Evolution of Management Theory free essay sample

This paper presents the context  of  production  management evolution  and assesses the application  of  some heuristic production approaches within construction sites  of  Brazil and England. The study revealed that, although the production  management theory  evolved significantly, construction practices do not apply the  theory  in a systemic and comprehensive manner. Clearly, lack  of motivation and poor instruments for enabling learning are the central cause  of  this problem. According to McFarland (1979) the word manage seems to have come into English usage directly from the Italian word maneggiare, that means to handle. This word, in turn, traces back to the Latin word manus (hand). In the early sixteenth century the word manage was quickly extended into the common language  of  war situations and used in the general sense  of  taking control, taking charge, or directing. Management is the fundamental integrating processes used to achieve organised, purposeful results. This dynamic flow between practice and  theory, and vice versa, is also one  of  the key virtues  of  disciplines relating to production  management. We will write a custom essay sample on Evolution of Management Theory or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Academics and consultants are continually developing new ways for solving production problems and marketing these solutions to practitioners. Occasionally, these solutions are transformed into books. In other situations, the active experimentation  of  practitioners leads to new ideas and insights that are themselves gradually transformed into  theories. These  theories, in turn, help the communication  of  their solutions to other practitioners facing similar problems. Key Contributions: Taylor and Gilbreth: Frederick W. Taylor is acknowledged as the father  of  scientific  management, because  of  his famous work entitled Principles  of  Scientific  Management  (1911). * Efficient use of time. * Tried to discover the relationship between the horsepower that a man exerts and the correspondent tiring effect that this work has on man. * Controlling factor: Amount of work a worker could do was the percentage  of  time that the worker was under load or resting, and the length and frequency  of  resting periods. Frank Bunker Gilbreth was already managing a construction company in the twentieth century. study  of  needless, ill-directed and ineffective motions of bricklayers in construction processes. * Analysed and reduced the number of motions from 18 to 5. * Doubled productivity without increasing the effort. Hawthorne: A turning point in the  theories of management  came with the study carried out by Western Electric managers and Harvard University researchers at the H awthorne works, near Chicago, from 1924 until 1932. Originally, this study sought to confirm Taylors principle that more lighting in the workplace would result in greater productivity. However, to the amazement  of  the researchers, the experiment showed productivity rising still further, even with a decrease in illumination. The investigation then turned its attention to the relationship between managers and workers, still aiming for the manipulation  of  workers to maximise the output  ofproduction (Mayo, 1949; Barnes, 1980, p. 283; Wren, 1994; Weihrich and Koontz, 1993). After a number  of  experiments, they finally concluded that the improvements in productivity happened almost solely due to social factors, such as moral and satisfactory inter-relationships within the production team. The study also showed that just the fact  of  being chosen for the study motivated workers to continually improve production, regardless  of  the working environment (Mayo, 1949; Wren, 1994; Weihrich and Koontz, 1993; Lee and Schniederjans, 1994). Courtesy: Proquest Just In Time Theory: A production strategy that increases productivity and ROI by reducing process inventory and associated carrying costs. The process relies on signals between different points in the process, which tell production when to make the next part. They can be simple visual signals. JIT focuses on continuous improvement and can improve ROI, quality and efficiency. To achieve this, the key areas of focus could be flow, emp. Involvement and quality. Courtesy: Wikipedia Adam Smith: Smith concluded that division of labor increased productivity by increasing each workers skill and dexterity, by saving time that is usually lost in changing tasks, and by the creation of labor- saving inventions and machinery. Probably, the most important influence on management was the Industrial Revolution. It began in the late eighteenth century in Great Britain, where machine power was being substituted for human power. Courtesy: Yahoo Answers. Max Weber: Characteristics of Bureaucracy Forms of Authority 1. Rulification amp; routinization effort-saving rules and equal treatment 2. Specific spheres of competence clear division of labor, specialization 3. The principle of hierarchy leave no office uncontrolled 4. Expertise of office holders managers to have technical training 5. Written record-keeping everything to be recorded amp; filed, red tape. Courtesy: Answers. yahoo. com According to Max Weber, there are three types of power in an organisation:- Traditional Power – Readily accepted. Unquestioned as it comes from deeply set customs and tradition. Charismatic Power – Gained by those who have gained the respect and trust of their followers. Bureaucratic Power Or Legal Power – Stems from the setup of an organisation and the position held by the person in authority excised within stipulated rules and regulations of an organization. The characteristics or features of Bureaucratic Organisation are as follows :- There is a high degree of Division of Labour and Specialisation. There is a well defined Hierarchy of Authority. It follows the principle of Rationality, Objectively and Consistency. There are Formal and Impersonal relations among the member of the organisation. Interpersonal relations are based on positions and not on personalities. There are well defined Rules and Regulations. There rules cover all the duties and rights of the employees. These rules must be strictly followed. There are well defined Methods for all types of work. Selection and Promotion is based on Technical qualifications. Only Bureaucratic or legal power is given importance. Bureaucratic organisation is criticised because of the following reasons :- Too much emphasis on rules and regulations. The rules and regulations are rigid and inflexible. No importance is given to informal groups. Nowadays, informal groups play an important role in all business organisations. Bureaucracy involves a lot of paper work. This results in lot of wastage of time, effort and money. There will be unnecessary delay in decision-making due to formalities and rules. Bureaucratic model may be suitable for government organisations. But it is not suitable for business organisations because business organisations believe in quick decision making and flexibility in procedures. Too much importance is given to the technical qualifications of the employees for promotion and transfers. Dedication and commitment of the employee is not considered. There is difficulty in coordination and communication. There is limited scope for Human Resource (HR).

Titians Altarpieces In The Church Of The Frari, Venice Essays

Titian's Altarpieces In The Church Of The Frari, Venice Titian's Pesaro and Assunta. Altarpieces in the church of the Frari, Venice. What was the importance of these two altarpieces for the development of painting in Venice, both from a stylistic and iconographic point of view? It has been said that Titian's Assunta, which adorns the high altar, and Pesaro (on the left aisle of the chapel of the Immaculate Conception) stand mid-way between the past and the future of Venetian painting. This infers that Titian drew on established traditions learnt from his masters Bellini and Giorgione, and imbued his works with a freshness and inspiration not seen before. Furthermore, it becomes apparent that his sensitive construction of the works ? considering the authority of his patrons ? facilitate a depth of interpretation which highlight both the sacred and civic concerns of the time. To illustrate Titian's progressive role in Venetian art history, I will draw on Renaissance documentation, and contemporary research that notes the stylistic and iconographic elements of these altarpieces. In 1568 the Florentine chronicler Vasari wrote of Titian, ?Titian?who has adorned with great pictures the City of Venice?deserves the love and respect of all craftsmen, who ought to admire and imitate him in many things. For he is a painter who has produced?work which?will live as long as the memory of illustrious men endures? . This is a useful starting point for such an investigation: this representation is valid, since Vasari had met and spoken to him while writing the book, and being a Florentine he wasn't so susceptible to employing the Venetian rhetoric which could tend to be biased The contemporary chronicler Ludovico Dolce recorded the shock and criticism the Assunta attracted when it was first unveiled. Such controversy points to its radicalism and supports assertions that it was influential for developing artists: ?For all [the panel's grandeur and awesomeness], the oafish painters and the foolish masses, who until then had seen nothing but the dead and cold works of Giovanni Bellini, of Gentile, and of Vivarino?, which were without movement and modelling, grossly defamed the picture. Then, as envy cooled and the truth slowly dawned on them, people began to marvel at the new style established in Venice by Titian There is good reason to conclude that the Assunta and Pesaro altarpieces rank amongst the finest and most notary of Titian's works. In his book, The Altarpiece in Renaissance Venice, Peter Humfrey claims that the exceptionally large number of churches in Venice elevated the prevalence of this style, as they all needed to be decorated. The lack of fresco painting (due to the humid climate) meant more panel paintings were constructed, and so ?Venetian painters tended to concentrate their most ambitious efforts?on altar painting? Limitations of the investigation The lack of primary documentation from this era hinders our ability to place the artwork in its socio-cultural context. When relying on the rhetoric of the State-appointed historians, we must consider the bias that results from their upholding of the ?Myth of Venice'. Obviously, the value of these to the research question is limited; being contemporary, they are unable to describe Titian's long-term influence on Venetian painting. Definition of key terms When analysing artwork from a stylistic point of view, all visual (not metaphorical) factors are taken into account. Issues of composition, symmetry and asymmetry, colour palette, application of paint, and rendering of forms are all relevant. Iconography refers to any elements of the painting that can be left open for a religious or sacred interpretation. These two points of view are inextricably linked: for example, the placement (re: composition, thus stylistic element) of the Madonna and Child, elevated in the centre of a devotional painting also has iconographic references: this was their traditional position, and portrayed their roles as intercessors between the figures below, and God in Heaven above. In this context, the altarpiece refers to a painting set behind an above the altar in a Christian church. Painted altarpieces might be accompanied by sculpture, as in the case of Titian's Assunta, which features three free-standing marble figures on the frame. The term sacra conversazione refers to the type of composition made popular by Bellini, where a group of saints are gathered in

The Meaning of the Surname Pierce

The Meaning of the Surname Pierce The Pierce surname was adapted from the given name Piers,  a derivation of Peter, which means rock, from the Old French pierre  (Latin petra), meaning stone or rock. The name most commonly derived as a surname  meaning son or descendant of Piers or Peter. However, it may also have been bestowed or chosen as a topographic name for someone who lived in a rocky area, or as an occupational name for a quarryman or stone mason.   Famous People with the Pierce Surname Franklin Pierce  - 14th president of the United StatesWendell Pierce -  American award-winning actorBarbara Pierce Bush  -  wife of George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the United StatesGeorge Washington Pierce - Harvard professor of physics;  inventorNat Pierce  - American jazz pianistMarvin Pierce - American publisher; president of McCall Corporation Where the Pierce  Surname Is Most Common According to surname distribution from Forebears, the Pierce surname is most common in the United States, where it ranks among the top 200 surnames in the country. It is also somewhat common in Wales (ranks 350th) and Ireland (581st). Within Ireland, Pierce is most commonly found in Wexford, Carlow and Kerry. WorldNames PublicProfiler indicates a similar distribution, with the greatest percentage of individuals named Pierce found throughout the United States. The name is especially common in the southeast, including Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia. Genealogy Resources for the Surname Pierce Pierce  Family Crest - Its Not What You Think: Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Pierce  family crest or coat of arms for the Pierce surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. The Pierce  DNA Project - Southern US: Individuals with the Pierce  surname, and variants such as Pearce, Peirce, Pearse, Pierse, and Percy, with ancestors from southern U.S. states  are invited to participate in this group DNA project in an attempt to learn more about southern Pierce family origins. The website includes information on the project, the research done to date, and instructions on how to participate. PIERCE  Family Genealogy Forum: This free message board is focused on descendants of Pierce  ancestors around the world. FamilySearch - Pierce Genealogy: Explore over 4  million results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Pierce surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Pierce Surname Mailing List: Free mailing list for researchers of the Pierce  surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - Pierce Genealogy Family History: Explore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Pierce. GeneaNet - Pierce  Records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Pierce  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Pierce  Genealogy and Family Tree Page: Browse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Pierce  surname from the website of Genealogy Today. References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Discuss the invasions of the barbarians and the influence of St Essay

Discuss the invasions of the barbarians and the influence of St. Augustine and the Celts as well as the rise of monasticism and - Essay Example The paper explores the rise of monasticism and Islam, the invasions of the barbarians and the influence of St. Augustine and the Celts. Discussion Celtic Christianity represents features of Christianity that were prominent across Celtic world in the Early Middle Ages. A spotlight on monasticism centering on the sequestered life of monks and nun provides an example of Celtic Christian practice. True ecclesiastical power within the Celtic world lay in the hands of monasteries instead of bishops of dioceses, and the ideal of monasticism collectively esteemed within Celtic Christianity (Noble 192). St. Benedict established his Monastic Rule, which established a system of regulations for the basis and running of monasteries. Monasticism gained prominence throughout Europe and gave rise to numerous early center of learning. The way of addressing monastic varies between the diverse Christian traditions based on their rank and monastic tradition. As early as the 3rd century, the ascetical li fe had attained a noteworthy expansion within the church in North Africa witnessed by the presence of existence of number monasteries at Carthage by the year 400. The structure in which monasticism spread from North Africa to all of the Western Christianity emanates partly from St. Augustine influence. Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo was both a theologian and philosopher, and can be regarded as one of the most prominent figures within the development of Western Christianity (Noble 193). When the Roman Empire fell, and the faith of numerous Christians was at stake, Augustine established the concept of Church as a spiritual City of God separate from the material city of Man. The Roman’s utilized the term â€Å"barbarians† to refer to individuals who lived outside the boundaries of the Empire. The middle Ages period can be connected to the fall of the Western Roman Empire within the fifth century to the start of the Renaissance in the fifth century. The collapse of the R oman government accompanied a decline in trade, learning, infrastructure, and security. The Early Middle Ages witnessed the emergence of monasticism in the west. The form of European monasticism derived from the traditional ideas that emanated from within the deserts and Syria. The presence of Christianity within Africa started within the middle of 1st century in Egypt, and by the end of 2nd century within the region around Carthage. The later rise of Islam within North Africa reduced the size and numbers of Christian congregations sparing the Coptic Church in Egypt, the Nubian Church within Sudan, and Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The decline and total desertion of this flourishing Church can be regarded as a sad fact of history. The Arab Muslim incursion of North Africa that started around 643 was completed by the fall of Carthage (698) and Ceuta (709). The Muslim heralded the extinction of Christianity, minimizing the number of bishoprics by the time of Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085). The disappearance of the Church in North Africa can be explained by: the presence of Donatism within the Church in North Africa, which significantly minimized the Church’s interior strength; despite, the Catholic victory over the Donatists at a meeting held in 411 (Carthage), Donatism did not entirely disappear and was still evident in North Africa

The story of my life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The story of my life - Essay Example The change in culture and familial environment did not improve my relationship with my mother, who remained distant and aloof. I felt she has absolutely no love for me. With her mind wandering back to my father in New York, I anticipated that day when she just rushed to my father’s arms. I was not in their plans of reuniting. I stayed with my grandparents to continue my education. The day my mother left me was the day my life changed for the worse. I met a boy who I fell in love with irresponsibly and immaturely. I stopped attending classes; my relatives learned of the relationship; my grandfather died; and I was sent back to New York. I run away and lived with my boyfriend’s relatives and soon led to unexpected pregnancy. I gave birth at a very tender age. Since I was not under the care of my parents, a social service worker from the Department of Social Services put me and my newborn under protective custody, endorsed in foster homes: first in Malden and then in Lynn. I eventually graduated from Lynn Vocational Technical High and have continued to search for meaning in my life. All thorns so far, with one rose, my child; and another, graduating from high school. I am looking forward to more roses in the near future.

Critical Evaluation Of The Operations Management

Critical Evaluation Of The Operations Management The essay is about to critical evaluate the operations management strategy of Hard Rock Cafà © as described in the case materials, and discuss the operations management challenges as well as the opportunities when Hard Rock Cafà © considering expand their business in Hanoi-Vietnam. In the essay, textbook, internet, academic researches will be mentioned to support the critical evaluates operations management, challenges and opportunities issues. According to Heizer el at., (2011), Operations management is defined as any activities that relate to the creation of goods and services through the transformation of inputs and outputs, while operation managers play an important role in the management process. The management process contains planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. (Heizer el at., 2011). In the case materials provided, we will evaluate 10 critical decisions of Operations managements which are goods and service design, managing quality, process and capacity design, location strategy, layout strategy, HR and job design, supply-chain management, inventory, scheduling and last decision is maintenance to see whether how well Hard Rock cafà © applied these decisions in their operation management (Heizer el at., 2011). We will evaluate few decisions amongst those 10 decisions to let people have a broad view of how Hard Rock Cafà © applies these decisions to operate their business. For goods and service design, what services/products should Cafà © give to customers? That is very important issue to Hard Rock Management. As weve known, Hard Rock is in hospitality industry. If they provide products/services wrongly, it would lead the company to bankrupt. Follow the Hard Rock case study, due to the global economic changes, differences in business law, a lot of risk factors that make Hard Rock Cafà © changes from global Strategy into multi-domestic strategy. Multi-domestic strategy is a strategy that companies in each market makes their operating decisions independently of others oversea markets (http://tutor2u.net). In here, company decided to franchise a large number of their cafes by joining with opened cafà © such as in Manchester and Birmingham, which try to attract local residents involve in their business due to this place is not a common place for tourist, where people in here are quite conservative. This decision would make them to redesign their goods and services to meet with the local taste. Differences country would have different cultural, languages, business practices. For example: Hard Rock cafà © in Kuwait would need to change their menus because they cant eat pork. All products are related to pork are prohibited as well as alcohol while in US where people can eat pork, drink alcohol with no restriction due to difference religions and law as well ( Muslim in Kuwait and mainly Catholic, Protestant, Buddhism in US). (http://www.hardrock.com) Another issue is managing quality. Base on Rose el at., (2005), management quality is looked at 4 issues: quality planning, quality control, quality assurance and quality improvement. Hard Rock Cafà © has been focused on quality control and improvement by survey. It has been done regularly with rate from 1 to 7. If the score is not reached score 7 that mean the foods and services will be reviewed. The company has changed their menus to match with local taste as well as upgrade their menu. They are not only focus on their traditional food such as hamburgers and beefs but also look for high class of food like fishes, lobsters. Although customers go to Hard Rock Cafà © because they love music, atmosphere, environment, that is the main reason but high quality of food which show in menus would be value-added to Hard Rock Cafà © reputation and make customers come again. Cianfrani el at., (2009) told that: Quality management could change some of the management principles. This can help t op level management to increase the companys performance as well as satisfy the customers need. This issue is very important for the company which they are strongly focused on customer because most of the Hard Rock Cafà © customers are tourists while a minority is a local resident (Heizer el at., 2011). When the company changes their services/products, they also need to think of their existing supply chain management. Mentzer et al., (2001) stated that: Supply chain management is seen as a mechanism to maintain competition in domestic markets, in light of increasing global competition. The company chooses to upgrade their menu that would restructure their supply chain management because they will need new suppliers as well as maybe eliminate some old suppliers. Hard Rock Cafà © does not want too much on beefs and hamburgers; they want to add more expensive stuff such as fishes and lobsters which would attract a wider range of customers as well as lift the level of Hard Rock Cafà © one step higher. Top level managements also need to consider on the distribution network of new suppliers. Where are their warehouses, distribution centers, number of networking, who are their customers? What are payment terms? Can they deliver goods then we play later or we need to play upfront before they delivery goods? All those things need to consider very careful because it will affect to the cost of the meal later on. If the warehouse of new supplier is too far, it would create a big problem when we run out of food to prepare meal for customers. Moreover, if the company has to make full payment before they deliver goods, it would be an issue to management level to consider because if we can pay them later in a certain day after we receive goods, that is so much better, we can use that money to do something else to make more money and pay the supplier later. Location for Hard Rock Cafà © would a big issue to consider when select the location. A lot of things would affect such as political risk, currency risk, social norms, brand fit, and business practices (Heizer el at., 2011). Political risk is defined as Probability of loss due to political instability in the buyers country that may result in cancellation of a license or otherwise affect the buyers ability to make payments. Political risks are insurable risks, and overlap with the political component of force majeure risks (http://www.businessdictionary.com). It is the main concern when choosing location. Thailand will be a good example. Recently, Thailand has a lot of strikes which would make investors worry. It will also affect tourist industry due to a lot of cancellation tour to Thailand during strike (http://www.thaipro.com). While business practice is another issue Hard Rock Cafà © need to concern. The regulatory framework in Thailand is quite good but whether it is put into p ractice is a different issue (http://www.reuters.com). The business environment in Thailand recently is going down. Corruption is increasing badly. If company wants to expand business in Thailand, this issue would be considering carefully while most of the businesses try to avoid bribing, they want to do clean business especially some companies come from developed countries such as United State, Australia. Maintenance would get involve as the strategy of Hard Rock Cafà © has changed to franchise with opened restaurant or cafà ©. This mean they need to redesign the current cafà ©/restaurant so that will fit local cultural but it will not lose the Hard Rocks visual appearance. Securency Company is an example for bribing. Securency is a joint company between Reserve Bank Australia and British company call Innovia Films. Several former and serving Securency executives engaged in bribery to win deals in Vietnam, Nigeria, Malaysia and Indonesia. Securency Company has been investigated and bribery for some middle-men in order to win the deals oversea has been probed. If Hard Rock Cafà © gets involve in this kind of bribery, this will destroy all the reputation that Hard Rock Cafà © has tried to build up decades ago as well as it will lead to closing down a lot of business if the bribery is proved. Human resource management is also an important matter for company. Armstrong (2006) stated that: Human resource management is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organizations most valued assets: the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives. Nowadays, most of the company is really pay attention about human resource. It can help the company win over their competitors. For restaurant industry, products are important but services could be an extra point to attract customer come back. How Hard Rock could do it? The company needs to provide the better services, cheaper price and faster response to compete with their competitors (Blackwell et al., 2001). Staff turnover is another issue especially in restaurant industry due to very high turnover of employees, around 80% to 100% per year (Heizer el at., 2011). Hard Rock Cafà © is successfully in keep very low percentage of staff turnover by let employees fill in each day schedule what day/shift they would like to work base on their level and how important they are at each shift. The purpose is to balance work and normal life of staff as well as will not let over-employee between two shifts. This method works very well as Hard Rock staffs love that method and it helps to reduce the staff turnover which is percentage of staff turnover in restaurant industry is very high. Although staffs at Hard Rock Cafà © are music lover, happy with the working environment but for normal living life, they cannot live without money. So company should have reasonable salary system in order to help their staffs afford to normal living cost. There is an accusing of an anonymous waiter staff in of the Hard Rock Cafà © in United Kingdom that he/she was getting paid under the national minimum wages which is 2.06 pound per hour while national minimum wages is around 5.73 pound per hour (http://news.bbc.co.uk). Employees in Hard Rock Cafà © in London are relying on tips of customer to push their wages to national minimum wages. These tips could come from cash, credit card tips but we do not know all those tip will be distributed fairly to staffs or the company will keep them and give part of it staffs only. This matter is very important. Salary would a tool to stimulus the performance of employees which could make them work harder, dynamic and enthusiasm. If this matter i s proven, the company will be fined and leads to competitors get gain more market share which is belong to company. In order to expand business in Ha Noi, Vietnam, Hard Rock needs to look at challenges and opportunities before make final decision. These challenges and opportunities are mention below: Based on General Statistics Office of Vietnam, Ha noi is about 3345 km2 with more than 6.5 millions of people which is around 1935 person/km2 (http://www.gso.gov.vn). We can see in here, will small area with a lot of people live in, so it is very hard to find location to open a new business in here. Location is a main concern of company which is easy to access; locate around Central Business District where a lot of traveler and people can see their logo. Moreover, real estate price in Ha Noi is very high compare to other cities so that company would need to consider lease or buy it out (http://vietbao.vn). That would be added to the cost of meal which would be an issue in competitive with other competitors. Another challenge is cultural differences. Cultural differences could cause a lot of problem which Hard Rock needs to find out when planning to do business in Vietnam. Eye contact is an important to tell whether we respect opposite person or not. For Western cultural, when people are talking, it is impolite if we do not look at each others eyes. But in many Asian countries such as Japan and Vietnam, they cannot look at their superiors eyes otherwise it means you have no respect for them. If you do that so, that mean you show your respect to them (Moran el at., 2007). Posture/Gesture can make misunderstanding as well if two business men from difference countries with difference cultural. In Vietnam, it would be friendly if two people stand close, remain little gap between two people but in western way, it should be a gap (at least one meter) when they are talking to each other, it is consider polite. On the other hand, handshake would differences between Asian cultural and Western cultural. Western people prefer firm handshake, that show their respect to business partner as well as trustworthy while in Asia, especially in Vietnam, firm handshake should be avoided while people think it is rude, un-educated, not being friendly to guess. Those things are very important because if they do not understand Vietnamese cultural, it might create problems between level management of Hard Rock towards their employees. This is not good for business as it will create the gap between level management and employees, poor performances, people might want to quit du e to disappointed, do not like working environment. Currency risk is another risk factor. At the moment, the exchange rate between US dollar and Vietnamese dong is very high which is 1 US dollar can change to 19500 VND (www.eximbank.com). If Hard Rock would like to bring their goods over from US to keep original taste, it would make the price of each meal increase due to value of VND is decrease plus no shipping cost from US to Hanoi if they buy those products in Vietnam. The rise and fall of exchange rate could make company have more competitive advantage to competitor but it would be a disaster later on so that advantage would turn to disadvantage as Hard Rock Cafà © strategy wants local residents get involve along with tourists. In Vietnam legal framework is quite good but it is not applied. Intellectual property right is an example. It is not protected even Vietnam has signed a lot agreement which promised to protect the copyright but it does not put it in practice (http://www.vietnam-ustrade.org). The percentage of copyright infringement is still high at 85%, same at year 2007, 2008 (http://phapluattp.vn). Hard Rock Cafà © can be set up today but next few weeks, another Cafà © might be open and all the meals, layout, styles, music would be similar or slightly differences. It will affect the brand name of Hard Rock if customers come in, still though that is Hard Rock Cafà © and they have bad serves or food poisoning. Disregard those challenges above, Ha Noi is still a potential place for investor to consider when open business in here. Firstly, Hanoi is capital of Vietnam with labor force 1.6 million of people while 43% of them are under age of 35; it means 400.000 people enter the market every day (http://industrialzone.vn). Moreover, GDP per capital of Vietnam is around $1156 USD/year which is very low compares to US. It means, company has more option in selecting staffs but pay less money than in US market (http://www.dfat.gov.au). That would save a lot money for company while in US huge money has been paid off for HR and singers. This is an advantage when open business in Hanoi. Secondly, supply chain management would not be a problem because people can come to Hanoi by three main ways: railway, roadway and airway. Hanoi is also a starting point of a lot national highway such as Number 1A national highway, Number 3, 5 national road and NoiBai airport is around 40km away only as well as close to 5 big industry zones which they can supply most of the needs for Hard Rock (http://industrialzone.vn). It is easy to deliver goods for company regularly and on time so company will not be run out of stock even in peak period. Thirdly, since 1990, economics of Vietnam is growing very fast. GDP of Vietnam is around 7% growing continuously while GDP per capital is at $725 USD in 2006 goes up to $1156 USD in 2010 which is nearly double in 4 years time. We can see bright economy, growing very fast which is a potential market with around 90 millions of people (http://www.dfat.gov.au). That could open for Hard Rock a lot of chances while invest in Vietnam as a lot of US companies did it long time ago such as IBM, Intel and many more US companies. Intel is good example in investment. They just announced to decided to make the $1 billion investment in a relative newcomer to the high-tech game Vietnam (http://www.usatoday.com). This decision is good news for Vietnam which could create a hundred thousand jobs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as well as could bring back huge profits for Intel in the future as labor cost in Vietnam is quite cheap but highly educated. In conclusion, ten operation management decisions play an important role in doing business of company. Those decisions mentioned above are not all of ten decisions but it would show out how important ten operation management decisions in managing quality, improve performance of employees, create new goods/services in order to adapt to the fast changing of global economic. If Hard Rock Cafà © can continue to perform as they are doing right now, it would be the strength and a competitive edge toward their competitors.

Tension and Suspense in The Red Room by H.G. Wells :: English Literature

Tension and Suspense in The Red Room by H.G. Wells In H.G Wells’ The Red Room tension and suspense are created through the characters, the plot and the setting. The setting is typical of Gothic and Victorian ghost stories. In these times there was no electricity so use of candles for light created an eerie atmosphere. They had no modern technology like televisions for entertainment so they used books and story telling. Also people in Victorians times were less educated than we were now so they relied more on religion than science which made them more gullible which adds to the suspense as they were more likely to believe this story. Short stories usually have to start well to attract a reader’s attention and keep it throughout. The best way to do this is to begin with an enticing level of tension and keep building up throughout the story. Wells uses literary techniques such as short clauses and good word choice to build up the suspense. The story is based on three old characters warning a man not to stay in the isolated red room, but him being over confident that nothing haunts the room, he goes and stays there over night. Talk about connotations of colour in the title!!!! The characters build the suspense straight away as they do not tell the man their names, which creates a lack of personalisation. It makes the reader feel as if they are hiding something, and that maybe they are subhuman. Also the description of each of the old characters is abnormal. The old man is described with a â€Å"withered arm† which is a feature of horror which can create pictures in the reader’s mind of peculiar person. â€Å"Decaying† and â€Å"yellow teeth† are both phrases which implies a huge contrast between the man and the old people. The man is young and confident about going to the red room and he is also un-believing in ghost. The old people are awkward to one anther and towards the man,†with their gaunt silences†, â€Å"evident unfriendliness†. He will fear these old people and if the narrator feels uneasy so will the reader. The repetition of warnings is another factor that creates suspense. Each of the characters warns the man repeatedly of the danger in the room. The man with the withered arm repeats several times â€Å"it’s your own choosing† The other old man shows his â€Å"small and bright and inflamed† eyes. His eyes are portrayed like fire, and fire is a symbol of danger. The young man again sees â€Å"another Glance of his red eyes†. The old woman repeats â€Å"this night of all nights†.