Friday, January 24, 2020

The Role of Computer Generated Imagery in the Movie (Film) Industry :: Expository Essays Research Papers

The Role of Computer Generated Imagery in the Film Industry Computer Generated Imagery is the special effects used in motion pictures to create a visual depiction of an illusion that can not be easily created in real life. Directors of major motion pictures have been using these technologies since the early days of the personal computer. Early on, when and special effects were in their beginning stages, it was difficult to make efficient and effective effects that are well accepted by the movie critics and the general public. An evolution of special effects and the introduction of computerized animation brought the standards for movie effects to a higher level. The development of new methods of Computer Generated Imagery for less money and more effective than in the past has allowed even fairly low budget movies to incorporate such technology. Today, movies use CGI to create special effects to replace thousands of extras, stunt people, and puppet like characters, as witnessed in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The evolution of special effects and Computer Generated Imagery technologies has taken the film industry to a whole new level. Computer Generated Imagery began with awkward and dull effects in the early 1980’s. The 1982 film â€Å"Tron† was a desperate attempt from Disney to jump on the CGI bandwagon and start a revolution in film making technologies (imdb.com). Although this film showed an attempt at something that had never been done before in the history of cinematics, it was weird and confusing. This broke the door down for other companies to start up and aid films in creating better and better effects that appealed to a larger market. Although the effects were not good in the early days, the general film going public was astonished by computer generated effects and flocked to the theaters to see these cheesy attempts to use basic technology that did not transfer well to the silver screen. It was not until later films like â€Å"Jurassic Park,† â€Å"Toy Story,† and â€Å"The Lord of the Rings† until CGI became a film making powerhouse and the killer application for hig h budget movies. The evolution of the 1980’s saw the pioneers of the early ages of CGI, but it was not until major revolutions in computer aided film making when the industry took a notice. Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film â€Å"Jurassic Park,† one of the first major motion pictures to use CGI on a large scale, is one of the largest grossing movies of all time (imdb.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Zimbabwe

Q. 1. The potential revenue of the field. Find the most reliable figure for this, tell where you obtained it and explain why you think it is the most reliable figure that you could obtain. Ans. 1. Zimbabwe started selling diamonds and earned more than ?1 billion by selling diamonds (The Press Association). The soldiers forced people to work harder. They also tortured them and their children with heavily armed force. There is no official estimate for the revenue from selling stones and diamonds in that sector but an unofficial estimated range is showing ?1. billion from that field in Zimbabwe (The Press Association). The eastern alluvial diamond fields of diamond estimated to meet one-forth demand of the total demand of diamond across the world in 2006. They earned high revenue and profit by trading diamonds into several countries, like, Israel, India, Lebanon and Russia. The government of Zimbabwe earned $20 million from the legal sale of diamonds in 2008 (The Press Association). But the important thing is that most of the earned income and revenue of mining diamonds is illegal and it has no governmental or official record. If a Chinese mining company wants to set up a legal partnership with Zimbabwe government then it will achieve great revenue with high profit and growth through mining diamond in Marange which is a newly founded diamond field in Zimbabwe. This particular field of diamond is situated in the eastern field which earned high revenue through diamond mining in Zimbabwe. To expand their trade facilities, they arranged some private planes to bring buyers from foreign countries. Most of the diamond fields in Zimbabwe are illegal and distributing conflicting diamonds to many countries. These illegal mining fields are expecting high profit and thus they forced poor people to work harder under the mechanism of ‘Dig or Die’ (The Press Association). Poor people are bound to work under the heavily armed security guard in these illegal fields of diamond. According to Abbey Chikane, the Kimberley Process monitor for Zimbabwe, marked the Marange Diamond field in Zimbabwe as a certified diamond field to export conflict-free diamonds to meet the demand of diamond across the world (Mutsaka, Wonacott and Childress, 2010). The human right organization of Zimbabwe is protesting the diamond mining though several illegal diamond fields which are doing illegal activities through killing many poor helpless men, raping women and torturing children to get hard work from them. To solve these problems, the government of Zimbabwe has become very serious to set up legal diamond mines to export conflict-free diamonds. Q. 2. Who controls the Mining Development Corporation? Do they have any existing joint venture partners? Who in the Zimbabwean government will influence decisions regarding the investment? Ans. 2. Diamond exporting and supplying business is currently controlled by the government of Zimbabwe. Though it is controlled by the government, there is a presence of powerful illegal diamond fields in Zimbabwe and these fields are engaged in several illegal and non-ethical activities with the help of the armed police and security guard force of Zimbabwe. The presence of political battle and high rate of corruption in the Zimbabwean economic, political and social atmospheres guided the government to a wrong direction. Being the Zimbabwe monitor of the world diamond control body, Abbey Chikane, also stated that the diamonds are ready for sale in the international market to provide minimum international standard of diamond (Mutsaka, Wonacott and Childress, 2010). According to the investors, the mining of diamond in Marange was conducted through use of virtual slaves under the control of armed soldiers in 2008 (Mutsaka, Wonacott and Childress, 2010). Therefore, this field is not working legally or the government may be not serious about fact of diamond mining in Zimbabwe. The Kimberley Process is an international monitoring body to control conflict-free diamond supply from certified diamond fields under governmental rules and regulations. Mr. Chikane announced that Zimbabwe can start trading the Marange diamonds under proper guidance of the government of Zimbabwe. According to him, the Zimbabwe government has taken several effective steps to regulate legal diamond fields and to remove illegal sources of diamond. The Kimberley Process did not consider the fact of taking steps against governments which violated the rules of the human-rights organization in Zimbabwe in diamond mining. The Kimberley team investigated that the heavily armed security forces killed many people, raped women who were illegally mining in the Marange fields in July, 2008 (Mutsaka, Wonacott and Childress, 2010). But the officials denied these charges against them and the government and they told that the security guards were there to give protection to the governmental part of the Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe. The Kimberley members restricted sales of diamonds by the Marange diamond fields as they were supplying non-certified stones in the international market with proper certificates. This helped to get certification for the diamond fields in Zimbabwe. It also allowed exporting several other legal diamond fields into the foreign market. Zimbabwe's government earned $20 million from the legal fields of diamonds in 2008 (The Press Association). There are some political conflicts in Zimbabwe in the issue of diamond exporting and mining from legal and illegal diamond fields of the country. After the election in Zimbabwe in 2008, the situation in Marange diamond field has become very much concern about their effectiveness of the Kimberley Process. A top member of the World Diamond Council, Martin Rapaport reigned from the Kimberley Process to protest against their activity and controlling mechanism of the process. Human rights organizations in Zimbabwe are now become very much concern about the export of diamond in the international market after getting the green signal to restart the sale of diamonds from the Marange diamond fields, where heavily armed soldiers deployed by the President Robert Mugabe have been charged for conducting illegal activities (Peta, 2010). The Zimbabwean government investigated that more than 4 million carats of diamonds were founded from the controversial fields of the Zimbabwean diamond fields. Marange was one of them. The estimated value of the total sale of diamonds will be around $1. 7bn according to the Zimbabwe's 2010 budget and that will be very much helpful to provide a boost to the economic condition of Zimbabwe (Peta, 2010). Investment from the foreign investors is always encouraged the mining development corporation of Zimbabwe. To meet the international demand of diamond, they are gradually expanding their international business through legal export of conflict-free diamonds of certified diamond fields of Zimbabwe. To increase their revenue, the government of Zimbabwe is very much interested to incorporate many foreign investors across the world. The director of the Centre for Research and Development which is a Zimbabwean human-rights organization was tracking the operations in Marange diamond field in Zimbabwe (Peta, 2010). According to them at the end of 2008, there was no improvement in the condition of the human rights in the Marange diamond field. Mr. Maguwu, the director of the research and development centre, also showed how diamonds from the Marange Diamond field were being smuggled out from Zimbabwe to Mozambique and it became a profitable strategy for the soldiers of Zimbabwe through illegal diamond export to other foreign countries (Peta, 2010). The Zimbabwe government forced the African Consolidated Resources to take back their claims against the government and their officials in the issue of diamond supply and export from the Marange diamond field in Zimbabwe at the end of 2006. The high court of Zimbabwe decided that all diamond mines should hand over their power of illegal diamond export to the central bank of Zimbabwe and those mines could get back their power after resolving the dispute in 2008 (Peta, 2010). Therefore, after the political and social battle in Zimbabwean diamond fields, it has become mandatory to get certified by the government, the diamond research and development centre and also by the human rights organization of Zimbabwe. Game Theory: Q. 3. Game theory is very useful in planning strategy. Your firm, if it decides that it is a good investment, wants to win the rights to develop the mine. Explain how you can use game theory to plot a winning strategy. Ans. 3. If the Chinese firm decides that it will be a good investment and also wants to win the rights to develop the diamond mines in Zimbabwe, then they should follow a strategic plan with game theory application. The firm can invest in the Marange diamond field through legal contract of partnership with the mining company. They should be aware of the fact that there are no illegal activities in the mining field against the human rights organization in Zimbabwe. The government of Zimbabwe should follow ethics of the social and political aspects in the case of diamond mining from different legal fields of diamond. According to the perfect formation of the game of this case of development in the field of diamonds, the most effective and suitable pay-off will be the combination of the investment of the Chinese firm and the investment in the legal fields of certified diamonds in Zimbabwe. The investment of the Chinese firm will be more profitable if the firm can invest into a legal field of diamonds, rather than investment into an illegal field of diamonds. There are some other factors related with social, ethical and legal perspectives of the country in the case of diamond mining. These aspects should be highly concerned by the Chinese company who is very much interested to get with some Zimbabwean mining company through legal partnership contract. The Chinese company can get high revenue and profit if it makes a contract with an illegal company but other social, legal and ethical aspects will not be there. There may be several strategies but only one pay-off will be economically, financially, legally and ethically viable for this case. Pricing Strategies: Q. 4. Explain why the price of diamonds in international markets is so high. Note that a good answer to this question will involve research into the pricing strategies of the firms that sell diamonds as well as the application of basic economic principles. Ans. 4. The price of diamond is very high in the international market. If demand increases for a commodity, the price of that commodity will also increase keeping other factors as unchanged. The demand curve of a commodity is downward slopping in the price of the commodity and the quantity demanded for the commodity framework. Demand Curve of commodity: Price Demand Curve †¢ Quantity Demanded (Source: varian, 2003, pp. 4-6) The price of the commodity and the quantity demanded of the commodity are taken respectively as the vertical and the horizontal line of the diagram. The demand of diamond is gradually increasing in the international market. In the above diagram, according to the basic concept of the demand curve, the demand is dependent on the price of the commodity. Therefore, the price of any commodity should also be dependent on the demand of the commodity. In general, if the demand increases, the price should fall according to the demand curve. But in this case, the price of diamonds is gradually increasing with the increase in the price of the diamonds. The price of the diamonds is very high in the international market to reduce the demand of diamonds in scarcity of diamonds in the global market. The scarcity of diamonds is the main reason for the increasing price of diamonds in the international market. At present, there are few diamond mines from which high quality diamonds can be found. On the other hand, there are few diamond mining companies in the world. Therefore, the competition in these companies is negligible. If a firm with monopoly power in a market increases the price of its commodity, there will be no change in the demand of the commodity. This advantage for the diamond mining companies encourages them to increase the price to achieve high revenue and profit from this business. In the competitive market the firms can not increase the prices of their products because if they increase the price the demand of the product will reduce in those firms and the consumer will prefer to buy from any other firm at lower price of the commodity. There is another important reason for the increment of the price of diamonds in the international market. Most of the exported diamonds are smuggled out from the African diamond fields in different countries. These smugglers have fixed very high price for these diamonds in the foreign market. Though this reason is illegal and not providing any economic theory, it is a very important reason for the high price of diamonds. Ethics: Q. 5. What is the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme? What are the elements of the scheme? Does this investment satisfy these? Why or why not? Ans. 5. Mines Minister of Zimbabwe, Obert Mpofu, stated that more than 90% of the total demand from the international market was achieved by the trade watchdog, the Kimberley Process group in November in 2009 (BBC News, 2009). The armed police force in the diamond mining field killed more than 200 poor people by torturing them at the Marange field of diamonds (The Press Association). The activists wanted to remove these pathetic and illegal activities which were gradually reducing the socio-economic culture of the economy. They also announced to reform the planning and controlling strategies of diamond fields in Zimbabwe and they fixed 2010 as the deadline of this reformation (BBC News, 2009). The Kimberley process is a controlling body under the governmental power in Zimbabwe. With the help of this organization, the government earned a lot revenue and profit but it was not helpful to maintain social, legal and ethical aspects of the economy. To achieve high profit and growth, this organization forced people to work harder in the diamond fields of Marange. The security guards killed many people, raped women and forced children to work continuously in the fields. The Kimberley Process decided to work against the human rights groups of Zimbabwe. Therefore, this process is not concern about the ethics of the organization and they are away from maintaining social responsibilities in Zimbabwe. The government denied these charges against their officials and they are still not very much worried about the fact. The 70-member Kimberley Process group approved a compromise diamond contract at a summit in Namibia in 2009 (BBC News, 2009). To maintain balance in the socio-economic aspects of the economy, an independent monitoring body with independent inspector was established. This organization mainly monitors the diamond mining from the controversial fields. As this process is completely away from maintaining ethics and any other social responsibilities, the investment in this organization will not provide any knowledge of social, economic, legal and ethical responsibilities. This will not be suitable or helpful for the future in a long-run perspective. Q. 6. Do you think that this investment is ethical? Why or why not? Ans. 6. Investment in this organization or process will not be an ethical decision for the Chinese mining company. This process helped to work illegally to achieve high profit in an illegal diamond mining sector. This process is not maintaining any ethics which should be helpful for long-term planning. This process also affects the environmental degradation in Zimbabwe. It is also damaging farming irrigation systems in Zimbabwe (Conflict & Blood Diamonds, 2009). If the Chinese mining company wants to observe a sustainable growth and development for a long-term perspective, they should not go for the partnership contract with the Marange Diamond mining fields and should not even go for investing in these illegal unauthorized and non-certified diamond mining fields in Zimbabwe.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

A Comparison of Two Advertisements Essay - 708 Words

A Comparison of Two Advertisements I have looked at 2 advertisements, one is from Sugar magazine and the other from Style magazine. The advertisement from Sugar, is for LOreal Paris Colour Pulse Hair Dye; the advertisement from Style is for Clinique Autumn 2004 close up on lips: modern metallics. All advertisements are aimed at specific target audiences and as such require different ideas, linguistic devices and presentational features to attract them. The two advertisements I have chosen have different target audiences, reflected by the magazines that they come from, the language they use and the visuals. Both my chosen advertisements have strong visuals. In the LOreal Paris one,†¦show more content†¦This plays with words as it says close up on lips and the image is of close up lips with lipstick on. In the LOreal Paris advertisement the slogan is 10 lively colours to make your look pulse as often as you want! This is different from their usual slogan because youre worth it as they are just talking about the colour pulse hair die, so they wanted a slogan to link in with the product. The slogan is effective because the words lively and pulse make it sound alive and the words you and your make it sound like they are talking to you in person. Also, at the end of the slogan is an exclamation mark which makes it seem exciting. The two advertisements both have copy but in the Clinique one it is much longer because it is aimed at an older target audience who are more interested in the copy content. The Advertisement aimed at the younger target audience has less copy, containing just the most important facts, because the visual impact is more to this age group. The LOreal Paris advertisement states that it washes out in 8 to 10 shampoos. This is an example of weasel words because they are not giving an exact figure but a range. This helps advertisers avoid making untrue statements about a product, words like probably and almost which sound like they are not entirely certain. The Clinique advertisement uses lots ofShow MoreRelatedComparison of Two Advertisements1815 Words   |  8 PagesA Comparison of Two Advertisements The Oxford dictionary definition of ‘advertise’ is: â€Å"To promote (goods or services) publicly to increase sales.† But is it more than that? I think that the meaning of advertising is forever changing, as the consumer becomes more demanding and the producer becomes more ‘devious’ in the ways they promote the product they are trying to sell. Now, I believe that advertising means: trying to sell products to people whether or not they set out to buy them in the firstRead MoreA Comparison Of Two Advertisements890 Words   |  4 Pagesare exposed to on average over 5,000 advertisements a day. (Sheree) If that number seems high to you, just take a moment to think about how many times a day you see someone with Nike clothes on, or someone eating McDonalds for lunch. That’s all advertisements. Other countries have advertisements as well, but people from other countries find different things appealing in a product than someone from the United States . You can still see similarities in advertisements even though there are distinct differencesRead MoreA Comparison of Two Advertisements Essay2102 Words   |  9 PagesA Comparison of Two Advertisements I am going to compare two advertisements which I took from the magazine Marie Claire. Marie Claires target audience is young, sophisticated women, aged 18-30s. In the magazine, there is lots about fashion, beauty, relationships and general womens issues. I have chosen two different advertisements to compare. Both advertisements have very different, effective persuasive techniques which I am going to discuss. I am going toRead MoreEssay about Comparison of Two Advertisements719 Words   |  3 PagesComparison of Two Advertisements First of all, I will look at the history of advertising. Most historians believe that the first adverts were signs hung above shop doors in Babylon, now Iraq. This was as early as 3000 B.C. Many people could not read, so these early adverts were often symbols, for example a boot indicated a shoemakers shop. The first mass advertisement in Britain was in about 1472, after Johannes Gutenburg had invented movable type. It was a posterRead MoreEssay about A Comparison of Two Advertisements1239 Words   |  5 PagesA Comparison of Two Advertisements Advertising is a tool used by businesses to inform us about their products and to persuade us to buy them. Advertisements are all around us: on billboards, in magazines, in newspapers, on the Internet, on airplanes, in shop windows, on posters and banners, on leaflets and so on. Advertisements attempt to persuade the subconscious that our lives would be improved if we bought the product on offer. Advertisements affect our livesRead MoreEssay on A Comparison of Two Television Advertisements1065 Words   |  5 PagesA Comparison of Two Television Advertisements Television is the most important medium for advertising, and advertising is a vital component of traditional TV business models. It has always been difficult to assess the benefits of TV advertising as advertisers have traditionally had only a vague idea of who may have seen a particular advert and the actual impact on them. However, they can try and target an audience specifically e.g. time, channel of advert, etc. MostRead MoreA Comparison of Two Advertisements Essay examples1129 Words   |  5 PagesA Comparison of Two Advertisements Advertising is a way of publicizing a product that you want to sell. There are many of different things to advertise, such as clothes, shoes, cars, watches etc. Advertising promotes the latest goods that are out in the shops. Advertising effects me everyday because every time I see a advertisement it attracts me to the product and I think about buying it or saving up to buy it. In this assignment, I will be talking about two differentRead MoreA Comparison of Two Print Advertisements Essay2065 Words   |  9 PagesA Comparison of Two Print Advertisements For this advertisement I will be analyzing and comparing two recent advertisements selling similar products from the same company. They are both advertising Nokia mobile phones. The first advertisement I shall be analyzing appeared in November 2004 from a Campus a popular university newspaper. The commercial that I will be comparing the first one to, comes from a business magazine entitled Arabian Business and appeared in DecemberRead MoreAdvertising Analysis : The Pepsi Advertisement Essay903 Words   |  4 PagesMedia Essay Advertisements are among the most popular forms of media an ordinary person can consume. Due to their high prominence in consumers’ lives, brand competition through visual advertisements stands as no foreign matter to the majority of large companies. PepsiCo remain no strangers to commercial competition due to their flagship brand of soft drink: Pepsi. However, PepsiCo harbors a longstanding conflict in the soft drink market with rival product Coca-Cola. Logically, the conflict betweenRead MoreAdvertising Of The Same Media863 Words   |  4 PagesComparisons between advertisements of the same media take a specific skill, eye, and intellect to make these comparisons and contrasts. Comparisons can include the imagery, copy, and the campaign, these are up to debate for the viewer, to one an advertisement can be provocative, but to another the advertisement can simply be a form of bandwagon. Calvin Klein and Versace have two internet advertisements that I believe them to both be provocative in their own special ways, but share a form of bandwagon

Monday, December 30, 2019

Team Work Job Design Teams Automatically Perform at...

Team work Job design: Teams automatically perform at high levels. Introduction Job design is the process of deciding which tasks and responsibilities will be undertaken by a particular employee. It also covers the methods, systems and procedures for the work. In today’s business environment, proper job design can help a company to become more successful and competitive in the market. â€Å"The theory of job design, as we know it today, rests largely on the premise that effective performance and genuine satisfaction in work follow mainly from the intrinsic content of the job†(Cooper, 1974,p.12) The team approach has the ability to fulfill these criteria. â€Å"Teamwork is described as a co-operative process that allows ordinary people to†¦show more content†¦Based on the broader knowledge, their performance in the team could be developed which may give them more opportunities to expand their job scope horizontally or vertically. The job scope may expand horizontally by teaching some skills to someone. Job scope could be expanded ve rtically by becoming a leader in a team. To help a team reach a target successfully, a supervisor or leader is required in a team. A team leader may be appointed to guide the team activities, or the team members may have the opportunity to appoint a leader from the team. The appointed leader will have the chance to develop and utilize leadership skills, though, the appointed leader must try to see that â€Å"the group process is effective and that the work is, in fact getting done† (Lawler, 1986, p.105). Therefore, high performance levels may be automatically achieved in a team if individuals advance their skills and knowledge. Without the team, individuals might be limited by the scope of their skill, knowledge and experience. High quality decision-making Better quality decision-making could be considered as a way to lead a team to perform at higher levels. â€Å"As more ideas are produced and alternatives are considered, the team gets closer to making decisions that are stronger† (De Janasz, et al., p.311). There are many peopleShow MoreRelatedNew Business Proposition For Managing Various Locations Of Dunkin Donuts962 Words   |  4 Pagesbusiness is famous and well established that automatically does not mean that the new ones will be. The main question that must be asked is what will determine the success of the opening business. These stores will depend on the knowledge of the district manager, the manager and all hired employees to perform their duties according to standard set forth by the business owner. This assignment will outline the necessary breakdown of positions, training, work environment and advance opportunities in theRead MoreThe Manager Of Human Resource1069 Words   |  5 Pagesmeaningful work†. -J im Collins (https://hbr.org/2012/12/to-give-your-employees-meaning.html) Mission statement tell them area in which a business functions and sets out its significant purpose. It sum up what the firm does and why. And vision define to long-term goals and ambitions clearly and in short. It is projected to inspire and encourage the organisation s staff by providing an image of where the business is heading. These are important because when people catch logic of their work, they feelRead MoreDunkin Donuts District Manager1565 Words   |  7 PagesDunkin Donuts As a district manager, many responsibilities come with the job. District management is responsible for virtually all the operations in the company with respect to the business goals that have been set out in the company plan. This is especially the case when the district assigned is a group of new area start-ups. District managers are responsible for the allocation of resources, hiring, training and managing teams. The roles of a district manager starting new Dunkin’ Donuts locationsRead MoreEssay on Dunkin Donuts Distric Manager1548 Words   |  7 PagesDunkin Donuts As a district manager, many responsibilities come with the job. District management is responsible for virtually all the operations in the company with respect to the business goals that have been set out in the company plan. This is especially the case when the district assigned is a group of new area start-ups. District managers are responsible for the allocation of resources, hiring, training and managing teams. The roles of a district manager starting new Dunkin’ Donuts locationsRead MoreReport on 3 HR activities that support 1196 Words   |  5 PagesThis reports states the various HR activities that support the organization’s strategy. Recruitment: The process of selection and appointment of suitable candidates for jobs in an organisation, in a short span and cost effectively manner. The process includes analyzing the requirements of a job, attracting employees to that job, screening and selecting candidates, hiring and integrating the new employee to the company. It is a critical activity not only for the HR function but also for the lineRead MoreEssay on Law Enforcement and Leadership1449 Words   |  6 Pagesconduct business in a pre-determined fashion. The systemization rests on high direction and low task leadership models (Bolman Deal, 1991). Is this model still the most efficient model of leadership for law enforcement agencies? Alternatively, the question is raised; can newer leadership models focusing on transformative leadership, and integrative leadership models where shared power, planning, distribution, and other work activities prove effective in structural law enforcement organizations?Read MoreEssay about Orga nization Structures1469 Words   |  6 Pagesexactly what he or she is responsible for, and behavior inappropriate to the role is discouraged or prohibited. The mechanistic structure is the traditional or classical design, common in many medium- and large-size organizations. Mechanistic organizations are somewhat rigid in that they consist of very clearly delineated jobs, have a well-defined hierarchical structure, and rely heavily on the formal chain of command for control. Bureaucratic organizations, with their emphasis on formalizationRead Moreâ€Å"a Proposed Human Resource Information System Solution for the Agricultural Development Bank†.1235 Words   |  5 PagesWeaknesses/Opportunities ï  ® The Main Issue at the Agricultural Development Bank is that there are little or no formalized HR practices. ï  ® Well written job descriptions for each job in the organization is the foundation of human resource management. Job functions must be detailed and unambiguous. These can then be used as a benchmark for effective job evaluations and appraisals as well as performance management, training and recruitment decisions. ï  ® At present, certain HR functions are neglected, inefficientlyRead MoreThe Life and Work of a Computer Programmer Essay1263 Words   |  6 PagesThe purpose of a computer programmer is to design and develop applications to perform the needs of a consumer. This occupation is essential to modern day life due to all of the computers that are in use today. Computer programming is a fulfilling career goal because of the ability to be on the cutting edge of technology, design software for computers, and have a wide range of benefits. Computer programming consists of many duties. Duties of a computer programmer include but are not limited to:Read MoreOrganic Company Structure1572 Words   |  7 Pagesexactly what he or she is responsible for, and behavior inappropriate to the role is discouraged or prohibited. The mechanistic structure is the traditional or classical design, common in many medium- and large-size organizations. Mechanistic organizations are somewhat rigid in that they consist of very clearly delineated jobs, have a well-defined hierarchical structure, and rely heavily on the formal chain of command for control. Bureaucratic organizations, with their emphasis on formalization

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Marijuana Decriminalization and Legalization - 636 Words

The validity of marijuana decriminalization (and even legalization) is illustrated in the following analysis of the social, fiscal, political, and medical attributes and conceptions associated with the drug. Marijuana has been used for thousands of years, in 2008; archeologists discovered over two pounds of cannabis in a 2,700-year-old grave of a shaman found in Central Asia. (Armentano, 1) Should marijuana be legalized or at least decriminalized in America? The following information may give the reader a reason to consider scenarios inconsistent with current policies. Socially, marijuana being legal has virtually little to no impact on use. Use of marijuana in states with some kind of decriminalization or legalization measure in place did increase, but use in states that do not increase at a similar or even a higher rate. Over 41% of Americans have tried marijuana, thats over 102 million people. In comparison with the 41% of Americans that have tried marijuana only 15% of Americans have ever tried cocaine, the second most popular illegal drug, there goes the gateway effect. (Armentano, 1) Marijuana being decriminalized or legalized does not increase the use of marijuana and has virtually no effect on the use of alcohol or other harder illegal drugs. From a fiscal standpoint, the legalization of marijuana is nothing but beneficial. California, Washington, and Colorado have all legalized to some extent, and are already raking in taxes on the purchase of this, now legal,Show MoreRelatedShould Drugs Be Decriminalized?1666 Words   |  7 Pagesother options exist? This paper will discuss the pros and cons about one option: decriminalizing drugs. The obvious place to start is by defining terminology. What does decriminalization mean? Decriminalization is not the same thing as legalization; these are two different options for dealing with illegal drug use. Legalization means that the government authorizes the use and sale of certain drugs to adults (The Drug Policy Forum of Texas [DPFT], 2004). A current example of this would be restaurantsRead MoreCommunications1510 Words   |  7 PagesParaphrasing Practice Decriminalization of Marijuana Author: Lucia Pizzo Throughout the early 2000s, many states decriminalized marijuana. Levels of decriminalization varied with regard to the amount of marijuana in possession and whether the drug was for personal use, cultivation, or distribution. By 2010, marijuana had been at least partially decriminalized in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, NevadaRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1714 Words   |  7 Pagesthought of legalizing drugs in the U.S and the effects of legalizing or not legalizing drugs. There are several drugs such as cocaine, heroin, opium, to name a few, with the most common being marijuana. The question raised on this topic is whether we should prohibit drug use, making it illegal or only allow marijuana to be legal. Discussions on this topic mention that drugs will be available in the market despite marking it illegal and will still be accessible in the black market regardless whether weRead MoreThe Encyclopedia Of Drug Abuse760 Words   |  4 Pages1. Brien, Roberts. Marijuana. â€Å"The Encyclopedia of Drug Abuse. 2nd ed. New York: Facts on File, 1992. 175-79. Print. Summary: The article in this reference source also offers an overview of what marijuana is, but provides a more thorough overview of its ancient history than the above reference source. What is truly excellent about this article is that it examines the effects of marijuana usage. Also, the article discusses how the effects are highly subjective and dependent on several variablesRead MoreLegalization of Drugs Essay1305 Words   |  6 Pages The current hot-topic debate about the legalization of marijuana for medical exposes the long lasting debate about the economic viability of prohibiting certain kind of drugs considered illicit. Many social costs to society are attributable to illicit drugs, along with tobacco, alcohol, and guns. In fact, each of these vices is allegedly responsible for $200 billion annual expenditure in social costs of the USA (Donohue, 2010). Interestingly, all these commodities mentioned above have common characteristics:Read MoreStigma And Stigma Of Marijuana Essay1603 Words   |  7 PagesThe stigma of marijuana started in the 1930s when it was first prohibited nationwide, but since then, the stigma has changed quite drastically to the point where the sigma could be completely eradicated in the near future. The stigma that was created from the prohibition of marijuana is something that still affects every American today. In a brief history of the stigma, it can be traced back to the 1930s where its prohibition would begin, by the 1960s, no one would do it in their right mind becauseRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legal?1590 Words   |  7 PagesAttitudes toward the legalization due to the shifts over time take into consideration a shockingly exact reproduction of four decade of American social history. In November 2012, voters in Colorado and Washington State passed a law allowing, dispersion, and ownership of marijuana for medical and recreational use. This paper does not address the subject of whether cannabis ought to be legal; it c oncentrates on the configuration contemplation of making an adjustment in cannabis strategy. RegardlessRead MoreShould Marijuana Drugs Be Legalized?932 Words   |  4 Pagesdeaths. These same consequences can be seen in Portugal before their drug decriminalization, but have reduced immensely after 2001. When we think about drugs, we think about children and teens succumbing into peer pressure to use drugs. While people think decriminalizing drugs will make it easier for adolescents to use drugs, in the case of Portugal, drug use has actually decreased. According to the graph on Drug Decriminalization in Portugal: A Health-Centered Approach, you can see that drug use inRead MoreEssay on Why Marijuana Should Not be Legalized1595 Words   |  7 PagesLegalization or decriminalization of marijuana is opposed by a vast majority of American’s and people around the world. Leaders in Marijuana prevention, education, treatment, and law enforcement adamantly oppose the substance, as do many political leaders. However, pro-drug advocacy groups, who support the use of illegal drugs, are making headlines. They are influencing decision making thru legislation and having a significant impact on the national policy debate here in the United States andRead MoreThe Drug Prohibition Of The United States Of America1629 Words   |  7 Pagesevidence that exists does not support the notion of souring drug consumption. For instance, in the Netherland and Switzerland, where marijuana is legalized, the consumption rate is lower than in the United States of America, where consumption of Marijuana is prohibited in most of the states. This study argues for the legalization of the consumption of drugs and decriminalization of possession and use of drugs in the United States of America. Drugs were legal for many years before the 1914 Harrison Act

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Dreschler Hotel Consultation Free Essays

I have reviewed the trend analysis for the Dreschler Hotel and competing hotels and find that in comparison to the competing market, Dreschler is well within the numbers on average. Occupancy rate as compared with like hotels appears to be almost par with an average of 99. 3 index for the last six month period of 2005. We will write a custom essay sample on Dreschler Hotel Consultation or any similar topic only for you Order Now This is stating that on average Dreschler is almost at the same rate of occupancy as other competing hotels. The average daily room rate comes out to a 100. 8 index which is stating that the rate being charged daily is at or above what other hotels in this competing industry are charging. The same with the revenue per available rooms, the 6 month average comes out to an index of 99. 9 compared with like hotels. In review of this trend analysis, I believe the occupancy rate can be improved during the summer months because of the location and activities offered by this lodging facility. But, after reviewing Santa Cruz County for the year 2005, average occupancy rate for hotels was at 64. 7% and for the whole state of Arizona the annual average was only 65. 8%. Dreschler appears to be on the upper end of these averages at 72. 6% average for the last 6 months of the year. This figure could obviously be higher or lower because of the figures for the first 6 months of the year. Based on the figures of having approximately 8 rooms on average per day available out of 30 is not all that bad, nor is it good. When the ADR is at $103. 71 on average for Dreschler while the average ADR statewide is only $90. 39, it could be possible to offer discounts during slower seasons in order to fill the rooms. Another option would be to offer specials to with surrounding businesses such as wine tasting events, art and museum events, cultural events, bird watching events, and even biking or hiking outings. Potential Improvements Dreschler has quite a bit to offer as far as amenities in whole and the amount of rooms available. I would start with making changes in the rooms, amount of rooms, and types of rooms. For starters, let us cut back on the amount of rooms that are sharing bathrooms and create more privacy for the guest. I would ensure that all rooms and suites have their own lavoratory at minimum. Single rooms with only bedroom setting and sitting nook should have a bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower. There should be a choice of which type of single room a guest would want by changing up the beds. Offer some with two twins, or single twin and hide-a-bed sofa and of course the queen. Next room style would be more like a mini apartment suite. This would have a sitting area separate from the bedroom and bathroom. Also offer the choices of bed set-ups in the larger suites such as double twins, queen, and king. The bathroom would be the same as with the single rooms as well. There has to be a deluxe suite of some sort, a couple would be good like a Honeymoon suite or an Executive suite, or maybe both. The honeymoon suite would be approximately 800 square feet of luxury. The bedroom would be separate from the sitting room, breakfast nook just inside the balcony doors; the bathroom would be private with a bath as well as the toilet, sink, and shower. I would probably suggest this room be on the second floor with a balcony overlooking the garden and possible put a Jacuzzi on this deck. The Executive suite would be geared for business personnel that may be in town or nearby for a convention or meeting of some sort. This room would offer two separate sleeping quarters, sitting area, breakfast nook, full bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower, and a deck as well, that overlooks the garden area. All rooms will be equipped with satellite television, a sound system that is controlled by the guest, alarm clocks, Wi-Fi connection, and air conditioning. Other amenities will include coffee, tea, and hot chocolate in rooms with mini fridges, microwaves, a desk area, literature regarding the history of the surrounding area, community features, events, and activities, and of course for the bathroom we would offer a hair dryer, ironing board that folds up in the wall, and hand lotions, soaps, and shampoos. Other areas of the establishment could be opened up more for private sitting time or just admiring the beauty surrounding the lodge. Breakfast is served at the door of all rooms by 7 a. m. every morning, and consists of cheeses, fresh fruits, juices, yogurts, and fresh baked pastries. I would like to see a public dining area in the garden for those who wish to dine on their morning pastry and coffee in the comfort of the morning sun. Funding Options There are several funding options available since we have no working capital. We could go public and offer shares to raise money to invest into the modifications, but the problem with this is that as a business owner you will not get to keep 100% of the profits; you will be paying your shareholders a dividend. Equity investors will require a percentage of ownership as well as the return on their investment. This can also wind up being costly down the road. Another option is to acquire a loan, but most lending institutes will only lend 60%-70% of the requested amount leaving the borrower having to raise the other 30%-40% in equity. This may not be a bad deal if the equity investor does not demand a large portion of ownership and is patient on returns. Another option is a 7(a) loan since they are the simplest and most common loan type from the Small Business Association. The financing of a 7(a) loan can be guaranteed for a variety of general business purposes such as working capital, machinery and equipment, furniture and fixtures, and debt refinancing (under special conditions). Loan maturity is up to 10 years for working capital and generally up to 25 years for fixed assets (http://www. sba. gov). These types of loans are easily obtained since many banks in America participate in SBA’s program and structure the loans according the requirements of this program. The SBA shares the risk with the bank if the borrower defaults. The eligibility requirements are fairly broad to accommodate the most diverse variety of small business financing needs (http://www. sba. gov). To Convert or Not to Convert A couple of benefits to converting this property to either a timeshare, condominium, or mixed-use property would be a) the immediate cash flow available up front from the rooms being purchased by timeshare holders; and b) therefore the owner does not have to wait for the project to generate a return on investment. Timeshare would be nice in that all rooms would hopefully be sold and utilized throughout the year. The length of time that someone holds a share for can be up to 30 years. The condominium aspect is slightly different in that the investor does not actually use the room but hopes to make an return on his investment in that room. This can pose a problem if there is not much activity in that investor’s room. A mixed use set-up would probably be the most beneficial of the three since it would offer the owner a diverse source of income from a variety of shops and businesses within the hotel. Although, I do not see this being a possibility here since this is a bed and breakfast establishment with over 90 shops within walking distance. You also have the issues of trying to attract high quality brand name partners to work with you, and selling the idea to other investors and possibly lending institutions could pose a real problem if you do not have a complete understanding of the market demands. I think that keeping this bed and breakfast as is would be the most beneficial but the modifications and room upgrades need to be more accommodating to a variety of guests in order to achieve the higher revenues possible. New Name Coming up with a new name for the establishment can be a challenge since I am suggesting the modifications that I am. There is no significant â€Å"one† type of person that I am trying to attract to this establishment, but more of a variety in order to fill all the rooms on a regular basis. I would like to offer up the name of Santa Cruz Country Inn since this is in the heart of Santa Cruz County and offers up the scenic picturesque country side that it does. All of the features of this establishment speak country to me. The bird watching, hiking, natural beauty of the landscape surrounding the inn, the state parks, proximity of the Santa Cruz river, and just the all around peaceful feeling one has when here. I would like to offer a bed and breakfast that makes all who stay desire to return because of the comfort and relaxation that they feel while visiting this fine establishment. Reference http://www.tubaccountryinn.com/accommodations.html How to cite Dreschler Hotel Consultation, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Genograms Family Therapy Essay Example For Students

Genograms: Family Therapy Essay 1. Title of Assessment: Monica McGoldrick and Randy Gerson developed the genogram in 1985 in the book Genograms: Assessment and Intervention. A genogram is a pictorial diagram which can show anything from family relationships to medical history. Genograms allow individuals to identify patterns of behaviors and hereditary tendencies. 2. Primary Purpose: The primary purpose of genograms is to engage the family in visually summarizing and illustrating familial relationships and patterns of behavior within a family system in support of family assessment and intervention planning. They have been known to record family problems, medical issues, psychological issues and personal relationships going back at least three generations of the family. Important factors include age, sex, ethnicity, religion, race, sexual orientation, migration information and class to be able to make accurate diagnoses. 3. Target Population: When using a genogram as an assessment tool, the target population usually includes families that have experienced some unexpected stressor or a new experience. Experiences leave the family shaken up as a unit and alter the nature of family relationships. These families that aren’t able to reorganize or adjust their structure and relationships are eligible for a genogram assessment. Healthy families are usually able to reorganize their structure and relationships to accommodate new circumstances. Some of these families may be characterized by relationship difficulties, such as conflictual or being distant, which involves isolated separateness of family members from each other physically or psychologically (Gladding, 2002). Other relationship difficulties may be defined as cut off, where members avoid each other because of unresolved emotional attachment and Fusion or fused relationships, which is defined as the merging of intellectual and emotional functions so that an individual does not have a clear sense of self and others (Gladding, 2002). Family roles and boundaries may be weak, coping with stress may be a challenge, and families may perceive themselves as lacking control of their lives. 5. Description of â€Å"Scoring† Procedures: There is not necessarily a scoring procedure with genograms, although there are different symbols that may be used to represent different things. These symbols represent basic information such as sex, marriage, divorce, and separation. They also represent birth identification symbols such as pregnancy, adoption, twins, abortion, stillbirth, miscarriage, or unknown gender. Relationships are also represented by these symbols. They tell whether family members are close or conflictual, if there is a close bond, abuse or enmeshed relationships. Condition symbols show present ages, death, alcohol or drug addiction, mental or emotional conditions and identified patients (initial patient of whoever is making the genogram). 6. Score Interpretation-approach to scores and meaning to scores: Interpretation of the information obtained through a genogram is interpreted by both the therapist and the family by looking for multigenerational patterns (fusion, cutoffs, conflict, psychical abuse, drug abuse, incest, medical issues, etc. The therapist instructs individuals to search for ‘clues’ as to where the various pressures on the family have been expressed and how effectively the family has adapted to stress (Gladding, 2002). In observance of these things, therapist teaches the family to rise above unexpected stressors by modeling what a reasonable, neutral, self-controlled person is. Insight from the therapist and the family collaboratively leads to relevant and supportive intervention plan that is compatible with the fa milies’ goals.