Postmodernism

First of all, it is important to be aware of the differences between postmodernism and modernism. While modernism always tries to find a new way to express something, postmodernism has no such concern. Modernism itself is representational, normative, original and Universalism. It has a linear progress. Postmodernism has no concern about being original. Moreover postmodernism claims that there is not possible way to create something brand new anymore. So, contrary to modernism's originality, postmodernism is quotation based. It is simulation and relativistic.While it is common to encounter alienated self in postmodernism, there is a decanter self in postmodernism. It will be useful to adopt the major characteristics of postmodernism into the postmodern movies. In postmodern films, we usually do see barcaroles. Those barcaroles are inspired mostly from the past. It is possible to say that the postmodern films have a mission of recycling the past. Moreover, since the high and low cultur e got stuck in the modern times, it is not possible to come across a separated culture in postmodern films. Postmodern films bring them together and melt them in a pot.They do not have one specific genre. Genre-cross over is commonly recognized in postmodern movies. A postmodern movie can be attached to several genres at the same time. One of the major characteristics of postmodernism, quotation shows itself as intellectuality. It can also be engaged to non-linearity in some examples. Postmodern movies mostly contain references to other movies. That's a major element of intellectuality. While it is common to recognize reference to other movies it is also possible for a postmodern movie to reflect upon its own process.Parodies and pastiches have also a major part in postmodern movies. We usually do see the parodies of horror movies. A postmodern film also bends the time and creates confusions over the time and space. By the time it also blurs the lines between dream and reality. Espe cially the hyper reality blurs the lines by creating a simulation of reality. Also the element, metrification is used in postmodern films. For instance if a character speaks directly to the audience, it can be said that one of the elements of metrification is used. Metrification breaks the spell of the movie.

Edicts of Ashoka Essay

The Edicts of Ashoka are a group of writings on the pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, made by the Emperor Ashoka These writings are spread throughout the areas of modern-day Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan and represent the first concrete evidence of Buddhism. The edicts describe in detail the first wide expansion of Buddhism through the support of one of the most powerful kings of Indian history. According to the edicts, the extent of Buddhist teachings during this period reached as far as the Mediterranean, and many Buddhist monuments were created. These writings state Ashoka’s beliefs in the Buddhist concept of dharma and his efforts to develop the dharma throughout his kingdom. Although Buddhism and the Buddha are mentioned, the edicts focus on social and moral teachings, rather than specific religious practices or the philosophical aspect of Buddhism. The writings revolve around a few recurring themes Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism, the description of his efforts to spread Buddhism, his moral and religious precepts, and his social and animal welfare program. The Mauryan empire was the first Indian empire to unify the country and it had a clear-cut policy of exploiting as well as protecting natural resources with officials tasked with protection duty. When Ashoka embraced Buddhism in the latter part of his reign, he brought about significant changes in his style of authority, which included providing protection to wildlife, and even relinquished the royal hunt. He was possibly the first ruler in history to support preservation of wildlife. Ashoka did not completely prohibit the killing of animals; he prohibited killings for sacrifices, he advocated restraint in the number that had to be killed for consumption, protected some of them, and in general condemned violent acts against animals, such as castration. However, the edicts of Ashoka reflect more the desire of Ashoka than what actually happened; the mention of a 100 coins fine for poaching deer in royal hunting preserves shows that rule-breakers did exist. The legal restrictions clashed with the practices then freely exercised by the common people in hunting, felling, fishing and setting fires in forests. According to the edicts, Ashoka took great care of the welfare of his subjects, and those beyond his borders, spreading the use of medicinal treatments, improving roadside facilities for more comfortable travel, and establishing officers of the faith throughout his territories to survey the welfare of the population and the circulation of the Dharma.

Evaluate Motivation Theories Essay

Individuals join and work in organizations to fulfill their needs. They are paying attention to organizations that have the means of sustaining their needs. These means are called incentives of rewards; organizations use them to encourage individuals to contribute their efforts toward achieving organizational goals. The continued existence of an organization depends on its ability to interest and encourage individuals to accomplish these organizational and personal goals. Newman (2010), â€Å"Motivation is defined as goal-directed behavior. It concerns the level of effort one exerts in pursuing a goal. Managers are concerned with this concept because it is closely related to employee satisfaction and job performance† (Para. The Concept of Motivation). There are 2 main concepts of theories Maslow’s and Herzberg. Maslow’s need hierarchy theory divides human needs into five levels; self-actualization, esteem, social, safety and physiological needs. Physiological nee ds are the basic human needs including food, clothing, shelter and other necessities of life. Once these are satisfied they no longer motivate the individual. Safety needs include economic security, protection from physical danger. Social needs are love, affection, emotional needs, warmth and friendship. Esteem can be self-esteem, self-respect, self-confidence and recognition. Herzberg found that the factors causing job satisfaction (and presumably motivation) were different from that causing job dissatisfaction. Herzberg called it hygiene factors, using the term â€Å"hygiene† in the sense that they are considered maintenance factors that are necessary to avoid dissatisfaction but that by themselves do not provide satisfaction. Company policy, supervision, relationship with boss, work conditions, salary and relationship are the leading in dissatisfaction. Achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement and growth are the leading to satisfaction. The effectiveness of the application of these theories can be measured with observations of employee job satisfaction. Managers can evaluate satisfaction through employee surveys or by observing workers. References: Newman, M. (2010). Motivation. Retrieved from http://business.ezine9.com/motivation-149b57b275.html

Vulnerable Populations And Self Assessment Research Paper

Vulnerable Populations And Self Assessment - Research Paper Example The Belmont report of the year 1972 defined vulnerable population as the groups that because of their availability in the areas of the researches being conducted like hospitals, institutions, camps as well as prisons might sometimes bear the burden of the research that are unequal and thus there is the requirement of extra protection for these groups. The vulnerable populations of the society are generally the weaker sections like the women, children, the poor or the elderly people along with those who are mentally incapacitated. The vulnerable groups are not able to obtain and the use the rights of the society that they are entitled to by the declaration of the constitutional rights. (Ravindran, n.d: Chatterjee and Sheoran, 2007, pp 1- 6) In the last few decades the life expectancy of the general population of the society has experienced a significance increase. In most developed and the developing countries of the world with the following trend the life expectancy is assumed to exp erience a general increase over 80 years. Thus the elderly populations of the society are increasing. However the fast modern lives of the working population as well as the youths the person of providing cares to these elderly population of the society are on a considerable decrease. (Amrita institute of Medical Sciences, n.d) Thus the Geriatric population of the society is the vulnerable group chosen for the study.... The likelihood of living alone of the geriatric population also experience increase with their aging. Maximum of the elderly population live in communities with only 4 to 5 percent of the population of age group more than 65 years live in nursing home or other medical institutes as studied from the geriatric population of the American society. The general support systems for this section of the society are generally their family members, friends along with neighbors. However certain other support system also exits in modern societies that are the old age homes or the elder care agencies as well as the age centers (Gleich, 2009). In fact Sperry & Prosen (1996) rightly says that aging is basically a developmental course, and the elderly population would be addressed in a better way provided â€Å"theorists, clinicians, and researchers develop more positive images of aging†. This leads to a standard shift in our philosophy about the elderly person. to make this effective it is im portant to â€Å"confront the myths and misconceptions we have about aging and carefully consider the ever-increasing evidence that aging is in fact a development process† (Sperry & Prosen, 1996, p.3). They are characterized with negative thinking, low productivity and weakened health condition. With more health care facilities and social security provided to the section of the society the population with age more than 65, living below the poverty level have declined to about 9.8 percent in the year 2004 which is expected to experience more decrease in recent future. Study reveals that 36 percent of the total health care cost of the American society is

Microeconomics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Microeconomics - Coursework Example The seven companies claim that China government avails subsidies to its enterprises in an effort to increase their sales in the US market. According to EU Prosun, there is substantial proof that China is dumping solar panels in both the US and EU markets (1). Without any doubt, Chinese government policies demonstrate that companies are selling their solar panels at a price below the production cost. The contention has its origins in a surge of cheap Chinese solar panels that made several US companies go bankrupt. The US government has actually taken some bold steps to reduce the inflow of cheap solar panels from both Taiwan and China. The decision is part of the long battle between the US and Asian markets. Statistics shows â€Å"both Taiwanese and Chinese governments exported solar panels and related products to the US worth $2.15 billion† (Mauldin 1). Germanys SolarWorld AG, a unit based in the US, brought the most recent case. The company claims to be a casualty of both dumping and unreasonable endowments from China. As a result, these practices harm the companys ability to increase its sales in the US markets. In a different turn, â€Å"the US government has additionally blamed Chinese hackers for infiltrating into computer systems of SolarWorld with an aim of picking up competitive advantages† (Mauldin 4). Against all odds, both the Taiwanese and Chinese governments failed to defend itself on some specific inquiries (US Department of Commerce

Family Nurse Practitioners at the University of Phoenix Essay

Family Nurse Practitioners at the University of Phoenix - Essay Example Additional to providing the service in the conventional settings like office, clinic, and emergency care center, FNP can also help the families in the variety of settings like school, home, workplace, hospital etc. All these challenging aspects of the FNP’s job have attracted me towards the profession. It won’t be wrong if I say that I have a natural flair for this profession. I was fortunate to grow up in a multicultural environment. It has made me fluent in the second language, which has proven be a great asset in my professional life. My enthusiasm and excellent communication skills have given me an ability to carry out my responsibilities smoothly even under strong pressures of meeting difficult deadlines. An opportunity to study professional degree course of MSN/FNP at the University Of Phoenix will enhance my communication and decision-making skills multifold and will help me become a complete professional. Being a thorough professional will help me achieve my future goal of helping underprivileged families and individuals who lack health insurance. Hence, by getting a masters degree in Oncology Nursing, I will be able to achieve personal growth and job satisfaction. I have a strong combination of ‘knowledge’ and ‘experience’ of FNP practice. My experience of working in a local county hospital and serving vulnerable and underprivileged patients has given me great satisfaction. I feel that there is a strong need to educate people on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to manage their diseases and to prevent future health problems. This not only will reduce the health problems of individuals but will also help in saving the community and national health budget. I am confident that with my abilities as FNP, I can help patients in curing their diseases as well as preventing their future health problems.

History of Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of Communication - Essay Example Following the emergence of the recent technological innovations such as the cochlear implants, issues of community, language, unification and identity keep on becoming rampant. (Deaf Culture: Introduction) Following various efforts, the ultimate achievement was witnessed with the establishment of the Columbia Institute for the Deaf at Washington, DC in 1864. The later portion of the 19th century saw the growth of the oral theories of deaf education. Even though a lot of these theories persist, they have in common a stress on the value of acquiring oral skills, i.e. reading and speech in the educational training of the deaf children. It is very important to note that a major supporter of technique of oral methods was Alexander Graham Bell whose mother and wife had problems in hearing. The first important oral school in the U.S., Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton, Massachusetts was opened in 1867. This variation in philosophy between the supporters of conventional sign language and those who are in favor of oral language formed a vital division across the second half of the 19th century as well as the 20th century. The differences were sometimes strong, resulting in intense divi sions within the deaf education community. (History of Deaf Education in America) The capability to educate in oral skills depends largely on the extent of hearing loss, the age in which the student lost his/her hearing ability particularly if it was prior to or following acquisition of the sign language and other factors as well. Thus there is broad array of achievement and failure dependent, which is not on intelligence, rather on these factors. During the history of development, oral skills are not generally very helpful for communication among deaf persons, and the application of the oral techniques really prevents the deaf from careers as teachers. The American School for Deaf at this time, tried out students in oral classes initially, and in case they did not get results, placed them in manual classes as an alternative, under a philosophy known as the Combined System. A lot of other schools meant for the deaf accepted the oral method to a greater degree. The 20th century witnessing a scenario wherein the oral method was losing its popularity to the sign met hod which was gaining increased acceptance. (History of Deaf Education in America) The difference between spoken language and sign language, while crucial for researchers, is a sweeping statement for most real-life situations. It is exceptional that deaf children are subjected to spoken language or sign language, even if this is the purpose of their parents or teachers. As per data relating to the year 1999, roughly 55% of deaf children in America are officially enrolled in programs which state suing of sign language solely just more than 5% or signed and spoken language in combination just more than 49%. (Albertini; Lang; Marschark 89) One more aspect observed in the Ralph Fasold authored publication entitled "The Sociolinguistics of Society" gives an account of the essence of sociolinguistics that is dependent on two facts regarding language. First of all, that language changes which is to state that speakers have more than a single means to speak roughly the same thing. The second aspect is that language serves a widely inclusive objective just as important one of

Political and Social Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Political and Social Theory - Essay Example As the paper outlines, team cohesion refers to the ability of employees and the management to work together towards attaining the same goal. Through the role theory, both parties know what duties they ought to perform. The role theory defines the expectations of the employee; therefore staff members perform their roles bearing in mind that they are individual members of a team aiming at eventually achieving the same goal (Harnisch, 2011). On the other hand, functionalism shows the employees that each department in an organization forms a synchronized system which ought to function in unison so as to obtain the key target (Kendall, 2007). Therefore, these two theories help in displaying the reason both the employees and management, who have different functions, should work synchronously to achieve the main interest.  Conflict resolution in institutions refers to the ability of affiliates to provide solutions that resolve group differences. In any group, lack of knowledge about oneâ €™s role and position often leads to conflict. Therefore, in order to avoid or resolve the differences that may develop, the management should apply concepts found in both the role theory and functionalism. Concepts of the role theory such as expectations and resources stipulate some of the duties an employee has to perform and the supplies provided (Harnisch, 2011). Similarly, the functionalism perspective describes some of the activities particular members of the organization need to accomplish in order to assist in the overall production of the whole corporation (Quah, 1990). Both theories are beneficial in preventing and resolving conflict since they help the management and employees to understand their individual roles.

Business ownership and global business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business ownership and global business - Essay Example All the three forms of companies have their own benefits and risks. However sole proprietorship appears to be more risky as the owner is totally liable for every debt or loss incurred by the company. Limited Liability Company has some characteristics of sole trader and some of corporations as it is a limited liability company but a flow-through entity which means not subject to taxation up to some extent. Usually single owners choose this type of company to get rid of tedious paperwork required in other forms of companies. I think co-operative structure will be appropriate for this organization as it will help them to bring a wider platform in terms of financing and other resources. It also brings more knowledge and expertise to the organization. The company is totally run by the owner by his own self with out any other partner or director so in this form of business, the owner is not only limited in terms of ideas and knowledge but also monetary resources. The owner should think to delegate some powers and duties by getting other stakeholders in the company to extend the scope of business. A Limited liability company can also be limited in terms of financing sources. The owner, if not willing to change the ownership structure, opt to open branches of his business in other cities by replicating the same operations administered by local branch managers. He may choose to outsource some of the operations to other companies to get expert output. Tariffs and duties may affect the global business negatively. Higher rates of custom duties and taxes usually discourage buyers to import from other countries and they prefer to buy locally. The governments may take measures of decreasing such tariffs in order to encourage global

Short Critical Thinking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short Critical Thinking - Assignment Example There is also a growing concern for certain categories of visitors in social networking sites such as minors being exposed to inappropriate content or uploading certain photos which could compromise them. There more popular concern about social networks however are the inadvertent effects derived from an online post. The classic example for this is relationships that have gone sour due to inappropriate tagging in social networking site. Say for example a â€Å"boys night out† where pictures of it were uploaded in the social networking site where the wife/girlfriend can see. It may have been uploaded for fun but the consequence of it can spell disaster for relationships. 2. The founder of Wikipedia has a noble mission – to share all the world’s information with everyone everywhere, anytime. In what ways has this mission been successful? In what ways has it not been successful?   Wikipedia has been successful in its mission in sharing all the world’s information as it has become one of leading source of information about just anything. Research became easier because Wikipedia is very accessible and able to provide quick information about almost anything at language that is easily understandable. Wikipedia is also a victim of its own success however. Privilege information such as security information about the state and information about diplomatic assessments were leaked into the public which compromises the security of a country and relationship between nations. Email is dead for teenagers. Given the alternatives for email which are networking sites, chatrooms and text messages, teenagers find email to be boring and slow. Teenagers these days are used to quick information and communication which email lags behind compared to its counterparts in digital communication. In addition, email does not provide entertainment and variety which is critical among

Do Video Games Promote Violence Essay Example for Free

Do Video Games Promote Violence Essay There is much hype surrounding the launch of every new game system including Game Cube, XBox, Playstation 3 and all of their handheld portable equivalents. Affecting all sorts of people from children as young as age 4 all the way to 45 year-old adults, these video games have called for concern in our society regarding issues such as addiction, depression, and even aggression related to the playing of video games. A recent study of children in their early teens found that almost a third played video games daily, and that 7% played for at least 30 hours a week. What is more, some of these games being played like Mortal Combat, Marvel Vs. Capcom, and Doom are very interactive in the violence of slaughtering the opponent. The video game industries even put signs like Real-life violence and Violence level not recommended for children under age of 12 on their box covers, arcade fronts, and even on the game CDs themselves. According to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, the Truth in Video Game Rating Act (S. 3935) was introduced by Senator Sam Brownback on September 27, 2006. The act required that the Entertainment Software Rating Board, known as the ESRB for short, have access to the full content of and hands-on time with the games it was to rate, rather than simply relying on the video demonstrations submitted by developers and publishers. [1] The bill makes no considerations for modifications or mods for short, total conversions, user generated content, procedurally generated content, unused disc space, blocked/disabled out portions of code, player behavior in online games, and various other factors out of the control of the developers (such as how the player decides to play the unsaid game). This bill was unacted upon during its original session and was reintroduced by Senator Brownback on February 14 2007 under the same title the Truth in Video Game Rating Act with a new session number (S. 568). As of March 2007, S. 568 remains in the Senate Committee. [2] In the game Goldeneye 007 bad guys who used to disappear in a cloud of smoke when killed no longer do so. Instead they perform an elaborate maneuver when killed. For example, those shot in the neck fall to their knees and then face while clutching at their throats. Other games such as Unreal Tournament and Half-Life are gorier. In these games when characters get shot a large spray of blood covers the walls and floor near the character, and on the occasions when explosives are used, the characters burst into small but recognizable body parts. In spite of the violence, the violent video games are also the more popular games on the market. (2) When video games first came out, indeed they were addictive owever, there seems to be a strong correlation now between the violent nature of games these days and the aggressive tendencies in game players. On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold launched an assault on Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, murdering 13 and wounding 23 before turning the guns on themselves. Although nothing is for certain as to why these boys did what they did, we do know that Harris and Klebold both enjoyed playing the bloody, shoot-em-up video game Doom, a game licensed by the U.  S. military to train soldiers to effectively kill. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which tracks Internet hate groups, found in its archives a copy of Harris web site with a version of Doom. He had customized it so that there were two shooters, each with extra weapons and unlimited ammunition, and the other people in the game could not fight back. For a class project, Harris and Klebold made a videotape that was similar to their customized version of Doom. In the video, Harris and Klebold were dressed in trench coats, carried guns, and killed school athletes. They acted out their videotaped performance in real life less than a year later (3) Everyone deals with stress and frustrations differently. However when action is taken upon the frustration and stress, and the action is taken out in anger and aggression, the results may be very harmful to both the aggressor and the person being aggressed against, mentally, emotionally, and even physically. Aggression is action, i. e. attacking someone or a group with an intent to harm someone. It can be a verbal attackinsults, threats, sarcasm, or attributing nasty motives to themor a physical punishment or restriction. Direct behavioral signs include being overly critical, fault finding, name-calling, accusing someone of having immoral or despicable traits or motives, nagging, whining, sarcasm, prejudice, and/or flashes of temper. The crime and abuse rate in the United States has soared in the past decade. More and more children suffer from and are being treated for anger management than ever before. Now, one cant help but to wonder if these violent video games are even playing a slight part in the current statistics. Playing violent video games like Doom, Wolfenstein 3D or Mortal Kombat can increase a persons aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior both in laboratory settings and in actual life, according to two studies appearing in the April issue of the American Psychological Associations (APA) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Furthermore, violent video games may be more harmful than violent television and movies because they are interactive, very engrossing and require the player to identify with the aggressor, say the researchers. One study reveals that young men who are habitually aggressive may be especially vulnerable to the aggression-enhancing effects of repeated exposure to violent games, said psychologists Craig A. Anderson, Ph. D. , and Karen E. Dill, Ph. D. The other study reveals that even a brief exposure to violent video games can temporarily increase aggressive behavior in all types of participants.

Writing Assignment Essay Example for Free

Writing Assignment Essay Gender Effect on Courts Dealing with Criminals and Factors that Affect Homicide Rate There is always some speculation that courts have soft corners in dealing with female crminals. In adddition, it is thought that the percentage of poverty, unemployment, and college attainment in any city have an effect on homicide rate. In this report, First I test whether courts dealing with criminals differs by gender. Than, I test whether there is relationship between homicide rate and poverty (%), unemployment (%), and college (%) using the city level data set. Finally, I perform an regression analysis test to model homicide rate per 100,000 in a city. The National Opinion on Crime and Justice study from survey 1995 gives information about citizens opinions and attitudes concerning crime and criminal justice related-topics. The city level data summarizes the different types of information about the American cities such as population, crime index, median age, poverty (%), balck (%), unemployment (%),college (%), homicide rate per 100,000 population, etc. The city level data reported here are from the 2002 survey. The respondents were asked ‘How do courts deal with crminals? ’ in the National Opinion on Crime and Justice study survey with possible answers from ‘Too harshly’, ‘Not harshly enough’, and ‘About right’. About 62% male as compared to 38% female replied Too harshly, about 54% male as compared to 46% female replied Not harshly enough, and about 53% male as compared to 47% female replied About right (Table 1). There were no significant differences between males and females response on â€Å"How do courts deal with crminals? †, ? 2(2) = 0. 99, p = . 61 (Table 2). The average homicide rate per 100,000 population of city was 10. 45 (SD = 9. 81) with minimum of 0. 00 and maximum of 57. 65. The average unemployment of city was 4. 56% (SD = 1. 41%) with minimum of 2. 2% and maximum of 9. 1%.. The average poverty of city was 12. 8% (SD = 5. 5%) with minimum of 3. 4% and maximum of 32. 4%. The average college attainment of city was 26. 89% (SD = 11. 14%) with minimum of 6% and maximum of 69%. (Table 3). There was significant strong positive correlation between homicide rate per 100,000 population and poverty (%), r(156) = . 62, p . 001 (Figure 1). There was significant strong positive correlation between homicide rate per 100,000 population and unemployment (%), r(156) = . 59, p . 001 (Figure 2). There was significant weak negative correlation between homicide rate per 100,000 population and college (%), r(156) = -. 26, p = . 001 (Table 4). Poverty (%) significantly predicted homicide rate per 100,000 population, ? = . 62, t(156) = 9. 92, p . 001. Poverty (%) also explained a significant proportion of variance in homicide rate per 100,000 population, R2 = . 39, F(1, 156) = 98. 43, p . 001 (Table 5, 6 and 7). However, about 61% of the variation in homicide rate per 100,000 population was not explained by poverty (%). Therefore, there was moderate strong effect of poverty (%) on homicide rate per 100,000 population. Each additional percentage of poverty increases the homicide rate per 100,000 population by 1. 1. The regression equation was given by ‘(Homicide rate) = -3. 625 + 1. 1(Poverty)’. For a poverty of 20%, the homicide rate per 100,000 population was about 18. 38. In conclusion, courts do not deal differently with criminals by gender. There is weak negative linear relationship between homicide rate per 100,000 population and colleget (%). However, there was strong positive linear relationship between homicide rate per 100,000 population and unemployment (%), and homicide rate per 100,000 population and poverty (%). Poverty (%) was a useful predictor of homicide rate per 100,000 population in a city.

The benefits of dark chocolate

The benefits of dark chocolate DARK CHOCOLATE IS IT BEEFICIAL TO ONES MIND AND BODY OR NOT? The early 15th century saw the creation of something divine, something heavenly and something delicious; Chocolate. Though the cocoa beans from which chocolate is prepared were discovered around 2000 years ago, the manufacturing of dark chocolate began in the 15th century by the Mayan tribes. According to the article, â€Å"Chocolate-a health food?†(2008) there was a popular belief among these tribes that â€Å"there was a God simply because there was chocolate† (n.a, 2008). The tree that yields the cocoa bean, an important ingredient in the manufacturing of dark chocolate was called â€Å"Theobroma† (n.a, 2008) which means ‘Food for Gods. Fielmuseum.org (2007) says that chocolate was more than just delicious food to the Mayan tribes; it was a devout and societal way of life. Nowadays many people associate dark chocolate with having adverse affects on one. However, contrary to popular belief, intake of dark chocolate (at least 65 percent cocoa) may actually have some benefits to ones mind and body. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate has been found to help reduce risk of heart diseases. The article â€Å"Chocolate-a health food† (2008) published in â€Å"Optimum Wellness†, a journal states the results of a study that was published in the 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study concluded that dark chocolate does indeed decrease blood pressure (n.a, 2008, p.32). On chocolate-for-health.com, Dean Ornish, who is the founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California states a study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2003. He says that Researchers at the University of Cologne studied the effects of dark chocolate on men and women recently diagnosed with mild high blood pressure. Half of the patients were given 100 grams each of dark chocolate and the other half were given 100 grams of white chocolate. At the end of the experiment, those who consumed d ark chocolate saw an average of five point decrease in their systolic and a two point decrease in their diastolic blood pressure. The decrease in blood pressure was explained to be due to the increase in the production of nitric oxide by intake of dark chocolate. Due to the nitric dioxide produced, the blood vessels dilated and increased blood flow thus causing a decrease in blood pressure (Ornish, n.d.). Another article, â€Å"Chocolates Health Benefits-Trick or Treat?† (2007) published in the â€Å"Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter† quotes another study published in the 2007 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association. The lead author of this study, Dr. Dirk Taubert says that they conducted research at the University Hospital of Cologne in Germany on 24 hypertensive women and 20 hypertensive men, their age ranging from 56 to 73. They were each given 30 calories of dark or white chocolate for eighteen weeks and at the end they concluded that the on es who consumed dark chocolate had at least a two to three point decrease in their blood pressures. Taubert and his colleagues concluded that â€Å" on a population basis, it has been estimated that a 3-mm HG reduction in systolic BP would reduce the relative risk of stroke mortality by 8%, of coronary artery disease mortality by 5%, and of all-cause mortality by 4%† (n.a., 2007, p.5). Dr. Taubert also states that the most fascinating discovery was that â€Å"simple commercial dark chocolate was as effective at lowering blood pressure as much more comprehensive dietary modifications†(n.a.,2007.p.5). The article states that the results from this study were the same as those from the â€Å"Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet plan† (n.a, 2007, p.5). Moreover, the article â€Å"Chocolate as Medicine?†(Dermody, 2008, p.65) that appeared in The Readers Digest stated a similar study conducted also at the University of Hospital, Cologne, Germany, 44 peop le with borderline or mild hypertension were given 30 calories a day of dark or white chocolate. After their regular health checkups and four months of consuming dark or white chocolate every day, the patients who consumed dark chocolate had their hypertension levels reduced from eighty six percent to sixty eight percent. It is common knowledge that hypertension causes an increase in blood pressure hence increasing the risk of heart diseases. Therefore it can be concluded that a little indulgence for pleasure may not harm one but actually benefit ones body. Dark chocolate is also known to benefit the body by increasing glucose tolerance level. This means that consuming dark chocolate will increase insulin sensitivity and thus reduce risk of diabetes. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 being the one where the body is unable to make insulin and type 2 being the bodys incapability to deal with sugar. Though hard to believe, as chocolate is mixed with sugar and therefore is a sweet food, it is in fact true that dark chocolate can help you reduce the risk of diabetes, especially if it is hereditary. The article â€Å"Nutrition and Disease: Blood Pressure Is Reduced and Insulin Sensitivity Increased in Glucose-Intolerant, Hypertensive Subjects after 15 Days of Consuming High-Polyphenol Dark Chocolate† (2008) was published in the Journal of Nutrition. The authors of this article, Davide Grassi, Giovambattista Desideri, Stefano Necozione, Cristina Lippi, Raffaele Casale, Giuliana Properzi, Jeffrey B. Blumberg and Claudio Ferri are a ll researchers at theDepartment of Internal Medicine and Public Health, University of LAquila, Italy except Jeffrey B. Blumberg who is a researcher at the Antioxidants Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston. The main idea for their research was to see how flavanol rich dark chocolate (FRDC) affected insulin sensitivity. Flavanol is considered to be an antioxidant and have anti-inflammatory properties (Lotito, 2002). The researchers conducted a study on 19 hypertensive patients, 11 males and 8 females. They gave 100 grams of flavanol free white chocolate at first to these 19 patients and then switched them to the other treatment, that is flavanol rich dark chocolate. The blood pressure and glucose tolerance level was checked at various times, before and after the intake of either type of chocolate. At the end of this test they concluded that â€Å"FRDC ameliorated insulin sensitivity† (Grassi et al., 2008). This study proves that dark chocolate does indeed have a positive effect on ones body. Furthermore a study from the 2005 issue of Journal of Medical Association states in the article â€Å"Chocolate-A Health Food?† (2008) that researchers studied the effects of chocolate in healthy people and concluded that Dark†¦chocolate helps decrease blood pressure and improve insulin sensitivity in healthy persons†(n.a. 2008, p.32). According to the studies above, dark chocolate, especially flavanol rich dark chocolate does increase glucose tolerance levels which help reduce the risk of diabetes. Another point why chocolate is beneficial to one is that it has a very high number of antioxidant properties than many other food substances. Anti oxidants protect ones body from oxidative stress i.e. slows down the oxidation process which is harmful to ones body as it reacts with cholesterol causing health related problems (Gorman, 2006). According to allchocolate.com, a serving of dark chocolate contains more antioxidants than a serving of blueberries or cranberries (n.a, n.d). Jeffrey B. Blumberg is the director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Tufts Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging and according to the article â€Å"Chocolates health benefits-trick or treat† (2007) Blumbergs main area of research concerning chocolate is antioxidants. Blumberg suggests that â€Å"dark chocolate is rich in pro-antho cyanides, that are potent anti-oxidants† (2007, p.4). In addition to pro-antho cyanides, chocolate has many more chemicals that act a s antioxidants. Flavonoids, for instance are natural anti-oxidants and cocoa beans and dark chocolate are rich in flavonoid (Raloff, 2000, p.188).   Chris Zdeb, writing in the National Post, says in his article â€Å"Chocoholics, Rejoice!† (2007), that there have been many studies that have found that chocolates contain a very high amount of flavanol. These are compounds that â€Å"reduce the stickiness of the platelets, cells that play an important role in blood clotting† (Zdeb, 2007). Zdeb also states that chocolate contains Polyphenol, another type of antioxidants. These antioxidants are much similar to those found in fruits such as blueberries, vegetables such as spinach and other food substances such as green tea etc. but chocolate has a much higher amount of these antioxidants in it. Zdeb suggests that Polyphenol help eliminate the free radicals in the body that cause cardiovascular diseases, cancer and â€Å"premature aging† (Zdeb, 2007). Moreover, Blum berg states that â€Å"in one Italian study†¦ [they] saw a significant decline in (‘bad) cholesterol†(as cited in â€Å"Chocolates health benefits-trick or treat† , 2007, p.4) after intake of dark chocolate. This shows that dark chocolate does indeed help the body by its high antioxidant properties.   In another Spanish study, Blumberg observed that cocoa, the main ingredient for the production of chocolate was found to increase antioxidant levels in ones body (n.a, 2007, p.4). All in all, dark chocolates antioxidant properties are very beneficial to ones body and chocolate is abundant in them. It has also been found that dark chocolate helps ease pain and relive stress. David Derbyshire writes in his article â€Å"How a Chunk of Chocolate Can Melt Away Your Pain† (2009) that studies have shown that chocolate acts as a natural painkiller, as according to researchers, anything done or eaten for pleasure acts as a natural painkiller. Derbyshire states a study done on rats by Dr Peggy Mason, of Chicago University. She found that the experimental rats were not that bothered by pain when eating a chocolate chip. She says that â€Å"Its a strong, strong effect, but its not about hunger or appetite† (as cited in Derbyshire, 2009). She explained that when you have food in front of you, you will never stop eating and according to past studies conducted, eating eases pain. In the experiment, the rats were given chocolate, sugar water, or plain water and a light bulb was placed beneath their cages. The rats way of reacting to the heat was lifting their paw of the floor. The researchers saw that the rats eating chocolate or drinking plain water were much slower in lifting their paws. This shows that when eating or drinking, people are more relaxed and sugar has nothing to do with it. The rats were then given a bitter drink, â€Å"quinine† that is quite distasteful. The result was that the rats â€Å"reacted to the heat as quickly as when they are not eating† (Derbyshire, 2009). This concludes that only while you are eating or drinking something you find pleasurable will it act as a natural painkiller and there is nothing more pleasurable than chocolate, or so many people think.   Though the experiment was done on animal, the researchers believe the effect is the same in humans.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, Derbyshire provides another study that explains how chocolate helps relieve stress. Scientists at the University of Cincinnati in USA conducted an experiment in 2005. They found that sugary foods â€Å"cut the level of the potentially harmful hormone glucocorticoid† (Derbyshire, 2009). This is a hormone that is produced by the brain when under pressure. Their research on rats showed that when they had sugary food, their brains produced lower levels of glucocorticoid when they were put under stressful situations. This is a perfect example of how chocolate can help relieve stress. People will only feel stress free when relaxed and chocolate gives one that effect. This is quite true as there are several bioactive compounds in chocolate that increase vigilance, a sense of well being and make one less sensitive to pain.   For example chocolate is rich in carbohydrates which increases the rate at which Tryptophan, an essential amino acid, enters the brain. Tryptophan lessens anxiety by producing the neurotransmitter serotonin (Carter, 2008). This brings us to the conclusion that dark chocolate indeed has the properties to ease physical as well as emotional pain. Another reason why chocolate is so good for one is that it not only relaxes people, it also helps elevates their mood and also acts as an anti-depressant. Dana Small is a cognitive neuroscientist. In the article â€Å"No more†¦please! Popular Science† (2002) Gunja Sinha gives the details of a small experiment Small carried out on nine chocolate lovers. She connected these volunteers to MRI machines and gave them chocolate while she measured their blood flow to the brain. She saw that the area of the â€Å"brain associated with mood was active† (Sinha, 2009, p42) while they ate and enjoyed their chocolates. This increase in blood flow to a certain region related to mood shows how chocolate can affect ones mood. Chris Zdeb states in his article â€Å"Chocoholics, Rejoice!† (2007) that chocolate does indeed have chemicals that elevate ones mood. The chemicals â€Å"phenethylamine and anandamide [found in chocolate]†¦ activate receptors in the brain that cause feelings of excitement and well-being† (Zdeb, 2007). Dark chocolate is the best way to lift ones spirits and mood.   It is also much more delicious than any anti-depressant pills. â€Å"Chocolate a personality thing† (Morton, 2008) reports the findings from â€Å"Black Dog institute†. One of the institutes Professors, Professor Gordon Parker suggests that†Chocolate may settle emotional dysregulation in those who are personality prone to†¦depressive reactions†. (as cited in Morton, 2008). He also proposes that chocolate appears to have a calming effect on emotional reactions. Fifteen percent of the population had emotional problems and â€Å"chocolate appeared to have a calming effect† (Morton, 2008) on them, says Professor Parker. This proves that dark chocolate not only acts as an antidepressant, it also enhances our psychological well being. On the other hand there are a lot of common misconceptions associated with chocolate. One being that one of the main reasons for acne is chocolate. However, that is not true as acne is not caused by chocolate or any other food substance for that matter. Acne is the result of the buildup of dead skin cells within the pore according to the Acne Resource center online (n.d.). Our skins produce a type of oil called sebum and it is this oil that together with the bacteria cause acne. The resource center states that none of these factors are triggered by anything we eat. Chocolate is wrongly blamed. Another common belief among the world is that chocolate causes tooth decay. Parents tend to keep their children away from chocolate solely for this reason without realizing what they are depriving their children of. Lack of proper care of ones teeth is what causes tooth decay. Even if one eats vegetables and dont take care of his/her teeth, it will cause cavities. In fact chocolate is much better for teeth than fluoride, the chemical commonly found in toothpastes. Chocolate contains a chemical called Tannins. These are a type of flavanol and according to Chris Zdebs article â€Å"Chocoholics, Rejoice!† (2007) these chemicals help prevent cavities. The article â€Å"Chocolates Health Benefits-Trick or Treat?† (2007) provides information about a study done by Dr. Arman Sadeghpour who is a researcher at the Tulane University. He did the study with researchers from the University of New Orleans and Louisiana Universitys School of Dentistry. They compared the cocoa extract f rom chocolate to fluoride and concluded that dark chocolate is much better for the teeth as it contains a chemical theobromine. It is â€Å"water-soluble, crystalline bitter powder†¦ [and] an alkaloid of the cacao plant†(n.a, 2007, p.4). This team of researchers found that this chemical is much effective in hardening the tooth enamel than fluoride. At the end of this research Dr. Sadeghpour concluded that any food substance containing theobromine is good for dental health. One might think that dark chocolate contains sugar, which outweighs the beneficial properties of chocolate by far. However, by dark chocolate it is meant that it contains at least sixty five percent of cocoa which has most of the properties that help prevent cavities. Sixty five percent outweighs the sugar amount by a lot and if proper care is taken of ones teeth, one does not have anything to worry about. Dark chocolate might not be the cause of cavities or tooth decay but in fact might be much benefi cial to ones teeth.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dark chocolate, as all other food substances does have some flaws but the positive effects outweigh them by far. Dark chocolate can help one reduce and prevent cardiovascular diseases and diabetes and can also protect ones body from oxidative stress and even relieve one from mental stress. It uplifts ones spirits and also eases physical pain. However, one has to remember that too much of a good thing can be bad so one should never over indulge. On the other hand even a small bite of dark chocolate regularly might do wonders for one.

colon cancer :: essays research papers

The colon and rectum are part of the large intestine (bowel). Colon and rectum cancers, which are sometimes referred to together as"colorectal cancer,"usually grow in the lining of the large intestine. Cancer of the Colon and Rectum is the third most common cancer in adults and accounts for 11% of all cancer deaths. Other types of cancer that can grow in the large intestine include lymphomas, melanomas or sarcomas. Alternative names for Cancer is; Colorectal cancer; Intestinal cancer; Bowel cancer; Cancer – colon. . In most cases, colon cancer has no symptoms, therefore, it is very often diagnosed and treated in the advanced stages when the success rate is reduced. Hidden blood in the stool is mostly the first, and often times the only warning sign. In a high percentage polyps precede the development of colon cancer. Causes, incidences, and risk factors, There is no single cause of colon cancer. Factors associated with colon cancer are colorectal polyps, cancer elsewhere in the body, a family history of colon cancer, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and immunodeficiency disorders. Dietary factors associated with colon cancer are a high-meat, high-fat, low-fiber diet. Prevention lower your risk factors where possible. Colon cancer can be prevented if polyps that lead to the cancer are detected and removed. If colon cancer is detected in its early stages, it is up to 90% curable. Beginning at age 50, get screening tests to allow early detection. If one of your first-degree relatives has had colon cancer, you should start getting screened 10 years prior to the age your relative was diagnosed. This will help identify pre-cancerous polyps. The four common screening tests and recommended frequency of use are: 1. Fecal Occult Blood Test (annually) 2. Sigmoidoscopy (every 5 years) 3. Double Barium Contrast Enema (every 5 years) 4. Colonoscopy (every 10 years) The colonoscopy is the most useful, but most invasive test. New tests using CAT scans to do a "virtual" colonoscopy are being developed. These are less invasive, but one must subsequently undergo a colonoscopy if a suspicious lesion is seen.

Does Free Speech Go Too Far? -- Essays Papers

Does Free Speech Go Too Far? Freedom of speech is perhaps the most important right that we have in the United States of America. The first amendment of the Constitution gives everyone in the country the right to express their opinions as they see fit. Without this right, African-Americans might not have been afforded the opportunity to gain racial equality. While this is one of the ideas that this country is founded on, at times it seems to go to far. When a group spreading hatred and prejudice wants to exercise their own right to free speech, many people have a problem with it. Free speech cannot just be for those who you agree with, it has to be for everyone. As I have seen firsthand, when the voice speaking out preaches intolerance, the true voice of the people will overcome. The First Amendment to the Constitution states: â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances (Rights).† Without these words, the civil rights movement of the 1960’s might not have proved successful. Using non-violent resistance such as marches, boycotts, and sit-ins, the discrimination was fought. In many places, people tried to block the African-American’s freedoms. One example of this was on May 3, 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. The police used dogs and high-pressure water hoses on the demonstrators, as well as arresting 4,000 people during a few days of demonstrations (Mayer). As they fought on, African-Americans were able to fight the good fight, and were successful in gaining their civil rights. Yet... ...-filled voices, the very march that I took place in proved that there are natural checks for those voices. The first amendment is there for those people whose voices might not otherwise be heard. Hopefully when the voice of the minority is that of prejudice, the greater, and righteous voice will overcome. Works Cited â€Å"Bill of Rights† Thomas Historical Documents. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/const/bor.html (30 November 2000). Herchel, Rabbi Jaffe. Personal Interview. 30 Nov. 2000. Mayer, Kurt Albert. â€Å"From Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to Martin LutherKing’s Dream of Being ‘Free at Last’: African Americans and their Drawn-Out Struggle for Civil Rights,† http://mailbox.univie.ac.at/~mayerk3/Civilrights.htm (30 November 2000). Strum, Phillip. â€Å"Human Rights Organization in Civil Society,† http://www.civiced.org/schwerin_strum.html (30 November 2000).

What is Online Discussion? Essay -- Technology, Communication

Many benefits of online discussion have been recorded in the literature. For example, participation in an asynchronous online discussion is time and place independent (Morse, 2003: Williams etal., 2001). Participants who involved online discussion can contribute whenever they have a useful input and wherever they are as long as they have access to a network based computer. Williams (2002, p. 266) explained the freedom from temporal and geographical constraints international students have â€Å"flexibility in the time, place and pace of communication† with others. In contrast, the traditional face-to-face discussion does not have this flexibility. Online discussion allows students taking time to think about the messages they receive from their peers as well as what they postings. After a long time practice they can send without the pressure as an immediate responder (Biesenbach & Lucas, 2003). Therefore, online discussion is also defined as "a powerful tool for the development of critical thinking, collaboration, and reflection" (Williams et al., 2001, p. 151). Online discussions are deeply engaged and benefits the diverse students compared with traditional classroom discussions (Crevener, 1999, cited in Pinch & Graves, 2000). Students tend to participate more as they are aware that their participation is being monitored and recorded (Tullar et al., 1998). Online discussion within small groups or learning sets also affords a growing sense of community and a feeling among students that they can get to know each other through this medium (Curtin, 2002, cited in Lewin & Jerram, 2003; Hammond, 2000). Another major benefit of online discussion relates to the fact that in the traditional classroom situation, a few students often domi... ...e way it is used by instructors and students and how it is contribute to the course work (Elgort et al., 2003; McKinlay, 1999, cited in Biesenbach-Lucas, 2003; Weasenforth et al., 2002). The length of the discussion, the number of postings required, the size of any one contribution, the role of the instructor, the students' technical preparedness and so on, need to be carefully considered. Otherwise, the discussion may consist of contributions that are not strongly interactive and the students may simply "play the game" of assessment whereby they make postings that earn marks but do not really contribute to the development of the conversation (Oliver & Shaw, 2003, p. 56). Therefore, some authors offer tips for designing and running a good discussion in a networked environment based on their experiences (Hawisher & Pemberton, 1997; Kimball, 1995; Sullivan, 2002).

Why We Study Torism and Hospitality at University

With the considerable growth of hospitality and tourism industry and more governments recognizing the industry’s contribution to national and local economies, a number of academic institutions have expanded degree offerings and started specializing in these disciplines (Garside 1991). Study tourism and hospitality at University are essential not only for academic advances but also for developing practical applications. Wiley (1995) argues that the success of every hotel company is conditioned by the capability of its managers to coordinate the business with the changes that characterize the modern international environment.Marketing is a required course for the University. Through study of the Marketing, the managers of hotel companies can strategically plan to direct the studing constantly searching and choosing ways to be competitive, to decide how to attract new tourists, how to keep the permanent tourists, how product to be more attractive from the competitors ones, how to position successfully on the competitive tourist market. So study Marketing at university is necessary for tourism and hospitality.Furthermore, Langbert (2002) also argues that Tourism in general and food service in particular contribute to a nation's economic development in many ways, in addition to the immediately apparent prospects of creating jobs and boosting overall income. Food and Beverage is interesting course at University. Before go to hotel to practice, students have to pass the test about alcohol and food service. Through study the Food and Beverage, it will be improve the ability of practical, easier get job and adapt to working at hotel. So study this course at University is very important for students.In conclusion, some 6,000 new employees are needed every year to service the expanding hospitality and tourism industry, according to Failte Ireland, the national tourism development authority (Cohen, 2005). From this, it can be seen that Tourism and Hospitality person nel are in the world has been very scarce. Through study Tourism and Hospitality at University, it can be improve students quality, skills, adaptability, communication skills. Thus, students need to study Tourism and Hospitality at University and study it well.

Crime and Mental Illness Essay

Crime and Mental Illness Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The increase of crime over the years, has led to various assumptions on the causes of these rapid escalations in crime. Hence, experts including psychiatrists have been engaged in this debate. Experts have been involved in the contention as to whether mental disorders and their symptoms have a direct influence on the tendency to commit crime among the related people. The purpose of this paper is to consider the generic question about whether mental disorder is significantly correlated to crime with particular reference to the issues associated with psychiatry and forensic psychiatry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper will firstly explore the relationship between mental disorder symptoms and crimes as well as establish whether there is a direct relationship between symptoms of mental illness and criminality. Mental disorders, especially anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders and psychotic disorders will be discussed and considered in relation to their link to criminality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the UK, research has shown that mental health needs of young offenders are not being met, due to the lack of expertise and resources in the custody system (The Mental Health Foundation, 2002). As such, this essay aims to analyse and critique how the detained youth are diagnosed in psychiatry; predominantly focusing on the potential role of psychiatry in alleviating the mental health illnesses amongst the young offenders in the juvenile system. Crime and mental illness symptoms   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the UK, studies conducted have shown that In the UK, research has shown that the prevalence rate of mental health problems among the youth in the general population ranges at 13% for the girls and 10 percent for the boys. On the other hand, the prevalence rate of juveniles with mental disorders in the criminal justice system ranges from 25 to 81 percent (The Mental Health Foundation, 2002). While many researches have been directed towards investigating mental disorder as the cause of crime, the policy makers have also assumed that the metal illness symptoms have a direct connection to the crimes committed (Torrey, 2011). Hence, programs that have been initiated to remedy this situation have always operated under the assumption that medication and mental health treatment will reduce the criminal behavior (Skeem, Manchak & Peterson, 2011).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, some researchers have suggested a novel approach where studies are conducted on two groups of offenders: one group entails a small group of criminal offenders whose mental illness symptoms relate directly to their crime and a larger group of offenders where their crimes do not relate to their criminal behavior (Swanson et al., 2008; Skeem et al., 2011). The results of this studies indicated that for the smaller group of offenders, access to mental illness medical treatment led to reduced relapse into criminal behavior. On the other hand, studies conducted the larger group whose criminal actions were not directly connected to mental illness showed that interventions needed to go beyond the treatment of mental illness symptoms if the criminal justice outcomes was to be improved. Hence, the approach of treating mental health symptoms as a way of reducing criminal behavior relapse should not be applied indiscriminately. Ther e should be a distinctions between these two groups: one group with offender whose criminal behavior was motivated by mental health symptoms and the other group whose criminal behavior is not directly linked to mental health symptoms. Definitions of direct relationships between mental illness symptoms and criminal behavior   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the UK law, section 1(2) of the Mental Act 2007, the mental disorders recognized include eating disorders, personality disorders, autistic spectrum disorders and mental illnesses (such as bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, depression and learning disorders). Before one can consider the how offenders are motivated by mental illness symptoms to commit crimes, one should first consider the definition of links between the mental illness symptoms and the criminal behavior. Hence, if there is enough evidence that the suspect or defendant is suffering from significant mental illness, the prosecution may not be appropriate lest the crime committed is serious and there is a high possibility of the offender repeating the crime (The Crown Prosecution Service, 2014). According to the section two, part three of the Mental Health Act which adds a new subsection 1(2A) to the 1983 Mental Health Act, learning disability is interpreted as the in complete development of the mind including social impairment and social functioning. Under this Act, alcohol or drug dependence is not categorized under the mental disorder. However, the mental illness that are as a result of the use or the stopping of drug use are included in the interpretation of mental disorder. Under this section of the UK constitution, immoral conduct and sexual deviancy are not included in mental disorders because they are not clinically recognized to be mental disorders.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Despite the legal definition of insanity, most individuals found to be guilty due to mental insanity have been found to be primarily diagnosed with schizophrenia and were suffering from the symptoms of psychosis during the time that the crime was committed (Callahan et al., 1991). This is because the symptoms of psychosis (such as anger and impulsivity) are a direct indicator of serious mental illness and the symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucinations and delusions, alter an individual’s sense of reality, hence motivating criminal behavior (McNiel, Eisner & Binder, 2009; Douglas, Guy & Hart, 2009). Research on the correlation between mental health symptoms and criminal behaviour   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many researches, including forensic research, have been concentrating on the connection between mental disorder and criminal behaviour. Monahan et al. (2001), conducts a study which involves more than one thousand psychiatric patients, focusing on the role psychosis plays during the precedent of the violent incident. Predominantly, patients were asked whether they experienced episodes of hallucinations or even delusions while the violent incidents transpired. The results indicated that only 12% of the patients were experiencing mental illness symptoms at the time the violent incident occurred.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Peterson et al. (2010) also conducted a similar study involving one hundred and twelve parolees with mental illness compared to one hundred and nine other parolees who were not suffering from mental illnesses. Based on the information collected through interviews and records, the offending patterns were drawn. The research findings showed that the emotionally reactive pattern of offending was common for most of the offenders, whether suffering from mental illness or not. On further investigation of the offenders with mental illness, the results indicated that only 5% of the parolees committed crimes as an outcome of their psychotic symptoms.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Junginger et al. (2006) incorporated the use of a broader definition of the symptoms of metal disorder. They conducted their study on one hundred and thirteen individuals arrested while suffering from symptoms of mental illness and other disorders of substance eligible for the jail diversion schedule. Their findings indicated that only 4% of the offenders had been arrested for committing crimes directly relating to psychosis while another 4% of the offenders were arrested for crimes that were not directly related to psychosis symptoms such as depression, confusion, irritability and thought disorder. It is, however, not clear how symptoms such as irritability are distinguished from normative personality characters and the emotional features found among offenders without mental disorders. The Difficulty in distinguishing between Symptoms and Traits   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The symptom of mental disorder and normative risk factors for crime becomes hard to distinguish once the mental illness symptoms are broadened beyond psychosis. Anger, for example is strongly related to psychosis symptoms (hallucinations and delusions), symptoms of personality disorders (which includes emotional stability), symptoms of mood disorders (anger attacks and irritability) and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (Novaco, 2011). On the other hand, anger is also a fundamental human emotion that is also a dynamic risk factor for criminal violence among both the general offenders and psychiatric patients (Gardner et al., 1996).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In another study involving one hundred and thirty-two subjects, Skeem et al. (2006) findings indicated that anger is a strong indicator of predicted violence, as opposed to other symptoms that were related to mental disease (such as delusions). Hence, approaching anger as a mental illness symptom risks making a human emotion appear as a symptom of a serious mental illness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another example of a difficult distinction involves impulsivity which is related to particular symptoms of bipolar disease including being easily distracted and excessive indulgent in pleasurable activities which has a possibility of a painful outcome (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Hence, impulsivity is a common for people suffering from bipolar disease as compared to the general population (Jimenez et al., 2012). On the other hand, impulsivity is a label common in the criteria for diagnosing antisocial personality disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) and has been proved to be one of the strongest predictors of criminal acts among both juveniles and adults (Kruger et al. 2007). Hence, it is difficult to distinguish whether impulsivity is a normative personality trait or a serious mental illness symptom. Mental illnesses and their symptoms   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Anxiety disorder involves a tendency of individuals to be withdrawn and avoid confrontation with other people. People with anxiety disorders exhibit heightened anxiety, worry and fear that this constant and overwhelming in a way that is crippling. Types of anxiety disorders includes panic disorders, social anxiety disorders, certain phobias towards a specific situation or object and generalized anxiety disorder where a person has excessive worry even when there is nothing that has provoked anxiety. A person with panic disorder is overwhelmed with a feeling of terror without warning has other symptoms such as chest pain, strong and irregular heartbeats and a feeling of being choked. General symptoms of anxiety disorders include problems with sleeping, panic, fear, shortness of breath, the inability to stay calm, dry mouth, muscle tension, nausea, dizziness and shortness of breath. While research has indicated that the youth with anxiety are less likely to be involved in aggressive tendencies (Connor, 2002), those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a significant susceptibility to reacting aggressively to threats and in an unexpected manner (Charney et al. 1993). On the other hand, those with posttraumatic disorder combined with conduct disorder (involving antisocial tendencies) were also found to be more aggressive and impulsive as compared with individuals with conduct disorder only (Cauffman, 1998).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bipolar disorder involves mood swings ranging from feelings of depression to mania. Bipolar disorder is divided into several categories depending on the patterns of symptoms exhibited by the patient. Bipolar I disorder entails mood swings which lead to increased difficulty in a person’s workplace, school or relationships and manic episodes can be serious. Bipolar II disorder is less serious compared to bipolar I. It involves symptoms such as elevated moods, with some minimal adjustments to the functioning of a person but the he or she can conduct the normal routine. In this case, one experiences hypomania instead of a full mania. Hypomania is a less severe form of mania compared to full mania. The third type of bipolar disorder is known as cyclothymic disorder with is the mild form of bipolar disorders. In this case, a person experiences hypomania & depression that can be disruptive, but the highs and lows are not as serious as the bipolar I and II disorders. Some symptoms involving the manic or hypo-manic stage of bipolar disorder include: Euphoria, poor judgment, aggressive tendencies, risky behavior, racing thoughts, increasing drive to achieve goals, irritability and psychosis. The depressive stage of bipolar disorder includes excessive sadness, hopelessness, suicidal behavior, fatigue, difficulty in concentrating, irritability, guilty and poor performance at school or the workplace (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015). The highs and lows experience by patients can lead them to perform criminal activities especially when they are excessively depressed and easily irritated and can respond to the actions of other members of the society in a way that is harmful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychotic disorders include thought disturbances involving unusual interpretations of happenings. Psychotic disorders alter the ability of a person to make rational judgments, think clearly, understand reality, communicate well and behave in the appropriate manner. Patients with severe symptoms of psychotic disorders find it difficult to stay in touch with reality and as such, they can engage in criminal activities even without realizing that what they are doing is wrong. Schizophrenia is one type of psychotic disorder where patients experience changes in behavior and encounter hallucinations and delusions with can last for even more than half a year which greatly diminishes their function and increases their susceptibility to commit crime even without realizing it. Psychiatry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychiatry is a speciality that deals with the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of mental disorders. On the other hand, a mental disorder is a mental anomaly that causes one to not function properly in society. Forensic psychiatry deals with the treatment of criminal offenders with mental disorders. There is evidence of individuals with mental health illnesses either being segregated for care or containment for hundreds of years now. Hoswells (1975) recounts that a psychiatric care of the mentally ill was being practices in the health facilities in Islamic countries as early as the 8th century and India this practice implemented as early as the 10th century. Hospitals dedicated for people with mental health problems in England were present even as early as the Middle Ages, as evidenced by the Bethlem Hospital which was built in 1247. Earlier treatments of individuals with mental illnesses involved the use of milieu therapy, counseling a mong other archaic methods. The story of modern psychiatry began with the introduction of legislation to protect the rights of individuals with mental illness. The Mental Health Act introduced in 1983 was introduced to protect the rights of detained patients with mental illnesses. Psychiatry and the detained juveniles with mental illnesses   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychiatry presents the best methods in treating mental disorders especially among the youth who have a higher chance of being reformed as compared to adults with mental illnesses. However, following the findings showing a high prevalence rate of mental illnesses among the youth within the correctional institutions, improvements must be implemented if the detained youth are to undergo complete behavioral rehabilitation (Odgers et al., 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The juvenile offenders in the justice system require supplementary attention given their vulnerability to mental health problems. Research has shown that most of the juvenile offenders have more disorders that can be easily diagnosed if close attention is given to them. While many researchers differ on the number of juveniles with diagnosable disorders, the fraction lies between 50- 70% of the total young population (Colins et al., 2010). Research shows that due to the lack of attention given by the justice authorities, juveniles suffer from more than one mental disorder, with the female juveniles being more inclined to mental health illnesses compare to the male juveniles (Schubert & Mulvey, 2014).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Howard et al. 2013) conducted a study to explore some factors that would lead to increased criminal recidivism among forensic patients. The findings of their study indicated that those who had endured a severe childhood disorders and drug dependence during adolescence were more likely to engage in rescind to their criminal behavioral patterns as compared to those who did not engage in neither childhood conduct disorders nor drug dependence. As such, forensic psychiatrist should consider the past experiences of their patients if they are to successfully rehabilitate their patients. High risk patients who have a past experience of childhood conduct disorders and drug dependence should be monitored carefully monitored and given enough support in order to control their urge to engage into criminal activities after being released from a controlled environment to the community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While the youth with mental illnesses only commit a small fraction of the delinquencies in the community, they are at high risk of offending or re-offending as compared to the youth in the general population. Hence, more research need to be conducted to inform more effective policies to respond appropriately. Particularly, the processing of juveniles in the justice system should be improved so as to identify the youth with critical mental health needs. As such, evidence-based psychiatry services should be incorporated to identify the juveniles who may be in need of long term mental health support. The screening results should then be recorded to provide information that is required for planning and resource development (Grisso, 2008). Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay highlighted the relationship between criminality and mental illnesses at length and it was found that there was a significant relationship but the breath of the definition of mental disorder was a key factor when evaluating this relationship. It was found that some symptoms of mental illness such as depression, confusion, irritability or even thought disorder are not directly related to crime committed given that they can also be categorized as normal personality traits. Hence the breath of the definition of mental illness is key in determining its correlation with crime. This relationship was also evaluated from a legal point of view when determining whether to prosecute offenders with mental illnesses and it was established that such offender should only be prosecuted if there is a high possibility of committing the crime again. Under the UK law, mental disorder is any disability of the mind and does not include alcohol depend ence, immoral conduct nor sexual deviancy. This research essay also discussed psychiatry and it role in treating the detained youth with mental illnesses. While psychiatry presents one of the most effective methods of treating mental illnesses among detained youths, the high prevalence rates of mental illnesses in the juvenile justice systems indicate the need for research based methods in psychiatry services so as to isolate the juvenile who may be in need of long term mental health support. This is because, this group of juveniles pose the highest risk of repeating the crimes they committed with released into the community. References American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed., text revision (DSM–IV–TR). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association. Cauffman, E. et al. (1998). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Female Juvenile Offenders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 37, 1209-16. Charney, D. et al. (1993). Psychobiological Mechanisms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry 50, 294-305. Colins, L., Vermeiren, R., Vreughenhil, C., VanDenBrink, W., Doreleijers, T., and Broekaert, E. (2010). Psychiatric disorders in detained male adolescents: A systematic literature review. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 55(4),255-263. Connor, D. (2002). Aggression and Antisocial Behavior in Children and Adolescents. New York, NY: Guilford. Douglas, K. S., Guy, L. S., & Hart, S. D. (2009). Psychosis as a risk factor for violence to others: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 135, 679-706. Gardner, W., Lidz, C., Mulvey, E., & Shaw, E. (1996). A comparison of actuarial methods for identifying repetitively violent patients with mental illness. Law and Human Behavior, 20, 35- 48. Grisso, T. (2008). Adolescent Offenders with Mental Disorders. The Future of Children,18(2), 149-157. Howard, R. McCarthy, L., Huband, N. & Duggan, C. (2013). Re-offending in forensic patients released from secure care: The role of antisocial/borderline personality disorder co-morbidity, substance dependence and severe childhood conduct disorder. Criminal Behavior and Mental Health, 23, 191-202. Howells, J. (ed). (1975). A World History of Psychiatry. New York, NY: Bailliere Tindall. Jimà ©nez, E., Arias, B., Castellvà ­, P., Goikolea, J. M., Rosa, A. R., Faà ±anà ¡sm, L., . . . Benabarre, A. (2012). Impulsivity and functional impairment in bipolar disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 136, 491-497. Junginger, J., Claypoole, K., Laygo, R., & Cristiani, A. (2006). Effects of serious mental illness and substance use on criminal offense. Psychiatric Services, 57, 879–882. Krueger, R. F., Markon, K. E., Patrick, C. J., Benning, S. D., & Kramer, M. D. (2007). Linking antisocial behavior, substance use, and personality: An integrative quantitative model of the adult externalizing spectrum. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116, 645-666. Mayo Clinic Staff. (2015). Bipolar disorder. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/basics/definition/con-20027544 McNiel, D. E., Eisner, J. P., & Binder, R. L. (2000). The relationship between command hallucinations and violence. Psychiatric Services, 51, 1288–1292. Novaco, R. W. (2011). Perspectives on anger treatment: Discussion and commentary. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 18, 251–255. Odgers, C. L., Burnette, M. A., Chauhan, P., Moretti, M. & Reppucci, N. (2005). Misdiagnosing the Problem: Mental Health Profiles of Incarcerated Juveniles. Can Child Adolesc Psychiatr Rev., 14(1), 26-29. Peterson, J. K., Skeem, J., Kennealy, P., Bray, B. & Zvonkovic, A. (2014). Law and Human Behavior, 38(5), 439-449. Schubert, C. A. & Mulvey, E. (2014). Behavioral Health Problems, Treatment, and Outcomes in Serious Youthful Offenders. Juvenile Justice Bulletine. Retrieved from http://ojjdp.gov/pubs/242440.pdf Skeem, J. L., Schubert, C., Odgers, C., Mulvey, E. P., Gardner, W., & Lidz, C. (2006). Psychiatric symptoms and community violence among high risk patients: A test of the relationship at the weekly level. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74, 967-979. The Crown Prosecution Service. (2014). Mental disorder offenders. GOV.UK. Retrieved from http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/l_to_o/mentally_disordered_offenders/ The Mental Health Foundation. (2002). The Mental Health Needs of Young Offenders. 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Pizza Hut, Yum! Essay

The operations standards are the key path defining elements in any business. Without set procedures optimal results cannot be obtained. The operations standards at pizza hut have multifaceted challenges and opportunities. The standards and procedures for doing business are well defined but some of the possible factors can cause to the deviations and variances. Those possible factors can be eradicated through extra efforts into the process. However the small chances of variance will remain the same because the real business scenarios may vary sometimes than the forecasted one. This report is an attempt to investigate the operational standards and the possible causes of variance in standards and how does it affect customer satisfaction. Introduction Operations management Traditionally it is believed that the operations management is as a transformation process that takes set of inputs and transforms them into the out put. The output can be the goods or services. This includes the effective planning, scheduling and control of the activities that produce the required outcomes. (Cecil C. Bozarth, Robert B. Handfield, 2008). Operations management plays a key role in determining the success or failure of an organization. To carry forwards the inputs of each unit all together and getting turned it into the outputs is the real synergy, which helps organization to set the directions towards climbing the heights of success. According to the William J. Stevenson as he state in his operations management book ‘Operations management is the management of the system or process that create goods and/or provide services’ this involves various inputs, he add, ‘ the creation of goods or services involves the transformation or conversion of inputs into outputs. Such as capital, labour and information are used to create goods or services using one or more transformation processes’. Although the goods and services go hand in hand, there are some very basic differences between the two. This can be determined through its nature of the business. Some organizations can have higher degree of tangibility or intangibility. This can be determined through its nature of business. For instance, if the organization is selling goods, it can be determined high level of tangibility and otherwise if its selling services then level of intangibility will be high. (William J.Stevenson 2005). Operation standards at Pizza Hut Functional Units The activities of business organizations are mostly divided according to the functionality, the management of the personnel and the responsibilities. (Joseph S. Martinich, 1997) The operations at Pizza hut can not be highlighted for any of the single functional unit. Rather it is the collection of several set of the activities that take place with in the unit and make things possible by turning customer expectations into the reality. The success or the failure of the product depends on the performance of several functional units. Those functional units operate separately but connected with each other through the job activities. The unit’s operation standards are discussed further down. The taste and the quality highly determine on the freshness of the ingredients, and the resultant the happiness of the customers. According to the Deputy Manager of Pizza hut, ‘If, there is variance observed in the product quality that will overall affect productivity and finally the customer satisfaction level. This is not acceptable at all’. He added, ‘if company is spending a huge amount of money on the product promotions and marketing activities that is for the business. And also company provides the training to the employee to how to maintain the product quality. So every single person should have to ensure the quality of the product and happy customer makes more return in the future’. In this regard, company has got set procedures and guideline to maintain the standards for the specified interactions between the employees and customers. If the deviations occur that will likely to lead to the unhappy customers. Food temperatures To keep products safe storage the temperature of freezers should be in between -18 to + or – 5 degree centigrade. The seals must be intact so that the temperature can be maintained. Quality Assurance The quality throughout the supply chain rests with the overall team. This is done by setting rigorous standards during product development. In order to ensure the standards, there is regular auditing and monitoring system in place. The one of the regular system to check quality is CHAMPS Excellence Review. Quality assurance is achieved through the complaints monitoring system and their corrections through available remedial methods. Core Competence. Organizational strength or abilities, developed over a long period, that customers find valuable and competitors find difficult or even impossible to copy. (Cecil C. Bozarth, Robert B. Handfield, 2008) The pizza hut has got high degree of core competence in the basic product. The pizza hut’s dough is treated as core competence of the business. This makes pizza hut different then the competitors. Cost & variance The cost of sales and the sales revenue are the actual things that support the managers to run the business on track. If the numbers seems going out of the track they need be highlighted and called as variance. The variance is the difference between the Actual cost and Theoretical Cost. Head office set forecast and provide targets to the business stores. The targets are set with the help of previous year business performance and the expected events. That is called as theoretical cost. On the other hand the cost occurred in the business dates is the actual cost. So if there is any difference occurs that will be treate as variance. The cost of sales of the store for the current period shows the variance of 36. 38. * The theoretical cost set by management was ? 2203. 22 and in percentage 22.46% where as the actual cost for the period occurred was ? 2239. 60 in percentage 22. 83%. The results indicate the variance remained ? 36. 38. The variance in costing is the actual indicator of the performance. Higher the variance depicts higher the concerns persist with in the business unit. In present case in hand, the above depicted variance treated to be normal. The business operations can not work on the absolute set tracks because the forecasted things can not happen on the absolute behaviours as predicted. Reasons of variances * Miscount The chance of miscounting always prevails during the operations. In the case of miscount the chances of wrong order increase and finally will increase the variance. * Wastage The several reasons for wastage may occur during the operations. However if forecast made is not effective then the chances of unexpected results may increase. That applies with the product forecast as well. If product is defrosted without realizing the demand for the product then this may cause to one of potential wastage. In other case the wastage can increase if no proper product forecast is being made and or staff make mistakes while making orders or at the time of dispatching orders. In any case if wrong delivered to customer the customer will complaint against it and in order to make customer happy the order is to be resent. This will certainly increase the cost. Higher the number of complaints more is the cost. These two factors are directly proportional. * Shrink The shrink may occur if inventory reduced without record. The variance shows the real picture of the business operations. Happy customers return back to business and become repeat customers and cause to increases in the sales revenue of the business. However, If sales revenue is running on the increasing trend or above of the forecasted track then it clearly indicates the successful operations of the business activities. And this will likely to decrease the percentage of variance as overall. Forecasting Forecasting the estimated demand is the real start of every single operational activity in the business unit. This involves every thing from human resource planning to the product planning. In this every single factor get into the touch of planning, organizing, and leading and control of the operational activities. This ultimately leads to the overall productivity of the unit. Forecasting product and customers demand is the most important activity for the b business organizations. (Derek L Waller 2003) Forecasting is very important element to carry forwards the business on the set line successfully up to the mark in efficient manners. (Joseph S. Martinich, 1997) The same goes true for the pizza hut business. According to the RGM ‘forecasting at pizza hut plays critical part for the success of the business’. The manager, prior to develop any plans for HR deployment or the food ordering, they observes the forecast of sales and expected upcoming events in the calendar. As per say, the usual shift requires two to three drivers and plus kitchen staff and the shift manager. Where as the number of drivers can increase on weekends, as high as 7 to 10 and 4 to 5 in store staff plus shift manager and support manager. This works fine when every thing works according to plans. However, if any of the external factors come into play then that can potentially affect the service delivery and the speed. This happens when for example the whether conditions. The road hazards in shape of blockades, accidents. All of these factors can slow down the serviceability. The unexpected orders can cause more demand of the product where as the availability of the ready to use product may be limited according to the expected demand for the shift. Therefore the variance in expected demand and actual demand can cause the shortage of the products and ultimately this can play around the one of the possible factors of the unhappy customer and can cause the variance in the productivity of the unit as over all. The demand can also increase because of the good weather, special occasions like sports, rituals, festivals, and purchasing power. According to the RGM of the unit, the demand for the food is high in the start of the month but that usually slow down in the end of the month due to the less availability of the funds with customers. Employee performance/training The training data base available at store and the views gathered from management team reveals the fact that the importance of the training in store is directly linked with the operations standards and productivity. The team member working on make table should have to be trained according to the specified requirements of the make table. The lack of training will cause the variances in operations activities. This directly results the variances in the customer satisfaction. Importance of Customer Experience Customer care is the core point of concentration behind the business. The business treats customers as king. The most important fact is to find out the ways through the customer want can be fulfilled effectively. Therefore there are some procedures and standards set by top management in order to interact with customer. Customers don’t really want relationships. At least not in the same way the brand does. They want to be treated well, respected, understood and to get what they want, when they want it. In other words, they simply want a good experience and the reassurance of knowing that they will have the same good experience every time they come into contact with the brand. So, if we the team get to the experience right, the opportunity to build meaningful relationships should follow. (Asbjorn Rolstadas, 1995 & Alan Mitchell Issue 5, Summer 1999) Pizza hut is selling pizzas but this is what other competitors have been doing. So what makes it really special about it? Who recognise that product alone? The product alone is nothing but the service is also important. That is the factor which make customers as ‘repeat customers’ The attitudes, values make key differentiations. The operational standards, the quality of food all of them are key factors. (Mary Say et all 2003, Issue 440) In order to achieve desired results the team members at Pizza hut are provided with set guidelines for the interaction with customers. The guide line called ‘moment of truth’ or ‘customer mania plus’. Moment of Truth The most important key elements to are set in this guidelines. (See Appendix 8) * Order taker The order taker is the key person who works as a bridge between the company and the customer. If he/she makes customer happy, the business will likely to repeat other wise can drain to the competitors. This results not only the loss of customer but also the loss of several networks of the lost customer. CHAMPS Excellence The order delivered to the customer should followed by the set procedures. The delivery person has provided particular guideline that he/she will have to follow when interacting with customers. This results in increase customer satisfaction. The other most important factors that the management follows are; * Delivered on time * Delivered completely. * Invoiced correctly. * Undamaged However, If any of the above factors missing from the cycle process of order making, then it start again from the make table. This * Response. (repeat customer/happy customer) * Complaints Resolving complaint * Offering service delivery * Offering hot food delivery * Beat the phone capture in busy times. * Beat the web orders There should be every reason for the return of the customer. Without fulfilment of the expectation that will not be possible. However the team at Pizza hut follows the guidelines and makes customers happy, but there may be several factors that may cause to the dissatisfaction. In general, the possible factors may be for instance, rush of customers and not enough staff available to take orders or to pick up a phone, bad quality, late delivery or the rude attitude. According to the pizza hut manual almost 2/3 of unhappy customers never return because of poor service. The RGM at store revealed the fact as ‘Customers don’t come pizza hut just for the food, they can get food anywhere. What most customers want when they visit or call us is a good time’. He adds, ‘when they order on phone they expect order takers to treat them well and make their time great. How do you do this? By having a service attitude and making customers feel welcome and important’. Marketing The Marketing plays very important role for the business. The customers actually receive message through marketing, thus it become very critical that the company should highlight the customer expectations in the marketing message. There are several set standards that are to be followed for the marketing purposes. (Francis J.Mulhern, 2004). The company invest considerable resources to find out the exact wishes of customers. For the Pizza hut’s delivery branches the segment of customers includes from families, to the teens. According to the Pizza hut database the primary customer are teens and young adults. Product Development The pizza hut success is not the matter of isolated activities. But it is the company’s restless efforts to put innovations into the realities by turning needs and wants in to the shape of products. Product development team run focus group to study the consumer behaviours towards product choices. Some time products are launched after having selected study of the chosen sample, but it does not survive for long time. This may cause occurrence of cost or the wastages to the stores. For instance the four for all, cheesy bread, Bombay wings, Indian pizza are all the examples of failed products. However the company has launched successful products as well. For instance cheesy bite pizza, which has cause around 24% increases in pizza sales over all. Company Profile Pizza hut started on 1958. The dream of Frank and Dan Carney turned into the reality when he opened the first Hut in Wichita, Kansas. The website of pizza hut states that in very beginning the restaurant was as too small. It had just 25 seats available for customers. The inspirations for the name as ‘Hut’ came into thoughts through the design of the building. It looked like a hut. Therefore it geared the idea to carry on with name as ‘Pizza Hut’. The Pizza has superior place in the market, particularly for the Pizza business. Through the time it has scattered in to the markets of the world. The numbers of the growth depicts that it Pizza hut has more than 600 outlets in the UK only. The Pizza hut is a part of Yum, which is another big company. The Yum own several big companies like KFC, Long John Silver’s, A & W Taco Bell The Pizza hut was formerly owned by Whitbread and Yum as a joint venture. But in the year 2006 Whitbread sold out their shares to Yum. Presently the Pizza Hut UK Ltd is now 100% owned by Yum! Conclusion The operations management depicts the performance of each and individual unit that is participating in over all acceleration of the engine of business. The business may have some times low speed and high speeds. It highly depends on the strategies that the top management set for the business and the way the strategies are followed by the key components that run the actual business. The operations at Pizza hut have multifaceted situations. The each component working in the process cycle of business plays equally important role to win the customer. However, if any one of the units deviating from the set standards will cause a variance in the performances as overall. Thus it is concluded that the success of the business is possible through collections of inputs from all the units participating in the conversion process.