Affirmative Action: a Losing Battle Essay

1.Yes. Affirmative action is aimed at addressing the imbalances of the past. It is sanctioned and required by the constitutional requirement to achieve substantive or real equality. There is a moral imperative on all South Africans to work towards the achievement of a more equitable society. Racial discrimination, in contrast, has no rational and objective premise and simply appeals to the basest of human instincts. It is in the best interests of society to promote the general well-being of as many of its citizens as possible. A healthy, well-educated, well-adjusted citizen contributes to both the wealth and the stability of the society. 2.The United States of America used Affirmative Action to promote racial preference through the implementation of various acts from 1862 to 1930 to address the issues of inequality. 3.South Africa is a country with a huge imbalance between the rich and poor created by the previous apartheid and racial laws to discriminate against Blacks, Coloureds and Indians in education and employment opportunities. In order to balance these inequalities, the South African government had to implement Affirmative Action policies like Employment Equity Act, for example, to address the huge gap created in employment opportunities. The policy is justifiable in that it is aimed at creating a just and equitable society. On moral grounds, the government of this country has a responsibility to make a good-faith effort to remedy the effects of past discrimination. 4.For as long as these inequalities exist, the policy cannot be discontinued because of the legacy that existed for a long time. It will take a long time before the different racial groups could fully participate in all areas of the economy. 5.This question is not clear†¦. Please check with facilitator. SECTION B: PARAGRAPHS 1.Cultivating equal opportunity society has helped countries such as South Africa and America to move forward. Yes. The cultivating an equal opportunity society have helped country such as South Africa move bit forward since the Government policies have design to address the often interrelated problem of inequality, poverty and unemployment. Government initiatives on equal opportunity society have included the growth employment and redistribution programme, the reconstruction and development programme, the broad-based black economic employment policy and the land reform strategy. The fiscal policy leg of economic policy becomes increasingly important when government aims to address the problem of inequality by trying to redistribute gains from economic growth. One of the policies that the government has implemented quite successfully is the provision of social grant and it has serve as a main source of income for aged and disabled people. Equal opportunities in South Africa is a pressing concern, it has a complex relationship with economic growth, poverty and race though South Africa economy is witnessing a positive growth and poverty is showing a declining trend surely equal opportunities for has shown change in South Africa. After the equal opportunities society has been put in place has given every person freedom, secure and equal where every one has to improve the quality of his life and pursue their dreams and in which every language and culture has equal respect and recognition. South Africa became one nation with one future, living together under the constitution in peace, security and prosperity with opportunities and recognition for the entire rainbow nation after the implementation of equal opportunities society. And also United States America society has became both more and less equal in recent decades; following the civil rights revolution of the 1950’s and 1960’s racial segregation and exclusion were no longer legal or†¦

Analyse Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles Essay

These two findings are very important as they provide the reader with shocking information. This is because we discover that Mr and Mrs â€Å"Stapleton† are actually husband and wife. Even more we realise that Mr and Mrs â€Å"Stapleton† are actually the Vandeleurs. As a result of this great deception the finger points to Mr and Mrs Stapleton as being the murderers. This information is the most vital information which will help to solve the mystery. There are points in the novel where events simply provide Watson and Holmes with information. The events which provide information are almost always false leads which create a sense of uncertainty as to who is the criminal. â€Å"Go back to London! Start tonight!†¦ Hush my brother is coming! † chapter 7 This quote is said by Miss. Stapleton to Dr. Watson as she mistakes him for Sir Henry. This prompts Watson to investigate further into the Stapletons as it is very mysterious as to why she would like Sir Henry to go back to London. This is because she doesn’t want her brother Mr. Stapleton to find out that she has said this and when she discovers that she was actually talking to Watson she takes back her comment. This was actually a false lead as we discover in the later part of the investigation, which was put in by Conan Doyle so the reader is kept in suspense as to whether she had a hand in the death of Sir Charles until the di nouement. Even though there is the interviewing of people in â€Å"THOTB†, they don’t provide their own version of events of the crime. Dr. Mortimer is the only person who really provides Holmes with information of what he thought happened at the murder scene. Conan Doyle has used a different approach to the nature of the investigation because most of the information is gathered behind the scenes or events provide information. By doing this Conan Doyle has made his novel unique and perhaps more interesting than the typical investigation as there is a greater anticipation as to whom the killer could be. Sherlock Holmes fits the profile of a classic detective very well and this is evident in â€Å"THOTB† from the start of the novel. The detective is usually more or less socially isolated and referred to as a â€Å"loner†. We can see this in â€Å"THOTB† from the fact that Holmes only â€Å"socialises† with Watson, but then one could argue that he only socialises with Watson because he enhances his intellect by comparison. Holmes does not have any family and the fact that he rests upon the moor for a lengthy period of time suggests that he is used to being alone. â€Å"I knew that seclusion and solitude were very necessary for my friend in these hours of intense mental concentration in which he weighed every particle of evidence†¦ â€Å"

Singer's Practical Ethics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Singer's Practical Ethics - Term Paper Example He is strong in his convictions about the utilitarian ethics. He argues, â€Å"As far as my underlying ethical views are concerned, some of my friends and colleagues will no doubt be distressed to find the countless hours spent discussing these matters with me that have served only to reinforce my conviction, that consequentialist approach to ethics†¦.is fundamentally sound† (x). The society impacted by the materialist civilization, industrial and internet revolutions is, to some extent, responsible for the present day maladies afflicting the society, according to him and the basic values of humankind have gone haywire. Peter Singer’s concept of utilitarianism ensures the individual right and freedom to come to own conclusions, and he advises all not to be follow-the-leader type individuals. He writes, â€Å"We have to reach our own decision. The beliefs and customs we were brought up with may exercise great influence on us, but once we start to reflect upon them we can decide whether to act in accordance with them or to go against them† (6). His intended audience is the political leadership, economists, scientists, sociologists, intellectuals and who's who of the society. Animal Rights: Peter Singer is the strong supporter of animal rights. From the scientific viewpoint, he relies on speculative conclusions and absolute assumptions. He is against animal experimentation and argues for banning it totally. His arguments have something to do with his personal convictions and emotional repugnance of the whole exercise of torturing and killing animals. He equates the utility of human beings with that of animals and as such humans have no right to exercise control on the life of animals. He terms this distinction as â€Å"speceisism† and that is as bad as the practice of racism and sexism. He states that all animals feel pain and inflicting deliberate pain on them is an illegitimate action. Peter Singer clinches the issue by highlight ing the physical responses of the animals when at the receiving end of the pain, including chemical and physiological responses to pain receptors. That animal cannot reason or talk is no issue for Singer. The point is it suffers. Singer’s argument is based on the solid grounds of scientific approach and it has the element of unassailable logic. He argues that some of the animals are more intelligent than the human babies and/or mentally retarded. Ethical considerations demand that such animals need to be excluded from biomedical research. Moreover, the onus of proving that the benefits of research are in tandem with the suffering and pain imposed on the animals, vests with the scientists. Will those conducting such experiments take that responsibility? Whether similar experiments will be conducted on human infants to decide the ethical status of the relative experiments? Singer’s argument is based on the premises that animals and humans have equal rights. But the criti cs of Singer stick to their basic stand that animals are not members of the moral community and it is the duty of all concerned to act in the manner that is supportive to the moral duties for the benefit of humankind. Peter Singer is a compulsive controversy creator. Controversy and finding its solution are like alternative beats of the same heart to him. He is the greatest defender of animal rights and equates their right to exist with that right of human beings. His ideal is nothing short of

Personnel Rights, Diversity, Sexual Harassment, and Affirmative Action Assignment

Personnel Rights, Diversity, Sexual Harassment, and Affirmative Action - Assignment Example The concept of better human resources treatment in workplaces is not a preserve of only the private sector but has over the years extended to public companies and institutions thus putting to question the role that public personnel manager has to play in ensuring that the aforementioned issues are well addressed (Cooper, 1990). This paper looks at the issues above based on a critical review of some peer reviewed journals as well as other sources. Employee’s rights Within an organization that consist both the employer and the employee, each group has its own role to play in terms rights. There is need to ensure that employees have access to adequate compensation in relation to their work performed. Overtime work must be paid through overtime schemes in order to avoid exploitation. Proper channels need to be put in place to address the misgivings of employees since they have a right to be heard and assisted (Robertson & Fadil, 1999). The other part includes providing employees w ith safer working environment that has no hazards whereby the management must consider safety and health standards of the work place. Also the management has the responsibility of training its employees and advising them on the possible hazards that could be encountered within the organization as well as performing voluntary medical tests on the employees to keep medical records updated. Among others, the management also has the duty to keep records of employees on work related injuries that could be used in future if need arises. All these responsibilities are to safeguard the employees’ safety which they have a right to (Brooks, 1989). Diversity It is in the interest of any organization, be it in the public or private sector, to create a diverse workforce environment. This involves managing an organization’s human resource from a wide variety of background with wide range of experience to smoothly attain the goals of the organization (Robertson & Fadil, 1999). Divers ity in employment relates to issues of race, color, national, age, religion, disability, sex, gender identity, socio-economic background, parental status, education, among others. These issues are important and must be considered while managing human resource. This gives each individual within the organization the opportunity to contribute positively with a sense of belonging to the attainment of the organization’s goal. With diverse variety in experience, there is more opportunity that promotes on job training as well as improvement on personal skills. As much as it is a new productive tool to the organizational management, it faces challenges as well. With the new era of more educated and young managers straight from management schools, they get opposition from the traditional old managers and employees within an organization and this hinders organizational objectives. Although diversity has gained momentum, it is still evident that there exists biasness in the higher level of management where women and the disabled are still sidelined in employment and promotions. Also diversity is challenged in terms of race where the race factor is more influenced by political factors such as which race is more dominant in politics and hence it should be influential in other

1.To what extent do you agree that globalisation has undermined the Essay

1.To what extent do you agree that globalisation has undermined the power of the nation state Give evidence to support your argument - Essay Example se of other countries whereby they hold mutual interests but this has far changed since the affairs of the world have been interrelated in a manner whereby multiple states have common interests on particular issues. To maintain order in the operations of individual states, a new level of rules has been formulated differently from the ones that have jurisdiction within the boundaries of different countries (Hamilton, 2015). For instance, each country has its economic policies and the manner that it governs its domestic and international trade relations. However, with the increased need for expansion into the global market firms are now competing with on the global platform and thus much of the regulatory frameworks that are set out by their native countries will fail to control the operations at the international arena due to the disjoint that might arise from the different policies that are applied by various nations. It is from this premise that a new set of international regulation s are set to control how firms from different countries relate or rather conduct business with each other universally (Okpara, 2008). In that light, globalisation tends to undermine the power that nation states initially held in that for example in the economic perspective a firm has to subscribe to international policies on top of the policies of its native country for it to conduct operations effectively in the international arena. In some instances, the foreign policies override or rather collide with policies of individual countries but the former supersedes the latter since the interests of the world are more than those of individual nations. In such situations the autonomy and power of nation states is substantially undermined since the objective of statehood of coming up with policies that protects its interests seems to be overridden by global concern (Homann, Koslowski, & Luetge, 2007). Notably, the extent to which this system works depends on the superiority of the nations in

Media Centrism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Media Centrism - Essay Example Media centrism refers to the discriminatory reporting of new or past issues by the conventional journalists. It broadly entails a media position about particular social agendas that in turn reflects their support or public acceptance. Therefore, media centrism usually entails the opinionated coverage of political systems, environmental occurrences or other social issues such as diseases (Fuchs, 2011, pp. 297). Media centrism is not a new concept; journalists have perfected the art for purposes either enhancing or tarnishing the public image. Journalists or media houses give preference particular issues. The liking demonstrates the length of airtime and breadth of coverage and analysis. In most instances, media centrism manifests in the reporting of election campaigns. A journalist might decide to cover entirely an event and provide and positive description of the process. On the other hand, the media provides little coverage for an event they do not like. Media centrism also demonstr ates in reporting of gender or cultural issues. In this instance, a journalist may provide an analysis that supports or opposes the gender policies (Daniele Albertazzi, 2013, pp. 130). Media reporting should be neutral on pertinent issues. The reporting should also give the listeners or viewers the opportunity to make informed decisions. Hence, media centrism violates media laws and ethical reporting. It denies the listeners or viewers the opportunity to get real-time information. Besides, media centrism also neglects the different ideologies that people possess. Hence, the reporting in some way disregards people’s diversity and cultural viewpoints. Particular examples of media centrism include the following (Fuchs, 2011, pp. 298). British Broadcast Corporation is discriminatory reporting during the Lebanon War in 2006. Israeli authorities claimed the corporation favored Hezbollah. Hence, they refused media interviews and barred BBC news during the entire period.

Book Review on the book The Underground Railroad From Slavery To Essay

Book Review on the book The Underground Railroad From Slavery To Freedom (A comprehensive History) by Wilbur H. Siebert - Essay Example Siebert’s narrative is based on a comprehensive research expanding over fifty years. The book is an interesting compilation of various forms of writings such as speeches, letters, biography as well as direct narratives. The author begins with a detailed description of the various sources - articles in periodicals, contemporaneous documents, and collections of reminiscences - that have been used to write this book. As many locals were aiding the escape of slaves, the author chronicles the events that led to the draft of the Fugitive Slave Law in 1793, by which helping slaves escape was declared as an offence. This high level of ill-treatment resulted in the deep desire among the slaves to attain freedom. At this time, they also began to hear about the favorable condition in Canada. Soon, the Underground Railroad system began to develop in Ohio, Iowa and Illinois. The author further talks about the abduction of slaves from the south and how the local people assisted in helping t he slaves escape and lead a better life in a place where they have enough freedom. The operations of the Underground Railroad were also done through innovative ways like midnight service and the passing on of cryptic messages.Slaves hid in hiding places and resorted to disguises. Committees of vigilance were formed in places like Boston and Philadelphia and supplies for passengers were also arranged. The Underground Railroad soon became a much formalized process as people took up the responsibilities of being the Underground Agents, Station Keepersor conductors. Here, the author also gives credit to those who stepped forward as Underground helpers and commends the efforts of people like Gerrit Smith and Elijah P. Lovejoy, Seth Concklin, Charles T. Torrey, Calvin Fairbank and so on. As Canada was considered to be the safest haven for the escaped slaves, author moves on to chronicle the life of colored people in Canada, where the refugees had better circumstances than what they have u ndergone.The natives in Canada were receptive and open to these refugees and welcomed them to share their land and resources. To give this compilation a comprehensive view, the author brings into light, the concepts of denial of jury, arrest without legal process and the penalties for aiding the fugitives. The author tracks the subject of Underground Railroads in terms of political aspects by looking at the rules of extradition, the demand for slave laws, slave agitation, anti-slavery movement and so on. The proclamation of emancipation of slaves as well as the repeal of the anti-slavery laws is also discussed in detail. In the end, the writer proceeds to unearth facts about the loss faced by the slave owners, the census reports on the fugitive slaves, the fugitive slave controversy, and how all this led to the Civil War that ultimately to the abolition of slavery in the United States of America. It presents a poignant account of the slaves lives and conditions and elucidates the st ruggles and the vigour with which the Underground Rail was used during the highly politically volatile environment of the times. The book is therefore a useful documentary on the growth and spread of the freedom spirit among the slaves and meticulously details the antecedent conditions that led to the great Civil War. THE ABOVE SECTION IS SUMMARY AND IS 501 WORDS OR 2 PAGES THIS SECTION BELOW IS INCLUDED IN YOUR INSTRUCTIONS Criticize or comment on each of the following about the book: †¢ Organization – The book is organized into 11chapters with each chapter dealing with a critical aspect of the Underground Railroad. The book has been organized with clarity, according to chronology as well as according to particular context. For example, the author

The Socioeconomic Background of Kuwait Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Socioeconomic Background of Kuwait - Essay Example Kuwait's official language is Arabic, but English is widely spoken. The Kuwaiti Dinnar (KD) is the official currency, and it is further divided into 1,000 Fils. The average exchange rate is 0.3KD:$1.00US. Kuwait is an Islamic country. Most of her citizens worship in mosques around the country and follow the principles of Islam which also provides a legal foundation for the country. Kuwait adopted a democratic constitution in 1962 that guarantees freedom of liberty, speech, press, and worship. Kuwait is governed by an emir of the al-Sabah dynasty and a fifty-member National Assembly. The National Assembly holds much of the power and has played a critical role in the political, economic and social development of Kuwait. Much of Kuwait's importance derives from its geographical location as the gateway to the Arabian peninsula. Linking the desert and the ocean, its strategic position has led to Kuwait's development as a significant trading center. At the beginning of the 1700s, immigrants from Saudi Arabia came to the area that is now Kuwait. They settled in small villages and at that time only a few thousand people lived there. They took advantage of Kuwait's strategic location and began trading goods. In 1756, the leader of the al-Sabah family became the first Emir of Kuwait, and his ancestors have ruled continuously to the present day; the current Emir is sheik Sabah al-Sabah, the thirteenth in the line. Kuwait continued to grow as a commercial center in part because of political turmoil and war between Persia and the Ottoman Empire. This caused a number of trading families to relocate, and these families played anbig role in the commercial development of Kuwait (Alsabah 1980). England's East India Company also fled the instability in Basra, Iraq and set up a new headquarters in Kuwait to act as a terminal and staging area for goods from east India to England. In 1875, the Suez Canal opened, and the East India Company left Kuwait, but by then, the country had grown and developed. The economy had also diversified somewhat. Pearl diving, fishing, and sea transportation became the foundation of the Kuwait economy. Small family-run businesses carried out these activities without large amounts of working capital; income on a per capital basis was low. The most important industry was pearling which was the economic base of Kuwait and the entire Arabian Gulf. Pearls were exchanged for primary products and consumer goods from India and Bahrain. Pearling employed the most people and also contributed the most to the economy. For example in 1920, 25% of the population was employed in pearling (Al-Fraih, 1993). The industry declined in the 1930s when Japanese pearls overtook the world market. Kuwait's strategic location was also conducive to seafaring and trade. Kuwaiti vessels plied the entire Indian Ocean carrying passengers and cargo among Iraq, India, and the east coast of India. One of the principle commodities was date; they were loaded in Basra Iraq and traded throughout the Arabian Gulf and India. Of course to carry out this trade and collect pearls, the Kuwaitis became excellent boat builders. Indeed, Kuwait became the boat-building hub for the entire Gulf. Woods for construction was imported from the coast of Africa and south Asia. Fishing -- another related activity -

Housing Department at Murray State University Research Paper

Housing Department at Murray State University - Research Paper Example The university is the only public university in Kentucky with a population of 10,600 students. The campus has housing department that comprises of administrative and residential halls. New buildings are being put up to replace the old residential hall. The following are residential halls at Hurray University housing department; Clark hall, Elizabeth hall, Franklin hall, Hart hall, Hester hall, Regents hall, white hall and Richmond hall. Murray state university has a residential section that is not only where the student will live but will also be where the student will be involved in various aspects of their life in the campus. They will be involved in such activities as intramural sports, traditions and other various activities enjoyed. The main aim of housing department is to ensure secure, well priced and maintained residence for Murray University. The residential halls provide services to college students and the faculty. The halls are usually supervised and the staff trained on how to maintain the halls. The residential halls have greatly assisted students in personal growth, involving themselves in activities, improved interaction between residential, faculty and students, and ensured academic success. The objective of the housing department is to provide a good and safe student accommodation, improved and well maintained social facilities. The residential facilities are enjoyed by both graduates and undergraduates students at a reasonable fee. The accommodation caters for students with children. The purpose of housing department is to provide music and sports facilities to the faculty, students and supporting staff so as to encourage social status among all. The main objective of the project is to avoid congestion of students in their residential halls. The housing department has increased the number of halls to curb this situation. The other objectives of this department are to ensure improvement of the student accommodation facilities, expansion and gr owth of residential areas, development and progress of the department (Housing & Residence Life Mission Statement, N/D). This will involve maintenance and renovation of the current building infrastructure and possibly erection of new buildings in order to avoid congestion. Budget Justification Agency Name: Proposal Name: Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Submitted By: Date: November 26, 2011 Cost: Year Total General fund Federal Fund State Funds Other 2010-2011 $ 141,529,822 $ 51,805,500 0 0 $89,724,322 2011-2012 $ 147,647,946 $ 50,295,400 0 0 $97,352,546 2012-2013 $ 153,722,524 $55,226,358 0 0 $98,496,166 Introduction Summary: The murray state university housing department offers an affordable. and secure residence area for the students. It also provides a place where students will be involved in various aspects of their life. They will be involved in such activities as intramural sports, traditions and other activities. Statement of Need: The changes in the budget have bee n reflected as there are a number of buildings that will be erected in order to accommodate more students. The proposed budget has major changes where some field have increased quotation than previous years while some have a decreased quotation. For instance, in housing auxiliaries there is a rise in the quotation. This is an estimation of the expected rise as noticed in previous years. There was a previous increase of 1.7% therefore if we match the same increase the new figure will be 11,217,466. This will be also applicable in housing fee that had an increase of 0.2%. Housing custodial recorded a previous increase of 5.7%. Housing maintenance has increased in the 2012-2013 budget proposals as there are plans to erect new buildings thus there will be increased costs.

Diversity at Barclays Bank Essay Example for Free

Diversity at Barclays Bank Essay There are four top leading Banks in UK, Barclays Bank is one of the leading banks. Barclays Bank considers honest prompting an atmosphere or environment where diversity is highly respected and accepted. Diversity as defined by (Dictionary, 2009) is said to be the reality or standard of being diverse (Rajan Amin, 2003) Says diversity contains personal individuality explained by age, ethnicity, gender, disability, religion, sexual position. These differences are established and guarded by law. Diversity in workplace can also be viewed has the difference in qualities and attributes in people working in an organisation. Diversity in workplace can have positive influence in efficient and smooth running of an organisation and can cause chaos between the employees if not administered properly. In 1963 Late President of USA, John Kennedy met with the Americans leaders to discuss about (Drachsler, 2013) the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act which was made law on June 19 of 1964 to focus on Equal opportunity commission and affirmative action and policies, which made the organisations, focus more on just complying on legislation imposed by law, it moved to another stage during the early 1980s to incorporate minors and women into workforce in the late 1980s it moved from just complying to rules and regulations and focuses more on business survival. In the late 1990s there is much shift from complying to laws and to focus on incorporating women and minors into workforce to including everyone in the workforce to know the differences in each employee in the workforce and to be sensitised about the needs and distinctions of others. Now in this century Diversity has shifted attention to inclusion and diversity to increase the efficiency, profitability, wide scope and all factors that can lead to business success. There are two types of workforce diversity Surface level diversity and deep level diversity 1. Surface level diversity as defined by (Kenneth Price H, 2002) as distinctions to each of more members of a team in an overt demographic feature. It is also said to be the different features in workforce that can be seen and observed such Age, Gender, Religion, and Ethnicity. Marital status was also listed as an factors to be considered as a surface level diversity and all these aforementioned examples of surface level diversity  are quantifiable 2. Deep level diversity is defined as distinctions between values, personality and preferences in work. It also defined by (Kenneth Price H, 2002) as the predetermined distinctions among members of a team’ personalities included psychological characteristics, values and attitudes. They factors here can only be felt and cannot be seen they are qualified they cannot be quantified. There are benefits derived from workforce diversity, In Employee management they make good utilization of talents, improved quality of team problem- solving efforts and strength to attract and retain employee’s organisations benefits. In Strategic problem solving skills such as prospective to improve sales volume and to increase market capital base of the organisation, good ethical behaviours ( knowing the right thing to do) . In Organisational Operation they derive good team spirit among the employees, good problem solving strength and lowering cost that is connected to absenteeism and law suit s. Diversity is a two edged sword (Chrobot-Mason, 2013) which means it has positive and negative advantage. There are challenges to workforce diversity such as communication in multicultural environments has mentioned by (Fatima Oliviera, july 2013) and diversity involves not only how employees see themselves but how they see others. That insight affects the way they interact. (Sreedhar, 2011) Highlighted that there is need for professionals in human resource department to consider and administer effectively with issues of change, communication and adaptability. (CHUA, 2013) Also discussed that as organisations become more culturally diverse, conflicts and tensions are bound to happen among employees or people that are from different cultural backgrounds. With all these above mentioned merits and demerits I think diversity is the management of differences in employees effectively and eliminating conflicts that might arise afterwards. Barclays has the believe that to be among the first four leading banks in the world they need a rock solid diversity and inclusion strategy programme and policy to be in place to give them a huge advantage among their rivals in the banking sector . They started by knowing that the foundation of their success is in the talented people they employ, whatsoever lifestyle, age, personality, religion, race, disability, gender or sexual orientation. Barclays focuses on six principal areas of diversity; Gender- is the most important of Barclays diversity and inclusion policy, promoted by the Barclays executive diversity group and it was aimed at increasing the number of women in the senior roles by doing all that is possible to make women in the organisation fulfil their career potential with Barclays increasing female portrayal to at least 20% by the end of last year and rising more to more than 25% by 2015 at the board level. Recruiting is based on merit, and gender diversity is considered seriously when exerting talents across the globe, from the future leader programmes to the most senior recruit and they do make sure that all those that provide recruitment support, supports the vision to lure in diverse candidates around the world. However, other banks all over the globe have innovated Women’s Initiative Networks but the Barclays Women of the year award identifies talented personal and Professional attainment from female employees globally, as well as identifying male em ployee who champion and be of support to female career development. Disability Barclays has shown commitment to being a disability self- assured organisation. Their aim is to lure more highly expertise people, aid disabilities or health defect by making available the equipment and accommodation that enable their employee to be outstanding. Awareness of employee with disability is giving the Bank to recognise modern ways of making products, service and facilities available to everyone an illustration the organisation run disability listening groups, the forum provides staffs with disability with the chance to meet with high level employee and give materials into calculated transformation to improve the working society. Generational diversity Recognising generational diversity in workplace adds cognitive capital to Barclays bank, which promotes revolutions for employees, clients and the customers of the Bank. Barclays bank manages this by supporting the recruitment process and holding firm an age diverse workforce. Creating a workforce with no age limit on each vacant position at Barclays is set as a goal achievable. Merit is the criteria for any elevation; elevation is open to all employees through a yearly achievement and development review  procedure. They are among just few organisations that have taken the proactive measures to include multigenerational diverse workforce into the employee working tactics, the age employees also believes that skill, strength, capability and accomplishment are the backbone of all good performances, which is making the bank one of the leading banks in the world. Sexual Orientation Barclays has good records to encourage their Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered employees, customers and clients and the Bank have been known worldwide by numerous external establishments, Human Rights Campaign in the US are included. Barclays was at the stonewall workplace equality index (WEI) controlled by the United kingdom’s chief Lesbian Gay Bisexual charity, and they were ranked number three in year 2011 in acknowledgment of the work been done to make sure their workplace, products and services are included. They achieved 100 percent in the 2011 Human Rights campaign corporate equality index in the USA and it 95percent in the UK. Multiculturalism This is a very important tool for organisations in the current global business world, Barclays works with a great cultural diversity sense. Barclays Employees are from all around the globe, the employees throughout the Barclays around the world set a footmark to make up a constantly changing pattern of nationalities, cultures and heritage. The distinctive approaches are immeasurable in making sure the organisation comprehend what the need of their customers and clients all around the world is, and with that they provide expert products and services to meet the needs. More to this is the Cultural Awareness Employee network which brings together employees within all Barclays to make sure the bank continue to find up to date method to examine the world with the motive of evaluating and leveraging differences. CONCLUSION Globalisation has made businesses to see diversity has a must do thing, to be successful in modern day business, diversity in workplace should not be treated as complying to law and regulations, it is now a thing of inclusion  and diversity to increase the efficiency, profitability, wide scope and all factors that can lead to business success. For Barclays Bank, Diversity and inclusion is much more than just complying with the law. It means stating and having an active policy in place to make the very best of their diverse staff to serve the clients, customers and benefit their employee to make them retain the height they are in the business world. RECOMMENDATION Having observed all the analysis of diversity and inclusion it is therefore suggested that the following be done to enjoy more benefits of diversity Minimise inequalities among employee to reduce conflicts among the employee. Training and re training programme on human relation should be put in place for employee to enable the employee to know how best to interact among their contemporary. Change is constant so therefore diversity policies and procedures guide lines should be amended yearly. Bibliography Chrobot-Mason, D. A. N. P., 2013. The psychological benefits of creating an affirming climate for workplace diversity. Professiona and management development training, 38(1059-6011), p. 31. CHUA, R. Y. J., 2013. The costs of ambient cultural disharmony: Indirect intercultural Conflicts in social environment undermine creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 56(0001-4273), p. 33. Dictionary, A. H., 2009. Mifflin Houghton. [Online] Available at: http://www.eref-trade.hmco.com/ [Accessed 21 01 2014]. Drachsler, D. A., 2013. Supreme court sets high bar for Title vii retaliation claims.. Labour law journal, 64(4-0023-6586), p. 6. Fatima Oliviera, M. d., july 2013. Multicultural Environments and Thier Challenges to Crisis Communication. Business In Communication , 50(0021- 9436). Kenneth Price H, D. H. A. J. G. H. A. F. T., 2002. TIME, TEAMS, AND TASK PERFORMANCE: CHANGING EFFECTS OF SURFACE- AND DEEP-LEVEL DIVERSITY ON GROUP FUNCTIONING. Academy of Management Journal, 45(5), pp. 1029-1045. Rajan Amin, H. S., 2003. The business impact of diversity. Business Source Premier, Issue 0959-5848, p. 1471 Words. Sreedhar, U., 2011. Workforce Diversity and HR Challenges. OB and HRM Department, IBS, Bangalore (Karnataka), INDIA, 4(0974-2611), pp. p33-36.

Hospitality Management: A Literature Review

Hospitality Management: A Literature Review Hospitality industry with regard to restaurant businesses in any country has become one of the biggest employers in every country. It has attained a higher status in all over the world and demands high standards of works from its employees. Employment opportunities are many in this industry, but require potential for personal qualities in each field. One of the many important things that an employer looks for among the many would be the keen attitude, friendly disposition, neat appearance, willingness to work, confidence, cleanliness, personal hygiene, efficiency, and honesty. Like in the Philippines, tourists act one major role in our hospitality industry as tourists serves as the main market for restaurant services. They make sure in a restaurant that a guest is attended and dealt with their needs or wants. Filipinos are very polite and courteous in making sure those tourists/guests who dine and stay are well entertained. As we speak, competition is huge in this industry that is why raising quality standards and improving service have always been their job to provide a better service. **Reference: An In-depth study on hotel and restaurant industry in the Philippines by Dr. Divina Edralin** (1.2) Restaurants have primary function on food and beverage. They are to provide food and drinks to the customers. Whether it is a small- or large-sized restaurant, there is a great diversity in the types of activities performed by a food and beverage department, requiring significant variety of skills on the part of its workers. Most full-service restaurants do a considerable convention and catering business. The typical convention uses small function rooms for meetings and larger rooms for general sessions, trade shows, exhibits or banquets. It is only through continuous cooperation and coordination that a restaurants food service function can be carried out effectively. Marketing and sales department on the other hand play a very important role in a restaurant business, in which their primary responsibility is to sell and attract customers on how good their products are. The division of work among the sales managers is based on the type of customers a restaurant is attempting to attract. The human resources department serves no customers, yet it plays a vital role in a restaurants efficient operation. They are the brains on employees recruitment, benefits, administration and training. They are expected to recruit, interview and screen prospective employees. In many restaurants, accounting department combines staff functions and line functions or those functions responsible for servicing guests. Their role is to record financial transactions, prepare and interpret financial statements, and provide the managers of other departments with timely reports of operating results. The most assets of an organizational design are efficiency, teamwork and coordination of activities within individual units. Success of every business not only by a restaurant is measured on its overall performance and not by the performance of one department alone, which I believe it demands strong leadership, initiative, cooperation, and coordination to achieve every goal and become successful. Reference: Pre-Feasibility Study for Restaurant Making by Wrexgler Mongaya/Pre-Feasibility Study on a Fast-Food Restaurant (SMEDA). (1.1) When asked about the business climate in the Philippines, entrepreneurs agreed that it is relatively easier to start a business here compared to other countries. They say it was less restrictive here in Manila. The lack of self-esteem is one, among others that hinders a lot of Pinoys to even start a business. For very small capital, anyone could easily try to make it on his own. Historically, restaurant referred only to places that provided tables where one sat down to eat the meal wherein the restaurant prepares and serves food, drink, and dessert to customers that were typically served by a waiter. They vary greatly in appearance and offerings, including a wide variety of cuisines and service models. There are various types of restaurant, be it a fast-food chain where one orders food at a counter while fine dine-in or sit-down restaurants are often further categorized as family-style. Restaurant industry has different approach with diversity on their products/services, food, drinks, accommodation any many others. When putting up a restaurant, the owner has on his/her mind what to present to the customers, that is why the diversity of each products and services depends on what restaurant business you have put up. Food is one of our basic needs. One of the most exotic food there is available is the Asian cuisine. Asian food, in all its hues and tastes, is becoming largely popular and well-liked by many Westerners. When compared to food in American and European continent, foods in Asia tend tends to stand out because of its diversity. Vast number of countries in Asia offer endless varieties of food, far from each other. Indian food, for example, has a wide array of cuisines to try out and it would take several lifetimes for even a food lover to taste and savor it all. Another one is the Far East. It is where the best example of Asian food is located like the Japanese and Korean cuisine and Asian cuisine is supposed to be predominantly rice-oriented but if we observe Chinese dishes use noodles in their dishes, instead of rice. In reality, each country in the region of Asia like the Philippines has its own unique cuisine, vastly different even from the cuisine of surrounding regions. Competition is part of this business. Reference: Pre-Feasibility Study for Restaurant Making by Wrexgler Mongaya /Pre-Feasibility Study on a Fast-Food Restaurant (SMEDA) 2 As of last year, there are more than 50,000 restaurant establishments in the  domestic economy and about 80% of them belong to the fast food sub-sector. Food franchising is extremely popular. There are over 1,500+ franchised quick serve restaurants, 24 casual dining and theme restaurants, and 600 coffee shops, bakeries, and confectioneries. And the numbers are still growing! U.S. based firms also have a very strong presence in the Philippine food franchising industry. To name a few, we have McDonalds, Shakeys, A&W; Burger King; Dominos; Kenny Rogers Roasters; KFC; Pizza Hut; Sbarro; Subways; Wendys; California Pizza Kitchen; Hard Rock Cafe; Outback; TGIF; Italiannis; Dairy Queen; Dunkin Donuts ; Haagen-Daz; Mrs. Fields; Orange Julius; Starbucks. Low barriers to entry characterize the industry. Capital investments  particularly for franchises can range from PHP5,000,000 to PHP10,000. Training,  marketing and distribution channels are arranged by the franchisor. Likewise, as  the franchisor provides the new entrant fully developed management and  production systems, prior knowledge and experience are not required of  franchisees. These characteristics of franchising, particularly of food  establishments, make the business very attractive for new entrepreneurs. The proliferation of one-stop shopping malls that offer various recreational  facilities and amenities, likewise, eases the entry of potential restaurant and fast  food players. These malls spare the restaurant industry from spending extensive  business development studies for their outlets; mall magnates Henry Sy and  John Gokongwei Jr. have established formidable track records in building malls. The industry in which the restaurant and fast food firms operate has  increasing consumer demand for every improving product. The growth is proven  by the rapid expansion of food outlets in key areas in Metro Manila and the  provinces. The popularity of fast food establishments came in the 1980s, and  over the last years, the industry has consistently posted double-digit growth  rates. Competition is fierce in the restaurant industry, particularly the fast food  sub-sector. The market is large but consumers are price conscious and exhibit  brand loyalty. With a wide range of restaurants and fast food establishments to  choose from, pricing schemes and marketing strategies determine market  shares. Market strategies of industry players, therefore, aim to achieve two  primary objectives: 1) hammer in value-for-money concepts; and 2) create  brand consciousness and loyalty. Market shares in the restaurants are won or lost in pricing. Industry  players regularly offer price cuts and discounts to lure in new customers. Moreover, major players invest heavily in advertising to create brand  consciousness and loyalty. Marketing strategies include raffle draws, free gift  items and specially prized meal combinations, discounted toys and school items  for every certain minimum food purchase. Celebrity endorsements are used in  the hopes that the market will identify with the endorser. 3 Likewise, intense competition urges players to come up with new products  to capture bigger market shares. Restauranteurs have to be keen at finding the  latest food and wine concoctions here and abroad and adapting them to local  taste. Targeting the Filipinos tastebuds, several fastfood chains that usually  serve only western food have introduced items that appeal to the local markets  palate. Raising quality standards and improving service have also been focal  points of competition, particularly in the fast food sub-sector. Players give  incentives and compensations to motivate employees to be efficient on their jobs  and thus help maintain the fast food outlets high standards of quality service and  cleanliness. Also, a major importance in a fast food and restaurant is courteous  and friendly personnel. Not surprisingly, speedy service is among the more  salient attributes people would highly expect from a fast food restaurant. Finally, to keep their share of the market, food chains find it necessary to  extend their service coverage by setting up other branches. Industry players who  have outlets that are visible in Metro Manila and in other key urban cities are  ones who are most likely to take in more profits. Malls, university areas, and  other places where there is heavy pedestrian traffic are the usual places where  fast food and restaurants are highly patronized. Restaurant and fast food industry players balance their marketing  concerns with the rising operation costs particularly that of imported food  ingredients. Profit margin erosion is usually remedied by either increasing prices  of final product/service or cut corners in production or the delivery of service.   Either solution may result in a shrinking customer base. Reference: Feasibility Study for Restaurant Making by Wrexgler Mongaya (1.3) People First Size and Scope of the Sector The sector covers 14 industries from hotels and restaurants through to events, gambling and travel services. There are approximately 146,000 individual hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism  business enterprises in Great Britain, of which 43 percent are pubs, bars and  nightclubs and an additional 34 percent are restaurants. The sector is dominated by small and medium sized enterprises (71 percent). However, they account for only 53 percent of the workforce. Businesses with over 250 staff account for less than one percent of businesses  but employ 43 percent of the workforce.   Productivity The sector has the lowest labour productivity of any sector in the UK economy,  with a similar service sector (retail) having double the labour productivity of the  sector. It lags behind its international competitors. Labour productivity is nearly a third  higher in the United States and nearly double in France compared to the rates  found in the UK sector. Workforce The sector employs close to two million people. The restaurant is the largest industry in terms of employment, employing over  half a million people (32 percent of the workforce), followed by pubs, bars and  nightclubs (18 percent) and hotels (14 percent). The sector has an important presence across the UK. However, England has  the greatest share of the sectors workforce (83 percent). The sector employs a young workforce with 15 percent of staff aged 16-19 and a  further 31 percent aged 20-29. 14 percent of the workforce are from ethnic minorities, higher than average  across the whole economy. 55 percent of the workforce are full-time staff. One in five (20 percent) of the sectors workforce are from overseas. This rises  to 62 percent in London. Core Occupation The sector employs both a large number of core occupations (specific to the sector) and  additional occupations (found in most sectors). The following provides employment  numbers for the sectors core occupations: Kitchen and catering assistants (394,600) Chefs and cooks (255,100) Bar staff (197,800) Restaurant and catering managers (148,200) Hotel and accommodation managers (57,700) Publicans and managers of licensed premises (46,900) Travel consultants (47,500) Leisure and theme park attendants (17,900) Travel and tour guides (15,900) Conference and exhibition managers (23,700) Hotel porters (11,300) Travel agency managers (9,000) Hard to fill vacancies and skill shortages 17 percent of sector establishments report having vacancies, 32 percent of which  are hard-to-fill   66 percent of these vacancies are hard-to-fill because applicants lack the  required skills. In terms of skills that employers find difficult to obtain from applicants, 50 percent  of employers report that applicants lack customer handling skills, 47 percent say  team working skills are lacking, 43 percent oral communication skills and 39  percent believe applicants lack problem solving skills. Labour turnover Labour turnover for the whole sector stands at around 31 percent (although large  employers sometimes report double or even treble this figure). Based on an average recruitment and initial training cost of  £673, this costs the  sector  £414m per year. However, only 17 percent of employers feel that their labour turnover is too high. Skills gaps 11 percent of the workforce do not hold any qualifications. 12 percent of hotel and accommodation managers, seven percent of restaurants  and six percent of publicans and managers of licensed premises have no  qualifications at all. At the skilled trade level, ten percent of chefs have no qualifications. 26 percent of businesses in the sector report they have staff who are not fully  proficient to meet the needs of their business compared to 19 percent across all  businesses. Training and development The proportion of employers offering training rose from 61 percent in 2005 to 66  percent in 2007 and stood at 68 percent in 2009. As regards training methods, employers most commonly offer informal training to  their staff with introductory/induction training also frequently available. Large operators are much more likely to provide training. Employers are most likely to provide training to supervisors followed by bar and  waiting staff. Housekeepers, room attendants and cleaning staff are least likely  to receive training. Industries covered Events, Food and service management, Gambling, Holiday parks, Hospitality services, Hostels, Hotels. Membership clubs Pubs, bars and nightclubs, Restaurants, Self catering accommodation, Tourist services, Travel services, Visitor attractions. (1.3) Reference: www.people1st.co.uk/research/ Last Updated: September 2010 British Hospitality Association The BHA is the leading representative organisation in the hospitality industry, representing hotels, restaurants and food service providers.   Aim to deliver real returns for the members, positively championing the industrys priorities through partnerships with government and with other associations and organizations. This organization identified five keys areas on which they will impart the role to lead the industry action and drive change namely: First the Economy- to champion a supportive fiscal environment for the industry to prosper in the context of global competition. Second, Employment- to bridge the gap between education and industry and to build a skilled workforce for hospitality. Third, Intelligent regulation- advising government to reduce the burden of costly regulation at national and local levels. Fourth, is the Sustainability- facilitating an industry-led effort to develop economic, social and environmental success in the short and longer term. Lastly, Health- proac tively shaping industry and public sector policy to enhance the wellness of our consumers. In brief, BHA aim is that, through combined efforts, the association can bring tangible, long-lasting, positive benefits to every members business. Reference: www.bha.or.uk/ hospitality industry (2.1) Restaurant Staffing and Structures The restaurant business is hierarchical. Like the army, everyone has a title and a role to play. Busboys and dishwashers are at the bottom, while managers and Executive Chefs are at the top. The staffing structure will depend on the concept of the restaurant. A coffee shop will not have an Executive Chef nor a Sommelier (wine manager) To run a successful restaurant they should be a staff for both the kitchen and the dining area. If its a large establishment it will require more staff in both areas. The kitchen requires a head chef to organize and oversee food production. A sous chef to take care of the kitchen when the head chef is off shift. Line cooks to do the cooking and plating. Prep cooks to make sure the kitchen is fully prepared for whatever situations may come up. A dishwasher to do the dishes and work on pealing vegetables. The dining area requires bus people to clear and set tables. Waitresses to take orders from the customers to the kitchen and deliver the prepared food. A front end manager to help deal with any problems and do the immediate supervising of the waitresses and bus staff. (2.2) All staff are responsible for the health and safety of the customers. Host/Hostess: responsible for greeting customers at the door, monitoring how many people are seated where and balancing the workload of the wait staff, tracking reservations and people waiting in line, and seeing customers to their seats 7 making sure they have menus. Oversees wait staff. Wait staff: responsible for ensuring the table is clean and set with clean utensils in the proper configuration, greeting the customer at their table in a timely fashion, ensuring the customers have drinks and time to decide on their order, taking that order accurately and conveying it to the kitchen. Responsible for monitoring their tables and ensuring their customers always have drinks and are generally happy; responsible for getting food from kitchen when its prepared and getting it to the customers, and presenting it without spilling it or touching customers unless necessary. Responsible for ensuring all meals are satisfactory to the customer, then getting out of their way while they eat. Responsible for coming back to clear the table when customers are done eating and asking if the customers want anything else; wash, rinse repeat until customer asks for bill. At that time wait staff are responsible for ensuring that the ill is accurate before presenting it to the customer. Cook: Inspects the kitchen prior to beginning cooking to ensure its up to standard regarding food safety guidelines, inspects all food items before use for any sign of cross contamination or spoilage, prepares food in accordance with food safety preparation guidelines to include cooking temperatures and times and presents food on the plate in a generally pleasing fashion. Oversees dishwashers. Dishwashers: responsible for making sure every piece of cutlery and flatware and cooking equipment is cleaned with the right amount of cleanser at the right temperature for the right length of time to maintain hygiene and prevent transmission of disease. Janitorial staff: responsible for overall hygiene of restaurant much more important than most people give them credit for, a good set of janitorial staff can keep a restaurant up to health code and prevent serious lawsuits by maintaining the restaurants standards of cleanliness. Most restaurants do not have this as a separate position, and include these duties in those of the wait staff without providing extra training. Manager: ensures all personnel are doing their job, counsels personnel on areas in which they are excelling and areas in which they need to improve, hires and fires as necessary, monitors customer satisfaction and handles all paperwork to include ensuring building is up to all safety codes and standards. Responsible for staff morale and overall restaurant productivity; may be responsible for advertising placement. Reference: restaurant.about.com (3.1) The biggest operational issue in foodservice over the next few years is how to lead and develop a multicultural and multigenerational workforce. According to J. Sullivan, as he tackled the industry issues, 40 percent of all restaurant employees are less than 25 years of age, and 28 percent of them do not speak English at home. And all of these will depend in terms of hiring, recruiting, performance and training. Todays food service and restaurant industry is a highly specialized world with unique legal needs. To survive in todays economic climate, savvy restaurant and business operators seek counsel from experienced lawyers before issue arise. Like, restaurant entity management training and related legal issues specific to the restaurant industry, manage food and beverage licensing and distribution agreements, franchise agreements and supplier contracts also assist those owners with the purchase and sale of existing restaurants, lease negotiations, and risk management, then assist with a variety of employment issues ranging from management training to employment disputes. The Restaurant Standard Operation Procedures (SOP) is commonly used to help most restaurant owners and managers to manage and guide the overall restaurant team and staff to increase the service performance and the overall objectives and goals of the business. If a restaurant does not have a proper training manual or SOP for the staffs, it is quite hard to deliver the highest service standards of what the customer needs and what they do expect to the restaurant. A good and well-managed restaurant should provide a routine training session to all of the staffs covering each restaurant operations technique, it can be weekly or bi-weekly training programs. By conducting several training programs, I am definitely sure it can be much easier for a restaurant business to maintain the effectiveness and efficiency of restaurant service operation. Once again, to make it simple and easy to understand As a new legislation in restaurant franchising, many people stating that seeing nutritional information in print next to the menu items will help them opt for healthier choices. However, others admit that it will make no difference to their menu choices .But for the consumers, they mostly appear to be in favor of the new legislation. In the UK, the government has announced that it will trial calorie counts for food sold in takeaways, restaurant franchises and canteens. It is seeking volunteer companies to display calorie content listings and believes that the rest of the industry will quickly follow suit once a standardized guide is agreed. (3.2) To sum up, there are few numbers of women managers in UKs hospitality industry especially in the restaurant business due to some factors involve in the process historical, traditional, societal, and even personal in nature. Regardless of other factors, the theoretical frameworks underlying the subject are dependent on the responsibility of every woman employee. Their efforts to reach the position that they deserve must be acknowledge by employers. They indeed possess a significant position in the corporate ladder. With this, men and women workers will definitely be equal. 9 Its not uncommon to change the image of an existing restaurant completely. This may be because of new owners, or perhaps the current owner simply wishes to change things up. If the restaurant hasnt been doing well, it might be time for a makeover. Start with a plan. Take time to work out all the details and everything will go smoothly like from paint colors to seating designs. Once you have a plan, you can simply work from the list. Do a market research, before making a decision for change, make sure to do a survey or other means of investigation to figure out just what people like and whether or not they will want the change. It can cost a lot of money to do research, but it will still cost less than changing everything to find there is no market for it. Research is very essential to any business and restaurants are particularly in need of it. Also, let your clients know. Changing image can cause people to feel insecure and uncomfortable if they dont know its happening. So, make sure it should be included in the marketing strategy. Advertise the restaurant is going to be new and improved and let people know why it will be better and what they can expect. This is particularly true if drastic changes will happen not only to the image, but also to the menu. Furthermore, changing the entire image of the restaurant can really affect the business, so take the time to think it through first. Market research to make sure that what is actually been doing is to be a better idea. Reference: restaurant-hospitality.com TASK 4 Food is very much a part of popular culture, and the beliefs, practices, and trends in a culture affect its eating practices. Popular culture includes the ideas and objects generated by a society, including commercial, political, media, and other systems, as well as the impact of these ideas and objects on society. Current Eating Trends Consumerism , a trend that is reflected in more people eating away from home; the use of dietary and herbal supplements; foods for specific groups (e.g., dieters, women, athletes, older adults); the use of convenience and functional foods; and ethnic diversity in diets. Mainstream populations in developed countries want low-calorie, low-fat foods, as well as simple, natural, and fresh ingredients. Internationally, there has been an Americanization of diets through the growth and use of fast-food restaurants and convenience foods . In developing countries there is still a need for some basic foods, and governments and the food industry are working to develop products that can reduce international food shortages and nutrient deficiency problems. Eating Away from Home Internationally, the proportion of money spent on food eaten away from home, as well as the number of restaurants, has been steadily increasing since the second half of the twentieth century. People may dine at formal, sit-down restaurants, at fast-food eateries, at cafes, or they may purchase food from street vendors. Fast-food restaurants have become very common, and are visited by all types of people. The growth and popularity of fast food has come to be known as the McDonaldization of America. Eating in these restaurants has decreased slightly among heavy users in the 18-34 age group, but has increased among other groups. Their popularity has also increased internationally. This simple meal demonstrates the complicated relationship between a culture and its food. In the twentieth century, there has been a preference for quick, portable meals popularized the fast-food burger. Over time the popularity of fast foods contributed to an epidemic of obesity. Many eateries now offer the option of larger serving (portion) sizes for a nominal additional fee (a super size). Eating away from home, and the shift to a more sedentary lifestyle , has been linked to the increasing rates of obesity. Dieting In an effort to lose weight people purchase weight loss pills; special herbal supplements; and formulated weight loss drinks, foods, and diet bars. People also join health clubs or spas, or buy special weight loss and exercise equipment, in an effort to lose weight and improve their health. Among the common types of diets people follow are food-focused, celebrity, exchange, and supplement-based diets. Food-focused plans, such as the grapefruit diet, the banana diet, or a wine drinkers diet, emphasize consumption of only one, or a few, foods. Celebrity plans generally have the backing of a celebrity, and exchange plans lump together into food groups items with similar calories, carbohydrates , proteins, and fats. Some diets incorporate a commercial meal, snack bar, food, or beverage that must be purchased. Supplements Pills, liquids, or powders that contain nutrients and other ingredients are now readily available in stores. Supplements that contain herbs (or some herbal components) are growing in popularity. However, supplement production and use is not always well regulated, so consumers must be careful about what they purchase and consume. Convenience Foods To satisfy individuals who want to eat well at home but are short on time or do not want to prepare elaborate meals, many eateries also offer take-out meals or items. Fully or partially prepared TOTE (take-out-to-eat) foods, including home-delivered meals, are generally referred to as convenience foods. As more women (the traditional preparers of family meals) enter the labor force, peoples desire to save time increases along with the use of convenience foods. Ethnic Foods People now eat foods with origins in cultures other than their own. Since the late twentieth century, however, there has been an increased incorporation of ethnic cuisines into diet, including foods from Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. This trend is part of a larger movement toward diversity in all aspects of life. Functional Foods The term functional food is often used in reference to foods that have nutrients (or non-nutrients) that might protect against disease. The term is used when referring to foods that have been fortified , have specific phytochemicals or active microorganisms added, or have been developed using genetic engineering techniques. However, all foods can support health in some way, and there is no legal definition of functional food. In addition, the actual benefit of these foods, if any, can vary and is open to interpretation. For example, both a candy bar and orange juice may have additional calcium added, and can therefore be called functional foods. The consumer must determine the benefit of such items. 12 Reference: www.fags.org/nutrition/ome-pop/popular E-recruitment means using information technology (IT) to speed up or enhance parts of the recruitment process. It can enhance the applicant experience, communicate the employers image and culture better, make the recruitment process faster, more accountable and standardised, increase the diversity of applicants, provide better management information on applicants and find the right E candidate for the job. E-recruitment is efficient and can produce cashable savings, such as reduced advertising spend or postage costs and non-cashable productivity gains as HR staff are freed up to carry out higher value tasks.

Research on Best Buy Co. Essay -- Best Buy Business Management Electro

Research on Best Buy Co. The roots of Best Buy Co., Inc. can be traced back to St. Paul, Minnesota. This is where founder Richard Schulze opened the doors of his Sound of Music store in 1966. Understanding a demand for consumer audio components and systems in the St. Paul area, Schulze managed to provide a combination of great prices and excellent service, thus building a strong customer base, which quickly prompted an expansion into home appliances and video products. The eighties prompted change as well as the opening of Best Buy’s first superstore. During 1983, a new corporate name was approved and the Sound of Music Company became known as Best Buy Co., Inc. With mounting consumer support Best Buy continued its road to expansion by opening an additional five stores. In 1985, the newly named company was being publicly traded under the symbol BBY. The late eighties brought forth additional change for the continuously growing company. Best Buy adopted a new concept in retail merchandising with the opening of massive superstores. The new concept shifted the placing of all inventory on the sales floor and hiring a specialized staff of non-commissioned service representatives (FAQ). Such adaptations have fueled the company into progression and continued to promote the company’s corporate vision of â€Å"Making life fun and easy†(Fact Sheet). Philanthropy plays a huge part in the success of Best Buy Co., Inc. During 1994, The Best Buy Children's Foundation was founded (FAQ). The foundation offers support to communities by way of contributions to several organizations found nationwide. This support strengthens communities by integrating interactive technology into everyday experiences. All of the programs funded by the Best Buy Children’s Foundation are easily accessible to students. These programs also provide social services and disaster relief support in connection with non-profit organizations like the Red Cross and United Way. They also offer and support community volunteerism. Best Buy Children's Foundation also has a scholarship, which offers scholarships to students who have exceptional academic achievement and outstanding community service. Annually more than $2 million in scholarships are granted to over 1,300 students. The scholarships are evenly disbursed in each U.S. Congressional District and the Distr ict of Columbia. Three students who will be ... ...ips to residences and businesses. They are most widely recognized by their clip on ties-- truly carrying around the persona of a Geek. But don’t be fooled by appearances, their knowledge on computers is in no ways lacking in abundance. With the passion for the latest and greatest technological knowledge, and the charisma and devotion towards the youth, Best Buy is sure to continue on the high road to success. Best Buy will be changing and advancing to accommodate the ever-changing field of technology. They are truly a testament to upholding and exceeding their vision statement of â€Å"meeting the customer at the intersection of technology and life† (FAQ). Works Cited Best Buy â„ ¢ â€Å"Fact Sheet Fourth Quarter- Fiscal 2005 (ended Feb 6, 2005)† 6, 200 ) http://www.bbycommunications.com/newscenter/FY05_Fact_Sheet_Q4.pdf Best Buy â„ ¢ â€Å"FAQ† 6 www.bestbuy.com Star Telegram â€Å"BEST BUY GEEKS TO RUN AMOK† 4/28/05 www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/11511402.htm WCCO  © 2005 The Associated Press â€Å"Best Buy Expansion Plans Include China† 4/27/05 http://wcco.com/localnews/local_story_117101956.html Yahoo Finance- â€Å"Quotes & Info- Best Buy Co Inc (BBY)† http://finance.yahoo.com/a/ct?s=BBY&annual

LASIK Surgery :: LASIK Surgery Essays

Seeing well without contact lenses and glasses is the dream of millions of Americans and modern medical science has enabled that dream to come true (Caster, 8). Since first grade, Dede Head, a 30-year-old fitness trainer in North Carolina, has worn glasses to correct sever nearsightedness and astigmatism. Over the years she became accustomed to wearing glasses and contacts, but this has limited many important aspects of her life, including sports. She then heard of a laser eye surgery that â€Å"supposedly†, helped to correct a person’s vision by means of lasers. She immediately signed up for the procedure and ever since that day, she has not worn glasses or contacts. Dede is just one of the eight hundred-fifty-thousand people who have undergone a procedure by the name of LASIK or Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis. If surgical procedures were movies, LASIK would be this years box office smash as it has received much media coverage and many praises; however, not that many peo ple know what LASIK is, what the advantages and disadvantages are, and most importantly if LASIK is right for them (Buratto, 1). LASIK is basically a type of laser surgery which can help correct nearsightedness (myopia), which is the inability to see distant objects, farsightnedness (hyperopia), which is the inability to see close, and astigmatism, the inability to focus light waves evenly. LASIK has grown greatly in the last year, mostly because of 4 reasons; it is fast (procedure takes about 5-10 minutes), safe, painless, and the results are almost always prolific. The eye is just like a camera because it works by focusing light waves that pass through it. Light rays that enter the eye must first pass through the most outer layer of the eye called the cornea. The cornea performs 2/3 of the focusing process, the remainder of is then completed by the crystalline lens which further focuses the light on the retina. This requires extreme precision in that the focused light must fall ex actly at the level of the retina (Gallo, 126). The retina is a nerve tissue that carpets the inner surface of the eye, much like wallpaper covers all aspects of a wall. The retina converts the light into electrical signals, which are transmitted to the brain by the optic nerve. Just as a camera cannot produce clear photographs of the image if the incoming light is not focused on the film, we cannot produce a clear vision if the cornea and crystalline lens do not focus the light precisely on the retina.

Essay --

Change management Change is constant, integral part of our personal and professional lives. Change occurs in our world and beyond, at national and global level, in political and socio-economical areas, in management of organisations. As the contemporary world becomes more complicated and significantly interrelated, it forces companies to change their work strategies and become globally competitive (Jeritt, 2013). These pressures for change should be identified by management and immediately enact change management process to increase productivity and performance (Marked By Teachers, 2004). Achievement of such objectives is paramount for organisations; despite of challenges which may originate during implementation of changes (Content Writing, 2012). According to Techopedia (2013): ‘Organisational Change Management is a framework structured around the changing needs and capabilities of an organization. OCM is used to prepare, adopt and implement fundamental and radical organizational changes, including its culture, policies, procedures and physical environment, as well as employee roles, skills and responsibilities.’ Kotter (2009) defines change management as the utilization of basic structures and tools to control any organizational change effort. Today for implementation and monitoring changing process are known plenty of different models. It will be analyzed and evaluated most common models which are Lewin's Change Management Model, ADKAR model and Kotter's Eight Step Change Model. Each model provide particular approach with own advantages and disadvantages therefore it’s significantly important to clearly understand each of the three change management models (Cellars, 2007). Lewin's Change Management Model Kurt Lewin presente... ...tion. Organisational culture provides as opportunities as well as issues for companies. If culture combines with organization’s strategic and operating targets, it can stimulate improvement of performance and efficiency. At the same time dissimilarity of organisation culture and targets may lead for pernicious results (Katzenbach Center, 2013). Thus, organisational culture affects practically on all aspects of the company and it’s exceptional for every organisation and also one of the arduous objects to change (Business Dictionary, 2013. Hence, applying of culture within organisation include analysis of complex of features as beliefs, ideologies and values of company. According to Investopedia (2013) organisational culture define as: ‘The beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company's employees and management interact and handle outside business transactions’.

Chapter 15 Beauxbatons and Durmstrang

Early next morning, Harry woke with a plan fully formed in his mind, as though his sleeping brain had been working on it all night. He got up, dressed in the pale dawn light, left the dormitory without waking Ron, and went back down to the deserted common room. Here he took a piece of parchment from the table upon which his Divination homework still lay and wrote the following letter: Dear Sirius, I reckon I just imagined my scar hurting, I was half asleep when I wrote to you last time. There's no point coming back, everything's fine here. Don't worry about me, my head feels completely normal. Harry He then climbed out of the portrait hole, up through the silent castle (held up only briefly by Peeves, who tried to overturn a large vase on him halfway along the fourth-floor corridor), finally arriving at the Owlery, which was situated at the top of West Tower. The Owlery was a circular stone room, rather cold and drafty, because none of the windows had glass in them. The floor was entirely covered in straw, owl droppings, and the regurgitated skeletons of mice and voles. Hundreds upon hundreds of owls of every breed imaginable were nestled here on perches that rose right up to the top of the tower, nearly all of them asleep, though here and there a round amber eye glared at Harry. He spotted Hedwig nestled between a barn owl and a tawny, and hurried over to her, sliding a little on the dropping-strewn floor. It took him a while to persuade her to wake up and then to look at him, as she kept shuffling around on her perch, showing him her tail. She was evidently still furious about his lack of gratitude the previous night. In the end, it was Harry suggesting she might be too tired, and that perhaps he would ask Ron to borrow Pigwidgeon, that made her stick out her leg and allow him to tie the letter to it. â€Å"Just find him, all right?† Harry said, stroking her back as he carried her on his arm to one of the holes in the wall. â€Å"Before the dementors do.† She nipped his finger, perhaps rather harder than she would ordinarily have done, but hooted softly in a reassuring sort of way all the same. Then she spread her wings and took off into the sunrise. Harry watched her fly out of sight with the familiar feeling of unease back in his stomach. He had been so sure that Sirius's reply would alleviate his worries rather than increasing them. â€Å"That was a lie, Harry,† said Hermione sharply over breakfast, when he told her and Ron what he had done. â€Å"You didn't imagine your scar hurting and you know it.† â€Å"So what?† said Harry. â€Å"He's not going back to Azkaban because of me.† â€Å"Drop it,† said Ron sharply to Hermione as she opened her mouth to argue some more, and for once, Hermione heeded him, and fell silent. Harry did his best not to worry about Sirius over the next couple of weeks. True, he could not stop himself from looking anxiously around every morning when the post owls arrived, nor, late at night before he went to sleep, prevent himself from seeing horrible visions of Sirius, cornered by dementors down some dark London street, but betweentimes he tried to keep his mind off his godfather. He wished he still had Quidditch to distract him; nothing worked so well on a troubled mind as a good, hard training session. On the other hand, their lessons were becoming more difficult and demanding than ever before, particularly Moody's Defense Against the Dark Arts. To their surprise, Professor Moody had announced that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of them in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether they could resist its effects. â€Å"But – but you said it's illegal, Professor,† said Hermione uncertainly as Moody cleared away the desks with a sweep of his wand, leaving a large clear space in the middle of the room. â€Å"You said – to use it against another human was -â€Å" â€Å"Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like,† said Moody, his magical eye swiveling onto Hermione and fixing her with an eerie, unblinking stare. â€Å"If you'd rather learn the hard way – when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely – fine by me. You're excused. Off you go.† He pointed one gnarled finger toward the door. Hermione went very pink and muttered something about not meaning that she wanted to leave. Harry and Ron grinned at each other. They knew Hermione would rather eat bubotuber pus than miss such an important lesson. Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them. Harry watched as, one by one, his classmates did the most extraordinary things under its influence. Dean Thomas hopped three times around the room, singing the national anthem. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel. Neville performed a series of quite astonishing gymnastics he would certainly not have been capable of in his normal state. Not one of them seemed to be able to fight off the curse, and each of them recovered only when Moody had removed it. â€Å"Potter,† Moody growled, â€Å"you next.† Harry moved forward into the middle of the classroom, into the space that Moody had cleared of desks. Moody raised his wand, pointed it at Harry, and said, â€Å"Imperio!† It was the most wonderful feeling. Harry felt a floating sensation as every thought and worry in his head was wiped gently away, leaving nothing but a vague, untraceable happiness. He stood there feeling immensely relaxed, only dimly aware of everyone watching him. And then he heard Mad-Eye Moody's voice, echoing in some distant chamber of his empty brain: Jump onto the desk†¦jump onto the desk†¦ Harry bent his knees obediently, preparing to spring. Jump onto the desk†¦. Why, though? Another voice had awoken in the back of his brain. Stupid thing to do, really, said the voice. Jump onto the desk†¦. No, I don't think I will, thanks, said the other voice, a little more firmly†¦no, I don't really want to†¦. Jump! NOW! The next thing Harry felt was considerable pain. He had both jumped and tried to prevent himself from jumping – the result was that he'd smashed headlong into the desk knocking it over, and, by the feeling in his legs, fractured both his kneecaps. â€Å"Now, that's more like it!† growled Moody's voice, and suddenly, Harry felt the empty, echoing feeling in his head disappear. He remembered exactly what was happening, and the pain in his knees seemed to double. â€Å"Look at that, you lot†¦Potter fought! He fought it, and he damn near beat it! We'll try that again, Potter, and the rest of you, pay attention – watch his eyes, that's where you see it – very good, Potter, very good indeed! They'll have trouble controlling you!† â€Å"The way he talks,† Harry muttered as he hobbled out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class an hour later (Moody had insisted on putting Harry through his paces four times in a row, until Harry could throw off the curse entirely), â€Å"you'd think we were all going to be attacked any second.† â€Å"Yeah, I know,† said Ron, who was skipping on every alternate step. He had had much more difficulty with the curse than Harry, though Moody assured him the effects would wear off by lunchtime. â€Å"Talk about paranoid†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ron glanced nervously over his shoulder to check that Moody was definitely out of earshot and went on. â€Å"No wonder they were glad to get shot of him at the Ministry. Did you hear him telling Seamus what he did to that witch who shouted ‘Boo' behind him on April Fools' Day? And when are we supposed to read up on resisting the Imperius Curse with everything else we've got to do?† All the fourth years had noticed a definite increase in the amount of work they were required to do this term. Professor McGonagall explained why, when the class gave a particularly loud groan at the amount of Transfiguration homework she had assigned. â€Å"You are now entering a most important phase of your magical education!† she told them, her eyes glinting dangerously behind her square spectacles. â€Å"Your Ordinary Wizarding Levels are drawing closer -â€Å" â€Å"We don't take O.W.L.s till fifth year!† said Dean Thomas indignantly. â€Å"Maybe not, Thomas, but believe me, you need all the preparation you can get! Miss Granger remains the only person in this class who has managed to turn a hedgehog into a satisfactory pincushion. I might remind you that your pincushion, Thomas, still curls up in fright if anyone approaches it with a pin!† Hermione, who had turned rather pink again, seemed to be trying not to look too pleased with herself. Harry and Ron were deeply amused when Professor Trelawney told them that they had received top marks for their homework in their next Divination class. She read out large portions of their predictions, commending them for their unflinching acceptance of the horrors in store for them – but they were less amused when she asked them to do the same thing for the month after next; both of them were running out of ideas for catastrophes. Meanwhile Professor Binns, the ghost who taught History of Magic, had them writing weekly essays on the goblin rebellions of the eighteenth century. Professor Snape was forcing them to research antidotes. They took this one seriously, as he had hinted that he might be poisoning one of them before Christmas to see if their antidote worked. Professor Flitwick had asked them to read three extra books in preparation for their lesson on Summoning Charms. Even Hagrid was adding to their workload. The Blast-Ended Skrewts were growing at a remarkable pace given that nobody had yet discovered what they ate. Hagrid was delighted, and as part of their â€Å"project,† suggested that they come down to his hut on alternate evenings to observe the skrewts and make notes on their extraordinary behavior. â€Å"I will not,† said Draco Malfoy flatly when Hagrid had proposed this with the air of Father Christmas pulling an extra-large toy out of his sack. â€Å"I see enough of these foul things during lessons, thanks.† Hagrid's smile faded off his face. â€Å"Yeh'll do wha' yer told,† he growled, â€Å"or I'll be takin' a leaf outta Professor Moody's book†¦.I hear yeh made a good ferret, Malfoy.† The Gryffindors roared with laughter. Malfoy flushed with anger, but apparently the memory of Moody's punishment was still sufficiently painful to stop him from retorting. Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned to the castle at the end of the lesson in high spirits; seeing Hagrid put down Malfoy was particularly satisfying, especially because Malfoy had done his very best to get Hagrid sacked the previous year. When they arrived in the entrance hall, they found themselves unable to proceed owing to the large crowd of students congregated there, all milling around a large sign that had been erected at the foot of the marble staircase. Ron, the tallest of the three, stood on tiptoe to see over the heads in front of them and read the sign aloud to the other two: TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT THE DELEGATIONS FROM BEAUXBATONS AND DURMSTRANG WILL BE ARRIVING AT 6 O'CLOCK ON FRIDAY THE 30TH OF OCTOBER. LESSONS WILL END HALF AN HOUR EARLY- â€Å"Brilliant!† said Harry. â€Å"It's Potions last thing on Friday! Snape won't have time to poison us all!† STUDENTS WILL RETURN THEIR BAGS AND BOOKS TO THEIR DORMITORIES AND ASSEMBLE IN FRONT OF THE CASTLE TO GREET OUR GUESTS BEFORETHE WELCOMING FEAST. â€Å"Only a week away!† said Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff, emerging from the crowd, his eyes gleaming. â€Å"I wonder if Cedric knows? Think I'll go and tell him†¦.† â€Å"Cedric?† said Ron blankly as Ernie hurried off. â€Å"Diggory,† said Harry. â€Å"He must be entering the tournament.† â€Å"That idiot, Hogwarts champion?† said Ron as they pushed their way through the chattering crowd toward the staircase. â€Å"He's not an idiot. You just don't like him because he beat Gryffindor at Quidditch,† said Hermione. â€Å"I've heard he's a really good student – and he's a prefect.† She spoke as though this settled the matter. â€Å"You only like him because he's handsome,† said Ron scathingly. â€Å"Excuse me, I don't like people just because they're handsome!† said Hermione indignantly. Ron gave a loud false cough, which sounded oddly like â€Å"Lockhart!† The appearance of the sign in the entrance hall had a marked effect upon the inhabitants of the castle. During the following week, there seemed to be only one topic of conversation, no matter where Harry went: the Triwizard Tournament. Rumors were flying from student to student like highly contagious germs: who was going to try for Hogwarts champion, what the tournament would involve, how the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang differed from themselves. Harry noticed too that the castle seemed to be undergoing an extra-thorough cleaning. Several grimy portraits had been scrubbed, much to the displeasure of their subjects, who sat huddled in their frames muttering darkly and wincing as they felt their raw pink faces. The suits of armor were suddenly gleaming and moving without squeaking, and Argus Filch, the caretaker, was behaving so ferociously to any students who forgot to wipe their shoes that he terrified a pair of first-year girls into hysterics. Other members of the staff seemed oddly tense too. â€Å"Longbottom, kindly do not reveal that you can't even perform a simple Switching Spell in front of anyone from Durmstrang!† Professor McGonagall barked at the end of one particularly difficult lesson, during which Neville had accidentally transplanted his own ears onto a cactus. When they went down to breakfast on the morning of the thirtieth of October, they found that the Great Hall had been decorated overnight. Enormous silk banners hung from the walls, each of them representing a Hogwarts House: red with a gold lion for Gryffiindor, blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, yellow with a black badger for Hufflepuff, and green with a silver serpent for Slytherin. Behind the teachers' table, the largest banner of all bore the Hogwarts coat of arms: lion, eagle, badger, and snake united around a large letter H. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down beside Fred and George at the Gryffindor table. Once again, and most unusually, they were sitting apart from everyone else and conversing in low voices. Ron led the way over to them. â€Å"It's a bummer, all right,† George was saying gloomily to Fred. â€Å"But if he won't talk to us in person, we'll have to send him the letter after all. Or we'll stuff it into his hand. He can't avoid us forrever.† â€Å"Who's avoiding you?† said Ron, sitting down next to them. â€Å"Wish you would,† said Fred, looking irritated at the interruption. â€Å"What's a bummer?† Ron asked George. â€Å"Having a nosy git like you for a brother,† said George. â€Å"You two got any ideas on the Triwizard Tournament yet?† Harry asked. â€Å"Thought any more about trying to enter?† â€Å"I asked McGonagall how the champions are chosen but she wasn't telling,† said George bitterly. â€Å"She just told me to shut up and get on with transfiguring my raccoon.† â€Å"Wonder what the tasks are going to be?† said Ron thoughtfully. â€Å"You know, I bet we could do them, Harry. We've done dangerous stuff before†¦.† â€Å"Not in front of a panel of judges, you haven't,† said Fred. â€Å"McGonagall says the champions get awarded points according to how well they've done the tasks.† â€Å"Who are the judges?† Harry asked. â€Å"Well, the Heads of the participating schools are always on the panel,† said Hermione, and everyone looked around at her, rather surprised, â€Å"because all three of them were injured during the Tournament of 1792, when a cockatrice the champions were supposed to be catching went on the rampage.† She noticed them all looking at her and said, with her usual air of impatience that nobody else had read all the books she had, â€Å"It's all in Hogwarts, A History. Though, of course, that book's not entirely reliable. A Revised History of Hogwarts would be a more accurate title. Or A Highly Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts, Which Glosses Over the Nastier Aspects of the School.† â€Å"What are you on about?† said Ron, though Harry thought he knew what was coming. â€Å"House-elves!† said Hermione, her eyes flashing. â€Å"Not once, in over a thousand pages, does Hogwarts, A History mention that we are all colluding in the oppression of a hundred slaves!† Harry shook his head and applied himself to his scrambled eggs. His and Ron's lack of enthusiasm had done nothing whatsoever to curb Hermione's determination to pursue justice for house-elves. True, both of them had paid two Sickles for a S.P.E.W. badge, but they had only done it to keep her quiet. Their Sickles had been wasted, however; if anything, they seemed to have made Hermione more vociferous. She had been badgering Harry and Ron ever since, first to wear the badges, then to persuade others to do the same, and she had also taken to rattling around the Gryffindor common room every evening, cornering people and shaking the collecting tin under their noses. â€Å"You do realize that your sheets are changed, your fires lit, your classrooms cleaned, and your food cooked by a group of magical creatures who are unpaid and enslaved?† she kept saying fiercely. Some people, like Neville, had paid up just to stop Hermione from glowering at them. A few seemed mildly interested in what she had to say, but were reluctant to take a more active role in campaigning. Many regarded the whole thing as a joke. Ron now rolled his eyes at the ceiling, which was flooding them all in autumn sunlight, and Fred became extremely interested in his bacon (both twins had refused to buy a S.P.E.W. badge). George, however, leaned in toward Hermione. â€Å"Listen, have you ever been down in the kitchens, Hermione?† â€Å"No, of course not,† said Hermione curtly, â€Å"I hardly think students are supposed to -â€Å" â€Å"Well, we have,† said George, indicating Fred, â€Å"loads of times, to nick food. And we've met them, and they're happy. They think they've got the best job in the world -â€Å" â€Å"That's because they're uneducated and brainwashed!† Hermione began hotly, but her next few words were drowned out by the sudden whooshing noise from overhead, which announced the arrival of the post owls. Harry looked up at once, and saw Hedwig soaring toward him. Hermione stopped talking abruptly; she and Ron watched Hedwig anxiously as she fluttered down onto Harry's shoulder, folded her wings, and held out her leg wearily. Harry pulled off Sirius's reply and offered Hedwig his bacon rinds, which she ate gratefully. Then, checking that Fred and George were safely immersed in further discussions about the Triwizard Tournament, Harry read out Sirius's letter in a whisper to Ron and Hermione. Nice try, Harry. I'm back in the country and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. Don't use Hedwig, keep changing owls, and don't worry about me, just watch out for yourself Don't forget what I said about your scar. Sirius â€Å"Why d'you have to keep changing owls?† Ron asked in a low voice. â€Å"Hedwig'll attract too much attention,† said Hermione at once. â€Å"She stands out. A snowy owl that keeps returning to wherever he's hiding†¦I mean, they're not native birds, are they?† Harry rolled up the letter and slipped it inside his robes, wondering whether he felt more or less worried than before. He supposed that Sirius managing to get back without being caught was something. He couldn't deny either that the idea that Sirius was much nearer was reassuring; at least he wouldn't have to wait so long for a response every time he wrote. â€Å"Thanks, Hedwig,† he said, stroking her. She hooted sleepily, dipped her beak briefly into his goblet of orange juice, then took off again, clearly desperate for a good long sleep in the Owlery. There was a pleasant feeling of anticipation in the air that day. Nobody was very attentive in lessons, being much more interested in the arrival that evening of the people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang; even Potions was more bearable than usual, as it was half an hour shorter. When the bell rang early, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried up to Gryffindor Tower, deposited their bags and books as they had been instructed, pulled on their cloaks, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall. The Heads of Houses were ordering their students into lines. â€Å"Weasley, straighten your hat,† Professor McGonagall snapped at Ron. â€Å"Miss Patil, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair.† Parvati scowled and removed a large ornamental butterfly from the end of her plait. â€Å"Follow me, please,† said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"First years in front†¦no pushing†¦.† They filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest. Harry, standing between Ron and Hermione in the fourth row from the front, saw Dennis Creevey positively shivering with anticipation among the other first years. â€Å"Nearly six,† said Ron, checking his watch and then staring down the drive that led to the front gates. â€Å"How d'you reckon they're coming? The train?† â€Å"I doubt it,† said Hermione. â€Å"How, then? Broomsticks?† Harry suggested, looking up at the starry sky. â€Å"I don't think so†¦not from that far away†¦.† â€Å"A Portkey?† Ron suggested. â€Å"Or they could Apparate – maybe you're allowed to do it under seventeen wherever they come from?† â€Å"You can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, how often do I have to tell you?† said Hermione impatiently. They scanned the darkening grounds excitedly, but nothing was moving; everything was still, silent, and quite as usual. Harry was starting to feel cold. He wished they'd hurry up†¦.Maybe the foreign students were preparing a dramatic entrance†¦.He remembered what Mr. Weasley had said back at the campsite before the Quidditch World Cup: â€Å"always the same – we can't resist showing off when we get together†¦.† And then Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers – â€Å"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!† â€Å"Where?† said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions. â€Å"There!† yelled a sixth year, pointing over the forest. Something large, much larger than a broomstick – or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks – was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time. â€Å"It's a dragon!† shrieked one of the first years, losing her head completely. â€Å"Don't be stupid†¦it's a flying house!† said Dennis Creevey. Dennis's guess was closer†¦.As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powderblue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant. The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed – then, with an almighty crash that made Neville jump backward onto a Slytherin fifth year's foot, the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes. Harry just had time to see that the door of the carriage bore a coat of arms (two crossed, golden wands, each emitting three stars) before it opened. A boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully. Then Harry saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage – a shoe the size of a child's sled – followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman he had ever seen in his life. The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped. Harry had only ever seen one person as large as this woman in his life, and that was Hagrid; he doubted whether there was an inch difference in their heights. Yet somehow – maybe simply because he was used to Hagrid – this woman (now at the foot of the steps, and looking around at the waiting, wide-eyed crowd) seemed even more unnaturally large. As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers. Dumbledore started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman. Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss it. â€Å"My dear Madame Maxime,† he said. â€Å"Welcome to Hogwarts.† â€Å"Dumbly-dort,† said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. â€Å"I ‘ope I find you well?† â€Å"In excellent form, I thank you,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"My pupils,† said Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her. Harry, whose attention had been focused completely upon Madame Maxime, now noticed that about a dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime. They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks. A few had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads. From what Harry could see of them (they were standing in Madame Maxime's enormous shadow), they were staring up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces. â€Å"As Karkaroff arrived yet?† Madame Maxime asked. â€Å"He should be here any moment,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?† â€Å"Warm up, I think,† said Madame Maxime. â€Å"But ze ‘orses -â€Å" â€Å"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them,† said Dumbledore, â€Å"the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other – er – charges.† â€Å"Skrewts,† Ron muttered to Harry, grinning. â€Å"My steeds require – er – forceful ‘andling,† said Madame Maxime, looking as though she doubted whether any Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. â€Å"Zey are very strong†¦.† â€Å"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job,† said Dumbledore, smiling. â€Å"Very well,† said Madame Maxime, bowing slightly. â€Å"Will you please inform zis ‘Agrid zat ze ‘orses drink only single-malt whiskey?† â€Å"It will be attended to,† said Dumbledore, also bowing. â€Å"Come,† said Madame Maxime imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps. â€Å"How big d'you reckon Durmstrang's horses are going to be?† Seamus Finnigan said, leaning around Lavender and Parvati to address Harry and Ron. â€Å"Well, if they're any bigger than this lot, even Hagrid won't be able to handle them,† said Harry. â€Å"That's if he hasn't been attacked by his skrewts. Wonder what's up with them?† â€Å"Maybe they've escaped,† said Ron hopefully. â€Å"Oh don't say that,† said Hermione with a shudder. â€Å"Imagine that lot loose on the grounds†¦.† They stood, shivering slightly now, waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive. Most people were gazing hopefully up at the sky. For a few minutes, the silence was broken only by Madame Maxime's huge horses snorting and stamping. But then – â€Å"Can you hear something?† said Ron suddenly. Harry listened; a loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting toward them from out of the darkness: a muffled rumbling and sucking sound, as though an immense vacuum cleaner were moving along a riverbed†¦. â€Å"The lake!† yelled Lee Jordan, pointing down at it. â€Å"Look at the lake!† From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water – except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks -and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor†¦. What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool†¦and then Harry saw the rigging†¦. â€Å"It's a mast!† he said to Ron and Hermione. Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank. People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them, Harry noticed, seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle†¦but then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall, he saw that their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair. â€Å"Dumbledore!† he called heartily as he walked up the slope. â€Å"How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?† â€Å"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff,† Dumbledore replied. Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee (finishing in a small curl) did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own. â€Å"Dear old Hogwarts,† he said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, and Harry noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. â€Å"How good it is to be here, how good†¦.Viktor, come along, into the warmth†¦you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, Harry caught a glimpse of a prominent curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He didn't need the punch on the arm Ron gave him, or the hiss in his ear, to recognize that profile. â€Å"Harry – it's Krum!†