Consequences of Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Consequences of Innovation - Essay Example , people with big cameras at home, adventurers, non-governmental organizations that collect and distribute used cameras to the needy, and the press experience the creation and diffusion of the digital  camera. The student organizations, photography clubs, and the press are winners in this case since they enjoy the aspect of configuring the digital camera to operate in a low-resolution refocusable mode and a high-resolution non-refocusable mode. These social groups attend and organize events that require them to operate in different resolutions. These groups can now take digital photographs even at night since the digital camera have an image sensor that captures digital images (Border and Young 1). Indeed, investigators and police can now take clearer and authentic images as forms of criminal evidence. Moreover, the winners can now take images that correspond to their specified virtual image planes (Border and Young 1). On the other hand, camera retailers and non-governmental organizations that collect and distribute used cameras to the needy are losers in this case. Indeed, camera retailers will suffer losses from the old camera since consumers will shift to the digital cameras platform. Non-governmental organizations that collect and distribute used cameras will be dealing with cameras with outdated features thus limiting their value. Border, John Norvold, and Richard D. Young. Digital  camera  including refocusable imaging mode adaptor. Nov 26, 2013. Web. 3 March 2015.

Not deciding yet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Not deciding yet - Essay Example In other words, we can also say that the gradual increase in the minimum wage rate will show relatively negative values of the employment rate in the US labor market. The maximum wage rate will result into the highest negative value of the employment rate. These statistics are shown in the research study conducted by the Federal Department, which was conducted to check the implications of the proposal of increase in the minimum wage rate maximum up to $ 9 – 10 / hour. In case of a perfect competition in the market among different firms, all the resources are equally available to all the possible market players. The firms are facing a neck-to-neck competition between each other competitive firm. In this situation, every decision should be taken very carefully because the firm managers will have to compete with many other game players also. Therefore, according to my opinion an increase in the minimum wage rate in case of a perfect competitive market will cause a decrease in the employment rate of that particular labor market. Because if any State or Government is increasing the wage rates then firms or the employers still have other options available to hire the cheap labor from where it is available. In case of a monopolistic competition, all the firms have individual products and services; they are not competing directly with each other just because of the reason that their products are not exactly substitute to each other. In case of a monopoli stic competitive market, the increase the minimum wage rate may also cause an increase in the employment rate just because of the reason that every firm will require certain skills and expertise for their production. They cannot hire any available labor if they are cheap as compare to the home market. The products and services of the firms are not similar to each other therefore; there will be certain set of skills, which is required by any manager of the firm. Therefore, we can predict that in case of a

Enhlish Critical Lens Essay Example for Free

Enhlish Critical Lens Essay According to Patrick Ness, â€Å"It’s not how you fall, it’s how you get back up again†. In other words, life is full of obstacles and hardships. But what is most important is to persevere, and I defiantly agree with this statement. Two literary works that support this statement are â€Å"Mother to Son† by Langston Hughes, and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. In the poem â€Å"Mother to Son†, the speaker admits that her life has been difficult, but despite the hardships, she does not give up. She uses an extended metaphor to describe to her son, how even though her life has been hard, she still moves on. The metaphor describes her difficult life to be a dilapidated staircase. The times are metaphorically described as the â€Å"splinters, boards torn up, no carpet, bare†. Despite these problems the mother encourages her son to keep on climbing, as she has done her entire life. In the novel, The House on Mango Street, Esperanza grows up in a poor neighborhood but refuses to be limited by her surroundings. She uses literary elements to describe how horrible her place of living is and how she overcomes the will to give up. The setting in witch she is surrounded by is described as being poor, segregated, unwelcoming and just plain beaten down. For example when Esperanza says in the literary work, â€Å"The House on Mango Street is small and red with tight steps in front and the windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath† just describes a little bit how bad she thinks of her home. But even though she hates her surroundings she is faced with a conflict. Esperanza, versus nature. She hates her setting, but yet still wants to persevere. In both the novel, The House on Mango Street, and the poem â€Å"Mother to Son†, the narrators are faced with struggle and hardship. A mother trying to block out the negativity in her sons head, to allow him to persevere, and a young adult trying to understand that even though times can be rough, she can still move on, and still survive.

Analysis of Hospitality Industry in Mauritius

Analysis of Hospitality Industry in Mauritius 2.1 Definitions of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) CSR has been defined as the duty of the organization to respect individuals rights and promote human welfare in its operations (Manakkalathil and Rudolf, 1995; Oppewal et al., 2006). Businesses not only have the economic responsibility of being profitable and the legal responsibility to follow the laws or ground rules that guide their ability to achieve their economic requirements, but they also have ethical responsibilities that include a range of societal norms, or standards (Carroll, 2000). CSR has been around for more than two decades. During the later half of twentieth century there arose the idea of the corporate social contract, which today underlies the CSR concept. Given the sometimes adverse effects of business decision making on society as well as corporate reliance on society, the notion of an implied corporate social contract was conceived by social and economic theorists. This contract spells out societys expectations of business as well as (although much less discussed) businesss expectations of society (Bowie, 1983). There is no single authoritative definition of CSR (ISO COPOLCO, 2002). The CSR agenda seems to be a loosely defined umbrella embracing a vast number of concepts traditionally framed as environmental concerns, public relations, corporate philanthropy, human resource management and community relations. One of the most referred definitions is by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) (1999) that defines CSR as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at largeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. CSR means being a good steward of societys economic and human resources ( Journal of Consumer Marketing, 2001). In summary, CSR entails the obligation stemming from the implicit à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“social contractà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? between business and society for firms to be responsive to societys long-run needs and want s, optimizing the positive effects and minimizing the negative effects of its actions on society. To synchronize that organizational social responsibility concerns are treated in the same routine manner in which legal, financial, and marketing concerns are addressed, four theories of corporate social responsibility have been advanced in the literature. The four positions are the classical, stakeholder, social demandingness, and social activist theories. The classical theory is the oldest of the four, and is grounded in classical economic theory. Firstly business executives are said to be primarily responsible to the shareholders of the corporation and their primary goal is to promote efficiency and secure effective economic performance. Secondly managers are said to be responsible to respond to the shareholders demands. These views are often thought to coincide with each other, because it is usually assumed that the main demand of shareholders is to maximize economic performance. In addition, both versions agree that managers are to perform their corporate function according to the laws and, thus, to avoid such things as fraud and deception. Friedman (1970), points out à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Here the businessman self-selected or appointed directly or indirectly by stockholders is to be simultaneously legislator, executive, or juristà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦He becomes in effect a public employee, a civil servant, even though he remains in name an e mployee of a private enterprise.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? This theory, albeit the oldest of the four theories, is still well and alive; it has many supporters and proponents among academicians and practitioners. The second theory is the stakeholder theory which integrates the main idea of classical theory, that is, corporate executives are responsible to stockholders. Nevertheless, what differs it from classical theory is that other groups are directly affected by the conduct and decision of the firm. These groups can employees, consumers, creditors, suppliers, and legal sub-systems who have a stake in the organisation and who might affect, in one way or another, the corporate decision making process. Furthermore, corporate executives have a direct responsibility to promote the interests of these groups. The main disagreement among stakeholder theorists, however, over whether stakeholder interests of these groups take precedence over the financial interests of stockholders or the stakeholder interests are the overriding ones. Social demandingness theorists argue that corporations have a responsibility to protect and promote certain interests of the general public. They agree with the stakeholder theorists that the interests of stakeholder groups are important, but they believe that these interests do not override non-stakeholdersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ interests or demands for such things as safety, health, freedom, and prosperity. As with the stakeholder theory, this theory repudiates the notion that there is some balanced or sensible list of tangible responsibilities that corporate executives always have toward society. The list varies as the nature and ranking of the interests or demands of the public change. The fourth and final theory is the social activist theory which is distinctively the most socially and morally demanding of the four theories. While agreeing with the stakeholders and social demandingness theories that executives have responsibilities toward stakeholders groups and the general public, social activistsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ theorists argue that corporate managers should sometimes strive to undertake projects that advance the interests of the public even when these undertakings are neither expected nor demanded by them. Social activists theorists contend that such projects should, for the most part, be in the area of corporate know-how, but they sometimes urge that executives deliberately take on social projects for which they have no special training or expertise 2.1 Types of CSR and Corporate Governance The notion that business has duties to society is firmly entrenched, although in the past several decades there has been a revolution in the way people view the relationship between business and society. Carroll (1979) and other researchers believe that we should judge corporations not just on their economic success, but also on non-economic criteria. Carroll (1979) proposed a popular four-part definition of CSR, suggesting that corporations have four responsibilities or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“four facesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Carroll, 2000b, p. 187) to fulfill to be good corporate citizens: economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic: Economic responsibility. Economic responsibility is to be profitable for principals, by delivering a good quality product, at a fair price, is due to customers. Legal responsibilities. Legal duties entail complying with the law and playing by the rules of the game Ethical responsibilities. Ethical duties overcome the limitations of legal duties. They entail being moral, doing what is right, just, and fair; respecting peoples moral rights; and avoiding harm or social injury as well as preventing harm caused by others (Smith and Quelch, 1993). Philanthropic responsibility. Interest in doing good for society, regardless of its impact on the bottom line is what is called altruistic, humanitarian or philanthropic CSR. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“giving backà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? time and money in the forms of voluntary service, voluntary association and voluntary giving à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" is where most of the controversy over the legitimacy of CSR lies. CORPORATE GOUVERNANCE (CG) Moreover, CSR is closely linked with the Corporate Governance of the organization, be it hotel organization. Any of those types of CSR should start in the hotel organizations first and then move to external environment. The key people should be taken into consideration so the CSR practices should be geared towards the internal customers who will in turn become CSR delegates to reach the external customers and environment. Companies must improve their business models by bringing CSR and sustainability into their strategy. Shleifer and Vishny (1997) define CG as the ways in which suppliers of finance to organisations assure themselves of getting a return on investment. Over the years, CG has evolved from the traditional à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“profit-centered modelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. By incorporating the community in which firms operate, the political environment, laws and regulations, and more generally the markets in which firms are involved. See Figure 1: The Business in Society which reflects a stakeholder perspective on the firm (Jensen, 2001) 2.1The Hospitality Industry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"Definitions Definitions of the hospitality have been approached from a number of different perspectives. Most of them combine physiological and psychological elements with security and levels of service. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Hospitality is concerned with the provision of physiological and psychological comfort with defined levels of service. The satisfactions may be physiological (thirst, bed, warmth), economic (value for money), social (company, service) and psychological (self-esteem, status, security).à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Source: C.Cooper, R.Shepherd, J. Westlake (1994) Even if the approach to defining hospitality may shift according to the authors, there are a number of integral elements that are common to all. These are: Hospitality is a complex combination of tangible and intangible features and benefits Hospitality involves a satisfying interaction between the service provider and the customer Hospitality provides guests with security, psychological and physiological comfort by offering food, beverage and accommodation. Therefore, bearing in mind the above characteristics, a simpler definition of the hospitality industry may be: The Hospitality Industry is involved with providing accommodations, food, beverage, entertainment, comfort and recreation for travelers away from their usual residences and normal surroundings. The industry also naturally look forward to meet the customer`s needs for safety and support of their persons, property, modes of transportation, and even the varying purpose of their travel. Speaking generally, those who make use of hospitality services demand attainment of a professional level of quality consistent with world standards, although perhaps adjusted for local conditions. They anticipate the facilities will be clean, comfortable, safe and secure. They expect good food and beverage at a reasonable rate. Furthermore, they look for courtesy, friendliness, respect and identification from the host. Perhaps more importantly they demand honesty, truth and equity in their dealings with the operator and his employees. Hospitality Industry In Mauritius HISTORICAL BACKGROUND In Mauritius, the first hotel was the Park Hotel in 1952 so as to accommodate the crew members coming at that time. Then came the Mauritius Hotel, the first beach hotel, built in 1954 at Le Morne followed by Le Chaland, another beach hotel in 1961. But the real development of tourism took place soon after Mauritius got its independence from the British. In early 1970`s the creation of Trou aux Biches Hotel by the Mauritius Hotels, the setting up of the Club MeditÃÆ' ©ranÃÆ' ©e and the Saint GÃÆ' ©ran Hotel by the Southern Sun Hotels as well as the Merville Beach Hotel by the ex-British Colons who wanted to come back here during the winter months of England. The Mauritius Hotel is now the Beachcomber group and the Southern Sun Hotels is the Sun International Resorts Limited. At present there are 95 hotels in Mauritius and there are not less than 5 more under construction as per the registered list set by the Ministry of Tourism. The numbers of hotels, rooms and bed places have increased constantly from 1991. Moreover the Prime Minister has announced his vision to reach 2 million tourists in 2015. Consequently an average annual growth of 10% in tourist arrival is expected. In order to reach this target, an approximate nu mber of 18500 rooms should be made available. This will bring about the creation of around 37000 direct jobs and double the amount in terms of indirect jobs. Due to the rapid growth of tourism and hospitality industry, government has introduced incentives for the private sector to bring in a sustainable development, namely by corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. This is achievable through proper public-private sector partnership. Overview of the Hotel industry IN MAURITIUS The hospitality industry in Mauritius has developed rapidly during the past 25 years. The coastal regions as well as the interior part of the island are constantly changing with the construction of the hotels and the increasing number of vehicles being used for the tourism industry. In 2007, the tourism industry was considered the third pillar of the economy after Sugar and Textile, and currently it plays a vital role in the economic growth of the country. The undoubted fall of 35% in the price of sugar and the removal of preference agreement with the EU market, has earmarked the tourism industry as the main industry capable of boosting the Mauritian economy. In July 2008, according to the last bulletin published by the Central Statistical Office (CSO), Mauritius welcomed 81,169 tourists as compared to 77,225 in 2007, registering a 5.1% growth over the same period a year ago. Table 1: Monthly tourist arrivals, July 2007 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" July 2008 Source:Tourism sector performance for the month of July, AHRIM Report, August 2008, pg 2 But after two decades of impressive growth, the need for responsible corporate governance has been felt in the country as the attitudes; mentality and knowledge of those working in that industry have not evolved at the same pace in terms of social responsibility and environmental awareness. Impacts of this rapid and somehow unplanned development are being experienced in the environment at large. Still, a lot has to be done to meet the competitive edge through proper campaign and involvement of all stakeholders so as to contribute towards sustainable development of the hospitality sector. In order to support its continuous growth, the Mauritian Tourism and Hospitality industry needs well-trained staff with full knowledge of their product while respecting the socio-economic and cultural environment in which the Mauritian tourism product is evolving. It is really important to maintain a high standard of efficiency and service so as to meet the requirements of an increasingly competitive and sophisticated global market. 2.7 CSR in the hotel industry In Mauritius Within the hospitality industry it has been agreed that there are increasing environmental and societal concerns. The big question is how to manage our environmental impact as demand grows against a backdrop of increasing vulnerability. As a result of demand for more sustainable destinations and travel preferences, management policies are being felt. Hotels practicing CSR look at the following areas: Workplace (where employees are treated equally and fairly) Marketplace (stakeholders) Environment (which has to be sustained for the future generation) Community Ethics Human rights Many hotels are now aware of CSR practices and have begun to use environmental-friendly products. Hotels in Mauritius are reducing the use of hazardous or non-degradable chemicals. Big hotel chains like Oberoi Mauritius recycle oil, water and plastic bottles while all hotels with more than 50 rooms are compel to recycle water as per the legislation. Hotels tend to purchase products that have a reduced environmental impact during their life cycle, from suppliers that demonstrate environmental and social responsibility to their customers and the society. Furthermore, Association des Hoteliers et Restaurateurs de L`Ile Maurice (AHRIM), is fully supporting the CSR initiatives initiated by the Mauritian Government. Through its members, they are actively putting forward the CSR activities on a regional basis all over the island. (See Appendix 1: Recommended CSR activities by AHRIM to its Members in June 2008). Stakeholders (employees, customers, shareholders, suppliers, business partners, government) are getting more and more involved the hotelsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ CSR activities. Hotel employees are educated to make a conscious decision in favour of environment and social issues in their private and business lives. Hotel guests are informed about CSR activities and are asked to participate in responsible business activities within the hotels and to work together to find innovative solutions that satisfy the hotelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s economic, environmental and social objectives. Managers are asked to abide by local and EU legislation especially on labour laws, health and safety, human rights and the environment. A great deal can be done when developing a hotel property in order to make both the development process and the eventual operation more environmentally sustainable. One of the aims of CSR is to make the community benefit from the hotel industry. 2.8 Benefits of CSR in the hotel industry Hotels who adopt CSR into their operations and public image depend on the following factors: Size Level of diversification Research and Development Advertising Government Intervention Consumer Income Labour market conditions Stage of the industry life cycle However this differs for different hotel organization, for example, larger hotels like international hotel chains may operate a CSR program at a lower cost than a small hotel because of economies of scale. It is a method for organization to distinguish themselves from their competitors Firstly, hotels benefit from CSR as it helps to reduce operating cost such as implementing of recycling and energy saving programs. Secondly, their brand image and reputation are enhanced as consumers prefer companies with CSR programs. Another benefit derived by hotels is in terms of productivity and quality since productivity goes up whenever working conditions improve. Other beneficiaries of the CSR programs are immediate environment in which the company is evolving. It comprises of the local community, neighboring villages, employees who usually live in those areas, the hotel guests and the host country at large. Hotels are expected to have ethical and social commitments, valued connections with partners and consistency over time to build trust with the stakeholders. In doing so, the hotel organizations are also developing societal marketing concept, therefore beneficiate from it. Analysis of Hospitality Industry in Mauritius Analysis of Hospitality Industry in Mauritius 2.1 Definitions of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) CSR has been defined as the duty of the organization to respect individuals rights and promote human welfare in its operations (Manakkalathil and Rudolf, 1995; Oppewal et al., 2006). Businesses not only have the economic responsibility of being profitable and the legal responsibility to follow the laws or ground rules that guide their ability to achieve their economic requirements, but they also have ethical responsibilities that include a range of societal norms, or standards (Carroll, 2000). CSR has been around for more than two decades. During the later half of twentieth century there arose the idea of the corporate social contract, which today underlies the CSR concept. Given the sometimes adverse effects of business decision making on society as well as corporate reliance on society, the notion of an implied corporate social contract was conceived by social and economic theorists. This contract spells out societys expectations of business as well as (although much less discussed) businesss expectations of society (Bowie, 1983). There is no single authoritative definition of CSR (ISO COPOLCO, 2002). The CSR agenda seems to be a loosely defined umbrella embracing a vast number of concepts traditionally framed as environmental concerns, public relations, corporate philanthropy, human resource management and community relations. One of the most referred definitions is by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) (1999) that defines CSR as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at largeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. CSR means being a good steward of societys economic and human resources ( Journal of Consumer Marketing, 2001). In summary, CSR entails the obligation stemming from the implicit à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“social contractà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? between business and society for firms to be responsive to societys long-run needs and want s, optimizing the positive effects and minimizing the negative effects of its actions on society. To synchronize that organizational social responsibility concerns are treated in the same routine manner in which legal, financial, and marketing concerns are addressed, four theories of corporate social responsibility have been advanced in the literature. The four positions are the classical, stakeholder, social demandingness, and social activist theories. The classical theory is the oldest of the four, and is grounded in classical economic theory. Firstly business executives are said to be primarily responsible to the shareholders of the corporation and their primary goal is to promote efficiency and secure effective economic performance. Secondly managers are said to be responsible to respond to the shareholders demands. These views are often thought to coincide with each other, because it is usually assumed that the main demand of shareholders is to maximize economic performance. In addition, both versions agree that managers are to perform their corporate function according to the laws and, thus, to avoid such things as fraud and deception. Friedman (1970), points out à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Here the businessman self-selected or appointed directly or indirectly by stockholders is to be simultaneously legislator, executive, or juristà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦He becomes in effect a public employee, a civil servant, even though he remains in name an e mployee of a private enterprise.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? This theory, albeit the oldest of the four theories, is still well and alive; it has many supporters and proponents among academicians and practitioners. The second theory is the stakeholder theory which integrates the main idea of classical theory, that is, corporate executives are responsible to stockholders. Nevertheless, what differs it from classical theory is that other groups are directly affected by the conduct and decision of the firm. These groups can employees, consumers, creditors, suppliers, and legal sub-systems who have a stake in the organisation and who might affect, in one way or another, the corporate decision making process. Furthermore, corporate executives have a direct responsibility to promote the interests of these groups. The main disagreement among stakeholder theorists, however, over whether stakeholder interests of these groups take precedence over the financial interests of stockholders or the stakeholder interests are the overriding ones. Social demandingness theorists argue that corporations have a responsibility to protect and promote certain interests of the general public. They agree with the stakeholder theorists that the interests of stakeholder groups are important, but they believe that these interests do not override non-stakeholdersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ interests or demands for such things as safety, health, freedom, and prosperity. As with the stakeholder theory, this theory repudiates the notion that there is some balanced or sensible list of tangible responsibilities that corporate executives always have toward society. The list varies as the nature and ranking of the interests or demands of the public change. The fourth and final theory is the social activist theory which is distinctively the most socially and morally demanding of the four theories. While agreeing with the stakeholders and social demandingness theories that executives have responsibilities toward stakeholders groups and the general public, social activistsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ theorists argue that corporate managers should sometimes strive to undertake projects that advance the interests of the public even when these undertakings are neither expected nor demanded by them. Social activists theorists contend that such projects should, for the most part, be in the area of corporate know-how, but they sometimes urge that executives deliberately take on social projects for which they have no special training or expertise 2.1 Types of CSR and Corporate Governance The notion that business has duties to society is firmly entrenched, although in the past several decades there has been a revolution in the way people view the relationship between business and society. Carroll (1979) and other researchers believe that we should judge corporations not just on their economic success, but also on non-economic criteria. Carroll (1979) proposed a popular four-part definition of CSR, suggesting that corporations have four responsibilities or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“four facesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Carroll, 2000b, p. 187) to fulfill to be good corporate citizens: economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic: Economic responsibility. Economic responsibility is to be profitable for principals, by delivering a good quality product, at a fair price, is due to customers. Legal responsibilities. Legal duties entail complying with the law and playing by the rules of the game Ethical responsibilities. Ethical duties overcome the limitations of legal duties. They entail being moral, doing what is right, just, and fair; respecting peoples moral rights; and avoiding harm or social injury as well as preventing harm caused by others (Smith and Quelch, 1993). Philanthropic responsibility. Interest in doing good for society, regardless of its impact on the bottom line is what is called altruistic, humanitarian or philanthropic CSR. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“giving backà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? time and money in the forms of voluntary service, voluntary association and voluntary giving à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" is where most of the controversy over the legitimacy of CSR lies. CORPORATE GOUVERNANCE (CG) Moreover, CSR is closely linked with the Corporate Governance of the organization, be it hotel organization. Any of those types of CSR should start in the hotel organizations first and then move to external environment. The key people should be taken into consideration so the CSR practices should be geared towards the internal customers who will in turn become CSR delegates to reach the external customers and environment. Companies must improve their business models by bringing CSR and sustainability into their strategy. Shleifer and Vishny (1997) define CG as the ways in which suppliers of finance to organisations assure themselves of getting a return on investment. Over the years, CG has evolved from the traditional à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“profit-centered modelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. By incorporating the community in which firms operate, the political environment, laws and regulations, and more generally the markets in which firms are involved. See Figure 1: The Business in Society which reflects a stakeholder perspective on the firm (Jensen, 2001) 2.1The Hospitality Industry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"Definitions Definitions of the hospitality have been approached from a number of different perspectives. Most of them combine physiological and psychological elements with security and levels of service. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Hospitality is concerned with the provision of physiological and psychological comfort with defined levels of service. The satisfactions may be physiological (thirst, bed, warmth), economic (value for money), social (company, service) and psychological (self-esteem, status, security).à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Source: C.Cooper, R.Shepherd, J. Westlake (1994) Even if the approach to defining hospitality may shift according to the authors, there are a number of integral elements that are common to all. These are: Hospitality is a complex combination of tangible and intangible features and benefits Hospitality involves a satisfying interaction between the service provider and the customer Hospitality provides guests with security, psychological and physiological comfort by offering food, beverage and accommodation. Therefore, bearing in mind the above characteristics, a simpler definition of the hospitality industry may be: The Hospitality Industry is involved with providing accommodations, food, beverage, entertainment, comfort and recreation for travelers away from their usual residences and normal surroundings. The industry also naturally look forward to meet the customer`s needs for safety and support of their persons, property, modes of transportation, and even the varying purpose of their travel. Speaking generally, those who make use of hospitality services demand attainment of a professional level of quality consistent with world standards, although perhaps adjusted for local conditions. They anticipate the facilities will be clean, comfortable, safe and secure. They expect good food and beverage at a reasonable rate. Furthermore, they look for courtesy, friendliness, respect and identification from the host. Perhaps more importantly they demand honesty, truth and equity in their dealings with the operator and his employees. Hospitality Industry In Mauritius HISTORICAL BACKGROUND In Mauritius, the first hotel was the Park Hotel in 1952 so as to accommodate the crew members coming at that time. Then came the Mauritius Hotel, the first beach hotel, built in 1954 at Le Morne followed by Le Chaland, another beach hotel in 1961. But the real development of tourism took place soon after Mauritius got its independence from the British. In early 1970`s the creation of Trou aux Biches Hotel by the Mauritius Hotels, the setting up of the Club MeditÃÆ' ©ranÃÆ' ©e and the Saint GÃÆ' ©ran Hotel by the Southern Sun Hotels as well as the Merville Beach Hotel by the ex-British Colons who wanted to come back here during the winter months of England. The Mauritius Hotel is now the Beachcomber group and the Southern Sun Hotels is the Sun International Resorts Limited. At present there are 95 hotels in Mauritius and there are not less than 5 more under construction as per the registered list set by the Ministry of Tourism. The numbers of hotels, rooms and bed places have increased constantly from 1991. Moreover the Prime Minister has announced his vision to reach 2 million tourists in 2015. Consequently an average annual growth of 10% in tourist arrival is expected. In order to reach this target, an approximate nu mber of 18500 rooms should be made available. This will bring about the creation of around 37000 direct jobs and double the amount in terms of indirect jobs. Due to the rapid growth of tourism and hospitality industry, government has introduced incentives for the private sector to bring in a sustainable development, namely by corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. This is achievable through proper public-private sector partnership. Overview of the Hotel industry IN MAURITIUS The hospitality industry in Mauritius has developed rapidly during the past 25 years. The coastal regions as well as the interior part of the island are constantly changing with the construction of the hotels and the increasing number of vehicles being used for the tourism industry. In 2007, the tourism industry was considered the third pillar of the economy after Sugar and Textile, and currently it plays a vital role in the economic growth of the country. The undoubted fall of 35% in the price of sugar and the removal of preference agreement with the EU market, has earmarked the tourism industry as the main industry capable of boosting the Mauritian economy. In July 2008, according to the last bulletin published by the Central Statistical Office (CSO), Mauritius welcomed 81,169 tourists as compared to 77,225 in 2007, registering a 5.1% growth over the same period a year ago. Table 1: Monthly tourist arrivals, July 2007 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" July 2008 Source:Tourism sector performance for the month of July, AHRIM Report, August 2008, pg 2 But after two decades of impressive growth, the need for responsible corporate governance has been felt in the country as the attitudes; mentality and knowledge of those working in that industry have not evolved at the same pace in terms of social responsibility and environmental awareness. Impacts of this rapid and somehow unplanned development are being experienced in the environment at large. Still, a lot has to be done to meet the competitive edge through proper campaign and involvement of all stakeholders so as to contribute towards sustainable development of the hospitality sector. In order to support its continuous growth, the Mauritian Tourism and Hospitality industry needs well-trained staff with full knowledge of their product while respecting the socio-economic and cultural environment in which the Mauritian tourism product is evolving. It is really important to maintain a high standard of efficiency and service so as to meet the requirements of an increasingly competitive and sophisticated global market. 2.7 CSR in the hotel industry In Mauritius Within the hospitality industry it has been agreed that there are increasing environmental and societal concerns. The big question is how to manage our environmental impact as demand grows against a backdrop of increasing vulnerability. As a result of demand for more sustainable destinations and travel preferences, management policies are being felt. Hotels practicing CSR look at the following areas: Workplace (where employees are treated equally and fairly) Marketplace (stakeholders) Environment (which has to be sustained for the future generation) Community Ethics Human rights Many hotels are now aware of CSR practices and have begun to use environmental-friendly products. Hotels in Mauritius are reducing the use of hazardous or non-degradable chemicals. Big hotel chains like Oberoi Mauritius recycle oil, water and plastic bottles while all hotels with more than 50 rooms are compel to recycle water as per the legislation. Hotels tend to purchase products that have a reduced environmental impact during their life cycle, from suppliers that demonstrate environmental and social responsibility to their customers and the society. Furthermore, Association des Hoteliers et Restaurateurs de L`Ile Maurice (AHRIM), is fully supporting the CSR initiatives initiated by the Mauritian Government. Through its members, they are actively putting forward the CSR activities on a regional basis all over the island. (See Appendix 1: Recommended CSR activities by AHRIM to its Members in June 2008). Stakeholders (employees, customers, shareholders, suppliers, business partners, government) are getting more and more involved the hotelsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ CSR activities. Hotel employees are educated to make a conscious decision in favour of environment and social issues in their private and business lives. Hotel guests are informed about CSR activities and are asked to participate in responsible business activities within the hotels and to work together to find innovative solutions that satisfy the hotelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s economic, environmental and social objectives. Managers are asked to abide by local and EU legislation especially on labour laws, health and safety, human rights and the environment. A great deal can be done when developing a hotel property in order to make both the development process and the eventual operation more environmentally sustainable. One of the aims of CSR is to make the community benefit from the hotel industry. 2.8 Benefits of CSR in the hotel industry Hotels who adopt CSR into their operations and public image depend on the following factors: Size Level of diversification Research and Development Advertising Government Intervention Consumer Income Labour market conditions Stage of the industry life cycle However this differs for different hotel organization, for example, larger hotels like international hotel chains may operate a CSR program at a lower cost than a small hotel because of economies of scale. It is a method for organization to distinguish themselves from their competitors Firstly, hotels benefit from CSR as it helps to reduce operating cost such as implementing of recycling and energy saving programs. Secondly, their brand image and reputation are enhanced as consumers prefer companies with CSR programs. Another benefit derived by hotels is in terms of productivity and quality since productivity goes up whenever working conditions improve. Other beneficiaries of the CSR programs are immediate environment in which the company is evolving. It comprises of the local community, neighboring villages, employees who usually live in those areas, the hotel guests and the host country at large. Hotels are expected to have ethical and social commitments, valued connections with partners and consistency over time to build trust with the stakeholders. In doing so, the hotel organizations are also developing societal marketing concept, therefore beneficiate from it.

Essay --

The image of masculinity was dominant throughout World War One. War was seen as the ultimate â€Å"test of manhood†. War and masculinity were synonymous; war was the ultimate defender of masculinity. This essay examines masculinity through the social, economic and physical changes men experienced in the 1920s to show the ways in which changes to former codes of masculinity were precipitated by war. An extensive amount of research has already been conducted on the issue of masculinity and the cumulative tendency of the scholarship has been to highlight the redefinition of masculinity. Joanna Bourke has made a significant contribution to the study of men and World War One by approaching the interaction between masculinity and World War One through the corporeal body. Similarly, Eric Leed’s 1979 study of combat and identity in wartime presents the idea that men’s experience of the war was dehumanising. Jessica Meyer uses a vast amount of personal narratives to expl ore British servicemen’s relation to the war. Along with these general contributions of masculinity, there have also been more focused studies. For example, Ina Zweinger-Bargielowska looks at the idea of masculinity through the focus of the construction of the ‘British superman’ in which she relates masculinity to physical culture. In order to show that masculinity was the chief casualty of the war the first section will analyse the changes in social relations to show there was a gender war as masculinity was greatly affected by the reversal of gender roles. I will then show how masculinity was economically affected through an examination of unemployment showing the challenge to male identities, especially for disabled men. The third section will move to explore the pressures o... ...ude, this essay has shown that masculinity was the chief casualty of the war. Exploring the social, economic and physical changes men experienced it has become clear that war had the power to make women visible and destabilise masculinity. Men encountered several anxieties centring on the social turmoil that gender roles irreparably distorted. It has become clear that the economic breakdown men faced as a result of their loss of breadwinner status exacerbated the loss of masculinity. Similarly, through an analysis of the physical culture men were involved in during the 1920s it has become clear that masculinity was severely damaged by the war, so much so that men were required to take part in physical activities to achieve a ‘body beautiful’ image which now came to represent masculinity. Ultimately one cannot deny that masculinity was the chief casualty of the war.

4th Amendment Essay -- Government Constitution Amendments History Essa

4th Amendment In the late 1700's the 4th Amendment was written because of strong objections to the Writs of Assistance or general warrants. The Writs Assistance gave officials the right to enter any home and seize belongings without a reasonable cause. (Grolier Encyclopedia) The 4th amendment was ratified in the Bill of Rights on December 15, 1771. This amendment protects the people's right to privacy and security. (Encarta Online) The Fourth Amendment states, 'The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.' (Encarta Online) In the court case of Katz v. United States it was said that, 'the 4th Amendment protects the people and not certain areas against search and seizure.' (Katz v. U.S.) Without this amendment people would have no claim over their personal privacy, or security. Any officer could enter homes and take any evidence that could be used to make an arrest or that could be used for prosecution in court. In order for police or any other higher authority to search and seize evidence from a suspect legally, it is required that a judge must grant a search warrant. (Encarta Online) The warrant authorizes the officer to seize particularly described items and to bring them before the court that issued the warrant. In common law, search warrants were used mainly to discover stolen property. In modern law, they have a variety of items, including intoxicating liquors, gambling implements, counterfeiters' tools, burglars' tools, smuggled goods, obscene literature, narcotics, illegal firearms and any article the possession of which is a crime or which may be used in evidence. (Encarta Online) The warrant must specify the place where the search is to be made and the property to be seized. An officer cannot get a warrant from a judge in any circumstance. (Grolier Encyclopedia) The officer may have to give a reasonable cause. As ruled in the case of Illinois v. Gates in 1983, ?to establish probable cause, one must show a probability of criminal activity; a prima facie hearing is not required.? (Illinois v. Gates) The accused has the right to fight the grounds when the war... ...de of the booth. After being arrested the court ruled that even though it was in a public place, he was making a private call. It was an illegal search. Now because of this case police now have to have a search warrant before using wiretapping. This applies to any and all people. (Katz v. U.S.) Along with the first eight amendments, the 4th Amendment deals with personal freedom. (Encarta Online) The 4th Amendment protects citizens from being accused of a crime without probable cause. Citizens of the United States of America deserves and maintains the right to privacy and security in their own homes. Sources Cited: Encarta Online. 2001. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 29 September   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2001. . ?Illinois vs. Gates.? Ed. Ralph B. Strickland, Jr. Sept.1994. North Carolina Justice Academy. 30 Sept. 2001. . Grolier?s Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. 1996 ed. New York: New York City, 1996. ?Katz vs. U.S.? 1967. . History Channel Online. 2000. Columbia University Press. 30 Sept 2001.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  .

Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 11

Jade-wait a minutel† Mark said. Jade, of course, didn't wait even a second. But shelost time undoing the bolts on the front door, and Mary-Lynnette could hear the quick tap, tap, tap of somebody running away. Jade threw the door open, darted out onto theporch-and screamed. Mary-Lynnette crowded forward and saw that Jade had put her foot into oneof the holes where the porch was missing a board. Everybody who didn't know the place did that. Butthat wasn't what had made her scream. It was the goat. â€Å"Oh, God,† Mark said. â€Å"Oh, God-who would dothat?† Mary-Lynnette took one look and felt a burning inher chest and arms-a painful, bad feeling. Her lungs seemed to contract and her breath was forced out. Her vision blurred. â€Å"Let's get it inside,† Rowan said. â€Å"Jade, are youall right?† Jade was taking In ragged, whooping breaths. Shesounded the way Mary-Lynnette felt. Mark leaned over to help pull her out of the hole. Rowan and Kestrel were lifting the goat by its legs.Mary-Lynnette was backing into the house, teeth clamped on her already-bitten lip. The taste of copperwas like a blood dot in her mouth. They put the goat on an old-fashioned patternedrug in the entrance to the living room. Jade's whooping breaths turned into gasping sobs. â€Å"That's Ethyl,† Mary-Lynnette said. She felt like sobbing too. She knelt beside Ethyl. The goat was pure white, with a sweet face and a broad forehead. Mary Lynnette reached out to touch one hoof gently. She'dhelped Mrs. B. trim that hoof with pruning shears. â€Å"She's dead,† Kestrel said. â€Å"You can't hurt her.†Mary-Lynnette looked up quickly. Kestrel's face was composed and distant. Shock rippled under MaryLynnette's skin. â€Å"Let's take them out,† Rowan said. â€Å"The hide's ruined already,† Kestrel said. â€Å"Kestrel, please-â€Å" Mary-Lynnette stood. â€Å"Kestrel, shut up!† There was a pause. To Mary-Lynnette's astonishment, the pause went on. Kestrel stayed shut up. Mary-Lynnette and Rowan began to pull the little wooden stakes out of the goat's body. Some were as small as toothpicks. Others were longer than Mary-Lynnette's finger and thicker than a shish kebab skewer, with a dull point at one end.Somebody strong did this, Mary-Lynnette thought. Strong enough to punch splinters of wood throughgoat hide. Over and over again. Ethyl was pierced everywhere. Hundreds of times. She looked like a porcupine. â€Å"There wasn't much bleeding,† Rowan said softly.†That means she was dead when it was done. Andlook here.† She gently touched Ethyl's neck. Thewhite coat was crimson there-just like the deer, Mary-Lynnette thought. â€Å"Somebody either cut her throat or bit it,† Rowansaid. â€Å"So it was probably quick for her and she bledout. Not like †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?† Mary-Lynnette said. Rowan hesitated. She looked up at Jade. Jade sniffled and wiped her nose on Mark's shoulder. Rowan looked back at Mary-Lynnette. â€Å"Not like Uncle Hodge.† She looked back down and carefully loosened another stake, adding it to the pile theywere accumulating. â€Å"You see, they killed Unde Hodge this way, the Elders did. Only he was alivewhen they did it.† For a moment Mary-Lynnette couldn't speak. Thenshe said, â€Å"Why?† Rowan pulled out two more stakes, her face controlled and intent. â€Å"For telling a human about theNight World.† Mary-Lynnette sat back on her heels and lookedat Mark. Mark sat down on the floor, bringing Jade withhim. â€Å"That's why Aunt Opal left the island,† Rowansaid. â€Å"And now somebody's staked Aunt Opal,† Kestrel said. â€Å"And somebody's killed a goat in the same wayUnde Hodge was killed.† â€Å"Butwho?† Mary-Lynnette said. Rowan shook her head. â€Å"Somebody who knowsabout vampires.† Mark's blue eyes looked darker than usual and alittle glazed. â€Å"You were talkingbefore about a vam pire hunter. â€Å"That gets my vote,† Kestrel said. â€Å"Okay, so who around here is a vampire hunter?What's a vampire hunter?† â€Å"That's the problem,† Rowan said. â€Å"I don't knowhow you could tell who is one. I'm not even sure Ibelieve in vampire hunters.† â€Å"They're supposed to be humans who've found out about the Night World,† Jade said, pushing tears outof her eyes with her palms. â€Å"And they can't get otherpeople to believe them-or maybe they don't want other people to know. So they hunt us. You know, trying to kill us one by one. They're supposed toknow as much about the Night World as Night People do.† â€Å"You mean, like knowing how your uncle was executed† Mary-Lynnette said. â€Å"Yes, but that's not much of a secret,† Rowan said.†I mean, you wouldn't have to actually know aboutUncle Hodge to think of it-It's the traditionalmethod of execution among the lamia. There aren't many things besides staking and burning that will killa vampire.† Mary-Lynnette thought about this. It didn't getthem very far. Who would want to kill an old ladyand a goat? â€Å"Rowan? Why did your aunt have goats? I mean, I always thought it was for the milk, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It was for the blood, I'm sure,† Rowan saidcalmly. â€Å"If she looked as old as you said, she probablycouldn't get out into the woods to hunt.† Mary-Lynnette looked at the goat again, trying tofind other dues, trying to be a good observer detached, methodical. When her eyes got to Ethyl's muzzle, she blinked and leaned forward. â€Å"I-there's something in her mouth.† â€Å"Please tell me you're joking,† Mark said. Mary-Lynnette just waved a hand at him. â€Å"Ican't-I need something to†¦hang on a sec.† Sheran into the kitchen and opened a drawer. She snagged a richly decorated sterling silver knife and ran back to the living room. â€Å"Okay,† she grunted as she pried Ethyl's teeth farther open. There wassomething in there-something like a flower, but black. She worked it out with her fingers. â€Å"Silence of the Goats,† Mark muttered. Mary-Lynnette ignored him, turning the disintegrating thing over in her hands. â€Å"It looks like aniris-but it's spray-painted black.† Jade and Rowan exchanged grim glances. â€Å"Wellthis has somethingto do with the Night World,† Rowan said. â€Å"If we weren't sure of that before, weare now. Black flowers are the symbols of the Night World.† Mary-Lynnette put the sodden iris down. â€Å"Symbols, like †¦ ?† â€Å"We wear them to identify ourselves to each other.You know, on rings or pins or clothes or things like that. Each species has its own kind of flower, andthen there are other flowers that mean you belongto a certain dub or family. Witches use black dahlias, werewolves use black foxglove; made vampires use black roses †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"And there's a chain of dubs called the Black Iris,†Kestrel said, coming to stand by the others. â€Å"I know because Ash belongs to one.† â€Å"Ash†¦ † Jade said, staring at Kestrel with widegreen eyes. Mary-Lynnette sat frozen. Something was tugginginsistently at the corner of her consciousness. Some thing about a black design†¦. â€Å"Oh, God,† she said. â€Å"Oh, God-I know somebody who wears a ring with a black flower on it.† Everyone looked at her. â€Å"Who?† Mark said, at the same time as Rowansaid it. Mary-Lynnette didn't know which of them looked more surprised. Mary-Lynnette struggled with herself for a minute. â€Å"It's Jeremy Lovett,† she said finally. Not toosteadily. Mark made a face. â€Å"That oddball. He lives by himself in a trailer in the woods, and last summer †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mark's voice died out. His jaw dropped, and when he spoke again, it was more slowly. â€Å"And last sum mer they found a body right out near there.† â€Å"Can you tell?† Mary-Lynnette asked Rowan qui etly. â€Å"If somebody's a Night Person?† â€Å"Well †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Rowan looked dismayed. â€Å"Well-not for sure. If somebody was experienced at shielding their mind †¦Well, we might be able to startle them into revealing something. But otherwise, no. Notfor certain. â€Å" Mark leaned back. â€Å"Oh, terrific. Well, I think Jeremy would make a great Night Person. Actually, so would Vic Kimble and Todd Akers.† â€Å"Todd,† Jade said. â€Å"Now, wait a minute.† Shepicked up one of the toothpicks that had been em bedded in the goat and stared at it. Rowan was looking at Mary-Lynnette. â€Å"No matterwhat, we should go and see your friend Jeremy. He'll probably turn out to be completely innocent-sometimes a human gets hold of one of our rings or pins, and then things get reallyconfusing. Especially if they wander into one of our dubs†¦.† Mary-Lynnette wasn't so sure. She had a terrible, terrible sick feeling. The way Jeremy kept to himself, the way he always seemed to be an outsider atschool–even his untamed good looks and his easy way of moving †¦ No, it all seemed to lead to one conclusion. She had solved the mystery of Jeremy Lovett at last, and it wasnot a happy ending. Kestrel said â€Å"Okay, fine; we can go check this Jeremy guy out. But what about Ash?† â€Å"What about Ash?† Rowan said. The last stake wasout. She gently turned one side of the rug over the body of the goat, like a shroud. â€Å"Well, don't you see? It's his dub flower. Somaybe somebody from his dub did it.† â€Å"Urn, I know I'm starting to sound like a brokenrecord,† Mark said. â€Å"But I don't know what you're talking about. Who's Ash?† The three sisters looked at him. Mary-Lynnette looked away. After so many missed opportunities, it was going to sound extremely peculiar when she casually mentioned that, oh, yes, she'd met Ash. Twice. But she didn't have a choice anymore. She had to tell. â€Å"He's our brother,† Kestrel was saying. â€Å"He's crazy,† Jade said. â€Å"He's the only one from our family who migh.know that we're here in Briar Creek,† Rowan said. â€Å"He found megiving a letter to Crane Linden to smuggle off the island. But Idon't think he noticedAunt Opal's address on it. He's not much good at noticing things that aren't about him.† â€Å"You can say that again,† Jade said. â€Å"All Ashthinksabout is Ash. He's completely self-centered.† â€Å"All he does is chase girls and party,† Kestrel said,with one of those smiles that made Mary-Lynnette wonder if she really disapproved. â€Å"And hunt.† ‘He doesn't like humans,†Jade said. â€Å"If he didn't like chasing human girls and playing with them, he'd probably be planning towipe out all the humans and take over the world.† â€Å"Sounds like a great guy,† Mark said. â€Å"Well, he's sort of conservative,† Rowan said. ‘Politically, I mean. Personally, he's–â€Å" â€Å"Loose,† Kestrel suggested, eyebrows up. â€Å"To put it mildly,† Jade agreed. â€Å"There's only onething he wants when he goes after human girls besides their cars, I mean.† Mary-Lynnette's heart was pounding. With every second that passed it was getting harder to speak up. And every time she took a breath, somebody else started talking. 0†³So, wait you think he did all this stuff?† Mark asked. â€Å"I wouldn't put it past him,† Kestrel said. Jade nodded vigorously. â€Å"But his own aunt ,†Mark said. â€Å"He'd do it if he thought the honor of the familywas involved,† Kestrel said. â€Å"Yes, well, there's one problem with all that,† Rowan said tightly. â€Å"Ash isn't here. He's in California.† â€Å"No, he's not,† Ash said casually, from the back ofthe living room.