Effective Leadership Traits in Correcting Organizational Deficiencies

Effective Leadership Traits in Correcting Organizational Deficiencies Timothy B. Ashby Devry University Leadership and Organizational Behavior GM 591 Professor Faggione January 26, 2011 Introduction Effective Leadership Traits in Correcting Organizational Deficiencies Lexington Country Place is a rehabilitation and long-term care facility that is owned and operated by Five Star Incorporated. Five Star is a relatively new corporation that has made great strides in promoting excellence in the care and rehabilitation of those in need of nursing care that extends beyond acute hospitalization. LCP has had a long-standing reputation of excellence in the Lexington, Kentucky community. Over a period of the past two years that reputation declined as a result of several factors but primarily because of ineffective leadership. My role at LCP is the evening shift RN House Supervisor. Some of my responsibilities include effectively handling any problems that may arise during the 3-11 shift. These problems may include making adjustments in staffing, assisting with admissions, public relation concerns, and using effective nursing assessment skills and making decisions that insure the safety and care of the residents at LCP. The current Director of Nursing, Angela Staiano, RN, BSN, has a proven track record of being an effective leader with a history of improving the quality of long-term care facilities. She was offered and accepted the position of DON at LCP several months ago following a state inspection in which LCP was noted as having several deficiencies. Since inspections are a matter of public record and customers are able to make comparisons with competitors, LCP had a decrease in its census. Problem Identification The problem being addressed in this paper is how ineffective leadership resulted in a decrease in the resident population, a complacent staff who were not committed to providing high standards of care, and as a result, a decreased profit for the organization. The lack of profitability affects not only the corporate center, but also affects the organization’s ability to make improvements to the facility, provide adequate resources to the residents, and to pay wages comparable with competitors in order to retain good employees. Shermerhorn (2010) writes that â€Å"organizations depend for their success on day-to-day decisions made by (leaders). The quality of these decisions influences both the long-term performance of an organization and its day-to-day character—in the eyes of employees, customers, and society at large. The problems at LCP directly resulted from poor decisions that were made of ineffective leaders. Literature Review An search on EBSChost for the phrase â€Å"effective leaderhip† resulted in 6373 results. The term â€Å"leadership traits† resulted in 718 results. A combination of the previous terms â€Å"effective leadership traits† provided too narrow a parameter with only nine research articles. A search for â€Å"types of leaders† generated 787 articles. â€Å"Leadership paths† located 151 results. A search for â€Å"organizational leadership behaviors† generated 23 results which defined a reasonable search parameter with adequate research articles to support this paper.

Development of child

Years As a child grows the changes In weight and height size are measured on d centile chart, these charts show the expected pattern at the particular ages. Development refers to the skills and abilities that you learn through life, but as we all know children are all Individual and so when centile charts are used they are based on the â€Å"average† child but all children meet these different goals in their own time and dont always fit nicely into the correct average box. A new born cannot its support own head as it has not learned any skills yet.By three months the baby Is now able to hold Its head and to look around. By SIX months or about that they can sit unsupported and start to learn how to move by crawling and shuffling. By 1 year they can usually manage a few steps holding on to an adults hands and enjoy being on their legs and bouncing whilst being supported. By the time they are sixteen months most should be mobile and walking around independently. This would start by walking along furniture. A baby gains 700-900g a month in weight up until it is six months old, but this slows to 450-600g per month fter the age of six months.It Is expected by 1 year they should have tripled their birth rate. By 3 months a baby has learnt to Imitate facial expressions and learns how to smile when being talked to. They explore with their mouths and hands and babbling as they get older helps to develop speechm By 2 they have learnt to use key objects like spoons. At around 19 months they will play, they only tend to play alongside other children as they haven't learnt how to play or Interact with other children yet. Crying is the only way tor small babies to communicate when their needs are not eing met and they learn to turn head, shut eyes and cry when they do not like something.Equally they learn how to smile and giggle to express when they want more of something They start to use and develop the 6 senses seeing, learning, smelling, touching and tasting. By th e age of 2, children should be able to say 40-50 words. 2-5 years Once a child reaches 2 it starts to become stronger. taller and leaner and will lose the baby shape. They will continue to gain a steady weight. Between 2 and 5 they develop their vocabulary and by the age of 5 they should be able to hold a conversatlon ana Know tnousanas 0T wards ana tories. ney snou10 De aDle to start At 2 most children should be able to climb the stairs one by one and also to kick a ball. They should be able to do simple mark making on paper with a pencil and by 5 they should be able to writs some letters and start to dress themselves. From 2 they start to learn letters, colours and counting and start to thing and reason more. Between the age of 2 and 5 most children slowly start to learn how to manage their feelings, The â€Å"terrible two's† refers to them not being able to master the feelings and not understanding they that can't always get their own way.By 5 they should ave learnt how to control their feelings and understand why â€Å"yes† is not always possible. By 5 friends have become a lot more important. By 5 a child should have developed their fine motor skills enough that they can draw pictures that resemble objects such as a â€Å"man† or a â€Å"house†. 5-8 Years Between the ages of 5-8 years children have a great desire to fit in, to be liked and to be accepted by their friends. This is sometimes essential to self-esteem. During these years children start to understand rules and understand why we have them.During these years children will often learn how to climb, swim, throw a ball and ride a bike ithout stabilisers. Between these ages children will start to better understand tenses; â€Å"past, present, future† and will start to tell Jokes and start to really enjoy reading. They continue to grow taller and gain weight. By the age of 6 they should be able to start writing independently. As stated, all children will develop at their own rate and so when some can already read others are still learning simple words.Under no circumstances should children ever be compared as they are individual. In their own right and children are always good at something and should never be ade to feel less important than others. Q2: Analyse key social economic and environmental factors which influence development. Children can be affected by many social economic and environmental factors some of which can be positive and some are negative. Young children are vulnerable and things can affect them much more than adults. One main factor of social development is love. Is the childe loved and made to feel safe?If these factors are not being met then a child's development can be hindered greatly. A child that is shown a high level of love and affection is normally happy both motionally and physically and will be able to progress and develop in line with its peers. Parenta I Interactlon can De sucn a posltlve tnlng. Parents wno sp end time playing and teaching their children through reading, games and other such activities will have a positive effect on their children, whereas parents that ignore and don't interact with their child will have a negative effect on their development.Children with a supportive home nursery school life will thrive best, children that live with ridicule learn to be shy where as children who live with encouragement learn to be confident. Nutrition can impact life greatly too. We all know that if you consume unhealthy foods you will gain weight, you will feel lethargic and not feel your best, if a child in not taught this then they will continue these bad habits in later life. This in turn can affect the heart, liver lungs and have a knock on effect on their whole lives.Illness allergies and other health conditions can also play a huge part in the development of a child and can sometimes effect height and weight. Unfortunately in this economic climate many people are living on the br ead line sometimes Just feeding the family is hard enough without the added worry of healthy ood too. Other things can effect children's development, divorce, death, illness moving house can all take its toll on a venerable child.A child that is taught to deal with their emotions and encouraged to talk about things will help then to deal with future life. Q3. Describe children's overall development needs. Children need to be loved nurtured and made to feel safe. When a child feels loved, support, cared for and affection then in turn they feel content, confident and secure. They need to know that their home life is stable, if they don't feel this or if parents eparate it can lead to unsettled nights, bed wetting and general feelings of insecurity.A good healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables with lots of exercise and fresh air will help aid a child's development. Praise, support, encouragement and adult and child interaction will help a child to develop a well-rounded balance to be able to advance on to make friendships, to do well in school and to grow into respectable adults. A child that lives with negativity will likely end up being negative. very cn a aeserves a nappy cnllan wltn lots 0T wonaerTul memorles.

Responses to this week questions (2) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Responses to this week questions (2) - Assignment Example The safety messages would not be acceptable to all the parents. The prevalent negative attitude would make some of them to establish other arguments that would counter the new safety information. Therefore, the attitude held by such parents should first be changed before they are introduced to the safety messages thus ensuring that the messages or facts will be effective on them (Vedantam, 2014). People may opt to ignore or take certain matters for granted without credible basis. It is imperative for such people to first understand how certain things work as opposed to making uniformed decisions that results into ignorance. If a person can explain a particular issue, the inference that can be made is that the individual has prior understanding of the matter and reacts appropriately. It is less likely for an individual that is able to understand and explain certain issues to resort to ignorance. Ignorance is common among people who choose to disregard issues without trying to understand them exhaustively. Therefore, for ignorance to be eradicated, people should explain how things work as opposed to holding baseless positions that are characterized by ignorance. Vedantam, Shankar. (March 4, 2014). When It Comes To Vaccines, Science Can Run Into A Brick Wall. NPR. Web. June 13, 2015. Retrieved from

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Xenografts - Essay Example Infants born with this condition usually have a lifespan of two weeks or less. Doctor Bailey and his team found out that a baboon’s heart is very similar in physiology to the human heart thus deciding that they might be able to successfully implant the baboon’s heart in Baby Fae, giving her another chance at life. Anencephaly is the condition when a neonate is born without a large part of the brain and skull. It is a neural tube defect which affects the tissue that grows in the brain and the vertebra. This defects starts very early in pregnancy when the upper part of the neurtral tube does not close. The causes of exactly this occurs have not yet been scientifically proved but research has shown that it is influenced by toxins in the environment the mother lives and poor nutrition including lack of folic acid which is essential for the development of the embryo. (Adam Medical Encylopedia) Anencephalic babies are born unconscious and they usually die within the first few days of life. Since the brain is not developed it is not capable of doing anything except keep the lungs and the heart working. For the last couple of decades, there is a shortage of organs like livers, hearts and kidney in the United States so doctors have started using anencephalic babies for their organs before they are officially pronounced dead. (Kolata, New York Times) The debate remains that whether it is morally right to use such babies for organs to save other lives and or should they be given medical care and kept barely alive. The term organ donor is misleading in this case because none of these babies are actually given a chance to live while donating their spare organs by free will and nor do they write it in their wills. Organ donor are actually people who donate a kidney because they have two, or let their loved ones know to donate their

Quality Assurance Manager Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Quality Assurance Manager - Research Paper Example Quality Assurance Manager Unilever Company is a multinational company that deals in the production of different products ranging from beverages, food and cosmetics. Quality assurance is the assurance that the customer will continue to be supplied with high quality products and services. Vision â€Å"To be the foremost consumer product company in the global perspective specializing in care, food and dental.† Mission â€Å"Working to create better future by inspiring people to take small actions with the aim of making people look good, feel good and make them satisfied with the brands that are good for them while reducing the environmental impact.† My general responsibility as a quality assurance, manager would be to head the quality assurance department and ensure that all the quality standards for all products and services are met. In particular, I would be responsible for the monitoring of the production process and methods, safety, quality and risks that are associated with different products and services to ensure that there is prior planning to manage them. I would be responsible for the quality assurance of products beginning from the raw materials, intermediate products, final products as well as packaging materials and distributions to ensure that quality standards are adhered to at all levels in the supply chain. It would also be my duty to ensure that the quality management systems conform to the best practices, procedures and standards with regard to the maintaining and assuring quality. Relations between the company and the customers with respect to quality of products and services will be based in my department and hence I would be responsible for the assurance that the correct quality tools, procedures and methodologies are applied with regard to best practices to ensure that quality is delivered to the customers. Research and development with regard to the development of new products that meet customers’ expectations and requirements will be part of my department responsibilities. My department will therefore be responsible for the research, study, evaluations and the implementation of quality assurance practices with regard to the compliance to the company’s best practices. In the cases where the systems and process exhibit deviation and out of control in terms of quality, my department would be responsible for the initiation and the implementation of corrective measures to ensure that quality control is assured. Lastly I would also be responsible for ensure that quality does not only conform to the customer’s requirements and expectations but also to the state laws and regulatory authorities’ standards. Quality assurance and control in an organization is therefore a challenging position that requires accurate analysis and implementation of policies. Strategic planning would be very important in success in the duty as a quality assurance manager. In this regard, preventive measures would be my first priority . As observed by Chapman (1999), preventive actions are vital in the reduction of the unnecessary costs of quality. Cost of quality are the expenses incurred while ensuring that the products and services meet the required quality standards. Preventive measures are those measures that ensure that the quality of the raw materials at its production stage is controlled. This results into the

Positives and negatives of obamas presidency period Research Paper

Positives and negatives of obamas presidency period - Research Paper Example One of the most commendable aspects of the Obama presidency has been his rapprochement with the Iranian government over its nuclear program. The fact that the Iranian nuclear program has been a source of major controversy over the past decade can be considered to have been a source of much contention on the international scene. This is mainly because of the fact that the United States has been drawn into the issue as a result of the activities of the powerful Israeli lobby which has had much influence in the formulation of American policies over Iran. It is for this reason that Iran has been largely isolated from the international scene due to the sanctions imposed against it by most of the western powers (Mostofi 226). In addition, the economic sanctions that have been imposed against it have created a situation where its people have come to face many hardships mainly because of the constant shortages of food as well as the reduction of the purchasing power of the state because of t he blockade on its financial sector. Moreover, the decision to impose sanctions against it has ensured that the prices of natural gas and oil have remained high on the global markets in addition to the lack of exploitation of the extensive reserves that Iran possesses. Therefore, the initiative taken by Obama to promote dialogue with Iran has ensured that American interests will be protected within this country once the negotiations come to an end. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have come to be extremely unpopular with the American public and this is mainly because of the fact that there has been massive loss of American life as well as high expenditure in wars which have failed to achieve their intended objectives ("Obama Commits to Troop Withdrawal from Iraq by 2011" 3). It is for this reason that Obama’s order to withdraw American troops from both of these

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 44

Business Law - Essay Example The company should seek a temporary work permit in the United States. The company should also seek the assistance of an approved attorney who prepares the form "I-94---Arrival and Departure Record making it easier for contractors to work efficiently in America. The company should also seek labor certification from the immigration office for their constructors. We are a foreign construction company seeking to expand our services to the United States. The letter aims to inform and register our company with the tax department as a move to comply with the necessary tax obligations. Mrs. Photolover failed to seek the necessary copyright when selling the photographs though she specified the exceptions. Mr. Likesdrawing used someone’s material outside the stated exceptions without the consent of the developer. Mrs. Photolover should sue to discontinue the sale of the said pictures and obtain a valid copyright. Mr. Likes drawing should argue on the basis of fair usage as the picture lacks a valid copyright. Producers developed an anti-competitive practice that involved price fixing. Consumers are protected by law from acts of price fixation, and the companies can be sued. The Sherman Act prevents acts of collusion among producers to fix prices, and violations attract fines of up to $10 million for corporations and $350000 or a three-year imprisonment or both for individuals. The case relating to Apple Corporation is based on the antitrust laws and competition issues. The possible outcomes include the requirement for Apple to prove that their acquisition is based on economic policies and also illustrate the desire of a fair competition with no intention of unfair practices. Where Apple fails to prove the fair competition, the European Commission will illustrate its fears before the judge. The judge can abolish the deal in venturing in the music streaming industry or provide various obligations that the company has to follow. A similar case example involved the case

Employment Policies and Practices Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Employment Policies and Practices - Assignment Example Once the applicant clears this initial test, the organization goes into the selection process. This selection process, the organization usually comes into the direct contact with the applicants. The organization works on the resume of the applicants, try to get some background information of the applicants, verify their prior qualification, their past experience etc. After this, usually members of human resource (HR) department, takes the interviews of the applicants of the applicants in which they want to look the aptitude of the applicants, their presentation styles, confidence etc. In most of the organizations, interview is the last process, but in some organization e.g. arm forces, there are physical tests conducted to determine the physical and mental abilities and strengths. Once the applicants pass through of these procedures, they are selected as employees in the organization. One important activity that the organization must perform is to check the applicants past record. This task is not only to check the background information of the applicant, but to check other useful information as well, such as the employee's past report in previous organizations, i.e. is to check weather or not, the employee was fired from the any previous organization on the bases of poor performance, dishonesty or fraud etc. The references of the employees are verified. In most of the government organization, a social security check of the employee is conducted to weather the employee has any criminal record against him or not. If the person is has a clean past record, only then he should be selected. Post Employment Checks: Post employment checks are as important as pre employment checks. These checks include the noticeable change in the lifestyles of the employees, their important financial statements such as income statements, drug usage etc. The organization should make sure that the employees are punctual and giving to their best productivity level. The organization should keep an eye on the activities of the employees, on and off the work. Acquiring help from third party can be useful in these situations and these checks must be perform from time to time. Post employment check is one of the most important part of organization's risk management. If any employee found guilty in any of these checks, the organization must deal the matter seriously and treat the employee according to degree of activity. Monitoring of Employees: Monitoring of subordinates or employees is considered to be as sensitive issue. Monitoring of employees involves ethnicity. It is the right of the managers to supervise their subordinates, but on the other hand, most of the employees complain that they are monitored secretly. There are several ways of monitoring. On of the most common monitoring method is seeing the actions of your employees through surveillance cameras. But this monitoring need constant viewing and is mostly used

Role of Women in Greek Tragedy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Role of Women in Greek Tragedy - Research Paper Example Below are four tales of tragic events associated to the women’s inherent flaws. 2. Prometheus Bound: The Role of Pandora in the Release of Evil Prometheus, an immortal god, is the creator of the human race. He stole fire from the temple of Zeus and gave it back to men, despite awareness that the supreme god will be infuriated. As punishment for his crime, Prometheus was sent to severely suffer to a mountain in Scythia for thirty thousand years. The fire thief was bound in an iron chain while an eagle delivered by Zeus ate his liver out during the day. The liver, or some say the heart, constantly grows back at night to be feasted on again by the wicked bird. As this did not appease his anger, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to â€Å"mould a virgin, Pandora, of earth, whom Athena adorned with all the charms calculated to entice mortals† (Theoi.com). Pandora, as she is named, was sent to Epimetheus to become his wife. Pandora is said to be the first woman on Earth, indicted for ha ving casted evil upon the mortal souls as stated by Hesiod, â€Å"for from her is the descent of female women (for the race and tribes of women are destructive,) a great pain for mortals, living with men, companions not of destructive Poverty but of Plenty† (Hes. Theog. 521). ... 3. Oedipus Rex: The Role of Jacosta in the Doom of Oedipus A prophecy forewarned the king of Thebes, Lauis, that his son by Jocasta will murder him. To escape such a tragedy, he tied the infant’s ankles and commanded a shepherd to leave it to die at Mount Cithaeron. Taking pity on the innocent soul, the shepherd instead brought him to Polybus, king of Corinth and wife Merope. They raised the child as their own and called him Oedipus. Intrigued by questions about his true identity, and with his adopted parents standing firm on the deception that he is their own, Oedipus consulted the oracle of Apollo at Delphi. Oedipus was told that he is fated to take the life of his father and make a wife of his own mother. Horrified of what awaits him in what he thought was his birth land, Oedipus left Corinth, determined never to return. On his journey to Thebes, he came upon Laius and had him killed when a squabble over pride sets in, inadvertently fulfilling part of the prophecy. At the t ime, Thebes was in state of trepidation on account of a man-eating Sphinx, thus unable to pay enough attention to the death of its king. Oedipus, however, brought the Sphinx’s reign of terror to an end by answering its riddle about the phases of human life. Consequently, Oedipus was granted the right to the throne and the hand of Jacosta, widow to Laius and mother to Oedipus, in marriage. Jocasta, upon realization of the bitter truth, hanged herself to death. She could have prevented the fulfilment of the prophecy had she performed her duty as a mother to a helpless infant. Oedipus would not have to leave Thebes, loved her as any righteous son would, and valued the life of his own sire. In addition she failed at acquiring justice over the death of her

Journey to New Zealand Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Journey to New Zealand - Personal Statement Example I went ahead passing roads, trees, people, mountains, rivers and many other amazing things. I landed in New Zealand getting residence visa there. I got the help of a local agency who guided me from airport shuttle transfer to finding a standard accommodation at reasonable price. I had been residing there for my new settlement after my mother land. New Zealand was full of myriad attractions which brought a constant delight in the curious eyes. I dived my soul in pulling the fascination through visiting the towns of the Bay of Islands in the north to Dunedin in the south. My moments were flying on the feathers of an anonymous non-muddy bird. I became a human belonged to this whole world which called me here and there. I couldn't stop anywhere forever. I had to move on the calling of the wind for the passion of my mind. It was the mid of Jan, 1998.In the one afternoon, a postman knocked my door, and I greeted a letter of my best friend who lived in another continent, and it was America discovered by Chinese people seventy years before Columbus. It is also said that these people had also discovered Antarctica, and they reached Australia three hundred and fifty years before Cook. I am not an historian, but it was my tribute to them. Making no delay, I sought the help of the agency who introduc... They ensured my air ticket for my destination within 24 hours. I kept the ticket in my hand bag with utmost care before several days of my journey. I was cheered and without any mental stress as I had a belief that my agency had done the perfect job for my trip. I boarded on the air X which continued to be the only North American operator of the A340-300 AND A340-500. It assembled travelers from many destinations of the world. It flew from New Zealand to Stockholm, then to Germany. It allowed the passengers to loiter around the airport for refreshment for the next transit in Canada before reaching the final destination. I was called by the immigration officer, "Please show your Passport." "What! You don't have Canadian Visa Strange! Who let you come here by the wrong flight No body marked you" I was stuck and found no words at that moment. I was observing the attitude of the officer standing as a statue for several minutes. I tried to become easy and tell the fact done by my agency i n New Zealand. I tried to make a clear voice, but it became thinner and thinner by an unexplained fear. First of all, I didn't meet the strict German officer before and the second matter was I was not good in English communication to explain in an organized manner. The German man was speaking British English very fluently as he used to communicate globally. I made a hissing sound, "It is my agency." He gave a slight shout, "Your agency" "Yes, the agency in the New Zealand who arranged my ticket for my trip from New Zealand to Seattle to meet my bosom friend," I told. He replied strictly that my intention was good to meet my friend, but my route was wrong. I asked for a permission to make a phone call to my agency. I was permitted very easily but I was warned that I was not

Effective Classroom Management Plan Essay Example for Free

Effective Classroom Management Plan Essay Teaching is considered as one of the most exciting and challenging professions (Walden University 2009). It is through teaching that everyone is able to learn the things that they needed for their jobs. Everyone can not be a professional without the people who have the ability to teach. During teaching process, teachers usually experience the pressure when dealing with students who have different cultures, behaviors and attitudes. Therefore, an appropriate teaching plan is necessary to address these differences and to prevent the pressure which can hinder the teacher’s performance. Through a right plan and use of resources, teachers are able to make most out of everything and prepare the students towards their future (Bosch 2006). Classroom is considered as the most important place for both teachers and students. It is the place where students and teachers freely exchange ideas and learn from each other. Â  I believe that an appropriate and effective classroom planning is critical in teaching because it aids in imparting knowledge by making the teachers prepared, confident and comfortable with their profession (Bosch 2006). For me, an effective classroom management planning is not only about establishing rules, rewards and consequences but it is also about the establishment of a mutual relationship between the teacher and the students. If a healthy atmosphere is present, then the teacher will not experience difficulty in teaching and students will learn more. In addition, the learning process is student centered (Walden University 2009). This means that learning is imparted through the application of the things learned through classroom activities and tasks. Rules, consequences and rewards are there to guide the students on proper behavior and etiquette but they are not limited to what is written. It is through the real happenings that rules are applied and exercised by the students. In the end teachers are there to guide the students not only in learning but also in correct behavioral decision making.

Three Significant Shifts Geography Global Economic Activity Economics Essay

Three Significant Shifts Geography Global Economic Activity Economics Essay Every since the Second World War of 1939-1945, the world has undergone huge changes. At no other period in Earths bright history has change been such a potent force. Technology has changed immensely from year-to-year, so too, it seems, has politics, culture and society. Another huge change has been in global economics and this is the post-1945 change that this essay will be focusing on. Global economics is the world-wide integration of markets for goods, services, labour and capital. Ever since World War Two the individual economies of countries all over the world have become increasingly linked together to form one unit and this essay aims to investigate three shifts that have caused that linkage. Widely considered to be the biggest shift in global economic geography since World War 2 is the growth of Asia, particularly East Asia Japan, the four tigers and, most recently, China (Dicken, 2007). This economic rise can be split into four major processes: The rise of Japan after World War 2 The rapid growth of the four tigers Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan followed by a second tier (the tiger cubs) Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The huge growth of China The potential economic dynamism of India Japans post-war economic growth in terms of manufacturing was monumental. In the 1960s it was ranked fifth in the world economy but by 1980 it had risen to second behind USA. Its rate of manufacturing growth was 13.6% per year two and a half times greater than USA and four times greater than UK. FDI grew from 1% in 1960 to almost 12% in 1990 unveiling Japan as the biggest threat to USA and Europe (Dicken, 2007). This growth, albeit huge after 1945, was not the beginning of Japans surge in the world economy. Japans transformation began under the Meiji Revolution around 1885 in which it underwent a major constitutional change. This change included the revamping of the legal system, the educational system was expanded and a modem banking system evolved. The state also encouraged the creation of a railway network, telegraphs and shipping lines. It supported industries like iron and steel, ship building and textiles. However, there were some fundamental weaknesses in that the country was still heavily dependent on agriculture but because of small holdings, agricultural productivity was not very high (Kennedy, 1989). Therefore, it is evident that the change in Japans economy after World War 2 was not the fact that it started to experience economic growth but rather it started to experience rapid growth as opposed to the slower growth prior to the war. During the late 1980s, Japans growth rate fell almost as dramatically as it rose in the 1960s due to a collapse. Between 1990 and 2003, Japans GDP grew annually by only 1.2% and its manufacturing sector by 0.7%. USAs fear in Japan subsided somewhat although Japan remained the second largest economy globally. Recently there have also been signs of a recovery too, putting pressure back on USA (Dicken, 2007). In the 1960s, around the same time as Japans economy was surging, a small group of East Asian countries emerged with manufacturing growth, especially in labour-intensive industries, that lead to their economic development. Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore were branded the four tigers. For example, Koreas manufacturing sector grew yearly at an average rate of 18% during the 1960s, 16% in the 1970s, 13% in the 1980s and 7% from 1990 to 2003. During the same periods, Taiwans manufacturing sector grew at rates of 16%, 14%, 8% and 6% respectively (Dicken 2007). In the late 1980s FDI for the four tigers grew to a level that overtook Japan. The tigers, although grouped together, all followed their own distinct path of development: Korea has been relatively closed to FDI and relied on a small number of large conglomerates for its industrialization, Singapore relied heavily on investment from large foreign transnational firms, Taiwan depended on locally-owned small and medium-sized firm s and Hong Kongs growth is based on its laissez-faire free market approach (Hobday, 1995). Similarly to the four tigers, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand all displayed high rates of manufacturing growth around the same time. These have become known as the tiger cubs. Along with the tigers, the cubs have increased their collective share of world manufactured exports from 1.5% in 1963 to almost 20% in 1999-despite the East Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998 (Dicken, 2007). A possible reason for the growth of these countries could be in the decolonisation prior to the 1960s and after World War 2. For example, Indonesia gained independence from the Netherlands in 1949 nominally and completely in 1954 (Klein, 2003). The most recent and potentially biggest change in East Asian economy is the huge growth of China: Since shifting to a policy of reform and door opening in the late 1970s, China has been undergoing a period of high economic growth while at the same time increasing its presence in the Asian economy. Riding the wave of the IT revolution in recent years, the country has been gaining international competitiveness not only in labour-intensive products but also in some IT productsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Chi Hung Kwan 2002 Between 1980 and 2003, Chinas GDP and manufacturing growth rates were the highest in the world around 10% annually. It is now the worlds fourth largest manufacturing producer, the second largest agricultural, the fourth, soon to be third ahead of Japan, biggest exporter and the fourth biggest importer. Chinas growth, along with the other countries (mentioned above), constitutes to making north-east Asia the most dynamic part of the world, causing problems for south-east Asia Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore in terms of competition (Dicken, 2007). The final process of change that has seen Asia become a huge force in the global economy is the recent, spectacular growth of India. This growth is in one specific activity: the outsourcing of IT services. With its huge population and other similar advantages, there has been much talk about how India could be the next China. However, between 1980 and 1990 Indias GDP growth rate was only around 6% above the global average but only half of Chinas at the same time. India also does not sit with the elite in terms of manufacturing (13th in the world) and exports (outside of the top 15 globally). Indias strength lies in the service sector 51% of its GDP is from service sector-based income, against Chinas 33% but still China generated nearly double the service exports of India. That is the difference to the other fast-growing Asian countries India does not have strong exports. India does have the potential but currently it has some way to go before it can be placed amongst the elite (Di cken, 2007). One of the earliest significant shifts in the geography of the global economy since 1945 was the integration of European countries. Before European integration came into place there were extreme forms of nationalism in the continent, especially during the war and economic activity between the European countries was limited due to tariffs, custom duties and trade barriers. Post war Europe saw many countries still at unease with one another so a form of peaceful integration was needed in order to reconstruct the economies. This all started with the formation of the European coal and steel community (ECSC) which was first established in 1950. The aim of the ECSC was to bring together the French and German coal and steal production in a way that would banish the spectre of war and open the way to European integration (Europa 2005). The treaty of the ECSC was concluded in Paris whereby six nations signed up to it including; Belgium, France, West Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. This was now a form of production and distribution of coal and steel among the six countries and it was the beginning of a united Europe (Allen 2005). The next part of this shift towards European integration was the treaty of Rome in 1957 which was signed by the same six countries and further enhanced the economic activity within Europe. This created two more communities, the European Economic community (ECC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC). It also eliminated the customs duties between the countries and created a common external tariff (Dicken 2007) this external tariff removed tariffs on intra-EU trade and meant that it would cost more money for the areas outside of the treaty to import goods to these European countries, therefore it eliminated consumer choice and supported the industries based within the treaty and boosted the overall economy within these countries. The community further enlarged between 1973-1986 with the introduction of Denmark, Ireland, United Kingdom, Greece, Spain and Portugal this helped changed the geography of the world economy as more countries were now involved within this community of economic integration and Europe as a whole was now becoming a dominant economic force in the face of the perceived soviet threat (Dicken 2007). This period also saw the establishment of trading agreements with former European colonies in Africa, The Caribbean and The pacific (ACP countries). This new establishment with the ACP nations was aimed to encourage there exports while stimulating growth and investment in an attempt to integrate these countries into the world economy. (Manchin 2006). This has effectively altered the geography of the world economy as without this link the ACP nations would find it hard to plug themselves into the global economy however the EC offer duty free access to the EC market for most products and offer them preferential access for agricultural products based on a quota system. This helps develop these nations in an attempt to boost there economies. The main developments in economically integrating Europe has occurred in the past 20 years, this period has seen the signing of the Treaty of the European Union in 1991, the creation of a single European market and the introduction of a single European currency in 1999. The creation of a single European market in 1992 eliminated and reduced trade barriers within Europe and enhanced welfare and efficiency within the European community. These reduced trade barriers increased the intensity of competition and reduced prices. This meant that the EU was now more economically competitive within the world markets; therefore it effectively helped change the geography of the world economy. (Allen et al 2005). The formation of the European Union signed in Maastricht in 1991 created the pathway for further European economic integration and Monetary union. European monetary union was created in 1999 with the single European currency; the Euro is currently used by 16 countries in the EU which make up the Euro zone. This has had a massive effect on the economics of the countries involved in the Euro zone. De Grauwe states that: Eliminating national currencies and moving towards a common currency can lead to an increase in economic efficiency as it eliminates transaction costs in exchanging money This elimination of transaction costs means that capital now flows through the European Union a lot easier and it makes FDI investment into these European countries a lot more appealing. The single European currency along with the reduced trade barriers within Europe attracts a lot of TNCs who have chosen to regionalize there production networks within the European Union. It has especially attracted US and Japanese TNCs. Therefore in changing the geography of the global economy, not only is it boosting the economy for the countries within the EU but it is boosting the countries outside of it that are using the EU as a way of setting up there production and manufacturing chains. A final major shift in the geography of global economic activity after the Second World War has been the major role of transnational corporations (TNCs). According to the UN (1978), TNCs are all enterprises which control assets factories, mines, sales offices and the like in two or more countries. In the last 50 years or so the role of TNCs in the global economy has become more and more significant creating a situation now where, without them, the world, in terms of development, would most likely regress. However, Jenkins (1987) said that TNCs have been portrayed as an engine of growth capable of eliminating international economic inequality as well as a major obstacle to development. They are seen as a force capable revolutionising the productive forces in economically backwards areas of the world but also as a major cause for underdevelopment through a massive drain of surplus to the advanced capitalist countries i.e. they take a lot of money and resources from LEDCs and give it to MEDCs, widening the development gap. Either way you look at it, TNCs have made the world economy much more of the unit that was mentioned in the introduction. Chang (2003) wrote that since 1982, FDI from TNCs has been growing four times faster than international trade and, since the 1970s; the combined output form TNCs has exceeded the volume of international trade. International trade had been going on for centuries prior to World War Two and continues to this day but its significance has been shown to be dwindling with the new impact of TNCs. This therefore shows how, through the introduction of TNCs, the geography of global economic activity has changed in its orientation and that it does seem to moving towards one, global economy with countries holding assets in almost every other country not being a reality too far away. According to Chang (2003), TNCs are becoming more and more transnational and therefore stateless. There is proof in the successfulness of TNCs in that countries which have had liberal policies towards FDI like most of the Asian tigers have performed well and become successful developed countries, with stable economies. This shows that it is likely that more and more countries, including African ones where TNCs are still rare, will start accommodating for TNCs and so take the world towards being one, unified economy. The increase in the activities of TNCs since 1945 can therefore be said to have had a major impact in the shift of global economic activity that has occurred since World War Two and will continue to do so. There have been numerous economic shifts that have helped shape the current global economy. However in this essay we have only focused on three. First we focused on the economic expansion of the East-Asian countries over the past 65 years, which most recently involved India and China who could pave the way for future global economic expansion. The explanation for the growth of these countries could be due to the fact that the demographic transition from high rates of mortality to low rates of morality has been more drastic in the East-Asian region over the past century than any other region in the world. This constituted to the economic growth as between 1965-1990 the working population grew at a much faster rate than its dependent population which expanded the per-capita productive capacity of East Asian countries.(Bloom 1998). The second shift we focused on was the Increase in European integration, this has effectively shifted the global economy as it has integrated a whole range o f countries and allowed capital and labour to flow more freely between them, effectively making the EU one of the strongest regions in the present day world economy. Finally we showed how an increase in TNC activity over the post war period has helped shape the global economy and bring about a more unified economy. Many Hyper-Globalists would argue that TNCS help constitute to a borderless world whereby global is the natural scale of economic integration. To conclude this essay these three shifts have effectively changed the global economy over history and there impacts are still present and will continue to be so for a very long time as they have set in motion economic integration on a global level. Considering the economic Hiatus that occurred during the war when many international links were broken and there was a world wide recession, this recovery over a 65 year period where we now live in a world with an increasingly unifying economy has been truly astonishing.

Rivalry Among Firms In Global Hospitality

Rivalry Among Firms In Global Hospitality The Porters 5 forces framework is an outside-in approach whereby the industry forces affecting the business performance is analysed to facilitate managers in decisions to direct their resources in achieving maximum profitability. The 5 forces identified by Porter are the horizontal competition from substitutes, new entrants and existing rivals as well as the vertical competition from the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers (Porter, 1980). In this essay, the author would like to analyse the competitiveness of the hospitality industry by critically evaluating the strength of each force individually with relevant examples and identify the most influential force. 2.1 Threat of new entrants Threats of new entrants are one of the principal forces of Porters theory of five forces (Porter, 1980). Bain (1956) who initiated the study of entry barriers identified the major barriers as capital requirements, economies of scale, product differentiation, government approval and absolute costs. These barriers create constraints for new entrants to enter the industry, creating fewer competitors therefore retaining the market shares of existing firms to achieve higher profit (Botten and McManus, 1999). International hotel chains enjoy large economies of scale (Salinger, 1990) as they have huge numbers of hotel chains and brands therefore expanding their market power. The Hilton Worldwide brand shares the same source of supply through their supply management system and customer database through their technology platform, the OnQ system across all hotel chains (Hilton Worldwide, 2012; Hilton Franchise, 2012), forcing new entrants with small scales to accept the cost disadvantage which directly affects their profits and sustainability (Pearce and Robinson, 2009). Due to the analogous product and service offerings, brand identification is the best way for hotel chains to differentiate themselves from competitors (Dubà © Renaghan, 2000; Makadok, 2010). International hotel chains has succeeded in creating brand awareness through rapid expansions of brands such as Hilton and Holiday Inn (Okumus et al., 2010) with assurance of quality as well as the implementation of different loyalty programmes, causing new entrants the challenge to overcome customer loyalty (Kandampully and Suhartanto, 2000). Capital requirement of opening a new hotel is very high. It incurs high fixed costs (Chung, 2000) for the land and the construction plus renovation of the hotel. Huge amount of start-up and running cost is also required to recruit employees and roll-out marketing activities such as the development of the hotel brand through advertising as well as research and development activities (Matovic, 2002). Huge budgets must also be allocated for maintenance and u pkeep of the hotel property (Hall, 1987). Besides structural barriers which are influenced by the nature of the industry, there are also behavioural barriers which Sigfried and Evans (1994) describe as the retaliation strategies firms implements such as patents, predatory pricing, and exclusivity agreements with suppliers and distributors. However, the liberation of trade barriers by governments due to the trend of globalisation lowers the entry barriers especially in developing countries which do not have the resources to provide sufficient hospitality services and requires foreign firms to help develop the tourism sector (Hitt and Hoskisson, 1999). Conversely certain government do limit entries and provide exclusive rights to the local firms. Weighing the facts in this study, barriers of entry to the hospitality industry is still considered relatively high, especially to the luxury segment where more investment and development of brand is required, and customers loyalty in existing luxury brands are already high which is proved by the high prices the consumers are willing to pay for a hotel room. In the budget or midscale segment, new entrants could attempt price penetration but the sustainability of the business could be unfeasible if consumers choices are dependent on the pricing only (Graf, 2011). Generally the threat of new entrant is fairly low, but could increase if there is liberal trading policies and high concentration of the industry in the particular location. But once a new entrant decides to take the high risk of entering the industry and has the ability to innovate and make differentiation in products and services, they will aggressively pursue market share to cover the high fixed cost invested (Matovic, 200 2), raising the competition level in the industry. 2.2 Threat of substitutes Porter (1980) has also identified the threat of substitute in increasing intensity of rivalry. Substitutes give consumers more options often with better prices or value in achieving the same basic needs or wants. Substitutes are often not identified as primary rivals, making them difficult to be anticipated by firms (Magretta 2012). The presence of substitutes limits the profitability of firms by placing a ceiling in prices and increase price elasticity of the hotel product (Porter, 1980). When the pricing factor is considered, threats are formed when substitutes offer lower prices for the similar product, offer better quality products with a slight increase in price and when lower quality of products is provided with a significant drop in prices (Lewis et al., 1989). Technological advancement supported by the high speed of internet has posed significant threat to the meeting and conference facility of a hotel which are the main revenue source of business hotels with the availability of teleconferencing. Many corporate companies would consider teleconferencing to be an ideal choice as it eliminates the high cost incurred for flight tickets, lodging and rental of conference facilities and equipment as well as the time consuming trips (Leocha, 2009). Other potential substitutes for the business traveller segments could be corporate guesthouses and long stay hotels (Regal Wing, 2011) whereas leisure travellers could opt for cheaper alternatives such as rented apartments, informal lodging with friends or families, RVs, camping, simple capsule hotels or make plans for overnight rides by long hour flight, train or bus. Business of airport hotels are also affected by the availability of sleeping capsules and rooms in airports (USA today, 2009) which remo ves the need of transit passengers to rent day rooms in hotels. However, threats of substitutes in upper-scale luxury hotels are relatively low because consumers of this segment demands for exceptional comfort along with exclusive service standards, amenities and recognition which typical substitutes could not meet (Griffin et al., 1997). There are many substitutes in the hospitality industry except for the high end hotels. The author concludes that the overall threat of substitute is moderate as the availability of substitutes is very dependent on the location of the hotel and consumer preferences as hotel provides more comfort, convenience and security compared to the substitutes. 2.3 Power of suppliers The power of suppliers has direct impact on the profitability of hotels as it controls the input of the hotel which is vital for the operations of any hotel and provides flexibility to a hotel to give surplus to their customers. The hospitality industry is considered a matured industry (Martel 1974) and there are many suppliers who are readily in the market (Kim and Oh, 2004; Olsen and Roper 1998). Hotel suppliers include outsourced firms providing operational services such as accounting, maintenance, security, promotion and storage (Burt and Pinkerton, 1996) or even off-premise laundry services. Real estate agencies are important suppliers when hotels are planning their pipelines and there are many which are available and competing for businesses from hotels as the investment is very huge. With active mergers and acquisitions in the industry, many hotel chains are actually affiliated with real estate companies such as Hilton Worldwide, La Quita Inn and Motel 6 being acquired by Blackstone group with active real estate businesses (Wikipedia, 2012) eliminating the need of suppliers. However, power of a particular supplier would be high if hotels are searching for unique locations. Another main input of a hotel would be the employees. With the development of hotel schools and relevant courses, many qualified personnel are available for management trainee programmes and further contribute to the hotels. Hotels are often given credit to the ability to reduce unemployment rate of an area, proving that the ratio of supplier to firm is higher (Hassan, 2000). However hotels face the issue of shortage in manpower during peak seasons due to the employment strategies of hotel establishments to have a core of full time employees and employ casual and part-time labour to meet fluctuation of demand (Lufferty, 1998). The nature of part-time employment results in high turnover rates and high training resources. A centralised supply management system and is often integrated across brands of major hotel chains, giving strong negotiation power to the hotel, making business from hotels indispensable to suppliers (Cox, 1999). With the vast growth of the information technology sector, there are many property management systems without significant product differentiation for hotel chains to choose from, thus giving hotels high buying powers. Another plus point for hotel groups is the practice of vertical integrations and the opportunity of backward integration (Lafferty and van Fossen, 2001) by owning own real estate agencies, manufacturing plants and hotel schools such as the Accor training academy. Summing up the relevant facts shows that the power of suppliers in the hospitality industry is low. 2.4 Power of buyers The hospitality industry has many buyers including corporate companies, travel agencies and individual travellers or the user itself. Price sensitivity of buyers depends on the hotel segmentation (Go and Pine, 1995). Buyers of budget hotel segments are generally more price sensitive than those of the luxury segment who appreciates higher quality of services rather than affordability. Switching cost of buyers could be increased through loyalty programmes which provide more value and benefit to buyers as a reward of repetitive patronisation (Kandampully and Suhartanto, 2000). Corporate and travel agent discounts are also given reduce the power of buyers to switch their suppliers (Jones et al, 2007). Buyer power has increase through distribution channels of hotels in the internet. It gives buyers access to information and reviews of different hotels available and compare them instantly (Law and Hsu, 2005). Gu and Canoon (1998) suggest that buyer power could be subject to seasonality depending on the availability of disposable income and leisure time or the geographical factors of the location such as weather, and hotels implement yield management to gain maximum profitability with considerations of these factors (Burgess and Bryant, 2001). During peak seasons when there is an undersupply of rooms and lower price elasticity, hotel products would be sold at rack rates, decreasing buyer power of price negotiating. In contrast with low season and periods of slow economy growth where hotels strive to fill up occupancy to achieve minimum profit to breakeven, buyer power will increase significantly with attractive packages of value and choice of accommodation in the available hotel chains (Kandampully and Suhartanto, 2000). In summary, the power of buyers in is moderate depending on different circumstances. 2.5 Rivalry among firms The level of competition within existing firms in the hospitality industry also affects the profitability of firms (Porter, 1980). Despite the uncertainty in economy, the tourism sector is showing steady growth and remains strong across the globe. It is forecasted that at the end of year 2012, there would be 1 billion international tourist arrivals globally. Growth is shown in every region, with comparison with the previous year, Asia Pacific showed the highest growth of 8%, Africa with 7%, America with 5%, and Europe with 4%, Middle East only showed growth of 0.7% as the region is still recovering from the effect of the Arab Spring (UNWTO, 2012).The growth in tourism increases the demand in the lodging industry therefore encouraging international hotel chains to develop strategic planning to accommodate the tourist by the expansion of their brands in potential markets (Lafferty and van Fossen, 2001). Expansions can be done rapidly with the trend of franchise licensing and management contracts (Chen and Dimou, 2005). The hospitality industry involves many firms including international and domestic hotel chains ranging from luxury, full service, mid-scale, boutique and budget hotels to accommodate needs of different customer segments. Main international chains found around the globe would be The Intercontinental group, Wyndham Hotel Group, Marriot International, Hilton Worldwide, Accor group, Choice hotels, Best Western, Starwood, Carlson and Global Hyatt with growing numbers of room each year. The hotel industry performance outlook of 2012 provided by tripadvisor shows that 58% of global hotels believe that their firm can gain more profitability in future. Survey done by Travelocity shows that 76% of consumer are planning to spend more on travelling and 53% of consumers are planning to travel more compared to year 2011. This implies a positive growth in the hospitality industry (Marketing chart, 2012). The nature of the hotel business shows the need of international expansion to meet demands with wide dispersion of geographical spectrum (Matthews, 1997) as the carrying capacity is fixed and the services provided by hotels can only meet the demand of consumer if it is present in the location. Firms such as international hotel chains operating in the same location have market similarities as they share the same sets of market (Chen, 1996). They compete for the same resources or customers and face the same constraints affected by the external environment. Location is the key determinant of ones rival as the role of a hotel is to satisfy the guest need to get accommodation at that specific area. The strategic decision in deciding the geographical location of a hotel is very crucial as it is the attribute of a hotel that is fixed the fixed cost incurred is very high and (Matovic, 2002). Hotel chains develop in the same location to justify the attractiveness of the area thus reducing the perceived risk of investment by managers (Markussen, 1990). Go and Pine (1995) argues that product segmentation which includes pricing and level of facilities should be considered while determining primary rivals but pricing is highly variable and the change in pricing could cause the hotel to meet new competitors and increase the number of competitors (Roginsky, 1995) therefore damaging the profitability potential of the industry. Rivalry is often high with firms existing in the same strategic group. Pearce and Robinson (2009) stated that a strategic group would consist of hotels with similar competitive strategies and market positioning; while Hatten and Schendel, (1977) propose that members of an industry can be classified into groups of similar strategy and structure. They have the same distribution channel, features of products and services provided, target market, and identical technology advancement. Strategic groups can be identified by comparing the competitive characteristics of firms by using almost a hundred possible variables (Ketchen et al. 1993) such as the quality range, geographic coverage, degree of service offered and degree of vertical integration. Firms that are present in the same strategic group are identified as a close rivals, assisting managers in constructing competitive strategies and allocate resources efficiently to be ahead of rivals (Matthews, 2000). Structural similarities of fi rms in the same strategic group cause them to be affected in the same way by external environmental changes and competitive strategies within the group. Imitation of strategies can be easily done within the same group which is supported by the institutional theory that shows the occurrence of similar competence between firms (Selznick, 1996) under the same internal and external environment causing isomorphism (Oliver, 1988). Isomorphism is the condition when firms competing in the same population share same characteristics. The environmental forces have mimetic influences on hotels (DiMaggio Powell, 1983), where the successful chain is often imitated by the rest to reduce uncertainty the need of investment in their own market research. Obligatory action also causes imitation, March (1981) quoted that obligatory action happens when enough firms do things in a particular fashion, it becomes the norm and from that point on, things are done that way without conscious thought. Caves and Porter (1980) suggest that the existence of strategic groups gives an advantage to members of a strategic group by creating a high entry barrier to new e ntrants because of the saturation of competition within. Besides the factors mentioned above, rivalry among firms are intensified due to the high exit barriers (Dess et al, 2004) associated with significant capital investment as well as the high exit cost such as the depreciation cost of fixed assets, severance pay for employees and compensation cost for breach of contracts with suppliers and buyers. Exit barriers are especially high for large hotel chain with multiple locations, extensive interconnection with different suppliers and buyers, and large pool of employees. The high amount of sunk and exit cost pressures the exit- prospective hotel to keep its market share and continue running the business along with the implementation of new strategies in hope to revive the performance of the hotel and maintain the employment of the large labour force involved. Perishable products offered by hotels create the urgency in selling the product as soon as possible to capture revenue, elevating the competition especially during off-peak season with oversupply of rooms (Matthews, 1997). For leisure travellers who do not travel frequently and has no brand preferences, the switching cost is very low or almost nothing as they would be attracted to any hotel chain which gives more perceived value or has lower price without considering the brand of the hotel chain, making them a potential customer for any hotel chain (Kandampully and Suhartanto, 2000). Hotel products have very limited potential of differentiation because the basic need of accommodation and shelter for tourist could easily be met and strategies of one hotel could be easily imitated by the other because of the lacking in patented knowledge and technology (Dunning McQueen, 1982). Weighing the factors and reasoning contributing to the rivalry among firms, the author suggest that this is t he strongest force in Porters five forces affecting level of competition in the hospitality industry. 3.1 Conclusion Given the analysis in the many competitive forces found between rivals, the author suggests that the intensity of rivalry among firm is strong but not to the brutal stage yet. Although growth in mature industries such as the hospitality industry is generally slower, the emergence of complement products such as cheap flights and additional frequent routes has facilitated tourism growth therefore benefiting the hotel businesses (Rey et al., 2011). Development of outbound tourism in emerging BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, Africa) countries and other Asia Pacific region which is expected to capture 29% of total international tourist arrival in 2030 (UNWTO, 2012) encourages the growth of hotel pipelines, giving the hotel business a very good prospect of the future. The hotel industry is also a multi-billion dollar industry with signs of rebound due to the healing economy (Hotel News Now, 2012) with large hotel chains co-existing enjoying great amount of profitability especially with the increase growth in the tourism and motivation in travelling. Furthermore, although many hotel chains exist in the industry, different hotels define competitors with different criteria such as segmentation, price and proximity (Whitla et al, 2007) depending on its strategic group. Word count: 3289

Free Billy Budd Essays: A Deconstructive Reading :: Billy Budd Essays

A Deconstructive Reading of Billy Budd Billy, who cannot understand ambiguity, who takes pleasant words at face value and then obliterates Claggart for suggesting that one could do otherwise, whose sudden blow is a violent denial of any discrepancy between his being and his doing, ends up radically illustrating the very discrepancy he denies. - Barbara Johnson, p. 86 With Barbara Johnson's splendid Critical Difference we are willy-nilly plunged into deconstruction. At the moment I shall not attempt to explain this radical and highly subversive critical mode, except to say that what you are about to see is an example of it. At the moment you may well ask (being, as you undoubtedly are, still very impressed by Dryden's splendidly anti-naïve reading), "you mean it is possible to be even more intelligent about Melville's story?" I remember asking myself the same thing when I first noticed the chapter in Barbara Johnson's book on Billy Budd. But I began to read it anyway and I soon found myself in the throes of a critically different excitement! The first thing that truly grabbed my attention was a remark Johnson makes apropos of the following quotation from Melville's story: "innocence and guilt personified by Claggart and Budd in effect changed places" (62). The narrator says this apropos of Billy having killed Claggart. This is what Barbara Jo hnson says apropos of the passage in question: "Interestingly enough, Melville both invites an allegorical reading and subverts the very terms of its consistency when he writes of the murder: 'Innocence and guilt . . .'" (83). Now that's deconstruction, folks! "Both invites . . . and subverts"? Wow! Needless to say, ALL CLAIMS JOHNSON MAKES FOR HER READING ARE SUPPORTED BY MELVILLE'S TEXT. What does Johnson, then, claim? I shall try to be as brief as possible about this splendidly anti-naïve reading. Johnson's first item on the agenda is to put into question Billy's innocence. (Melville himself tells us that "innocence was [Billy's] blinder" 49.) She asks us to consider Billy a kind of "reader" (Johnson calls him a "literal reader" 85). Billy is a "literal reader" in that he seems to take things at face value. He seems to believe, in fact, that things are what they seem to be. If Claggart appears to be nice to Billy (and he does) then Claggart must be nice to Billy (he isn't, of course).

Non-conformity in The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea, Medea, a

Non-conformity in The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea, Medea, and The Stranger      Ã‚  Ã‚   We are constantly being affected our surroundings. As a result, our attitudes and personalities are a product of our experiences and the various environments in which they occurred . Furthermore, the society we live in presents to us a set of standards, values, and givens that we may or may not agree with. In literature, the society plays a major role in affecting the characters' thoughts and actions. In The Sailor who Fell From Grace with the Sea, The Stranger, and "Medea", the characters are affected by their society, and their actions reflect their conformity (or non-conformity) to it. Ultimately, non-conformity in these works create the conflicts that make the plots interesting.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Yukio Mishima's The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea , the characters are presented with the relatively modern society of post World War 2 Japan. Since the war, as Japan underwent their "second" industrial revolution, it became more permeable to western culture(since it was a major contender of international business). Since Japan has always been a nation that stressed the importance of preserving its culture(imposing isolationism at one point), these changes did not go down so smoothly. Mishima expresses this discomfort by depicting two characters with opposite grounds of non-conformity. One being Fusako; a non-conformist in a traditional perspective, and the other Noboru, a non-conformist in a contemporary perspective.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Albert Camus' The Stranger, society only affects the main character, Meursault, after he comes to a mid-story crisis. For all practical purposes, Meursault was living in a French society of the 30's, whereas Al... ...rent does not conform.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors' relations to us on the characters' places in society help us to relate to and comprehend their actions. If Meursault hadn't been so detached from society, Noboru so discontented with society, and Medea so vengeful toward society, we wouldn't have half of the justification needed to understand the murders that took place in the works. Given the presented material about conformity, I conclude that the stories' plots indeed grow around the unique attributes of the non-conformers, and as result, spark the reader's imagination to the fullest.    Works Cited    Euripedes "Medea", Greece 431 BC Camus, Albert (Translated by Matthew Ward) The Stranger , New York, Vintage International, 1988 Mishima, Yukio. (Translated by John Nathan) The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, New York, Vintage International, 1993.

The Effects of Antidepressants on Physical and Psychological Symptoms of Depression :: Nursing

This article informs about a study that makes the connection between psycholgogical and physical symptoms of depression, and it highlights new possibilities of treating physical complaints separately. It is a known fact that mostly unexplainable physical symptoms appear in depressed patients, and often they are the signals that indicate to physicians the presence of an affective disorder. These symptoms are most commonly: fatigue, sleep problems, headaches, nausea and back pain. In this research, 601 patients undergoing different therapies for their depression were chosen randomly to participate. Patients in this investigation were put through a longitudinal experiment to see how the symptoms of their depression, as well as their physical symptoms were altered with antidepressants. They were periodically asked to fill out a survey to assess their depression, psychological symptoms, and their quality of life. The experiments lasted 9 months, and the patients received these different antidepressants: paroxetine, fluoxetine, and sertraline. Almost half of the patients presented all common physical symptoms, and few developed new symptoms during the study. Although the physical symptoms had greatly improved in the first month of medication, they soon plateaued and ceased to improve, while the psychological symptoms such as mood and well-being continued to improve.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the end of this experiment, scientist learned that although the depression symptoms of patients almost disappeared, the physical symptoms, mostly the ones involving pain, had not continued to improve since the plateau in the first month of therapy.

Organic Foods: Is It Worth It? Essay

Organic foods cost more than regular food, but are they worth it? Is it really better for your health? And are they really more nutritious? Should you buy organic food even though you are a student and has very little money? These are all questions that have probably passed through your mind now that you no longer have your parents to go grocery shopping and cook for you. But because there are no research that can prove that eating organic is healthier, and there is no research that shows that eating regular food is just as healthy, no real answer for your question exists. However, there are some articles like Alex Berger’s â€Å"Organic Foods are a Healthier Alternative† and Nancy Sprague’s â€Å"Counterpoint: Organic Food is Unnecessary and the Current Food Supply is Safe† that can help you make a decision. Alex Berger, the writer of â€Å"Organic Foods are a Healthier Alternative†, however, believes that eating organic food is not only beneficial to one’s health; organic foods also have many other benefits. He says, â€Å"Organic foods tend to be richer in nutrients, perhaps because they are grown in soil with more complex micronutrients. †[1] Gerber then continues to say that organic foods have more than just health and nutritional benefits; it also has environmental benefits and social stability. [2] Berger views organic foods as a friend. Although, they are expensive, they are much healthier, provide much more nutrition, and they also help the environment. The benefits of organic foods outweigh the negativities that were never mentioned in his article. Berber’s argument is truly persuasive. His words makes the reader feel moved to believe that organic food is healthy, such as â€Å"agricultural chemicals may pose a greater risk to some individual. †[3] His threat makes the reader feel scared that eating normal, processed food can harm them, which will lead readers to feel that organic food is the healthier option. Although Berger seems to be a very reliable source, Berger is just a writer with no scientific background except for a PhD in Anthropology, a degree that doesn’t have anything to do with nutrition. This makes him seem to be a rather unreliable source for nutritional advice. Another writer, Nancy Sprague, thinks otherwise. She believes that the food supply that we have now is safe as it is. Organic food is an unnecessary luxury that is expensive and there is no guarantee that it is healthier. She says, â€Å"When food is defined as organic, it simply means that the producer has employed an approved organic food production system—the producer is not guaranteeing the safety or quality of the product. By being misled into believing that buying organic guarantees food safety, consumers are sometimes more likely to be harmed by an organic food than by one purchased from a commercial supplier. †[4]. Sprague views organic food as a luxurious item that she doesn’t need. She argues that there are no research that can prove organic food is healthier. Instead, research have shown that organic food has as many bacteria, vitamins, and etc. as processed food. [5] Sprague’s method of writing easily persuades her readers. Her choice of words scares readers into believing that the organic industry’s goal is to fool their consumers. For example, she says, â€Å"Organic raw mulch is outlawed by many farm bureaus because it is likely to carry pathogens and infectious potential†. In one sentence, Sprague overrides the other sides’ argument that organic food is safer, and points out that instead of being safe, organic food is more likely to carry infectious bacteria. This scares readers into wondering whether or not the organic food industry is lying; and forces readers to think, have I been a fool for trusting the companies’ advertisements all this time? Sprague’s writing style of inflicting fear and doubt into the reader makes readers feel that she is a knowledgeable source. This in turn develops her credibility as an author in nutrition. However, before trusting Sprague completely, readers have to realize that her opinions are very one-sided and they should question their trust in all of her information. Both sides have points that make their side very convincing, both sides have research that proves their points, and both sides have important things to say. However, in the end it is still up you, as the reader, to decide what you want in your food. It is up to you to decide if you want junk food, healthy food, and/ or organic food. But, you have to choose wisely because food has the power to decide your future. Food affects everything from your weight, to your health, and many times it even has the ability to affect your person as a whole. Today, you might be eating a cheeseburger, but tomorrow you might be in the hospital emergency room with a heart attack. This is why a few bad food choices can put your education and, maybe one day, even your life in imminent danger. Overall, what goes into our food is so important that both sides of the argument agree that the government has and needs regulations that force both regular food processors and organic farmers to meet; and that the EPA has and needs their standards to rise continuously to improve our food source. Both authors believe what you put into your mouth is an important issue. But, their beliefs are not enough to change the world. In the end, their belief systems are not the most important thing because you are the one who chooses what you eat. You are the one who has to find the answer. So, please tell me, who are you and which side of the food debate are you on? Bibliography Berger, Adam. â€Å"Point: Organic Foods are a Healthier Alternative. † Points of View Reference Center: EBSCOhost. August 2009. (accessed June 14, 2010). Lindner, Larry. â€Å"Organically Grown Food: Is it Really a Better Choice?. † Environment Complete: EBSCOhost. May 2002. (accessed June 14, 2010). Peterson, Elizabeth. â€Å"Organic Foods: To Buy or Not To Buy?. † Environment Complete: EBSCOhost. October 2004. (accessed June 14, 2010). Sprague, Nancy. â€Å"Counterpoint: Organic Food is Unnecessary & the Current Food Supply is Safe. † Points of View Reference Center: EBSCOhost. 2009. (accessed June 14, 2010). [1] Adam Berger, â€Å"Point: Organic Foods are a Healthier Alternative,† Points of View: Organic Food (August 2009): 2. Points of View Reference Center, EBSCOhost (accessed June 14, 2010). [2] Adam Berger, â€Å"Point: Organic Foods are a Healthier Alternative,† Points of View: Organic Food (August 2009) [3] Ibid. 2. [4] Nancy Sprague, â€Å"Counterpoint: Organic Food is Unnecessary & the Current Food Supply is Safe,† (2009): 3, Points of View Reference Center: EBSCOhost (accessed June 14, 2010). [5] Ibid.

Wellness programs try to Be welcoming

AH, July: an ideal time of year for morning runs, long swims, family bike rides and picnic tables laden with seasonal produce. In short, it’s healthy time.  Unfortunately, it’s also health care time — when managers must contend with rising health insurance premiums as they plan next year’s budget.  What is a cost-conscious manager to do? The answer of the moment is to provide a wellness program, promoting healthy behavior year-round.According to a survey by the Hay Group, a consulting firm, more than half of all large companies offer some combination of services like nutrition education, weight management assistance, health risk assessments, and help with quitting smoking; more than a quarter offer things like fitness coaching and discounts on health club memberships.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I was basically out of the business for the better part of the decade,† said Michael Carter, a vice president at Hay responsible for employee health management consulting. â€Å"Now everybody’s my new best friend.†On the surface, it is hard to see anything wrong with urging employees to tone up and trim down. A fitter work force is a happier work force, and less costly, too.  But wellness programs can be minefields. Some employees may resent the programs, viewing them as examples of father-knows-best intrusiveness. At least one program has even formed the background for a lawsuit.The biggest challenge of wellness programs is to reach the employees who would get the most out of them. Gym rats will always take advantage of benefits like discounted health club memberships — but they would probably work out anyway, and discounts may not be enough for those who are seriously overweight or out of shape.  Personalized incentives like fitness coaching and nutrition counseling are often a better way to reach employees in the middle group who just need a little encouragement. It is also crucial to make accommodations for disabled emplo yees.And the tone taken is crucial: who wants the boss telling you to eat your spinach? A program that feels coercive will probably never be as popular as one with positive incentives, like cheaper health insurance.  Employees respond best to wellness programs that are presented as a form of organizational change, rather than as a top-down imposition of new requirements, according to a study of 243 employees by Ellen Ernst Kossek, a professor of human resource management and organizational behavior at Michigan State University, and two colleagues.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It shouldn’t be, ‘Here’s this program,’ † she said. â€Å"It should be linked to ‘How do we make a workplace that’s healthy for everyone.’ †Ã‚  Scotts Miracle-Gro has one of the most extensive wellness programs on offer. Services include personalized fitness coaching and a $5 million wellness center at its headquarters in Marysville, Ohio, with a gym and medical facili ties. The company also has a policy against hiring workers who smoke, where state law permits.Participation in Scotts’ wellness programs is high — but the company has also seen an unexpected side effect from its efforts.  Last year, Scott Rodrigues filed suit against the company in Massachusetts, saying that Scotts fired him after a drug test found nicotine in his system and that the company’s antismoking policy violated his civil rights.  Harvey Schwartz, Mr. Rodrigues’s lawyer, said the case was also an example of benefits discrimination, where a company dismisses an employee to avoid high benefits costs.  In a motion to dismiss the case, which is pending, Scotts said that Mr. Rodrigues had not actually been hired but had been offered a job on the condition that he pass a drug screen, including a test for nicotine.â€Å"When you look at controlling costs,† said Su Lok, a Scotts spokeswoman, smoking â€Å"is something that employers are rea lly taking a stand on.† The company had no comment on the specific case because it is ongoing.  Union Pacific Railroad has had a smoother ride with its longstanding wellness program. The proportion of health insurance claims related to lifestyle has dropped by 11 percentage points over 11 years, said Marcy Zauha, the company’s director for health and safety.Union Pacific, based in Omaha, offers some companywide wellness benefits, including health risk assessments and stop-smoking plans. But much of the program, including regional walking contests and group weight-loss efforts, is administered locally. Managers’ health promotion initiatives are included in their annual reviews.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"We’ve tried to build health into our existing culture,† Ms. Zauha said.Fiserv, a financial services technology company based in Brookfield Wis., created a wellness program in 2005 to better recruit and retain employees.  Fiserv employees who fill out a health risk assessment receive a sizable discount on their monthly health insurance premium. There are also companywide fitness challenges: in a recent eight-week walking contest, participants were issued pedometers, and anyone who walked 7,000 steps a day received a prize.Teams have to been known to question whether their rivals really log the number of steps claimed. But that was fine with Linda Schuessler, manager of wellness promotion.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"As long as they’re engaged,† Ms. Schuessler said, â€Å"we don’t really mind those concerns.†(this is the copyofth article from NY Times,http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/business/yourmoney/22mgmt.html?ex=1186113600&en=ded5f6bb661041b0&ei=5070#)Journal AssignmentThe concept at hand is about how managers and company heads would make the most out of their companies by introducing a healthy lifestyle to their employees. It is evident that today, health care costs are so high that rising health insurance premiums would surely be in the way of budgeting for the company (Holland). Obviously, these company heads and managers should not jeopardize the health of their employees, that they should provide the necessary things for their wellness. But surely, this would cost them that it wouldn’t be that easy to pull out strings and fix the budget. That is why these managers should resort to a way that would be more cost effective and keep them from harms way of these health care costs.The article discusses how managers and company heads employ human resource management in order to do away with the costly expenses of health care and health insurances that they provide to the employees. But this doesn’t mean that they neglect the health of these working people. It is true that these people are very important to the company, that these companies need them in order to be productive, which is why it is important that their every need will be given to them or will be addressed.What these company leaders and managers do is that they make sure that these employees are healthy so that they can avert the spending that they’ll have to give when any of these gets sick or has health problems. In order not to shoulder the burden of health care and health insurance premiums, they offered to keep them fit in their own ways.In order to do so, these companies offer basically every health guidance and services that they can offer to the employees. These includes educating them regarding nutrition and proper diet, weight management assistance, health risk assessments and checkups, fitness coaching and giving out memberships for fitness groups and health clubs. Through this, the company themselves are able to ensure that their employees are fit and are far from harms way, thus saving them the costs of health care for these people. Thus, the companies’ budgets will not be greatly affected.If you would relate this approach in human resource management, you could see that this is more on the incentive aspect, wherein you provide your employees something that would keep them going to work. For those who are concerned with their health and well-being, they would surely grab the opportunity of free health club memberships and nutrition education. This is positive for the company, since the employees themselves are the ones who initiate in keeping themselves healthy. Remember, the main concern of the company in this issue is how they can do away with the extra costs of health care and health insurance premiums for their employees.Regarding the effectiveness of this approach, the article states that there are already several large-scale companies who adopted this system. They have their own health clubs and offer free membership to their employees. They say that these greatly helps them in cutting costs, thus the allotted budget for healthcare would be saved. There are still some who are not that much into health stuffs, people who think that nutrition education is l ike intruding with their lives. These people are those who would most likely have health risks and should be given enough consideration in order to engage them in these health programs.Human resource management surely entails various levels of dealing with the people you are handling. This includes how you handle them, and the ways on how you are able to manage them, making them do what they’re suppose to do. This is where healthcare comes in, wherein their safety and well being is not only their concern, but should also be the company’s priority. When their wellness goes down, the company goes down as well, in terms of both manpower and monetary aspects.Reference:Holland, K. (2007). Wellness Programs Try to Be Welcoming, Too. The New York Times. Published July 22, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/business/yourmoney/22mgmt.html?ex=1186113600&en=ded5f6bb661041b0&ei=5070# Wellness Programs Try to Be Welcoming AH, July: an ideal time of year for morning runs, long swims, family bike rides and picnic tables laden with seasonal produce. In short, it’s healthy time.Unfortunately, it’s also health care time — when managers must contend with rising health insurance premiums as they plan next year’s budget.What is a cost-conscious manager to do? The answer of the moment is to provide a wellness program, promoting healthy behavior year-round.According to a survey by the Hay Group, a consulting firm, more than half of all large companies offer some combination of services like nutrition education, weight management assistance, health risk assessments, and help with quitting smoking; more than a quarter offer things like fitness coaching and discounts on health club memberships.â€Å"I was basically out of the business for the better part of the decade,† said Michael Carter, a vice president at Hay responsible for employee health management consulting. â€Å"Now everybody’s my new best friend.†On the surface, it is hard to see anything wrong with urging employees to tone up and trim down. A fitter work force is a happier work force, and less costly, too.But wellness programs can be minefields. Some employees may resent the programs, viewing them as examples of father-knows-best intrusiveness. At least one program has even formed the background for a lawsuit.The biggest challenge of wellness programs is to reach the employees who would get the most out of them. Gym rats will always take advantage of benefits like discounted health club memberships — but they would probably work out anyway, and discounts may not be enough for those who are seriously overweight or out of shape.Personalized incentives like fitness coaching and nutrition counseling are often a better way to reach employees in the middle group who just need a little encouragement. It is also crucial to make accommodations for disabled employees.And the tone ta ken is crucial: who wants the boss telling you to eat your spinach? A program that feels coercive will probably never be as popular as one with positive incentives, like cheaper health insurance.Employees respond best to wellness programs that are presented as a form of organizational change, rather than as a top-down imposition of new requirements, according to a study of 243 employees by Ellen Ernst Kossek, a professor of human resource management and organizational behavior at Michigan State University, and two colleagues.â€Å"It shouldn’t be, ‘Here’s this program,’ † she said. â€Å"It should be linked to ‘How do we make a workplace that’s healthy for everyone.’ †Scotts Miracle-Gro has one of the most extensive wellness programs on offer. Services include personalized fitness coaching and a $5 million wellness center at its headquarters in Marysville, Ohio, with a gym and medical facilities. The company also has a pol icy against hiring workers who smoke, where state law permits.Participation in Scotts’ wellness programs is high — but the company has also seen an unexpected side effect from its efforts.Last year, Scott Rodrigues filed suit against the company in Massachusetts, saying that Scotts fired him after a drug test found nicotine in his system and that the company’s antismoking policy violated his civil rights.Harvey Schwartz, Mr. Rodrigues’s lawyer, said the case was also an example of benefits discrimination, where a company dismisses an employee to avoid high benefits costs.In a motion to dismiss the case, which is pending, Scotts said that Mr. Rodrigues had not actually been hired but had been offered a job on the condition that he pass a drug screen, including a test for nicotine.â€Å"When you look at controlling costs,† said Su Lok, a Scotts spokeswoman, smoking â€Å"is something that employers are really taking a stand on.† The company ha d no comment on the specific case because it is ongoing.Union Pacific Railroad has had a smoother ride with its longstanding wellness program. The proportion of health insurance claims related to lifestyle has dropped by 11 percentage points over 11 years, said Marcy Zauha, the company’s director for health and safety.Union Pacific, based in Omaha, offers some companywide wellness benefits, including health risk assessments and stop-smoking plans. But much of the program, including regional walking contests and group weight-loss efforts, is administered locally. Managers’ health promotion initiatives are included in their annual reviews.â€Å"We’ve tried to build health into our existing culture,† Ms. Zauha said.Fiserv, a financial services technology company based in Brookfield Wis., created a wellness program in 2005 to better recruit and retain employees.Fiserv employees who fill out a health risk assessment receive a sizable discount on their monthly health insurance premium. There are also companywide fitness challenges: in a recent eight-week walking contest, participants were issued pedometers, and anyone who walked 7,000 steps a day received a prize.Teams have to been known to question whether their rivals really log the number of steps claimed. But that was fine with Linda Schuessler, manager of wellness promotion.â€Å"As long as they’re engaged,† Ms. Schuessler said, â€Å"we don’t really mind those concerns.†(this is the copy of the article from NY Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/business/yourmoney/22mgmt.html?ex=1186113600&en=ded5f6bb661041b0&ei=5070#)Journal AssignmentThe concept at hand is about how managers and company heads would make the most out of their companies by introducing a healthy lifestyle to their employees. It is evident that today, health care costs are so high that rising health insurance premiums would surely be in the way of budgeting for the company (Holland). O bviously, these company heads and managers should not jeopardize the health of their employees, that they should provide the necessary things for their wellness. But surely, this would cost them that it wouldn’t be that easy to pull out strings and fix the budget. That is why these managers should resort to a way that would be more cost effective and keep them from harms way of these health care costs.The article discusses how managers and company heads employ human resource management in order to do away with the costly expenses of health care and health insurances that they provide to the employees. But this doesn’t mean that they neglect the health of these working people. It is true that these people are very important to the company, that these companies need them in order to be productive, which is why it is important that their every need will be given to them or will be addressed. What these company leaders and managers do is that they make sure that these empl oyees are healthy so that they can avert the spending that they’ll have to give when any of these gets sick or has health problems. In order not to shoulder the burden of health care and health insurance premiums, they offered to keep them fit in their own ways.In order to do so, these companies offer basically every health guidance and services that they can offer to the employees. These includes educating them regarding nutrition and proper diet, weight management assistance, health risk assessments and checkups, fitness coaching and giving out memberships for fitness groups and health clubs. Through this, the company themselves are able to ensure that their employees are fit and are far from harms way, thus saving them the costs of health care for these people. Thus, the companies’ budgets will not be greatly affected.If you would relate this approach in human resource management, you could see that this is more on the incentive aspect, wherein you provide your empl oyees something that would keep them going to work. For those who are concerned with their health and well-being, they would surely grab the opportunity of free health club memberships and nutrition education. This is positive for the company, since the employees themselves are the ones who initiate in keeping themselves healthy. Remember, the main concern of the company in this issue is how they can do away with the extra costs of health care and health insurance premiums for their employees.  Regarding the effectiveness of this approach, the article states that there are already several large-scale companies who adopted this system. They have their own health clubs and offer free membership to their employees. They say that these greatly helps them in cutting costs, thus the allotted budget for healthcare would be saved. There are still some who are not that much into health stuffs, people who think that nutrition education is like intruding with their lives. These people are th ose who would most likely have health risks and should be given enough consideration in order to engage them in these health programs.Human resource management surely entails various levels of dealing with the people you are handling. This includes how you handle them, and the ways on how you are able to manage them, making them do what they’re suppose to do. This is where healthcare comes in, wherein their safety and well being is not only their concern, but should also be the company’s priority. When their wellness goes down, the company goes down as well, in terms of both manpower and monetary aspects.Reference:Holland, K. (2007). Wellness Programs Try to Be Welcoming, Too. The New York Times. Published July 22, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/business/yourmoney/22mgmt.html?ex=1186113600&en=ded5f6bb661041b0&ei=5070#