Specialised Cells in Human Biology Essay Example for Free

Specialised Cells in Human Biology Essay â€Å"The cells in your body are tiny-a row of about forty would fit into 1mm. But although they are too small to see with the naked eye their complexity is remarkable. A single cell can be thought of as an organised chemical system, separated from its disorganised surroundings by a membrane† (Boyle et al 1999) First here is a brief summary of major eukaryotic organelles and their structures. The nucleus is the largest and most prominent organelle in the cell. It is usually spherical and about 10um in diameter. It contains the DNA and chromosomes and carries information that allows the cell to divide and carry out its cellular processes. Almost all eukaryote cells have a nucleus. The nucleolus is located in the nucleus it is 1-2 um. Its function is to manufacture ribosomes. The ribosomes are found either free in the cytoplasm or attached to the rough endoplasmic reticulum R. E. R, They are 20nm in size and their function is to synthesise the protein in the cell. The cell surface membrane controls the entry and exit of substances in and out of the cell. It is partially permeable. It separates’ the cells contents from the external environment. It is a double layer of phospholipid molecules around 7-10nm thick. Cytoplasm is a jelly like substance that fills the cell it is around 80% water. This is where cell activities occur and most chemical reactions take place. Organelles are suspended in it. The R. E. R. occurs throughout the cytoplasm, it has an extensive membrane network. Its function is to isolate and transport newly synthesised proteins. The mitochondrion is numerous in cytoplasm and there are usually up to 1000per cell. Its function is aerobic respiration and synthesises most of the A. T. P. for the cell. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum S. E. R. is found in small patches in the cytoplasm, they vary in size and their function is to synthesise lipids and steroids. The muscle cells (see figure 1) that are found in the muscles that move the bones at joints in the skeleton. These cells allow for movement like walking or running. The skeletal muscle is made up of specialised cells also referred to as muscle fibres. These cells are long and thin, these elongated cells are tubular in appearance. The cells contain several nuclei for the cell to contract and relax the muscle; the cell needs many nuclei as the nucleus contains the DNA the genetic information that carries the instructions for making each protein i. e. the first step in making proteins takes place in the nuclei. The actual building of the proteins takes place in the sarcoplasm otherwise known as the cytoplasm. There is lots of mitochondria in the cell this because it is needed foe aerobic respiration to create the A. T. P. energy that is needed for the muscle to contract and relax. It is surrounded by the cell membrane or the sarcolemma, filled with sarcoplasm. The sarcoplasm contains many thread like fibres known as myofibrils. These run along the length if the muscle fibres parallel. The sarcoplasmic retilum that is around each myofibril consists of a network of tubes that contain calcium ions these play a major role in bringing about muscle movement. The neurone is the functional unit of the nervous system. They form connections with other neurones. They can carry electrical impulses in one direction; receiving and transmitting information. The thicker the insulation the faster the electrical impulses travel. They are found in the brain or the spinal cord. They are long and thin in fact they are the longest cell in the body. They vary in shape and size depending on their position and function. The neurones running down your leg can be over one metre long. Although all neurones have a similar basic structure, see figure 2 which shows the structure of a typical motor neurone. It transmits signals to muscle fibres. The cell body contains cytoplasm, a large nucleus which is found at the end of the cell and other organelles. Coming off the cell body are as many as 200 thread like dendrites that make the area of the cell body larger, these allow many connections to be made to other neurones and one long limb called an axon. The dendrites bring impulses into the cell body while the axon brings impulses away to connect with other neurones or with effectors such as glands or muscles. A significant feature of a neurone is that their cell bodies contain nissi granules; these work to be a maintenance system that monitors the cell. They are also the site of protein synthesis in the cell. The axoplasm or the cytoplasm extends throughout the cell into the dendrites, synoptic bulbs, cell body and axon. Materials reach different parts of the neurone by axoplasmic transport. Most human cells are microscopic. The largest cell in the human body is the egg cell or the ova. This is just visible with the naked eye. It needs to be bigger than other cells as it needs the space to store food reserves. It is large in diameter at 0. 2mm and has a large cytoplasm this is packed with food reserves which allow the cell to divide before it implants in to the nucleus. It has a large nucleus (see figure 3) this is because it contains all the genetic material of the cell including all of the DNA, 23 chromosomes and all of the information necessary to make a complete human being in just nine months. .The egg cell is surrounded by several layers of cells and the complete unit is called a follicle. The production of egg cells oogenesis takes place within the ovaries of the developing female fetus. At birth a girl already has two million. These fuse with the male gametes called spermatozoa or sperm in a process known as fertilisation. The resulting cell the zygote develops inside the uterus nourished by the placenta into a new individual. The sperm (see figure 4) has a large nucleus; this is because it contains digestive enzymes it also contains the 21 chromosomes that must be delivered to the egg in order for the complete 42 chromosomes to be in the zygote, it also contains chemicals to penetrate the egg and carries genetic information. The sperm has many mitochondria this is because it needs a lot of energy for its long swim to the egg. It has a long tail called a flagellum that is a modified cilium that it uses for swimming to the egg cell. It is one of 50-200 million sperm that attempt the journey to the egg cell but only one can make it and fertilise the egg cell. When the sperm reaches the egg cell; digestive enzymes that are found on the tip of the sperm head are released when the bag splits releasing the enzymes which digest a pathway through any remaining follicle cells and the zona pellucida. Fertilisation has begun.

How Taoism Relates To Winnie The Pooh Philosophy Essay

How Taoism Relates To Winnie The Pooh Philosophy Essay This paper discusses how the book the Tao Of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff relates the concept of Taoism to the characters from the Winnie The Pooh by A A Milne and their application to life and therapy. In The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff utilizes characters from Winnie the Pooh to attempt to explain the fundamentals of Taoism. By observing Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Tigger, and Pooh, it is easy to see that the actions of the character Pooh best describe Taoism. One of the most important principles of Taoism used in the book is the uncarved block. Hoff uses the characters from A A Milnes Winnie the Pooh books to illustrate and explain the basics of Taoist philosophy, showing how Pooh himself is the epitome of the Taoist thinker, enjoying life with simplicity but not stupidity. The author explains that Taoists try to appreciate, learn from, and work with whatever happens in life, whereas, in contrast, Confucianism attempts to impose order, and Buddhists see lifes tribulations as obstacles to be overcome before achieving Nirvana. He describes how Tao is the Way, which can be understood but not defined, and illustrates key elements of Tao such as Pu, the uncarved block, and Wu wei, goi ng with the flow. In case you should think that this book is altogether too simplistic, I should add that Hoff touches on the writings of Lao-Tzu (author of the Tao Te Ching), Chuang-tse, the poet Li Po, and other Taoist philosophers, giving his own interpretations of the passages. Hoff shows how Pooh best explains the Uncarved Block. The principle of the Uncarved Block is that things that are simple contain their own natural power, power that can be spoiled and lost when overcomplicated. Using the characters he shows how our lives can be sabotaged by errors in thinking and how it can be prevented. Hoff uses Rabbit to show when you are racing through life you can miss out on the valuable things that make up life itself. We seem to jeopardize ourselves by thinking too much of the self. Owl is used to show that when trying to find underlying meaning for everything you overcomplicate it. Hoff uses Piglet in the sense that Piglet is always scared and as a result scared to try things, if Piglet wouldnt dwell in worry, he would accomplish more, and find happiness .Sometimes staying less in your head is an advantage. Hoff goes on to show that the character of Eeyore is always depressed and dwells in negativity. If he abstained from this life would be completely different. Now finally we come to Pooh. The author exemplifies how Pooh doesnt stay in worry, nor is he over-analytical, he stays in the spontaneous. As a result of staying in the way he finds everything goes its own course and works out as a result of his non-action. Pooh goes with the flow of nature and doesnt interfere. He leads a life of simplicity and one free of worry. This is a perfect reflection of someone who follows the Tao. I think this is more or less a basic explanation of Tao and how to apply it to our lives by modeling out behavior in a likewise manner. There arent any obscure references here only face value application. The use of the cartoon characters that we all are familiar with is a very u seful strategy. It is a way of explanation that transcends all racial, sexual, gender barriers. For example, we wont try too hard or explain too much, because that would only Confuse things, and because it would leave the impression that it was all only an intellectual idea that could be left on the intellectual level and ignored. (p. 10) He uses each chapter of the book to teach a new principle of the Uncarved Block of Taoism. In each chapter he tells a Winnie the Pooh story and then explains how it relates to Taoism. Hoff writes a chapter teaching how cleverness does not always help, but it sometimes destroys things and is the reason that things do not work out. Hoff teaches that the Taoist believe that if you understand Inner Nature it is far more effective than knowledge or cleverness. He uses a poem called Cottleston Pie. The poem explains how things just are as they are and how people try to violate these principles with their everyday lives. There is also the story of Tigger and Roo. Tigger tries to be what he is not and as a result everything goes wrong and he always ends up getting stuck in a tree. Hoff also explains that working with Nature is best in the sense that you do not screw things up with a story about Eeyore getting stuck in the river. Everybody had been trying to think of clever ways to get Eeyore out of the river when Pooh said that if they just dropped a big stone into it, then it would just wash Eeyore ashore. He did it without even thinking, because thinking would complicate things, and of course it worked. Pooh worked with Nature and things worked out for him. As you can see, Hoff uses many different Winnie the Pooh stories to teach the uncomplicated ways of the Taoist. The only argument that Hoff really presents is whether or not the Taoist way is the best way and whether or not it really works. When you look at it from the point of Pooh and the stories he is a part of, you are able to see how easily the Taoist ideology fits snuggly into Pooh and his world. Obviously if you do not believe that cleverness and knowledge are not important, then you will not agree with anything Hoff is saying, but he makes you believe in showing you how it always works out with Pooh. He argues whether or not cleverness and knowledge really are important. For example, it can be explained in the story when Eeyore gets stuck in the river. Clever ways do not work, but Poohs simple way always seem to work surprisingly well. Hoff also argues how the Taoist believes that over exhausting ourselves needlessly only works against us. He uses Rabbit to explain this. Quite simply, Rabbit is always in a hurry, he is the very face of stress itself. Hoff explains these so called creatures like a shadow. Shadows are always rushing along. They are also always trying to lose their shadows. They try to run from them not realizing that they cannot, that they are one and the same. Hoff argues that by just sitting down and enjoying a nice sunny day, like Pooh would do, you can complicate things. You do not get the full fulfillment of your life. There is the argument that this is just using examples to match the conclusions that we have already come to. I believe however, that one cannot free himself of the weight of our foolish ways until we have exposed that fallacy and this is a vehicle to do that without feeling condescended by an authority figure that many associate with other comparative theories. Case and point Hoffs adaption of Winnie the Pooh to Taoist philosophy is brilliant and yet never strays from its humility. Through this I can now see how the field of psychology, is a chaotic discipline much more suited to the Taoist approach of going with the flow-the Wu wei, then against it. In Hoffs description of A A Milnes characters I was able to see myself trying to be like the Owl, while actually being a combination of the Rabbit and the pessimistic Eeyor e. Hoff has shown me how the ideal is to be a simple character such as Pooh himself, accepting life, work, and other people as they are rather than trying to impose order on them. I now seek to accept and move with events as they occur, preferring not to try to impose change nor viewing changes it as an obstacle to be overcome. It all comes down to acceptance and will. When you yield to the flow you find that it goes along with the grain of your life instead of against it. This approach spills over into every aspect of life, keeping them simple, letting nature direct the flow as it were.

Impact of Employee Motivation Strategies on Customer Service

Impact of Employee Motivation Strategies on Customer Service Creating and maintaining a well-motivated work force is challenging task of a company. The confidence and motivation of work force are being constantly worn down by the inevitable rejection they suffer from buyers as part of everyday activities. To some extent, a high level of employee motivation is derived from effective management practices. To develop motivated employees, a manager must treat people as individuals, empower workers, provide an effective reward system, redesign jobs, and create a flexible workplace. Empowerment occurs when individuals in an organization are given autonomy, authority, trust, and encouragement to accomplish a task. Empowerment is designed to unshackle the worker and to make a job the workers responsibility. In an attempt to empower and to change some of the old bureaucratic ideas, managers are promoting corporate entrepreneurships. Entrepreneurship encourages employees to pursue new ideas and gives them the authority to promote those ideas. Obviously, entrepreneurship is not for the timid, because old structures and processes are turned upside down. Managers often use rewards to reinforce employee behavior that they want to continue. A reward is a work outcome of positive value to the individual. Organizations are rich in rewards for people whose performance accomplishments help meet organizational objectives. People receive rewards in one of the following two ways: Extrinsic rewards are externally administered. They are valued outcomes given to someone by another person, typically a supervisor or higher level manager. Common workplace examples are pay bonuses, promotions, time off, special assignments, office fixtures, awards, verbal praise, and so on. In all cases, the motivational stimulus of extrinsic rewards originates outside the individual. Intrinsic rewards are self-administered. Think of the natural high a person may experience after completing a job. That person feels good because she has a feeling of competency, personal development, and self-control over her work. In contrast to extrinsic rewards, the motivational stimulus of intrinsic rewards is internal and doesnt depend on the actions of other people. When people think of honoring employees for jobs well done, they may typically think of monetary rewards. However, these may be neither necessary nor the best type of reward. By contrast, frequent, positive feedback provided within a n enjoyable, team-oriented environment makes a tremendous difference in employees sense of being valued and, as a result, their commitment to your company. With or without financial rewards, these cultural aspects of the workplace could be the smartest investment in the staff and business. 2.0 Problem Statement McDonalds want to improve service quality and productivity in company; the single most effective thing is improve employee morale and motivation. Fortunately there are many ways to do this from the familiar recognition and reward programs to motivating with good management, teams, training, and more. And the really good news is that most of these programs dont cost a lot of money. Motivating customer service employees provides details on the full range of approaches use to improve frontline motivation. It is important to understand exactly how these motivational approaches have been put into action in to improve customer service and provide better customer care with customer satisfaction in McDonalds. It is important to hire the right people after all, you can never motivate the wrong people, create powerful recognition and incentive programs, that fully engage and motivate employees and make the frontline job more interesting, challenging, and rewarding through empowerment, teams, good management, training, and more. 3.0 Research Objectives To identify current employee motivation strategies in McDonalds To identify effective motivates factors of employees in McDonalds To understand the customer feel about the employees of McDonalds To introduce proper employee motivation strategies to improve customer service and employees performance in McDonald 4.0 Research Questionnaires What are the current employees motivation strategies in McDonald? What are the best effective employee motivation factors for McDonald? How is the customer view about the employee of McDonald? What are the most suitable employee motivation strategies to improve customer service and employees performance in McDonald? Chapter -02 5.0 Literature Review Literature Review of Employee Motivation and Customer Service Many people go to work every day and go through the same, unenthusiastic actions to perform their jobs. These individuals often refer to this condition as burnout. But smart managers can do something to improve this condition before an employee becomes bored and loses motivation. The concept of job redesign, which requires knowledge of and concern for the human qualities people bring with them to the organization, applies motivational theories to the structure of work for improving productivity and satisfaction 5.1 Employee Motivation When redesigning jobs, managers look at both job scope and job depth. Redesign attempts may include the following: Job enlargement, often referred to as horizontal job loading, job enlargement increases the variety of tasks a job includes. Although it doesnt increase the quality or the challenge of those tasks, job enlargement may reduce some of the monotony, and as an employees boredom decreases, his or her work quality generally increases. Job rotation, this practice assigns people to different jobs or tasks to different people on a temporary basis. The idea is to add variety and to expose people to the dependence that one job has on other jobs. Job rotation can encourage higher levels of contributions and renew interest and enthusiasm. The organization benefits from a cross-trained workforce. Job enrichment, this called vertical job loading, this application includes not only an increased variety of tasks, but also provides an employee with more responsibility and authority. If the skills required to do the job are skills that match the jobholders abilities, job enrichment may improve morale and performance. Todays employees value personal time. Because of family needs, a traditional nine-to-five workday may not work for many people. Therefore, flextime, which permits employees to set and control their own work hours, is one way that organizations are accommodating their employees needs. Here are some other options organizations are trying as well: A compressed workweek is a form of flextime that allows a full-time job to be completed in less than the standard 40-hour, five-day workweek. Its most common form is the 4/40 schedule, which gives employees three days off each week. This schedule benefits the individual through more leisure time and lower commuting costs. The organization should benefit through lower absenteeism and improved performance. Of course, the danger in this type of scheduling is the possibility of increased fatigue. Job sharing or twinning occurs when one full-time job is split between two or more persons. Job sharing often involves each person working one-half day, but it can also be done on weekly or monthly sharing arrangements. When jobs can be split and shared, organizations can benefit by employing talented people who would otherwise be unable to work full-time. The qualified employee who is also a parent may not want to be in the office for a full day but may be willing to work a half-day. Although adjustment problems sometimes occur, the arrangement can be good for all concerned. Telecommuting, sometimes called flexi place, is a work arrangement that allows at least a portion of scheduled work hours to be completed outside of the office, with work-at-home as one of the options. Telecommuting frees the jobholder from needing to work fixed hours, wearing special work attire, enduring the normal constraints of commuting, and having direct contact with supervisors. Home workers often demonstrate increased productivity, report fewer distractions, enjoy the freedom to be their own boss, and appreciate the benefit of having more time for them. Of course, when there are positives, there are also negatives. Many home workers feel that they work too much and are isolated from their family and friends. In addition to the feelings of isolation, many employees feel that the lack of visibility at the office may result in the loss of promotions. 5.2 Employee Motivation Strategies 1. External Motivation There are two kinds of external motivation: a) Fear You had better get this right, or you will lose money, job, respect, relationship, status, etc. b) Incentives If you do this right, you will gain money, recognition, status, promotion, lifestyle, etc. The impact of external motivation is temporary. When the threat or incentive is removed, motivation is lost. 2. Internal Motivation Most employees have been exposed to the idea If it is to be, its up to me. And they have all been advised to set goals. Many employees set worthwhile goals, BUT their suboptimal thinking prevents them from taking the best actions to achieve the best outcomes. They compromise their own best interests, because they havent been educated in the art and science of consistent Optimal Thinking. As an Optimal Thinking leader, you assess and best resolve demotivating company rules, policies and behaviors (e.g. unproductive meetings, destructive criticism, and unclear expectations about employee performance). By minimizing demotivates and optimizing no-cost employee motivation strategies (e.g. maximizing job ownership, setting supremely motivational realistic challenges and goals, providing fair treatment and appropriate recognition, measuring performance progress, optimizing collaboration and teamwork) and educating your employees in the consistent art of Optimal Thinking, you will provide the most conducive environment to optimize employee motivation and productivity. 5.3 Motivation Theories Motivation has been researched by psychologists and others for many years. A number of theories have evolved which are pertinent to the motivation of employees. The basis of Maslows motivation theory is that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower factors need to be satisfied before higher needs can be satisfied. According to Maslow, there are general types of needs (physiological, survival, safety, love, and esteem) that must be satisfied before a can act unselfishly. He called these needs deficiency needs. As long as we are motivated to satisfy these cravings, we are moving towards growth, toward self-actualization. Satisfying needs is healthy, while preventing gratification makes us sick or act evilly. The two-factor theory (also known as Herzbergs motivation-hygiene theory) states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction. It was developed by Frederick Herzberg, a psychologist, who theorized that job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction act independently of each other. Expectancy Theory proposes that a person will decide to behave or act in a certain way because they are motivated to select a specific behavior over other behaviors due to what they expect the result of that selected behavior will be. In essence, the motivation of the behavior selection is determined by the desirability of the outcome. However, at the core of the theory is the cognitive process of how an individual processes the different motivational elements. This is done before making the ultimate choice. The outcome is not the sole determining factor in making the decision of how to behave. 5.4 Importance of Customer Services Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. It can offer promotions and slash prices to bring in as many new customers as company want, but unless company can get some of those customers to come back, business wont be profitable for long. Good customer service is all about bringing customers back. And about sending them away happy happy enough to pass positive feedback about business along to others, who may then try the product or service offer for themselves and in their turn, become repeat customers Good salesperson can be used to sell anything to anyone once. But it will be your approach to customer service that determines whether or not ever be able to sell that person anything else. The essence of good customer service is forming a relationship with customers a relationship that that individual customer feels that he would like to pursue. Answer your phone. Get call forwarding or an answering service. Hire the staff if business need to. But make sure that someone is picking up the phone when someone calls your business. Dont make promises unless you will keep them. Not plan to keep them, will keep them. Reliability is one of the keys to any good relationship, and good customer service is no exception. It is important think before you give any promise because nothing annoys customers more than a broken one. Listen to your customers. Is there anything more exasperating than telling someone what you want or what your problem is and then discovering that that person hasnt been paying attention and needs to have it explained again? From a customers point of view, I doubt it. Can the sales pitches and the product babble. Let your customer talk and show him that you are listening by making the appropriate responses, such as suggesting how to solve the problem. Deal with complaints. No one likes hearing complaints, and many of us have developed a reflex shrug, saying, You cant please all the people all the time. Maybe not, but if you give the complaint your attention, you may be able to please this one person this one time and position your business to reap the benefits of good customer service. Be helpful even if theres no immediate profit in it. The other day I popped into a local watch shop because I had lost the small piece that clips the pieces of my watch band together. When I explained the problem, the proprietor said that he thought he might have one lying around. He found it, attached it to my watch band and charged me nothing! Where do you think Ill go when I need a new watch band or even a new watch? And how many people do you think Ive told this story to? Train your staff (if you have any) to be always helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable. Do it yourself or hire someone to train them. Talk to them about good customer service and what it is (and isnt) regularly. Most importantly, give every member of your staff enough information and power to make those small customer-pleasing decisions, so he never has to say, I dont know, but so-and-so will be back at Take the extra step For instance, if someone walks into your store and asks you to help them find something, dont just say, Its in Aisle 3. Lead the customer to the item. Better yet, wait and see if he has questions about it, or further needs. Whatever the extra step may be, if you want to provide good customer service, take it. They may not say so to you, but people notice when people make an extra effort and will tell other people. viii) Throw in something extra. Whether its a coupon for a future discount, additional information on how to use the product, or a genuine smile, people love to get more than they thought they were getting. And dont think that a gesture has to be large to be effective. The local art framer that we use attaches a package of picture hangers to every picture he frames. A small thing, but so appreciated. Chapter -03 6.0 Methodology Staff surveys are usually very helpful in establishing whether staff in your company is motivated and therefore performing to best effect. Aside from the information that questionnaires reveal, the process of involving and consulting with staff is hugely beneficial and motivational in its own right, Whilst survey will be unique to McDonalds and staff issues, industry and culture, some useful generic guidelines apply to most situations and own questionnaires on employee motivation. 6.1 Sampling Frame Research is mainly focused on primary data. Random sampling method is used for the primary data collection. Two questionnaire surveys are conducted for the research study. It is randomly selected 10 McDonalds in all over the country. Then it is selected 100 employees from all over the McDonalds in country. It is randomly selected 100 customers from selected ten McDonalds in all over the country. 6.2 Data Collection Mainly research is focused on primary data and secondary data also collected from books, journals and informal discussions. Two questionnaires are prepared to collect all the information required for the objectives. One questionnaire is prepared for the McDonalds employee and other questionnaire prepared for the McDonalds customers. Then the prepared questionnaire is pre tested with five employee and five consumers to make sure that questionnaires are appropriate to get required information. Then questionnaire survey is conducted randomly selected 100 employees and customers. Questionnaires are completed when interviewing the employee and customers. Chapter -04 7.0 Data Analysis 7.1 Employee Survey According to the results of the questionnaire survey, out of the sample that were subjected to the survey 75% of chefs and managers said that they were satisfied with the level of flexibility of working hours. However only 61% of the cashiers were satisfied, and it should be noted that out of the cashiers that were interviewed 53% are female workers. The female workers may find it difficult to match their requirement with the available working shifts. Even though the management had emphasized that the performance related rewarding strategies were in place, the questionnaire analysis shows some contradicting results. Only 37% of chefs, 46% cashiers are satisfied with their salary. But 100% of the managers are satisfied with their salary. Also approximately 37% of chefs and cashiers are satisfied with the benefits, while 75% of the managers are satisfied with their benefits. Further 25% and 38% of chefs and cashiers are satisfied with the frequency and amount of bonuses respectively. However 50% of the managers are satisfied with the bonuses. But 62% chefs, 53% cashiers and 100% of the managers are satisfied with the rewarding scheme. Nevertheless this analysis indicates a more focus and biasness towards the management in terms of rewards and the requirements of the team members are not sufficiently addressed. However based on the questionnaire analysis, on average 50% of the employees are satisfied with the career advancement opportunities available to them. So the reason for this lower satisfaction level should be investigated. The results of the questionnaire survey shows that around 76% of the operational level employees (cashiers, chefs, etc) are below 4 years in service. So this can be a symptom of employee turnover or they may have been promoted to higher grades. So it is identified that the job security for the KFC team members are high, a large number of employment opportunities are available within their group of companies and their career path is clear. According to the questionnaire results 75% of chefs and 100% of managers are satisfied with their job security. However the cashiers show a lower satisfaction rate of 53% of job satisfaction. Even though the management believes in a supportive corporate culture to enhance employee motivation, the effectiveness of the implementation of the strategies is questionable. This because the results of the questionnaire results revealed that only 50% of the chefs and only 46% of cashiers are satisfied with the existing corporate culture even though there is 100% satisfaction of the management. 7.2 Customer Survey 100 customers were interviewed in this survey, according to their view 69% customers satisfied with customer service delivering in McDonald, 26% customers dissatisfied and 5% customers were neutral in that question. Product quality and price view of customers were good 78% of customers satisfied with product quality and 82% customers satisfied with product price. According to customer view, researcher can summarized their view as above Chapter -05 8.0 Conclusions Recommendations 8.1 Conclusions It can be concluded that the rewarding strategy which is in place at the moment is somewhat ineffective. One of the major issue with the current system is it is more bias towards the management but does not take into account the requirements of the team members. This fact is proven by the results of the questionnaire analysis. For instance only 37% and 46%% of chefs and cashiers are satisfied with their salary, respectively. However 100%% of the managers are satisfied of their salary. On the other hand 37% and 38% of chefs and cashiers are satisfied with their benefits respectively, while 75% of the managers are satisfied. It can be concluded that, in general KFC has taken actions tom promote their team members to higher positions in anticipation of motivation. When considering the results of the questionnaire only 0% of chefs and 15% of cashiers have service records of more than 7 years. So the chefs and cashiers may be promoted as managers in course of time. This fact is further supported by the fact that no managers were found to have less than 4 years of experience at Mcdonald. So managers must be promoted from the operational level to their current position. 8.2 Recommendations It is recommended to revise the existing rewarding scheme appropriately to accommodate the requirements of the team members in terms of amount of economic benefits ensuring a win-win situation for both the employees and the employer. It is recommended to attend to the issue of high work load of female cashiers, and to the issue of lack of new technology in McDonald. It is emphasized that by bringing in new technology to reduce work load. It is recommended to design a new shift of working, different to the general shifts that are currently available in order to accommodate the requirements of the female employees. It is recommended to provide convenient physical working environment for female workers. It is recommended to assess the training needs of chefs regularly because of the technical nature of the job and because of a chefs ability to deliver superior customer satisfaction. Proper training program should be organized and conducted continuously to enhance the knowledge and the skill base of the chefs.

Scientology :: essays research papers

The Truth About Scientology Scientology was created around 1950 by a science fiction author, L. Ron Hubbard. Scientology was presented as a religious philosophy, but is actually a warped sense of both religion and science, fused together to create a belief system that is quite damaging to people’s psychological state. Scientologists believe that man is ultimately capable of determining the outcome of all aspects of his life: mental, emotional, as well as physical. It is a twentieth century religion that teaches that one’s health and wellness is something that man is in control of. Man is a spiritual being endowed with abilities well beyond those that he normally imagines. He is able to solve his own problems, accomplish his goals, gain lasting happiness, and also achieve new states of understanding he may never have dreamed possible. As for science, science is the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena. Science uses a system, known as the scientific method, to explain general truths and phenomena. As you can understand now, scientology does not meet the requirements of what it takes for something to be classified as a science. However it is a set of ideas based on theories put forth as scientific when they are not scientific, a term known as a pseudoscience. Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, the creator of scientology, published Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, and insisted that it was a science. He claimed that dianetics "...contains a therapeutic technique with which can be treated all inorganic mental ills and all organic psycho-somatic ills, with assurance of complete cure.† The truth of the matter is that no scientific testing has been done that would credit this set of ideals. Scientology is a confused mixture of harmfully applied psychotherapy, oversimplified, foolish and irrelevant rules and ideas and science-fiction nonsense that is presented to its members as profound spiritual truth. It is not based on scientific testing; rather it is a cult that was created in the hopes that it could use its mind controlling techniques to manipulate people into handing over their money.

The Fall of the House of Usher Essay -- Literary Analysis, Edgar Allen

In the story â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† by Edgar Allen Poe, the character Roderick Usher is the last male member of the Usher family. The Usher family has a nearly impeccable direct line of descent as stated in paragraph 3 of the story. Roderick has only one living relative, his sister Madeline. This means that the Usher family is in jeopardy of disappearing because neither Roderick nor his sister has any children. Therefore there is a possibility of incest between Roderick and Madeline. However this could result in many difficulties and problems for the potential children and possibly on the consciences of Roderick and Madeline. In the story Roderick sings a poem entitled â€Å"The Haunted Palace† to the narrator of the story. Since Roderick Usher is having doubts about the security of his family line he uses the poem as a way of expressing these emotions without stating them explicitly. The organization of the stanzas in â€Å"The Haunted Palace† shows a lot about the poem’s overall meaning. The poem is literally about a palace in a beautiful valley. The palace is inhabited by spirits and a ruler of the valley. The valley is a happy place until it is attacked by evil spirits and their ruler dies. The attack of the spirits leaves the palace a dark and gloomy place. But this literal translation of the poem does not show its metaphorical meaning. A metaphor of the poem can be found through the organization of the poem as a whole. Stanza I describes the setting of the poem: â€Å"In the greenest of our valleys† (1.1). It also mentions the palace which is in the valley. Stanza II describes the palace in more detail, labelling it as a beautiful place. Stanza III gives information on the tenants of the palace; spirits live inside with â€Å"the ru... ...oderick refers to the spirits as good and says that they sing about: â€Å"The wit and wisdom of their king.† (4.8). â€Å"The ruler of the realm† (3.8) whom the spirits are singing about could represent the house of Usher, but not the literal house of Usher, instead they are singing about the Usher family. It is known that this is a name often given to both the house and the family: â€Å"†¦the ‘House of Usher’ – an appellation which seemed to include, in the minds of the peasantry who used it, both the family and the family mansion.† (Poe par.3) Therefore Roderick could be saying all of this because he is proud of his family and believes that he is letting down the â€Å"House of Usher† by not continuing the direct line of descent that his family has continued for so many years. Thus when the king dies in the poem (5.3-4), Roderick could think that his family line has already died.

Spiral of Silence

Name: Edmund Marcio Lugao Diploma in Mass Communication Subject: Communication Theory Introduction: I do not like V-neck but I am a Gay and what say you? I do not use handbags similar to those used by women and what say you? â€Å"Gay men have muscular bodies and like to show off by wearing V-neck and sleeveless clothes. They prefer tight and light coloured clothing. They like to carry big handbags similar to those used by women and so on. In a seminar in Penang on Sunday, Sep 16, 2012, Deputy Education Minister Mohd Puad Zarkashi said not many people understood or knew the early â€Å"symptoms† of homosexuality, bisexuality and transgender inclinations to prevent its spread. The Malaysian Government Education Minister has endorsed a list of the identifiable gay and lesbian guideline for the schools and parents to prevent the spread of what it perceives as a phenomenon among teenagers, especially students. In that seminar, the majority of the audience are teachers. In that si tuation, are them practicing the Spiral of Silence? Content:We will always choose to remain silence if someone evaluate their views fall in the minority. According to Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann (1916 – 2010) (Appendix I) â€Å"Spiral of Silence† been introduced as an attempt to explain in part how public opinion is formed. She wondered why the Germans supported wrong political positions that led to national defeat, humiliation and ruin in the 1930s-1940s. The description of Spiral of Silence is audience will be unwilling to publicly express their opinion if they believe they are in the minority. They will also be more vocal if they believe they are a part of the majority.Thus, the more marginalized you become, the less you speak and so spiral into a fully marginal position. This works because we fear social rejection. and that when a person appears to be rejected, others will back away from them, fearing being rejected because they associate with the rejected person. It also makes marginalization a powerful way of eliminating political and social competition. Public opinion is the â€Å"attitudes or behaviors one must express in public if one is not to isolate oneself, in areas of controversy or change; public opinions are those attitudes one can express without running the danger of isolating oneself. According to Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, one view dominated the public scene and others disappeared from the public awareness as it adherents became silent. In other words, the people fear of separation or isolation those around them, they tend to keep their attitudes to themselves when they think they are in the minority. (Appendix II) Example, in a company, the managing director decides to increase their working hour from 8am to 10pm and send e-mail to all employees. Majority of them accept this time changes and few employees are not satisfied with his decision but they cannot or ready to express their through publicly.That might have few possibilit y which are â€Å"Fear of isolation† like transfer. They may feel unsupported by the other employees, â€Å"Fear of Rejection† By rejecting their personal opinion from the public will help to avoid fight or they may try to save their job by suppressing or avoid personal statement in public. Spiral of silence theory describe as a dynamic process. The prediction about public opinion in mass media which gives more coverage for the majorities in the society and gives very less coverage for minorities.In this reality world, this social environment, people have fear of rejection to express their opinion or views and they known well what behaviors will make a better likelihood. We called this as â€Å"fear of Isolation†. Example, When Barack Obama’s (Obama) pastor of twenty years, Rev. Jeremiah Wright conducted radical sermons that caused much public outrage, Obama had no choice but to concur with the public. It can be said that Obama was caught in the spiral of silence where if he had supported his pastor’s comments in any way, he would have had a very hard time winning the elections.Obama can be said to be in the minority and at the bottom of the spiral while the public, with their opinions against the pastor, as being at the top of the spiral. Hence, Obama had to give a speech, where he had to declare in public that he was not in agreement with his pastor’s comments, failing which he may not have a chance of winning the elections. Being the part of minority, people will concern they loss their confidence and silent or mute to express their views because of the fear of isolation or they feel alone or unsupported.Sometimes the minorities withdraw their expressed opinion from public debates to secure themselves from the majority. The maximum numbers get more vocal space in the society and lesser number become less vocal space or become silent. In another example, this is a well known fact that gun control is a prevailing issu e in United State. However, those politicians rarely touch on this topic during the elections. Especially senator John McCain. Senator McCain has a strong support from the National Rifle Association (NRA) and speaking for gun control will only result in him losing a very critical support for the elections.On the other hand, while it seems as though the general public are divided by being for and against gun control, the other politicians too avoid bringing up the issue of gun control for fear of rejection by the public, just in case the future trend becomes such that most people’s opinions are opposite the politicians’. Hence, once again, the politicians are caught up in the spiral of silence where they have to succumb to present or future trend of public opinion to win the elections.Neumann mentioned that the suppression of the minority’s opinions in the spiral of science is caused by media. Because of the influential nature of media (Agenda-setting theory), th e media tends to set the agenda as to what the public’s opinion on an issue is, although it may not be correct. Hence, Neumann describes a condition called â€Å"pluralistic ignorance,† where people have a wrong idea of what the public’s opinion really is. She believes that the television in particular, is one media whose power of influence on public opinion, should not to be underestimated.In an attempt to describe the extent of the power of television, Neumann claims that she has never found a spiral of silence that went against the tenor of that media. In concurring with Stuart Hall’s pessimistic evaluation of the media’s intrusive role in democratic decision making, she suggests, that media in general and the television in particular, is the authority in giving people a sense of what the public opinion on an issue is. Hence, people can tell when they are not in the same opinion with the general public through information received from the media and so those people will tend not to voice out their opinions.Neumann claims that just because those people keep silent, it does not mean that they will change their opinions to suit the public. The German Public Opinion Research Center developed a â€Å"train/plane test† that determines whether people are willing to voice out their opinions. It found, very importantly, that those favoring the majority tend to willingly express their views, whereas those in the opposite court do not. Also, it found that the willingness to speak out depends on whether the future trend will be in harmony with their current views.As such, people feel safe to talk to those who share their same views than those who do not. The test also revealed that low selfesteem will cause one not to talk about his opinions and also, males, young adults and people from middle and upper classes find it easier to speak out. Lastly, the test identified that existing law encourages people to express their opinions when they feel they are in the minority. Conclusion: Ending Spiral of Silence theory has both micro level and macro level explanatory process. It works well during the public campaign, Senate and Parliament.Spiral of silence theory will also helps to raise question about considering the role and responsibility of media in the society. This theory will not considering the other explanation of silencing. In some cases the person may feel the majority’s ideas or opinion is much better than his own view and it overly negative view of media influence the average people too. edmund’s word October ©2012 References: 1) The Spiral of Silence Theory. Communication Theory (http://communicationtheory. org/the-spiral-of-silence-theory/) 2) The Graduand Google Blog. Spot ( ©2008) http://thegraduand. blogspot. com/2008/04/spiral-of-silence-theory-elisabeth. html) 3) Spiral of Silence Theory. Changing Minds. org ( ©2012) (http://changingminds. org/explanations/theories/spirals_ silence. htm) 4) Noelle-Neumann, E. ( ©1984). The Spiral of Silence. University of Chicago, Chicago (http://changingminds. org/explanations/theories/spirals_silence. htm) 5) Noelle-Neumann, E. ( ©1984). A First Look at Communication Theory – Spiral of Silence 7th Edition. University of Chicago, Chicago. page 372 – 381 (http://www. afirstlook. com/docs/spiral. pdf)

Is the Expansion of Tesco’s going to affect the local businesses?

I have chosen to study the expansion of Tesco's for a number of different reasons. The main reason is that I think that the expansion is going to completely change Clevedon, as it tourist town. It does not need a super store in it. I think that a lot of small businesses/shops are going to suffer if Tesco's gets the go ahead. I also think that there are going to be a number of side affects if the development happens. E.g. environmental issues. These are the main reasons why I have chosen to study the expansion of Tesco's. Methodology In my investigation I plan to do a number of things. I am planning to go round the shops in Clevedon and ask them what they think of the expansion of Tesco's. I am going to ask them all the same questions as to make it a fair investigation. I am going to ask 1) Do you think the expansion of Tesco's is going to affect your business directly? Please explain your answer 2) Do you think there will be any side affects of the expansion of Tesco's? These could be positive of negative. Please explain your answer. 3) Do you think that other businesses are going to be affected by the expansion of Tesco's? Please state what type of businesses you think are going to suffer. I am going to go to a number of different shops asking them what they think. I am also going to interview Morrison's and Lidl, as these are the other two big stores in Clevedon. Along with all the shops in Clevedon I am going to be fair and give Tesco's their chance to put their points across. I am going to interview and hopefully get the plans of the expansion of Tesco's. I am also going to be getting information off the Internet about the expansion of Tesco's. I am going to find old newspaper articles about the expansion and sum them up then put them into my results section. I think I am going to try and get peoples opinion about the expansion of Tesco, but when I went down to Tesco's to do random surveys no one was willing to do them. So I asked simple yes or no questions and I got some results. My two questions where. 1) Do you want Tesco's should expand? 2) Do you think the expansion is going to affect the small business and shops in Clevedon? Results The first thing I am going to do is I am going to get as much information about the expansion of Tesco's as I can. This was the original article that was published in the North Somerset Times on the 01 March 2007. â€Å"Tesco's proposal to demolish its Clevedon store and replace it with one twice as large has finally been registered with planners. The Mercury exclusively revealed in November that Britain's biggest retailer had paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.3 million for land next to its existing store. The supermarket giant intends to build the new store on the site of the current one, and also the premises occupied by Labcaire and the Bradshaw Group. Town residents, small businesses and other interested groups can now comment on the application after plans were formally registered with North Somerset Council last Thursday. They will be discussed by Clevedon Town Council later in March before going to North Somerset Council for a final decision. Tesco plans to keep the Kenn Road store open while the new one is being built and then demolish it for more parking spaces. It says the new store will bring about 150 extra full- and part-time jobs, injecting, it claims, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.5 million per year into the local economy. Current jobs would be safeguarded by keeping the old store open during the construction phase. The petrol station will also be moved on to the Bradshaw site. The new store would have a sales area of 60,148sq ft, compared to the current 27,286, and would provide 602 parking spaces. Tesco says the glass-fronted store would be built from sustainable materials, which are years ahead of what is required under building regulations. The part of the store which would face Southern Way would be two storeys high, the second storey containing a cafe and staff areas. In November Tesco spokesman Felix Gummer said the store, which would be branded as Tesco Extra, would sell a wider range of goods.† After reading up on the problem at hand I went to the local businesses and small shops to see what they think. I asked them all the same 3 questions, which I wrote in my methodology. The first shop I went to interview was WH Smiths. Smiths were very keen to give me lots of information about their view on the expansion on Tesco's. Their answers to my questions are as follows. 1) I think that the expansion of Tesco's is going to greatly affect our business. Our Clevedon Branch is one of the smallest Branches of WH Smiths around. This shop isn't big enough to cope with the demands of Clevedon as it is. We think that if the expansion of Tesco's does go ahead then we are going to loose a lot of business. I think this, as the new Tesco's is going to stock all the products that we stock. Plus as they are a national store it is cheaper for them to produce the products that we stock. So we are going to be under cut. So I am pretty sure that if the expansion does go ahead we are not going to be here much longer. 2) I think that the expansion is going to bring more people to Clevedon, but they will not come into the centre of Clevedon, they will use Tesco's then go. If it was Morrison's expanding then I think that it would be completely different. All the shops around the centre will benefit but as it is Tesco's I think that a lot of shops are going to suffer. I also think that as more people are going to coming to Clevedon then there is going to be a lot more cars coming to Clevedon. Causing more noise and air pollutions. 3) I think that a lot of small business/shops are going to be affected as Tesco's are going to stock a much wider verity of products. Products that the shops in the centre stock. So people are going to go to Tesco's as it is going to be cheaper for them to buy from Tesco's. I then moved round and went to New Look. New Look didn't seem to want to give as much information as WH Smiths but I got their opinion. 1) Our store does not feel threatened by the expansion of Tesco. If anything we think it is going to benefit our business. We do not feel threatened as we are offering a different product. We offer our customers fashionable clothes. Tesco's will not get the designers that we have, so we offer different types of clothes. We do not know if Tesco is even going to sell clothes. 2) As said above we think it is going to bring in more customers to our store. 3) No comment I then went to Woolworth's store they would not let me speak to the manager but I talked to one of the members of staff and got their opinion. 1) I think that the expansion of Tesco's is going to affect our store, but I am not sure if it is going to be in a good way or a bad way. I think that it is either going to take our customers away from us, or it is going to bring in more people from surrounding towns and this may increase our sales. 2) I do however believe that there are going to be a lot of side affects. The biggest being pollution, with all the extra cars coming in to shop at Tesco's plus the noise pollution, the pollution all the machinery will have to use to build the store. Also the local residents are going to be affected, me being one of them my garden backs onto the site, I think my personal area is going to be ruined. 3) I think that certain businesses are going to benefit and certain businesses are going to suffer. I think the well established, well known businesses will be fine but the small self owned ones will not. I then went and saw a friend who works at Aaron's Pets. I managed to talk to the manager of this Branch. He was very keen to give me his ideas about he expansion. 1) I don't think that we are going to be massively affected. I think that in certain areas we will b like with the animal toys, and certain typed of food, i.e. dog and cat food. But we offer a different product to the massive super store. We offer pets and the products that the animals need. (He said need with a lot of emphasis) 2) I do think that a lot of people are going to be affected by the expansion in different ways. I think that people are going to be kept awake at night by the constant traffic flow into and away from the store. Also the delivery lorries come in all through the day and night. Pollution is going to be a problem. As I am manager of a pet store I am very concerned about the animals around the area. There is area or woodland next to the roundabout that will be home to all sorts of creatures that will hunt at night, so there will be a bigger chance of them being run over. 3) I think that all the businesses in Clevedon are going to either suffer or benefit from the expansion. Due to Tesco's bringing in more customers or taking the customers to them. I then went to interview the bakeries. I am going to sum up what the 3 bakeries said and put them into one as they all said the same thing. 1) They all said more or less the same thing, we think that we are going to loose a lot of customers all our younger and middle aged customers will properly choose Tesco's as they will be cheaper. But the older generation are properly going to use us, as they have been using us all their life. Plus the loyal customers that come in to get the bread or tea, they will keep coming to us 2) They all said that the expansion of Tesco's is going to cause a lot of pollution and noise around the Kenn road area, but it wont so much affect the centre of Clevedon. 3) They all said the same thing for this question that it will keep all the bakeries on their feet and keep their standards high. I then went on to interview more shops around the centre of Clevedon and on hill road. They all came out with the same points as above so I have decided to not to include the interviews. I am however going to include information that I found from Morrison's. Nobody was available to comment on behalf of Morrison's but I found an article on the Internet that sums up their views. â€Å"Morrisons has warned the future of its Clevedon store would be under threat if Tesco is given the go-ahead to expand. The retailer says if Tesco is allowed to more than double the size of its Kenn Road store, it would hit the vitality of Clevedon town centre. It has written to North Somerset Council planners strongly objecting to Tesco's proposals. Its planning agent, Peacock and Smith, said there was no need for further supermarket expansion in Clevedon. It said: â€Å"The Morrisons store is the largest retail facility in the town centre and anchors the centre. â€Å"It generates a significant number of linked shopping trips with other shops and services in the town. â€Å"Our client has confirmed that its long-term viability may be under threat if the proposed development were to be approved. â€Å"Should closure of the store ultimately occur, this would also have major implications for the health of Clevedon town centre. â€Å"Accordingly, we consider that, in accordance with national and local retail policy to foster the health of town centres, this application should be refused.† It adds there is spare capacity at its Clevedon store and it is undertrading. Turnover is à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10.6 million per year, whereas it would expect it to be à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½15 million for a store of that size.† This is the information I have gained from shops, it is both primary, the interviews on the shops, and secondary, the articles I have got off the Internet. I am now going to see what customers at Tesco and Morrison's think of the expansion. I found this very difficult and no one seemed willing to give me explanations so I had to except one word yes or no answers. I asked 50 random people the two questions and got closed answers (yes no). 1) Do you want Tesco's should expand? 2) Do you think the expansion is going to affect the small business and shops in Clevedon? Positive Negative Won't affect it Evaluation From all the evidence I have gathered from both primary and secondary sources, I have found out that most people think that the expansion of Tesco's is going to affect local businesses. However people think that the affects it is going to have could be negative or positive. A lot more people believe that it is going to have negative affects on the local businesses. 72% of 50 people I randomly selected from Morrison's and Tesco believe that the affects are going to be negative. This is a vast majority of my random selection. However 20% of people I surveyed believed that the affects are going to positive. By brining in more people to the area, thus bringing more people to the shops. The shop owners came across differently. They all believed that there are going to affects on the economy. The only shops that feel that they are going to be affected are the shops that stock the same products as what Tesco do. The shops that stock specialist items like New Look, don't feel threatened at all. As they have their own designer's so they don't think they will be negatively affected. They think that the new Tesco will bring in more people to Clevedon so more people will visit the shops. Everyone apart from a few people think that in some way the expansion of Tesco's will affect the local businesses. This answers my question is the Expansion of Tesco's going to affect the local businesses? From all my research the answer to the question is yes the businesses are going to be affected but it may be for the better or the worse. If I were to do this task I would do a couple of things differently. In my questions that I asked the shops I would make question 3 â€Å"Do you think there will be any side affects of the expansion of Tesco's? These could be positive of negative. Please explain your answer.† I would make this question more specific or I would get rid of it. Yes I got a lot of information off this question but the information was not relevant to my question so it was a waste of time. I would also ask a lot more random questions, as I think that this is the best way to find out what people think. I believe I have answered my question and have got a lot of evidence to back up my point.