Describe a situation in which you combined analysis and creativity to Personal Statement

Describe a situation in which you combined analysis and creativity to solve a challenging problem - Personal Statement Example A major factor in the retail industry is the influence by policy published by Chinese government that takes the anti-corruption campaign against gift-giving culture. Men luxury, jewelry will definitely be affected by the policy. This year, I come back to China to find out the many new stores of famous brands in the Chinese market that have been closed and its sales have reduced from about 150 in 2012 to about 100 in 2013. Meanwhile, the decrease rate is one-third and I think it is very puzzling and challenging to figure out the real reasons of this phenomenon. It is said that Chinas luxury market has grown rapidly from the enclosure stage to the development of sustained attention to the customer experience and comparable store sales stage. I want to establish the reason because I feel very interested in this situation and want to research the reasons for this problem. In this regard, I plan to apply the theoretical and practical knowledge to study this problem. It is not easy to learn all the pictures of all the problems faced by stores of famous brands. Therefore, I run to many stores that sell the famous brand clothing and learn this price in China since I am a Chinese and want to study Strategic design a nd management. It is easy and creative for me to know some situations, sales, and styles by communicating with sellers. Usually, it is thought that the price is the most important reason to explain the reduction and decrease of the sales for luxury clothing. However, only the price in China is higher than the clothing with same style, but also the types of styles are rich. This probably explains the phenomenon that many Chinese customers want to buy luxury clothing in foreign countries instead of China. Meanwhile, from my own research I established that the main method is to search for information from the internet and library in the university to establish the reasons behind this whole scenario. Essentially, 73% of

UK Budget Hotels Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

UK Budget Hotels - Case Study Example The industry will account for over a quarter of the total hotel industry market share come the year 2027, this is according to different research done. According to Melvin Gold a consultant in the industry and whom it is reported that has done the most comprehensive research in the industry, he states that the industry presently enjoys a market share of 12% and it is predicted that it will reach a market share of 26% in the next 20 years. This is attributed to the fact that consumers are increasingly demanding for low cost hotels. (Hotel benchmark, 2002) Despite a lower demand in the hotel sector, in the UK and Europe as whole, budget hotels and mid -market hotels have continued to grow at an average of 12%. The improvement of the budget hotel sector is witnessed in the UK market where the rate of occupancy has moved up. The sector is the only one posting improved occupancy in the hotel industry in the UK. The budget hotel sector has continued to grow despite the factor that the hotel industry has been declining. (Hotel benchmark, 2002) Premier inn budget hotels are the biggest UK band hotel, with a total of more than 32,500 rooms and a chain of over 490 hotels. Initial the chain was operated under the "travel in" name. The hotel chain is owned by Whitbread Company and it was opened to over competition to the Travelodge. The very first group of the hotel were built next to Beefeater in 1987-1988. Ever since 1987, the premier hotels have developed to become the biggest chain of hotels in the whole of UK. In the year 2004 Whitbread re-branded the travel inn company to be known as premier Travel Inn after acquiring the rival group Premier Lodge that was owned by Spirit group at a total sum of 505 US Dollars. The name has been re-branded again to Premier Inn in this year (2007) Company logo; source (Premier Inn, 2007) Premier inn summary information (Premier Inn, 2007) Type Public Founded 1987 Headquarters Flag of England Luton Area served United Kingdom Industry Hospitality Parent Whitbread Rooms capacity 32,500 Rooms The hotel chain has created a policy of having similar rooms in all of its hotels; the rooms usually have a double bed/ twin beds, a working desk, shelves, a TV set and a shower. Some rooms have extra pull-out beds or on sofa, there are referred as family rooms. Usually these rooms are not priced higher than the standard rooms, as they are same in size. In the year 2006 premier inn modified their general room design; however the rooms still have the same standard of facilities as in the past. Currently, the company offers a few numbers of rooms where smoking is allowed, but as from January 2008, the company aims at making banning smoking in all rooms. (Premier Inn, 2007) Pricing policy Premier Inn's charges a daily amount per room occupied not considering the number of people occupying the room, the maximum allowed number is two adults and two children. The price of a room according to the company website is from $ 48, however many of its chain charge a minimum of $55, though the pricing depends on where the hotel is located and on particular days of the week. For example prices are higher on a week day than during a weekend. Unlike their main competitor

Revollutionary and evolutionary socialist hae different ends and means Essay Example for Free

Revollutionary and evolutionary socialist hae different ends and means Essay Socialism is a broad ideology which covers a whole range of different traditions and ideals. There are disagreements within socialism are most definitely between revolutionary and evolutionary socialist in terms of means and ends. Revolutionary socialism believes in the idea that a capitalist system will not easily fall and so the only way to remove a capitalist society is for a mass up rise and overthrow of the system accepting that violence may be involved with this. From a Marxist-Leninist view the way for this to take place is for a vanguard party to help the proletariat to have some sort of revolutionary class consciousness. Revolutionary socialist reject electoral and constitutional politics as it is inextricably tied to the interest of a capitalist society and the ruling class, which is why Marxists see revolution as inevitable as they believe in the complete abolition of it. Revolutionary socialism therefore seeks the abolition of Private property and the state; this is because Marx and Engels viewed capitalism and its traditions to be a system of naked oppression and exploitation on the working masses and therefore the only way to remove capitalism and enforce socialism is by mass up rise from working class. Marxists therefore believe that political power reflects class interests and that the state is a bourgeois state that is based on the capital. Reasons in which there is a need for a overthrow of the bourgeois state by political revolution is because Revolutionary Socialists understand that change by political reform and gradual change which is supported by evolutionary socialist are clearly misleading as the ideas of universal suffrage and regular and competitive elections are simply a disguise of the actual reality of unequal classes and to mislead the political energies of the working class. Hence the need for the class-conscious proletariat to overthrow the capitalist state in order to enforce socialism. However in contrast evolutionary socialists believe that means of socialism should be brought about peacefully by the ballot. An example of this is Fabian Socialists who believe in inevitability of gradualism, which means that the working class would use the means of political democracy to empower them and therefore use voting to bring a Socialist Party into power. Fabian Socialists therefore take the liberals view on the state rather than the Marxist, so the state should be neutral authority rather than an agent of class oppression. They also believe that through education and a combination of political action that the elite of the capitalist society can be converted to socialism this way, essentially for them is the most easiest way to achieve socialism in the most peaceful manner. the use of the ballot would therefore develop an evolutionary outgrowth of capitalism. The inevitability of gradualism is supported by evolutionary socialists as extension of franchise would eventually lead to universal adult suffrage which will then lead on to political equality. if political equality is apparent, then in practice it will work in the interest of the majority. so evolutionary socialists believe political democracy would go in the hands of the working class as within any industrial society, the proletariat would be the majority. Therefore, as human nature seen by socialist is ultimately altruistic, they will inevitably be drawn towards social political parties which offer social justice. this will then guarantee the success of socialist parties numerically. once in power the party will then be able to legitimately create changes within society towards socialism and so achieving socialism peacefully and therefore making it inevitable. There are also disagreements with the terms of ends in socialism between revolutionary and evolutionary socialists. As seen, revolutionary socialism seeks to abolish capitalism and seek to replace it with a classless and stateless society which essentially the Marxist utopia; they also seek a social system based on common ownership. Revolution socialists believe private property should be removed as they believe that the origins of competition and inequality come from private property, and so they seek to remove private property as it is seen as unjust because wealth is produces as a collective effort of humans and so should not be owned by individuals. Common ownership as a terms of ends also emphasises on the fact that private property is morally corrupting and it fosters conflict in society ie. between owners and workers, or simply rich and poor. Therefore Fundamentalist socialists seek to abolish capitalism and replace it with a qualitatively different kind of society based on common ownership. Whereas, the evolutionary socialist seek to attain socialism through a parliamentary route and evidently showing the clear disagreement between evolutionary and  revolutionary socialists as they have very different ways to achieve socialism and the type of socialism that will be enforced as evolutionary socialists believe in a few types of ends ranging from the abolition of capitalism, to taming it through welfare state, wealth and progressive taxation which is definitely opposed by revolutionary socialists. Essentially they moderately critique capitalism as they only want to reform and reduce the economic inequalities and increase social justice. this has led to the redefinition of socialism in terms of distributive equality rather than common ownership. however there has been an exception within socialism with Fundamentalist democrats as they want to remove capitalism through the parliamentary route, however there has not been any demonstration of this type of ideology.

Research PaperSancho Panza

Research PaperSancho Panza Research PaperSancho Panza: Sidekick and Skeptic The character Sancho Panza in Miguel de Cervantes Don Quixote de La Mancha is both a sidekick and a skeptic. Don Quixote de La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra is acclaimed as one of the best novels ever written. Miguel de Unamuno once wrote there scarcely exists a person of even average education who does not have some idea of Don Quixote and Sancho. Contrary to what one might think, there is a character who is just as important to the success of this novel as is Don Quixote himself: Sancho Panza. Without him, Don Quixote would be a two-dimensional character with hardly any appeal. But with the aid of Sanchos interactions, Quixote takes depth and form as a character. The reader is able to judge Quixote through the thoughts and actions of his companion because Sancho is both a supportive sidekick and a nagging skeptic. Sancho Panzas duality shows both the good and bad in Don Quixote, which reveals many sides to Quixote that would not have been shown otherwise. Despite being physically hurt on multiple occasions and faced with perpetual humiliation, Sancho Panza continues to follow Don Quixote on his insane adventures. Sancho does not share his masters extreme belief in chivalrous virtues, however he often lives in and adores [Quixotes madness], sometimes getting caught up in [it] entirely(Sparknotes). Sanchos support of Don Quixote shows that Quixote is prominently good and lets the reader know that he is an admirable person with at least enough sanity to maintain a good friendship. Sancho Panza fulfills the role of a sidekick by being absolutely faithful (Dramatica) and having an unswerving belief and support of the Protagonist (Phillips). Sancho demonstrates his loyalty even on his first day as aAs Don Quixotes squire, Sancho follows his master into countless situations where the outcomes are unfavorable to say the least. On his first day as a squire, Sancho accompanies Quixote as hewhen he accompanies Quixote as they approaches a coach that the knight errant believes to contain an imprisoned princess. Don Quixote attacks one of the monks in front of the coach and knocks him off of his horse. Sancho scrambles to collect the monks garb as a battle spoil for his master, but the servants that are standing by see him and they attacked Sancho and knocked him downleaving no hair in his beard unscathed, they kicked him breathless and senseless and left him lying on the ground (Cervantes 62, 63). Even after a brutal beating to start off his career, Sancho rides off with Quixote after the battle and is more worried about his masters wounds than his own. The squire maintains his loyalty like a true sidekick, but more importantl y, he allows the reader to feel pity for Quixote through his own concern for the mans wellbeing. Later on in the book, Sancho and Quixote stay at an inn to heal their wounds from a previous beating. The innkeeper expects to receive payment when the two try to leave, but Don Quixote refuses to pay him anything. Quixote then rides off a fair distance from the inn, not realizing that he has left his squire behind. The innkeeper turns to Sancho and demands payment. When Sancho does not pay, a few men throw him into a blanket and [begin] to toss him and make merry with him as if he were a dog at a Carnival (Cervantes 122). Not only does this good squire show loyalty, but also support and belief in Don Quixote. Sancho is hesitant at first when Quixote wants to rescue his horse Rocinante from a group of angry Yanguesans. He exclaims, What the devil kind of revenge are we supposed to take when there are more than twenty of them and only two of us, or maybe only one and a half? Quixote replies that he himself is worth a hundred and charges the crowd of men. Sancho then becomes incited and moved by his masters example, [and so] he [does] the same (Cervantes 103). Sanchos faith in his master during times of imminent disaster shows that Don Quixote must have good leadership qualities as well as the ability to inspire and motivate through sheer confidence. Despite being physically hurt on multiple occasions and faced with perpetual humiliation, Sancho Panza continues to follow Don Quixote on his insane adventures. Sancho does not share his masters extreme belief in chivalrous virtues, however he often lives in and adores [Quixotes madness], sometimes getting caught up in [it] entirely(Sparknotes). Sancho Panza therefore fulfills the requirements for being a sidekick by being absolutely faithful (Dramatica) and having an unswerving belief and support of the Protagonist (Phillips). Sancho Panza also demonstrates the attributes of a skeptic and allows Quixote to be criticized as well as praised. A skeptic doubts everything, thinks every plan is unworkable, and that success is unlikely (Phillips). Sancho does not always agree with his master and often times Quixotes heightened, insane conception of the world is brought crashing to earth by Sanchos sly pragmatism (Thornton) and. hHe frequently berates Don Quixote for his reliance on fantasy (Sparknotes). One such example of Sanchos skepticism and probably one of the most famous events in the novel is when the two encounter a field of windmills. To Don Quixote, the windmills are giants that against which he must wage battle against. Sancho is skeptical of this notion, does not agree. He warned [Quixote] that, beyond any doubt, those things he was about to attack were windmills and not giants. But Quixote does not heed Sanchos pleas and ends up being tossed off Rocinante when his lance gets stuck in one of the vanes. Sancho rushes to his masters aid and says, Didnt I tell your grace to watch what you were doing, that these were nothing but windmills, and only somebody whose head was full of them wouldnt know that? (Cervantes 58-59). In instances such as these, Sancho shows that Quixote does not have the best judgement and is certainly not of sound mind. Sancho Panza is a complex character that demonstrates the qualities of both a sidekick and a skeptic. These two opposite archetypes fused within one person allows for a perception of Don Quixote that gives him life. If Sancho was not present in the novel, the readers would not get as much enjoyment out of the book and Don Quixote would not be as popular as it has been for the past centuries.

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Ah, life eh? Hello Class of 2012. There are so many things to say to you. I feel so privileged to get to speak to everyone, and there is so much to say. We have come to this point in our lives that many have come to before us. I almost feel like I have done it already, having watched people grow up and graduate before. But now today it is our turn to really do it. To walk this aisle, to sit in the seats, and to play with these tassels. It seems like so long ago and it seems like just yesterday, those perils of adolescence. Brier Terrace Middle School, just seething with awkwardness and emotions, was where I spent most of my days, chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool, playing some b-ball outside of my school. One of my most memorable days at Brier was a day my friend Kyle kicked me in the face. We were playing Zebra ball in P.E., probably one of the legendary Mr. Soward's inventions, and I was already out, sitting on the wall waiting for the next round to begin. Kyle was still in the game running around, when he, in an attempt to dodge a ball hurling at him, tried to leap over me, unintentionally kicking me squarely in the face. My glasses broke a little and I was super embarrassed. Kyle had no idea that he did it and kept playing. Casually at lunch later, I told him what happened, as if he would want to know. It is funny what an impact, literally, our experience in school has made on us and also the impact we have made on them. Academically, we have achieved much at our school. Every one of us here has accumulated twenty-two Green Terrace High School credits and individually our very own Senior Project. A big pat on the back seems deserved by everyone here for four years of hard work. Some here get a big slap on... ...e that meant something to others, like Kyle and Mr. Tolstoy didn't, but you undoubtedly have. Don't forget the lessons that we have learned from each other. The ones in friendship, in love and all the lessons of just plain how to live well. My prayer for all of you is that you will not give up this wonderful habit of giving to people in this way, but that separately, as we all diverge from this place, you will live lives knowing that human worth is not dependent on achievement, but on simple existence. Find purpose in what comes naturally to all of us, to love. Class of 2003, you have given me more than I asked for, more than the titles I have received or accomplishments I have made, you have called me sister. Go out and be great because you are able to love greatly. Thank you so much for the honor of speaking. I adore you, my brothers and sisters, Class of 2003

Independent Reading Project: Creating a Museum of Living Literature Ess

Independent Reading Project: Creating a Museum of Living Literature 1. Problem Statement In preparation for the Advanced Placement Literature and Composition exam, high school students must read many kinds of literature during the year-long course to familiarize themselves with different time periods, movements, philosophies, and genres. Advanced Placement students must learn to think critically, and be ready to find, analyze, and express literary connections through written analysis. The biggest challenge of teaching and learning Advanced Placement English is the difficulty covering the entire scope of literature in two semesters. Twentieth century literature often gets neglected. The pace of the curriculum can also limit the creativity of lesson planning and evaluation. Many teachers rely heavily on lecture, discussion, and a traditional analysis paper. To add some variety to traditional teaching and learning strategies, a teacher might design an independent project where students work in teams and focus collaboratively on a single novel from the twentieth century. Each team would read a selected book and work together to create artifacts that would be shared with the other teams. Through collaborative work and sharing, students would be able to grasp the concepts and connections of several works of literature. The project outlined in section 5 will target twentieth century literature. 2. Target Audience The target audience is two sections of the Advanced Placement English Class. There are approximately 24 students in each class. These students are in their final year of high school at St. Pius X Catholic High School. The classes are coed, ranging in ages between 17-18 years old. The... ...to create. 7. Works Cited Blumenfeld, P. C., Solloway, E., Marx, R. W., Krajcik, J. S., Guzdial, M., & Palincsar, A. (1991). Motivating project‑based learning: Sustaining the doing, supporting the learning. Educational Psychologist, 26(3 & 4), 369‑398. Available October 17, 2002, from Professional Development Collection database: http://search.epnet.com Turner, J., & Paris, S. G. (1995). How literacy tasks influence childrenï ¿ ½s motivation for literacy. The Reading Teacher, 48(8), 662‑673. Available October 17, 2002, from Professional Database Collection database: http://search.epnet.com/ Wang, S.‑K., & Han, S. (2001). Six cï ¿ ½s of motivation. In M. Orey (Ed.), Learning, teaching, & technology. Retrieved September 15, 2002, from University of Georgia, Dept. of Instructional Technology Web site: http://itstudio.coe.uga.edu/ebook/6csmotivation.htm

Internal Control Essay

(1) If the LJB Company should decide to become a publicly traded company, a few internal controls should be implemented to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX). * Management will need to provide periodic quarterly reports to evaluate the effectiveness and reliability of LJB’s internal controls over financial reporting procedures. * Management should certify the accuracy and fairness of presentation of their financial statements. * Independent auditor(s) outside of LJB will need to attest to management’s assessment of said internal controls. Additionally, non-audit services between these two parties (LJB and said independent auditor) are prohibited. (2) There are a few internal control measures that LJB already has in effect and are better for it: the use of pre-numbered invoices by the accountant and your (the President’s) involvement in the approval and hiring process of new employees. I also recommend the purchase of the indelible ink machine as per the accountant’s request. As this applies to the Internal Control Principle of Physical Control, future check fraud will be more difficult to be accomplished. 3) There are several internal control weaknesses that I assess LJB currently has. Following each weakness I list below is a recommendation from myself to rectify these internal control weaknesses. * One is risk is the accountant who serves as Treasurer and Controller. Although I understand this is to streamline many processes, it possesses a risk where an opportunity is created for this employee to commit fraud. This also violates the Segregation of Duties Principle of Internal Control Principles. I recommend that these two responsibilities be segregated 2 different employees. * When the accountant in charge of payroll leaves employees’ checks in his office unsupervised and unsecured, it presents an opportunity for theft. This violates the Internal Control Principle of Physical Control, as though checks are not constantly kept in the accountant’s office safe prior to pick up. I recommend that these checks remain physically secured at all times (by the accountant, or by delaying delivery to the accountant until he reaches his office). Due to the unorthodox honor system of dealing with petty cash, any single employee can withdraw a substantial amount of petty cash in relative anonymity. This violates two Internal Control Principles: Physical Control and Establishment of Responsibility. It violates the Physical Control Principle because the petty cash is easily accessible with no form of physical protection of theft, and it violates the Establishment of Responsibility Principle because no single person is in charge of the Petty Cash Fund (rather everyone is). This can be remedied by assigning a custodian to be responsible for the fund, as well as creating a secure area to store said funds. * These previous points additionally bring up another weakness, though not actually part of the Internal Control Principles. Though it seems to be LJB’s unofficial policy to trust long-term employees, when a desirable opportunity to commit fraud/theft arises, it becomes at the discretion of the employee to commit these acts for their personal benefit. Another weakness is LJB’s lack of individual passwords which allows personnel to anonymously use the company computers and databases. This lack of individual accountability will prevent most attempts to track suspicious employee activities on company computers and databases. This instance violates the Internal Control Principle of Physical Control. I recommend assigning employees individual accounts and passwords, as well as creating a form of digital control to prevent future unauthorized activities, such as viewing pornography on company computers. Lastly, because LGB unknowingly hired a convicted felon, it can be deduced that LGB’s Human Resource Department may be lacking, due to the fact that a background check should have caught his criminal history. This may violate the Human Resource Control Principle of the Internal Control Principles. I recommend that the Human Resource Department reevaluate their policies and staffing procedures to prevent future incidents from happening. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and please consider my recommendations before going public with the LGB Company.