Will To Power By Friedrich Nietzsche Essays (1314 words)

Will To Power By Friedrich Nietzsche The existential philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche believed that humanity nedded to be overcome. He viewed humans as weak creatures and slaves to the Christian religion. In The Will to Power, Nietzsche asserts the poer of the overman-- a creature beyond Christian good and evil-- to replace the passive man. To understand the book, it is first necessary to understand what Nietzsche means by 'The Will to Power'. Denneson describes this as a 'psychological presupposition' which assumes "that humans are always attempting to inflict their wills upon others" (Denneson, 1). When considering the use of the term 'ubermensch' or 'overman' in this work, it is also necessary to understand exactly what Nietzsche means by this term. This is seen by many as the way in which he refers to a 'superhuman'. In the past, many comparisons wre made between Nietzsche's overman and the Nazi idea of the superior race. However, this has been re-evaluated by many scholars, and the comparison is no longer seen in the same light. The overman is seen as the next step up from normal humans; this creature could even be interpreted as the next step up the evolutionary ladder. The overman is not isolated to just this work; we see Nietzsche talk about this creature in other works such as Thus Spoke Zarathustra and The Antichrist. The idea is not new, but at best, it is still controversial (Cross, 1). The Will to Power, which results from these two books, contains various metaphors and generalizations which display contradictions and tensions (Harman, 2). The philosophies which underlie all of Nietzsche's writing are themselves contradictory; they both celebrate and embrace the humanity of man, whilst holding it in contempt and insulting it at the same time (Cross, 7). The concept oof the overman appears to be a contradiction in itself, reflecting the views that Nietzsche himself expresses about the human condition. The creature is dichotomy, seeing himself as superior and a master of his environment, but simultaneously he hates his human self, seeing his weaknesses and flaws. In this manner of representation, one must question if this creature could ever become a reality. Cross argues that the overmanis a contradiction in terms of existence which cannot be resolved due to the constraints which Nietzsche applies to this hypothetical creature. Cross states, "this creature can only succeed in negating himself, and, in essence, can never truly exist at all." Nietzsche has the view that mankind as it exists is a disease of a 'sickness' which is destroying itself, reflecting the porr nature of a modern man and his lack of pro-activism, being seen as a purely passive creature unalbe to rebel and define his life. Nietzsche further argues that the passive reaction of the occurrences in society are the result of the Christian religion (Cross, 2). Nietzche's view of man's 'sickness' reveals itself very strongly in The Antichrist, but The Will to Power also displays his view. This book reflects Nietzsche's belief that all creatures, whatever they are, have a requirement and a need to follow commands of some sort. The freedom of the overman is that the individual despises what he is and has been, and in this is able to learn to command himself. However, this is a difficult and self-destructive process. The perception of the comand over power is an interesting one; it is not the straight forward meaning of control over others, but also the control over one's self. In The Will to Power, Nietzsche sees those who look to improve themselves as looking to the 'will to truth'. However, he argues that in doing this, they are not really seeking new values, but that htey are trying to find a way of bringing all men under the same code of understanding. In effect, they are bringing them all further to the weaknesses for which he blames Christianity. Nietzsche says he believes that a man who acts out of laziness, or does not act for the same reason is bad, and this passive stance allows the weaknesses of society to become more entrenched and accepted, this becoming of a self-fulfilling prophecy-- the more it happens, the more it will cause its continuation. The passive man does not display obedience to himself, but to society. The overman is obedient to himself, arguably hte hardest type of obedience. Therefore, the will to power is the power to set one's own values and one's own goals. The power is therefore not any type of physical brute force, but a strong and enduring

Konstantin Levin and His Strug essays

Konstantin Levin and His Strug essays In Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy examines the psychological makeup of Konstantin Levin. On one hand, he is a symbol for the educated landowners and aristocracy that is prevalent in Russia. Conversely, he represents the struggle in searching for the meaning of life. Although part of the Russian Aristocracy, Levin finds contentment in farming and manual labor. It is in the agricultural environment that Levin discovers his purpose when viewing the blue sky and experiencing nonverbal communication. One of the most famous scenes of Anna Karenina is the mowing at Levin's estate. The first fully developed interaction between Levin and the peasant class symbolizes the triumph of nature over the stained upper classes, the essence of Slavism that would save Russia from Europe's fate of nihilism and anarchism, and the core of a future religious utopia. They here appear in the narrator's brief snatches of description in a very neutral, factual light. Characteristic of Tolstoy's prose is the importance of point of view, and often Tolstoy will recount the same scene from many different view points, even to the point of including the inner monologues of Levin's hunting dog during a shooting outing. In the fields so prosaically presented by the narrator, Levin's view of the peasants that work his lands is nothing short of an exalted religious experience accompanied by an intense and driven rational analysis. Here, sickle in hand, Levin confronts in a classic and symbolic simplicity the source of his unhappiness and a vision of how it may be overcome. The arbitrary twists and turns of the fields they mow and the uneven surface of the Earth that knock and trip the mowers are symbols of the unstructured world that Levin confronts and that is so indifferent to the intense and almost unspeakable love that draws him to Kitty. As he tears at the grass with such energy that he nearly collapses at the end of each length, next to him an old man slices easi...

Acute Respiratory Distress Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Acute Respiratory Distress Case Study - Essay Example area and that usually HPS occurs in a shed or cabin closed for some time but which is improperly cleaned (â€Å"Facts about Hantaviruses,† 2011; â€Å"Hantavirus,† 2011). This enclosed area usually contains rodent excreta, which when inhaled by a human would cause HPS (Siegel, 2011). The virus, specifically known as Sin Nombre Virus or SNV, has a rodent host – which is usually the deer mouse, the white-footed mouse, the cotton rat and the rice rat (Siegel, 2011; â€Å"Facts about Hantaviruses,† CDC, 2011). It is the excreta from these rodents, usually in the form of urine, saliva or feces, that contains the virus (Siegel, 2011). When the charge nurse said, â€Å"I knew there was a good reason not to clean my house,† she was referring to the improper way of cleaning the cabin where the young male patient most likely acquired HPS. It was partly the fault of the girlfriend, who considered herself a â€Å"neat freak† and who was â€Å"constantly cleaning and disinfecting.† Little did she know that there was probably rat excreta in the cabin which was inhaled by her boyfriend right after she cleaned it improperly. According to Siegel (2011), â€Å"peridomestic activities associated with HPS were cleaning food storage areas or outbuildings† and this was probably what the girlfriend always did. However, since the proper way of cleaning up rodent excreta is by NOT sweeping or vacuuming and since the girlfriend probably did exactly this, then it caused the virus-infested excreta particles to go into the air and reach the boyfriend’s lungs by inhalation (â€Å"Facts about Hantaviru ses, CDC, 2011). However, the question remains on whether the disease is found only in the Southwest or what factors exactly determine the places where the SNV might be present. Based on past data, the disease has actually spread to the neighboring states like South Dakota and North Dakota. In fact, only after two months from the attack in the Southwest in May 1993, there were cases found in Nevada,

Economic approach to explain the existence of prostitution Essay

Economic approach to explain the existence of prostitution - Essay Example As a result, the opportunity cost of forsaking a wife or a girlfriend for a prostitute is that, an individual is able cut on unnecessary expenses meant to please a girlfriend. Further, an individual would save on time that is wasted while trying to please a girlfriend or wife with picnics, dinner or visiting holiday resort (Merriam-Webster, 2013). In addition, the money that is channeled to a wife or girlfriend can be used for other personal gains such as improving one’s business venture. The cost benefit of accessing the services of a prostitute is that the buyer can select from varieties, and one is not compelled to stick on one seller. In essence, the quality that the buyer gets depends on how much the buyer can pay. The business is flexible in the sense that a buyer can assess the seller’s services depending on the amount the buyer can pay. In this context, the higher the quality of the services rendered, the higher cost for the buyer and vice versa. In the business of prostitution, the buyer is not interested in establishing a relationship, but to access the services of the seller on a short term basis. This is more convenient compared to a stable relationship where the buyer (male) is compelled to provide both material and emotional support. Numerous responsibilities often arise from a relation, and as a result, the prostitution business is on high demand at the present due to the buyers avoiding responsibilities of marriage and looking for short term pleasures.... However, it is the male who often feel pinched as a result of spending exorbitantly on gifts and other pleasantries while receiving none on return (Postrel, 2006). While, on the other hand, the sellers are professionals who only engage in satisfying the desires of the buyer in a short period where both come out winners. The buyer gains in terms of pleasure provided and commensurate with the payment while, the seller gains in terms of payment for services by the buyer. Buyers are often attracted to a quick delivery of services in which no attachment are formed so as to save on unforeseen expenses in the future that, is a product of a long term relationship. As a result, in terms of cutting on the cost of maintaining a relationship, prostitution offers an alternative for buyers to budget for pleasure rather than an impulsive spending influenced by relationship bonds (Postrel, 2006). On the other hand, the seller in this business often the women engage in the business for a number of re asons. It could be that the business pays highly, or it is a cheaper means of earning a living for those who engage in the business. Commercial sex as a business provides one of the easiest forms of employment in the sense that, one only need to provide a few minutes of pleasure to the buyer to earn some money (The Economist, 2013). However, the payment within the business often vary and is influenced by a number of reasons that include the nature of pleasure and risks exposed to the seller. There are sellers who earn meagre amounts from the business while others make millions from the same business. Commercial sex is competitive, and the seller needs to come up with appropriate business

Origin of the Postal Rule Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Origin of the Postal Rule - Essay Example Consequently, a general rule dictating the time of an efficient acceptance was required1. The postal rule was originally invented as an attempt to provide some form of assurance to an offeree acknowledging an offer through post. From the case of Adams v Lindsell [1818] the courts ruled that if the general rule concerning acceptance of an offer is applied to an acceptance sent by post, then an offeree would never truly be certain of the existence of an obligatory deal until the offeror confirms receipt of the letter of acceptance2. The postal rule was applied in this case since post was the singular way of communication. This assignment aims at critically discussing the postal rule its similarities to e-mail and whether it should be expanded to encompass modern modes of communication specially email3. Applicability of Postal Rule to E-mail At its instigation, the post was solely the only means of communication. The introduction of other modes of communication over the years, calls for expansion of the rule to include particularly email since it is the most commonly used method of settling deals. This rule should also extend include e-mail since e-mail is essentially a letter in electronic form. Moreover, at time of inception of the rule, post was expedient and fast; this true for e-mails today hence applicability of the rule to e-mail4. However, it is difficult to classify e-mail as either instantaneous or not since in some cases it may reach the recipient in a matter of seconds and delays are rare. On the other hand, it is common for mails to take longer to reach the recipient hence the postal rule may not stand at this point. Similarities of the Post and Email There are several comparisons between post and e-mail. Firstly, when an e-mail is sent from the sender’s outbox it cannot be recalled and this situation is similar to the postal rule5. Additionally, an e-mail is a digital comparable of a letter sent via post. All usual functions of postal mail hap pen through e-mail like advertising or invitations to treat (Partridge v Crittenden [1968]). Acceptance through e-mail remains unsettled by courts since there still exists uncertainties on the subjects of offer and reception related to the development of e-mail based contracts. In this case, there are different points of acceptance. It could be the moment when thee e-mail departs from the sender’s outbox, the instant it gets into the recipients inbox, when it is collected from the server or when it is read. This is also analogous to the postal rule as it is not clear when an acceptance is made. In the postal rule an acceptance is binding when the acceptor puts it in the mail box for return mail to the offeror not considering whether it reaches him/her. Since the establishment of the postal rule in the 1800s, several other means of communication have come up. This includes telephone, telegraph, email and facsimile. Both the post and email are both used as avenues of communicat ion since the message/information is delivered finally regardless of the time taken to deliver the message. Another similarity is the greeting cards. When email was first introduced, it did not have things like greeting cards. At the time, only the postal service did. Nowadays, greeting cards can be sent via email and may even come with sounds and songs`. In both

Intercontinental Hotels Group Analysis

Intercontinental Hotels Group Analysis Intercontinental Hotel Groups is an international hotel company that has a goal that it always aims at achieving is that to create Great hotels that the Guests love. Intercontinental hotels group which is also known in short form as IHG has more guest rooms available under their banner than any other hotel group. IHG has grown from a very small company to a massive company handling various branded hotel properties under its wings. IHG has more than 650.000 rooms in over 4,400 hotels across 100 countries the total stays that are done by guest in the IHG properties is over 130 million every year. 1(IHG website) With a clear view of what are its priorities, IHGs main purpose is creating Great Hotels Guests Love with everything done focused on the guest the staff. It operates hotels in three different ways as a franchisor, a manager and on an owned and leased basis. It also operates seven leading hotel brands InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. It also manages the worlds largest hotel loyalty programme in the industry known as the, Priority Club Rewards, which has 48 million members worldwide. IHG is molded around these three regions: The Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa; and Asia Pacific. 2(IHG Annual Report) 1 Strategic Corporate Development History of IHG: The formation of IHG has gone through various stages as any other company would have gone through which was taken successfully by William Bass who had a brewery in 1777 slowly but gradually entered in the hotel industry by acquisition of a breweries like the Mitchells Butlers in the 1960s which grew considerably large which when the government realized issued orders in legislations that breweries cannot hold on a large number of pubs which then made Bass reduce the pubs it owned dramatically which triggered a huge amount of cash flow which gave Bass an ability to develop an international hotel business which started with the acquisitions of a few hotel groups like Holiday Inn in 1988 also launched the Holiday Inn Express to be complementary to the Holiday Inn brand, side by side Bass grew his pub business side by side acquired The Harvester Chain of Restaurants in 1994 also launched its new brand of hotels known as Crown Plaza Hotels resorts climbing up to the upscale hotel mar ket. In 1996 bass tried to acquire  ½ of Carlsberg Tetley which again was hampered by the UK government which helps Bass to come back on line concentrate on the hotels pubs divisions leaving breweries aside. A year later in 1997 the hotel business focus becomes truly brand focused because Bass had already sold a few north American midscale hotels but held back to the brand name of the hotels through franchising agreements. Also that year Bass created launched a new brand of hotels known as the Staybridge Suites which was targeted at the upscale hotel market. Staybridge suites became the fastest brand in this upscale segment to reach 50 units in America. In 1998 Bass acquired the intercontinental hotel company, adding adding to its fold another upscale brand to its hotel portfolio. It was another considerable acquisition to cost saving synergies to the fold of hotel portfolio run by Bass. In 1999 Bass again acquired 550 handpicked high potential sites in UK also a strong 3500 strong pub estate from allied domecq. In 2000 Bass went on to acquire the Southern Pacific Corporation (SPHC) in Australia, which guaranteed Basss position as the leading hotel company in Asia Pacific. Later in the year Bass sold of his Bass breweries for 2.3 billion pounds. This was the final step by Bass to completely focusing on being the international hospitality retailer from being a domestic brewer a process which took a long period of 10 years to complete. Over the period of time Bass sold off name of bass and changed the name to Six Continents PLC. a name which it bettered into to reflect the global spread of the groups business. In the month of February 2001 Six Continents sold 988 of its smaller unbranded pubs for 625million pounds, which further funded the buying of the European Posthouse chain of hotels for 810million pounds. The acquisition of this company which had strategically placed hotels could be converted to Holiday Inn concentrating the Holiday Inn brand in UK Europe. Later that year it went on to acquire Intercontinental Hong Kong for 241 Million pounds strengthening its position in the Chinese Asia Pacific markets. On 1st October 2002 Six Continents Plc announced its separation of the groups hotel soft drinks businesses (to be called Inter Continental Group Plc) from the retail business (to be called Mitchells Butlers Plc) of which 700 million Pounds of the proceedings returned capital to shareholders. The whole procedure of separation was completed on the 15th of April 2003. Intercontinental Hotels Group Plc (IHG) from then on is a distinct, discrete company, listed in the UK US stock markets. In July 2003 IHG sold Staybridge Suites to Hospitality Properties Trust (HPT) entered into a 20year management agreement. Later in the year they added a midscale extended stay brand Candlewood Suites to its portfolio. In the year 2004 IHG announced the introduction of a new brand, hotel Indigo which focused on providing affordable boutique accommodation. In the same month, the group adopted new standards for selling and re-selling hotel rooms for guest stay through online travel companies. Following the success of the Up Scale market brand of Staybridge Suites North America IHG launched its extension of Staybridge suites to UK in April2005. Also in 2005 IHG went ahead disposed of its soft drinks 100% holdings in Britvic Plc. With this disposal IHG became a company with a pure hotel focus. In 2006 IHG went ahead signed a joint venture with All Nippon Airways (ANA), resulting the following projects IHG ANA hotels group Japan will be the largest international hotel operator in Japan, the worlds second largest hotel market. The deal saw the introduction of three new brands created for Japan. ANA-IHG, ANA-Crowne Plaza ANA Holiday Inn. In the year 2007 IHG announces that a worldwide relaunch of the Holiday Inn brand family, comprising Holiday Inn, Express by Holiday Inn Holiday Inn Express. The re launch was done with the intention of giving it a refreshed contemporary brand image. All the hotels were supposed to have completed the re launch in 2010 with the 1st re launch taking place in 2008. In the year 2008 after the re launches of Holiday Inn taking place Staybridge Suites extended its brand more in UK the first Hotel Indigo opened in London. In 2009 the1500th hotel was relaunched over the 40% of Holiday Inn Holiday Inn Express. Strategy used from the start to the current time period: Bass the main brain behind the whole formation of the Intercontinental Hotel Group has played a major role in the slow but steady growth of this company from a small company to a worldwide known company. Bass has grown this huge group through the basis of trial error round which he has experimented in various concepts of owning then selling then franchising finally managing properties. Bass has being following the linear model of growth through various acquisitions. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC was formed by the separation of Six Continents PLC (previously Bass PLC) on 15 April 2003. The restaurant and pubs part of Six Continents became Mitchells Butlers plc. However, IHGs brands trace their history back much further than 2003. Our Holiday Inn brand, one of the worlds most recognized was created in the 1950s by Kemmons Wilson in the US. InterContinental, another of our brands was created by Pan Am in the 1940s, when hotels were built in many of Pan Ams destinations. 3(ihg.com) Over the past few years, Intercontinental hotels group has maintained itself strategically to be more efficient and effective and make full use of their global status. A predominantly franchised and managed, fee-based business was the main focus of IHG. The strategy that IHG followed made their income stream predictable with a strong cash generation which allowed it to continue in growth because all their new hotels were funded by third-party investment. IHG went ahead and relaunched Holiday Inn in 2007 and although the unexpected economic circumstances that came by IHG during that time period, it went on and got on with the $1 billion programme because of the belief of the heads of IHG that it was exactly the right time to go ahead with the relaunches. The relaunch went on to building back peoples perceptions of Holiday Inn. The guest wanting to try Holiday Inn with IHG with its value theyre giving the Brand once down another try and liking and accepting what they found. Guest satisfaction was going up and owners could see the Revenue per rooms out perform. These economic circumstances might seem like a great reason to shy away from making such big changes, but time will show that it is both a very opportune and very effective initiative for this, our biggest brand, as quoted by the CEO of IHG Mr. Andrew Cosslett. 3 http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=40 Current strategy used by Intercontinental Hotels Group: Bass the main brain behind the whole formation of the Intercontinental Hotel Group has played a major role in the slow but steady growth of this company from a small company to a worldwide known company which currently has an operating strength of 4400 hotels with 130 million guests visiting a year and under its umbrella has and widely known and reputed hotel brands covering all the major segments of the market, also have a reservations system which consists of 10 call centers in 29 languages it has also strived to be the top leader in the market has been able to position itself through its strategy of growing doing retailing in hotel sector have been able to position itself among the 6 largest hotel market, much more than any other company. Intercontinental hotel group has also been able to make the no.1 website for its guests investors in 13 different languages. They also have a global sales team of 8000 to conduct the sales of the hotels situated all over the 100 countries that they have their presence. Intercontinental hotels also has a loyalty programme which offers priority club rewards which are largest in the industry for over 48milllion of the guests which has been planned so strategically that . It has been stated on IHGs website that We have moved from investing heavily in hotel properties to return to our roots as a hotel franchise and management company with only a few owned assets. This change of focus has led to an industry-leading asset sale programme. Since 2003 we have sold  £2.9 billion worth of property. Many of these hotels have remained under our brands with management or franchise contracts, thereby creating a future income stream for IHG 4 (ihg.com). Over the past few months, IHGs continued growth in new rooms has helped to put off some of the revenue lost from Revenue per room declines. Driving in coming revenue into the hotels had been a priority and its system is the key to delivering this. Their system comprises of world class reservations centres, websites, global sales teams and Priority Club Rewards loyalty scheme and delivered 68 per cent of rooms revenue to the hotels in 2009. Reducing the overall cost base of IHG was crucial to managing through the downturn. IHG was already reducing costs to run the properties more effectively but with the economic downturn they steeped up the pace of change that was being gradually run. While they were reducing costs by taking better advantage of their way of operation as well their spread being worldwide, this also forced them to make reductions in the number of staff which unfortunately impacted jobs of IHG staff all over in the majority of properties. All these actions were taken in 2009 to reduce costs, while it was a very difficult period of the economic downturn; it allowed IHG to save a lot of cash and continue its investments in those things that attract guests to come to its hotels and revenues to the owners. The great working relationship that IHG shares with the owners of their properties, both directly and through the IAHI, which is IHGs Owners Association, has also been major contributor to the quick recovery also to the massive expansion taking place. By working alongside with the hotel owners, IHGs able to focus on the guest experience and on delivering Great Hotels Guests Love. 5 (ihg.com). 4http://www.ihgplc.com/files/reports/ar2009/files/pdf/2009_Annual_Report.pdf 5http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=40 The 48 million members of IHGs Priority Club Rewards programme remained loyal though the economic downturn and had been most supportive during the difficult times. Not only did these guests stay with IHG more often, they spent more when they did. A guests loyalty can never be taken for granted it is something that can take years to achieve and seconds to lose. So IHG had made sure they have continued to add benefits to the loyalty programme right through the downturn, and made membership of it even more worthwhile. In 2009 it enrolled six million new members into the programme thats a significant number of people whose first choice will now be to stay in one of IHGs hotels. IHGs future growth will be achieved predominantly through franchising and managing rather than owning hotels which in turn will drive down costs increase profits by the fact that all the investment in the hotels would be done by third parties. Approximately 641,000 rooms operating under the Group brands are franchised or managed and 5,800 rooms are owned and leased. The franchised and managed fee-based model is attractive because it enables the Group to achieve its goals with limited capital investment at an accelerated pace. A further advantage is the reduced volatility of the fee-based income stream, compared with ownership of assets. A key characteristic of the franchised and managed business is that it generates more cash than is required for investment in the business, with a high return on capital employed. Currently 87% of continuing earnings before regional and central overheads, exceptional items, interest and tax is derived from franchised and managed operations. The Current Strategies followed by IHG Hotels Group: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 90% of deals signed in scale markets and key gateway cities; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 10 signings of Hotel Indigo and Staybridge Suites outside of North America; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 439 hotels opened globally. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Increased proportion of revenue delivery through IHG global reservations channels and PCR members direct by four percentage points to an average 68% of global hotel rooms revenue in 2009 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Major procurement savings made; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Increased use of offshore transaction processing; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Technology infrastructure developed to support owner management and loyalty marketing. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Continued to cascade Great Hotels Guests Love in hotels and corporate offices; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Meeting ongoing resourcing requirements to match hotel growth in scale markets; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Managing employee engagement; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continued focus on attracting and retaining talent. 1,697 relaunched Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels open around the world; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Industry-leading Priority Club Rewards (PCR) loyalty programme with 48 million members, contributing $5.6bn of global system rooms revenue à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Green Engage sustainability management system developed (patent pending); rolled out to over 900 hotels by 31 December 2009; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Extensive consumer research undertaken to quantify green opportunity with consumers; and (IHG annual report) 3 Future strategies to be used by Intercontinental Hotels Group: IHGs prime focus should be on growing faster by making its brands the first choice for both guests and hotel owners. We will do this by building the hotel industrys strongest operating system, focused on the biggest markets and segments where scale really counts. 5 (ihg.com). During these tough economic times, IHG had taken decisive action both to strengthen the efficiency of its businesses and to keep their course with its growth strategy. IHG should continue to invest in its staff, its systems and its brands, while moving even closer in working relationships with its hotel owners and partners. With momentum and a united, winning spirit inside the business, IHG is well placed to make the most of the upturn when it comes. As quoted by the CEO of IHG Mr. Andrew Cosslett. IHGs Ambition IHG should focus on its core purpose of creating Great Hotels Guests Love as the moto has always been, which is a growing crave to deliver among other key performance indicators (KPIs), closely enduring top quartile shareholders returns when measured against a broad global hotel peer group. For the three-year period of 2007 to 2009, IHG was fourth among its peers on Total Shareholder Return (TSR) and should always remain focused and try to come to the 1st position. Measuring IHG against a collection of specific KPIs aimed at delivering its core purpose, cascaded to the hotel level. Successful performance against various combinations of these metrics would result in higher profitability.. IHGs Future Strategy: IHGs strategy has seen significant development through 2009 as it moved to make its core purpose a reality, despite challenging economic circumstances. In 2009, IHG took a hard look at its operations and capabilities to focus on what really matters most to deliver Great Hotels Guests Love. It has backed this up with a major effort to align its staff and measure the most important drivers, resulting in a clear, target-based programme within the hotels to motivate teams and guide behaviors. IHGs strategy encompasses two key aspects: Where does it choose to compete; and How will it win where it competes? The Groups underlying Where strategy is that IHG would grow a portfolio of differentiated hospitality brands in select strategic countries and global key cities to maximise the scale advantage. The How aspect of our strategy flows from our core purpose and our research at the hotel level as to what really makes a difference for guests. In support of this overall strategy there are key priorities like Where we compete and How we win. To help IHGs hotels and corporate staff measure their efforts in achieving Great Hotels Guests Love, IHG provides clear metrics aligned with the four How we win priorities against which progress is gauged. The Group strategy also translates into specific regional objectives and priorities. . IHGs Delivery System:C:UsersdDesktopUntitled.png Driving demand IHGs operating system is made up of all the things we do to drive demand for our brands. This includes our advertising and marketing campaigns, our 10 global call centres, 13 local language websites, an 8,000-strong sales force, Priority Club Rewards the worlds largest hotel loyalty scheme which has 48 million members and all the advantages that IHGs global hotel distribution and scale brings to brand awareness. Hotel distribution IHG has over 4,400 hotels in over 100 countries worldwide. Our brands are in the top 3 in 7 of the 12 largest hotel markets in the world. When people travel, they look for familiar brands they know from home, increasing the demand for hotels that operate under our brands around the world. Advertising and marketing Each year, IHGs franchisees pay a fee into a central fund. This fund is used on their behalf for marketing and promotions to drive guest demand for IHGs brands. Brand sponsorships, television and print advertising campaigns and public relations activity across the globe are all ways in which the fund can be used. Priority Club Rewards IHGs Priority Club Rewards is the largest hotel loyalty scheme in the world, with 48 million members. Web presence The 13 local language websites take over 7.4 million bookings a year theyre a shop window for the hotels across the world under IHG,s banner, 365 days a year. www.holiday-inn.com is one of the industrys most visited websites, notching up 75 million site visits in 2005. The websites operate in the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. Reservation system IHG,s 10 global reservation offices are available to take hotel bookings from guests 24 hours a day in 26 languages including Arabic, Cantonese, Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog and Thai. They deal with 700 transactions per minute. Sales force IHG have a global sales force of more than 8,000 professionals throughout the world, talking about and selling the booking of hotels under our brands to individuals and companies. Considering the future strategy which is goin to be used to the growth achievement of IHG are as follows: Consumer understanding: As one of the worlds largest hotel groups, IHG has gained valuable insights into where and how consumers seek hotel information and make reservations across various channels and from various local, regional and global sources. This information has shaped the way we engage with our customers and enabled us to drive up returns for owners. Global Reservations System All IHG hotels benefit from the worlds most advanced reservation system Holidex Plus.The system links more than 230,000 terminals worldwide and processes over 130 million stays a year thats about 700 transactions per second. This is serviced by our 12 worldwide reservation centres which receive up to 14 million calls annually in 15 different languages. Global Distribution Systems (GDS) Our reservation systems also link with all the major GDS, the channel of choice for travel professionals and large corporate buyers. This gives us global around the clock access to the travel trade. IHG online Our websites continue to be a fast-growing reservation channel. They offer a comprehensive, customer-friendly and secure booking service in 13 languages and provide a low cost of sale. We receive more than 5 million unique web visitors per month and also benefit from the lowest clicks-to-book rate in the industry. Worldwide sales IHGs worldwide sales team is more than 8,000 strong. As well as generating new revenue, the team also manages key corporate and agent accounts and provides local hotel sales support to maximise revenue and keep IHG hotels top of mind. 6 (IHG.com) Some Of the Future Milestones to be achieved: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continue international roll-out of Staybridge Suites and Hotel Indigo; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Execute growth strategies in agreed scale markets; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continue to leverage scale and build improved strategic position during the economic downturn Increase global sales force effectiveness; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continue further procurement programmes to identify efficiencies; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Begin migration to next-generation revenue management IT systems; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continue focus on owned and managed estate margins and return on capital employed (ROCE), especially in our key InterContinental assets. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Drive greater efficiency and simplicity through better use of technology; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Focus on developing skills to support the key goals for responsible business, guest experience and financial returns. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Complete Holiday Inn repositioning roll-out; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continue to simplify brand standards process to improve owner returns without impairing guest experience; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continue to enhance experience for PCR members in hotels and across global reservations channels; increase IHG business from PCR members à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Continue to roll out the Green Engage sustainability management system to 100% of our owned and managed hotels and expand into the franchised estate in all three regions; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Focus on innovation within new and existing brands to deliver valued green related hotels and services to guests. (IHG annual report) 6 http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=293 BIBLOGRAPHY: 1http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=16 2http://www.ihgplc.com/files/reports/ar2009/files/pdf/2009_Annual_Report.pdf 3 http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=40 4http://www.ihgplc.com/files/reports/ar2009/files/pdf/2009_Annual_Report.pdf 5http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=40 6 http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=293

Women In The Odyssey Essay -- essays research papers

The literature composed during the era when the Odyssey was written was directed by men. Woman characters were valued but the only participated in affairs when they had the permission of men. The men, for the most part, directed the women's lives. The themes used in literature were on the subjects that men would be interested in; combat; warriors, and rulers. Domestic affairs, for the most part, were not noted. There is a immense contrast between the Odyssey and other epic poetry of the period. There are several women characters in the Odyssey. All of them add to plot in significant ways and they are also treated with admiration. The women of the poem change the lives of the gods and men, and how they link in significant ways to one another. Penelope, the wife of Odyssues, is the perfect wife and mother. She is also independant and intelligent. Penelope's character is Homer's model of the ideal woman. She worries when her son Telemachos sails to locate his father and grieves over the absence of her husband. Many times throughout the poem Penelope cries herself to sleep, yearning for information of her husband's welfare. Even after nearly twenty years of absence, Penelope still praises of her husband. At any time Penelope could have married one of the suitors and provided a father figure for her son. This fact demonstrate Penelopes loylaty to her husband. . Standing before the suitors, Penelope announces that whoever among them can string the bow and shoot an arrow through ...

Arthur Conan Doyle Essay

Discuss Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s presentation of evil in the Hound of the Baskervilles  In some eyes, Doyle is the creator of Sherlock Holmes and the man who started the whole detective genre scene. However, my admiration for Doyle goes further than just enjoying Holmes’s latest escapade.  On a superficial level, Doyle uses powerful verbs and adjectives to create the evil atmosphere, and teamed up with the colourful writing of the background, he can simply and easily create a blanket of malice around the hound;  Ã¢â‚¬Å"There stood a foul thing, a great, black beast†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  In my mind, the best way Doyle portrays evil is by adding a touch of verisimilitude to his novel. â€Å"Of course, I’ve heard of the hound ever since I was in the nursery. It’s the pet story of the family, though I never thought of taking it seriously before.†Ã‚  Here, by adding a history to the hound, Doyle gave an unbelievable beast a sense of authenticity.  Doyle can contribute to the ‘believability factor’ in other ways;  Ã¢â‚¬Å"From this point onwards I will follow the course of events by transcribing my own letters to Mr Sherlock Holmes which lie before me on the table.†Ã‚  This is an excellent example of how Doyle can make a fictional character recite a fictional event, and still have it sound as if it is a factual account.  The weather is another method employed by Doyle to give the novel realism. â€Å"October 16th – A dull and foggy day, with a drizzle of rain. The house is banked in with rolling clouds, which rise now and then to show the dreary curves of the moor, with thin, silver veins upon the sides of the hills, and the distant boulders gleaming where the light strikes upon their wet faces†Ã‚  Here, instead of going into the character’s actions, Doyle goes into great detail about the surroundings, to add to the authenticity of the proceeding actions. More specifically about the bleak weather, the malevolence of the hound is easier to comprehend because of the desolate backdrop of the Moors.  Moving away from the idea of the weather being used to create realism, I can see a more important part the weather plays in the novel. Doyle uses the weather so extensively throughout the narrative you could say that the weather is a character in its own right. Doyle’s use of patheticfallacy helps to convey the character’s feelings of terror towards the evil of the hound, which combined with points I mentioned previously, help to improve the impact of the, in comparison, small matter of a large dog.  Ã¢â‚¬ËœDiscuss the presentation of evil in the Hound of the Baskervilles’ is a difficult question to answer. That’s why I thought it best to go to the hound itself;  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Or a spectral hound, black, silent, and monstrous?†Ã‚  The hound is expressed as a satanic manifestation, a beast with no hope, no scruples. It symbolises the greed and evil harboured in men, and what could be unleashed if the thin veneer of morality, which protects us from our own desires, was breached. You could even go as far as to say that the beast is Doyle’s representation of the darker side of capitalism. The beast is also a symbol of how fear can be use against people, and how people can be led to believe the unbelievable;  Ã¢â‚¬Å"To do so would be to descend to the level of these poor peasants who are not content with a mere fiend dog, but must needs describe him with hell-fire shooting from his mouth and eyes.†Ã‚  As touched on previously, this story can be read simply by fans of the Sherlock Holmes trilogy and the simply put evil references on the surface of the novel can act in as good as a way as the deeper points. Also the pace of action is a simple writer’s trick to help boost the presentation of the subject. For example, Doyle uses fast snappy sentences, such as ‘gaunt, savage and as large as a small lioness’, to speed up the action, and he uses long and complex sentences to allow the reader to reflect on the previous action. They are also used to allow the reader to start to solve the mystery in their own head. Another point of interest for me is the idea of a tragedy, the main tragedy of course being Stapleton. The thought that Stapleton could have been a good and loyal friend to Sir Charles Baskerville, but then turned to the greed in his own heart of the possible inheritance, is what constitutes a real tragedy.  To conclude, there are many ways in which Doyle portrays evil through his writing, be they the beast, the realism developed or the simple good versus evil. However, I have also found that none of the methods can stand alone, and that they all compliment each other in the rich diversity that is the Hound of The Baskervilles. I’ve been James Cordingley, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.

A Brief Introduction to American Literature

A Brief Introduction to American Literature IntroductionAmerican literature, to my eyes, like American history, although short, however, still full of glories and shining masterpieces and writers. Those American writers, while conquering this wild America, also had conquered the great field of American literature. From its first imitative activities to innovative attempts nowadays, American literature gradually gains its unique style, theme and form, and I ¡Ã‚ ¯m always excited to see their works are more and more America in its true sense. American literature is part of world ¡Ã‚ ¯s literature, however, it always has its unique flavor that cannot be easily ignored.Most critics hold that the history of American literature can be divided into six parts, orderly, colonial period, romanticism, realism, naturalism, modernism and post-modernism.Although American literature in its true sense did not begin until 19th century, however, we always talk about colonial period as a preparatory introduction to American literature. To fo llow the suit, I ¡Ã‚ ¯d like to take the colonial period also as the first part to introduce.United StatesChapter 1 Colonial Period  ©Ã‚ ¥ A Utilitarian Literary period(1) BackgroundThis period is unique in American literature, and the literature in this period is mainly a literary expression of the Puritan idealism.The first settlers came to America with the wish to  ¡Ã‚ °purify ¡ the religious practice in the church, because they left Britain for the reason that they were religiously and politically persecuted. Therefore, they were called  ¡Ã‚ °Puritans ¡. Puritans soon established their own religious and moral principles, which has influenced the American thought and American literature a lot.(2) CharacteristicsTo express their puritanical thoughts, many types of writing were used, such as letters, autobiographies, sermons, diaries and poems. Therefore, it ¡Ã‚ ¯s safe to conclude that the literature at this period is utilitarian. It should teach some kind of lesson, and therefore, the content of the writing had...

The 5 Smallest States in the U.S.

The 5 Smallest States in the U.S. The United States is made up of 50 individual states that vary greatly in size. When talking about land area, Rhode Island ranks as the smallest. Yet, when we discuss population, Wyoming- the 10th largest state by area- comes in with the smallest population. The 5 Smallest States by Land Area If youre familiar with U.S. geography, you might be able to guess which are the smallest states in the country. Notice that four of the five smallest states are along the eastern coast where the states seem to be crammed into a very small area.   1) Rhode Island- 1,034 square miles (2,678 square kilometers) Rhode Island is only 48 miles in length and 37 miles wide  (77  x 59 kilometers).Rhode Island has over 384 miles (618 kilometers) of coastline.The highest point is Jerimoth Hill in Foster at 812 feet (247.5 meters). 2) Delaware- 1,949  square miles (5,047  square kilometers) Delaware is 96 miles (154 kilometers) in length. At its thinnest point, it is only 9 miles (14 kilometers) wide.Delaware has 117 miles of coastline.The highest point is Ebright Azimuth at 447.85 feet (136.5 meters). 3) Connecticut- 4,842 square miles (12,542 square kilometers) Connecticut is only 110 miles long and 70 miles wide  (177  x 112 kilometers).Connecticut has 618 miles (994.5  kilometers)  of shoreline.The highest point is the southern slope of  Mt. Frissell at 2,380 feet (725 meters). 4) Hawaii- 6,423  square miles (16,635 square kilometers) Hawaii is a chain of 132 islands, eight of which are considered principal islands. These include Hawaii (4028 square  miles), Maui (727 square  miles), Oahu (597 square  miles), Kauai (562 square miles), Molokai (260 square  miles), Lanai (140 square miles), Niihau (69 square  miles), and Kahoolawe (45 square  miles).Hawaii has 750 miles of coastline.The highest point is Mauna Kea at  13,796 feet (4,205 meters). 5) New Jersey- 7,354 square miles (19,047 square kilometers) New Jersey  is only 170  miles long and 70 miles wide (273 x 112 kilometers).New Jersey has 1,792 miles (2884  kilometers)  of shoreline.The highest point is High Point at 1,803 feet (549.5 meters). The 5 Smallest States by Population When we turn to look at the population, we get an entirely different perspective of  the country. With the exception of Vermont, the states with the lowest population are among the largest by land area and theyre all in the western half of the country. A low population with a large amount of land means a very low population density (or people per square mile). 1) Wyoming- 579,315 people Ranks as the 10th largest in land area -  97,093 square miles (251,470 square kilometers)Population density: 5.8 people per square mile 2) Vermont- 623,657  people Ranks as the  45th  largest in land area -  9,217  square miles (23,872 square kilometers)Population density: 67.9 people per square mile 3) North Dakota- 755,393   Ranks as the  19th  largest in land area- 69,000  square miles (178,709 square kilometers)Population density: 9.7 people per square mile 4) Alaska- 739,795   Ranks as the largest state in  land area- 570,641  square miles (1,477,953 square kilometers)Population density: 1.2  people per square mile 5) South Dakota- 869,666 Ranks as the  17th  largest in  land area- 75,811 square miles (196,349 square kilometersPopulation density: 10.7  people per square mile (Population counts according to the July 2017 census estimates.) Source US Census Bureau. â€Å"Census.gov.†Ã‚  Census Bureau QuickFacts,

Should GCSE formate be changed over the next few years Essay

Should GCSE formate be changed over the next few years - Essay Example Recently, the education standards in the ‘General Certificate of Secondary Education’ have come under serious debate from educationists and people from the political circles, widely giving rise to the notion that the GCSE examination should altogether be abolished and replaced by another like the E-Bac. GCSE has recently been under heavy fire for leaving teenagers underprepared for University Education. The exam has been failing to train teenagers for the degree level of education (Shepherd, 2012). The gcse has been lagging behind in training students for higher education, especially in subjects like mathematics, geography, chemistry, biology, English and English Literature. GCSE has been found more focused on the results that the exams generate and not a broader prospect of education (Baker, 2012). The amount of course work has also been considerably reduced over the past decade. It has been reviewed by ofqual (regulator of qualification), that GCSE has been becoming in creasingly easier over the past decade, which is suggestive of falling standards of Education (Shepherd, 2012). ... tudents coming to out of the GCSE did not possess necessary skills regarding critical thinking and writing, which were necessarily required for the degree courses (Shepherd, 2012). The poll also revealed that the lecturers teaching the degree level subjects of English, business studies, geography and psychology were unimpressed by the exam standard and wanted more open-ended questions and an independent study orientation (shepherd, 2012). MCQ’s restrict the student’s ability to learn and remember complex forms of data and information, as it focuses on testing the students for parts of information on topics. Many believe that with the passing years the MCQ content of the exams has been greatly increasing while the descriptive essay like questions in the exams have reduced considerably, which are the real indicators of the amount and level of learning. In the 2012 review by ofqual, it was put forth that as compared to 2001, in 2010 human geography exam had fewer questions that tested the scientific knowledge of the students; 2008 biology exam also had an increased number of short answers and MCQ’s as compared to the exam in 2003; the 2010 geography exam was testing the pupils on fewer topics as compared to the exam that was put forth in the year 2001; and for the subject of Chemistry 2008 exam also showed more GCSE level questions as compared to the year 2003 (Shepherd, 2012). The Education Secretary, Micheal Gove says that the system of GCSE was â€Å"for a different age and a different world† (BBC, 2012). Mr. Gove believes the GCSE system to be outdated and that new exam system like E-Bac could help raise the bar again. The education secretary believes that changes in education system are necessary so that there can be â€Å"truly rigorous exams, competitive with the

Leadership Concepts Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership Concepts - Case Study Example Organizational climate has a crucial impact on company’s performance and profitability. The main features of positive climate are the absence of pressure; involvement; management support and co-worker cohesion (Sims 2002, p. 45). Following Johnson and Johnstone (2005): â€Å"an organizational climate encourages and rewards workaholic behaviors, then workaholics are likely to develop and flourish. When high pressure and long working hours are the norms, individuals are likely to work longer hours in order to succeed† (p. 181). Moral influence personal attitude of GeneOne employees and their perception of the work and the company. It is possible to say that Don Ruiz, John Kirby and Susan Wells establish a strong corporate culture and healthy climate which help them to motivate and inspire employees. A positive climate increases productivity and efficiency. In many cases, Board Members of GeneOne use situational leadership to motivate employees and sustain strong culture a nd morale. GeneOne introduced one of the most popular and effective problem-solving techniques: win-win approach. The ‘win-win’ problem-solving skills is a conflict resolution technique which helps to reduce the conflict situations and find the best solution that satisfies the needs of everyone involved. This technique is crucial because today conflict is treated seriously as an important aspect in the proper understanding of orga ¬nizational behavior. â€Å"The ‘win-win’ approach is action-oriented and tailored to suit specific organizational needs, namely conflict resolution†.... It is possible to say that Don Ruiz, John Kirby and Susan Wells establish strong corporate culture and healthy climate which help them to motivate and inspire employees. A positive climate increases productivity and efficiency. In many cases, Board Members of GeneOne use situational leadership to motivate employees and sustain strong culture and morale. Team Problem Solving GeneOne introduced one of the most popular and effective problem solving techniques: win-win approach. The 'win-win' problem solving skills is a conflict resolution technique which helps to reduce the conflict situations and find the best solution that satisfies the needs of everyone involved. This technique is crucial because today conflict is treated seriously as an important aspect in the proper understanding of organizational behavior. "The 'win-win' approach is action-oriented and tailored to suit specific organizational needs, namely conflict resolution" (Mcnary 2003, p. 144). By agreeing at the outset the objectives against which a proposed resolution would be assessed, the decision-making is far easier. Clearly if the parties can agree on mutual objectives then the problem is far easier to resolve than if they have conflicting objectless and personal agendas. This approach is based on participative leadership which helps GeneOne teams to avoid conflicts and find win-win solut ions in the shortest period of time. Organizational Coaching In GeneOne, coaching helps to improve performance of employees and a team. Effective coaching assists job performance and training methods. According to Parsloe and Wray (2000) "coaching is a process that enables learning and development to occur and thus performance to improve" (p, 45 cited Sims 2002, p. 56). Effective