Truth1 Essay Example For Students

Truth1 Essay Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:4). This seems to be a very simple scripture talking about simple ideas. Children understand the little things that adults have a tendency to exasperate inherent truths. The Bible shows us that children understand right from wrong without trying to convince everyone that there might be a loop hole. Why is it that adults complicate matters so much?In order for us to understand how the ancient philosophers have gone astray from simple concepts we must take a look at truth and their views on the complex idea. Do we ever come to an understanding of what truth is or is it still out there for people to wonder about?Truth exists and is an absolute. Contrary to the mush-minded meanderings of modern educators, truth is not relative. If my truth differs from your truth that can only be because either one or both of us is unaware of the truth and has called something true which is n ot. Truth must not have the slightest touch of maybe to it. Maybe is dishonesty to truth and if it touches truth, then truth becomes maybe. Truth is more and beyond that which is true. Truth is a concept in philosophy that treats the meaning of true and the criteria by which we judge the truth or falsity in written and spoken statements. For thousands of years, Philosophers have attempted to answer the question What is Truth?Truth is the quality of being true, and anything that is true is a truth, the concept of truth is uncommonly complex and variable. Thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and opinions are said to be true or false. An idea makes a truth claim and is true when the character of what is thought about upholds its claim. Forms of words or statements are also said to be true or false. This can be explained by saying a set of words is true when it expresses a true thought. Truth should be replaced by the facts, reality or the way things are.Truth is often imagined as consisting in a speakers honesty with respect to what he believes. Mohandas Gandhi spoke of The Absolute Truth, the Eternal Principle, that is God and said, I worship God as Truth only. Jesus said, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. God is truth and the essence of it. All of his ways are truth and all truth stands or falls as it is measured against Him. If we love truth and seek after it, we cannot help but run into the outstretched arms of God. He wants us to know the truth, which is to know him. God places the truth before us and gives us complete freedom to choose how to respond to the truth. If we turn to God and ask him to instruct us in the truth and to lead us to salvation, we will surely receive that which we ask because our prayer will be in line with Gods desire for us. The word truth is mentioned in the bible 235 times. Plato developed an early version of the correspondence theory. He sought to understand the meaning of knowledge and how it is acquired. Plato wanted to distingu ish between true and false belief. His theory was based on intuitive recognition that true statements correspond to the facts, while false statements do not. Plato recognized this theory as unsatisfactory because it did not allow false belief. Plato stated that if a belief was false because no fact proved it to be true, then it would be a belief about nothing, or not even a belief at all. He then thought that the grammar of a sentence could offer a way around this problem. But how, he asked, are the parts of a sentence related to reality? One suggestion is from the 20th-century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. He stated that the parts of a sentence relate to the objects they describe much like the way the parts of a picture relate to the objects pictured. But false sentences pose a problem. If a false sentence pictures nothing, there can be no meaning in the sentence. The correspondence theory of truth is really no more than an expression of how the word truth is defined. Some criti cisms focus on the limits of a problem that is involved in knowing whether or not a proposition does indeed agree with the facts. We clearly do classify propositions as true or false in everyday life, but we cannot securely do so on the basis of their conformity to reality. William James defined the pragmatist theory of truth, as an idea is ‘true so long as to believe it manifestly false. It is obvious to any person that a proposition is either true or false separately of the utility of our belief in it. Pragmatist philosophers twisted the meanings of words, so we have to make logical sense of pragmatism. William James, qualified his attitude by saying that a propositions the premise of being true consists of being useful in the widest possible sense. I believe that Locke and Hobbes could be considered pragmatist philosophers. Man has no innate ideas and that makes truth arbitrary. Mental manipulations of words would exist because ideas are innate. Basically there are no simpl e ideas and everything could have multiple meanings. Does that make sense to you? Lets look back at the first sentence of this paper, man should humble himself as a child. If Locke and Hobbes had done this they would be singing a different tune. Its too easy to use that argument so lets use a war analogy to see how Lockes innate principle holds up. If a grenade is thrown into a bunker and I instinctively throw myself upon the grenade to save my platoon, I would have killed myself to save human life. That explains to me that there are innate ideas and that there is right and wrong. .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e , .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e .postImageUrl , .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e , .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e:hover , .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e:visited , .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e:active { border:0!important; } .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e:active , .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u627fbd5f4c352647da012b2b85781c0e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Catcher In The Rye 3 Essay We will write a custom essay on Truth1 specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Hobbes believes that truth is no where to be found. This is either a very ridiculous notion or a very scary concept if he is correct.Since men create words and the words create the truth, truth then is a relative term. The coherence theory also concerns the meaning of knowledge. It states that a propositions truth consists in its fitting into a coherent system of propositions. Beliefs cover everything and do not contradict each other. The coherence theory is undoubtedly the better theory even here if only because there is an elegant economy in having a single over-arching theory of truth that encompasses all situations. I believe that Marx has stayed consistent with the coherent theory. Whether he was right or wrong is not necessarily the point here, the point is that he did not contradict himself within his own writings. Instead of following all the historical writings, Marx decides to institute a whole new system by eliminating all truths and establishing a system without any truths. Since Communism contradicts all the previous philosophies, Marx creates this system so that there is no grey area. Many who found themselves in the grey area were usually not heard from again. This brings us to a philosopher that followed the ideas of Stalin or even Clinton when it comes to truth. Machiavelli views the nature of man as a selfish animal. If we are selfish then it only makes sense that all truth would be distorted and vague. Truth is never simple with Machiavelli and will always be construed as a mans weakness. Simple virtues make a man vulnerable while a mans vices will help him to survive. Embracing non-truths is the key for success according to Machiavelli. If my notion is correct that most of the truths that we come across are inherent is correct, then Machiavelli is very wrong. His methods are accurate, however he has us to believe that stealing could be worse than murder.Truth has been linked with the Good and the Beautiful as one of mans supreme values. The pursuit of truth is indistinguishable in practice from the pursuit of knowledge, whether about the environment, nature, ethnical duties and ideas, or the relation to the divine. It has been doubted whether knowledge, or known truth, is humanly attainable. The truth is often disagreeable, because it fai ls to support prejudice or myth. The pursuit of truth tends to be suppressed as a dangerously revolutionary force. Some philosophers reject the question What is truth? with the observation that attaching the claim it is true that to a sentence adds no meaning. The use of the word true is essential when making a general claim about everything, nothing, or something, as in the statement most of what he says is true.Rousseau believes that truths only come out in social situations. He developed a political system so that these truths will come out. I guess if we do not understand something we just change it so that it fits what it is that you believe. Isnt that the opposite of truth? If we devise a new system so that we can develop new truths than we are rejecting the truths that are already in place. Aristotle would have us believe that truth exists within the combination of ideas. The same would go for falsity. Truth or falsehood cannot exist when the ideas are isolated. So according to Aristotle there are only a handful of truths in the universe. The rest are just relative depending upon the context in which you use them. When I think of simple truths I think of the book All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Everything was so simple when we were young. Right from wrong was always inherent and if we were ever questioned for something, we usually knew we were wrong before the teacher questioned us. The older we are the more complicated everything gets. That is why God refers to children when he tells people to come to him. They are so humble and can tell right from wrong, generally speaking. .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722 , .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722 .postImageUrl , .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722 , .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722:hover , .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722:visited , .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722:active { border:0!important; } .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722:active , .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722 .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u742ed3669fceb0dc1f713cf1ceacd722:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Trumpet EssayLets break down the philosophers from complex to very simple notions, in terms of truth. Locke believes there are no truths because there are no innate ideas. Hobbes believes that words are arbitrary and because words create truth, truth is arbitrary. Rousseau would have us believe that truths can only be established in social situations, along with Aristotle who believes that truth cannot be isolated. Machiavelli brings us a little closer in a twisted way. He believes in telling lies to get what you want. He doesnt try to throw vague ideas at you, he just wants you to use effectual truths. Karl Marx gives us clear ideas of what he wants us to do. Just throw o ut the whole system and start over. He wants to create a system that does not involve truths. No more deception, everyone is on the same playing field. Truth is a very simple and handy concept. It is correspondence of a pictorial or symbolic representation to the thing being represented. We may search for the answer until the end of time, when God says to us that the only truths are in him. He may tell all these philosophers that the answer was right in front of them and that they should have never led his children astray. All I know is Jack Handy said it best when he said:To me, truth is not some vague, foggy notion. Truth is real. And, at the same time, unreal. Fiction and fact and everything in between, plus some things I cant remember, all rolled into one big thing. This is truth, to me. Bibliography:

Post-conflict peacebuilding in Afghanistan The WritePass Journal

Post-conflict peacebuilding in Afghanistan Afghanistan Post-conflict peacebuilding in Afghanistan ). In the case of Afghanistan however, the US-led invasion had no clear strategies for a state-building process (Ayub and Kouvo, 2008). As a result, the initial focus on the ‘war on terror’ lacked a clear direction at it failed to provide a clear division between short-term goals of pacifying the terrorist threat and the longer-term peace-building process within the country (ibid). The invasion of Afghanistan was not about promoting security bur rather reducing the spreading sense of insecurity in the US (Nesiah, 2004).The state-building process that followed had no clear goals and was characterised by competing paradigms, as well as incompatible agendas (Weinberger, 2002; Rubin, 2006; Suhrke, 2012). It can be argued that the Taliban resurgence in 2005 and consequent lack of security in the country precluded any substantial democratization effort. However, this ignores the causal relationship between the two: failure of the political process, and an incoherent US/NATO military strategy, which provided the vacuum and space necessary for the Taliban and other counter-systemic actors to establish and expand their influence in the country (Suhrke, 2008). Linked to the incoherent military strategy is the limited impact of the DDR process that was to strengthen the position of the ISAF (Reynolds, 2006; Saikal, 2012). The expansion of ISAF outside of Kabul also played a significant part in the escalation of the conflict (Suhrke, 2011). The escalating war ratcheted up the demand for rapid and visible results, both within Afghanistan and from domestic audiences in the contributing countries. To deliver quick and visible results, the interveners adopted measures that undermined basic precepts of state-building and by extension its contribution to peacebuilding. In order to rapidly create Afghan military capacity, for example, the international forces started rearming the militias (Lefevre, 2010). A large amount of resources were diverted towards training the ANA, whereas the lack of training for the ANP produced problems for the ISAF, mainly in terms of corruption and human rights abuses (Beljan, 2013). The establishment of PRTs throughout the country was seen as the solution for providing security and reconstruction at the same time (ibid.). However, their activity was characterised by lack of clear objectives, lack of a clear commanding structure and lack of resources (Sedra, 2005). This lack of coherence is not only characteristic of the PRTs themselves, but rather to the lack of a clear strategy for the operation of ISAF (Sperling and Webber, 2012), as the establishment of security needs to run parallel to economic development as part of restructuring efforts. As it was noted, the availability of resources for peacebuilding has a significant impact on the successful resolution of a violent conflict. Yet, the large flows of unconditioned aid are said to re-create the environment in which the civil war in the 1990s erupted and evolved (Goodhand and Sedra, 2007). Afghanistan is also a challenging case for the study and application of peace conditionalities, as the Bonn Agreement itself only legitimised a ‘victor’s peace’, leaving the Taliban quite potent. Secondly, the dual nature of the process should be emphasised – building peace in a climate of ongoing war. The approach adopted by the Alliance forces, to create a security force whilst at the same time failing to provide an institution that is to be responsible for its management is yet another reflection of the prioritisation of short-term goals over peace-making and state-building in the longer term (Sedra, 2005). Although reconstruction has been a top priority and used as a political platform during the first parliamentary elections (Wilder, 2005), the international spending has emphasised security over reconstruction (Rubin, Hamidzada and Stoddard, 2003). The long-standing conflict itself has resulted in the development of a war economy (Felbab-Brown, 2005; Fielden and Goodhand, 2001) in which it is difficult for the emerging democratic state to claim monopoly over violence. Facing considerable historical and institutional constraints, the UN Assistance mission in Afghanistan, a part of which is ISAF, has found it difficult to implement its ambitious democratisation mandate (Tadjbakhsh and Schoiswohl, 2008; Saikal, 2012). In conclusion, despite ISAF has achieved some successes in the training of Afghanistan’s security forces and improving security (Beljan, 2013), it is difficult to claim to the mandate and goals which were set as its main tasks have been achieved. Over the period of reconstruction the country has been relying on foreign aid for the maintenance of its structures, it is still a fragile state on the brink of re-emerging conflict, as there is still a lack of a clear political settlement among the different interest parties in the country. Bibliography Ayub, F. and Kuovo, S. (2008). Righting the course? Humanitarian intervention, the war on terror and the future of Afghanistan. International Affairs, 84(4), 641-657. Beljan, R. (2013). Afghanistan: Lessons Learned from an ISAF Perspective. Journal Article| May, 30(2), 30am. Available at: http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/afghanistan-lessons-learned-from-an-isaf-perspective Bellamy, A. J., Williams, P. D. (2005). Whos keeping the peace? Regionalization and contemporary peace operations. International Security, 29(4), 157-195. Coll, S. (2004). Ghost wars: The secret history of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet invasion to September 10, 2001. New York: Penguin. Druckman, D., Stern, P. C., Diehl, P., Fetherston, A. B., Johansen, R., Durch, W., Ratner, S. (1997). Evaluating peacekeeping missions. Mershon International Studies Review, 151-165. Dupree, N. H. (2002). Cultural heritage and national identity in Afghanistan. Third World Quarterly, 23(5), 977-989. Felbab†Brown, V. (2005). Afghanistan: when counternarcotics undermines counterterrorism. Washington Quarterly, 28(4), 55-72. Fielden, M., Goodhand, J. (2001). Beyond the Taliban? The Afghan conflict and United Nations peacemaking. Conflict, Security Development, 1(03), 5-32. Fortna, V. P. (2004). Does peacekeeping keep peace? International intervention and the duration of peace after civil war. International studies quarterly, 48(2), 269-292. Goodhand, J., Sedra, M. (2007). Bribes or bargains? Peace conditionalities and ‘post-conflict’reconstruction in Afghanistan. International Peacekeeping, 14(1), 41-61. ISAF (2014). Mission. Available at: isaf.nato.int/mission.html ISAF (2014a). History. Available at: isaf.nato.int/history.html ISAF (2014b) Troop Numbers and Contributions. Available at: isaf.nato.int/troop-numbers-and-contributions/index.php Lefà ¨vre, M. (2010). Local Defence in Afghanistan. A Review of Government-backed Initiatives. Kabul: Afghanistan Analysts Network. Maley, W. (2009). The Afghanistan Wars. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Matinuddin, K. (1999). The Taliban Phenomenon in Afghanistan 1994-1995. Oxford: Oxford University Press. NATO (2013). ISAF’s Mission in Afghanistan. Available at: nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_69366.htm Nesiah, V. (2004). From Berlin to Bonn to Baghdad: a space for infinite justice. Harv. Hum. Rts. J., 17, 75. Reynolds, A. (2006). The curious case of Afghanistan. Journal of Democracy, 17(2), 104-117. Rose-Ackerman, S. (2001). Trust, honesty, and corruption: reflection on the state-building process. European Journal of Sociology, 42, 27-71. Rubin, B. R. (2002). The fragmentation of Afghanistan: State formation and collapse in the international system. Yale University Press. Rubin, B. R. (2006). Peace Building and State-Building in Afghanistan: constructing sovereignty for whose security?. Third World Quarterly, 27(1), 175-185. Rubin, B. R. (2013). Afghanistan from the Cold War through the War on Terror. Oxford University Press. Rubin, B. R., Hamidzada, H., Stoddard, A. (2003). Through the Fog of Peace Building: Evaluating the Reconstruction of Afghanistan. Center on International Cooperation, New York University. Saikal, A. (2012). The UN and Afghanistan: Contentions in Democratization and Statebuilding. International Peacekeeping, 19(2), 217-234. Sedra, M. (2005). Civil-military relations in Afghanistan: The provincial reconstruction team debate. Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies. Simonsen, S. G. (2004). Ethnicising Afghanistan?: inclusion and exclusion in post†Bonn institution building. Third World Quarterly, 25(4), 707-729. Sperling, J., Webber, M. (2012). NATOs Intervention in the Afghan Civil War. Civil Wars, 14(3), 344-372. Suhrke, A. (2008). A contradictory mission? NATO from stabilization to combat in Afghanistan. International Peacekeeping, 15(2), 214-236. Suhrke, A. (2011). When more is less: the international project in Afghanistan. New York: Columbia University Press. Suhrke, A. (2012). Waging War and Building Peace in Afghanistan. International Peacekeeping, 19(4), 478-491. Tadjbakhsh, S., Schoiswohl, M. (2008). Playing with fire? The international communitys democratization experiment in Afghanistan. International Peacekeeping, 15(2), 252-267. United Nations (2001) Bonn Agreement. Available at: http://peacemaker.un.org/afghanistan-bonnagreement2001 Weinberger, N. (2002). Civil-military coordination in peacebuilding: the challenge in Afghanistan. Journal of International Affairs-Columbia University, 55(2), 245-276. Wilder, A. R. (2005). A House Divided?: Analysing the 2005 Afghan Elections. Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit. Wolff, S., Dursun-Ãâ€"zkanca, O. (2012). Regional and International Conflict Regulation: Diplomatic, Economic and Military Interventions. Civil Wars, 14(3), 297-323.

17 Funny Halloween Quotes to Make You Laugh

17 Funny Halloween Quotes to Make You Laugh Halloween is a festival of chills and thrills. Gear up to meet people in bizarre costumes. Join the Halloween celebration with your own brand of freaky fetish. Bake skull cookies, mix dragon blood beverages, and eat eyeball scones. Surprise your guests with funny Halloween quotes scribbled on your wall as graffiti. You can make your Halloween party a memorable one with a touch of creativity. Halloween Around the World Halloween traditions vary by geography. If you are in Austria, you would probably leave some bread and water for the departed souls. Ireland, from where Halloween is said to originate, celebrates Halloween in spectacular style. Visit Dublin, Ireland, for the Halloween festival fiesta. In the U.S., Halloween is second only to Christmas. Children go door-to-door in spooky costumes, collecting treats from friendly neighbors. Adults have â€Å"Halloween nights† with themed parties and pumpkin pies. The Swedish like to celebrate Halloween by remembering their deceased friends and relatives. Honoring the dead by lighting candles by their graves is the Swedish Halloween tradition. Other countries like Russia, Mexico, Sweden, Germany, Japan, and Madagascar also celebrate Halloween in their own unique way. Whatever country you are in, make sure that you have a fun-filled Halloween night. Here are some funny Halloween quotes to get you into the spooky mood! Halloween Quotations Rita Rudner Halloween was confusing. All my life my parents said, Never take candy from strangers. And then they dressed me up and said, Go beg for it. I didn’t know what to do! I’d knock on people’s doors and go, Trick or treat. No, thank you. Fernando Pessoa Look, theres no metaphysics on earth like chocolates. Jean Baudrillard There is nothing funny about Halloween. This sarcastic festival reflects, rather, an infernal demand for revenge by children on the adult world. Rodney Dangerfield On Halloween, the parents sent their kids out looking like me. Richard Harris Barham Ghosts, like ladies, never speak till spoke to. Lloyd Douglas If a man harbors any sort of fear, it makes him landlord to a ghost. Miguel de Cervantes Fear has many eyes and can see things underground. Anonymous Ill bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween. Nina Willis Walter The witches flyAcross the sky,The owls go, Who? Who? Who?The black cats yowlAnd green ghosts howl,Scary Halloween to you! Scottish Saying From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us! Steve Almond Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night. Dee Snider Halloween is huge in my house and we really get into the spirits of things. Conan OBrien This Halloween the most popular mask is the Arnold Schwarzenegger mask. And the best part? With a mouth full of candy you will sound just like him. George Carlin There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls. Henry David Thoreau I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. Mark Twain Everyone is a moon and has a dark side, which he never shows to anybody. Drew Carey I see my face in the mirror and go, Im a Halloween costume? Thats what they think of me? Source Morrison, Patt. Halloween is turning into a worldwide holiday. Why do so many people love to be scared? Los Angeles Times, October 31, 2018.

Approach to managing people including flexible working arrangements Essay

Approach to managing people including flexible working arrangements and workplace diversity policies - Essay Example Flexible time can be defined as an alternative work schedule to the traditional 9 to 5 in which the employees are able to set their own schedules (Dol). The use of flexible time is viable at companies that have a work week that goes beyond 9 to 5 such as firms with double and triple shifts. The implementation of a flexible time program can be beneficial to both employees and employers. One of the greatest benefits of flexible time for the employees is that it allows them to have a better work life balance. For instance single parents can arrange their schedule so that they are free a few hours in the afternoon to go pick up their kids at school. Four additional benefits of flexible time are a reduction in the employee commuting time and fuel costs, avoidance of traffic rush and stress associated with rush hour, reduction in employee burnout due to overload, and increase in personal control over work scheduling (Heathfield, 2013). Corporations benefit from the implementation of flexib le time due to higher employee productivity. Employees that use flexible time also tend to have lower absenteeism and higher retention rate than employees working a traditional 9 to 5 week. The human resource department must closely monitor the flexible time arrangement of each employee to ensure they are complying with their 40 hours of labor each week. Companies today must manage diversity in the workplace. â€Å"Workforce diversity involves differences based on gender, race, and ethnicity, age, able-bodiedness and sexual orientation† (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2003, pg.5). Success in the workplace occurs when the employees are able to set their differences aside and work towards a common goal. Organizations must institute diversity policies. The diversity policy must include harsh penalties for employees that discriminate against other workers due to diversity issues. Diversity should be visualized

The Quick Wins Paradox Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Quick Wins Paradox Article Review - Essay Example ers reassurance to the leaders’ supervisor who believes to have made the right choice in promoting them, while on the side of the team members; it reveals to them whether to have confidence in their new selected supervisor or other team members (Buren &Â  Safferstone, 2009). In most cases, the new leaders try to pursue early outcomes, never realizing that they may easily fall into some of the traps that may sabotage their accomplishment (Buren &Â  Safferstone, 2009). This is a failure in terms of success to the organization. It also affects the other employees directly. The father who is part of his team criticized his behavior, but he has reacted negatively. This behavior comes from the employees having a mandate in an industry and they fail in one way or another (Buren &Â  Safferstone, 2009). They often feel any criticism to their side to be an act of attack or aggression. These actions may make some of the team members leave the companies that they are employed. Since the young man is about to attain a degree in Organizational leadership he believes that he has better ideas than his father. This is the reason he undercuts him and he ends up managing many of the projects by himself (Buren &Â  Safferstone, 2009). The certainty and eager aspiration of the new team members frighten the rest of the associates, hindering them from performing to the expectations or getting to contribute to the projects of the organization. The father who is a technician is relying on his son to come up with better ideas that will facilitate his business to grow and also achieve his vision, but the son is only focusing on few details and leaving the critical issues out (Buren &Â  Safferstone, 2009). Some of the new leaders and team members often jump into conclusion in trying to implement some solutions, instead of involving other team members in the decisions. This will significantly affect the outcome because there may not be a clear understanding (Buren &Â  Safferstone, 2009).

The Shawshank Redemption Essay Example for Free

The Shawshank Redemption Essay The Shawshank Redemption You have just been given a life sentence imprisonment to be served out in Shawshank Prison. Your world as you know it will be turned upside down. Inside these brick walls everything will be different. Or will it? You are no longer part of society as a whole, but you are now part of a smaller society, the Shawshank prison. Like the large society you just left the prison has the same five social institutions that every society has, just in different forms. You will see a government enforcing the harsh rules of the prison, develop new relationships with fellow inmates who will become your family and educate yourself both academically and spiritually. From the moment an inmate arrives at Shawshank Prison it becomes obvious who makes the rules and who enforces them. Warden Norton’s speech to the prisoners when they first arrive makes this clear as his exclaims, â€Å"your ass belongs to me†. The fatal beating of â€Å"fatass† by the guard Hadley reiterates the fact that the prisoners have no voice inside the prison walls. Step a foot out of line or say something the Warden does not like and it’s off to solitary confinement. When Andy calls the Warden â€Å"obtuse†, because he would not help him prove his innocence Andy is locked in solitary confinement for two months. The Warden will even abuse his power and purposely execute an inmate he feels could get in his way. Tommy Williams is wrongly executed when he tells the Warden he will gladly testify to help prove Andy’s innocence. Of course the shooting is posed to look like â€Å"a tragic accident†. The government, or basically whatever Warden Norton says, is harsh and corrupt and there is little to nothing the inmates can do to help themselves. Although Shawshank prisoners leave their blood families behind they soon acquire a new one, their fellow inmates. Although not a traditional family the inmates actions towards each other are no different then those of two brothers. Family members are willing to take risks and make sacrifices for each other. When Andy is sitting in the Warden’s office and begins playing the record with the two singing Italian woman he is taking a risk so he can give his fellow inmates a much needed lift of spirits, if only for a few moments. Red and Andy are especially close, so when Andy uses his connections to get Red a harmonica to spark hope inside of him, it is because Andy is concerned for Red’s well being and state of mind, the same way a brother would care. Family members also have unconditional love for one another. No matter what crazy, idiotic things family members do for the most part they can forgive one another and move on. When Brooks goes crazy and whips a knife out on Heywood everyone is able to look past his momentary lapse of judgment and forgive Brooks. Although slightly shaken up even Heywood does not stay angry for too long. As family members the inmates can forgive each other for their mistakes. Although Shawshank prisoners are not receiving a formal education they are still educating themselves academically and spiritually. With the money that Andy receives from Congress he sets up a library to help his fellow inmates grow intellectually. He even goes a step further to help Tommy Williams and several others study to get their GEDs. However most of the education a prisoner receives at Shawshank is not the kind you learn in a classroom, but the kind that makes you look at life differently. Andy helps teach Red that hope does not â€Å"make a man go insane† but that it â€Å"can set you free†. When Red sits before the parole board after serving forty years of his life sentence the speech he makes differs greatly from his two previous speeches. This one shows a great amount of personal growth and understanding. Even if he stays locked up in Shawshank for another forty years he has found the hope inside of him that has already set him free. What he has learned in his time at Shawshank is something that cannot be taught, it is learned from experience Your new life at Shawshank will be filled with much pain, frustration and injustice just like it was when you were out of prison. But you will still have people there to support and care for you just like you did when you were out of prison. You will still have ways to empower you mind and grow as a human being just like you did when you were out of prison. Life at Shawshank will take time to adjust to but as long as you keep hope inside you will always be free just like when you were out of prison.

Comparison of Odyssey, Divine Comedy, and Paradise Lost Essay examples

A Comparison of Odyssey, Divine Comedy, and Paradise Lost      Ã‚   Epics by definition are long narrative poems, that are grand in both theme and style (Webster 417).   They usually involve actions of great glory and are typically centered around historical or legendary events of universal significance.   Most epics deal with the deeds of a single individual, however, it is not uncommon to have more than one main character.   Epics embody several main features including: supernatural forces, sometimes the deity of the time, that shape the action; battles or other forms of physical combat; and a formal statement of the theme of the epic.   Everyday details of life are commonplace and intricately woven into the background of each story in the same palatial style as the rest of the poem.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Epic poems are not merely entertaining stories of legendary or historical heroes; they summarize and express the nature or ideals of an entire nation at a significant or crucial point in its history.   I have chosen for comparison the Odyssey, The Divine Comedy, and Paradise Lost.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Odyssey, attributed to Homer is about Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, who sailed with his army to take part in war against Troy.   After ten years of war, victory is declared and the armies of Odysseus have sailed for home.   As the Odyssey begins, an additional 10 years have passed since the fall of Troy and Odysseus still has not returned to his home.   The noblemen have converged on his palace seeking the hand of his lovely wife, Penelope.   However, Penelope refuses their advances choosing to remain faithful to Odysseus.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the ten years ... ... of people in our history.   These epic works take us on an imaginary voyage; one through the amazing journeys of a single man, one through an imaginary trip through hell in which the political and philosophical thought of the time can be experienced, and one through an account of a religious thought for that day.   All of these epics serve to remind us that no matter how far mankind has come, we still have a long way to go in our journey be it spiritual or earthly.    Works Cited    "Epic."   Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary.   1983 ed.    Homer.   "The Odyssey."   Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces.   Ed. Maynard Mack.   6th ed. 2 vols. New York:   Norton, 1992.    Milton, John.   "Paradise Lost." Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces.   Ed. Maynard Mack.   6th ed. 2 vols. New York:   Norton, 1992.

High School Dropout Rates Essay

High School dropout is referred to student quitting high school prematurely or before graduation. Many reasons and factors are responsible for dropping out of school. Dropping out of school may be a singular reason of the child or a logical agreement between the child and the parent. Some reasons are due to intention to go find work, avoidance of bullying, depression from poor grades, and unplanned pregnancy at school. Most students find the easy way out of a monotony of life in getting themselves out of the normal routine, in a way this is a behavioral disorder. In lieu of psychologist argument, dropping out is the withdrawal from pulling out from a social institution most especially for the reason of â€Å"disillusion and development of apathy to the conventional values in such institution. Dropout Rate With the graduation rate of about 71%, number of dropout constitutes one of the factors for the non-graduating 29%. The rate of high school dropout is silently becoming an epidemic. Commonly, students’ age category is within the range of 16-24 years. According to the United State Department of Education, though the overall rate of dropout seems to be on a downward trend since 1960 till date, it is important to note however, that there exists a sharp uneven distribution in the record across regions, race and gender. For example, Hispanics high school dropout is put at 41 per cent of the existing figure of 9.  3% for both male and female since 2006. And it is worthy of note that this population sums about 17% of the entire population of youth in the stated age bracket. Male population makes up about 60% of dropout rate. Rate of dropout among Non- English speaking youth is higher than the English speaking youth, researched by Cardenas (Jay P. Greene 2002). Students from poor home with poor standard of living are economically disadvantaged constituting the major group among the incidence of dropouts in United States. The trend for Hispanics dropout rate is increasing yearly. The National Centre for Education Statistics submitted that Hispanics dropout rate doubles what is obtainable in about a decade ago. With the current progression and increased immigration, the Hispanics are expected to top the populous minority list in the United State totally about 21% from the present 17%. This will definitely deposit a significant increase in the growth of high school dropout for the youth age by the end of next year. Economic Importance of High School Dropout The worry about the incidence of dropout is the future implication of decreased human potentials to function productively in the growing complex world. Human technological advancement, compliance with ICT revolution, and human capacity empowerment all have their foundational preparatory ground from students leaving high school. It is crucial age in ones development that should not be corrupted with dropout. High school diploma in a way contributes to higher income and improved economic status. Moreover, their involvement in crime is a major menace posed to the society. In addition, they depend longer on State’s support whereas such support could have been invested into another productive arm of the economy. In conclusion, it is a collective issue; the society is yet to completely wipe out incidence of high school dropout. The failure to do so is endangering the future of the economy with unqualified generations of poorly educated ones. The need to safeguard the looming silent epidemic is here. Let us safe our tomorrow and say no to high school dropout.

The Past, Present and Future of the Webcam

The past, Present And Future Of The Webcam If only everyone was able to experience life the way we get to now. Sometimes I just wish that back then people were able to see and speak to a spouse away at war in a matter of seconds, or be able to see your parents while away at collage any time you want. Just being able to attend a work meeting in the comfort of your own home, People reuniting with their families it’s just wonderful. We are now able to do this today thanks to the Web camera. This technology spread like wildfire as soon as it was created, and is currently used by millions of people daily.This part of technology has a bright future. If only sooner, in 1993 the webcam was invented, the Cambridge University researchers asked themselves â€Å"how will we be able to see the coffee pot from our desks, to be able to see if it was empty or not, so that we won’t have to make and unnecessary trip to the Trojan room before the coffee was ready†. Their experiment furthered by them updating the images of the digital camera in the Trojan Room to the Internet. And it turns out that they created the world's first webcam in the process. In 2000 the web cam became widespread.It slowly started to make it into the homes of everyone around the world, and built into almost every cell phone. Today the webcam is truly a success. From celebrities to average Joe’s, hell! Even the president president uses the web cam. I feel like this piece of technology has truly helped so many people in life, emotionally and physically. Now you can even have a web cam conversation with up to 10 people, use it for video security, and even monitor your child from another room. My dad thought this was amazing; the first thing he said was â€Å"this is great!Now I can check on grandma. † I know for a fact that my dad and so many other people are so grateful for this webcam stage in technology. The future for the webcam looks exceedingly bright. Scientist says â€Å"future of webcam technology will include the hologram webcams†. This means that it will almost be as if the person on the other side of the computer is right there with you. Some say that soon most interviews will be even be held through the webcam. I, for one know that I’m excited about the future of the webcam. And I’m sure that there are millions of people are just as excited.We’ll wait and see what the future holds. We probably won’t realize how good the webcam has been to us until it’s gone. The past and the present of the webcam is truly a blessing, and the future will hopefully be one too. Like Albert Einstein said â€Å"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity† and this continues to be true to this day. Reading Reference * http://www. brainyquote. com/quotes/topics/topic_technology. html * http://www. roulettechatsites. com/2011/12/holographic-webcam. html * http://www. ehow. com/in fo_8626014_history-webcam. html

Research Paper on Franchising

Research Paper on Franchising Dimensions Influencing Decision Process of Franchising Adoption by Mid-Market Hotels in China Abstract There is a need to explore the dimensions that influence some of the decision-making processes of Chinese mid-market hotels as they get into franchises. It is necessary to conduct a benefit analysis of franchising as a means of participating in hotel operations in the Chinese market. This encompasses all the businesses in the hotel industry that are either making an initial entrance or expanding operations from their present Chinese base. Some of the greatest drawbacks, also doubling up as negative dimensions, include adapting to the preferences and tastes of the market, acquiring reliable business partners, and protection against IPR violations. The other further dimensions include stiff competition, value added services, the legal environment and customer service. Introduction Franchising, despite having enjoyed a relatively obscured existence in the early 90s, has experienced a wildfire success in the recent years. This article shares some of its findings from reliable retrospective studies on franchising in the Chinese mid-market hotel industry. With over 10% of its hotel industry having been taken over by franchised hotel chains, China currently has one of the world’s fastest growing franchise industries in the world. Additionally, the country enjoys playing the world’s largest host of the franchise industry with over 200,000 franchised retail outlets belonging to almost 2600 international brands (Chao, 2008). Led by the historical success of brands such as Lining and Nike sportswear, the Chinese franchising industry has been expanding at an intriguing rate of over 35 percent per annum over the past decade. Hotel industry franchising hit Chinese popularity in the early 00s as businesses in the sector began reaping the benefits of the model. Franchises act as strategic corporate alliances that facilitate an investor’s capability to participate and operate in an established organization with a heavy customer base (Altinay, 2003). A company could also have other desirable characteristics such as successful business plans, efficient distribution systems, and financial commitments. There are a lot of world-renowned hotels such as the Hilton and Intercontinental Hotels that utilize the franchise system. Unlike China, the US hotel franchise industry booms at a record high of over 70%. These work as a chain of properties interconnected together through a single brand name with central management (Hoover Ketchen, 2003). A majority of American entrepreneurs who purchase and open hotels realize the many advantages of belonging to a single franchise. They include instant brand recognition for new properties and the credibility of association with renowned entities. Whether in China or the US, investors are faced with the urge of selecting the best franchise from selected list. They consider, among others, issues such as location, the target market, the cost of franchising, general reputation, and the financial standing (Hu Meng, 2004). The following are the dimensions that influence the decision making process of adopting franchises by mid-market hotels in China. Available Background Information on Franchises Choosing a hotel franchise in China requires an adequate amount of background research. This calls for the creation of a foundation that will see the adequate analysis of the property in question. It is, therefore, vital that hoteliers consider additional dimensions such as location and the target market. Therefore, a majority of hotel owners in China would think twice about franchising with brand names notable only to the western world. Similarly, hotels seeking to identify themselves with the middle class usually avoid franchises renowned for the rich and the famous. This is reason enough why mid-market hotels in China avoid brand names such as Serena, Intercontinental, and Hilton Hotels (IHG, 2012). The franchising royalty fees and other expenses, inclusive of the general system reservation, required prior to franchising can prove steep. It is, therefore, worth conducting a background check on all existing chains to ascertain which one offers the best value for franchising. Startup costs in China tend to vary vastly depending on a chosen brand’s value and global reputation. The global hotel industry consists of a number of notable companies that offer services that assist franchisees evaluate their affiliation options (Inma, 2010). When performing their cost-benefit analyses, it is vital to consider the number of new consumers a given affiliation can attract. Background studies can reveal areas that would expose a franchisee to unfavorable regulations hidden in the franchise contract. Different hotel franchises have been noted to poses unique policies identified to affecting the operations of an interested hotel property. A majority of franchises, for instance, usually require a service of standardization that might not rule in the advantage of potential owners (JLJ, 2007). Similarly, most franchises usually poses regulations attached to the prominent placement of the franchise logo in a way that might affect the brand of the given property. Furthermore, prior research would reveal that immature termination of franchise contract usually results in dire penalties. Similarly, legal documents associated with franchising and licensing often shields the affected franchisor from court battles. Therefore, the above dimension should always be considered when selecting a hotel franchise in the Peoples Republic of China (Jackson, 2006). Financial and Economic Health of Potential Franchisors Affiliating with a given hotel franchise has historically proven to be a lifetime investment. The economic health of potential franchisors should be considered prior to entering into affiliation agreements. This dimension is important in a way that it reveals that long-term reliability of the business deal under binding. The future of a franchise, for instance Premier Inns, and its growth potential are vital dimensions when evaluating for a possible affiliation. These work as the centralized benefits that the brand would offer its new hotels (Paswan Kantamneni, 2004). Globally recognized franchised contracts act as long-term deals; usually extending to several years. This implies that the long-term viability of such a franchise contract among, say Premier, Accor and Ibis, is very vital. It has also become helpful that hotels contact potential franchisees and utilize the available online resources when evaluating Chinese hotel franchises. The decision to adopt and affiliate with a given brand would likely pose a huge effect to the future of a hotel property. Therefore, dire consideration of the above dimension and effective due diligence would assist in forging a solid business relationship (Zhang Pine, 2005). Competition The current Chinese economic success has led to the rise of a fast growing middle class with the hankering of vast domestic travel. Cashing in on such tour booms are hotel chains that are rising so fast. Indeed, franchises are coming up and affiliating on daily basis. One such player is Budget hotel franchise: Hantings Inns. This is a chain founded by Chinese business mogul Ji Qi almost a decade ago. Presently, the company enjoys a vastness of over 100o hotel properties all over China distributed across four leading brands (Mak, 2008). The Hantings Inns boss expects his business empire to have become the world’s biggest hotel franchise by the year 2020. As competition would have had it, the franchise takes an adequate amount of inspiration from leading low cost western chains that accommodate business travelers such as Accor, Ibis, and Premier Inns. The competitive nature of the Chinese hotel industry has led to the growth of other low cost hotels. They all aim at keeping everything simple in such a way that clients have a lot to choose from at affordable prices (Tang, 2004). Entrepreneurs, therefore, choose those franchises that notable for investing more in their rooms thus coming up with a competitive strategy that is cost effective. The increased scale and rate of development within China over the past two decades has prompted global investors to watch the market with interest. The number of people travelling in and out of China has increased to over 60 million per year. Therefore, China is currently Asia’s number one source of franchising investors. This implies that international hoteliers are slowly but surely moving into China to tap into the hotel franchising industry (Zhang Ray Pine, 2005). For instance, Accor has tried to acquire a stronghold in the Chinese market with Grand Mercure regionally known as Mei Jue. Similarly, hotel chain Marriott has devised an investment plan that would see its affiliate hotels double over the years. All these franchises are targeting the average Chinese traveler in a bid to win their loyalties. The loyalty that brands struggle to build is translated to the loyalty of Asian travelers around the earth (Li-Tzang SooCheong, 2010). However, foreign investors find it difficult competing with the likes of Hantings for the Chinese mid-market. Domestic hotels would find this an interesting dimension to consider when seeking an entrance into an affiliation with either domestic or international franchises. However, some of the good news would be that with many partners to choose from, the cost of franchising will sure start dipping. This seemingly favors local brands since they are faster, cost effective and knows their Chinese consumers better (Yung, 2007). Value Added Services Individual hoteliers and their customers have their own expectation when picking between hotel brands and products. This is based on relevant historical backgrounds of various trading experiences of parent brands in the past. As a shopper, the independent hotelier seeks the maximum value for his intended affiliations. Therefore, they are not confined to low-level satisfaction but the ultimate joy in the newly acquired deal (Phillips, 2006). Over the years, Hantings and other franchises have set the benchmark for their partners’ services in key Chinese cities. Similarly, the Holiday Inn Hotels developed value added services such as the inclusion of a call center and a Chinese language website for potential partners and customers. Presently, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts boast of being one of the best mid-market hotel brand names in China. The emergence of Chinese Hotel Awards has also influenced the growth and development of franchising in a way that only the best brands are chosen (Moore, Ratneshwar, Moore, 2012). High-end hotels such as the Intercontinental Hotels have also assisted in providing benchmarks for value added services in the mid-market hotels. Presently, mid-market franchises have been revealing their best in ensuring that their brand promises are delivered to their customers and potential affiliations. Having researched on the nature of relationships and investment in the Chinese people, potential partners show a strong affinity in further selecting only those brands that touch and deliver on demand (JLJ, 2007). Managing and franchising of hotels in China proved much simpler before the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games since there were a few choices. However, hotel demand increased with an increase in room inventory and disposable incomes. Overtime, new hotel chains came up leading to the present of incredible franchises. The most visible factor has been in operation costs, especially regarding labor and energy (Tuunanen, 2011). As these two aspects rose significantly, they posed a great effect on the nature of the hotel industry. The major challenges in China remain keeping teams adequately motivated and using the hotel’s value added services to fill it. It is challenging individual hoteliers to forge excellent relationships with franchise that insist on the quality of service and overall hygiene. It seems encouraging enough that individual hoteliers look for helpful franchises with excellent work ethics (Su, 2006). A lot of research and training needs to be conducted to ascertain each franchise’ commitment to success. Beijing, China’s second largest city has seen the rise of new hotels and developments on beaches and luxury areas. The challenging factors remains, however, the competitive environment that has seen many hotels crop up. This has led to cut throat competition in value added services such as extra advertisement and room service (Xiao Wang, 2009). Additionally, such competition provides an opportunity for franchises to rethink their competitive bargains in new and innovative products. These come as challenges of managing and affiliating hotels in China. However, if they can get the desirable partners, the hoteliers would be able to provide excellent value added services that retain customers (Miles, 2006). Customer Needs The Chinese hotel industry comprises of many faces. To the workers it is a source of employment. To the owners, hotels exist as an entire empire that has to keep moving forward. To customers it comprises of everything from their beds during travel to a part of their temporary homes during vacations. While catering for the needs of the public could be difficult, doing so in the hotel industry has with it a number of challenges (Noone Mattila, 2009). Besides learning the likelihood of delivering exceptional customer services, franchisors also look for partners that preach on the skills that deal with the needs of every customer. Beyond the dà ©cor and hotel amenities that contribute to the satisfaction of customers’ needs, nothing should be able to ruin the experiences of franchisors than poor customer service from the franchises trying to host them. In such strategic times, mid-market hoteliers usually discuss the key characteristics of effective customer service and activities that exceed their customers’ expectations (Okoroafo, Koh, Liu, 2010). They also concern themselves with discovering the level to which their decisions to franchise can affect their businesses and personal lives. All affiliated parties know that some of the best ways of offering excellent customer service is through effective communication with domestic clientele. As logic would have it, this dimension exposes the franchises’ need to work out an informative consumer need diagnostic technique (Qui, 2004). Using this as a guide to selecting potential partners, hotel franchises then try their best in identifying their individual communication techniques and those of their customers to attain the best possible outcome for satisfaction. Based on the form of franchise in question, supporters of such alliances argue of the probability that customers remain allied to brands they feel comfortable with. Taking, therefore, a franchising approach equips individual hotels with the best work force that adjusts to various changes in customer tastes and preferences. Franchising also provides for hotel franchises to adapt more effectively to changing customer regulatory requirements (Moore, Ratneshwar, Moore, 2012). Presence of IPR Violations It is the greatest challenges Chinese business environment currently face. The widespread of IPR violations has slowed the process of making decisions on hotel franchising. While clear regulations on Intellectual Property Rights have been put in place, their enforcement continues to grow weaker by the day. The responsibility to explore and track various kinds of brand violations falls squarely on property owners (WTTC, 2006). Many Chinese hotels have fallen prey to franchising copycats that utilize logos to attract customers. They find it important to assess the genuine details of franchises before entering into an affiliation. Most of the large chain brands also encounter many imitators racking in billions of under their brand names. Some of these copycats and fraudsters are usually ex-franchisees whose contracts are terminated for falling short of meeting laid standards (Saunders Riordan, 2009). Although registering brands would not guarantee most franchisors the recourse coming from IPR violations, failure to adhere to this would lead to dire outcomes. China is notable for granting logos and trademarks on a first-come-first-serve basis. This has sparkled the existence of scenarios where individuals register other organizations’ trademarks and go ahead to demand due fees for their use (Pine, 2003). Individual hotels would want to equip themselves with the knowledge of the existence of such fake franchising deals to reach out for the best affiliations. It would prove a matter of importance for individual hotels to register their trademarks, brand and domain names before entering into a franchising deal. They should also do the same, including the registration of patent rights, before going into the Chinese hotel industry (Zhu, 2008). Legal Environment The government’s initial attempts to develop legal guidelines for franchising in China were the 1997 Franchise Rules. These were issued in 1997 through the Ministry of Commerce then known as the Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Ministry. As hotel businesses seeking to get into franchises would note, the rules appeared to be the initial steps in offering guidance for such business models in new China. Unfortunately, these initial regulations only favored the domestic franchises (Li-Tzang SooCheong, 2010). This, thereby, locked out any foreign franchisor willing to invest and operate in China. This shows the governments protection of domestic franchisors at the expense of their foreign counterparts. A further move towards this ensures that foreign entrepreneurs look for equally effective local brands when getting into the Chinese Mid-market hotel industry (Liu Qiu, 2005). Major international hotel franchisors have began to enter the Chinese market and proceeded to develop and acquire scores of hotel units throughout the economy. It was not until the mid 00s that China came up with a legal implementation, which ensured that foreign companies established legal entities in China. This commercial legalization of foreign investment encourages foreign hotels with western ideologies to spread across the country through franchising (Chen Liu, 2003). The 2004 Commercial Measures, however, were general in nature and favored domestic franchisors at the expense of their domestic counterparts. They only had themselves in structuring ways in which they could develop and implement their systems in accordance to Chinese law. The following are some of the vital elements of the current Chinese franchise regulations that firm follow when choosing to affiliate (Dant Kaufmann, 2003). First, the scope of the Chinese franchise regulations has become drafted in such a way that it applies to all affiliation activities taking place within Chinese territory. This provision covers all domestic and foreign franchisors/franchisees intending to do business in China. This does not imply that the Chinese legal system is strict when dealing with foreign investors (Terry, 2007). However, it has been very common for new laws to be implemented without amending the existing regulations dealing with the similar areas. Such a situation should cause utter confusion within the hotel business community or other entities affected by the same laws. Mid-market hotel owners should always consult with the relevant legal authorities before entering into affiliations (Altinay Okumus, 2010). Secondly, the regulations ascertain that no unit other than registered enterprises should get into the franchising business as franchisors. This implies that franchisees could comprise of natural individuals. However, potential franchisees would view this regulation as one in need of further clarification on the nature of business enterprises (Altinay Brookes, 2012). Lastly, the law obliges all franchisors to offer franchisees with all possible operational information. These would comprise of long-term guidance, support, training and other value added services prior to deal signing. However, potential franchisees should note that the law does not clearly state what is mandatory in such material. Therefore, they are always on the lookout for franchisors that include all the information franchisees need to know when starting a franchise chain of hotels in China (Guo, 2006). Availability of Reliable Partners Mainland China swarms with entrepreneurs that are more than willing to invest in franchised hotels. However, almost a handful of them have proven competent enough to manage them. This means that most domestic franchisees and potential franchisees lack adequate understanding of the franchising ideology. This follows the lack of modern and informative management experiences. For instance, popular Chinese franchises now face the risk of closing up businesses for failure to meet various quality and management standards (Altinay, 2006). Most brands, despite having painstakingly been developed over the past decade, have become damaged by their poor product quality, inferior infrastructure, and subpar quality of service. The provision of long-term guarantee on business guidance and training has rose into becoming a critical area of concentration for most hotel franchisors. Hantings Inns, which is currently one of China’s fastest developing mid market hotels, requires all of its franchises to undertake various seminars and trainings. These essential training courses bring managers of potential franchisees up to the company’s regulation (Doherty, 2007). Conclusion Franchising came as an opportunity for smaller hotels to gain considerable amounts of financing. This assisted them to expand faster through the employment of a highly charged workforce. These individuals then enhanced the running of business operations from specified locations ensuring that the parent received royalties from all returns. The benefits of hotel franchising reflected the overall objective of franchising; to dominate global markets through acquiring and maintaining as large a customer base as possible (Alon, 2012). For individual hotel property owners, franchising requires low financial risk compared to opening and running independent businesses. A franchise usually poses small startup expenses for entrepreneurs as well as absorbing much of the risks and uncertainties associated with starting a hotel business. Franchisees, therefore, pay for an entrepreneurs’ hard work in creating a renowned business model.

Capital Budgeting

Are there any similarities between a firm’s capital budgeting decisions and an individual’s investment decisions? Capital budgeting is the process of analyzing potential additions to fixed assets. Capital budgeting is very important to firm’s future because of the fixed asset investment decisions chart a company’s course for the future. The firm’s capital budgeting process is very much same as those of individual’s investment decisions. There are some steps involved. First, estimate the cash flows such as interest and maturity value or dividends in the case of bonds and stocks, operating cash flows in the case of capital projects. Second is to assess the riskiness of the cash flows. Next, determine the appropriate discount rate, based on the riskiness of the cash flows and the general level of interest rates. This is called project’s required rate of return or cost of capital in capital budgeting. Then, find the PV of expected cash flows and the asset’s rate of return. If the PV of the inflows is greater than PV of outflows (NPV is positive), or if the calculated rate of return (IRR) is higher than the project cost of capital, accept the project. Question b What is the difference between independent and mutually exclusive projects? Between normal and non-normal projects? Independent projects mean a company can select one or both of the projects as long as they meet minimum profitability. This is because the projects do not compete with the firm’s resources. Projects are independent if the cash flows of one are not affected by the acceptance of the other. Mutually exclusive projects mean if acceptance of one impacts adversely the cash flows of the other which is firm can select one or another project but not both. This is because projects investments that compete in some way for a company’s resources. When projects are mutually exclusive it means that they do the same job. Normal projects have outflows, or costs, in the first year (or years) followed by a series of inflows. Non-normal projects have one or more outflows after the inflow stream has begun. So, we can conclude that the lower the WACC, the higher the value of NPV. Question d 1) Define the term internal rate of return (IRR). What is each project’s IRR? Internal rate of return (IRR) is the discount rate that will equate the present value of the outflows with the present value of the inflows. The IRR is the intrinsic rate of return. By using financial calculator, the IRR for project L is 18. 13% while the IRR for project S is 23. 56%. 2) How is the IRR on a project related to the YTM on a bond? A project’s IRR is the discount rate that forces the PV of the inflows to equal the cost. This is equivalent to forcing the NPV to equal zero. The IRR is the estimate of the project’s rate of return, and it is comparable to the YTM on a bond. 3) What is the logic behind IRR method? According to IRR, which project should be accepted if they are independent? Mutually exclusive? The logic behind IRR method is; if the IRR is more than WACC, the project will be accepted, but the project would be rejected if the NPV is less than WACC. IRR that equal to WACC means it is technically indifference whether we accept or not the project, will not gain any benefit or loss. According to IRR, both projects can be accepted if they are independent because the IRR for both project have percentage more than the percentage of WACC. But, if they are mutually exclusive, only one project that should be accepted that is project S. This is because the IRR for project S is 23. 56% and it is higher compared to the IRR for project L which only 18. 13%. 4) Would the projects’ IRR change if the WACC changed? No, the IRR would not change if the WACC changed. Question e 1) What is the underlying cause of ranking conflicts between NPV and IRR? In the normal project for the NPV profiles to cross one project must have both a higher vertical axis intercept and a steeper slope than the other. A project’s vertical axis typically depends on the size of the project and the size and timing pattern of the cash flows. For example, for the large projects and with large distant cash flows would expect to have relatively high vertical axis intercepts. The slope of the NPV profile depends entirely on the timing pattern of the cash flows. The long-term projects have steeper NPV profiles compared with short-term projects. So, NPV can only cross in two situations which is when mutually exclusive projects differ in scale or size and when the projects’ cash flows differ in terms of the timing pattern of their cash flows (Project L and S). 2) What is the â€Å"reinvestment rate assumption†, and how does it affect the NPV versus IRR conflict? The underlying cause of ranking conflict is the reinvestment rate assumption. All DCF methods assume that cash flows can be reinvested at some rate. This applies to Project L and S. When we calculated their NPV, we discounted at WACC, 10% which means that we assuming that their cash flows could be reinvested at 10%. IRR assumes that cash flows are reinvested at the IRR. Discounting is the reverse of compounding. Compounding assumes reinvestment and also for the discounting. NPV and IRR are both found by discounting, so they both assume some discount rate. NPV calculation is the assumption that cash flows can be reinvested at the project’s cost of capital while the IRR calculation assumes reinvestment at the IRR rate. 3) Which method is the best? Why? The NPV tells us how much a project contributes to shareholder wealth. The larger the NPV, the more value the project adds, and added value means a higher stock price. Thus NPV is the best selection criteria. A project IRR is the discount rate that forces the PV of the inflows to equal the cost. This is equivalent to forcing the NPV to equal zero. However, NPV or IRR give better ranking is depends on which has the better reinvestment rate assumption. NPV is selected because it used as a substitutes for outside capital hence save the firm cost of outside capital. For most firms, assuming reinvestment at the WACC is more reasonable for the following reasons. If a firm has reasonably good access to the capital markets, it can raise all the capital it needs at the going rate, which in our example is 10%. Since the firm can obtain capital at 10%, if it have investment opportunities with positive NPV, it should take them on and it can finance them at a 10% cost. If a firm uses internally generated cash flows from past periods rather than external capital, this will save it the 10% cost of capital. Thus, 10% is the opportunity cost of the cash flows, and that is the effective return on reinvested funds. However, NPV and IRR usually give the same results to accept or reject the project for independent project. NPV and IRR occurs conflict only when mutually exclusive projects are involved. Question f 1) What is the difference between the regular and discounted payback methods? Payback period is defined as the number of years required to recover the funds invested in a project from its operating cash flows. Discounted payback is the length of time required for an investment’s cash flows, discounted at the investment’s cost of capital to cover its cost. Actually, discounted payback is similar to regular payback except that discounted rather than the raw cash flows are used. 2) What are the two main disadvantages of discounted payback? Is the payback method of any real usefulness in capital budgeting decisions? Discounted payback does consider the time value of money, but it still disregard cash flows beyond the payback period, which is a serious flaw. For example, if mutually exclusive projects vary in size, both payback method can conflict with the NPV, which might lead to a poor choice. However, many firms still use the payback to do the capital budgeting decisions. Payback and discounted payback used as a measure of project’s liquidity and risk. The shorter the payback, other things held constant, the greatest the project’s liquidity. This factor is important for smaller firms that do not have really access to the capital markets. Cash flows expected in the distant future are generally riskier than near-term cash flows, so the payback is used as one risk indicators.

Communication Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communication Plan - Essay Example The paper will emphasize on the factors which are essential for developing a successful marketing communication plan for the launch of the new product. Promotional techniques as well as procedures are required to be recognized along with making an identification of appropriate technologies for performing marketing operations for the company. Moreover, the paper will also emphasize on the differences of marketing communication plan required for the market of the United States and China. Marketing Communication plan is a technique of formulating strategies as well as plans for marketing new products in a market in an efficient manner. There are a few elements which are considered to be an important factor for developing an effective marketing communication plan. These elements are as follows: The club is required to conduct an analysis of the market segment where the company is going to launch its product. The market size as well as trend of the market is required to be evaluated for recognizing suitability of such market. Moreover, market conditions as well as economy should be ascertained in order to launch the new product in an effective manner (Egan, 2007). The objective of the club is required to be clear as well as precise in order to expand business operations and to be effective in providing products both at national as well as in international market in an efficient manner (Egan, 2007). The club is required to formulate appropriate strategies in accordance with the situational analysis as well as objectives of the company. Moreover, the strategies which are formulated should assist the club in marketing products in the market of China in an appropriate manner. Furthermore, the club is also required to devise appropriate marketing as well as communication strategies with the objectives of better awareness of the product among consumers in the market (Egan,