Thursday, October 10, 2019

Green Mountain Case Essay

Introduction Green Mountain Resort is a small resort that gives people a choice to buy vacation homes with the added luxury of golf, tennis and skiing. With Gunter as the new owner, his main issues were the high turnover rate. In such a small operation and the type of industry, the opportunities for promotion were few and Gunter was faced with the irony that if he reduced the turnover, there would be even fewer openings for advancement (Palmer, Dunford & Akin, 2009). This was due to the type of industry and the fact that the resort was a rural area. Green Mountain Resort Change Images There are six change images; each Gunter, the hospitality literature and the consultant have been described by an image. Gunter is the director (during the beginning of the story), he is the owner of the resort and he is the one who wants to change the turnover rate. The assumption is that change is a strategic choice that mangers make and the survival and general well-being of the organization depends on them (Palmer, Dunford & Akin, 2009). As the story went on Gunter became a mentor and began to change with the help of the consultant to more of a coaching image. The hospitality literature falls under the navigator. In the navigator image, control is still seen as at the heart of the management action, although a variety of factors external to managers mean that while they may achieve some intended change outcome, others will occur over which they have little control (Palmer, Dunford & Akin, 2009). The literature played a role of navigator as it identified turnover as a chronic prob lem that the industry endures and made several suggestions on how one can help reduce the effects. Lastly the consultant, he played the role of the interpreter as he was able to interpret the problem of turnover and how he was able to change the perspective of Gunter in a way that dissolved the problem. Instead of a problem turnover instead, became a way that the resort could use as a way to recruit talent. Assumption -Turnover Problem Each of these assumptions influenced prescriptions for dealing with the turnover problem. For example, Gunter only seemed to make the problem worse when he played the director when he attempted to solve the turnover as a problem, but when he changed the way he looked at the issue he became the coach and turned the problem in to an advantage. The hospitality literature was the navigator as it defined turnover as a problem that was considered chronic and something that must be endured in the industry. It’s prescription for dealing with the turnover problem included streamlining training, simplifying jobs and making the HR process more efficient. The consultant seemed to make the allow Gunter to look at the ‘problem’ from a different perspective. He mentioned in that if you do not try, try and try again, but if at last you don’t succeed then try something different and that is exactly what Gunter had to do. Change Image- Turnover Problem Another image that can be applied to the turnover problem is the nurturer. Like a parent’s relationship with a child, future outcomes are nurtured or shaped, but the ability to produce intended outcomes at the end of the day is severely limited because of the impact of much wider, sometimes chaotic forces and influences (Palmer, Dunford & Akin, 2009). The turnover problem is something (like a child) that is not going away, especially in the hospitality industry. Gunter had to accept the issue and try and work with it rather than against it. With the new insights to advertise Green Mountain Resort as a company that they ‘recruit high-potential people, offering them promise of rapid career development’ helped bring new insight to the turnover problem (Palmer, Dunford & Akin, 2009). Conclusion Conclusions that I drew from the statement ‘if we only draw upon one particular frame, then this will take us away from thinking about what is going on from an alternative perspective?’ would be that a single structure can effectively make it impossible to come up with innovative solutions. The Green Mountain case showed that it is not enough to believe that a problem can have different solutions. Rather the problem can be enhanced rather than gone completely. Conclusion This case has changed the way I look at problems. You cannot always make a problem go away and there are times where you may need help and calling someone in to give the problem a fresh set of eyes to see what they suggest may be exactly what the problem needs. Gunter at first was looking at the high turnover rate as a problem and that he wanted to lower the rate. Being in the hospitality industry high turnover is almost a given. After calling in the consultant Gunter realized that he need to change how he handled the turnover rate. He did this by advertising his company and a company that hired well educated employees that were likely to advance their career quickly. By doing this he helped employee grow and always had applicants wanted to be hired so they could grow as well. References Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Akin, G. (2009). Managing organization change. (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Chapter Study Questions 1 & 2 Essay

1.What percentage of Texans live in urban areas (cities & suburbs)?   90% of the population now lives in crowed cities and suburbs. 2.Name the three cities in Texas that are three of the largest in US?   Houston, San Antonio and Dallas 3.What are the three diverse economic businesses in Texas? 4 Oil and gas producer now work alongside high-tech companies, telecommunications giants, and other important business sectors. 4.In what areas does Texas consistently rank at the bottom in state spending compared to other states? 4 Texas consistently ranks near the bottom of the states in spending on education, welfare, and healthcare for poor. 5.Is Texas a high-tax, high-business regulatory state or is it low-tax, low-regulatory?   Texas is low-tax and low-regulatory climate. 6.Are Texas well informed about government and elected officials? Do they trust government? 4 Texans are woefully ignorant of their state and local government and the public officials who make important decisions affecting their daily lives. 7.Does Texas have a regressive or progressive tax system and what do these mean?   Texas has a regressive tax system, which means a tax that imposes a disproportionately heavier burden on low-income people than on the more affluent. 8.What is meant by economic diversification and has Texas done this? 6 Economic diversification is the development of new and varied business activities. New business were encouraged to relocated to or expand in Texas after the oil and gas industry, which had been the base of the state’s economy, suffered a major recession in the 1980’s. 9.What is meant by ‘cowboy rugged individualism’ and how has this impacted Texans’ views of government as a solution to problems?   The cowboy rugged individualism, with strong connotations of self-help and independence, symbolizes a political culture in Texas that does not like to look to government as a solution to many of its problems. It is the kind of individualism that continues to be exploited by political candidates in campaign ads. 10. What impact did having a frontier have on Texans? On might argue that the â€Å"wide-open spaces† of the frontier shaped Texan’s  view of their autonomy, independence, and vulnerability. It has clearly shaped attitudes toward land and the legal right to use land as one sees fit. 11. What three combined groups now make up the majority of Texans and how does their historical experiences differ from that of Anglos? What celebration are part of their political culture?   African American, Hispanic, and Asian Americans. The white population have limited relevance to the relevance to the cultural and historical experiences of many African American and Hispanic Texans. For African American is Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday as state holiday in 1991. And for Hispanics is the Cinco de Mayo. 12.Just what does political culture mean and describe the individualistic subculture in terms of government size, assistance, politics, and primary goals? 9 Political culture a widely shared set of views, attitudes, beliefs and customs of a people as to how their government should be organized and run. Individualistic subculture holds that politics and government function as a marketplace. Government does not have to be concerned with creating a good or moral society but exists for strictly. Government should be limited, and its intervention in the private activities of its citizens should be kept to a minimum. The Government primary function is to ensure the stability of a society so that individuals can pursue their own interests. 13. Describe the moralistic subculture in terms of government size, assistance, politics, and primary goals? 9-10 Moralistic subculture is a view that government’s primary reasonability is to promote the public welfare and should actively use its authority and power to improve the social and economic well-being of its citizens. The Moralistic subculture regards politics as one of the great activities of a man in his search for the good society. 14.Describe the traditionalistic subculture in terms of government size, assistance, politics, and primary goals? 10 a view that political power should e concentrated in the hands of a few elite citizens who belong to established families or influential social groups. Public policy basically serves the interests of this small group. The traditionalistic subculture  holds the view that there is a hierarchical arrangement to the political order. This hierarchy serves to limit the power and influence of general public, while allocating authority to few individuals who comprise self-perpetuating elites. 15. In what states or colonies did you originally find these three subcultures and what two best describe Texas? 16. How big is the Native American population in Texas and of the three remaining groups, do they have the right to have casinos? 11 Alabama-Coushatta, Tigua and Kickappo are the three small Native American groups that live on reservations in Texas. And the Native American population is less than one-half of 1 percent of the States total population. They have been denied the right to run casinos on their reservation. Even thought, their leader consider casinos a major potential source of revenue, jobs and economic development for their people, but recent efforts to change state law have been unsuccessful. 17. Were there ever a great many Hispanics in Texas prior to 1830 and what was it down to by 1887? How much had this increased by 1930, 1990, and 2012? 12 Prior 1830 the Hispanic population were a small minority of the population. By 1887 the Hispanic population had declined to approximately 4 percent of state’s population. In 1930 it was 12 percent and was concentrated in the border counties from Brownsville to el Paso. By 1990s, it had reached 25 percent, spurred by immigration from Mexico and other Latin American countries. By 2012 the Hispanics comprised 37.6 percent of the state’s population. 18.What two ethnic or racial groups are growing the fastest in Texas and by 2030-what group will be the largest? How have Hispanics done in terms of elected officials compared to other states?12 The two ethnic will be Asian and Hispanics. However the Hispanics are likely to exceed 50 percent of the state’s total. 19. Compare the %s of Anglos, African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians found in Texas in 1860 and those found in 2010? Chart 13 In 1860 it was a percent of 63.2% of Anglo. The 30.3 % are African American and 6.5% were Hispanic. However in 2010, 45.3% were Anglo, 11.5% were African American, 37.6% were Hispanic and 5.6% were other. 20.Where do African Americans tend to live in Texas?   African American settled in large numbers in the urban areas of Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and Austin. 21. In 2010, how many Texans were there and what was the growth rate of the state compared to the national growth rate and where did people move from and to in the US? 16 According to the 2010 census, the state’s population was 25,145,561, an increase of approximately 4.3 million people in ten years. This growth rate of 20.6 percent was significantly higher than the national growth rate of growth rate of 9.7 percent.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Disadvantage of building an energy producing waste burning disposal Essay

Disadvantage of building an energy producing waste burning disposal plant in washington DC - Essay Example However, according to Curlee et al. (1994), WTE facilities have encountered questions about reliability and safety. These contradicting arguments are the main theme of this essay. This will examine the disadvantages of waste-to-energy facilities and if it is suitable to use in Washington D.C. The trouble is environmental degradation. It is said that the emissions from waste to energy plants can potentially expound the problem on air pollution. Furans, dioxins and other carcinogenic compounds are the main waste products of this type of process (Curlee et al., 1994). Gas emissions and metal particles which blend to the environment would lead to environmental imbalance. Furthermore, WTE plants use water for â€Å"boilers and in cooling.† The water, if discharged, can also harm aquatic life and makes its way to the food chain. This is alarming since both health and environment would be at risk. Cost-efficiency is also a problem wherein the maximized utilization of this process is only for steam and electricity and would be less operational for other needs (Recovered Energy, n.d.). It does not also make use of all types of wastes; thus sorting out would be a hassle. Another thing is the cost of the facilities. It has been reported that â€Å"60 megawatts of electricit y from about 2,250 tons of trash daily would cost about $350 million† (Combs, n.d.); too expensive for waste management process. A study by Lux Research Inc. (n.d.) stated the major challenges of the technology would include lack of versatility and waste-gas clean up. Many WTE technologies were â€Å"designed to handle one or few types of wastes.† Such technology needs exact sorting of all waste materials which is a hard thing to do, since determining the components of waste materials would require time and effort. Washington D.C. is a highly progressive district. The place has a lot of business establishments and consequently has a growing number of populations. Having WTE facilities

Monday, October 7, 2019

Prada Brand Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Prada Brand Management - Assignment Example As detailed from its actual output, with Prada there is a need for the combination of creativity, innovation, fashion and fresh idea of what prestige is all about. This shows the target market niche how Prada seeks to be differentiated. The brand believes that there could be no limit to a man’s imagination, leading to the emancipation of actual product that suits the need to be updated with the latest trends in fashion designs. Now that exactly what makes this brand cool. For Prada, variety is necessary, but the bottom line of it comes with the idea of the culture of fashion, creativity, prestige, and innovation. Combining these ideas produces a cool fashion with luxury and elegance, exactly what Prada has done for years. ...â€Å"The Prada brand targets an international customer base that is modern, sophisticated, attuned to stylistic innovations, and expects craftsmanship of the highest quality.† Prada also expresses the fundamental idea of exclusivity as it promotes the benefits of redefining the norms and styles and unparalleled craftsmanship. These promote essential values that are actually unique to Prada, making it remarkably cool from the subjective standpoint of someone else. What might have made Prada one of the coolest brands in Europe is its ability to produce something essential that is new at the right time, exactly when there are prevailing needs for it. Something cool from this point of view is the ability to create latest and fresh innovation that has yet to explore the prevailing market needs. Prada is good at doing this stuff and which is a vital activity that it masters through time. Prada may exactly be the coolest brand in the fashion industry today, but that never stops then to grow more from there. The brand has now become one of the respected brands and benchmark for fashion around the world. Why wait for long? Try Prada today, for your need of a cool fashion with an edge and a touch of luxury and elegance.  

Sunday, October 6, 2019

PC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PC - Essay Example Evidently, this will make work easy especially for persons who keep struggling to type words and take too long to edit the same paper for so long. The benefit of these computers that can actually hear sounds and type the same into words would indeed be a plus for computer technology. A positive of the same would also happen for persons who do not understand various languages as the computers will be fed all languages then the users would simply read, the computer would listen and type what the user says. For instance, persons with English problems would benefit from this development. Data will be collected from online sources especially ones that include natural reader and how these readers are useful in computers. A good example is Seo’s work that explains the functioning of natural readers and how they include natural sounding voices (115-119). The author also continues to argue that the natural readers are very easy to use and can convert all manners of files into spoken words (Seo 115-119). With the reader being termed as about 99% accurate, this move is a plus for computer technology. Data will also be collected through interviews with persons who have used this technology before and how efficient the same has been to them. A good target group would be students who have enjoyed the reader through getting their notes typed with ease. Surveys on the benefits of this technology will also be analyzed especially on the education sector. Data will also be collected through telephone interviews to assess how this assistive technology will indeed make proofreading easy especially in large documents and how the technology will allow its users save much time as opposed to the traditional PCs. Observations will also be used as a way of collecting data especially observing the users and how well the software is making work easier for them. After this collection of data, it will be possible to make

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Hamlet's Mental Disorder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hamlet's Mental Disorder - Essay Example He broods about a lot of things and he has enough reasons to do so. When he comes after knowing that his father died, he finds his mother Gertrude and Uncle Claudius married within months after his father's death (Act I, scene ii (129-158). To make matters worse, instead of confronting his mother and demanding for an explanation, he just keeps his miserable feelings and doubts to himself. He seeks for justification but does not let it out so he becomes all the more burdened with so many questions and no answers. In addition, he also feels antagonism towards his mother and his uncle's decision to let him stay in Denmark. It was in these depressing moments that he first thinks of committing suicide In the foregoing scenarios, Hamlet appears to be suffering from bipolar disorder. His continued melancholy and depression that even leads to his thinking of committing suicide are the major characteristics of the mental illness. The very familiar line, "To be, or not to be: that is the question," speaks of Hamlet's reflection on whether he would choose to live (to be) or to commit suicide (not to be). To die means to end one's sufferings and pains on earth: He likens death to sleep which means inactivity and rest. ... In the foregoing scenarios, Hamlet appears to be suffering from bipolar disorder. His continued melancholy and depression that even leads to his thinking of committing suicide are the major characteristics of the mental illness. The most famous soliloquy of Hamlet in Act III, scene i (58-90) displays his mental confusion and indecision. The very familiar line, "To be, or not to be: that is the question," speaks of Hamlet's reflection on whether he would choose to live (to be) or to commit suicide (not to be). To die means to end one's sufferings and pains on earth: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them-To die,-to sleep,- No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to,-'tis a consummation He likens death to sleep which means inactivity and rest. By dying, he perceives that he would be freed from all the difficulties that living entails. In this manner he is showing his loss of interest or pleasure, which is stated to be the second major symptom of bipolar disorder. In thinking of death as an escape, he pauses to remember the possible consequences of dying. He thinks of what kind of dream that he would have when he sleeps or the things that await him in the after-death Devoutly to be wish'd. To die,-to sleep;- To sleep: perchance to dream:-ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, Even in the possible dreams that would lie in death's sleep, he feels more depressed for he does not know what lies ahead. He seems to be afraid that the after-death experience may not be better than the present life, how ever unbearable it may seem.

Friday, October 4, 2019

Planning your Call Assigment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Planning your Call Assigment - Assignment Example With regard to the past actions by others regarding my chosen policy issue, it is worth noting that a number of legislative actions have been previously undertaken with regard to my chosen policy issue. There are a number of key strategies, messages as well as recommendations involved under in the current policy issue plan. Generally, the proposed policy will largely focus on increasing the number of palliative care workforce in the US local health facilities, investing in technologies related to the provision of palliative care services as well as improving service availability in order to ensure increased equitable access to optimal hospice and palliative care. In the past, a number of individuals, policy makers and organizations have sought to introduce policies that guarantee increased funding for palliative and hospice care services. For example, in the year 2008, the National Priorities Partnership identified improving palliative care as one of the top national policy priorities that should be addressed in order to improve the health care delivery to Americans particularly those with life threatening illnesses. Additionally, the Affordable Care Act of 2010 enacted into law many provisions related to improving access to quality palliative care through a number of ways including increased federal and state funding of the services. However, there is still a significant policy gap in the funding of palliative case services as evidenced by the current inequalities of such services (Longest, 2013). The main federal, state or local policy makers that I will involve in my chosen policy mainly include the local member of congress, local members of the healthcare regulatory organizations like the joint Commission as well as other leaders who have the ability to shape laws and regulations. Although I do not have the exact addresses and phone numbers of each of the policy makers, I intent to visit their