The Visit to Kenya Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Visit to Kenya - Essay Example The country had a remarkable and beautiful climate. The wide distribution of green plants all over the place shocked me. The trees and birds were beautiful against clear bright blue skies, this contrasted sharply with Saudi Arabia, and I realized that Africa is so much blessed with a remarkable natural environment. They do not require artificially controlled environments in their homes. The temperatures are exceptionally cool at all times of the day, and I appreciate my cousin for insisting that I visit him in this wonderful part of the globe. I had always been fascinated by the majestic lions since I learned about them in Pre-School and I now had an opportunity to spot one in the wild. After traveling for several hours in the Tsavo plains, our tour guide suddenly told our driver to slow down, and he pointed towards a large tree. The sight was beautiful; I saw the largest lion I have ever seen resting under the tree. We saw very many other beautiful animals in the wild. The clouds opened on our way from the recreational area. It was such a superb thing with a mixture of so many pleasant smells around me. I was taken back to reality when our vehicle skidded and came to a sudden stop, and our driver declared that we were mud stuck. We alighted from the vehicle and Mabrouk solemnly declared that only a tow truck could remove the tour van from the muddy pothole. After several minutes, a number of Africans came clad in bright red clothing and after talking with the driver, for a minute, they succeeded in removing the van from the pothole.

Philosophical essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Philosophical - Essay Example As analyzed by Plato, ideas are the actual facts and are experienced by the soul. The body can only have experience on shadows. The essentially rationalistic epistemology of Plato determines this. Hasker theory of Emergent Dualism illustrates that the mind emergence from the brain gives a solution to the mind-body problem. He argues that emergent dualism shares with materialism the argument that ordinary matter possess the potentially for consciousness within itself, it in fact goes some way far from materialism in the power in which it attributes to matter. Considering the standard materialism, the physical closure guarantees that consciousness does not bring about a difference to the manner in which a matter operates itself. This implies that all of the processes in the brain are provided with a mechanistic explanation that would be just similar whether or not the processes performed together with conscious experience. On the other hand, emergent dualism recognizes that a great many mental processes are irreducibly theological, and cannot be provided explanation upon brain processes that own a full mechanistic explanation. Therefore, the power imposed to matter through the emergent dualism leads to the total of

Human Resource Management At Walt Disney World Resort Tourism Essay

Human Resource Management At Walt Disney World Resort Tourism Essay Theres probably no place on earth as magical as the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The theme park continues to thrill, delight and exceed its guests expectations nearly 40 years after its opening. The secret to Disneys success is its well-trained, enthusiastic and motivated work force. Its a secret that the founder, Walt Disney himself realized years ago. You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world but it requires people to make the dream a reality, he said. A Brief History The Walt Disney World Resort, is the worlds largest and most visited recreational resort, covering 30,080-acres near Orlando, Florida, USA. The resort was founded with the opening of the Magic Kingdom theme park in 1971. It consists of four theme parks, two water parks, 23 resort hotels, lodges and time-share properties, sports facilities complex, and other recreational venues and entertainment. Epcot park was added in 1982, Disneys Hollywood Studios in 1989 and Disneys Animal Kingdom in 1998. This world famous resort was inspired by the dreams of Walt Disney and his creation of Disneyland in California. The resort is the largest single-site employer in the United States, employing 42,000 people, with over 3,000 different job classifications. More than 1000 people work in the security department alone. Hiring Disney is renowned for being a fun and friendly place at which to work. Its ability to offer attractive incentives make it a desirable place to work and it is constantly evaluating the market to ensure their wages remain competitive. All Disney employees participate in training programs that update them on the latest service techniques, product knowledge, and technology being used in their parks. Disney recruit both internally and externally, advertising vacancies on their website, via the press, job fairs, employment exchanges and colleges. There is a large quantity of college students working in Disney. Employment representatives also travel to Puerto Rico to recruit for positions such as housekeeping, custodial and food and beverage. It s 4 major employment strategies are: Hire the right people Develop people to deliver service quality Provide needed support systems Retain the best people Once potential employees have been identified, interviews follow. The skills and abilities that managers generally look for are: Excellent communication skills Good team player Self motivated Analytical ability Problem solver Leadership potential Strong computer skills Project management skills Relationships-builder Able to manage expectations Personal and professional style Strong business judgment Ability to facilitate and multitask A guest service orientation Disney theme parks promise to provide a superior service in order to create a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦imaginary world where visitors can escape the themes of the real world. To achieve this, the company has to employ people with the proper skills and personalities, who are also motivated, with a clear knowledge of the companys marketing objectives and strategies. Staff have to be polite, well dressed, energetic, enthusiastic, and people-loving, always serving guests whole-heartedly. All staff are provided with an extensive knowledge of the park facilities, rides, and sites. HRM Practises Disney believes in investing in its staff and provide various training programs and learning opportunities for employees to work their way into higher positions. The company promotes from within 70% of the time. Almost everyone including the managers start out in an entry-level hourly job (Disney almost completely promotes from within). There is a program to help hourly workers who want to become part of management, there is another that lets them transfer to the technical unions like plumbers and electricians as an apprentice. That program involves four years of training leading to a very well-paid job. Disney also give educational reimbursement for those who are continuing their education while working for Disney full-time. Supervisors try to create a family-like atmosphere in Disney by offering flexible schedules and on-site day care programs for working parents. . The company also host numerous special events for its employees that are held in the park after hours. Present day human resources practices at Disney are considered to be extraordinary, with all staff being trained in excellent customer satisfaction policies. However HR practices were very poor in the early years of Disney. The Walt Disney Company originated back in 1923, when Walt and Roy Disney started their first animated recording studio. Early animation production was highly labour-intensive. Rigid division of tasks was further delineated on gender lines. By 1941, the Walt Disney Company employed 1,100 people. Ellwood (1998) describes Walt Disney as a notorious workaholic, a perfectionist who pushed his staff relentlessly. Both paternalistic and domineering he rewarded loyalty and punished dissidents. There were no women or black people promoted to senior positions during this period. The company was the only Hollywood studio without union representation and as such was targeted by the American Federation of Labour. Eventually, animators took industrial action over conditions an d lack of recognition in 1941. By the end of the 1990s, the Walt Disney Company had developed into a $23 billion media conglomerate. Cast Members Employees in Disney are called cast members. Quality cast members are a direct result of quality hiring practices. Bonuses are paid to workers who refer new hires. Disney believes its important to have people who have actually worked in different parts of the company, to do the hiring. So these cast members working in the casting office, come from all different parts of the Disney organization, and work on 12-month assignments. While prospective cast members wait for their initial interviews, they watch a short video that describes the interview process and outlines what the company expects of them, if theyre successful. Once hired, all new cast members go through the same 1 and a half day training program called Traditions. Its here they learn the basics of being good cast members, from Disney history to direction on how to meet and exceed guest expectations. Cast members learn they must adhere to the companys strict 13 page manual of dress codes, known as the Disney Look. The Disney Look is a rigid code of cast member appearance that imposes a well-scrubbed, all-American look. It details the size of earrings allowed, to the size of finger nails, to the no tolerance rule regarding facial hair and dyed hair for both females and males. Disneys grooming standards make sense when you consider employees to be part of a cast of characters so there is no room for non-conformity. Every employee is instructed in the Seven Guidelines to Guest Service which highlights the need to smile and to be cheerful. From the very start, staff are encouraged to implement a have a nice day! mentality, and to smile the Disney smile all day. Casting Employees are routinely assigned jobs according to age and appearance, a process officially known as casting. The most presentable get the most popular front-line jobs and shifts. For example: Young and pretty workers get jobs that involve a lot of interaction with customers; Haitian women generally work in housekeeping; Older women sell in the shops Older men work in security Puerto Recons work in food preparation African Americans work as stewards or cooks, More than a 100 Africans are employed in the Animal Kingdom, to lend authentic flavour. Anyone who might appear less presentable work on the night shift Cast Members receive some excellent benefits including: Health, Dental, Life Insurance Complimentary Theme Park Passports Learning and Development Opportunities Paid holidays, vacations, and sick days Retirement plan. Scholarship Program 30% Discount on park merchandise Employee Stock Purchase Program Access to a Cast Member-only lake and recreation area with tennis, volleyball, and an Olympic-size swimming pool. Educational Reimbursement Educational Matching Gifts Program Service Awards Employee Cast Member Contests Childcare Centres Credit Unions Employee Stores Cast Members usually work 40 hours or more each week, with quality service being the responsibility of every one. Each one measures service quality levels, establish benchmarks and set goals, as there is no person in charge of quality. Instead of one quality director, Disney has 42,000 of them. (Paton S. M. Service Quality, Disney Style, Quality Digest) Disney University Many hours have been devoted to designing successful employee universities which train workers in the Disneyland philosophy. Walt Disney established the Disney University to teach these unique skills. The University provides cast members with free world-class training in diverse skills including computer applications, professional development, management/leaderships development, health safety, interviewing, business, etc. Empowerment Disney is committed to employee empowerment. Employees are empowered to resolve all guest issues on their own, with managers only getting involved in extreme circumstances. Managers use service measurement teams to empower employees. 1 or 2 employees from each department take note of any service issues that might take from a guests stay at the resort. By keeping records of every problem, and how it was dealt with, helps to reduce the chances of it happening again. To keep up-to-date with their guests expectations, Disney also collects huge amounts of data about guests from opinion polls, surveys, focus groups etc. From this information, the company know that the top three things that guests expect are for the parks to be clean, friendly and fun. Every worker, from the CEO to cleaner, know these 3 expectations well, and is empowered to make them happen. All employees know, too, the definition of quality at Disney: Disney defines quality as attention to detail and exceeding guest expectations. Performance Appraisals Management use performance appraisals and performance surveys, to measure internal service quality. The annual performance appraisal is designed to give the employee a broad perspective of his/her accomplishment from the previous year and to identify upcoming challenges. Another strategy employed by managers to deliver service quality, are monthly development action plans. (DAPs) (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2000) Rewards Disney certainly know the true value of retaining productive employees. Annual turnover amongst its employees is only 20%. This low turnover is made possible by treating employees like resort guests, and the extensive employees reward programs, Disney offers. There are in excess of 50 different reward and recognition programs, that are geared towards maintaining high employee morale, the most prestigious award being the Partners in Excellence program. This award involves one employee nominating another employee (who has excellent attendance and no disciplinary action record). The nominated employee then receives a bronze statue of the company founder, Walt Disney, and is invited to a dinner ceremony where he/she is individually recognized for his/her outstanding accomplishments by company executives. Disney also rewards employees through service pins, attendance awards, and Recognition-O-Grams (ROGs). Recipients usually wear service pins on their uniforms, which they receive service pins on their first, fifth, tenth, twentieth and twenty-fifth anniversaries. Attendance awards are also offered to employees after one, three, five, ten and fifteen years of perfect attendance. The awards range from honorary certificates to a $2000 gift certificate. Recession hits  Disney Theme Parks Like many other industries, the entertainment industry has been affected by the world economic downturn. Early this year, Disney reported a 32% drop in net income for its fiscal first quarter of 2010, attributing the results to the recessions effects on its studio, television and parks. The Walt Disney Co. axed 1,900 jobs from its theme parks in California and Florida. Walt Disney World in Orlando eliminated 1,400 jobs. The original Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, axed 300 positions. The rest of the jobs were eliminated at the companys corporate headquarters at Burbank. These decisions are not made lightly, but are essential to maintaining our leadership in family tourism and reflect todays economic realities, said Mike Griffin, a Walt Disney World spokesman. Those laid off received a 60-day paid administrative leave, a severance package that is based on their years of service, extended medical benefits, and job placement. According to the Los Angeles Times: Disney is bracing for an extended downturn as people skip theme parks to save money. The recession, and the recent decline, has really hit the theme park industry, but it has hit the destination parks more than the regional parks, People are staying closer to home, the newspaper said. Trade Unions Workers are represented by 34 unions, the biggest being the Service Trade Council Union (STCU), The STCU represents about 22,000 F/T and 5,000 P/T workers at Disney World. The SEIU is part of the STCU, a consortium of six trade unions that is the only group certified to bargain with the Disney company. In the last two years alone, Disneyland Resort has successfully negotiated nine agreements with the union. These agreements included wage increases, sick pay and access to seven affordable and reliable health care plans offered through Disneys Signature benefits package for full-time cast members. Conclusion This essay looked at the human resource practises that have been adopted at Disney in order to maximize the delivery of superior guest services. Reasons for the companys success include emphasis on customer service, and a focus on the elements of efficiency, courtesy, show, and safety. It has shown how employee strategies at Disney lead to the attainment of exceptional service quality. Disney takes a lot of care with its casting department and regularly assess its pay packages and new ways of recruiting. It offers a competitive package of wages and incentives to its staff, such as free park admission and discounts on park merchandise. In the past, Disneys theme parks has been fairly recession-proof. But this year, fewer people found their way to the Magic Kingdom as profits were down from 2008-10. Disney said the company manages its operation based on demand, and like any other business it is subject to the ups and downs of the economy Its important that management stress to workers that employee development and empowerment is an on-going process, as the actions of empowered employees have enabled Disney to develop a lasting relationship with millions of guests worldwide. The human resource department must continually develop successful recruiting strategies and effective reward and recognition programs to maintain high morale and promote teamwork.

Movie Review: Sense And Sensibility Essay -- essays research papers

Movie Review: Sense and Sensibility Ang Lee, who directed, and Emma Thompson, who adapted the screenplay, have done an excellent job of bringing Jane Austen's Victorian novel, Sense and Sensibility, to the movie screen. The movie's collection of actors are a joy to watch as they bring out the emotions of an otherwise polite and reserved era in time. The production work is top notch with bright, cascading photography that sets a romantic "I wish I was there" setting. The purpose of the Sense and Sensibility is to bring out the romance in all of us and show us that Austen's philosophy of love exists today as much as it did two centuries ago. Sense and Sensibility could rightly be classified as a love story, but that would just scratch the surface of what this movie has to offer. It is also a period piece, giving us a chance to visit English society in the nineteenth century. Director Ang Lee brought us to this historic time with beautifully constructed sets and sites that drop us right into the country cottage of our heroines. This natural scenery, with its wide sweeping camerawork warps us back to a time without the loud annoyances of TV and machinery. By this example Lee sets the stage for the story to begin.. If there is one thing that keeps this movie constantly going is the work of the superb actors. The talent of the actors suited the roles they played, and their mastering of the characters bring per...

Accounting Ch16 Ex

Ex 16. 2 (Basic Types of Manufacturing Costs) Into which of the three elements of manufacturing cost would each of the following be classified? a. Tubing used in manufacturing bicycles. b. Wages paid by an automobile manufacturer to employees who test-drive completed automobiles. c. Property taxes on machinery. d. Gold bullion used by a jewelry manufacturer. e. Wages of assembly-line workers who package frozen food. f. Salary of plant superintendent. g. Electricity used in factory operations. h. Salary of nurse in a factory first-aid station. Ex. 16. 3 (Product Costs and Period Costs)Indicate whether each of the following should be considered a product cost or a period cost. If you identify the item as a product cost, also indicate whether it is a direct or an indirect cost. For example, the answer to item 0 is â€Å"indirect product cost. † Begin with item a. 0. Property taxes on factory building. a. Cost of disposal of hazardous waste materials to a chemical plant. b. Amount s paid by a mobile home manufacturer to a subcontractor who installs plumbing in each mobile home. c. Depreciation on sales showroom fixtures. d. Salaries of security guards in an administrative office building. e.Salaries of factory security guards. f. Salaries of office workers in the credit department. g. Depreciation on the raw materials warehouse. h. Income taxes on a profitable manufacturing company. Ex. 16. 5 (Preparing a Schedule of the Cost of Finished Goods Manufactured) The accounting records of NuTronics, Inc. , include the following information for the year ended December 31, 2007. | Dec. 31| Jan. 1| Inventory of materials| $ 24,000| $ 20,000| Inventory of work in process| 8,000| 12,000| Inventory of finished goods| 90,000| 80,000| Direct materials used| 210,000| | Direct labor| 120,000| | Selling expenses| 170,000| |General and administrative expenses| 140,000| | Overhead is assigned to production at $192,000. a. Prepare a schedule of the cost of finished goods manufac tured. (Not all of the data given above are used in this schedule. ) b. Assume that the company manufactures a single product and that 20,000 units were completed during the year. What is the average per-unit cost manufacturing this product? Ex 16. 9 (Preparing an Income Statement Using the Cost of Finished Goods Manufactured) Mayville Company, a sole proprietorship, reports the following information pertaining to its operating activities: | Ending Balance| Beginning Balance|Materials Inventory| $ 20,000| $ 40,000| Work in Process Inventory| 29,000| 60,000| Finished Goods Inventory| 52,000| 42,000| During the year, the company purchased $30,000 of direct materials and incurred $21,000 of direct labor costs. Total manufacturing overhead for the year amounted to $18,000. Selling and administrative expenses amounted to $60,000, and the company’s annual sales amounted to $200,000. a. Prepare Mayville’s schedule of the cost of finished goods manufactured. b. Prepare Mayvill e’s income statement (ignore income taxes).

The Modern Presidency of Theodore Roosevlet

Despite ridicule from his educated and respectable friends, Roosevelt entered politics immediately after graduating from Harvard College in 1880. In 1881,Roosevelt showed the strength of his intention by winning election to the New York State Assembly. He gained reelection twice before personal tragedy, On February 14,1884, in a tragic coincidence, Roosevelt†s young wife died in childbirth just hours after the death of his beloved mother. Emotionally shattered, Roosevelt left politics and fled New York for the Dakota Territory. In 1886, after a disastrous winter demolished most of his cattle herd, Roosevelt returned east to politics, his first love. For the next 12 years, he held various government positions, from Civil Service Commissioner to Assistant Secretary of the Navy. When the United States went to war against Spain in 1898, Roosevelt resigned and organized a group of volunteers called the Rough Riders. Their successful assault on San Juan Hill in Cuba made Roosevelt a National hero. He rode his new fame to victory in the 1898 race for governor of New York. When President McKinley prepared to run for reelection in 1900, he needed someone to replace Garret Hobart, his first vice president, who had died in 1899. Roosevelt seemed a logical choice. Basically a man of action, Roosevelt considered the vice presidency a do-nothing position leading to political oblivion. The bosses schemed to kick Roosevelt out of New York to serve as McKinley†s vice president. After he and McKinley won the election, Roosevelt sadly wrote to a friend, â€Å"I do not expect to go any further in politics. † Wherever Roosevelt went he became the center of attention. During the late 1800s, the country had been designated by strong Congresses and relatively weak presidents. Roosevelt reversed that traditional division of power. The new president employed the considerable powers of his office and his own personal magnetism to bypass congressional opposition. In doing so, Roosevelt became the first modern president. In 1902 Roosevelt supported passage of the Newlands Reclamation Act, which authorized the use of federal funds from the sale of public lands to pay for irrigation and land development projects in the dry farms and cities of the West. Under new law, Roosevelt supported the construction of 25irrigation or reclamation projects. Roosevelt also backed efforts to save the nation†s forests by preventing shortsighted lumbering companies from overcutting. He appointed close friend Gifford Pinchot to head the U. S. Forest Service. Like President Roosevelt, Pinchot was a firm believer in resource management, the rational scientific management of natural resources such as forests. He added 150 million acres to the national forests, quadrupling the amount of land they contained. Roosevelt also established five new national parks, created 51 federal bird reservations, and started four national game preserves. Other issues were already on the national agenda when Roosevelt took office. One involved the growth of large trusts, which were giant firms that controlled whole areas of industry by buying up all the companies with which they did business. Buy-outs, takeovers, and mergers reached a feverish pitch between 1897 and 1903. Indeed, by 1899 an elite group of six companies controlled about 95 percent of the railroads in the country. In 1890 Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act, which was designed to prohibit such monopolies, but it had proven hard to enforce. Industrialists simply devised substitute methods of retaining control, for example, the holding company. Holding companies bought controlling shares of stock in the member companies instead of purchasing the companies outright. While the â€Å"held† companies remained separate businesses on paper, in reality the holding company controlled them. In 1902 J. P. Morgan, a powerful banker, had joined with a handful of the nation†s wealthiest men to finance the Northern Securities Company. This holding company combined the stock of the Union Pacific, Northern Pacific, and Burlington railroads to dominate rail service from Chicago to the Pacific Ocean. Roosevelt, deciding that the company was a monopoly in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, ordered his attorney general to file suit against the company in 1902. In 1904 the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, sided with Roosevelt, ruling that the Northern Securities Company had indeed violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. In May 1902 the United Mine Workers (UMW) called a strike of the miners who dug the anthracite, or hard, coal that fired most of the furnaces in the United States. The UMW hoped to win a 20 percent pay increase and to reduce their long workday to eight hours. They simply refused to negotiate the striking workers. As the reality of a cold winter approached, the shivering public demanded a settlement. President Roosevelt stepped in and urged the union and the owners to accept arbitration. A settlement imposed by an outside party. The minors won a nine-hour workday and a 10 percent pay increase, which was passed along to consumers in the form of higher coal prices. Roosevelt also defended the public interest on consumer issue. The Meat Inspection Act of 1906outlawed misleading labels and dangerous chemical preservatives. Roosevelt agreed that the government, rather than the packers should pay for the inspection. In addition, he dropped the requirement that meat be dated, which would have informed consumers about the meat†s age. Quick doctors sold concoctions of alcohol, cocaine, opium, and other drugs that claimed to heal everything from liver ailments to baldness. On the same day that Congress passed the Meat Inspection Act, It also passed the Pure Food and Drug Act. This act prohibited the manufacture, sale, or shipment of impure or falsely labeled food and drugs in interstate commerce. The food and Drug Administration (FDA) was not established until much later in 1938. Roosevelt decided not to run for reelection in 1908, Instead, Roosevelt chose his fellow Republican, William Howard Taft, an experienced diplomat and administrator to run for president on the Republican ticket. Taft, a large, slow-moving, but extremely intelligent man, ran a mild-mannered campaign. Nevertheless, thanks to Roosevelt†s energetic efforts on his behalf, Taft won the election. Although he had none of Roosevelt†s flair, Taft carried out- and went beyond-many of his predecessor†s policies. In only four years as president, Taft prosecuted almost twice as many trusts as did Roosevelt in nearly eight years, including two of the most powerful, Standard Oil and the American Tobacco Company. He expanded the number of acres of national forests. He supported laws requiring mine owners to improve safety. He established the Children†s Bureau, a federal agency that protected the rights and interests of children. By 1912 Roosevelt had become completely disillusioned with Taft, he was upset over Taft†s failure to exert strong public leadership. With a new presidential eledion on the horizon, Roosevelt wondered if Taft was enough of a progressive activists to warrant his continued support.