My Life Journey Sandra Reynaga free essay sample

My name is Sandra Reengage Im twenty seven years old, Im a mother of two phenomenal boys that I totally love with all me heart. Im also engage to a wonderful person that means the world to me. Im originally from Los Angels California; my parents are Mexican so that makes me Mexican American. I come from a big family of nine siblings; Im the second person in my family to go to college. My goal is to become a social worker and provide for my family, I want my children to be proud of me and follow my steps that would be my dream to see my kids go to college and achieve their goals.I have a wonderful family that supports me on everything I do; I was raise on a very poor side of Los Angels California my parents always taught us how to be independent and work hard for our goals in life and never give up. We will write a custom essay sample on My Life Journey: Sandra Reynaga or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When I was young my parents gave my siblings and I frequent speeches about the importance of perseverance. What surprised me as an adult was how much they lived their never give up message toward us, when we needed them the most. And thats the same good example I want for my kids to follow.I will now move on and continue with the journey of my life. Im a very simple woman I say simple because I dont ask for much only for what I work hard for and achieve with my hard work and effort. Im currently a student at Fresno City College Im studying to become a social worker. Throughout my years without school, I had made It my goal to go back to school and gain as much knowledge of my peers and follow my goal. The start of college came; I was nervous but with this nervousness came an overwhelming sense of excitement and curiosity that was aching to be explored.College Is not only about learning in the classroom, but also learning outside the classroom. The reason why I decided to attend college Is because of so many reasons one of them Is for my family I want to be able to provide for them. I want a better future and going to college Is a really good way to go, Its pretty relevant. Also my boyfriend helps and supports me with everything he always gives me phenomenal support Im so fortunate to have him In my life. Now that I have Introduced myself and said part of my life Journey.I will focus and learn from your knowledge that you will present to us In class. I will also endeavor to complete this task by deadline and earn good grades. I know It wont be an easy battle, but I sure know that every single second of me studying for a new career In my fife would be absolutely worth It. With the support, and love that my family gives me and faith everything Is possible I consider myself a fighter and a survivor, I know Ill be okay and triumph through this Journey that has Just began.My Life Journey: Sandra Reengage By candidate worker. Throughout my years without school, I had made it my goal to go back to of excitement and curiosity that was aching to be explored. College is not only about decided to attend college is because of so many reasons one of them is for my family I want to be able to provide for them. I want a better future and going to college is a ally good way to go, its pretty relevant. Also my boyfriend helps and supports me in my life.Now that I have introduced myself and said part of my life Journey. I will focus and learn from your knowledge that you will present to us in class. I will also endeavor to complete this task by deadline and earn good grades. I know it wont be an easy battle, but I sure know that every single second of me studying for a new career in my life would be absolutely worth it. With the support, and love that my family gives me and faith everything is possible I consider myself a fighter and a survivor.

Optical Fiber Corp Case Analysis Essays

Optical Fiber Corp Case Analysis Essays Optical Fiber Corp Case Analysis Essay Optical Fiber Corp Case Analysis Essay Case Analysis: Optical Fiber Corporation Introduction Optical Fiber Corporation (OFC) is a financially successful, albeit relatively small manufacturer of multimode optical fibers. The company was founded in 1990. The founders were able to enter the market largely on the basis of acquiring patent licenses from larger optical fiber firms. These licenses restricted competition between the entities and provided OFC with instant access to optical fiber technology. In return, OFC’s customer base is limited by the license agreements and royalties of 7% on sales of licensed products (recently renegotiated to 9%) are paid to the licensors. Despite these handicaps the firm has grown in size and profitability. OFC makes several types of multimode optical fiber including specialty niche products they have developed outside of any license agreements. All customers are cable manufacturers that convert the fibers to optical fiber cable. Three such firms account for over 70% of OFC’s revenues. Focusing on customer service, quality and product design and process improvements has proved a winning business model to date. OFC now faces a variety of challenges including the expiration of many of the patents that afford most of its profits. This raises the real possibility of new competitors in the market. Further, while in the past multimode and single mode optical fibers have generally been used for data communications and telecommunications respectively and as such were not in direct competition with each other, the advent of cheaper manufacturing processes for single mode fibers coupled with their inherent ability to transmit data more efficiently over longer distances may make them a more appealing choice for some of the uses that historically have favored multimode fibers. OFC is at now at a crossroads where they must decide if they are to stay in the multimode fiber business only, begin producing single mode fibers as well, or even enter the cabling business with a forward integration strategy. Competition in the Optical Fiber Industry The optical fiber industry is perhaps best considered as two industries that are closely related, the multimode fiber and the single mode fiber industries. The multimode industry in which OFC specializes is very competitive. The United States’ 2001 total optical fiber market was approximately 3. 5 million kilometers only 330 thousand of which was multimode. The value of the multimode market was $65 million that year, only a fifth that of the single mode market. Within the multimode market and a number of fiber manufacturers. The main rivals for OFC are the two licensors to whom they pay royalties. These firms are considerably larger and have greater resources with which to compete. Further, they have a competitive advantage in that they are the recipients of royalty payments rather than the firm making those payments. Also they are in a position to control the extent of OFC’s market penetration at least with respect to their licensed products. OFC has responded by creating high quality products and providing exceptional customer service. In addition, OFC has made improvements to the basic design of some of the licensed fibers making them, in a real sense new products. The R and D department at OFC has also been successful at developing new and less expensive manufacturing processes, which has helped to offset the added overhead of the royalty payments. Finally, OFC has developed specialty fibers with medical, aircraft, aerospace and extreme environment applications. These new fibers will not be subject to royalty payments, competition from new entrants until patents expire years in the future, and generally afford higher profit margins than other optical fiber products. New entrants to the market are a threat to OFC and all other fiber producers. New firms must contend with the high capitalization costs of this technologically demanding and exacting industry. One of the costs of optical fiber production is the R and D required to bring successful products to market. Between 1999 and 2007 the patents for many of the basic fibers produced by OFC and its licensors will expire. New firms entering the market will be free to produce the products once protected under those patents without having incurred any R and D costs. These firms will also be free from royalty payments to licensors or any restrictive covenants such as those under which OFC operates. The industry in general, and OFC in particular, must contend with the purchasing power of its buyers. Optical fiber is converted into optical fiber cable. In the United States there are twenty companies that perform this function. OFC sells over 70% of their fiber to just three. The loss of any of these accounts could be devastating for OFC and places them in a weak position when negotiating prices, at least when the products are those which are readily available from other multimode fiber producers. It is doubtful that switching costs would be high for buyers. Favoring OFC and the optical fiber market are the projections for increased demand for multimode optical fibers at least through the mid 2000’s. Sources of increased demand for multimode fiber are anticipated to include: cable TV, undersea cables, local area networks (LAN) as well as general data communications growth such as computer uses. As noted the single mode optical fiber market is much larger than the multimode market. It too, is expected to see significant growth over the next several years. Single mode fibers have the advantage of efficiently transmitting data over long distances, faster transmission rates and other desirable optical properties but until recently have been more expensive to produce. The advent of cheaper production methods will allow single mode fibers to enter markets that were once dominated by multimode fibers. Production of these fibers requires expensive specialized manufacturing equipment and a significant commitment to R and D. The industry includes one of the OFC licensors. Substitute products for single mode fibers include microwaves, and satellites for telecommunications. Impact seems limited. Copper wire can be used as a substitute for the fiber-to-home and fiber-to-curb applications of either multimode or single mode fibers but by the mid 2000’s the lowered cost of production of single mode fibers will likely make this the preferred choice for these functions. Finally, it should be noted that suppliers are unlikely to exert competitive forces on the fiber optics markets. The materials used in the production of fibers are commodities of low value such as glass, certain gases and oxide particles. OFC Strengths OFC has many strengths. The firm is financially strong with record sales and earnings for the last year as well as increased manufacturing capacity. Furthermore, there was a $20 million backlog for optical fibers in the last year and orders are increasing. There was net income of $6. 1million on revenue of $48. million in 2002. The Quick Ratio, a measure of a firm’s ability to meet short-term debt obligations (Current Assets – Inventories)/Current Liabilities = ($31. 0m $6. 6m)/$12. 5 = 2. 0 is very solid. Return on equity (Net Income/Equity) = $6. 1m/$44. 0m = 13. 9% is also very impressive. OFC has developed new specialty products for medical, military, commercial aircraft, aerospace and severe environment uses. These are likely to receive patents and will not require royalty payments and will be protected from competitors for years to come. The firm has a variety of options to confront the challenges of the changing market place. OFC has patent licenses to produce optical cables that would allow for forward integration if they chose to move in that direction. Engineers at OFC have been able to find new ways to produce old products more efficiently reducing production costs. They have also developed adaptations of existing products to create new and unique demands for those products. OFC is in an industry that is expected to enjoy strong growth for at least the next several years. That demand will come from a variety of industries adding stability to the market. The equipment needed to produce optical fiber is expensive and the expertise demanding creating, a relative barrier to entry. Copper wire as a substitute is relatively expensive and as technological advances decrease the cost of optical fibers copper will become a non-entity. Perhaps most importantly, OFC has a strong reputation for quality, service and competitive pricing. OFC Weaknesses OFC is a small company. They were only able to enter the market by virtue of other firms’ products and license agreements. Those licenses have protected OFC from competition but have also limited the scope of its customer base and added significant fixed costs in royalty payments. Royalties will now increase to 9% (after paying a one time $3 million fee) on 85% of sales. Furthermore, while OFC is paying royalties to use these patents new entrants may soon be competing as patents expire. These firms will have essentially no R and D expense and of course no royalty payments potentially allowing them to produce at costs below those of OFC. OFC must also contend with a limited number of buyers. Over 70% of sales are to just three cable producers. The ability of OFC to increase prices to these large purchasers is doubtful. If even one of these customers were lost to an alternative fiber optic producer the effect on OFC could be dramatic. OFC operates in a competitive industry that will become more so with time. Copper wire manufacturers will turn to optical cable production to stay relevant. Overseas producers, already sources of competition to OFC, are likely to play a larger role in the future. Finally, OFC’s success has been built on quality, service and innovation. One or more competitor can potentially offer all of these. OFC’s Core Competencies OFC manufactures multimode, high quality optical fiber for cabling companies that convert that fiber into cable for a variety of data communications uses. The firm has a reputation for low prices and excellent customer service. Much of their success can be attributed to their R and D program, which has developed cost saving production technologies as well as product innovations. More recently, OFC has shown itself to be an innovator, developing entirely new multimode optical fiber products that fill a variety of unique niche functions. To continue producing and selling multimode optical fiber successfully, OFC needs to prepare for increased competition as patent protections expire. As new entrants begin producing many of the higher volume OFC products, likely at lower cost given their lack of R and D and royalty expenses, OFC will need to spend additional resources on developing decreased costs of production if they are to continue selling those products profitably. They will need to maintain their focus on quality and customer service. In part that will require continued product testing. They may wish to explore, however, if testing 100% of products as is current policy is necessary or if testing samples from each batch would serve as well and save money. OFC will need to continue to support R and D to develop new products and patentable improvements on existing ones. Options Available for Growth Pursuit of Niche Markets OFC has already demonstrated an ability to develop marketable niche multimode fibers. Previously created are fibers able to withstand high radiation nvironments for nuclear reactor and military applications, a fiber that can tolerate deep underwater submersion and a third tolerant of high heat conditions. They have also successfully experimented with a fiber capable of transmitting UV light and another with unique medical and scientific uses. To continue their development program for specialty fibers will require annual R and D spending increases of $400,000 and an additional annual expenditure for three new staff totaling $325,000. Outside firms can be hired to handle sales for 10% commissions. When sales volumes are adequate, salaried OFC employees can be used instead. The calculation as to when this makes financial sense for the firm is simple; when 10% of sales exceed the salary and benefit expenses of the needed in-house sales force then sales should become an OFC operation. The advantage of niche products is the lack of competition and relatively higher margins. Develop Single Mode Fiber Capacity OFC could choose to enter the much larger single mode fiber market. It is estimated that this will require a capital investment of $4 million for new plant and equipment. It will take a year for the new facilities to be operational. There will also be a reported one time R and D expense of $2. 5 million. This is a first year expense so it cannot be capitalized. It can reasonably be assumed that there will be additional R and D expenses going forward although presumably these would be considerably lower than the initial expense. Entering the single mode market places OFC in competition with larger firms than it currently faces with greater resources to sell products with thinner margins and would divert OFC resources from their core business functions. Forward Integration A third option for OFC is to produce optical cable. The required patent licenses are available. Two options for this forward integration strategy exist. OFC can commit $5 million in capital investments and plan on spending an additional $500,000 annually for R and D or they can simply purchase a cabling company for an estimated $10 – 15 million in capital expenditure. There is currently an excess supply of cable and cabling firms and several are in danger of bankruptcy and so an acquisition should be feasible. Forward integration raises several concerns. Regardless of the approach taken, entering the fiber optic cable business will be expensive for OFC. This is a market that is already experiencing an excess of capacity so it can be assumed that at least for some time to come profits in the cabling industry will be squeezed. This is not a core business function of OFC but to pursue cable production will be so expensive as to necessarily draw resources away from some of the firm’s core activities, activities that are likely to be more profitable and entail less financial risk. Finally, one needs to consider that all of OFC’s customers are cable producers. If OFC enters this market they will become a competitor of their customers. It seems highly probable that at least some of these optical fiber buyers will respond in a retaliatory manner and switch to alternate suppliers. Most of OFC’s products are not unique and can be supplied by their licensors. The three large buyers would seem in a particularly strong position to adversely respond to any entry into the cabling market by OFC. OFC Policy Statement In choosing a direction for the future growth of OFC several considerations should be kept in mind. First, OFC has been successful in large part because of its focus on quality. Any efforts at growth should not come at the expense of producing high quality products. Second, the firm must continue to provide a high level of customer service. This should include responsiveness to customers’ needs for new products and product features when those offerings are commensurate with the firm’s vision, available or attainable expertise and when economically viable. Finally, the firm should continue to fund R and D efforts to allow for a continuous pipeline of new products and improvements to existing ones in an effort to maintain a unique competitive position in the market. OFC has been successful in competing against larger firms by avoiding head to head competition. Initially this was accomplished through license agreements alone. Later, the firm was able to create unique improvements to existing products and processes that gave it an advantage. Most recently OFC has created unique patentable products. These represent three different ways of avoiding direct competition. Despite their growth, OFC remains a relatively small firm in the optical fiber space and should continue to eschew direct competition when possible, realizing that the market is dominated by larger and better-funded firms. Recommendations OFC should stay out of the cable producing business. This market is the least profitable, most expensive to enter and likely to have the lowest return on investment. It is also likely to result in retaliation by current customers and reduced sales. The single mode market is much larger than the multimode market but as a consequence will bring OFC in contact with larger firms that already have the equipment and knowledge base to produce these products. A small firm with limited resources should not leave its core competencies behind to take on firms that are already in place. OFC needs to continue to make niche products whether they are improvements on old multimode fibers or new fibers with unique properties and functions. This firm will never be a big player in the highly competitive optical fiber industry, they arrived too late and don’t have the capital to displace the dominant firms. Given that projections are for most of the increased demand for optical fibers to occur through the mid to late 2000’s OFC may want to watch for an opportune time to sell to one of these larger entities, perhaps a single mode fiber producer to whom the OFC product line would prove complimentary.

The Roots and Backwash of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Research Paper

The Roots and Backwash of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill - Research Paper Example The Exxon Valdez supertanker was traveling outside normal shipping lanes as it was avoiding ice and after 6 hours of grounding, the ship damaged 8 of its 11 tankers and spilled a portion of its Prudhoe Bay oil cargo (Cutler, 2008).   Massive cleanup efforts by Exxon and the US Coast Guard were immediately started.   Thousands of Alaskan residents helped in the cleanup efforts and eventually after about three years, the US Coast Guard declared the clean-up complete (Exxon Mobil, n.d).   The cleanup started in April 1989 until September of 1989 for the first year and went on in 1990 and 1991 during the summer months and some shoreline monitoring in the winter months (Cutler, 2008).   Based on the assessment of the National Transportation Safety Board, there were 5 possible causes of the grounding: 1). The third mate failed to properly maneuver the vessel possibly because of fatigue and excess workload; 2). The master failed to give proper navigation watch probably because of al cohol intoxication; 3). Exxon Shipping Company did not supervise the master and provide rest for their crew; 4). The US Coast Guard did not provide an effective vessel traffic system, and 5). There were no sufficient pilot and escort services (Cutler, 2008).  Ã‚   The environmental and economic consequences of the disaster amount to more than just three years of cleanup; they amount to profits lost, damage to coasts, and other sea and bird life.   These consequences shall now be discussed in detail.   These economic consequences shall cover the ecological cost of the oil spill itself, the economic costs as shouldered by Exxon Company during the cleanup, and the penalties charged against the company for the disaster.  Ã‚  Ã‚   About 3700 to 5800 mammals from 9 different species were affected by the oil spill.   Three hundred direct mortalities were reported for seals while 2,800 mortalities were reported for otters and these deaths were mostly due to the breathing and ingestion of the toxic oil.

On Socrates argument in The Crito is actually an argument developed by Essay

On Socrates argument in The Crito is actually an argument developed by each PHI 101 student that explicates and evaluates Socrates argument in The Crito. S - Essay Example More importantly, Socrates emphasized in his argument against Crito that he had to follow the law. The first premise of the argument of Socrates is, â€Å"If a citizen actively or tacitly accepts the benefits of the States Laws, then that citizen agrees to abide by all those Laws.† The second premise is, â€Å"Socrates actively accepted the benefits of the States Laws. The conclusion is, â€Å"Therefore, Socrates must obey the Laws and command to drink hemlock rather than flee Athens.† Although Socrates’ argument sounds theoretically possible, the problems with the two premises as well as his faulty answers to Crito’s suggestions somehow makes the whole argument unsound. Socrates’ case was that of a certain death penalty through drinking of the hemlock. Crito arrived in prison in Athens in order to convince Socrates to escape for that was obviously and logically his only chance to escape. Crito offers him four reasons to escape. First, he offered him a bribe of money. Second, he told him that it was Socrates’ friends desire to help him. Third, Crito said that Socrates’ survival would benefit the majority. Lastly, Crito emphasized the idea of the importance of posterity to Socrates. Nevertheless, Socrates refused for the fact that none of these four ideas mean the good and upright life that Socrates has been trying to emphasize. According to Socrates, â€Å"†¦the most important thing is not life, but the good life† (Crito 48b, 51). The basis of this good and morally upright life is the good life that would result if Socrates did not disobey the laws of Athens, which now makes up the essence of his argument. Therefore, for Socrates, the alternative to the evil decision to escape is the morally upright decision to stay and obey the laws of Athens in the name of justice. However, the major premise of Socrates’ argument has flaws of its own. It says, â€Å"If a citizen actively or tacitly accepts the benefits of the

Tell me why Hume believes that Thesis (2) is true Essay

Tell me why Hume believes that Thesis (2) is true - Essay Example As we grow, we gain information about the world around us through our senses. These simple impressions of the world cause corresponding simple ideas. A burning feeling in our finger leads to the simple idea of ‘don’t touch that.’ These simple ideas are gathered as we grow. We may understand not to touch that if we don’t want to feel burning in our finger. We may also understand that hot food comes from that place, that that place is called stove and that stove is only burning if the top is red. These several simple ideas combine together to form complex ideas – don’t touch the top of the stove when it’s red because that means it is hot and will burn our finger. This type of sequential connection of impressions is essentially the evidence of memory. A group of memories, each themselves a collection of impressions, can then combine to create impressions of even more complex concepts which may include ideas of family, education or religion among other things. This is possible because these impressions can also be connected in non-sequential forms that comprise imagination. For example, the earlier memory of the burning stove might be translated into a red spiral skirt placed on a dancer as she twirls about a stage in an energetic dance celebrating summer. Imagination is necessary in order to develop these complex thoughts into complete ideologies by which one might live their life. For example, Hume indicates in this argument that God himself is a complex idea formed from simple ideas caused by simple impressions. Although the idea of God was sufficient proof for Descartes, Hume suggests that this idea does not require or prove that God truly exist. Our impressions, whether they are in the form of simple ideas, memories or imagination, become attached to words that we use to help us recall these impressions. However, these thoughts are always qualified with specific

Three Supermarkets Namely Tesco Dunnes Store And Aldi Business Essay

Three Supermarkets Namely Tesco Dunnes Store And Aldi Business Essay Several decades ago, the manufacture industry occupied the most important status in the business world. Service industry merely existed as an accessorial industry for the manufacture industry. Product and service were recognised as two diverse aspects. In other words, product quality and service quality were two disparate measures of performance. Moreover, customer service was ignored for a long time and was identified in a very narrow meaning. Nevertheless, nowadays, according to the expanding and diversified economy international economy, customer service can be the critically crucial factor between an organisations success and failure. Most organisations are providing excellent and distinguished customer service in order to retain existing customers and attract more potential customers. Consequently, the organisation acquires the competitive edge among businesses in final. However, if the organisation handles customer service in a disastrous way it can damage the businesss operations. Customers in the current trends incessantly demand to improved levels of service. Therefore, the issue of customer service training, particularly in a retail environment has improved greatly over the past decades. Retail companies spend massive efforts, time, money and other resources into training programmes as a result of treating customer service as a key factor for companies. Although the importance of customer service quality is well-known, through the existing literature, there are relatively few studies which argue if customer service training impacts customer satisfaction in the supermarket industry. The purpose of this study intends to address the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer service training programmes. Intense competition and market saturation are forcing supermarkets to access new revenue streams worldwide. Supermarkets are expanding their array of products through mass customization, developing private label lines, embracing internet and home delivery services and increasing focus on customer loyalty programs (Agnese, 2003; Blisard et al. 2002). Market saturation, extreme competition and shifts in demographics teamed with the recent economic slump restrict players in the supermarket industry to limited external market growth. In an attempt to deal with diverse markets (the first major business issue), supermarket retailers are forced to customize various operating strategies expanding the array of services and products, increasing loyalty of profitable customers, generating profits through private labelling, and reaching customers through new delivery methods like internet shopping and home delivery. Supermarket retailers attempt the most effort to satisfy customer needs in orde r to maintain the existing customers and attract potential customers. Customer service and training can not be ignored by supermarkets. This research will investigate three supermarkets, namely, TESCO, Dunnes Store and ALDI. TESCO Tesco plc is a UK-based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain. It is the largest British retailer by both global sales and domestic market share, with profits exceeding  £3  billion. It is currently the third largest global retailer based on revenue, behind Wal-Mart and Frances Carrefour, but second largest based on profit, ahead of Carrefour. Dunnes Store The company, which is privately owned, is intensely proud of the fact that it is an Irish company. The guiding principles of the company are to provide its customers with a choice of good quality products at competitive prices. These principles are encapsulated in the words Better Value for which Dunnes Stores has become famous. 15,000 people operate throughout the Dunnes Stores Group within a vast array of different and diverse positions. ALDI ALDI, short for ALbrecht DIscount, is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany. They are still Germanys richest men, earning an estimated à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.5 billion per year. Cost-cutting strategies save Aldi money and the general price level in Aldi stores shows that most of these savings are passed directly on to consumers. Employees are expected to alternate between checking customers out and store maintenance, such that all employees focus on that during peak hours. Conversely when customer traffic is low, only one employee will check people out while the rest perform other duties required to run the store (pallet removal/insertion, cleaning etc). 1.2 Research Question Research question is foundation stone for the research. Bryman and Bell (2003) point out that formulation of the research questions are crucial because they will: guide your literature search; guide your decisions about the kind of research design to employ; guide your decisions about what data to collect and from whom; guide your analysis of your data guide your writing up of your data; stop you from going off in unnecessary directions. The researcher intent to answer the following research question: Does customer service training impact on customer satisfaction levels in the supermarket industry? In addition, the research question should always generate new insights into a subject matter. Based on the best of the researchers knowledge, no studies have been carried out on the relationship between customer service training and customer satisfaction in the supermarket industry. The findings of this research will be valuable information to those involved in the areas of customer satisfaction, customer service training and supermarket. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 overview of supermarket industry In recent years, the customer base in much of the world has been declining or stabilizing and market demographics have shifted considerably (Agnese, 2003). The rate of population growth has decreased across the board worldwide over the past 30 years. In low-income countries it declined from 2.0 percent in 2000 to 1.9 percent in 2003 then to 1.8 percent 2004 and finally 1.8 percent in 2005. In middle income countries population growth remained stable at 0.9 percent in 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2005. In high-income countries it declined from 0.8 percent in 2000 to 0.7 percent in 2003, 0.7 percent in 2004, and 0.7 percent in 2005 (World Development Indicators Database, April 2006, www.worldbank.org), Todays woman bears, on average, less than three children down from five in the 1960s (World Bank, 2003). This trend is expected to continue until at least 2010 (World Bank, 2003).The world economy is also struggling. Annual GDP has been stagnant the past five years in countries of all income le vels. During 2000-2005, annual GDP was between $0.85 and 1.4 trillion for low. The supermarket industry is well saturated as a result of urbanization and many existing supermarkets in residential neighborhoods. The industries within the USA, Canada, Europe and Japan are highly mature (Table I). Growth opportunities, which traditionally came from opening new stores, are now found mainly in same store growth, complimentary markets and acquisitions. Saturation has given rise to intense competition and required many grocers to address new types of competitive threats (restaurants, home shopping delivery, etc.) and rethink their traditional business model (Stadler, 2002). 2.2. Overview of Customer Satisfaction 2.2.1 Signification of Customer Satisfaction The service sector has developed considerably during the past 20 years, so far, it occupies close to three-quarters of GDP, three-quarters of employment. It leads to increase competition and customer demand for higher quality service and products have forced organisations to both examine the levels of service they presently provide and increase the quality of service provided to customers. Furthermore, customer satisfaction is one of the most important factors of customer service. Satisfied customers who stay with a company for a long period tend to impact the profitability of the company in several ways. First, their repeat business generates income for the company. Second, because of the expenditure involved in advertising, promotion, and start-up activities, acquiring new customers can cost much more than retaining existing ones. Third, loyal (and satisfied) customers often spread the good news and recommend the services to several others (Anderson and Sullivan, 1990; Reicheld and Sasser, 1990; Zeithaml et al., 1996). High customer satisfaction has many benefits for the company, such as increased consumer loyalty, enhanced firm reputation, reduced price elasticises, lower costs of future transactions, and higher employee efficiency (Anderson et al., 1994; Fornell, 1992; Swanson and Kelley, 2001). On the other hand, dissatisfied customers may take their businesses elsewhere and disparage the firm. The success of Aldi and Lidl, both German-owned, coincided with the recession that put a squeeze on household budgets. The stores adopt a pile it high, sell it cheap philosophy, and high customer Satisfaction while the number of staff per store is a fraction of mainstream operators. They both charge for plastic bags, and do not tend to offer big brands. The success of some budget supermarkets in our survey proves that savvy shoppers can make the most of their money without compromising on quality. (chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith)UK shoppers want the whole package great value for money, a wide range of quality products and a pleasant shopping environment. Its not rocket science, but those supermarkets that consistently get it wrong should beware shoppers will vote with their feet and take their business elsewhere. 2.2.2 Customer Satisfaction Theories In the past several decades, many definitions of customer satisfaction had been defined already. Customer satisfaction generally means customer reaction to the state of fulfilment, and customer judgment of the fulfilled state (Oliver, 1997). Brown (1992) defined customer satisfaction as: the state in which customer needs, wants and expectations throughout the product or services life are net or exceeded resulting in repeat purchase, loyalty and favourable worth-of mouth. Satisfaction is a persons feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a products perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to his or her expectations (Kotler, 1997). And, Bitner and Zeithaml (2003) pointed out satisfaction as follows: The customers evaluation of a product or service in terms of whether that product or service has met their needs and expectations. Finally, throughout the literature researched, Kotler and Armstrong (2006) deem that customer satisfaction is an emotional attitude generated towards a product, resulting from the comparison of what was expected and what was received. Customers compare their expectations of a product or service with their perceptions of what they received. If perceptions meet or exceed expectations, the customer is generally satisfied. However, if expectations are not met, the customer is generally unsatisfied with the service. 2.2.3 Customer Satisfaction Model The customer satisfaction model from Kano (1984) is a quality management and marketing technique that can be used for measuring client happiness. Kanos model of customer satisfaction distinguishes six categories of quality attributes, from which the first three actually influence customer satisfaction (See Appendix 1): Basic Factors. (Dissatisfiers. Must have.) -The minimum requirements which will cause dissatisfaction if they are not fulfilled but do not cause customer satisfaction if they are fulfilled (or are exceeded). The customer regards these as prerequisites and takes these for granted. Basic factors establish a market entry threshold. Excitement Factors. (Satisfiers. Attractive.) The factors that increase customer satisfaction if delivered but do not cause dissatisfaction if they are not delivered. These factors surprise the customer and generate delight. Performance Factors. The factors that cause satisfaction if the performance is high and they cause dissatisfaction if the performance is low. Here, the attribute performance-overall satisfaction is linear and symmetric. Typically these factors are directly connected to customers explicit needs and desires and a company should try to be competitive here. The price for which customer is willing to pay for a product is closely tied to performance attributes. The additional three attributes which Kano (1984) mentions are: Indifferent attributes. The customer does not care about this feature. Questionable attributes. It is unclear whether this attribute is expected by the customer. Reverse attributes. The reverse of this product feature was expected by the customer. These last three attributes are often of little or no consequence to the customer, and do not factor into consumer decisions. An example of this type of attribute is a plate listing part numbers can be found under the hood on many vehicles for use by repairpersons. 2.2.4 Factors that influence customer satisfaction According to Wong and Sohal (2003), the greater the degree to which a consumer experiences satisfaction with a retailer, the greater the probability the consumer will revisit the retailer. In order to acquire a good understanding of customer satisfaction and distinguish which features compose successful customer satisfaction in the retail environment, the researcher has identified the following findings. Customer aspect Customer satisfaction is strongly influenced by customer characteristics such as variety seeking, age and income. Demographics variables such as education and age have also been found to be good predictors of the level of customer satisfaction (Homburg and Giering, 2001). Satisfied customers tend to use a service more often than those not satisfied (Bolton and Lemon, 1999), they present stronger repurchase intentions, and they recommend the service to their acquaintances (Zeithaml et al, 1996). It has been suggested that satisfaction has a direct effect on repurchase intentions (Reichled and Teal, 1996). Employee aspect Personnel affect the satisfaction level of the occasional, probably due to the aid they require from supermarket staff as they do not know the store layout and/or facilities. Wang and Netemeyer (2004) pointed out that employees competence and abilities are not the only important factors, but also the employees friendliness and general presentation play a particularly central role. Especially against a background of strong price orientation by some retailers and the increasing homogeneity of products and assortments, service quality is a very promising means of creating a distinctive retailer brand, not only for specialty retailers. Service quality aspect In todays world of intense competition, the key to sustainable competitive advantage lies in delivering high quality service that will in turn result in satisfied customers. Quality is one dimension on which satisfaction is based ¼Ã…’one group of researchers upholds that satisfaction is antecedent to service quality. Another group of researchers who believe that service quality is antecedent to satisfaction argue that since service quality is a cognitive evaluation, a positive service quality perception can lead to satisfaction, which may in turn lead to favourable behavioural intentions (Brady and Robertson, 2001). A third perspective maintains that there is a non-recursive relationship between service quality and satisfaction (Taylor and Cronin, 1994). For the service industry in general, the authors divided service quality into two categories: technical quality, primarily focused on what consumers actually receive from the service department, and functional quality, focusing on the process of rendering service. Emotions aspect Liljander and Strandvil (1997) observed that affective reports are more highly predictive in consumer situations involving services than those involving physical products. Darden and Babin (1994), for example, discuss the importance of emotions in retailing, and point out the need to include affective factors when studying store image and purchase behaviour. They contend that, in order to account fully for a stores retail personality, both its functional and emotional meaning should be assessed. Both factors influence the customers perceived store image and his/her purchase behaviour. In a small empirical study, the authors found evidence of the usefulness of affective quality (items taken from Russell and Pratt, 1980) as a means of explaining consumers mental representations of retail stores. Store aspect Whites (1996) meta-analysis of manufacturing performance defines a set of variables that influence customer satisfaction including quality, delivery speed, delivery dependability, cost, flexibility, and innovation. Gagliano and Hathcote (1994) divide service in retailing into store service (e.g. returns/exchanges, after sales service) and sales service (helpfulness, friendliness, employees competence). Darian et al. (2005) state that a retailer should avoid poor service levels for any service activity. Furthermore, one also had to bear in mind that customers develop specific preferences for specific brands. Regardless whether such preferences are habitual or demonstrate loyalty to the brand (Gounaris and Stahakopoulos, 2004), weaken the consumers actual involvement with the stores atmosphere and aesthetics since they enter the supermarket with a predetermined choice plan. 2.2.5 Argument for customer satisfaction Roger and Rolf (2002) suggest that customer satisfaction with service industry probably decrease its significance through the developed world because most people do not care it any more. In other words, the trouble is, it may be dead but it will not lie down. In Roger and Rolf (2002) view, line managers primarily struggle to meet their financial targets since this is what most of them believe dictates their bonuses and future promotion and their ability to move to other jobs. Further, for such managers, customers are potential assets that need to be managed and leveraged. So, customer relationship management is key, not customer satisfaction (Srivastava et al., 1998). Customer satisfaction is losing its status even for marketers. It is not helping them in achieving this aim such as understanding their marketplace so that they can continually present key customers with better value offerings than the competition. There are three main reasons to cause it. Firstly, it is very difficult to measure; secondly, even when measured, it often has little relation to actual purchase behaviour; thirdly, new technology is opening up both the actual purchasing activities and the possible reasons behind them. 2.3 Overview of Training 2.3.1 Signification of Training Every organisations desire to complete their goals and to survive in an increasingly competitive world must utilise effectively and efficiently its most valuable asset- the skills of its employees. According to Ferketish and Hayden (1992), the human resource development (HRD) challenge for the next decade will be to assure a continuous improvement culture by keeping the system aligned with continuous improvement strategies. Bramley (2003) argues that training implies learning to do something and, when it is successful, it results in things being done differently. The author believes that training should be a planned process rather than an accidental one. To be more specific, Barlow and Mail (2000) suggest that receiving service is both a personal and psychological experience. There is a psychological and physical closeness between employees and customers in the service encounter, effective training done not only make supermarket sales process more efficient, also provide satisfaction to customer, which helps retain their loyalty to companys brand, or become an opinion leader to spread in other consumers about supermarkets reputation. In addition, there is no quality control in the customer contact; service providers work alone and without supervision, fail to train service providers may lead to the consequence that dissatisfied customers may take their business elsewhere and disparage the firm. 2.3.2 Customer Service Training The definition of training, Heery and Noon (2001) introduce the concept of competence, explaining that training is the process of changing the skills, attitudes, and knowledge of employees with the purpose of achieving or improving their levels of competence. In other words, training is that through a designed process, management is able to change, improve employees working skill, attitude, and knowledge to suit their current position or fit higher level organisational hierarchy in thecontext of career development. Refer to the retailing industry, customer service training can be seen as a grass roots program, which provides employees the knowledge and skill of serving customers. There is no surprise that Customer service training is considered as one of the most vital factors to improve the level of employees capability when dealing with customers in retailing industry by market researchers and organisation management. The very common customer training is all the activities performed to support the customer during the supplier-customer exchange, including all presale, sale, and post-sale activities (Markland, Vickery, and Davis, 1995), in order to maximize customer satisfaction. High level of customer satisfaction makes customers more dependable on retailers or suppliers, as a result, organisations build strong relationship with their customers, strength customer loyalty, which Innis and La Londe (1994) suggest that can be considered as a effective competitive advantage over rival firms. Todays business world, skilled labour is seen as one of the most valuable assets, human resource managers have to effectively utilise training programme, where can be crucia l to companys success. For instance, all new employees at Disneyland and Walt Disney World must attend Disney University, where they undergo a special training program for Disney employees. However, many companies do not always support training programmes. They may be indirectly unsupportive of training programmes by not covering for that employee while they are off-the-job on a training programme. Inappropriate training programme is another issue, especially under global financial crisis, most companies are suffering from difficulties, the situation requires firms consider cost more carefully. Formal training course is usually a big expense which management willing to cut. Furthermore, the management may concentrate on areas of training which increase productivity or efficiency, but not customer service. Moreover, the customer service programmes may emphasise areas which customers do not consider important. For example, the training may focus on how to smile, how to respond to a certain situation, rather than providing service providers with skills to enable them to foresee customer needs and wants and to be able to respond in a very personal and customised manner to t hat customer needs or wants (Coulter et al., 1989) 2.3.3 Training Process Reid and Barrington (2000) use the Training and Development National Standards to design the training process. The purpose of the standards is stated as being to develop human potential to assist organisations and individuals to achieve their objective. The following is the comprehensive lists that break down the training process into its main functional areas and sub-areas. Identify training and development needs Identify organisational training and development requirements Identify learning requirements of individuals Plan and design training and development Design training and development strategies for organisations Design training and development programmes Design and produce learning materials Deliver training and development Manage the implementation of training and development Facilitate learning with individuals and groups Review progress and assess achievement Monitor and review progress Assess individual achievement Assess individual achievement of competence Continuously improve the effectiveness of training and development Evaluate the effectiveness of training and development within an organisation Evaluate the effectiveness of training and development programmes Improve own training and development practice Contribute to advances and developments 2.3.4 Customer Service Training Dimensions Based on theory of Lin and Darling (1997), the customer service training process should be learned as a multidimensional issue. They segment the training process by three dimensions: 1. an analytical dimension of tasks, technique, procedure and system. 2. a behavioural dimension, concerned with attitudes, perceptions, and motivation. 3. and an organisational learning dimension, concerned with management style, corporate culture, structure and information flows. The first dimension, analytical dimension is the most widely recognised, it means that management breaks down service tasks into several trainable steps. Typical topics include such major headings as the customer and market knowledge, and knowledge of the selling process (Anderson, Hair and Bush, 1992; Ingram 1992). The training may include high service element is often made more effective by including words, photographs, drawings, video tapes, computer-based training. The purples of the analytical dimension are to concentrate the relationship between service providers and customers, based on the analytical results of service input and output. Moreover, quality and technical issues are also the concerns of management in analytical dimension. Above individual employees level is the organisational behaviour training, which is not any written rules or skill or knowledge that can be learned by any course, but the way of doing daily business of certain organisations. Positive and effective organisation behaviour is a valuable advantage for retailing business, which can strongly support on job training new employees and improve levels of customer service. Therefore, the third dimension also known as organisational learning was introduced by Nevis et al. (1995) it defines as the capacity or processes within an organisation to maintain or improve performance based on experience. According to information processing perspective (Garvin, 1993), organisational learning encompasses the acquisition, dissemination, interpretation, and storage of information that results in the modification of the potential range of behaviours to reflect new knowledge and insights organisations that are responsive to customers needs engage in organisati onal learning in a customer information context (Day, 1991). Moreover, Training should lead not only to the improvement of skills but also to change in the ways employees think and view their jobs and the company. 2.3.5 Customer Service Training Barriers Binshan and John (1997) point out three ancillary issues add complexity to training program implementation. These implementation issues involve operational barriers, managerial barriers, and cultural/structural barriers. The operational barriers focus on training technique and the roles of training officers. The training officers can play either the provider role or the change agent role. The provider has a generally accepted, although limited, role in offering training expertise geared toward the maintenance and development of organisational performance, but it does not extend to organisational change. On the other hand, the change agent is the classic organisation development consultant and performs a role that is the antithesis of the provider role. As the title implies, the change agent views the customer service function as giving rise to organisational problems and is concerned with helping others to resolve these problems through changing the organisational culture. Thus, the message of the change agent is always clear: Change is good, change is essential, and change is here to stay. 2.36 Efficient consumer response (ECR) and logistics systems structure Supermarket chains are dealing with their unique positions by implementing a common strategy: ECR (Kurt Salmon Associates, 1993). This strategy is becoming central to shaping logistical trends within the supermarket industry (the third major business issue). ECR focuses on the customer as the driving force of the system. It involves evaluating inefficiencies throughout the entire supply chain to create improvements on every level. ECR was started in the USA in 1992 in response to low growth, high competition, and consumer pressure. The movement spread to Europe in 1994, Asia in 1996, Latin America in 1998 and is now starting in India. The system requires cooperation and information sharing between members of the supply chain, and more commonly involves cooperation between previously unrelated suppliers. In many cases, ECR strategies now include competitors. Although suppliers do not always agree, efforts pay off for all parties (Corsten and Kumar, 2003). Grocery stores in the USA los e $6 billion in sales per year, $200,000 per average supermarket, due to out-of-stock products in the top 25 grocery categories (Stadler, 2002). Approximately,  £2.5 billion a year in the UK is lost because a product is not on the shelf when a customer is looking to buy it (Rowat, 2006). When products are on the shelves, customers get better service, supermarkets increase profitability and sales and suppliers reduce transportation costs and increase sales. Although born in the USA, the ECR movement in Europe gained momentum to allow the European chains to quickly outperform their US counterparts, primarily due to the lack of space, issues related to dealing closely with 14 countries and transportation costs. American chains often have warehouses that rival the shop floor in square footage. This space provides plenty of room for safety stock. European supermarkets often lack back rooms, requiring that inventory systems be extremely efficient and accurate to avoid stock-outs without requiring any extra inventory. The same factors allow the US to achieve profitability with an average of $510,000 in sales and 40,000-50,000 SKUs per store, while European supermarkets must have higher sales with only 20,000-35,000 SKUs (Fallon, 1998). In 2005, it was reported that grocery retailers in the UK were now keeping an average of 11.3 days worth of stock compared with 12.8 days in 2003 (Food Manufacture, 2004). 2.4 The Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Training Because of customers are vital to business growth and success, so customer service, especially satisfying customer is the key to achieve the business growth and success. How to train staffs to satisfy customers that is big challenge need to face by organisation. The important factor is the measurement of customer satisfaction as fourth factor. As before mentioned, the lack of market research identified in the Irish survey, few managers represent dissatisfaction with the results of market research but an even greater number did not attempt to carry it out. To respond complaint from customer that is a method to access customer needs and wants. However, this may be a motivating

The American Within :: essays research papers

The American Within! Many people believe that if you were born in a certain country you will be forever labeled as a citizen of that country for the rest of your natural born life. We as humans should be able to express ourselves freely without the risk of being harmed. Americans are not necessarily born they are created at heart. Unlike many other countries, America has established a separation between church and state to give everyone the choice of what they want to do with their life. I believe an American should take advantage of what the country has to offer, benefit the country in a way you see fit, and also follow the guidelines that has been set forth by our founding fathers. America is known for their unlimited opportunities, and these opportunities were meant to be taken advantage of by the American citizens. Citizens are given many freedoms other third world countries do not even consider releasing to the public. In most cases, countries outside the United States have governments that take action on those who choose to speak freely or participate in a different religion. Freedoms such as freedom of religion, free speech, the right to assemble, etc. are all characteristics of an average American. If someone doesn't have the right to perform any of those just listed then they are obviously not an American. All of these freedoms and rights are not only allowed, but they are strongly encouraged. It is what this country fought so long and hard for. Normally, people who were not born in America come here for the labor. People of America are raised to get an education and a job, and to find some way to benefit the country. That's how America is economically and financially supported. Taxes are what keeps our country on its' feet. You are morally and legally obligated to pay these fees issued to you by the government. If you don't pay your taxes you're not supporting the country that gave you liberty and justice, and by not paying taxes your just committing a selfish act. We would not be here today if everyone in America did whatever benefited themselves. Everyone in this country puts together what they can to improve their country, we are united! Hence the name United States. Like any other country, the government is what keeps everything in place. The government is not there to make your life miserable, at least not in America.

Vacant Chapter 14 Home

â€Å"Margie's been coming by every night to make sure I have food or whatever. We would talk for a little while.† Emily stops and looks toward the door. â€Å"I'm guessing she hasn't shown up tonight because she saw the car out front.† I yawn, but not because I'm bored. I could listen to Emily talk forever about the six days I missed out on. I'm exhausted though and the days I went without restful sleep are showing. â€Å"You are so tired, Ethan. We can do this tomorrow.† Her hand slides down my face as a warm smile takes over her features. I stand to head toward the bedroom, and she turns to make her bed on the couch. â€Å"Emily?† I question her. â€Å"I was hoping we could go to bed.† The, â€Å"well, duh,† look she gives me, and then returns to making her bed tells me she's not understanding my meaning. â€Å"No, ummm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Why am I so nervous to say this? I roll my eyes at myself. â€Å"Like, together,† I say as I step to the doorway of the bedroom, â€Å"in here.† Her eyes get huge, owl huge, and I realize my mistake. â€Å"No! Not like that. I just†¦.† I have messed up so much; I want to get something right, so I pause and collect my thoughts. â€Å"No more sleeping on the couch, Emily. We're adults who love each other. I don't want to be apart anymore. Come to bed with me and sleep. Nothing else.† I want her to understand that I'm not pushing. I want her close, but I don't want her to be uncomfortable. This is a monumental step forward for us. â€Å"You, me, pajamas, and sleeping†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I decide that perhaps a little lighthearted humor won't hurt. â€Å"And maybe a little more of the kissing.† I will behave. I put on full length pajama pants – over my boxers – and t-shirt. I get under the sheet, lie flat on my back and cross my hands over my stomach. I wait. Patiently? No. Emily enters the bedroom from the bathroom, and I can tell she's nervous. I'm not sure if her anxiety is because of the prospect of sleeping with me or that she is wearing a tank and panty set I'm pretty sure was intended for a toddler and not a full grown woman. I can see her nipples. And her†¦I'm definitely in trouble. Do I tell her? I have no idea what the protocol is for divulging sexual history to a prospective mate. Mate? I roll my eyes at myself again as images of Emily and me wrapped in fur coverings shoot through my mind. I'm running around with a spear shouting, â€Å"Me man, you woman.† It's totally ridiculous that I've reverted to a prehistoric mindset. If I were a caveman, I'd have an easier time with the subject at hand. I'd just grab Emily and shove my penis in her vagina with nothing more than grunts. Being without conversational language skills has its advantages; there's no way to explain everything. My thoughts have veered off course, and I need to focus on the woman crawling up the bed like a cat hunting a mouse. Even though I haven't admitted it to myself, this is one of the reasons I'm so afraid of this thing with Emily. Sex and the topic of sex have always been off the table with her. We have never discussed previous experiences. I'd always assumed Emily was a virgin, but maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part since she came to me at a young age. I'm not naive enough to think that teenage girls aren't having sex. I just didn't want Emily to be one of them. Being nervous about Emily's sexual experience, or lack thereof, isn't my only reason for pause. I don't know whether or not I should divulge my history. Part of me thinks it plays a huge part in things, while the other part of me says it doesn't matter. I'm torn and don't know which is right. I know honesty is the best policy, but will it do more harm than good in this case? â€Å"Ethan?† I look up and see those expressive eyes. She needs my comfort and acceptance. Even though I made it clear we are only sleeping tonight, it seems like she is still trying to persuade me to do more. How else would you explain the tiny underwear and feline-like movements? If I don't stop this dead in its tracks now, I know I won't. Things will go too far too fast. I open my arms in invitation, hoping she gets the message without hurt feelings. â€Å"Just lay down with me.† Why is she giggling? The haze from sleep is slowly lifting, and the morning sun shines through the window. I want to recap the events of last night before I open my eyes and look at the most important person in my life. â€Å"Ethan?† Emily whispers. â€Å"Hmmm,† I answer to let her know I'm awake. Her hand is on my stomach, under my shirt, where she strokes the hair just above my belly button. â€Å"Can I touch it?† Emily breathes in a hushed tone. My eyebrows furrow with my eyes still closed. â€Å"Touch what?† Another giggle. Emily's hand slides down a little further, and a finger dips inside the waist of my pajamas. Whoa! I grab her wrist to still her movement, but she tugs away. â€Å"I want this, Ethan. I want this with you. Please don't make me beg you.† The last thing I want is for Emily to connect negative feelings to sex with me, but I never came to a resolution last night. I am not sure how much to tell her, but I don't think dwelling on it any longer will help me decide. I'm going to have to throw a bone and see her response. â€Å"We need to talk, Emily.† â€Å"Later.† It's a bold statement on her part, but I can't deny her as her hand moves under my waistband. I'm ashamed to say that I've denied her touch for too long, and I don't want to wait for another second. Her lips move to mine, my mouth automatically opening. I want nothing more than to swallow her whole but settle for the caress of her tongue on mine. Her fingers play under my pants, flirting with the idea of moving lower. My hands have been flat against the mattress until now, but I can't stop their journey to her arms, then back. Knowing she is touching me intimately gives me the courage to do the same. My hand floats to the crest of her ass, gliding across her flesh. She moans, giving me the courage to extend my caress to her bare flesh beneath her panties. My touch is tentative because I want to get this right. â€Å"Yes,† comes her strangled plea. We continue kissing with nips and tugs of lips and teeth; my hand moves to the top of her thigh, then down to the dip where her ass meets her legs. She pushes toward me, her pussy opening to meet my waiting hand. I don't have to search far before encountering slick skin, eager for my attention. Her breath stutters as my fingers begin to move, stroking her. Her hand moves to touch me, her thumb rubbing my head, spreading the pre-cum. Her touch feels so good that I move my mouth away from hers, fearful I'll bite her. Instead, my teeth graze her jaw then continue to move lower. My mouth waters at the thought of tasting more of her. I've imagined what her nipples look like – taste like. I want to know that my fantasies don't compare, even a small portion, to the reality. But this is not a fantasy. This is someone I care about, dream about, someone who matters and this has to be right. I pull her tank down, exposing her breasts. My mouth immediately latches on, suckling and lapping at the darkened peak. My fingers massage while my tongue caresses, and in only a few seconds, Emily is panting and writhing. Her head falls to my chest as she stiffens in my arms. I've never felt so satisfied, despite not having my own release. But it doesn't matter, because I know that this is only the beginning. This is the first of many gifts I hope to give her. After I make her get dressed completely, we sit at the kitchen table for a much needed discussion. â€Å"So, you've never†¦.?† I start. â€Å"No.† While I'm deliriously happy Emily is a virgin, I also know the pain associated with the first time for a woman, and I'm not looking forward to inflicting that. I want to give her pleasure, not pain. â€Å"What about you?† Emily asks followed by a big gush of air. â€Å"Never mind; that's a stupid question. Of course you have. I mean, look at you.† I open my mouth to answer her, but she doesn't let me. â€Å"No, tell me. I want to know. How many?† And there lies the crux of my problem. I'm afraid to tell her, because if she knows, will she still trust me with her most precious gift?

Idioms About Units of Measure

Idioms About Units of Measure Idioms About Units of Measure Idioms About Units of Measure By Mark Nichol A number of idiomatic expressions refer (often hyperbolically, or with lighthearted exaggeration) to units of English measure to describe something figuratively or make an observation. This post lists and explains many such phrases. To be â€Å"every inch a (something)† or â€Å"every inch the (something)† is to so closely match a stereotypical look or embody a trait that the comparison holds thoroughly, figuratively, from beginning to end. â€Å"Within an inch of (one’s) life† means â€Å"to an extreme degree†; to beat someone to within an inch of that person’s life is to physically attack that person so severely that he or she is very close to (figuratively, an inch away from) death. To move by inches, or inch by inch, or to inch along (or inch one’s way along) is to progress very slowly, in very short increments, whether literally or figuratively. (Other prepositions may, depending on the context, replace along.) â€Å"Come within an inch of† refers figuratively to very nearly accomplishing a goal or experiencing something. The phrase â€Å"every inch† (sometimes â€Å"every square inch†) hyperbolically refers to complete coverage, as in â€Å"Every inch of the room was strewn with toys.† To say â€Å"Give (someone) an inch and (that person) will take a mile† is to express that someone given a modest concession will take advantage to extract more from the giver. â€Å"Give an inch,† on its own (or â€Å"Budge an inch† or â€Å"Move an inch†), is usually part of a statement alluding to someone’s unwillingness to compromise, as in â€Å"You never give an inch.† To say that someone does not trust someone else an inch is to express an utter lack of faith in that person. Something that is inch-perfect is extremely accurate or well judged. Idioms that include the word foot almost invariably pertain to the anatomic feature rather than the unit of measurement, but to say that one would not touch a person or a thing with a ten-foot pole suggests in no uncertain terms that one does not want to be associated with that person or thing. The phrase â€Å"all wool and a yard wide† alludes to the high quality of a person or an object, while to say that someone goes or went â€Å"the whole nine yards† expresses that the person is or was very thorough in accomplishing something. A country mile is a longer-than-expected distance, perhaps from the notion that traveling a mile in a rural area seems longer than passing over that distance in a more congested area. The expression â€Å"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step† expresses that a formidable task is easily begun by focusing on a small initial effort. â€Å"A mile a minute† suggests doing something, such as talking, at extreme speed in a state of excitement. To say that someone can detect or observe something from a mile away hyperbolically suggests that the thing is easily noticed; however, to say that someone is miles away (or a million miles away) is to note that the person is preococcupied and not attending to a nearby activity, while to be miles from anywhere or nowhere is to literally be physically isolated. Saying that someone is a mile off or missed by a mile means that the person is mistaken or wrong to a great degree; the latter can also literally refer to someone missing a target by far or being very inaccurate in aim. â€Å"A miss is as good as a mile† means that a small failure is as just as significant as a large one. To be miles apart from agreement suggests that the parties are very much opposed. The phrase â€Å"by a mile† refers hyperbolically to accomplishing or failing to accomplish something by a significant amount. â€Å"For miles† (and â€Å"for miles and miles†), however, neutrally refers to at least several miles in such statements as â€Å"The property extends for miles in each direction.† To go the extra mile is to make greater effort than is required, while something that stands out or sticks out a mile is extremely obvious. â€Å"More bounce for the ounce† is slang referring to getting more value for one’s money with one product or investment than another. â€Å"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure† means that a minimal amount of forethought has the same value as a significant expenditure of effort to resolve an issue that developed because of lack of foresight. Other comparisons are made between commonsense and theory and between discretion and wit (in the latter case, encouraging people to withhold clever comments that may embarrass another person). To pack or pile on the pounds is to quickly gain weight. The phrase â€Å"pound for pound† means â€Å"considering the weight involved.† (In combat sports such as boxing, participants who compete in different weight classes are sometimes ranked in skills according to various criteria; this type of ranking is called â€Å"pound for pound.†) â€Å"Pound of flesh,† from Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice, alludes to an unreasonable debt, based on the character Shylock’s insistence on receiving a pound of flesh that a borrower agreed, with overconfidence, to surrender as collateral. The phrase â€Å"800-pound gorilla† refers metaphorically to an entity so powerful that it can ignore limitations others are bound to. (It alludes to the riddle â€Å"Where does an 800-pound gorilla sit?† the answer to which is â€Å"Wherever it wants.) The phrase â€Å"come down on (one) like a ton of bricks† figuratively expresses that punishment will be or has been dealt out severely, as if the person being punished was or will be buried beneath a crushing weight. When someone refers to â€Å"tons of† something, he or she is hyperbolically expressing abundance. To say that something â€Å"weighs a ton† is to exaggerate the weight of an object that must be carried or lifted that is unexpectedly or excessively heavy. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a UK Business LetterAbstract Nouns from Adjectives5 Examples of Insufficient Hyphenation

Present Perfect Tense in Spanish

Present Perfect Tense in Spanish Despite its name, the present perfect tense in Spanish (and English as well) is used to refer to events that happened in the past. Its use in Spanish can be tricky, however, because its usage varies with region and it sometimes is used in slightly different ways than it is in English. In Spanish, the present perfect tense is formed by the present tense of haber followed by the past participle. (In English its the present tense of to have followed by the past participle.) It generally indicates that an action has been completed that has some bearing on the present. Forms of Present Perfect Tense Here are the forms in which the present perfect would be stated. Pronouns are included here for clarity but often arent necessary: yo he past participle (I have ...)tà º has past participle (you have ...)usted/à ©l/ella ha past participle (you have, he/she has ...)nosotros/nosotras hemos past participle (we have ...)vosotros/vosotras habà ©is past participle (you have ...)ustedes/ellos/ellas han past participle (you have, they have ...) Note that while in English, as in some of the examples above, it is possible to separate the have from the past participle, in Spanish you normally dont separate  haber  from participles. However, if haber applies to two participles, the second haber can be omitted, as in the second sample sentence below. Sample Sentences Here are some examples of sentences using the present perfect tense along with the way theyd most commonly be translated: Me he comprado una esponja rosa. (I have bought a pink sponge.) ¡Es lo mejor que he visto y escuchado en mi vida! (Its the best thing I have seen and heard in my life!) ¿Alguna vez has hablado con las ranas a medianoche? (Have you talked with the frogs at midnight?)Todos lo hemos pensado. (All of us have thought it.)Minerva ha conocido ya a los padres de su novio. (Minerva has already met her boyfriends parents.)Siempre he anhelado tener un metabolismo con el cual pueda comer lo que quiera. (I have always wanted to have a metabolism that would let me eat whatever I want.)Hay videojuegos que han hecho historia. (There are video games that have made history.)He leà ­do y acepto la polà ­tica de privacidad. (I have read and I accept the privacy policy.) Subjunctive Use The subjunctive present perfect functions in much the same way: Mi amiga niega que su madre haya comprado un regalo para el perro. (My friend denies that her mother has bought a gift for the dog.)Titular: 14 piscinas que no se parecen a nada que hayas visto antes. (Headline: 14 swimming pools that dont seem like anything you have seen before.)Es probable que hayan escondido micrà ³fonos en la casa y està ©n escuchando nuestras conversaciones. (It is likely that they have hidden microphones in the house and are listening to our conversations.)El la eleccià ³n ms sucia que hayamos conocido en los à ºltimos tiempos. (It is the dirtiest election that we have known in recent times.) Present Perfect With Meaning of the Preterite You should be aware, however, that the Spanish present perfect tense should not always be thought of as the equivalent of the English present perfect tense. In many regions, it can be used as the equivalent of the English simple past tense. Sometimes the context will make this clear: Ha llegado hace un rato. (She arrived a little bit ago.)Cuando lo he visto no he podido creerlo. (When I saw it I couldnt believe it.)Leo la carta que me han escrito esta maà ±ana. (I am reading the letter they wrote to me this morning.)Esta maà ±ana he estado en Madrid. (This morning I was in Madrid.) But even where the context doesnt dictate so, the present perfect can be the equivalent of the English preterite, also known as the simple past. This is especially true for events that occurred very recently. Youre also more likely to hear the present perfect used in this way in Spain than in most of Latin America, where the preterite may be preferred (e.g., llegà ³ hace un rato). Key Takeaways The present perfect tense is formed by following the present tense of haber with a past participle.No words should intervene between haber and the participle.The Spanish present perfect sometimes is used to indicate than an action recently took place rather than merely that it has occurred.

Managing the People Dimension Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Managing the People Dimension - Essay Example The author of the essay "Managing the People Dimension" begins with that the classical theory of management was developed and started being used, during the era of the industrial revolution, in the process of fashioning solutions to due to the problems facing the factory system. The main themes of the theory include the role of bureaucracy and increasing the productivity of organizations. The advantages of the classical theory of management include that it splits the workforce of an organization into groups, and it supports the division of labour. The disadvantages of the theory include that the developers relied on assumptions and used on untested assumptions. At the end of the paper the author comes to the interesting conclusion. The classical theory of management was conceived and its use started during the industrial revolution, following the collapse of the factory system. The theory emphasises the importance of expertise, rules and rationalization, with respect to the improveme nt of productivity and profitability. The main advantages of the theory include that the staffs are divided into different groups; it promotes the division of labour and emphasizes the importance of monetary incentives. The disadvantages of the theory include that the proponents relied on unfounded conclusions and it ignores informal relations and systems. In TMC, the company has used rationalization in the division of labour, the provision of employee training and the assessment and rating of employees based on performance.

Global tech change simulation final paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global tech change simulation final paper - Essay Example To cater for such shortcomings, the change management plan was tailored accordingly. The outcomes of the change management simulation clearly provide that most objectives were met with. Evidence for this fact is provided by the many quantifiable indicators presented in the findings of the change management simulation. On the other hand, there are some areas, such as understanding the problem, where the quantifiable indicators could not score very well and hence it could be surmised that these areas could have benefited from better planning and implementation. If there were an opportunity to redo this project, the Understand part of the project, particularly problem identification, would be redone with greater objectivity to achieve greater success at it. In a similar manner, the Enlist part of the project could have done better through greater motivation to employees. Similarly, there were some loose ends in the Motivate and Communicate parts of the exercise that could have had better outcomes through better planning, implementation and reporting. Kotter’s change process carries a large amount of respect in contemporary change management practices given its efficacy in delivering on outcomes. The change management plan used for Global Tech is differentiated from Kotter’s change process although it does hold some comparable exponents. If the change plan for Global Tech is analyzed sequentially, it becomes clear that the first phase of the change plan â€Å"Understand† is in some part influenced by Kotter’s exponents of â€Å"Increase urgency† and â€Å"Get the vision right†. Kotter’s ideas on â€Å"Increase urgency† build on an examination of the market’s competitive nature and present challenges that require change. Similarly, Kotter’s ideas on â€Å"Get the vision right† rely on developing an understanding of where the organization is at and where it needs to go to meet looming challenges