Battling Obesity in Adults with health promotion programmes Essay

Battling Obesity in Adults with health promotion programmes - Essay Example The research paper â€Å"Battling Obesity in Adults with health promotion programmes† examines the unhealthy lifestyle habits and ways of preventing a serious contemporary public health issue, obesity. Obesity is becoming very common with the current lifestyles of people. Nowadays, life is made more convenient by technology and the accessibility of basic needs. For example, instead of walking to the store to buy things, one can just call for delivery. Instead of cooking food from scratch, one can just buy â€Å"fast food† or heat up instant meals in the microwave oven. These lifestyle habits are likely to cause weight gain in people especially if they do not engage in physical activities. If not controlled, it can even lead to obesity. It is posing a big health problem not only of the individual but for families and society in general. Overweight and obese individuals have an increased risk to illnesses and disease such as heart disease, stroke and other deadly diseases . Hence, a health awareness program for the prevention of obesity as well as some interventions to treat obesity should be put in place. It is part of the nurses’ duties to ensure the health and well-being of patients through preventative strategies such as health promotion. Since being overweight and obese is getting to be more common, nurses need to be educated on its risks, causes and prevention so they can explain it well to their patients, as well as practice healthy living themselves so as to keep physically fit. (Sellwood, 2013). With life/work getting more complicated and busy, people resort to fast food for convenience, but these are all filled with processed ingredients which are not healthy to consume (Tiggermann, 2004). Instead of such convenience food, nurses can advise their patients to eat freshly cooked food, fresh fruits and vegetables for better nutrition. Preparing food from scratch may take more time and effort, but nurses need to emphasize to their patien ts that these are better for them in the long run, as their health should be their priority. In order to be credible nurses, they need to model their conviction to be healthy. That is why they need to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills to implement appropriate health promotion programmes (Hayden, 2008; Azjen, 1985; Ewles & Simnett, 2004). Obesity exists when there is an excess fat in the body which adversely affects the health and well-being of individuals. (Mascie-Taylor & Goto, 2007). The body fat is measured with the body mass index (BMI). Brewis (2010) shares that when the BMI level of an individual goes over 25 kg/m2 , then he or she may be classified as overweight. If the BMI level reaches 30 kg/m2 and over, then it is already classified as obesity. Currently a major health problem, obesity contributes to increased morbidity and mortality among adults. It makes them more vulnerable to cardiovascular illnesses. The significant increase in mortality of obese patients with cardiovascular disease is a cause for alarm (Parsons et al., 2005). Obesity has likewise been associated with other medical conditions resulting in human suffering and health care costs, becoming an increasing burden to those afflicted with it, their families, and the government (Finkelstein et al. 2003). It is considered the fifth major cause of death globally as more than 2.8 million deaths annually result from this disease (WHO, 2011). It has also been reported that more than 23% of ischaemic heart disease, 44% of diabetes and 7% to 41% of some cancer burdens are caused or aggravated by obesity (WHO, 2011). From the latest update of the World Health

Consumer Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example reason and feel when they are faced with the different alternatives of products and how they get influenced by their environments (HAWKNIS, MOTHERSBAUGH & MOOKERJEE 2011, pg31). Other benefits that accrue from this study to organizations would include; the understanding of the consumers’ behaviors relating to how they make decisions while in the market for what they need, and also in coming up with the appropriate motivation and decision strategies relating to products they offer their customers. Product use is of utmost importance to the marketers as it influences a lot of the marketing decisions most of which involves improving and increasing its usage and consumption (KARDES, CRONLEY & CLINE 2011, pg55). In consideration to this target market, most organizations would tend to align themselves to offering the courses that would be attractive to the students. These students who achieve the ATAR score of 70% or above, according to the Australian education system are eligible for University admission. The ATAR system has been used to rank the student’s scores relative to that of the other students taking into account the total number of student who partake the WACE examination in any year and the number of those students who leave school in their final year. Some of the various important factors that have influenced the consumer behaviors over time can be grouped into the following categories: i) The cultural factors; of essence includes the consumers’ subcultures, their buying behaviors and social classes. The marketers dealing with this target market should be able to go out of their way and determine their different buying cultures, and what informs their decisions. This would help them in their market segmentation strategies so that the services they offer are tailored to ensure that these different groups of the students who attain these positions are served accordingly. This would also be vital in shaping the consumer’s perceptions, habits and the

Educating immigrant students Essay Example for Free

Educating immigrant students Essay A Study Critic of â€Å"Made in America: Immigrant students in our pubic schools† The dispute over sending immigrant students into public schools in the United States has continued to separate Americans. Its proponents advance the educational rights of qualified foreign students who have left their respective countries and faced being â€Å"Americanized† just to be able to learn American civilization as their second culture. Those opposing the system, however, argue that the white Americans should still be the priority since immigrant students are only second rate compared to them despite the immigrants earnest efforts to fit into the American society. It was also stressed that in order to be a part of the real American community, the immigrant students must set aside their native cultures and be ready to be customized as a true-blooded American. In so doing, however, it would be inevitable to expose problems or issues related to educating immigrant students. These include their differences with the Native Americans and hardships in allowing themselves to be made as American citizens. In addition, educating immigrant students in the U. S. present bigger issues such as racial discrimination, cross-cultural conflict and unfair learning system which are detrimental to the overall personality of an immigrant student. The problems mentioned above are what the book, â€Å"Made in America: Immigrant students in our pubic schools† by Laurie Olsen, has accurately presented. A qualitative study book that looks into the system of educating immigrant students in American public schools, it is a concrete proof that such problems and conflicts indeed exist. It is good to note, however, that the system is still salvageable. All it needs is honest to goodness solid training of teachers, additional support programs for the immigrant students and ultimately, an environment that allows them to keep to their native cultures while at the same time keeping at par with their white American classmates (Olsen, 1997). An Overview of the Study. The 1997 study book by Olsen is a survey on the lives of the immigrant students who are being educated and Americanized in an urban high school institution. It likewise presents the relationships of the immigrants with their teachers who are responsible for the immigrants learning program and Native American classmates who pose a challenge into their goal to adapt the American culture. The study was presented under a circumstance that the students with varying cultures are studying in a California high school wherein the promise and challenge of diversity are significantly increasing in a multinational society. The book shows that, because of their poor English speaking skills, the immigrant students are deprived of chances to seriously study and interact with their counterparts. Moreover, the immigrant students are classified or categorized according to their varying complexions and social classes which have definitely affected their chances in their future lives (Olsen, 1997). Meanwhile, majority of the teachers promote combination of multicultural students as well as the practice of justice and equal chances by having the students liberty to join in school. However, the teachers do not realize that exclusion and classification among students actually exist and is being practiced by the native white Americans against the immigrant students who originated from other races such as the Asians, Europeans and even the black Americans. In effect, the study presented in the book revealed the continuity of an unbalanced American community (Olsen, 1997). However, it likewise showed the potentialities of having dragging but specified changes. By studying the life stories of immigrant students and their interactions with their teachers and classmates, one can learn the modern interpretation or way of Americanizing multicultural students. It also reveals a complicated procedure that in the end necessitates them to surrender their respective culture as well as national recognitions and native dialects just to fit into a theoretical and cultural domain. Such a world ironically refuses the total involvement of immigrant students in the real American culture. The author depicts immigrant students as ones being made or created in America only to realize that to be Americanized is to endure being placed on the American racial map (Olsen, 1997) Methodology of the Study In the study book, Olsen (1997) carried out her research by centering on Madison High, the first American public high school wherein more than 20 percent of the students population is composed of natives of other countries. This is in addition to a significant number of students who are not fluent in English language or are part of households in which English is totally not used. The exploration was done so that the public outside the school can look into what it feels like studying and teaching in a school which is characterized by escalating complicated or multicultural relations (Olsen, 1997). Utilizing regular ethnographic procedures, Olsen (1997) recorded her functions as narrator, anthropologist, and proponent in three official journals. The author interviewed not only the main subjects (immigrant students) but their parents, teachers, and officials of the school as well. In this manner, Olsen was able to investigate several issues concerning the diversities and complexities of multilingual learning as well as having a population of multinational students. She was also able to discover other equally related issues such as racial discrimination, social conflicts, and unfair education practices accorded to the different sets of students who are the immigrant students and native white Americans (Olsen, 1997). In particular, Olsen (1997) stayed or allotted two and a half years in the said public high school where she actually attended classes and made the interviews. Madison High was chosen as the venue of the study because it has witnessed some sociological changes for the last 20 years such as an upsurge of Latino enrollees and a rise in the number of students whose second language is English or what is called the ESL population. During the period of study, Olsen noted that the school population is composed of 33 percent white Americans, 26 percent Spanish-American or the Latinos, 14 percent black Americans and the 26 percent is a combination of immigrants coming from the Pacific Islands, Philippines, Japan, and China. The author also took into consideration that various native languages aside from English are spoken by around one half of the population (Olsen, 1997). Relative to the above composition, Olsen (1997) further noted the apparent positioning or mapping of students according to their races. Upon arrival in Madison High, new immigrant students are correctly placed or positioned to their respective racial structures. Based from these racial maps, Olsen (1999) learned the various indicators or factors that led foreign students to study in Madison High and their corresponding implications. The study then proceeded by asking the students the reasons why they chose to study in the U. S. and what prompted them to study the English language and eventually adapt the American culture or be Americanized. Thereafter, the research also unveiled that the white Americans actually perceive that the system rob them of opportunities which they believe are for them. They blatantly expressed that immigrant students take away their chances of having a good quality of education and eventually getting a good job. In the end, Olsen (1999) summarized her study by recognizing that new immigrant students undergo the Americanization process based on theoretical classifications, the need to speak fluent English against all odds, requirement to surrender their local dialect so that one can be involved in Madison Highs academic and cultural life, and repetitive force to have a place in the American racial map (Olsen, 1997). Analysis of the Study Olsens study showed immigrant students tales which are abundant with sociological items and which have enabled the readers the chance to look into the challenges of studying in an escalating diverse society. The research has proven to be a very rich material for Olsen to come up with her study book. This is because it was done taking into consideration the perspective of the concerned immigrant students as well as their relationship with their teachers and classmates. The study book has effectively analyzed the difficulties of the immigrant students and the efforts of the teachers to accommodate the students which turned out to be not enough. The study can also be credited with its flexibility by also considering the roles performed by the teachers and school officials in offering a fair treatment and comprehensive curriculum for the immigrant students. Although the overall result of the study did not achieve much, its effort to open to the public the real educational condition of immigrant students is enough for Olsen and her research to earn recognition. Conclusion The issues concerning bilingual education that accommodated multicultural set-up and dialect diversity as well as the advent of immigrant students into American education system have encouraged separation among students which can be a threat to the learning structure. The study of Olsen is inclined towards a future wherein American immigration and cross cultural policies seem to fight it out with the educational system and institutions catering to immigrant students. Although the research did not totally achieve its ultimate goal, the fact that it enabled the awakening of the public with the existing educational condition is a turning point in which the government can take its clue to take action. Despite the grim reality wherein new immigrant students who are not fluent in English are placed in racial map and subjected to unjust learning practices, there are still ways to overcome the situation. It is in this manner that the study book of Olsen has proven to be of value because it alerts the public to the demands and instead invigorate the readers of the potential of having a fairer and more flexible American public education system. Reference Olsen, L. (1997). Made in America: Immigrant students in our pubic schools. New York: The New Press.

Hrm Practices In Hotel Industry In Australia Management Essay

Hrm Practices In Hotel Industry In Australia Management Essay There has been widening recognition that human resource management strategies (HRM) impact organisational performance and overall effectiveness particularly in the service industry where strategic HR practices can contribute to competitive edge (Cheng Brown, 1998). The hospitality and tourism industry essentially comprises a service and production sector and with the immense emphasis on service quality, people essentially represent the entire industry. The success of the industry is dependant on the calibre of its employees and how they are managed in order to help the organisation achieve its objectives. HRM practices in smaller organisations are given comparatively a lower priority with larger hospitality organisations. (Kelliher Johnson, 1987)have recorded studies to suggest that even larger hotels have not yet developed a model for HRM but is moving away from personnel management in the past two decades. The major challenges faced by the hospitality industry and organisations w ithin this industry are that the industry is known for poor pay and employment conditions and a low take-up of HR practices. It is also generally believed that the industry has relied extensively on low-cost, numerically flexible and disposable workforce. Within the Australian context, there has been controversy regarding the extent to which organisations are moving away from a low wage, low-road approach to HRM exemplified by high levels of contingent labour towards a more systematic high commitment approach consistent with functionally flexible, enabling work practices (Angela Knox Walsh, 2005). The key issues that have central implications for strategic HRM are the casualisation of the workforce and high employee turnover within the industry and human resource managers need to utilise practices that enable them to have flexibility with respect to employment contracts and casual labour and also have strategic objectives to reduce the high employee turnover. This report attempts t o identify the key issues within the Hospitality and tourism industry like casualisation of the workforce, employee turnover and its implications for strategic human resource management. The report also discusses the case of Marriott International Inc., a large hotel chain operating within Australia and world over and attempts to identify if there are trends of best practices within its HR department which can be applicable to the entire industry. 2. HRM practices in Hotel industry in Australia (Lockyer Scholaris, 2004)conducted a survey that revealed that there was a lack of systematic selection procedures in the hotel industry particularly the small hotels and the larger hotel chains were having difficulties meeting the demands imposed by the labour market and other recruitment constraints. HR practitioners must have a tacit knowledge of a hotels local labour market and customer base to be able to make strategic selection procedures. Recruiting and selecting staff members is essential to an organisation and since the hospitality industry is largely a service industry, the employees should also be considered as assets. Hiring practices in Australia have moved from traditional methods (advertising, walk-ins, selection interviews, reference checking, etc.) to more strategic approaches like networking, internal labour market, behavioural interviewing, targeted selection, etc. Australian hospitality industry trends suggest that there is more internal recruitment within organi sations and internal recruitment is inclusive of transfers and promotions of casual and part time staff. Recruiting methods in Australia are seen to be predominantly strategic but less innovative. Australian hotels place high emphasis on the recruitment and selection process to attempt to reduce employee turnover and there is a large number of casual labour hired especially amongst the young because of the ease of entry. Consequently it can also be recognised that effective training and development practices within the service industries is imperative to providing a unique and differentiating standard of service, enabling increased profitability and bottom line results. According to the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), the hospitality and tourism industry is the largest sector and effective HR practices like training and remuneration and will benefit the organisation succinctly through their implementation (Taylor Davies, 2004). Australian hotels use a number of methods to identify the training needs of the employees by usually analysing guest comment cards, consultation sessions amongst employees etc. The industry being highly labour intensive poses a major task for the management of this labour as the product delivery is conversely based on the effectiveness and manner in which service is delivered within the industry. The hotel industry is associated with long, unsociable hours and poor working conditions highlights the poor pay, low skills and lack of career opportunities as characteristics that influence the attraction, development and retention of managers.(OLeary Deegan, 2005), (G. Martin Woldring, 2001). Therefore a high emphasis must also be laid on the development of managers. (Brophy Keily, 2002) developed a competency framework for middle level hotel managers by mapping these to the key results areas of customer care, quality and standards, managing staff, achieving profitability and growing the business. They highlight the importance of operational activities for middle managers, concurring with the finding of (Watson McCracken, 2002)and (Watson, McCracken, Hughes, 2004) Another area of importance is performance management and most hotels practice procedures like the performance development plan (PDP) which involves employee feedback and input and are integrated into the performance appraisal plan (Cheng Brown, 1998). The practices adopted in Austrlian hospitality firms are a combination of self appraisal in conjunction with supervisor subordinate evaluation. This practice has been widely adopted by a number of Australian firms because it is perceived to be a more balanced assessment of the employees but a strategic and functional practice which can be adopted is the 360 degree feedback because this is a service oriented industry and the feedback from customers and peers would certainly benefit the evaluation of an employees performance. There is also an underlying practice amongst Australian hotel industry employers regarding employment relations and they engage directly in firm-level bargaining with trade unions. The Australian hotel industry was characterised by poor union participation but in recent years, evidence from (Angie Knox Nickson, 2007) suggests that this is not the case especially in larger firms. The union representation of this industry approximates about 37 percent density according to Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey. Wages and employment conditions are regulated by legally enforceable awards and Australian hotels are regulated by a combination of federal awards and collective agreements (Angie Knox Nickson, 2007). This in turn has a cascading effect on the type of employment relationship in existence and also introduces the issues pertaining to the hiring of causal labour, part time employment of majority of the entry level service jobs and also the prominent problem of employee retention. The most significant challenge faced by HR practioners is to work effectively with other function managers within the hotel to create integrative plans that help the firms achieve their business objectives and to link the strategic goals of the Human Resource function to that of the other departments and the organisation as a whole (Tracey Charpentier, 2004). This involves intensive practices of Corporate Social Responsibility implemented by the HR function but aligned with the organisational objectives. The interest in business ethics in Australia has also increased with significant research being conducted not only on the role of the HR function but also its ethical implementation. There is a low consensus among HR managers in translating ethical principles into organisational practice and strategic HRM helps to implement these principles and minimise the deficit in transfer of knowledge. Business ethics and the role of HRM is significant here as it includes the concept of product ivity, profitability, efficiency and effectiveness in achieving the organizations basic purposes, comply with legal requirements, or, alternatively, that they succeed in avoiding legal threats and to improve quality of work life, to ensure fairness in policies, and to foster harmonious relationships between management and workers. Therefore strategic HRM is important to achieve organisational goals and therefore achieve better firm performance (A. Martin, Mactaggart, Bowden, 2006). This sort of Strategic HRM practices can be seen in the case analysed below of Marriott International Inc. which is a large international hotel chain also operating within Australia. 3. Marriott International Inc. The case of Marriott International Inc. illustrates some best practice principles which have resulted in the organisation being awarded the employer of choice awards a number of times and placed 50th in a leading newspaper as the Best Company to Work For. Marriott uses its employees as a brand differentiation strategy as revealed by their surveys with employees which was the outstanding service qualities delivered by the employees. Marriott International Inc. has an organisational culture of spirit to serve whereby they use a three stage approach to implementing these strategies. Training programs lasting five days are conducted on a periodic basis for their leaders and managers and have a map of customer expectations created and a plan to exceed those predicted expectations. Managers are given techniques to improve self motivation and that of their team through positive attitude including visualisation, writing goals down, and positive vocabulary. They are also equipped with culture change to drive their business. They also deliver 15 minute training sessions that cover major aspects of job quality and also have a daily basics training that covers on one of the basics to deliver good products. Marriott has recognised that the only way to deliver the brand is through their people (Anonymous, 2003). Marriott is committed to fair treatment of associates and to providing training and advancement opportunities to all employees. Diversity is also an important policy in Marriott. The company believes that this is the way they attract, develop and retain talent people. Such diversity is not only within group, but also applies to suppliers, customers, owners and so on. Marriott states that one of major efforts are devoted to recognize associate hard work, provide health care, and create opportunity for growth and career development. The company is trying to build an associate-centered environment. Therefore, it provides a total compensation package which include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Medical, Dental, Life, and Disability Insurance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Annual Salary Increases à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continuing Education/Tuition Reimbursement à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Hotel Room and Food Beverage Discounts à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ongoing Training and Career Development Marriott International Inc has a formal corporate culture; there are also holistically planned HR policies, although there are different emphases between those formal corporate culture and HR policies (Fu Liu, 2005). Marriott award their employees with the highest award, which is the J. Willard Marriott Award of Excellence and the selection is made from over 300,000 employees (Anonymous, 1996). The company also awards employees on their excellence towards corporate social responsibility with the Alice S. Marriott Award for Community Service which goes to show their efforts towards building an ethical and socially responsible organisation through their spirit to serve our community efforts (Anonymous, 2003). Marriott International Inc., also has programs with its low-skilled, low-wage workers to offer them opportunities with day care, English classes, and other social services for loyalty, enthusiasm, and a low turnover rate. Employee stock options are also part of the package. This is one instance where the self-interest of low-skilled, low-wage employees coincides with the self-interest of their employer (Bethesda, 2009). It can clearly be noted here that considering the levels of the casual workforce in Australia, Marriott has made arrangements to attract and retain even these types of employees. Since, Marriott, have recognised that the hospitality industry is a labour-intensive service industry, depending for its success on the social and technical skills of its personnel, their ingenuity and hard work, their commitment and attitude, they have created a conducive environment to treat their internal customers with priority and it permeates to all the HR functions. 4. Casualisation of the workforce in Australia The Australian context of the tourism and hospitality industry has been characterised by casual employment which has been permitted under labour regulation with concerns of it being precarious (Campbell Brosnan). (Wooden Warren, 2004) also emphasises that this is one of the distinctive features of the Austrlian labour market and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data suggest that just over 27 percent of all employees were employed on a casual basis. Australian Employment law Guide reports that this percentage has been progressively increasing in the past 5 years as shown in Appendix 1 in terms of the number of labour hours worked. Milman suggests that 51.3 percent of teens are employed on a casual basis within the hospitality tourism and retail industries which is a significantly large number of casual workers. On the other hand (Angela Knox Walsh, 2005) suggests that research shows that a number of managers are employing temporary and casual workers and, to a lesser exten t, part-time employees, as well as female, ethnic minority and immigrant labour. The increased number of casual employees is largely filled by young workers especially in the Food and Beverage outlets, Banquets and Housekeeping. There is almost no qualification required for these entry level positions and employees are usually trained on the job. The employment of temporary and casual workers is shaped by fluctuations in customer demand and the size and number of extra events and functions that are scheduled during the day and tight labour cost-control practices are considered to be a key characteristic of HRM in the Australian hotel industry. These characteristics have been the primary reason for the employment of causal and temporary workers based on demand. This form of employment can be seen as employment that falls under Total Quality Management, where employment is on the basis of production, or in this case service demands. As labour regulation has developed, casual employment has come to be firmly embedded in labour regulation. Casual employment has a number of characteristics irrespective of the industry being examined and this can be further reiterated by the laws that provide for casual and temporary employment. The Australian Employment Guide says that it is important to distinguish casual contracts from continuing contracts because by definition casual contracts impose no obligation on either party to continue the relationship. Each period of hiring is distinct and severable and any continuing relationship does not mean in law a continuing contract. In casual contracts, therefore, there is a work/pay bargain that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ provides no continuity of employment, and consequently no obligation on the employer to provide, or continue to provide, work; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ directly ties work, output or time spent to the rate of pay. This is so whether the nature of the payment is on a piece-work or time-rate basis. The issues here that develop as a direct consequence of this kind of employment include but are not limited to greater job insecurity, low pay, limited opportunities for career progression, unsatisfactory working hours, low levels of access to work-related training and low levels of union representation. Even though the union membership has increased significantly over the past few years within the hospitality industry, the union membership for casual employees is virtually non existent. Wooden conducted research which provides conclusive evidence that although there are negative attributes of casual employment, it is extremely misleading to characterise non-standard jobs as sub-standard jobs. It thus follows that initiatives intended to inhibit the diversity of employment options that are available to employers will often not result in changes in working arrangements that will be unambiguously preferred by employees. If Australia wishes to develop a committed, highly skilled workforce, it must offer jobs which are secure and where the employees receive benefits commensurate with their skills and experience; in other words the many holes in the legislative and administrative framework need to be tightened up so that casual work is not abused. The practices used by Marriott International Inc. as described earlier have been very useful in preserving the ethical integrity of casual employment within the hospitality industry in Australia and even hotels like Hilton offer its employees a work at home option to improve both company as well as employee growth and performance. The research findings of (Angela Knox Walsh, 2005) also suggest that a number of recent studies have challenged the notion that the hotel industry takes an unequivocally low-road approach to employment and HRM matters and this reflects insights from research studies on the hotel industry that suggest that differences in employer po licy and practice may well reflect variations in organisational size and market position. As in the case of Marriott which is a large company with 300, 000 employees and with percentage of net profit to be 14.4 percent (appendix 2), the company size and market position have allowed it to take the high road and utilise the HRM function as a source of competitive advantage and align it consistently with the business strategy, goals and objectives. 5. Staff retention and high turnover The Australian hospitality and tourism industry not unlike the rest of the world is notably a highly labour intensive industry with employees often taking on varying degrees of work load and pressure within the service construct. Employees, especially entry level, casual, part time and temporary employees are often faced with high pressure work systems where performance is given considerable importance which has direct impacts on firm performance on the whole. Most leading hotel chains even have regulations on grooming standards and codes of conduct of employees and employees can be dismissed based on those grounds. This puts added pressure on the workers which can lead to an increased percentage of staff turnovers. The prominent issue that arises from high staff turnover is naturally increased personnel costs incurred because of recruiting and training new replacements, but the turnover analysis is often ignored within the Australian hospitality industry as it is seen as a hidden cost and is considered a normality within the industry itself (Cheng Brown, 1998) (Dibble, 1999) suggests that turnover may be caused by personal or personality factors, family issues, work, team relations, as well as organisational structure and strategic human resource practices. (Cheng Brown, 1998)Cheng and brown here suggest that HR practices should pervade every HR function and the organisation itself to reduce the turnover within the industry. Organisations that employ more flexible HR practices have a greater probability to induce low employee turnover. (Davies, Taylor, Savery, 2001) conducted research in hotels in western Australia that enlightened the fact that although researchers have long spoken about the numerous HR functions like training, performance appraisal, remuneration, employee development and their effect in reducing turnover, the most prominent function that indicates an improvement in quality, productivity and reduced employee turnover is the training function. Employees feel empowered and committed to the organisation for the training re ceived by them. The kind of training within the hotel industry can be skills acquisition, performance management training, leadership and development etc. Although the current economic crisis has increased the availability of talented labour for the hospitality it is still imperative to integrate HRM functions to retain employees within the organisation. 6. Recommendations The HRM department of Australian hospitality and tourism industry although strategic in their approach towards their function, needs to adapt to the increasing demands of the industry and the high increase in casual work force. HR managers need to conduct substanstiative training and development activities to empower even their casual staff to reduce turnover and utilise employees as a source of competitive advantage for firms. They need to align their strategy with the goals and objectives of the organisation itself so as to be able to recruit and select appropriate employees whether it is causal, part time or full time employees. Increasing the benefits and compensation given to employees also reduces the turnover in the industry as clearly indicated by the Marriott case. Providing low cost benefits for casual employees and training reduces the annual turnover and increases firm performance. 7. Conclusion The Australian hotel industry is highly dynamic and has various attributes to it; most significant of those are the casualisation of the workforce and high turnover. The recommendations put to practice certainly aides organisations perform better and reduces the negative implications for the HR department within these organisations. Taking a High road approach and focussing on delivery of quality helps the HR managers to focus on training and development of the employees and to increase higher commitment from them. The areas of significant change likely within the hospitality industry are technology, power paradigms, training and development, compensation programs, employee relations and family, social and work life balance. These areas need to be facilitated by the Human resource managers by integrating their practices to ensure high firm performance and low turnover by empowering employees.

Sleeping Disorders Essay -- essays research papers

Sleeping Disorders I am going to start by telling you what a sleeping disorder is. A sleeping disorder is a problem that affects something to do with sleep. Not all sleeping disorders have symptoms that are obvious to a person or their family and friends, here are some common sleep disorders. - Insomnia - Sleep Apnea - Narcolepsy - Restless Leg Syndrome - Parasomnia - Bruxism - Jet Lag - Shiftwork I will be discussing the sleeping disorders listed above and what symptoms they can cause. Insomnia is a chronic sleeping disorder in which it is very difficult to start and continue sleeping. One of the other symptoms of insomnia that is most recognized is waking up repeatedly in the middle of the night. Lack of sleep leads to two other things, daytime fatigue and restlessness. These are bad on the job and at school while doing tests or other important work. The amount of sleep that each person needs to feel alert during the day varies. If you have a night of sleep which is much less than the amount of sleep you need, then you will more than likely feel quite sleepy the next day. Thirty-three percent of adults in America have a case of insomnia at least once in their life. Most cases only last one or two nights, but insomnia can continue for weeks or possibly even months. There have only been three standard types of insomnia that have been identified by doctors. They are as follows: - Transient insomnia is considered a few sleepless nights that is usually brought on by stress, excitement, or environmental changes. A person could have trouble sleeping the evening before a big meeting or shortly after a breakup or a fight with his girlfriend. - Short-term insomnia is usually two or three weeks of poor sleep caused by continual stress at work or at home, as well as medical and psychiatric illnesses. Eliminating the source of the stress usually takes care of the irregular sleep patterns - Chronic insomnia is considered poor sleep that lasts two weeks or longer. It can possibly be related to medical, behavioral, or psychiatric problems. Usually poor sleep leads to decreased feelings of well-being. Chronic insomnia can usually recur. If difficulty sleeping was the only problem with i... ...h other sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea and sleep terrors. Sleep Eating The causes of sleep-related eating are many. Most of them arise from a background of more conventional sleepwalking. In some cases, the sleep-related eating was brought on by medications prescribed for depression or insomnia. It may be a display of other sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea or periodic limb movements. The "sleep-related eating disorder" has only recently been described. Common concerns about this disorder are excessive weight gain, choking while eating, potential injury from starting fires while cooking or cutting oneself while preparing food, and sleep disruption. Approximately two- thirds of those afflicted with this disorder are women and the symptoms typically begin in the late 20s. The overwhelming majority do not suffer from a waking eating disorder. Sleeping disorders can be very weird, I did not know that until I wrote this paper. I was not aware that people could eat in their sleep, I thought that only happened in TV I have learned a great deal from this paper and I hope you did also.

Essay --

Chapter 11; Question 4 1. What term denotes punishment by execution of someone officially judged to have committed a serious crime? The term that denotes the punishment by execution of someone officially judged to have committed a serious crime is capital punishment. Capital punishment is now defined as when a person commits a serious crime such as first-degree murder or for intentional killing of a police officer. In the past times the Western world used capital punishment for crimes such as witchcraft, rape, treason, kidnapping, murder, and many other acts that were deemed criminal offenses. Until recent decades, a lot of states in the United States of America practiced this form of punishment, but many of them have decided to use capital sentences aka death penalty for more serious crimes such as the case of State of NH vs. Michael Addison which involved the intentional killing of a Manchester N.H. police officer because of the controversial arguments that surrounds the ethical concerns with the death penalty sentence. Unfortunately, the judicial system has too many flaws and is not 100% fool proof to prevent the unjustifiable conviction and execution of a wrongly accused person so most convicted death row inmates spend many years in jail before the capital punishment sentence is carried out, to allow the proper legal rights of the accused to be carried out. The methods of execution that has been used through the many years are: âž ¢ Hanging- it is the method that a rope noose is put around the criminal’s neck and a platform they are standing on was removed from beneath them. âž ¢ Firing squad- a group of armed shooters lined up and the accused would stand, blindfolded and upon command the armed shooters would shoot several rounds ... ...Marriage'." CNS News.com. N.p., 9 Dec. 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. . Catholic News Service. "The Catholic Church, Homosexuality and Gay Marriage." The Catholic Church, Homosexuality and Gay Marriage. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. . "First Degree Murder Law & Legal Definition." First Degree Murder Law & Legal Definition. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. . "Lethal Injection Procedures." Lethal Injection Procedures. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. . "Methods of Execution: Gas Chamber."Methods of Execution: Gas Chamber. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.

Soft Drugs

Soft drugs should not be legal Drugs have been a problem for the society for a long time and it is still a going subject. Different kinds of organisations work hard to try keeping people from using drugs, however a new problem has occurred. During the last years there have been discussions in some European countries to legalise so called soft drugs. Soft drugs usually means cannabis, which is the name for drugs made from the plant called â€Å"Cannabis Sativa†. Several countries have a very liberal attitude to these light drugs and think that it would be better if they were legal.I think it is wrong to legalise any kind of drug and that nothing good can come out of it. We all know that drugs are bad for us, so why would we want to expose ourselves to them? Why? There are already serious problems with legal drugs, like alcohol and tobacco. There is a reason why drugs are banned. It is because they are dangerous to our health. These laws are there to protect us and they are for our own good. It is known, and proved, that drugs can do damage to our physical and mental health. For example it can weaken the immune system, lung capacity and memory.It can cause depression and changes of personality. And these are just a few examples. Drugs are also very addictive and to stop the abuse is very hard, because the withdrawal symptoms are very strong and painful. There is also the risk of taking an overdose which can lead to serious harm or even death. Another argument against legalising cannabis is that it will get more accepted if it is legal, which will lead to the fact that more people will use it. If more people use drugs it will increase the number of people who get addicted.It is also proved that people who abuse cannabis often try heavier drugs later, when the effect from cannabis gets weaker. Legalising soft drugs would be awfully expensive for society. If more people use drugs, then the need for medical care and detoxification clinics will increase. Both a re very expensive, but they will be necessary because addicts need treatment. The costs related to crime will also increase, because many drug addicts start committing crimes to be able to afford the drugs they need. Those who abuse drugs tend to stop caring about anything else but the drugs.That could result in that they neglect their jobs and other responsibilities. The number of accidents caused by being under the influence of drugs will very likely increase, because there will be more substances that affect a person’s concentration and abilities. Alcohol will no longer be the only dangerous substance which is associated to accidents in traffic or risky jobs. This will be one more cost related to drugs, and someone will have to pay for it. Some say that alcohol is just as dangerous as cannabis, but alcohol is legal.So why not legalise cannabis? True, but why would we want to introduce another harmful substance, when we have enough troubles with the first one? There are oth er ways to have fun than smoking pot. Others claim that just because someone smokes a joint every now and then it does not mean that he or she will get addicted. That is right, but the higher the number of people that use drugs sometimes, the higher the number of people that get addicted. Drugs are not good for people or for society. As I have established, no good can come from legalising soft drugs.It would be a great danger to our health, it would bring more and larger costs for society and it would increase the number of people who get addicted. Why would we want that? Soft drugs should be legal There are two ways to try and sort out the drugs problem. One is to legalise and regulate the supply, and the other is to leave it in the hands of criminals. For years we have tried the second option. Banning all forms of soft drugs or lightly regulating them, not allowing them as such but not banning to the extent where people know it is seriously wrong.This is the situation we have foun d with drugs such as nicotine and tobacco and alcohol. Another major problem we face is the use of soft drugs especially by the younger generations. A survey revealed that 1 in 12 twelve year olds have tried drugs moving up to 1 in 3 fourteen year olds and 2 in 5 sixteen year olds. This means that about 40% and rising of our secondary school pupils have broken the law. In years to come at this rate the percentage will move up and then those 16 year olds will become adults and this problem will therefore become ever more significant as they become more influential.We saw a very parallel instance of this dilemma during 1920s America. Drink related crimes had become so numerous that the only way out that the American government saw was to ban it outright. This is what wed have tried in Britain and it has almost exactly the same consequences. Gun crime has soared like it did in America in the 20s. We see far too many shootings related to ‘turf wars' or punishment crimes such as wh en an employee of a drug dealer makes a mistake. At some point we have to look at the problem and realise that all crimes, in the major scheme of things are somewhat drugs related.Whether it is a burglar stealing someone's possessions to fund their drug habit, or the death of a drug abuser, unable to keep up with the payments to his dealer. We have to realise that getting rid drug dealers is the only way to go. Often they are the centre of the crime in their area. They are loan sharks to the poorer people and the people who organise the protection rackets for the business owners. No matter where you go you will always find them to do with it. The fact is that people do like to take drugs.The thing about alcohol is, your liver is designed to cope with it and so as long as you drink in moderation then your body is able to recover perfectly fine. With drugs, this is a lot less likely to happen. That being said, I'm all for legalising the softer drugs for several reasons – the ma in one being that it will remove a lot of the appeal of â€Å"rebelling† and so you're less likely to want to do it because it's â€Å"forbidden† (it's the same with drinking, as soon as you can legally drink you no longer have such a strong desire to do so)Also, places like the netherlands have legalised the soft drugs because it just means that they can spend more time cracking down on the harder ones and from what I've heard from some people that live there, the majority of people that use it are actually tourists that go there especially for that (so it would also mean an increase in tourism and stimulate the economy) Legalising it would also make it a lot safer because you never know what's actually in the drug you are buying, I recently watched this very ducational program on the effects drugs have and out of a random sample of pills only half actually contained the drug they were meant to. Legalising means that it will be regulated and also means that it is like ly to be a lot less expensive and so you also won't have the problem of people having to resort to illegal activities in order to get money for it. Quite a few drugs have also been shown to have medicinal benefits and so even partially legalising them for medicinal purposes only (for which you would need a prescription) would be beneficial.The bottom line though is that people are going to do them whether they are legal or not so if you at least legalise the softer ones, it allows you to regulate and control them a lot more than before and also if you make drugs legal then it will also help reduce all the gangs revolving around supplying drugs because they will no longer be needed and will no longer make money and so that's also a positive benefit. I feel I should also point out here that I'm not a fan of drugs, not even the â€Å"legal-highs† as I don't like the idea of altering my mind and not being in full control of my body.