Reading Comprehension Essay Example for Free

Reading Comprehension Essay Reading comprehension is a valuable and necessary tool in the learning process. It allows the reader to expand his vocabulary, understand the text he is reading, and use various strategies as he might need them in order to improve learning. It is necessary because it shapes the readers understanding of ideas and words. It assists his ability to make sense of ideas and concepts. It can even affect various parts of public life, such as the political arena. In assessing the readers state of reading comprehension, there are three levels: literal, interpretive, and applied. If the reader is not satisfied with his own level of reading comprehension, all is not lost. There are means by which to improve it. These include growing ones vocabulary, utilizing multiple senses, and changing ones reading speed. All of these tools serve to advance the learning process. In order for one to understand the value reading comprehension possesses, one must first understand what it is. Reading comprehension is â€Å"the process of understanding or making meaning when reading† (Elish-Piper, 2010). The reader can use what he knows to get a grasp of the material he is reading. For example, a large vocabulary—understanding the meanings of many words—can help someone understand a wide variety of texts. The text can usually be placed into a specific category. For example, a novel about an unsolved crime would be in the category of a mystery. The reader can then place the text into a proper context. For the purposes of our mystery novel, it could be for the readers own enjoyment, or perhaps an assignment for a college course. Elish-Piper asserts that â€Å"when the reader is able to connect these three key components,† it is much easier for that person to comprehend what he is reading. If the reader needs to, he can use strategies to help comprehend the text better. Elish-Piper also gives ideas for those strategies. With our mystery novel example, the reader could identify the â€Å"basic elements† of the story, which are present with any novel. These include plot, setting, and the main characters. Putting ones self in the position of characters in the text could also help. Asking questions periodically is also a positive way of self-checking for knowledge and comprehension of the text. One might ask why this comprehension is so important. The very definition of reading comprehension serves to help answer that question. If the reader does not understand what he is reading, he probably is not gaining anything from it. It would be tantamount to staring at a book written in a foreign language. Learning does not happen by osmosis; it happens through understanding. It also allows us to make sense of ideas and concepts. The wider the variety of texts one has read and comprehended, the more knowledge that person has gained. A person with increased knowledge, therefore, understands more ideas and concepts than he did before. This can impact a wide variety of areas. It can even effect areas of public policy. Politicians pass laws, and these laws are (obviously) comprised of words. In order for these leaders to understand how their legislation will affect their intended group, they have to understand what they are writing and reading. Beyond this, policy itself is sometimes designed to shape the practice of education—and thus reading comprehension itself. Over the past years, policy makers have utilized â€Å"assessment data† in the various field of education, including reading comprehension, for â€Å"education purposes† (Moskowitz Stephens, 2004). In supplement to policy makers, educators have their own views on reading comprehension. There are three levels of reading comprehension (Gambrell, Morrow, Pressley, 2007). The first level is â€Å"literal. † Literal reading comprehension is the understanding of the base of what is in the text. It is the most basic level and includes items that are generally not left up to interpretation. These can include names, dates, places, and the like. The second level of reading comprehension is â€Å"interpretive. † This type of reading comprehension is not concerned so much with what is actually present, but rather, what one can gather. Reading between the lines and drawing from the readers own knowledge, and answering subjective questions, helps. Finally, the third and most advanced level of reading comprehension is â€Å"applied. † Bluntly, this level allows the reader to utilize what is present in the text, make sense of it using context clues, and then using the knowledge gained to learn and understand concepts and ideas outside the scope of the text at hand. Perhaps the reader is not satisfied with his level of reading comprehension. All is not lost; there are means to improve. The most obvious way to improve reading comprehension is to grow ones vocabulary. It is never too late to learn new words. However, there is more that one can do than the obvious. Using multiple senses is an out-of-the-box way to understand new material. Combining visual and auditory senses is a helpful way to increase comprehension (Woolley, 2010). The reader can use his imagination to set the scene in the text and then read the text aloud or listen to an audio book. Making an outline of the crucial points of the text and then reading that aloud is another way to reiterate key points. Moreover, reading slowly with a purpose as opposed to reading for speed is another way to be sure the reader understands details (Newkirk, 2010). â€Å"Slowing down,† â€Å"memorizing,† and â€Å"savoring passages† are steps in this beneficial process. No matter ones level of education, reading comprehension is an invaluable tool for success in life. Once a reader understands what reading comprehension is, he can assess his level of comprehension, and then take one or more of a large number of steps to increase his ability. This, in turn, will help him be able to make sense of the world around him, and thus, put himself in a better position to succeed with whatever he does. References Elish-Piper, L. (2010). Understanding reading comprehension: Information and ideas for parents about reading comprehension. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 38 (3). 49-52. Gambrell, L. B. , Morrow, L. M. , Pressley, M. (2007). Best practices in literacy instruction. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Moskowitz, J. H. Stephens, M. (2004). Comparing learning outcomes: International assessments and education policy. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Newkirk, T. (2010, March). The case for slow reading. Educational Leadership, 67 (6). 6. Woolley, G. (2010, June). Developing reading comprehension: Combining visual and verbal cognitive processes. Australian Journal of Language Literacy, 33 (2). 108-125.

Analysis Aviss Existing Marketing Strategy

Analysis Aviss Existing Marketing Strategy Avis jump up at Vietnam market from June 2009. They stand at one of leader positions in the car rental industry. Avis is always confident that they would bring to customers a consistent high quality and recognizable service with our dedicated team of employees  [1]  . In Vietnam market, Avis is developing tremendously two fields which are short term leasing and long term leasing. In this report, I will analysis Aviss existing marketing strategy and value creation process by marketing mix (4Ps) to help stakeholders to have an overview about advantages and disadvantages of Aviss marketing strategy. From the research of Avis that I showed at previous part, I would give the company recommendations about their marketing strategy to increase their market share, profitability,value creation, and sustainability. C:UsersHIEPCTDesktopabout_avis_1.jpg INTRODUCTION Avis always has been known as a strong brand name in the world. They have more than 3000 offices in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia and 2000 offices in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Latin America/Caribbean region. In 1970, the first office of Avis was opened in Asian in Hong Kong. Through 10 years, Avis developed steadily with many new locations in Singapore, the Philippines, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Recently, the company opened more operations in India, China and Taiwan in 2007. Avis realized that Asia is a very potential market, so that they develop their network bigger and bigger in here. At the moment, Avis has over 235 offices in Asia in countries below: Bangladesh* Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Brunei India Mariana Islands Sri Lanka China Japan (Sales Office) Pakistan Taiwan (Sales Office) Guam Korea (South) Philippines Thailand Hong Kong Macau Sakhalin (East Russia) Vietnam At present, Avis seems to be the most popular international car rental brand in Asia with more than 34000 cars and about 2500 staffs in all operations. Long term car leasing is a type of business which Avis want to focus on. The kind of leasing has many special benefits and services which the company would bring to customers when they choose it. Current Situation of Avis Access the existing marketing strategy of Avis I would analysis 4Ps to identify the existing marketing strategy of Avis: Elements: Aviss long-term car rental services Product (Service) If you need a car in Vietnam for an extended period of time (1 year or more) but do not wish to commit yourself to buying one then Avis car leasing is for you! Avis can bring to customers benefits and services: Lower monthly payment compared to car rental Choice of your preferred vehicle make, model, color and specs Use of a professionally trained English speaking Avis driver Convenience insurance, road tax, servicing and maintenance all taken care by Avis Complimentary replacement vehicle during vehicle servicing Access to a dedicated Avis Car Leasing Account Manager Complimentary 24 Hours breakdown assistance Exclusive worldwide Avis car rental discounts for travel and home leave  [2]   Place (Distribution) Avis has over 5000 locations in the world and they have two offices in Vietnam market. Price Avis is one of the strongest brand names in the field and their services are always standing at the top, so that their price cannot cheap. Promotion Avis is a popular brand name, so that they always receive many attentions from media although they dont need to promote too much. On the other hand, Avis also advertise their services on social networks like Facebook It can be seen easily that Avis is using differentiation marketing strategy after analysing 4Ps. http://www.unconsultancy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/generic-strategies.gif The marketing strategy of the company is differentiation that means Avis want to make differentiations in the Vietnam market, to compare with their rivals. As can be known, Avis not only can bring to their consumers many choices of luxury car which includes benefits and high quality services, but also can create some special package services for customers in entertainment and business such as Gold Package, Hanoi tour package, Avis Vietnam luxury Halong Bay cruise package. They are excellent services to help consumers to visit wonder places or tourist destinations of Vietnam. Especially, Avis has list of all golf courses in Vietnam to give customers to choose and they also are the leading cruise companies in Vietnam jointly offer you the Luxury Halong Bay Cruise Package. In US market, Avis apply the differentiation marketing strategy to develop as well. As can be seen, Avis in US has not only given care rental but also bought their car and they have a service to make their customer interest in which is ultimate test drive. The service gives consumers chance to try driving a car before they decide to buy it with many benefits: Thousands of low-mileage, late-model vehicles for sale More than 75 well-maintained makes and models Take Avis Ultimate Test Drive for two hours or up to 3 days Low, pre-posted pricing no negotiation Try before you buy  [3]   In my opinion, its really a good marketing strategy which is different and can attract customers come to Avis. Identify the value creation progress of Avis I would use value chain to analysis value creation progress of Avis Vietnam: Inbound Logistics Avis is exist and developing through many years, so that the relationship between the company and car suppliers or partners is very good. However, there are many Vietnams automobile taxes which are very high. Therefore, Avis should concentrate more about this point to reduce the cost. Operations Resource inputs are not only luxury cars. People are a resource especially in service industries. Therefore, Avis trains staffs to build trusted consumer relationships by the premium service. Outbound Logistics Avis product their services through network operators and system of offices in the world. The customer can book schedule by internet or offices. Any car was test carefully before serving customers. Marketing and Sales Avis group uses advertising on network social like Facebook, promotions, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to inform customers about their services. Besides that, Avis builds belief of customers by providing best service and allowed them to segment the market effectively. Service Avis supplies the best services to customers and the addition benefits with it. It is discount, insurance car or monthly check, repaired car, and so onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Support activities Procurement Acquire the resource inputs to the primary actives: Avis always supplied quality cars for their services. In addition, the company will be preferred to pick up the customer at airport by Vietnam airline or received tourist transport contacts from Vietnam national administration of tourism  [4]  . Technology development In my opinion, Avis certainly had some research about Vietnam market and demand of Vietnamese people. Therefore, they made a different thing with other market which is car rental including driver. In addition, they also dont buy their car at Vietnam market like others. Human resource management Avis always hide good drivers who even know to speak English. Avis always want to ensure about their quality services so that the attitude of employees is very important. Avis usually trains them carefully and also provide the chance to employees study and learning to develop their skill. Quality Management Avis believe that corporate sustainability can only be effective if it embraces all steps of the value chain. This is why the Avis not only sets the highest standards for itself but also expects suppliers and partners to meet ecological and social standard. Competitive advantage Resource based view (RBV) Hollensen, S. (2003) defined that long term competitiveness of a company depends on its resources that differentiate it from its competitors, so that the first step, I would analysis tangible resource and intangible resource of Avis Tangible: The quality of Avis car rental. Have more 5000 locations in the world. In Asian, Avis has over 34000 luxury cars for leasing and a large human resource with 2500 employees. Intangible: Strong brand name in the world. Avis has research about Vietnam market before jumping up. Experience in car rental business through many years Special services for any locations Skill and knowledge of employees. Avis has been active in this field for over 40 years, so they have a lot of experience in the car rental field. In addition, the core competence of Avis which is created by the combination of all tangible and intangible resources above, Avis would have a big competitive advantage in Vietnam market. Market oriented view (MOV) There are three main elements of environment which includes customer, competitors, environment; Avis has to adapt to create differentiations from their competitors. Customer: Vietnamese people has trend to own car, instead of using car rental services of Avis. Avis should have more strategies to stimulate customers to use services more. Competitors: Hertz, Enterprise, etc are Aviss major competitors. In Vietnam market, Avis would be competitive by smaller company who set the lower price for their services. Environment: Long-term car rental is preferred for the kind of customers who usually has to use car but dont want to pay a large of money to buy in a period. Especially, the service including driver to help their consumers not to worry about Vietnamese traffic laws which is very complicated. All these changes to suit with environment create differentiation for Aviss services. Base on analysis RBV and MOV, it founds that the core competence and those differentiation create competitive advantage for Avis in Vietnam market. PESTLE analysis Political Legal Environment: There is only one Party nationally in Vietnam, so that they have a stable political situation. In addition, the Government has had reform to develop suitably with international and nation situation at any period. Government also builds the Law of Foreign Investment to encourage organizations to invest in Vietnam market. However, the traffic in Vietnam isnt good, especially in Hanoi and Hochiminh with too large vehicle density, so that the Government has to limit the number of transport, especially car. Therefore, Government brings out policies and law (high taxed rate) applies for car, especially imported car. Economic The Vietnamese economy has been developing rapidly and in 2008, World Bank published that Vietnam is one of the best performing economies in the world over the last decade. Vietnam has joined WTO in 2007 and its quietly opened for foreign company to run business in the market. On the other hand, GDP in 2009-10 in Vietnam grew less than the 7% per annum average achieved during the last decade and the inflation rate increased from 7% to 9% because the global economic which affect to Vietnam, is unstably. Therefore, its really a opportunity with Avis because purchasing power would be decreased which means citizen wouldnt dare bring a large of money to buy car and they can choose Aviss services to save money. It can be a big chance which Avis should concentrate on. (See appendix 1) Social culture According to CIA, Vietnam is really a densely populated country with the population is over 90 million by 2011. However, the Vietnamese people are concentrated mainly in big cities such as Hanoi, Hochiminhà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦which is always potential markets for Avis. Thats reason why Avis opened two operations at the cities. The demand for using car of Vietnamese people is increasing rapidly, but they usually want to own one instead of renting car. That is a big different about culture among Vietnam and others. Technology: Nowadays, technology is focused by all of the governments in the world, media tools are developing more and more, especially internet. We can update all of news every time in everywhere. As can be seen that, media usually affect to customers buying behavior. In 2011, VNNIC published that 42% of poplar use internet as daily communication. We can be sure that advertising and promotion on internet network would help Avis to have a big advantage in marketing. In fact, Avis has promoted their advertising for the services in Vietnam market on their website and Facebook which can be connected easily with customers. Discussion SWOT analysis Strengths Avis is a strong brand name in car rental business in the world. They have developed their business very successful through over 40 years, so that their experiences in the field have been acknowledged. In addition, Avis has a large network with over 5000 locations in the international market. With over 34,000 cars and over 2,500 employees throughout the region, Avis is the leading international car rental brand in Asia and Avis really has good websites, retailer stores and operations around the world. The company also has many kinds of luxury cars to help their customers to choose. To use the long-term leasing of Avis, consumers would receive many benefits and services from Avis with the highest quality. Weakness Avis just appeared at Vietnam market in recent, so that they have only two operations at the country (at Hanoi capital and Ho Chi Minh City). The demand for long-term rental of Vietnamese people is not high and to change their minds is a difficult mission with the company. Opportunity Vietnam always is a potential market for almost of luxury products or services. The standard life of Vietnamese people is increasing more and more, so that to use new services or products can be interested by them. In addition, the service of Avis can help them to save their money although they can still use a luxury car. On the other hand, Avis has not many competitors who can bring to customers good services like them at Vietnam market. Threat Vietnamese Government doesnt encourage increasing the number of car in circulation at Vietnam, especially at Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh because the traffic congestion in the two cities is very high. Avis also should care about their competitor Satsco  [5]  that is an indigenous company. The key strengths and weaknesses of Avis existing marketing strategy Strengths Special services to attract customers Have many promotions with high quality services. Use professional website and Facebook to advertise Co-operated with many famous partners in Vietnam market. Weakness Just only two operations in Vietnam market (in Hanoi and Hochiminh) while Danang and Haiphongà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are also big cities which are potential markets as well. Avis dont publish their price on public, so that the customer will be lack of information. They dont advertise on other media like television, newspaperwhich are easy to attract customers. Recommendations Segmentation, Targeted, Positioning. Segmentation: The main customers of Aviss car long-term rental are both male and female who have at least average income or small company because they have demand to use car but they havent enough money or save their money. The largest number of customer would focus on big cities such as Hanoi, Hochiminh, Haiphong, Danangà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ However, the economy is developing, so that the segmentation in Vietnam market would be larger. Targeting: Socio-demographic Age: over 25 Income: Above $2000/month Education: graduated, post graduated Occupation: Businessman, artists Geographic: all three regions. Social class: upper-middle, lower-upper, upper-upper Behaviouristic Loyalty: moderate and loyalty Shopping habit: want to use high quality services. Psychographic Interest: class asserting Value: Living standard, convenience Benefit sought Product features: attractive, unique, promotions, benefits including. Positioning: Because of the high quality service, price of Aviss services wouldnt be cheap. High price Aviss car rental Low quality High quality Low price Growth strategy MarketMarket penetration; (for growth) or consolidation (to maintain position) or withdraw Product development Diversification Market Development Present New Present Product New Ansoffs matrix Avis has already had two operations in Hanoi and Hochiminh in Vietnam. Avis should think about expanding stores in other. Therefore, market development is suitable strategy for company at this time. Objective and Goal of Aviss car long-term rental Objective: Lead to the best car rental service in 2014 Goals: Increase revenue by 30% in next two year Have operations in Danang in 2013, Haiphong in 2015 Gain more 10% market share at the end of 2013 The detail plan would be present at Appendix 2. Marketing strategy and program (Marketing Mix) Marketing mix includes 7Ps which Avis has to apply in their marketing plan for achieving. Product: Product refers to the goods and services which firms offer to their customers. Firms must place sufficient importance to the product/service as well as the other aspects associated with the product that attract customer attention.  [6]   Aviss car rental was created to serve customers who need to use car but they havent enough money or want to save money for other works. Avis always understand demands of customers in Vietnam market. Therefore, in addition to normally benefits in services, Avis also make a new different service including drivers for the market which is very necessary with traffic conditions in Vietnam. Price: The price has always been regarded as an important competitive factor in attracting customers. The price of Avis is not published on their anywhere but the service of a famous company like Avis cant be cheap. Therefore, Avis should concentrate on the issue because the average income of Vietnamese people was just about $1.100 (2010). Promotion: Promotion plays an important role in companys marketing strategy. Firstly, we have to decide what components of the communication mix that should be used in the plan. There are many media that Avis can choose to promote: Television, Radio, Newspaper or Magazines, Internetà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦In addition, Avis could advertise their service through internet networks such as Aviss official website, online newspapers, forums, social network (Facebook, Twitter, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). IT is developing more and more at the moment, so that it could be the most effective promoting channel with very low cost for Avis. On the other hand, Avis should bring out discount policy or giving giftà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ which would attract more customers. (You can see more detail in Appendix 3) Place: At the moment, there are two ways for Avis to connect with customers. One way is that their customers can come to Aviss operation directly. Avis has two operations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh for transaction. If customers havent time or are so far from the company, they can choose contact with Avis indirectly through their website. Its also comfortable and convenience. In the future, Avis should set to open more operations in other big cities of Vietnam to expand their market in Vietnam. People People are one of the key elements to help the organization to achieve. In this case of Avis, sale forces and drivers would direct communicate with customer so they create the image of Avis. Therefore, to train staffs is important mission with Avis. Process Avis should invest in RD project for better understanding customer need and RD is also help Avis gathering customer feedback because as can be seen that customer communication is an important process with the company. Avis also has to provide information (especially about price) to customers on their website and public through advertising. Physical evidence The car using in rental always need to be clear and comfortable, luxury, elegance to attack customers. In addition, drivers should wear uniform which can create imagine of Avis brand and its also show that the attitude serving of Avis is always professional. The customer can always believe in the company. CONCLUSION Car rental is a new type of services, especially in Vietnam. Vietnamese people are not really familiar with long-term leasing. However, with new marketing strategy, I believe Avis car long-term leasing would be more preferred and Avis would still lead to the first place in car rental industry not only in others but also in Vietnam market. World count: 3297 REFERENCES University of Sunderland, BA (Honor) (2005), Marketing Strategy, University of Sunderland. Kotler, P., Wong, V., Saunders, J. and Armstrong, G. (2005), Principles of Marketing, 4th European edition, Pearson Education, Prentice Hall Ansoff, I. (1965), Corporate strategy, New York: McGraw Hill Barker, M. (1992) Marketing strategy and management, 2nd edition, HongKong : Macmillan Dyson, R. (1990) Strategic Planning Models and Analytical Techniques, Oxford: John Wiley and sons. Hollensen, S. (2003) Marketing strategy, London: Prentice Hall Porter, M. (1990), The competitive Advantage of Nations, London: Macmillan BPP Professional Education (2004), Mandatory Unit 7: Business Strategy, 1st edition, London: Aldine House, Aldine Place The Hinton information service (2007) Strong Momentum Driving Jewellery and Watch Market The Hilton information service [Online], available from: http://www.hintoninfo.com/view.asp?992d862e04cfa831 [accessed Sep 20 2012] Avis, official website: http://www.avis.com.vn/vi/about_avis.html CIA The World Factbook, East and Southeast Asia: Vietnam [Online], available from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vm.html [accessed Sep 21, 2012] Ehow.com, Market strategy analysis tools [Online], available from : http://www.ehow.com/info_8361829_market-strategy-analysis-tools.html [accessed Sep 22, 2012] Quickmba.com, Value chain [Online], available from: http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/value-chain/ [accessed Sep 22, 2012] General Statistics Office of Vietnam, official website: http://www.gso.gov.vn/default_en.aspx?tabid=491 Business dictionary, Competitive advantage [Online], available from: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/competitive-advantage.html [access on Sep 24, 2012] Jbdon.com, Positioning map, [Online], available from: http://www.jbdon.com/uploads/6/0/4/3/6043586/9761212.jpgw=250h=250ei=Mo5eUPiDJOaziQer2oDoBAzoom=1iact=hcvpx=863vpy=136dur=3758hovh=200hovw=200tx=80ty=130sig=111527053491877461160page=4tbnh=157tbnw=157start=56ndsp=20ved=1t:429,r:8,s:56,i:279 [accessed Sep 24,2012] BIBLIOGRAPHY Doyle, P. and Stern, P. (2006) Marketing management and strategy, 4th edition, London: Prentice Hall Satsco, office website: http://www.satsco.com.vn/lang=vn Studiowide.co.uk, Posts tagged marketing strategy, [Online], available from: http://www.studiowide.co.uk/blog/tag/marketing-strategy [accessed Sep 21,2012] HighBeam Research (2005), Citizen expands its market in India HighBeam Research [Online], available from: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-138782661.htm [accessed Sep 22, 2012] HighBeam Research (2008),Wristwatch may be the next casualty of modern timers, HighBeam Research [Online], available from: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-240663353.html [accessed 22 Sep, 2012] HighBeam Research (2010) Microsoft Presents Smart personal objects technology (SPOT) based wristwatches at CES, HighBeam Research, [Online], available from: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-132146956.html [accessed 22 Sep, 2012] Lorelli.fr, Heading toward a learning company [Online], available from: http://www.lorelli.fr/index-eng.html [accessed Sep 22, 2012] Pegasuscom.com, value creation and business success [Online], available from: http://www.pegasuscom.com/levpoints/valuecreate.html [accessed 22 Sep, 2012] Johnson, S. and Jones, C. 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Job Satisfaction Analysis

Job Satisfaction Analysis Internal Factors Regarding the student surveyed, from Figure, almost half of the respondents dissatisfied their current job on training period, conversely only around 20 percent who are satisfied and neutral their current job respectively. There are fewer percentage of strongly satisfied and strongly dissatisfied their job. Although there are almost half of the respondents dissatisfied their current job, it still have 22 percent respondents satisfied their job. According to the student surveyed, from Figure , most of the respondents select good relationship with colleagues as their main reason of job satisfaction. Base on this question the respondents can select more than one choice as a result the total number is 77. However, flexibility working hour and satisfied staff benefits are not the main reason affect job satisfaction by 17 and 16 results respectively, it is shown that there is a huge disparity compare with the result of good relationship with colleagues. It can be analyze that employees are more concern their relationship with colleagues to effect the job satisfaction, thus influence the turnover rate.  Ã‚   External factor As can be seem from the students surveyed, the result shown that most of the respondents are chosen rapid growth of hotel industry and government policy are two main external factors influence turnover rate are chosen by 26 and 18 results respectively. Base on this question the respondents can select more than one choice so that the total number in this question is 62. Besides, non-local employees and inflation are only chosen by 8 and 10 results respectively. It seem that the survey can reflect the respondents view the impact of high turnover rate owing to rapid growth of hotel industry and government policy. Rapid growth of hotel industry Rapid growth of hotel industry may increase turnover way due to the same manpower pool. The number of hotel rooms in Hong Kong needs to be almost doubled in the next 10 years, according to the head of a government economic task force (Siu and Nip). The reason of sharply increase the number of hotel rooms probably relevant impact of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge and the high-speed cross-border railway. In response to satisfy a large demand of tourists, hotels need to absorb enormous quality employees so that can maintain the standard of quality. However, due to the labor supply is not able to meet the demand in the market; the existing employees may try to seek to better jobs due to availability choice (Lei). Even there isfresh graduates study in hotel management in every year but not all graduates will work in the hotel industry (The Greatest Challenge). Heavy workload, shift work, overtime working those reasons may affect the graduate’s select hotel industry as their careen. Owing to the limitation of labor, the existing staff can be selective in their choice of employment since rapid growth of hotel industry. For instance, the less favorable job like stewards, food and beverage servers and room attendants are especially high turnover way, owing to heavy workload and lack of attractiveness (Lei). To attract those indispensable front office staff, many hotels are willing to provide high salary and better position to effectively attract employees (Lei). Therefore, more employees will terminate their employment to choose the job with valuable benefits. Government policies Statutory Minimum Wage policy Statutory Minimum Wage may force employer to disband their employee or expropriate the original fringe benefits such as staff’s meal, uniform and break period to compensate the additional cost related to this policy (Hong Kong workers.). Employee compensation is one of the largest costs in hotel (Su, Heo and Leung). Even though the Minimum Wage Ordinance was HKD 30 per hour since 2013, the average hourly wage in hotel employees was about HKD62 (Su, Heo and Leung). Although the policy can balance the excessively low wages and prevent the loss of low-paid jobs (Labor Department), it also affects high turnover way due to job dissatisfaction. In order to recoup the additional cost, some hotel may decrease employee benefits or hired more part-time employee to recover the cost thus destroy relationship. For instance, some hotel kept employing their staff on a basic salary and did not offer them a perpetual job (Su, Heo and Leung). Other example, some hotel had changed to pay their room attendants based on the number of the rooms they had been cleaned instead of pay the working hour after the implementation of Statutory Minimum Wage Policy (Su, Heo and Leung). If the room attendants take longer time to make up certain rooms that supervisor assigned to them, they need to work overtime without compensation. It may definitely affect employee job satisfaction as a result increase turnover rate. It is a common knowledge that develop a good relationship between employer and employee can probably reduce turnover way. However, Statutory Minimum Wage policy was give stress to employers to maintain their limited cost so that upward pressure to employees and dissatisfied on job satisfaction. Employers tend to reduce the number of employees and shortening the staff working hours to prevent compensation (Su, Heo and Leung). Also, recruit more part-time employees to replace the full-time employees due to effective and easily to maintain offset cost increase. Therefore, the authors had mentioned that hotel tend to reduce the cost of fringe cost as their cost minimization strategy (Su, Heo and Leung). In view of employees confront the work environment that without unpaid break and change the staff’s menu to reduce their staff benefit, they virtually heighten the negative attitude in work environment and job satisfaction as a result cause employees to move to other industries. References Lei, Lam, The Challenges of the Labor Shortage in Macau’s Hotel Industry. University of Nevada. Las Vegas, December 2011: 21-27. Web. 31 March. 2014 http://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2153context=these>sdissertations> Lo, Wei. â€Å"Hong Kong hotels accused of not paying minimum wage in job ‘trial periods’.† South China Morning Post 15 August, 2012. Web. 1 April, 2014 http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1014884/hong-kong-hotels-accused-not-paying-minimum-wage-job-trial-periods> â€Å"The Greatest Challenge for HR in Hotel Industry: Manpower Shortage† Career Times20April. 2001: 20. Web. 1 March 2014. http://www.ctgoodjobs.hk/english/article/show_article.asp?title=the-greatest-challenge-for-hr-in-hotel-industry-manpower-shortagecategory_id=1107article_id=10432listby=datelistby_id=page=13> Su, Mia, Cindy Heo and Daniel Leung. â€Å"Hotel Employees Perception of the Statutory Minimum Wage Policy in Hong Kong.† Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research. 2013: 2-6. Web. 31 March 2014 http://www.tandfonline.com.eproxy2.lib.hku.hk/doi/abs/10.1080/10941665.2013.852115#.Uzu98_mSzT8 > Siu, Phila, and Amy Nip. â€Å"Hong Kong needs to double hotel rooms in 10 years† South China Morning Post. 05 July. 2013. Web. 31 March 2014 http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1275375/double-hotel-rooms-needed-10-years-accommodate-enormous-rise-visitors > Labour Department. â€Å"Statutory minimum wage.† 2013. Web. 01 April 2014 http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/smw/Concise_Guide_to_SMW_2013.pdf > â€Å"Hong Kong workers to enjoy minimum wage for first time.† BBC 01 May 2011. Web. 01 April. 2014 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13248027>

The Costs of Racism Essay -- Essays Papers

The Costs of Racism The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines racism as â€Å"a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.† Racism is one of the deepest stains on the pages of American history. What began as feelings among whites of being superior to blacks turned into possibly the worst phenomenon the United States ever dealt with. Even 100 years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, many white people were still treating blacks atrociously. It took many decades before blacks were granted truly equal rights that white Americans were given. In Anne Moody’s autobiography, Coming of Age in Mississippi, she discusses growing up in Mississippi. She writes about her memories of childhood, high school, college, and finally her courageous work in the civil rights movement during the 1960s. Moody offers readers a startling and remarkable story of he r life. She also gives great insight into the effects of racism on the victims of it, on those who practice it, and the effects on American society. The effects of racism on the victims differed depending on age and whether or not a person would withstand the abuse. Moody makes these connections in her book by realizing that when the civil rights movement picked up in the 1960s, older blacks usually remained dormant and never stood up for themselves by speaking out against the abuse they received. In contrast, younger black Americans, notably teenagers, were more likely to be fearless and take part in the Movement. This theme can be seen throughout the whole book, from when Anne was a young girl and never understood why her mother co... ...any whites could have believed so strongly that blacks were inferior to them, so mediocre that they would treat them like animals and murder them in cold blood. But this is a problem that still occurs today, though in a lesser form, and it is important to study our past in effort to keep from repeating the mistakes of our ancestors. By reading things such as Anne Moody’s autobiography, we can get an inside view into what really took place in the South, and we can be inspired by people like Moody who stood up to it. The negativities of racism against blacks taught us important lessons about ethics and how humans should treat each other because we can see the effects it had on people less than 50 years ago. And if we learn from the mistakes of our ancestors and move away from their supremacist ideals, then as the freedom song in Coming of Age goes, â€Å"we shall overcome.†

A Tale of Two Cities Essay: From Abused to Abuser :: Tale Two Cities Essays

From Abused to Abuser in A Tale of Two Cities  Ã‚      Throughout the novel, A Tale of Two Cities , Charles Dickens’ judgment and portrayal of France, the Revolution, and the people themselves undergoes some very basic changes. Dickens is always in control of the reader by successfully reaching his goal of leading the reader by the hand through a series of emotions and ideas emanating from the plot and its characters. During the first few chapters of â€Å"Book the First,† Dickens has the reader sympathize with the plight of the French commoners. However, when the revolution begins, he does an about-face. Through narrative, scenes, and dialogue, the reader starts to consider both the aristocrats and the downtrodden as one and the same in moral and political culpability. Charles Dickens strongly believes that the French Revolution was inevitable because the aristocracy had exploited and plundered the poor until they were driven to extreme measures. Nowhere is that more evident than in Dickens’ portrayal of the Marquis St. Evremonde. This nobleman is the poster-child of selfish privilege. He is uncaring and has no respect for life. This is especially apparent when he cold-heartedly runs down an innocent child with his carriage. â€Å"But for the latter inconvenience, the carriage would probably not have stopped; carriages were often known to drive on, and leave their wounded behind, and why not?† In payment for the inconvenience, Monseigneur throws a single coin to the child’s parent. How well this personifies exactly how cold and unsympathetic too many of the aristocracy had become. Dickens has nothing but scorn for the high-handed behavior of the nobility, with their lack of faith, their selfishness, and their distance from real ity. But Dickens’ all-seeing eye then rivets on the commoners, whom he likens to animals: â€Å"The rats had crept out of their holes to look on, and they remained looking on for hours.† But these qualities were also attributed to the Marquis who, denying the humanity of the poor, became subhuman and beastly himself. â€Å"A large cask of wine had been dropped and broken in the street ... . Some men kneeled down, made scoops with their two hands joined, and sipped ... Others, men and women, dipped in the puddles with little mugs of mutilated earthenware, or even with handkerchiefs from women’s heads, which were squeezed dry into infants’ mouths.† The metaphor is well taken.

Project Controls Essay

I have developed a proposal that would create a secure system within our organization. Below is the outline that should help prevent disaster recovery or in the case, backup our disaster recovery procedures. Duration Critical Task Sequencing The project will detail an array of critical task sequences including: * Pre-project Envisioning – Evaluation of HR database and corporate objectives, formulation of cost/benefit analysis, establishment of project scope and major milestones, securing of executive sponsorship and buy-in * Planning Structure – Project assembly, computing and testing environments, preliminary design, system array, and maintenance orientation * System deployment – Deployment of hardware and software systems, pilot test evaluations * Post-Implementation Review – Backup/restore maintenance, performance monitoring, system re-forecasting, establishment of ongoing infrastructure team Variance Baseline Achieving the desired outcome for the HR Resource Deployment will require a stringent and concentrated focus on maintaining adherence to the project timeline. Throughout this timeline, variance data will be closely observed and documented. Capturing variance data is an adamant goal for the project managers. Variance data will help to expose possible weaknesses of the planning process, and serve as priceless information for future endeavors. The means of collecting variance data will be comprised of the following: Delegation of variance targets. Prior to the project start, prime areas of variance will be decided upon for tracking. These areas will be closely monitored and documented. Targeted variances will form the baseline of the project, and will consist of measurements of quality, project milestones achieved, performance metrics,  and budget adherence. The success versus failure Planned versus actual. Variance data will be looked at according to what is planned as opposed to what the actual outcome will be. This will largely be focused on the proposed scheduling timeline and project cost expectancies. As the project advances, variance data will be tracked according to what deviates from the planned objectives. This data will be captured in real time in order to provide insight for future milestone proceedings. Estimates versus planned. This variance metric will focus on what was estimated for project details, such as schedule and cost, prior to the approved project plan. Such data will assist in greater accuracy of project planning, and will help to eliminate the guessing game. These variance metrics will be acquired through the collaboration between all stakeholders and resources. Maintaining high quality controls is a process that includes a lot of planning but when well maintains it builds the trust in the customers and eventually helps both organization businesses. As an organization maintains a high quality control one must know that there is also other aspects which is where being innovative and keeping a reasonable price adds to the equation. As many new customers are acquired a lot of the times this might be a direct result of on customer recommending another new customer. When this statement is true the new customer expects the same treatment and if not better. Therefore, one must stay innovative and open to new ideas and changes in order to fulfill the new customers’ needs. On-Going Evaluation and Status of Project There will be a definitive checklist for who will be responsible for the development and submission of projects reports. Evaluations will be performed on an as-we-go basis as to attempt to not miss anything important along the way. If there is anything that will be confidential or require a security clearance, these things will be handled by either the Project Manager or a member of management. Any projects that require the participation of stakeholders will be documented for future use and testing. All ongoing reports will also be given to all principal stakeholders along  the way. As each goal or milestone is met, it will be tested and retested for consistency to make sure what was done will stand the test of time (until the next project or upgrade). Method Used The Method that is used for determining whether the project has met its objectives is a survey. The survey can be done to figure if everything has been a success. Riordan employees will fill a survey out to give feedback on, if they are satisfied with the projects performance or not. Surveys can only provide estimates for the population, but cannot be a true measurements. You can measure surveys by the consistency of responses to questions about the project over a long amount of time period. REFERENCE Microsoft Office. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project-help/leading-practices-for-applying-variance-data-to-future-projects-HA010174487.aspx

Mental Health Counseling: Integrating Consultation

Abstract With the meshing of consultation and advocacy, mental health counselors can both assist in dealing with the issues that their clients face personally, but also help to make better the world around them. In order to respond to the thesis questions presented in this paper, we must first define consultation and social justice advocacy within the counseling context. Typically, consultation means a general meeting or conference between parties.In the counseling context however, we can say that it â€Å"usually involves three parties: a consultant, a consultee, and a client system. The consultant delivers direct service to the consultee, who delivers direct service to a client system† (Doherty, 1990). Consultation for professional counselors typically involves acting on behalf of an identified client (or student) through interaction with another professional consultee or other stakeholder in the client’s welfare (Brown, Pryzwansky, & Schulte, 2010; Kampwirth, 2006; K urpius & Fuqua, 1993).The consultee may also be conceptualized as a system or organization that serves an identified client or student population (Brown et al. , 2010; Moe & Perera-Diltz, 2009). With these definitions, a counseling consultant relationship could be thought of as a chain of assistance in dealing with client issues. Advocacy, typically in regards to social justice, is a way in which a change is brought into society. In a historical context, the mental health reforms that Clifford Beers brought about in the late 1800s were an impactful form of social advocacy.Beers launched one of the earliest client-advocate health reform movements in the United States. A former patient who was institutionalized for three years, Beers led national and international efforts to improve institutional care, challenge the stigma of mental illness, and promote mental health. His efforts resulted in a major shift in attitudes toward mental illness, as well as the introduction of guidance coun selors in US schools and the inclusion of evidence of a defendant's psychological state in law courts (Parry, 2010).Consultation and social justice advocacy may not be exactly similar, but they can be used as cohesive tools that counselors use in order to help their clients. Though scholars continue to identify concerns regarding how the specific nature and scope of social justice advocacy for counselors will be defined (Nelson-Jones, 2002; Roysircar, 2009; Weinrach & Thomas, 2004), in 2003 the American Counseling Association (ACA) endorsed the creation and publication of the Advocacy Competencies (Lewis et al. , 2003) for professional counselors.Along with the publication of this special issue, scholarship has focused on making the case for social justice (Prilletensky & Prilletensky, 2003; Vera & Speight, 2003), and on synthesizing the social justice counseling paradigm with other key counseling perspectives such as multicultural theory (Constantine et al. , 2007; Crethar et al. , 2008) and school counseling (Bemak & Chung, 2008; Dahir & Stone, 2009). The idea of meshing consultation with social advocacy is prudent because we as counselors should work not only to better the lives of our clients but of the world around them.There seems to be an obvious association with mental health and the groups to which social justice advocacy is most needed. Negative experiences of historically marginalized groups can lead to psychological dysfunction and an overall decline in mental health (Chang, Hays, & Milliken, 2009). The American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics states that counselors should â€Å"recognize historical and social prejudices in the misdiagnosis and pathologizing of certain individuals and groups and the role of mental health professionals in perpetuating these prejudices through diagnosis and treatment. The need for counselors to integrate social justice advocacy with consultation stems from the fact that much of the clientele that is s eeking out mental health services have suffered in some form or another from social injustice(s). It is imperative in cases like this that a balance is made between providing both consultation and advocacy to our clients. In working with populations that have experienced social injustices such as poverty, racial intimidations, abuse, etc. t is the responsibility of the counselor to be the voice for those who cannot speak up for themselves. Practices such as collaborating with multiple stakeholder groups and identifying institutional polices that may promote marginalization of vulnerable community members are used by both consultants (Brown, 1993; Kampwirth, 2006) and advocates (Vera & Speight, 2003). While it is important to understand the social injustices that many clients face, it is also critical to know exactly why these injustices occur.It is also important that counselors attempt to change the structures that are responsible for the oppression of mental health clients. This s ocial justice movement is sometimes referred to as professional counseling’s fifth force (Ratts, D’Andrea, & Arredondo, 2004)—in other words advocacy counseling. Counseling is indeed an effective and powerful tool in helping the less fortunate with their problems. However, counseling by itself is cannot be used to advance clients’ wellbeing. There must be an interlocking of counseling, consultation and social advocacy.That is, the oppressed clientele would greatly benefit from outside consultants that have the capability of promoting change within the corrosive environments in which they live. Authors Ratts and Hutchins (2009) have also highlighted how counselors-as advocates often adopt the role of consultant to promote empowerment of clients and students (Moe, Perera-Diltz, Sepulveda, 2010). Advocacy can play an important role in many aspects of alleviating the plight of the oppressed population of mental health clients.For example, advocacy can assist in supporting equitable access to needed medical services. It can also help to reduce the discrimination experienced by consumers within the health care system by facilitating communication with health care providers and by addressing any prejudicial beliefs health care providers may hold. Finally, advocates can assist consumers in addressing any discrimination that they may experience within the health care system (Stylianos & Kehyayan, 2012).If not for the advocacy of interest groups, doctors, nurses, patients, politicians, etc. the recent healthcare system changes may never have been signed into law which would have left millions still without access to affordable healthcare coverage or being denied access for discriminatory reasons. If a client does not have health insurance or the means to pay for services, a consultant could be utilized as a third party source in order to help the client have access to mental health services.Consultants in this situation could range from a soc ial worker, a career counselor or welfare office. The importance of children’s mental health in early development has long been documented, and many advocates have made impassioned pleas for additional resources for both children and their parents during the early years. A hypothetical program in which a mental health counselor could serve both as a consultant and an advocate would be to have counselors readily available to under privileged pre-school children in an outside child-care setting.The counselors could serve as a means of providing intervention of serious future problems that these children may have as they mature. These counselors can also help teachers and parents deal with issues of challenging behavior or even learning disabilities. The function of a mental health counselor that is serving as a consultant in this type of surrounding would be very different than they typical one-to-one therapy that usually occurs between counselor and client.The role of a consul tant in this sort of program would be to work as a team with a child-care center staff to recognize and deal with difficult behaviors and/or learning behaviors successfully. They would also serve as coach or mentor to families dealing with challenging issues at home and could help them access quality behavioral health services outside of the pre-school setting. In regards to social advocacy in this hypothetical program, emphasis can be made on the lack of healthcare afforded to children. According to a report from the U.S. Surgeon General, current estimates of children that are not being provided health care services are vast: â€Å"one in five children is estimated to have a mental health problem that impairs functioning, while less than half of all children and one third of adults with a diagnosable mental disorder receive any kind of services†. Inadequate finances from families of mentally ill children can be a main reason that children go without quality mental health ser vices. Another cause can be attributed to the stigma surrounding mental illness.This can ring exceptionally true among low-income families and minorities. To erase this type of stigma, it may be helpful for a mental health consultant in this type of program to ease into the role of therapist as one-to-one counseling may be too overwhelming for those who come into the process with a set of preconceived beliefs. They could offer classes on how to deal with a child’s difficult behavior or problem specific support groups such as a group for single parents learning to deal with their child’s emotions.The job of a mental health counselor is rewarding in that it offers scores of opportunities to impact the lives of others, not just through one-to-one counseling but also through being the voice of the less fortunate through consultation and advocacy. A dedicated counselor should not only provide a sympathetic ear for a client to speak to, but should also take advantage of thei r power to promote real change for those who really need it.By incorporating both consultation and advocacy into a counselor’s course of action into the treatment plans of their clients, both counselor and client will build an even stronger rapport than thought possible. References Bemak, F. , & Chi-Yi Chung, R. (2008). New professional roles and advocacy strategies for school counselors: A multicultural/social justice perspective to move beyond the nice counselor syndrome. Journal of Counseling & Development, 86, 372-381. Brown, D. , Pryzwansky, W. , & Schulte, A. (2010).Psychological consultation and collaboration: Introduction to theory and practice (7th ed. ). Boston, MA: Pearson. Chang, C. Y. , Hays, D. G. , & Milliken, T. F. (2009). Addressing social justice issues in supervision: A call for client and professional advocacy. The Clinical Supervisor, 28, 20-35. doi: 10. 1080/07325220902855144 Constantine, M. , Hage, S. , Kindaichi, M. , & Bryant, R. (2007). Social justic e and multicultural issues: Implications for the practice and training of counselors and counseling psychologists.Journal of Counseling & Development, 85, 24-29. Crethar, H. , Torres Rivera, E. , & Nash, S. (2008). In search of common threads: Linking multicultural, feminist, and social justice counseling paradigms. Journal of Counseling & Development, 86, 269-278. Dahir, C. , & Stone, C. (2009). School counselor accountability: The path to social justice and systemic change. Journal of Counseling & Development, 87, 12-20. Dougherty, A. M. (1990). Consultation: Practice and perspectives. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Kampwirth, T. J. (2006).Collaborative consultation in the schools. (3rd ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill. Kurpius, D. , & Fuqua, D. (1993). Fundamental issues in defining consultation. Journal of Counseling & Development, 71, 598-600. Lewis, J. , Arnold, M. , House, R. , & Toporek R. (2003). Advocacy Competencies. Retrieved from www. counseling. org/Counselors. Mental H ealth: A Report of the Surgeon General, U. S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, pgs. 76–77. Moe, J. , & Perera-Diltz, D. (2009). An overview of systemic-organizational consultation for professional counselors.Journal of Professional Counseling: Practice, Theory, , 27, 27-37. Nelson-Jones, R. (2002). Diverse goals for multicultural counselling and therapy. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 15, 133-144. Parry, Manon. (2010) From a Patient's Perspective: Clifford Whittingham Beers' Work to Reform Mental Health Services. American Journal of Public Health, 100(12). 2356-7. Prilleltensky, I. , & Prilleltensky, O. (2003). Synergies for wellness and liberation in counseling psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 31, 273-281. Ratts, M. J. , D’Andrea, M. & Arredondo, P. (2004, July). Social justice counseling: Fifth force in counseling. Counseling Today, 28-30. Roysircar, G. (2009). The big picture of advocacy: Counselor, heal society and thyself. Journal of Counseling & Dev elopment, 87, 288-294. Stylianos, S. & Kehyayan, V. (2012) Advocacy: Critical Component in a Comprehensive Mental Health System. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82(1). Vera, E. , & Speight, S. (2003). Multicultural competence, social justice, and counseling psychology: Expanding our roles. The Counseling Psychologist, 31, 253-272.