Monday, August 19, 2019
Frank Herbert and His Classic Novel, Dune Essay -- Frank Herbert Dune
Frank Herbert and His Classic Novel, Dune ââ¬Å"A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct.â⬠Princess Irulan speaks these words in the award-winning novel Dune (Novel). Frank Herbert knew this quote was true because he carefully planned his epic masterpiece before he started writing. The novel could only happen after research of a variety of topics. Dune has many different influences and origins. Frank Herbertââ¬â¢s complicated book, covering a variety of themes, took six years to complete (Wikipedia). Frank Herbert was born in Tacoma Washington on October 8, 1920. At an early age, he carried around books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells in a Boy Scout backpack. At the age of eight, he stood on the kitchen table and declared that he wanted to be an author. His maternal grandfather, John McCarthy, said that Frank, only a small child, was much smarter than his age. Frank was very similar to Lady Alia, a character in Dune. They both had the mind of an adult in a childââ¬â¢s body (Dunenovels). Herbert did not immediately become a writer, but started work in journalism. He lied about his age to work for the Glendale Star in 1939. He put his writing career on hold and joined the United States navy during World War II. He married Flora Parkinson in 1941 and divorced in 1945. Herbert fathered one daughter from this marriage (Wikipedia). After the war, Herbert met a young woman named Beverly Ann Stuart in a creative writing class at the University of Washington. Frankââ¬â¢s son, Brian, once said that Frank did not graduate from college because he did not want to take all of the required courses. He only wanted to take the classes that interested him. Herbert and Beverly, his fu... ...ls). The merging of various themes and cultures is part of what has made Dune so popular.The novel has been translated into more than twenty different languages and is constantly being reprinted. The many influences of Dune, including the Arabic words, the Islamic culture, and real ecological problems helped shape Dune into a timeless classic. Works Cited Herbert, Frank. Dune City of publication: Publisher, publication date DuneNovels. 10 Sep. 2004. 12 Sep. 2004 . Wikipedia. 12 Sep. 2004 . Oââ¬â¢Reilley, Tim. Frank Herbert. Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., Inc, 1981. Islamic Themes in Frank Herbertââ¬â¢s Dune. 12 Sep. 2004 . Sparknotes: Dune by Frank Herbert. Barnes & Noble12 Sep. 2004 .
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Free Native Son Essays: Actions Define Character :: Native Son Essays
Actions Define Character in Native Son Richard Wright's novel, Native Son, consisted of various main and supporting characters to deliver an effective array of personalities and expression. Each character's actions defines their individual personalities and belief systems. The main character of Native Son, Bigger Thomas has a variety of personality traits motivated by his fear, quick temper, and tremendous intellect. Bigger, whom the novel revolves around, portrays various personality elements through his actions. Many of his actions suggest an overriding response to fear, which stems from his exposure to a harsh social climate in which a clear line between acceptable behavior for white's and black's exists. His swift anger and his destructive impulses stem from that fear and becomes apparent in the opening scene when he fiercely attacks a huge rat. The same murderous impulse appears when his secret dread of the delicatessen robbery impels him to commit a vicious assault on his friend Gus. Bigger commits both of the brutal murders not in rage or anger, but as a reaction to fear. His typical fear stems from being caught in the act of doing something socially unacceptable and being the subject of punishment. Although he later admits to Max that Mary Dalton's behavior toward him made him hate her, it is not that hate which causes him to smother her to death, but a feeble attempt to evade the detection of her mother. The fear of being caught with a white woman overwhelmed his common sense an d dictated his actions. When he attempted to murder Bessie, his motivation came from intense fear of the consequences of "letting" her live. Bigger realized that he could not take Bessie with him or leave her behind and concluded that killing her could provide her only "merciful" end. The emotional forces that drive Bigger are conveyed by means other than his words. Besides reactions to fear, his actions demonstrate an extremely quick temper and destructive impulse as an integral part of his nature. Rage plays a key part in his basic nature, but does not directly motivate the murders he commits. Rage does not affect Bigger's intelligence and quick thinking and it becomes evident during the interview with Briton. The detective makes Bigger so angry that the interrogation becomes a game to Bigger, a game of logic and wills, of playing the stupid negro, and telling the man exactly what he wants to hear.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
The Human Genome Revolution And Its Implications Essay -- Genetics Bio
The Human Genome Revolution And Its Implications Thanks to todayââ¬â¢s technology, we can talk to people thousands of miles Rezadistant, view stars that are worlds away, and delve into our body on an unimaginable scale. This revolution has been peaceful for the most part, but the human genome threatens to be the smallest item to spark controversy in history. Both sides hold powerful cards, and, when the smoke clears, the decisions made in this country and around the world will alter the future for our descendants. On a more regional scale, no matter what happens, the genomes that reside in all of us will be scrutinized as never before, and they will finally be understood. The Rio Grande Valley is considered a rural area, an area where people do not seek treatment for their ailments as they should. Diabetes, obesity, heart problems, etc., run rampant throughout our community and the poverty of the area has only hampered efforts to turn back the tide on the war on such maladies. Personally, I am at risk for leukemia, gallstones, knee problems, and heart defects on both sides of my family. Any advancement in the field of medicine would certainly put a dent in anything that these historically difficult illnesses can throw at us. The Human Genome Project, run by the government of the United States of America, has begun to crack the shells of these human inefficiencies and failures. The DNA of every person has differences that make he or she unique from every other creature on earth. The Human Genome Project aims to take apart the human genome and look at the workings of what makes us tick. Gene by gene they have made progress and, in add ition, have created quite a stir within the international commu... ...God has created all things, and anything that lives is His work. He has given us the power to change the world, but we must strike the balance between advancement and absurdity so that He would know His own work when He saw it. This topic will not just be decided in the Valley or in Washington or The Hague. Instead, the fruition of work on the human genome will help decide the hearts and minds of the people across the globe, and that will determine the future of the human genome revolution. In these next few years, the human genome revolution will be pushed to its limits and the revolution will be tested on a pass/fail basis. Those that go against the decision of the majority will be looked down upon as either superstitious oafs or mad criminals. In the meantime, every voice lifted, regardless of opinion, will let our leaders know our wishes.
Early Perspectives in Psychology Essay
Structuralism emphasized that the objective of psychology is to study the elements of consciousness and to learn how it operates and how it influences behavior (Eysenck, 1998). Structuralism focused more on the structure of consciousness and tried to identify the different experiences that each sensation and perception elicited. They believed that by breaking down the elements of each sensation, they would be able to gain a better understanding of human behavior. For example they tried to identify the different tastes that a person could experience, like salty, sour, sweet and bitter. By identifying the structure of the experience and of how a person perceives it, psychologists can identify the different behaviors that the individual may exhibit based on that experience, like when someone who eats something salty may make a grimace and then look for a drink. The method used by structuralistsââ¬â¢ was introspection or the systematic observation of oneââ¬â¢s experience. Structuralism was an attempt by psychology to become scientific; experiments were conducted to define the different elements of consciousness. Psychologists were trained to explore behavior by analyzing their own experience, introspectionism as a method was heavily criticized because it was a vague concept that did not lend itself to scientific replication. Moreover, it was difficult to learn and was subjective. Structuralism however provided a limited view of psychology and there arose a different perspective called behaviorism. Behaviorism posits that the goal of psychology is to examine behavior. Overt behavior as seen by behaviorists as the only human facet that can be objectively analyzed, how a person reacts or behaves towards a stimuli explains behavior (Zimbardo, Gerrig & Richard, 1999). Behaviorists believed that a person can be trained to exhibit a certain behaviory providing him/her with the right environment and learning. Although behaviorism gained popularity in the field of psychology, many criticized it as being too mechanistic and take the humanness out of the person. One of the appeal of behaviorism however was that it was very objective and treated mental processes as kind of a black box that should not be given due importance because it was not overtly possible. Behaviorists think that a personââ¬â¢s behavior is a reaction to the presenting stimuli. Behaviorism used the scientific method to study behavior; one of its most important contributions is the concept of classical and operant conditioning. It has been applied to a wide range of psychological fields like education, training and psychotherapy. Psychoanalysis was developed by Freud in the period when Behaviorism was at its height. Psychoanalysis as a psychological perspective says that manââ¬â¢s behavior is influenced by his experiences during childhood (Conlan, 1994). Psychoanalysis also believes that human behavior is greatly influenced by the unconscious part of the human mind. He likened the human mind to an iceberg wherein the tip was the part that was conscious. Psychoanalytic theory argues that an individualââ¬â¢s internal conflict is brought about by the repressed desires of the person. The method used by psychoanalysis is free association, wherein the person is asked to relate to the therapist what comes to mind, aside from free association, psychoanalysis also delved into dream analysis and hypnosis. The theory was criticized for giving too much importance to the unconscious and at that time, Freud offered a controversial perspective of human behavior which many did not understand, however it has become one of the most important theories in psychology and many theorists within this orientation developed. Psychoanalytic theory however lacked scientific credence as it was focused on personal thoughts, memories and interpretations of which differed from one theorist to another.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Comparative Analysis of Amazon and Webvan
Webvan was founded by Louis Borders in 1999 after he saw the opportunity in the growing number of people making online purchases. Borders created Webvan as an enterprise that would offer greater variety than conventional stores and at the same time provide the necessary convenience to online shoppers. Webvan started by offering groceries that were frequently bought by online shoppers to ensure economies of scale in their orders.After establishing a critical customer base, it planned to use its distribution system to expand its sale to product lines that were not being frequently offered but with high profit margins such as books and consumer electronics. The company developed the web store and constructed its distribution and fulfillment center in the San Francisco Bay area from 1997 to 1999. After implementing its trial delivery system in May 1999 to 1,100 customers, Webvan was launched in June of the same year as a venture whose primordial mission is to deliver to its customers eve rything from groceries to palm pilots in a cheap and efficient manner.After raising $1. 2 billion as start-up capital from its stock offering, it began to execute grandiose plans of establishing strings of futuristic warehouses with motorized carousels and robotic product-pulling machines which costed $35 million, hoping it would minimize the cost of operations. With profit-margins so thin, Webvan failed to cover its growing cost of operations. Demand was so weak to sustain the income that Webvan needed to raise. Finally, after suffering a net loss of $217 million and accumulating tremendous deficits amounting to $830 million, Webvan found itself in a loosing situation.By July 2001, Webvan Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, Webvan-Bay Area, Inc. , Webvan Operations, Inc. , and HomeGrocer. com, Inc. filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United Stated Bankruptcy Court in July 2001 and ceased operations. Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, after he noticed the promising growth of Web sites and internet access. Bezos was said to be particularly ââ¬Å"optimistic about online retail opportunities and set out to develop a business model that will leverage growth of internet access in the United Statesâ⬠.Bezos decided to start with bookselling as its initial retail category, with the belief that online business model possessed superior economics to established competitors. Amazon was so successful in its initial public offering that it was able to sell 3 million shares at $18 per share, thereby raising $54 million as part of its start-up capital. And so they say the rest is history. Amazon evolved from a tiny warehouse to a leading internet retailer in the world. Bogler and Johnson (2000) wrote:ââ¬Å"The companyââ¬â¢s growth was phenomenal: it expanded from books to offering 28 million items across numerous categories and acquired 29 million global customers along the way. By 2000 according to Interbrand, Amazon. com beca me the forty-eighth most valuable brand in the world, embodying the principle of electronic commerce for people worldwide. â⬠However by late 2001, Amazon experienced a tremendous loss of $2. 3 billion. Its share price which ascended rapidly in 1999 went down significantly. Fortunately, it was able to borrow $2.1 billion to sustain its international investments. With innovations such as the one-click system and creative strategies to raise revenues from publishers and increase in sales from wider product selection, Amazon was able to survive the slump in the subsequent period at the NASDAQ. (Burgelman, 2001) By 2008, Amazon emerged as a global brand with 76 million active customer accounts and order fulfillment to more than 200 countries. With this volume of sales, on December 31, 2007 Amazon employed approximately 17,000 full-time and part-time employees. COMPARE & CONTRASTIt would be interesting to note that the founder of Webvan actually started in the business of booksellin g. In terms of experience in the dot-com business, Amazon started earlier in 1994 while Webvan started in 1999. Webvan started operations in 1999 and was publicly-listed on November of the same year, with its share price zooming to $34 from the offering price of $15 on its opening day. This allowed Webvan to raise a whopping $1. 2 billion in start-up capital from the offering and other sources such as venture capitalists, thereby putting it within the league of Amazon.com. ([emailà protected], 2001) In other words, both companies were of equal footing in 1999 when Webvan caught up with Amazon in terms of dot-com stature and financial backing. Both companies also established strategic alliances in the course of their operations. In the case of Webvan, it established partnership with Eve. com, an online prestige beauty products retailing company. It also established strategic alliances with Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Foods, and Chlorox Company. This was done by Webvan to reduce its pr ocurement costs.Amazon partnered with Drugstore. com (pharmacy), Living. com (furniture), Pets. com (pet supplies), Wineshopper. com (wines), Sothebys. com (auctions) and Kozmo. com (urban home delivery). In most cases, Amazon purchased an equity stake in these partners, so that it would share in their prosperity. Such partnerships helped Amazon extend its reach into the customer-base of other suppliers, and of course, customers who buy in one category such as books can be encouraged to purchase into other areas such as clothing or electronics.Webvan carried mostly perishable grocery goods in its retail categories while Amazon had the policy of selling only non-perishable and conveyable items. Since profit margins were so thin for perishable goods compared to non-perishable goods, it would be easy to undertsand why Amazon had greater chances of success than Webvan. Furthermore, perishable items have greater risk and cost in inventory handling. This is the reason why Webvan had to in vest too much money in its warehousing infrastructure. This spelled the difference in the success and failure of the Amazon and Webvan.Webvan had to invest too much money on a system that must ensure the freshness of its perishable goods. It had to establish a highly technological and robotic warehousing infrastructure that was very expensive to begin with in contrast to Amazons system which required its employees to ââ¬Å"touchâ⬠its products. In the case of Amazon, since most of its items sold online were non-perishable, it had lesser inventory risks. In addition to that, its business model allowed it to shift it cost of carrying most of its inventory to its suppliers.Thus, Amazon had better grip in its infrastructure costs. The savings it obtained from its leaner operations allowed it to invest its money in developing its software systems that facilitated greater efficiency in its distribution. Finally, the viability of both business differed mainly from its customer-base a nd funding support during hard times. Webvan had a weak local customer-base that was often dissatisfied by its delivery service while Amazon had a strong customer-base that was not only confined to the US but also overseas.More so, NASDAQ just gave up on Webvan when it continously experienced financial setbacks while Amazon was able to secure additional investments to sustain its global operations. CAUSES FOR FAILURE OR SUCCESS One of the main reasons why Webvan failed is because it made the wrong decision of investing the money it successfully raised in a very expensive infrastructure and rapid expansion of operations. According to Strom (2001): ââ¬Å"Webvan spent huge sums on high-tech warehouses that were designed to revolutionize distribution, but they turned out to be mostly a waste of money.The problem is that all the technology was meant to reduce labor costs, and labor is relatively cheap. Worse, Webvan designed the warehouses so they could scale to 8,000 orders per day, bu t that's a lot of unnecessary expense when you're receiving less than half that many orders. â⬠Another factor that led to the failure of Webvan is the decline in the quality of its service delivery. When Webvan took over HomeGrocer, an internet grocery shopping store which was absorbed into Webvanââ¬â¢s grandiose expansion plan, customers noticed the deteriorating effectivity of customer service.Before the takeover, there were no complaints with HomeGrocer specially interms of customer service. Emails from customers were being promptly addressed by customer service such as providing refunds in cases of occasional mistake or damaged food. This quality of service worsened when customers started to receive rotten fruits from the delivery. Webvan was buying inferior produce in order to save on cost. Such decline in customer service resulted in customers going back to the conventional way of picking up their groceries and patronizing the local groceries once again.(Mcafee, 2006) Finally, it can be seen that Webvanââ¬â¢s botched acquisition of HomeGrocer led to its failure as it didââ¬â¢nt handle the merger of resources and assets wisely. HomeGrocerââ¬â¢s competency and strength in terms of operations and marketing were not totally assimilated into Webvanââ¬â¢s system. Amazonââ¬â¢s e-commerce technology platform, brand power and fulfillment infrastructure was a key to its success. It had technological innovations that efficiently facilitated online order such as the ââ¬Å"one-click check out processâ⬠.Amazon provided its customers with an online system that allowed shoppers to purchase products online without filling lengthy registration and shipping forms that would usually turn-away buyers. Amazon was able to create an online system that also helped repeat purchases by buyers to be executed by just one click of a button ââ¬â a system whose patent was eventually awarded to Amazon. One important factor why Amazon succeeded is becaus e of certain inherent strengths in its business model.Its negative operating cycle allowed Amazon to get credit card payments from its customers in a few days while enjoying a time lag of thirty to sixty days to pay its vendors after the sale. This gave Amazon a financial advantage that allowed it to generate interest in the full price of its goods for over a month. Another inherent strength in Amazonââ¬â¢s business model is its less dependence on physical infrastructure such warehouses. Amazon was able to sell it products with out actually carrying in most of its inventory thus shifting the risk of its inventory to its vendors.Amazonââ¬â¢s suppliers carried the burden of storage, thereby lessening its cost due to minimal inventory handling. Amazon also instituted free shipping offers to encourage increase in basket size since customers have to spend over a certain amount to receive free shipping. The level at which free-shipping is set is critical to profitability. Because of this, Amazon got a competitive edge as promotional battles evolved with its competitors. LESSONS LEARNED AND CONCLUSION Growing Too Fast Too Soon The lesson that can be learned from the experience of Webvan is that of timing.Some would think itââ¬â¢s a business that is way ahead of its time; others would say it grew too fast too soon. In his review of the ââ¬Å"Top ten dot-com flopsâ⬠, German (2009) wrote that: ââ¬Å"A core lesson from the dot-com boom is that even if you have a good idea, it is best not to grow too fast too soon. But online grocer Webvan was the poster child for doing just that, making the celebrated company our number one dot-com flop. In a mere 18 months, it raised $375 million in an IPO, expanded from the San Francisco Bay Area to eight U. S.cities, and built a gigantic infrastructure from the ground up (including a $1 billion order for a group of high-tech warehouses). Webvan came to be worth $1. 2 billion (or $30 per share at its peak), and it toute d a 26-city expansion plan. But considering that the grocery business has razor-thin margins to begin with, it was never able to attract enough customers to justify its spending spree. The company closed in July 2001, putting 2,000 out of work and leaving San Francisco's new ballpark with a Webvan cup holder at every seat.â⬠Getting Big Fast Ironically, in the case of Amazon, the same business principle of getting big fast was said to be the most important decision that lead to its success. In an interview with Jeff Bezos by Fortune Magazine, he said that the initial strategy was very focused and very uni-dimensionalâ⬠¦It was GBF: Get Big Fastâ⬠¦What once looked foolish can seem smart now. When we started the company on July 15, 1995 we offered one million titles. We were advised by very knowledgeable people to offer only three hundred thousand titles.That was twice the size of the inventory carried by the largest physical bookstores. The catalogue was hard for us but d oable. Obtaining the books was really hard. But the success generated word of mouth. (Brooker, 2000) Supply-chain management was also a crucial lesson in the experience of Webvan and Amazon. The company that was able to efficiently and effectively manage its online retail business with minimal inventory cost and risk was the company that turned out to be successful.The difference in the supply chain management of both companies ultimately distinguished between the company that was financially viable and which one was not. References Bogler, Daniel and Edgecliffe-Johnson, Andrew (2000). Jeff Bezos: The Man of Last Year Revisited. Brooker, Katrina (2000). Beautiful Dreamer. Fortune Magazine. Burgelman, Robert and Meza, Philip (2001). Amazon. com: Evolution of an e-tailer. Graduate School of Business. Stanford University. [emailà protected] (2001).Webvan Finds that Shopping for Food Online Hasnââ¬â¢t Clicked with Consumers. [Online]. Available: http://knowledge. wharton. upenn. ed u/article. cfm? articleid=321 German Kent (2009). Top 10 dot-com flops. CNET Networks Incorporated. [Online]. Available: http://www. cnet. com/1990-11136_1-6278387-1. html Mcaffee, Andrew and Ashiya, Mona (2006). Webvan. Harvard Business School. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Strom, David (2001). Where Webvan Went Wrong. TidBits #588. [Online]. Available: http://www. strom. com/awards/255. html
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Lead and manage people Essay
I used to work at a fine dinning restaurant, the restaurant manager there was very good. He has very strong knowledge about how to manage people. He never being aggressive or uses any inappropriate language. He never asks someone to do the job that he doesnââ¬â¢t know how to do. He shows people how to get the job done efficiently. No matter what kind of issues or problems that staff have, he always is willing to help. He gains respect from people not only about his position but also his knowledge, skill as well as his personality. Also he has a strong knowledge about all the wines and the food that we were serving. He made the perfect matching wine list for the menu that impresses everyone who worked or ate there. People enjoy working with him, as he give his knowledge to everyone, as a model to teach people a better way to do things and improve the way we usually do. His encouragements made our target easier to achieve. We worked like a family, people took care of each others. I used to work at a Thai restaurant, the mission statement was to bring the authentic Thai cuisine to life and let people enjoy. In order to achieve this mission statement, we need to cook as authentic Thai food as possible as well as let the guests to enjoy the cuisine that we bring overseas. I think the statement is effective for the company. Cuisine changes as it moves overseas. People travel overseas and know how the authentic local cuisine is. They cannot find it in Melbourne because cuisine shifts then the flavour changes. Imagine if there is only one restaurant can keep the real authentic taste that would be the selling point. Thatââ¬â¢s what this business wanted and they succussed. They do actually follow the statement. They hire the chefs from Thai to train and monitor other chefs, follow all the steps to make dishes in Thai way, import all the necessary ingredients only from Thai, keep in touch with the authentic Thai cuisine, and always ask well known Thai chefs to tast e the food. I will discuss this change in both formal and informal communication ways, such as via email, staff notice board, through meeting, and face to face to talk about this change. The email and the notice board are just the tools that I want staff to know there is a change to be happening in 6 weeks. Let them to discuss themselves first, get themselves well prepare for the change, and also to establish some issues to discuss in the incoming meeting, like new color against the religion, discrimination, etc. The meeting process is to formally hand out the change and receive the feedback from staffs. It may require a bit editing or more work on to suit everyone. Last for the individual problem, I will have to discuss the problem in person and try to get a best outcome. I want to delegate the job of making sauce A to Jahn, as he is the new apprentice of the job. As well as sauce A is the dairy big job for this section. In 2 weeks time, Jahn should be able to make the sauce A without any supervision and within a very short period of time. But meanwhile, I need to guide through him all the information that he needs to make sauce A. Demonstration is necessary. When he is making sauce A, I will have to supervisor the whole process, just to make sure he follows correct procedures ensure he is able to make it by himself. Sauce A is a very complex job for anyone, therefore 2 weeks training is required. After 2weeks time, people should be able to make it without supervision. We can delegate the task but not the responsibility, therefore I still need to check the correct seasoning for sauce A from Jahnââ¬â¢s work, also the actual time he spends on making it. If I am not at work, then other chefs will supervisor his work as well, just to make sure he keeps his work consistence. Coaching is more than just pure training and it involves more of personal relationship over time and in many ways it is like mentoring. It makes better environment for the organisation from management to the workers together to build a better workplace in order to achieve a better result. As a chef de cuisine, I would evaluate each individualââ¬â¢s skill and put them in the right place, such as put someone on web design or programming if he/she is good at doing computer. Then consider the current situation to establish a plan for coaching. Well explain to members about the plan, make sure theyà understand and make changes for any better leads. I will also demonstrate the task to members. I need to show members that I can complete the task better not just I canââ¬â¢t do it therefore I have to hand out for you guys. When there is a specific skill require for the cut, I will show them how to do it, and I am willing to help to teach them and develop their individual skill level. Teach them what is the best way to do things right here. To help them to multi-tasking from my past experience.I think I will be using ââ¬Ëdemocraticââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËLaissez-Faireââ¬â¢ style to coach people, they are more guider and helper kind of coaching style instead of being boss to ask around. As a learner, people is willing to learn from others especially from the one who is easy to talk to, image if your teacher is very grumpy, would you ask him/her any questions? I will ask open questions rather than close questions. It is also a good way to get the feedback from people according to their answers. The recognition and promotion are my motivation at the moment. As I just started a new chef job at a different restaurant, everything starts from fresh, humbly gaining knowledge from co-workers. I need to fit in the new working environment is the priority. Within a month period, the recognition from headchef or other chef is my motivation, learning new knowledge everyday at the same time improve myself. I can see myself is improving a better understanding of the food that I make, developing the better skill that as a chef should have, etc. Those factors create satisfaction for myself in order to achieve better position to the job as well as lead co-workers feel is good to have me on board. According to Herzbergââ¬â¢s motivation-Hygiene theory, they are leading to satisfaction. My motivation has changed over the past few years. When I first came to this country, I just needed a job to feed myself, therefore my motivation at that time was just money, and I didnââ¬â¢t care about t he quality of work environment or the skill that I could improve. Then I moved to another restaurant, also I had a fair amount of money to start with, so at that time a better working environment, better pay, better standard was my motivation. It is more like Maslowââ¬â¢s Hierarchy of Needs, different stage has vary needs, as well as the motivations. Maslowââ¬â¢s Hierarchy of Needs can also explain why younger people have different motivational goals than older people. At different age group,à people are tend to have very needs, those needs result different motivational goals. For example, at age 3 you may do what it takes to satisfy your parents in order to get a lollypop. But you wouldnââ¬â¢t do the same when you are 20. Because the lollypop wouldnââ¬â¢t be your motivational goal at all after you already had hundred of them.Assignment activity 7 Trust-Trust employees, headchef give new staff the opportunity to run the section him/herself. Fully delegate responsibilities to new staff without micromanaging the outcome. They feel being trusted, they will work well in a soften environment. If you always doubt the ability of employee, then they are not happy, how could they work for you. Support- Do not hide the information, give employees the information they need to get the job done. Management should make itself open for the talk regards to the employee manner or dairy issues. As well as welling to help employees to solve the problems that they are facing. Employees feel loved, then they can provide a better outcome to work for you. Facilitation- Provide a happy environment for employees to work with in order to maximize the outcome. No, I donââ¬â¢t think so. One of the previous restaurant that I worked, it doesnââ¬â¢t have a well communication system. When we say communication, it means two ways, the message from the sender to the receiver, then the feedback from the receiver back to the sender. At that place we have staff notice board and staff communication board. But they are only use to post from the top management only. No staff feedback is needed. It doesnââ¬â¢t work as it is only a one way communication tool, it is really hard for management to know if staff understand or award of the new ideas and so on. Within hospitality industry, two ways communication is important, well understand the message and the feedback is essential as they can improve the quality of work or service. Therefore, they should provide the feedback form for staff to fill up, management should really go down and understand what staffs really want. Email out the ideas then get the reply direct from staff may be a good way to start with. The manager at the last place that I used to work, I reckon he uses both paternalistic and democratic management styles. He understands each one of workers within the company and he talks to each one of them like family, therefore everyone calls him ââ¬Ëbrotherââ¬â¢. As a ââ¬Ëbrotherââ¬â¢, he takes care of each of us and releases the pressure from both workersââ¬â¢ family and work. He listens to people, and talks to people very gently, never use any offensive language. When there are some decisions need to be made, he always listens to all the workersââ¬â¢ need and try to minimize the issues would cause. Those styles were effective for him. He is happy to delegate tasks to colleagues, gaining more power by earning peopleââ¬â¢s respect. I personal believe he is a good manager as after he took over the place, the revenue was increase and less staff turnover, everyone works together like in a family.
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Les Miserables Essay
Les Miserables (the title is the same in French and English) is the most well-known of Victor Hugoââ¬â¢s novels. It describes the miserable life of French workers, and especially their children. Hugo calls for social action to improve the unfortunate poorââ¬â¢s lives. This excerpt describes the character Marius, and how he has worked very hard to succeed in life. Excerpt from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (1802-1885) Misery is the same with anything else. As time passes, it gradually becomes bearable. Marius had emerged from the narrow passage of his life; now the path widened out a bit. Through sheer hard work, courage, and a strong will, he had managed to earn around seven hundred francs a year. He had learned English and German. Thanks to Courfeyrac, the man who introduced him to his publisher friend, Marius held a position in the literary department of the publishing house, where he filled the useful role of utility. He wrote prospectuses, translated articles from journals, annotated publications, compiled biographies, and so on. His net gain, year in, year out, was seven hundred francs. He was able to survive on this income. How? Not badly. Here is how he lived. For a yearly rent of thirty francs, Marius lived in a miserable little room without a fireplace in the Gorbeau tenement. There was only a bare minimum of furniture which belonged to him. He paid the old woman who took care of the building a sum three francs a month to sweep his room, and bring him some warm water, a fresh egg, and a small loaf of bread every morning. This egg and bread cost him between two and four cents, because eggs varied in price. At six oââ¬â¢clock in the evening, he went downstairs to eat dinner at Rousseauââ¬â¢s in the Rue Saint Jacques. He had no soup, but he ate a plate of meat for six pennies, half a plate of vegetables for three pennies, and a dessert for the same price. As for bread, he could eat as much as he liked for three pennies, but instead of wine, he drank water. Then he paid at the counter, where Madame Rousseau sat majestically, a large woman with a pleasant face. She would smile as Marius handed the waiter a one penny tip. Then he left the restaurant. For a total of sixteen cents, he got a dinner and a smile. â⬠¦.. Marius had two complete suits, one of them old, that he wore for everyday use, and the other one new, which he wore on special occasions. Both suits were black. He owned only three shirts: the one he had on, another one that was in the bureau drawer, and the third one that was at the laundry womanââ¬â¢s. When they wore out, he replaced them with new ones, but generally, his shirts were ragged, so he buttoned his coat up to his chin. To reach this stage of prosperity, it had taken Marius many hard, difficult years: years of barely getting by, and years of trudging along. He had never once given up. He had struggled and done without, he had been through every hardship, except going into debt. Instead of borrowing money, he went without food. There had been many days of fasting. During all his hard times, he actually felt encouraged, and sometimes he even felt a certain inner strength. In addition to the memory of his father, Marius carried the memory of Thà ©nardier in his heart. He envisioned the man surrounded by a halo, the brave sergeant Thà ©nardier who had saved his father, a colonel, when he found him among the cannon fire and bullets at Waterloo. Marius always kept the memory of this man together with the memory of his father, and he felt great admiration for them both. It was a bit like a form of worship in two steps. The high altar was reserved for his father the colonel, and the low one for Thà ©nardier. His feelings of gratitude for the man were strengthened by the knowledge that Thà ©nardier had suffered a horrible misfortune. Marius found out that as an unlucky innkeeper, Thà ©nardier had gone bankrupt. After learning this, Marius made countless efforts to track down the miserable Thà ©nardier, who had disappeared. Marius blamed and hated himself for not being able to locate him. He felt that the only debt his father had left him was to succeed in finding Thà ©nardier. Marius felt it was his duty to pay him that tribute. ââ¬Å"After all,â⬠he thought, ââ¬Å"when my father lay dying on the battlefield, it was Thà ©nardier who was able to find him through the smoke, and carry him away on his shoulders. Yet he owed Thà ©nardier nothing, whereas I, who owe so much to Thà ©nardier, cannot get to him in his time of darkness and suffering. I cannot, in my turn, restore him to life. Oh! I will find him!ââ¬
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