices. Also, suppliers are expected to be part of the system to ensure that the food served is safe and of high quality. According to CSR all stakeholders include customers, employees, members of the communities in which they operate, shareholders and suppliers will engage in a clear, honest and respectful way to the company. SWOT Analysis: Strengths Brand recognition Unique services and products quality (Shangri-La Hospitality) Expansion network in Asian Continent Luxurious facilities like the Shangri-La Spa and Trader Expansion globally Strong suppliers relationship Innovation of unique products Weaknesses: Not having enough number of hotel chains in Europe and N. America to compete with other luxurious five star hotels operating there. Shangri-La is dependant on other hotel owners companies since it doesnt own all of its hotel chains One of the problems that Shangri-Las hotels in China faces is the fact that front-lines employees are uncomfortable in making decisions. Chinese employees are dependent on operational guidelines Opportunities: Its market positioning in China; since China has become the worlds fourth largest economy and one of the most attractive destination as far as tourism is concerned Training program facilities to prepare first-line employees to more effectively utilize decision-making authority The Olympic Games Events in China increased Shangri-Las sales Expand to other geographic destinations Acquisition of local hotels Threats: Intense competition Local Hotels are considering forming alliances with international brands to manage and operate the business. Pressure on wages (expanding into high-wage economies) Since Shangri-La is an Asian company and has been operating in Asian territory, its management group is used to having lower labor costs compare to Europe and N. America Global recession Since Shangri-La is expanding with its principles values, its a great challenge for the company to expand beyond its Asian territory where cultures are different. Is the company able to adapt in a different environment..? Target Market Shangri-La Hotel operates in the five class hotels industry associated with luxury and well-being for customers. Hence, the target market mostly comes from the upper class. We focus on this section to the two Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts that produce greater profitability to the company. The Golden Sands Resort that is located in Batu Feringgi Beach that is mostly visited by tourists who come from European and Western countries. It is believed that these travelers have high consuming ability compared to local travelers. Therefore, Shangri-La management targeted the tourists that are of higher financial and consuming ability. The target market for Trader Hotel mostly consists of business travelers and those that come from the upper class groups of society. Business travelers can afford to purchase services from high quality hotels as their expenses are accommodated by their companies. Strategic Positioning All of the hotels and resorts of Shangri-La are located at strategic locations that are frequented by a high number of people, either for business purpose, travelling or other reasons. The location selected usually consists of places that are well known for their tourism industry and that are highly visited each year. Business Model For the fiscal year ended in December 31, 2006 the management reported that Shangri-La net income was 202.2 million dollars from its services and products. The companys sales continued to improve in 2006 with 1,002.9 million dollars sale compared with 842 million dollar in 2005. The company owns 50 hotels in Asia and the Middle East and more or less of 40 projects under development in Europe and North America. The company employs approximately 18,400 employees worldwide. Shangri-Las case is unusual among international hotel companies since it owns a significant proportion of its hotels, As shown in the table below, Shangri-La performance in the industry seem to improve every year and ascend to better market positioning. Shangri-La Income Statement Our personal Recommendations for Shangri-La Hotel Improve and give more emphasis to its employees training program; especially for the front-line employees to build their confidence and efficiency at the workplace in order to improve its hand to hand interaction with the customers. Having achieved brand market leadership in Asia, Shangri-La should now try to increase the number of hotel chains in Europe, North America and the Middle East. Since Shangri-La emphasizes its cultural values in every hotel chains, Shangri-La should take a closer look of its environment in general, to see if the products and services that they provide match the needs of the customer in general. For example, if Shangri -La operates in foreign destinations like the Middle East, they should adapt to its culture and combine it into their own to avoid conflicts between two different cultures. In general, all of the hotels and resorts of Shangri-La are located at strategic locations that are visited by a high number of people each year, either for business purpose, travelling or other reasons. The location selected is usually places that are well known for its tourism industry that are highly visited each year.

Sarah Moore and Angelina Emily Grimke :: essays research papers

Sarah (Moore) and Angelina (Emily) Grimke   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sarah is the eldest of the Grimke sisters, born in Charleston South Carolina in November of 1792. Angelina, the youngest, was born in Massachusetts in February of 1805. The Grimke family consisted of the sisters, an aristocratic, slave owning father, Judge John Faucherand and Mother, Mary Smith Grimke. Sarah had the overwhelming desire to practice law, though due to her status as a women, she was not admitted, or allowed to attend any Universities that were available at the time. This was only the beginning to the discrimination and humiliation she was to experience in her fight against sexism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Sarah and Angelina joined the Society of Friends (a.k.a. Quakers) in Philadelphia in their early twenties. Their time there strengthened their independent thinking skills. The sisters were unhappy with the Society of Friends, due to the strict regulations they lived under. Soon afterward both sisters moved to North Carolina to join the Anti-Slavery movement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1835 Angelina wrote a letter of support to Abolitionist leader William Lloyd Garrison who published it in his newspaper The Liberator. The following year, 1836, she composed a thirty page pamphlet entitled An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South. This pamphlet urged southern women to persuade their influential husbands to re-examine the morality of the slavery institution. A similar plea was made towards the Southern Church institutions months later in An Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States. Though praised by other abolitionists in the free states, officials in South Carolina burned copies and threatened imprisonment to the authors should they return to that state. During this time the sisters released their own family slaves after they were apportioned to them as part of the family estate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Angelina also began the sister's speaking career in the private homes of Philadelphia women. The sisters moved to New York in 1836 where they addressed the larger audiences of Churches and public halls. With all their good efforts the sisters were brought under fire from the General Association of

Opera †Carmen Essay

   This was an amazing Opera, I only wish that I had the opportunity to see it in person. I have never watched anything like it, and probably would not have had it not been part of this class. Let me say Thank you for opening my eyes to this amazing experience. The theatrical performance, choreography and music were very moving and to my surprise drew me in to continue watching and trying to interpret. I have to say I was very shocked at the sexuality used in this performance, it seemed as thought it was wrote long before its time. Carmen’s sexuality was very much a large part of the performance and I found it intriguing. I decided to rent the movie Carmen to compare the performances and found them to be very similar in character however the Opera was much more captivating. The music alone is wonderful but when added to the stage performance it was absolutely mesmerizing. Carmen is a direct conflict of the expectations for women of this time period. Women were to be gentle, biddable and sinned against. However Carmen used her beauty and sexuality to her advantage. She perfectly combined her acting, singing, and dancing abilities to portray a seductive and enticing personality that even Don Jose’ could not resist. The musical transitions for each character and scene were for me the amateur at times overwhelming and difficult to take it all in. As the music and people become loud during the bullfight in the background you can hear Carmen and Don Jose’ characters in the music. In the beginning of the Opera Don Jose’ appears to be very strong and powerful with an ability to ignore Carmen. Again the music helps portray this image. Obviously he changes throughout the performance to become ravaged with lust and jealousy towards Carmen. You can hear in his voice his defeat and it leaves you to believe that although he will no longer be jealous he also will mourn Carmen forever. Although the orchestra was not shown often it appeared that it consisted primarily of men, which I found rather interesting. The sets were also incredible which made me wonder how the original sets were designed. This Opera appears to have been a monumental changes in the French Opera it is a shame that Bizet, due to his early death, was unable to realize his impact not only of his time but still today 100 years later.

Invisible ManRalph Ellison essays

Invisible ManRalph Ellison essays A. Invisible Man is about a black man and his struggles until he eventually becomes invisible to society 1. Youth-given a chance for an education 2. New York- finding a job and joining the Brotherhood a. never describes himself b. well educated, tries to become white 2. Mr. Norten- rich man, says Ellison is his destiny 3. Dr. Bedlose- head of the University, kicks Ellsion out 4. The Brothers- Brother Clifton C. Major issues in the book are the ways that Ellsions character oppresses himself rather than other people doing to for him II. Novel is a primary example of the hesitance of the blacks to feel confident in American society A. Author wrote book to confuse me- had to read pages many times- didnt describe people or places, just things- didnt read in to he nuances B. Book will help me when we start to study the Black movement because it shows where the begingings started C. Ellisons Character speaks while being invisible, pg 576-581 III. Had and impact on the way I look at my place in society A. Think of it not like a black novel but as one big analogy B. Every one is an invisible man in one way In Invisible Man, Ralph Ellisons narrator recalls to us how he became invisible to the world. Since the name of the narrator is never known I wlll refer to him as Brother X. The novel opens with Brother X describing what it is like to be invisible: I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edger Allen Poe...I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids00and I might even go said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me..That invisibility of ...

Resume Writing, FUN Yes! Here Are My Top 7 Ways

Resume Writing, FUN Yes! Here Are My Top 7 Ways On May 12th, I presented a webinar for Yale alumni on the Top 7 Ways to Make Resume Writing FUN! Does this sound like an event you’d want to attend?  (Spoiler: Keep reading for a link to watch it!) Top 7 Ways to Make Resume Writing FUN! Speaker: Brenda Bernstein, Yale College Alumna and Certified Executive Resume Master / Certified Master Resume Writer It’s time to write or edit your resume. Do you greet this project with enthusiasm or do you scream AAARGH!? Whether you are a new grad, a career changer, or a senior executive, you probably have at least a little resistance to writing the most important career document of your life. The good news: Resume writing does not have to be a drag. In this webinar, Brenda Bernstein will give you her Top 7 Ways to Make Resume Writing FUN! PLAY the Resume GAME SPICE UP your formatting POWER UP your verbs DISCOVER Resume Tetris GO on a treasure hunt TURN worry into CREATIVITY And GET the JOB Have FUN and write a winning resume at the same time. Don’t miss this opportunity to take the AAARGH out of resume writing! If you answered Yes that you wish you could have been on this webinar, you’re in luck! The Yale Office of Career Strategy was generous enough to give me permission to share the link to the recording. So as a break from my weekly written articles, I’m sharing this webinar with you today. Enjoy (and don’t mind the bulldog images sprinkled throughout the slide deck)! CLICK  BELOW TO WATCH Note: The discount offer in the webinar has expired, but the $50 Resume Review and $50 LinkedIn Profile Review services are still available to you! You can sign up for those here: Resume Review Special LinkedIn Profile Review Special Let me know if you have any questions or other suggestions for playing the resume writing game. I look forward to your comments!

Marketing Consumer Behaviour Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Consumer Behaviour Theories - Essay Example The positive or negative attitude towards the product is also based on behavioral traits of the consumers. The consumers purchase the product based on their perception of those particular objects after acquiring data from various relevant sources. Consumers of different market possess different buying behaviors and expectations from the product or brand. In this paper, the concept and theories of consumer behavior in the marketing environment will be highlighted properly. It has been illustrated that how the consumer behaves in a particular situation and how their behavior gets altered while purchasing a product. The literature review of the consumer behavior will be explained briefly and the consumer behavior of Pepsi and Coca Cola in Australian marketing environment will be cited as an illustration. 2.0 Issues, Theories, and ConceCoca-Consumer Behaviour Consumer behavior encompasses cognitive, effective in addition to the behavioral reaction of consumers towards products as well as services, and also the response of consumers to the marketing of products along with services (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, n.d.). It is the decision making the process of consumers and the involvement of their activities in obtaining, assessing, using and disposing of goods as well as services. Consumer behavior refers to as a complex, multidimensional along with the dynamic process and also the marketing decisions which are taken based on the assumptions related to consumer behavior (New Age International, n.d.). The consumers on the basis of their needs adjust the purchasing behavior of them. Consumers randomly choose the product and in every selection, certain implications are incorporated in them. The buying decision is taken to satisfy the need of the consumers. Prestige is also considered as one of the intangible needs because a few individuals purchase certain products depending on their status in the society (Reference for Business, 2011). The factors which act as a significa nt role while influencing consumer buying behavior are cultural factors, social factors, psychological factors and personal factors (Scribd, 2011). Culture has an influence on the ‘impulsive buying behavior’ of a person. The theory of individualism, as well as collectivism, facilitates to have a better understanding of the phenomenon of an ‘impulsive buying behavior’ of a consumer (Kacen & Lee, 2002). The culture of the society has an influence on the buying behavior of an individual because human beings are largely affected by social factors which may include family, friends, clubs, and others. The individuals from these factors understand and learn perceptions, values and their behavior patterns. The social class of an individual is influenced by several other variables such as income, occupation, values, and education (Wilson & Gilligan, 2005). In addition, social factors also have an impact on the buying behavior of a person. Various factors include fam ily, reference groups, status along with the social role. The reference groups include primary membership group, secondary membership groups, aspirational group and dissociative groups.

Metabolic Changes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Metabolic Changes - Essay Example While discussing these changes, the expose will analyze the reasons why these changes take place. A discussion on metabolic changes will not be complete without a discussion on aerobic and anaerobic exercises. In this regard, this expose will discuss the differences between aerobic and anaerobic exercises and the types of exercises involved in aerobic and anaerobic exercises. Finally, this discussion will not be complete without a discussion on the physical changes that take place in muscle fibers during exercising. Martin identified the most visible change in an individual’s respiratory system during exercises as increased minute ventilation. In this regard, it is common knowledge that the body exchanges more carbon dioxide and oxygen during physical exercises than when at rest. In line with this, these changes affect the respiratory system and the cardiovascular system during exercises. Martin indicated that the changes were a result of increased supply of oxygen due to an increase in the tissue oxygen extraction and the delivery of oxygen by the arteries. In addition, Martin noted that there was increased transportation of the carbon dioxide to the venous side. During exercises, glucose and body fats use the increased oxygen in the body to form adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that produces energy necessary for cellular reactions in the body (Martin). Martin identified the ability of the heart rate to increase immediately during exercises. In this case, the consumption of oxygen is related to the cardiac output with the stroke volume, which is the amount of volume of blood pumped from one ventricle of the heart. Effectively, this increase is responsible for the increased heart rate during exercises. In addition, the heart rate increases due to the extra cardiac output that delivers oxygen to the exercising muscles (Martin). The extra cardiac output that delivers