Explain the Rationale for the Existence of Supplier Induced Demand in Health Care

EXPLAIN THE RATIONALE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF SUPPLIER INDUCED DEMAND IN HEALTH CARE AND EXPLORE THE EXTENT TO WHICH EMPIRICAL WORK HAS BEEN ABLE TO ESTABLISH ITS EXISTENCE Introduction: In the traditional market, consumers decide how much to consume and suppliers decide how much to supply and prices coordinate the decisions. For perfect competition it is assumed inter alia that there is: perfect information so that individuals are fully informed about prices, qualities etc; a lot of buyers and sellers; no single buyer or seller that has influence on the price. But health care market falls short of the perfect market paradigm as it is dogged by many phenomena that cause it to fail (Arrow 1963). One such phenomenon is supplier-induced demand (SID), whereby health care providers, usually physicians, exploit their information advantage over patients in order to induce patients to utilize more healthcare services than they would if they were accurately informed. The phenomenon of SID tends to take an important place within social debates because it has an impact on health care expenditures, health status and the allocation of income between patients and physicians (Labelle et al 1994). Therefore, it has attracted considerable attention in the health economics literature since Roemer (1961), who observed a positive correlation between the number of hospital beds available and their use leading to the observation, ‘a bed built is a bed filled’, sometimes referred to as Roemer’s Law. Although a variety of empirical tests of SID have been reported in literature, researchers disagree on the definition of and tests for SID. The validity of the results from the tests is controversial. Therefore there is no consensus on the development and implementation of public policy based on these results (Labelle et al 1994, p349). Indeed, Doessel (1995, p. 58) observed that this area of research can be described as a theoretical and empirical quagmire. After defining the terms, this essay is going to explore and explain the theoretical rationale, the empirical evidence and policy implications for the existence of SID. The argument will be summed up in the conclusion. Health Care Market and SID A market is a shorthand expression for the process by which households’ decisions about consumption of alternative goods, firms’ decisions about what and how to produce, and workers’ decisions about how much and for whom to work are all reconciled by adjustment of prices. Health care comprises services of health care professionals, which are addressed at health promotion, prevention of illnesses and injury, monitoring of health, maintenance of health, and treatment of disease, disorders, and injuries in order to obtain cure or, failing that, optimum comfort and function (quality of life) (Worldbank website). In health care market there is: a few buyers and sellers; asymmetry of information therefore violation of consumer sovereignty; allocation of resources by physicians and not price mechanism etc. Therefore patients face a dilemma in translating their desire for good health into a demand for medical care. This requires both information and medical knowledge, which they usually do not have. There is no definitive and widely accepted definition of SID. In literature, the definitions range from positive and value free (Fuchs 1978) to normative with negative connotations (Folland et al 2001, p. 04). McGuire (2000, p504) says that SID ‘exists when the physician influences a patient’s demand for care against the physician’s interpretation of the best interest of the patient’. Labelle et al (1994, p. 363) point out the need to incorporate in the definition of SID both the effectiveness of the agency relationship and the effectiveness of the induced services. This me ans that inducement can give rise to ‘good’ or ‘bad’ outcomes for patients depending on its clinical effectiveness, e. g. f a doctor persuades a patient to undertake more treatment where the patient would otherwise have opted for a less than clinically effective package of care. Rationale for the existence of SID: The theoretical analysis of SID is based upon the assumption that doctors maximise their utility subject to income and inducement. Dranove (1988, p 281) argues that under certain conditions the physician will have an incentive to recommend treatments whose costs outweigh their medical benefits. SID involves a shift of the demand curve, such that as supply ncreases, demand also increases (Fig. 1). In practice the exact demand curves themselves cannot be measured. Only the equilibrium points (A, B, C and D) of the overall market can be observed. If the supply of doctors increases from Q1 to Q2 (Fig. 1a), then the fee payable decreases from P1 to P2. But if SID exists (Fig. 1b), as the number of doctors increases from Q1 to Q2 the doctor would keep shifting the demand curve from D through to D3 in order to maintain or increase income. Fig. 1: Graphical representation of competing hypotheses The potential for SID to arise is shaped but not guaranteed by a number of characteristics of the health care market including: information gaps and asymmetries which encourage patients to seek medical advice and delegate decision-making to doctors; potential weaknesses in the agency relationship and the impact of clinical uncertainty on the decision making processes of doctors. Systems for financing, organising and paying for medical services also influence doctor and patient behaviour. The asymmetry of information between user and provider is the most fundamental peculiarity of health care, and the source of the most serious failures of market processes during resource allocation. Informational asymmetries may also invalidate the assumption of â€Å"consumer sovereignty† which underlies evaluative policy assessment in much of economics. Patients will often be relatively poorly informed compared with their doctor about their condition, treatment options, expected outcomes and likely costs. Unlike other professional services, information asymmetry is most pronounced in health care markets. Many researchers have tested the hypothesis that more knowledgeable patients should be resistant to SID and that they should therefore make less use of medical care. Surprisingly these studies have consistently found that knowledgeable patients frequently use more care [Bunker and Brown (1974); Hay and Leahy (1982) and Kenkel (1990)]. The institutional responses to information asymmetry are professionalisation, self-regulation, and the development of an agency relation between individual transactors and between the professions and society collectively. Agency relationship is formed whenever a principal (patient) delegates decision-making authority to another party, the agent (doctor). Ill-informed consumers are protected, by provider advice, from consumption of unnecessary or harmful services (inappropriate or poor quality) and also from failure to consume needed services. If this agency relationship were perfect, doctor would take on entirely the patient’s point of view and act as if he/she were the patient. All consumption choices made for the patient by the provider would be made so as to maximize the patient’s (and ultimately society’s) utility function. Health care providers do not always act as perfect agents for their patients. Their recommendations are sometimes influenced by self-interest, or the interest of the organization for which they work. This imperfect agency arises because the doctor (agent) performs a dual role — the same person who provides advice about a treatment usually provides and receives payment for that treatment. Hence, demand is no longer independent of supply; the agent can shift the demand curve to any position (Fig. 1b). The demand curve (Figure 1a), assumes that independent consumers of care are not directly influenced by suppliers in their decisions to use care, or alternatively that if such direct influence exists, its level is determined external to the market process itself. On the other hand, it has been shown that in spite of the presumed physician influence over the patient, the physician cannot predict the level of patient compliance (Goldberg et al 1998). Therefore it is doubtful how much influence the physician wields over the patient when it comes to SID. Traditionally doctors’ behaviour is controlled by a professional code- â€Å"Hippocratic oath†. Financial self-interest on the part of the physicians is only one of the causes of imperfect agency. Another very important cause is the failure of physicians to understand or accept patients’ preferences regarding the impact of health status on utility and provide this information to the patient (Labelle et al 1994). The target income theory posits that as the number of physicians has increased, they have induced additional demand to get a particular income, e. g. y increasing the volume and variety of tests and procedures. This is in contrast with conventional economics where increasing supply lowers the price for the consumer. The target income is determined by the local income distribution (Rizzo and Blumenthal, 1996). A professional service like Health care is inherently heterogeneous and nonretradable. A monopolistic competitor selling a nonretradable service set s a quantity to maximize profit and unless there is some cost to inducement, a physician or dental practitioner pursuing net income would induce demand to an infinite extent (Gaynor 1994). However, physicians prefer not to induce demand and only do so if they are compensated by adequate gains in income. The utility maximisation of physicians is limited by disutility of discretion, i. e. either the physician’s internal conscience (Evans 1974; Mcguire and Pauly 1991) or as a result of a reputation process by which doctors who excessively induce demand are punished through future reductions in true patient demand (Dranove 1988). SID can arise when clinical uncertainty causes provision of ‘unnecessary’ or ‘wasteful’ medical services even if doctors act in the perceived interests of their patients. If a doctor inadvertently underestimates a patient’s ability to pay for the cost of medical procedures, the level of care recommended might exceed that which the patient would have nominated. However, some analysts maintain that doctors’ responses to clinical uncertainty can give rise to SID fully consistent with the patient’s interests rather than self-interest (Richardson and Peacock 1999, p. 9) e. g. use of diagnostics in excess of ‘standard’ levels in the event of diagnostic uncertainty. Institutional and regulatory arrangements influence how medical markets work. They create incentives or disincentives for doctors (and patients) to behave in ways that could engender SID. For example, the cost-bearing and financing aspects of the doctor’s service are largely borne by third parties (i. e. governments and private insurers). As a consequence, typically neither the consumer nor the provider carefully considers the price or cost of the service supplied. This can influence the extent and form of SID. Other arrangements that can promote SID include: the system of payment for doctors (i. e. ee-for-service, capitation or salaried); the effect of medical indemnity arrangements on the adoption of ‘defensive medical practices’ by doctors; and the form of monitoring of doctor treatment practices. The link between physicians and pharmaceutical companies can also promote SID. Big pharmaceutical companies approach physicians and â€Å"ask† them to prescribe specific drugs to patients in exchange for a reward, such as free holidays. For example, in 2002 drug firms spent nearly $9. 4 billion on marketing to American doctors (The Economist 15th Feb. 2003). As a result, physicians are illing to prescribe extra medicines that are unnecessary and provide no benefit to the patient. Moreover, these drugs favoured by the physicians and produced by big companies might be more expensive than others with equivalent effectiveness However, one major criticism of the SID model is that it focuses on only one price– the nominal fee level–while ignoring access costs. If increased supply reduces travel time and office waits, the total cost of care has fallen even if fees remain constant. Secondly, the SID theory carries an implicit assumption that the extra services are unnecessary. An alternative view is that few situations in medicine are clear-cut and a broad range of indications is consistent with generally acceptable practice. Empirical evidence of SID Several indirect hypotheses and empirical tests have been carried out but due to the lack of a rigorous theoretical model and the presence of econometric and measurement problems, results concerning the existence of SID still remain controversial and inconclusive. SID is not easy to measure and interpret because of the difficulty of separating out induced from un-induced demand, supply changes from demand changes and SID from other factors influencing demand (e. . income, insurance coverage, health status). However, there is clear evidence that physicians who are paid on fee-for-service basis can adjust the number of services in response to limitations on the levels of fees (Rice, 1983), but such responses are not automatic and health economists don't have a good understanding of what contextual factors are i mportant in predicting such responses. Nevertheless, the potential for such responses means that inducement is an important factor to consider in policy development. To test for SID early studies looked at changes in utilisation compared to increases in physician/population ratio. The hypothesis underlying the tests is that, in response to an increase in the doctor/population ratio (i. e. competition), doctors will seek to induce demand or raise their fees so as to maintain their incomes. Cromwell and Mitchell (1986) demonstrated a significant demand inducement for surgical procedures with overall rates of surgery increase by about 0. 08% for each 1% increase in surgeon supply. Rice’s (1984) found that 10% decline in physician reimbursement led to a 6. 1% increase in intensity of medical services and a 2. 7% increase in intensity in surgical services. However, a similar study found mixed responses to fee changes across procedures (Labelle et al 1990). Another technique used for testing SID is to examine the effect of changes in doctor supply on doctor compared with patient initiated visits. Assumption here is that if SID exists, increases in doctor numbers would lead to an increase in doctor-initiated visits (that is, an income maintenance response test). Tussing and Wojtowycz (1986), using this technique, found that areas with more GPs were associated with much larger proportion of return visits arranged by doctor, i. e. a strong relationship to support SID. On the other hand, doing a similar experiment, Rossiter and Wilensky (1983) found only very small inducement effect. This approach to investigating the presence of SID effects (increasing physicians and increasing utilisation) fell somewhat out of favour when Dranove and Wehner (1994) found that, according to the standard methodology among SID theorists, an increase in the number of physicians resulted in an increase in childbirths. Recent studies have looked at physician behaviour in response to fee reduction, e. g. Yip (1998) found that physicians compensate for income losses due to public price reduction by increasing volume. Medicare fee cuts lead to increased amounts of heart surgery enabling physicians to recoup 70% of lost revenue. Gruber and Owings (1996) found that a 13% reduction in fertility rate in the US in 1970-1982 led to an increase in caesarean sections and reduction in the less profitable vaginal births. Between 1971-1981, the number of GPs per capita in Winnipeg, Canada increased by 56%. Remarkably, however, real gross income per physician remained virtually unchanged during the period. GPs simply increased the number of contacts with existing patients – so much so that their average revenue actually increased (Roch et al 1985). On the other hand, in Norway, Grytten and Sorensen (2001) compared a salaried group of physicians with another one that was compensated by fee for service. Neither of the two groups of physicians increased their output as a response to an increase in physician density. In UK, dentists are paid on a fixed fee-for-service basis. Supplier income can only be increased by increasing utilisation. Therefore, testing for the existence of SID in dentistry has involved looking for a positive correlation between dentist density and utilisation of dental care. Birch (1988) concluded that a positive correlation between the number of dentists per capita and the treatment content per visit provides sufficient (but not necessary) evidence for the existence of SID, in a fee-regulated market environment. Other researchers [Manning and Phelps (1979); Grytten et al (1990)]  found similar correlations. Sintonen and Maljanen (1995) found that individual and general inducement appeared to have considerable effect on utilisation, but no systematic connection with supply conditions (dentist/population ratio). This was interpreted to indicate that some dentists, regardless of the market situation, have adopted individual inducement. However, there are alternative explanations for a positive correlation between dentist density and the utilisation of medical services: permanent access demand on the market for medical services due to price regulation; demand decisions by rational patients (the opening of new practices, particularly in rural areas, reduces the average time and transport costs, and the average time spent in the waiting room also falls); reversed causality where physicians set up shop in high demand regions (Zweifel 1981 p216). Policy Implications of SID: SID is of great importance to the policy maker because it threatens the basic market paradigm and severely undermines economic recommendations about market policy. There are differing interpretations of policy significance of SID. According to Carlsen and Grytten (2000), policy makers can compute the socially optimal density of physicians without knowledge of SID. Yet most analysts look at SID from the perspective of manpower and reimbursement policy for purposes of cost containment. They do not consider its contribution to the health status of patients. The impact of SID on equity, distributional issues and the net social benefits is usually ignored (Labelle et al 1994). The issue of SID raises another major controversy of whether adequate control over resource allocation to and within healthcare is best achieved through the demand side or through regulatory controls on the supply side (Reinhardt 1989, p. 339). Indeed, due to problems with moral hazard and SID, insurers use demand-side incentives (e. g. co-insurance and deductibles), as well as supply-side incentives aimed at providers (e. g. aying physicians through salary or capitation). An example of policy implications of SID to manpower planning is when a government wishes to attract physicians to rural areas, and it does so by paying rural doctors more than those in urban areas. This could precipitate SID within urban practices, hence nullifying the government’s intention. Direct regulation of the supply of physicians—by mandating that all new graduates spend a c ertain number of years in rural communities, for example —might have some advantages, although this may well affect the number and quality of medical students. For facility planning purposes, Roemer’s Law has the fundamental implication that there is no external â€Å"demand† standard, based on observed utilisation, from which â€Å"needed† levels can be inferred. Providers will themselves determine use on the basis of available capacity inter alia. SID means increased demand by patients, which raises costs of care. If it exists, then the policy maker may wish to provide for control of supplier behaviour by mandating evidence-based medicine: cost-effectiveness evaluation of new interventions, medical audits etc, all of which encroach on clinical freedom. Use of provider payment mechanisms like salaries for doctors, global budgets, and case payments could help. However, Ferguson (2002) argues that overall, demand curve for medical care slopes downward, and that supplier-induced demand is overrated as a policy concern. Conclusion: This essay has explained the rationale for the existence of SID and has explored its policy implications and empirical evidence of its existence. There is arguably sufficient evidence to accept that SID can occur. Even Hippocrates himself realised that as in all things mercenary (in health care it is â€Å"fee-for-service†) there is no such thing as pure altruism. Indeed, the Hippocratic oath is an admission to the potential for pecuniary self-interest and abuse of sacred trust. Imperfect agency and clinical uncertainty are the main causes of SID. If SID is pervasive, there could be a variety of economy-wide impacts, e. g. it could increase health expenditure without a commensurate improvement in health outcomes. Therefore, it has important implications for the health policy process. Strong support for SID hypothesis was found in the UK dentistry. Otherwise, there is no robust evidence on the likely magnitude of SID. Although inconclusive, most studies suggest that where SID arises, it is small both in absolute terms and relative to other influences. However, it is still worth considering SID-attenuating arrangements say in the case of physician reimbursement policy. As there are a number of fundamental and seemingly irresolvable methodological and data problems associated with trying to assess SID, definitive evidence of its existence most likely will remain illusive. References: 1. Arrow, K. J. (1963). Uncertainty and the Welfare Economics of Medical Care. American Economic Review 53: 941-973. 2. Birch, S. (1988). The identification of supplier-inducement in a fixed price system of health care provision: The case of dentistry in the United Kingdom. Journal of Health Economics. 7:129–150. 3. Bunker, J. P. and Brown, B. W. (1974). The physician patient as an informed consumer of surgical services. New England Journal of Medicine 290: 1051-1055 4. Carlsen, F. and Grytten, J. (2000). Consumer satisfaction and supplier induced demand. Journal of Health Economics 19:731-753 5. Cromwell, J. and Mitchell J. (1986). Physician-Induced Demand for Surgery. Journal of Health Economics 5: 293-313. 6. Doessel, D. P. (1995). Commentary. In Harris, A. (ed), Economics and Health: 1994, Proceedings of the Sixteenth Australian Conference of Health Economists, School of Health Services Management, University of New South Wales, NSW. 7. Dranove, D. (1988). Demand inducement and the physician/patient relationship. Economic Inquiry 26:281-298 8. Dranove, D. and P. Wehner (1994): Physician-induced demand for childbirths Journal of Health Economics 13:61-73 9. Evans, R. G. (1974). Supplier induced demand; some empirical evidence & implications. In Perlman, M. (ed). The economics of health & medical care. London: Macmillan 10. Ferguson, B. S. (2002). Issues in the demand for medical care: can consumers and doctors be trusted to make the right choices? AIMS Health Care Reform Background Paper #5. Halifax: AIMS http://www. aims. ca/Publications/Demand/demand. pdf (accessed: 26th April 2004). 11. Folland, S. , Goodman, A. and Stano, M. (2001). The Economics of Health and Health Care. 3rd ed, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Prentice Hall 12. Fuchs, V. (1978). The supply of surgeons and the demand for operations. Journal of Human Resources, 13(supplement): 35–56. 13. Gaynor, M. (1994). Issues in the Industrial Organization of the Market for Physician Services. The Journal of Economics and Management Strategy 3(1): 211-255. 14. Goldberg, A. I. Cohen, G. and Rubin, A-H E. (1998). Physician Assessments of Patient Compliance with Medical Treatment. Social Science and Medicine 47(11): 1873-6) 15. Gruber, J. and Owings, M. (1996). Physician financial incentives and caesarean section delivery, RAND Journal of Economics 27(1): 99-123. 6. Grytten, J. and Sorensen, R. (2001). Type of contract and supplier-induced demand for primary physicians in Norway. Journal of Health Economics 20: 379-393. 17. Grytten, J. , Holst, D. and Laakf, P. (1990). Supplier Inducement: Its Effect on Dental Services in Norway; Journal of Health Economics 9: 483-491 18. Hay, J. and Leahy, M. (1982): Physician-induced demand: An empirical analysis of the consumer info rmation gap. Journal of Health Economics 1: 231-244. 19. Kenkel, D. (1990): Consumer health information and the demand for medical care. Review of Economics and Statistics 52: 587-595 20. Labelle, R. , Hurley, J. and Rice, T. (1990). Financial Incentives and Medical Practice: Evidence from Ontario on the Effect of Changes in Physician Fees on Medical Care Utilisation, Working Paper 90-4 Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, MacMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario 21. Labelle, R. , Stoddart, G. and Rice, T. (1994), A Re-examination of the Meaning and Importance of Supplier-Induced Demand. Journal of Health Economics 13(3): 347-368. 22. Manning, W. G. , Jr. and Phelps, C. E. (1979). The demand for dental care. Bell Journal of Economics 10(2): 503–525. 23. McGuire, T. (2000 chapter 9). Physician agency. In Culyer, A. J. and Newhouse, J. P. (eds). Handbook of Health Economics, 1A, Elsevier: North Holland. 24. McGuire, T. G. , and Pauly, M. V. (1991). Physician Response to Fee Changes with Multiple Payers. Journal of Health Economics 10: 385-410. 25. Reinhardt, U. (1989). Economists in health care: saviours, or elephants in a porcelain shop? American Economic Review 79: 337-342. 26. Rice, T. (1983). The Impact of Changing Medicare Reimbursement Rates on Physician-induced Demand. Medical Care. 21(8): 803-815. 27. Rice, T. (1984). Physician-induced demand: New evidence from the Medicare program. Advances in Health Economics and Health Services Research 6:129-160 28. Richardson, J. and Peacock, S. (1999). Supplier-induced demand reconsidered. Working Paper 81, CHPE, Monash University. http://chpe. buseco. monash. edu. au/pubs/wp81. pdf (accessed: 27th April 2004). 29. Rizzo, J. A. and Blumenthal, D. A. (1996). Is the Target-Income Hypothesis an Economic Heresy? Medical Care Research and Review 53(3): 243–266. 30. Roch, D. Evans, R. G. and Pascoe, D. (1985). Manitoba and Medicare: 1971 to Present. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Manitoba Health. 31. Roemer, M. I. (1961). Bed supply and hospital utilisation: A national experiment, Hospitals. Journal of American Health Affairs 35:988–993 32. Rossiter, L. and Wilensky, G. , (1983). The Relative Importance of Physician-Induced Demand for Medical Care. Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly 61(2): 252-277. 33. Sintonen, H . and Maljanen, T. (1995). Explaining the Utilisation of Dental Care: Experiences from the Finnish Dental Market. Health Economics 4(6): 453-466. 34. Tussing, A. D. and Wojtowycz, M. (1986). Physician-induced Demand by Irish General Practitioners’. Economic and Social Review 14(3): 225-247 35. Worldbank website: http://www1. worldbank. org/hnp/hsd/HEGlossary. asp (accessed: 27th April 2004). 36. Yip, W. (1998). Physician Responses to Medical Fee Reductions: Changes in the Volume and Intensity of Supply of Coronary, Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Surgeries in the Medicare and Private Sectors, Journal of Health Economics 17(6): 675-699 37. Zweifel, P. (1981 p245-267). Supplier Induced Demand in a Model of Physician Behaviour. In van der Gaag, J. and Perlman, M. (eds), Health, Economics and Health Economics. Amsterdam: North-Holland ———————– P- fees for ServiceQ- supply of doctors S- supply curve of servicesD- demand curve for services P2 P1 Q1 Q2 D C A S1 S P3 P1 P2 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 D D2 D1 D3 S1 S B (a) No SID(b) With SID D

Rrl of Marketing Information System

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A marketing information system (MIS) is a set of procedures and methods designed to generate, analyze, disseminate, and store anticipated marketing decision information on a regular, continuous basis. An information system can be used operationally, managerially, and strategically for several aspects of marketing. A marketing information system can be used operationally, managerially, and strategically for several aspects of marketing.The first definition of marketing information systems was presented by Cox and Good (1967) who referred to them as a group of procedures and methods for the planned analysis and the presentation of information to be used in marketing decision making. Later, this definition was extended by several authors such as Brien and Stafford (1968), Proctor (1991), Talvinen (1995), Burns and Bush (1995), and Kotler (1991, 2003), among others.Thus, Proctor (1991) defined the MKIS as a system that examines and collects data from the envi ronment; that uses data for the operations and transactions within the company, and that filters, organizes, and selects data to present them for business purposes. According to Kotler (2003) and Bums and Bush (1995) defined the MKIS as a consistent system of people, equipment, and procedures to gather, classify, analyze, evaluate, and distribute the necessary, timely, and precise information needed for decision making.For Talvinen (1995), the marketing information systems are a fundamental part of the company information systems portfolio that aids the direction of the managerial process, especially the marketing process. Jobber (2007) defines it as a â€Å"system in which marketing data is formally gathered, stored, analyzed and distributed to managers in accordance with their informational needs on a regular basis. † Kotler, et al. (2006) define it more broadly as â€Å"people, equipment, and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate, and distribute needed, timely, an d accurate information to marketing decision makers. A formal MkIS can be of great benefit to any organization whether profit making or nonprofit making, no matter what its size or the level of managerial finesse. It is true today that in many organization an MkIS is integrated as part of a computerized system. To manage a business well is to manage its future and this means that management of information, in the form of a companywide â€Å"Management Information System† (MUS) of which the MkIS is an integral part, is an indispensable resource to be carefully managed just like any other resource that the organization may have e. . human resources, productive resources, transport resources and financial resources. Marketing information systems (MKIS) must play a different role from the roles they traditionally performed; that is, they need roles that may guide and support the decisions made at the corporate, functional, and operational levels. Previous research on the applicat ion of the MKIS shows that they have been applied mainly to the routine function of marketing rather than the strategic function (Xianzhong, 1999).Frequently, organizations have utilized these information systems to support the competitive analysis that they themselves conduct and to find out the market conditions, however, they have not developed research that may support the formulation of strategies, or such development has been nonexistent (Main & Marone, 2002). According Zabriskie and Huellmantel (1994) have pointed out that providing competitive information to formulate strategies is the responsibility of the marketing director, with the support of the marketing research department.However, conceptual and empirical research on marketing information systems has given little attention to the type of information that those in charge of making decisions may consider useful for the performance of their marketing tasks (Ashill & Jobber, 2002). According to Proctor (1991), there is a lot of information, but not of the correct type, and much error; that is, such information is more focused on the operational rather than on the strategic function.Nevertheless, it is necessary to take into account that the utilization of the MKIS is crucial for the success of an organization and should be an integral part of the strategic planning process (Amaravadi, 1995) since the marketing data base is a vital element for the strategic planning of many companies and often presents challenges in terms of management, marketing and sales (Stone & Shaw, 1987). In the latter half of the 20th century, several authors such as Cox and Good (1967), Kotler (1991, 2003), Proctor (1991), and Talvinen (1995), among others, have presented models for marketing information systems.Bums and Bush (1995) presented a classification of the marketing information systems similar to that of Kotler's (2003) through a model in which there is an interrelationship between the environment and the MKIS and among these and the managing directors. Talvinen (1995) classified the models presented in two groups determined by the managerial position and the operational-tactical function of those who make the decisions.In the first group, the basic classifying models of all the authors are presented, and the users are likely to be the senior executives, business strategy units, directors, marketing analysts, and experts. In the second group, the model of Moriarty and Swartz (1989) is found, and its users are likely to be the mid-level executives and sales operations personnel. According to Ansoff, Declerck, and Hayes (1990), the strategic level of a company is in continuous contact with the organizational environment; for Mintzberg and Quinn (1993), strategy is defined in terms of the four p's: plan, pattern, position, and perspective.Finally, according to Thompson, Strickland, and Gamble (2005), the strategy consists of business competitive movements and approaches that the directing manage rs employ in order to attract and please clients, compete successfully, make the business grow, conduct operations, and reach set goals. At the turn of the 21st century, researchers paid increased interest in the marketing information systems that are required by those in charge of making decisions (Amaravadi, 1995; Ashill & Jobber, 2002; Talvinen, 1995).However, little has been studied regarding the marketing information systems and the formulation of strategies at different levels. Research studies have centered upon general aspects of the formulation process and strategy implementation (Ashill, Frederikson, & Davies, 2003; McCarthy & Leavy, 2000; Varadarajan & Jayachandran, 1999; White, Conant, & Echambadi, 2003) rather than on specific aspects such as the information systems that the organizations require in order to formulate strategies (Proctor, 1991).However, it is necessary to consider that organizations operate at three levels (corporate, business unit, and functional or op erational) and reflect, at the same time, three strategy levels (corporate, business unit, and functional or operational). The MKIS range from the strategic to the operational level and require a different type of information on marketing at each level.This distinction of levels has prompted some authors to study the MKIS and strategy levels (Hair, Bush, & Ortinau, 2003; Talvinen, 1995), as well as the MKIS required at each strategy level (Talvinen, 1995), but the type of marketing information required at each strategy level and for each MKIS has not been studied. Like the application of the marketing activities, the application of the MKIS has also concentrated on the area of productivity and sales administration more than on the strategic area (Hewson & Hewson, 1994; Wilson & McDonald, 1994).Even though some businesses have used these systems at the strategic level, their use still concentrates on the marketing functions related to the client, such as, for example, direct sales (X ianzhong, 1999). In the face of the existing gap in the literature, and, above all, because there is no classification of the MKIS by strategy level, the information that the managing directors require at each level was classified for each MKIS taking into account the definitions that these systems present (Burns & Bush, 1995; Kotler, 2003; Talvinen, 1995).

Differentiated Instruction Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Differentiated Instruction - Research Paper Example With the coming into implementation of the plan instruction and, assessment and curriculum for education in the school district has been aligned to this. I am currently serving as a teacher at Hillcrest Elementary School a position I have held for the last seven years. The school has a population of about seven hundred students, in preparatory school through to the seventh grade. Each level has three classes which have a team led by a team leader (Cusumano &Mueller, 2007). Instructional support is offered by a psychologist employed by the school on full time basis, a rereading consultant for the reading program, special education program which is staffed with gifted and talented teacher. In 2010 the school district put into action a balanced literacy program intended to align every school standards with those of the state (Cifuentes, &Ozel, 2006). While this program has been successfully implemented in terms of curriculum and instructional support, Hillcrest Elementary School still h as the lowest rate of literacy especially in reading with approximately 35% of the learners scoring minimal and basic scores in the sixth grade WKCE. Description of Objectives To improve proficiency in the implementation of a balanced literacy program in my classroom placing significant emphasis on instructed reading so as to enhance learner achievement aligned to school benchmarks, while at the same time enhancing enjoyment and interest in reading (Lawrence-Brown, 2004). Rationale for the Objectives and the Connection to Self Reflection, Educational Situation, and Standards The school district has been engaged in the implementation of a balanced literacy framework that covers the seven schools in the district. Greater emphasis has been placed upon the training and implementation of writers’ workshop, guided reading and supplementary literacy initiatives incorporated into all K-5 classrooms (Levy, 2008). Hillcrest Elementary School has set benchmarks of the improvement of wri ting and reading which is based upon school performance data. In my reflection I determined that there was a need to take into account best practices in reading instruction. I recognized a need to acquire more skills in the employment of guided strategies for reading which took into account and focused upon specific needs of individual students (Zmuda, Kuklis, & Kline, 2004). In the past my teaching was primarily targeted at the class as a whole which resulted in a feeling that there was a discrepancy since the high performers felt underworked while the low achievers felt overburdened. An analysis of student performance has portrayed that the low achievers show little improvement while the high achievers many a time complain of a lack of interest in learning as a result of the content not being challenging enough (Gibson, & Hasbrouck, 2008). Plan for Documenting and Assessing Achievement of Objectives I will employ instructed reading in a gradual manner in order to evaluate the prog ression of student achievement towards proficiency that is aligned to certain grades. Achievement will also be evaluated according to DRA benchmark evaluations administered at the beginning and end of the year. In order to evaluate enjoyment of reading and enhancement of interest, I will

Gran Torino and Race Relations and Ethics Essay

Gran Torino and Race Relations and Ethics - Essay Example The movie has things to teach about ethics to people in the world. Racism is still very much an issue in today’s world(Bonilla, 2010), and Walt was as racism as anybody could be. He called the next door neighbors â€Å"gooks,† even after he came to love them and protect them. He called his barber a â€Å"Dago† and â€Å"Italian Prick.† It was obvious that he was a man who had a lot of bad feelings in his heart about people who are of different races. He was, perhaps, representative of many people who see people of different races as being somehow â€Å"other.† These people from Laos, who live next door, were people that Walt evidently felt were beneath him from the beginning of the film. However, Walt changed throughout the course of the film, and, soon, he was taking Thao and Sue under his wing. Walt went out of his way to bond with young Thao, showing him the ropes of carpentry, once he figured out that Thao had an interest in carpentry and tools, and making sure that Thao got to meet the barber and know how to converse with other men in a way that would be acceptable in America. When Sue was raped by some men who were relatives of Thao and Sue, Walt became protective of her and went to confront the men. In fact, all through the film, Walt comes to the aid and protection of these neighbors. It was feasible that Walt could have lived his life in an insular way, and stayed out of the way of the gang members who were harassing his next door neighbors.... What happens to our brother or our sister is what happens to us, and we have to make sure that we do everything that we can to help those who are oppressed. Walt learned this lesson, even though he personally had feelings for the Hmong that were not so flattering. There was some possible indication that Walt was also redeeming himself for things that happened during the Korean War – he implied that he killed some Korean men even though he wasn’t under orders to do so. So, this might have also given him his sense of ethics as well. My own personal feelings about what happened during the movie was somewhat mixed. While I understood the need for Walt to do what he did in the movie, it was also difficult to see. Yes, the gang members were harassing the family of Sue and Thao, and, yes, the black men were harassing Sue and there was the distinct possibility that they were going to rape her. So, in a sense, what Walt ended up doing at the end of the movie was extremely justif ied. In fact, he didn’t really do anything at all, except stand outside the house of the gang members and pretend that he had some kind of weapon on him. Considering that he had shown the gang members earlier that he had access to these types of weapons, it was reasonable for the gang members to assume that this was still the case, and that he, in fact, was packing heat when he went to visit the boys. Another point is probably the most important point to make about the movie – the movie portrays a society that is color blind, in the end. The surface of the people in the movie was that everybody is segregated and that Walt was somebody who didn’t want anything to do with

Silentos Criticism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Silentos Criticism - Essay Example Old philosophers did not feel confident about their opinions even after they had sufficiently addressed the concerns of the critiques. The philosophers looked for opportunities to move further understanding that it is not quite possible to outgrow the fear. The contemporary philosophers began with the arrival of such venerable figures so that they might move ahead.2. Silento’s criticism regarding the period of 1840s is fundamentally directed towards the fact that ideas then were sold rather than promoted for the wellbeing of the society. Everything had become business. The philosophers of 1840s were too shallow in their analysis of the subjects and did not evaluate the objectivity of their claims by doubting their theories unlike the philosophers of the past e.g. Descartes that gave the self doubt so much importance that they would spare even the most obvious facts because of a life-long cultivated doubt.

Rural Poverty Alleviation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rural Poverty Alleviation - Essay Example In a large and diverse country like India, it is not surprising to experience the kind of hardships and obstacles that appear to hinder every attempt at large scale alleviation of poverty in general and rural poverty in particular. India is a vast democracy of myriad tradition and culture. She is also multi-lingual and in the grip of traditional customs and religious beliefs. Influential politicians, religious leaders, film stars and iconic sportsmen don the mantle of role models and guides. The television perfectly and effectively keeps everyone pre-occupied with live performances and programs, leaving the common man and woman, boy and girl with little time for serious issues of life and responsibilities. Lest I am branded as pessimist, let me hasten to add that India has achieved the targets of rural poverty alleviation to an appreciable extent in the six decades after independence. By and large, there is more prosperity in villages now than before. Government schemes like Jawahar Rojgar Yojana, Drought Prone Area Programs (DPAP), Panchayati Raj, land reforms, etc. have been designed with the common man in the rural backyard in mind. The rural folk enjoy a better transport and communication system, they are politically, economically and academically more aware, and successive five-year plans, especially from the sixth five-year plan onwards, have bestowed more privileges and benefits on them. (8th Five Year Plan) Statistics of the National... Government schemes like Jawahar Rojgar Yojana, Drought Prone Area Programs (DPAP), Panchayati Raj, land reforms, etc. have been designed with the common man in the rural backyard in mind. The rural folk enjoy a better transport and communication system, they are politically, economically and academically more aware, and successive five-year plans, especially from the sixth five-year plan onwards, have bestowed more privileges and benefits on them. (8th Five Year Plan) Conversely, however, the sheen in these progressive schemes and undertakings lost their shine with corruption at every level, powerful hold by vested interests, political compulsions and exploitation. Statistics of the National Rural Employment Program and Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Program (RLEGP), showing the extent of finance involved in rural employment programs in the Seventh Five Year Plan, are reproduced below: Performance of NREP in the Seventh Five Year Plan Year Resource availability (Rs. crores) Expenditure: (Rs. crores) Employment Generation (in million mandays) Manday Cost(Rs.) Wage-Non- Wage Ratio 1985-86 593.08 531.95 316.41 16.81 60:40 1986-87 765.13 717.77 395.39 18.15 60-40 1987-88 888.21 788.31 370.77 21.26 59:41 1988-89 845.68 901.84 394.96 22.83 57:43 Performance of RLEGP in the Seventh Plan Year Resource availability (Rs. crores) Expenditure (Rs. crores) Employment Generation (in million mandays) Manday Cost (Rs.) Wage/Non- Wage Ratio 1985-86 580.35 453.17 2.47.58 18.30 57:43 1986-87 649.96 635.91 306.14 20.77 57:43 1987-88 648.41 653.53 304.11 21.49 58:42 1988-89 761.55 669.37 296.56 22.57 58:42 (Source: 8th Five Year Plan) Disillusionment with Rural Life Mass migration of people from hinterland and rural areas into cities and, to a lesser extent, towns and

Compare and Contrast the United States Healthcare System with the Term Paper

Compare and Contrast the United States Healthcare System with the Healthcare System of Japan - Term Paper Example It is a combined effort of governments, creeds, charities, or other organizations to provide healthcare services to the common masses. According to World Health Organization (WHO), the concerned goal of healthcare system is to ensure effective care process with minimum financial costs. Healthcare system depends on four important factors that are source generation, provision of healthcare services, financing and stewardship (World Health Organization, 2012).Concerning the healthcare services being provided, it has been viewed that there can be several shortcomings a nation can face in terms of increased expenses, mortality rate and improper funding among others. In present day context, it has been revealed that healthcare system of the United States is deteriorating in the global platform due to the prevalence of certain major gaps within the entire system. Focusing on these aspects, the paper intends to present a comparison and contrast between the United States healthcare system and the Japanese healthcare system. This study focuses on determining the various setbacks faced by the healthcare system of both the countries and thereby would assist in deriving better knowledge regarding the loopholes of the entire healthcare system that need to be addressed. ... Consequently, government and concerned authorities require developing sustainable budget based healthcare plans that can address the evolving needs. Considering health statistics, it can be comprehended that it is applied to derive actual information about the cost, time-consumption and the difficulty level associated with the existing healthcare plan. In the United States, healthcare facilities are broadly operated and owned by the private organizations. Government provides health insurance for its employees but to a certain limit. It has been perceived that 60-65% of healthcare expenses of the US come from the Tricare, Medicare, Medicaid and child care programs (World Health Organization, 2012). Life Expectancy is a term that indicates the number of years an individual is expected to live according to the statistical estimates. The statistical factors of life expectancy entails certain calculations associated with a few imperative factors such as sex, occupation and physical condit ion. The United States’ life expectancy measures reveal the country to be ranked in the 42nd position worldwide. With regard to the report of WHO, it has been evaluated that the life expectancy rate associated with birth in the USA is 78 years (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). As per the recent study of the WHO, it can be ascertained that the depicted result related to life expectancy shows loopholes within the healthcare system of the US. In this regard, the reasons behind such setbacks include income and geographical factors. On the other hand, according to a recent survey conducted, it has been revealed that Japan has the longest life expectancy at birth worldwide. With regard to the detailed analysis

American Industrialization during the 19th century Essay

American Industrialization during the 19th century - Essay Example For female Eastern European workers the transition from the age of handicrafts to the era of machines presents a picture of greed. Most of the former sharecroppers hoped for better life in the city, but in reality wages always work toward minimum level. To assert some control over the changes they jointed into labour unions. The populism movement of Arkansas protestant farmers had a great influence on cooperatives on a national scale. In general, industrialization helped them to improve production, but on the other hand they were faced with new problems caused by industrialization. Researchers suppose that social and economic conditions of American society created an ideal platform for industrialization. The protestant ethic and a belief in free business and an influence on technological innovation and economic growth. Labor-saving devices and new technologies freed workers to enter the factories, which also drew upon immigrant labor. Aided by the spread of the transportation network, the boom period in American industrialization came in the second half of the 19th century. "In the 1890s, groups of Americans seemed to be estranged from each other as they rarely had been before. A few were enjoying the fruits of astonishing wealth, building for themselves magnificent, multimillion-dollar "summer cottages" reminiscent of glittering European palaces" (Created equal, Ch.18, 2005). The most important event was that the working American class was shaped. This process was closely connected with introduction of machinery into manufacturing caused changes in the organization of work. The economies of organized wholesale production were soon made apparent, and the tendency to increase the size of the factory and to merge the various spheres of industry under control of big corporations has continued to the present. The complexity of business operations also increased with the development of transportation and trade facilit ies. Taking into account industrial innovations it is evident that the new industry needed more labour forces to progress, and immigrants, former slaves and women became the source of labour. All industrial changes had a great influence on the American social class structure affecting the lives of people. Primarily, these changes were closely connected with the break-up of the system. "European and American efforts to colonize and explore the far reaches of the globe brought whites face to face with darker-skinned peoples, whom scholars in the new discipline of anthropology studied and classified. The "New Immigration" from eastern Europe raised concerns about conferring citizenship on non-Anglos, such as Russian Jews, Poles, and Italians" (Created equal, Ch.18, 2005). Nevertheless, not all the benefits of industrialization were advantageous for social classes. After industrial Revolution such processes as "the emancipation" of women, the rise of women' self-consciousness became apparent. That understanding of rights always draws together women of similar ambitions and tasks now began to work significant changes in the economic order. Nevertheless, "many minority women, s uch as Hispana activist Adeiina Otero Wairen, supported the suffrage movement even though white leaders kept their distance and refused to embrace the antiracist campaigns of their nonwhite sisters" (Created Equal, Ch. 19, 2005). Eastern European factory women

Schedule and Cost Control Techniques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Schedule and Cost Control Techniques - Essay Example Section 1.6.2 is about the post-live project review and acceptance. The sub-activities related with this main activity are leadership review, key stakeholder review & production support review. These activities will be performed to analyze the post live issues especially within the context of leadership review, stakeholders review as well as production support review. These activities will be done in order to judge the response of the key players involved in the project. I.e. the stakeholders. The stakeholders review activity will be performed in order to assess the response of all the stakeholders of the project. This is a stage where if we analysis suggest that the stakeholders are not particularly satisfied with the work done so far, the previous activities will be reviewed to analyze whether the system activities can be carried forward or not. Section 1.6.3 is the most important activity to be undertaken as it will be the core activity where we will be making a transition to our new system. The sub-activities will involve the gradual transition to the new system with a final activity to review the defects and other transition issues. This activity will be undertaken only after the activities at section 1.6.2 are successfully completed. During this activity, extensive work will be done in order to ensure the smooth transition to the new system which will also include the re-checking of the system to know whether the errors and omissions left during the manufacturing phase of the project i.e. actual customization of the resources required for the implementation of this project. This would be the final activity as for as the implementation and tailoring of our new system is concerned. Section 1.6.4 would involve the post implementation activities. The feedback will be sought from our stakeholders on the overall performance of the new email system and if any changes are required, they will be garnered into the system in order

See below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

See below - Essay Example I was wrong. I never thought I would ever leave the Philippines. I was brought up by parents who were completely supporting of my holistic needs – as well as those of my siblings. I am the eldest in the brood with one feisty brother and one totally gregarious sister. I was the timid one; wholly and totally satisfied to be confined in my neat and cozy shell. My parents were both working in the old commercial district of Manila. I remember bidding them daily goodbyes as I was barely awake, stirring sleepily from our shared bed. I was confidently placed under the tender, loving care of my maternal grandmother, who, together with a totally high-tempered grandfather, made sure that my day was full with fun activities to keep me away from mischief. A routine and ordinary day comprised of watching chicken being fed in the backyard, playing hide and seek, getting a mandatory siesta, indulging in native delicacies as snacks, and patiently waiting for the return on my parents from work. The sheltered and traditional practice of child care that was applied partly contributed to the shy behavior. Entering school one month late was another. My working mother must have missed the fact that I was already old enough at five to enter kindergarten. The feeling of being watched and stared at by a bunch of school kids who were already familiar with each other gave me a traumatic experience about early education. I refused to socialize and fairly developed interpersonal skills. I was always anxious to go home and return to my safe refuge. My family was my life. Both parents were the eldest in their respective nuclear families. Both have seven siblings. Our nuclear family lived with my maternal familial lineage. Growing up meant sharing every possible thing with relatives: shelter, food, time, entertainment, stories, laughter, sorrows, emotions, bonds, life. Every meal was a feast to behold – taking into account the number of people sharing the meal, despite the modest y and simplicity of the blessing. Every night was spent in front of the black and white television set watching programs that were legends in their own rights: Hawaii Five-O, Six Million Dollar Man, Wild Wild West, Mission Impossible and local programs. I was never aware that there would come a time when we would all part ways. My godfather, who was also my uncle, first left for the United States to try his luck. I could barely understand what that means – except that he would leave his motorcycle and entrusted it to his brother. My auntie, a very skilled baker, who loved to bake all sorts of pastries: pineapple pies, cakes, waffles, was the next to migrate to the U.S. I will never forget that she was the person who introduced me to one of my most loved cakes of all time, Sans Rival. I can still remember the afternoon she started preparing to bake it. The ingredients were lined up in structured order: butter, flour, sugar, cashew nuts, among others. I was so excited to taste the cake that smelled so good and took so painstakingly long to prepare. I realized that was the first and last time I would savor the recipe from her. Marriage, death, and simply growing up were other reasons for parting. I was already in my teens when I tried to get in touch with relatives who lived in America. I missed them so much that I dreamed of being reconnected with them. The failing health of my parents likewise provided the impetus for a persistent

How Is Dramatic Meaning Created in the Opening Scene of Forrest gump Essay Example for Free

How Is Dramatic Meaning Created in the Opening Scene of Forrest gump Essay Academy Awards, 1995 Golden Globe Awards, 1995 MTVMovie Awards, 1995 People? s Choice Awards, 2005 American Film Institute Awards andvarious other ones. It was an adaption of a novel of the same name, by Winston Groom. Robert Zemeckis was the director of the movie, and he made great decisions about thecamera techniques to be used in each scene. In 1996, a restaurant with the name? Bubba Gump? was open in honour of the movie, and surprisingly there is one in thePeak Galleria in Hong Kong! The opening scene of the movie is filmed very beautifully, especially with thefeather floating in the air, because it creates the mood of the whole piece. Also, themusic and sounds chosen to accompany the opening scene, contributes to the tone of the entire movie. From right the beginning of the film, the feather is already floating around in theair. This white feather is a symbolic object that counts as a sign. The whiteness of itseems to show the purity and innocence Forrest has, and his enthusiastic personality,where he is determined to do whatever it takes to fulfill his own, and his friends andfamilies? dreams. It also seem to symbolize the famous quote that his mom always said,? Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you? e gonna get.? With thefeather floating to random places, e. g. on top of cars, on people? s shoulders, on thefloor? It shows how random life can be, and how no one ever knows what lies in theirpath of life, what obstacles they will have to overcome, and what their destiny is. A very interesting effect the feather is shot from in the opening scene is that it isa extreme long shot of different parts of the town, allowing the audience to adapt thesetting of the film into their minds, whilst the feather is shot from multiple angles,sometimes close up, and sometimes using medium shots. With the words and the townbackground, the feather interestingly, is still the focal point of the whole shot, andunintentionally, your eyes follow wherever it is going even when the background ischanged drastically. When the feather is shot in the sky, it is from a low angle, which shows theimportance of it as a sign, so it feels as if the feather is superior to the audience, whoare inferior in this point of the film. There are also several shots of the feather floatingabove the forest with lots of greenery; the colours really contrast, with the white on thegreen, which also helps draw the audience? attention to the tiny white feather in theforeground. The two minutes with the feather as the focal point of the shots are shotfrom different distances and various techniques. Sometimes, the feather is close up, andcomparing it with the size of the buildings in the background, it almost seems bigger. During the whole process of introducing the feather and the symbolism behind it, thecamera technique used is track, because the camera just follows wherever the feathergoes. When the feather lands on a man? s shoulder and on the car, a medium shot isused, and its shot from a high angle. Normally, it is when a low angle is used that the audience feels inferior, but in this situation, the feather still seems somewhat superior,and looking down at it, feels like the audience is looking at the whole theory of life usinga different point of view. With various examples of the feather landing on differentplaces, it shows how many unexpected things could happen in life, and no one knowswhat their destiny will be. After floating for a long time in the wind, the feather finally ends up on theground next to Forrest Gumps shoe and stops moving. A close up of the shoe along withthe feather is taken, which emphasizes once again, the importance of the feather, andthe shoe as well. So far, the camera technique used is still tracking. The shoe is also asign because it shows how Forrest has managed to overcome many obstaclesthroughout life, to be in the position he is now. The shoe is significant, because as achild, Forrest had a problem with his spine, so he couldn? t walk properly. He starts running and breaks his leg braces, and through all thepain and suffering, manages to start running, and learns that his legs are functional. Soespecially since his shoes are dirty in the shot, it portrays that he has worked very hardand overcame many obstacles wearing those shoes. Also, Forrest states that his motheralways says ? Shoes can tell a lot about a person. Where they go. Where they havebeen.? The close up continues on when Forrest picks up the feather with his hand, andduring that instance, a tilt is used where the audience looks at Forrest from his feet upto his head. This is a great way to introduce the character. Whilst Forrest examining thefeather, the audience sees just the top half of his body, which means that a mediumshot was used. It is effective to use a medium shot for this part of the film, because theaudience should really focus on the facial expression on Forrest? s face to see what hefeels about the feather. The medium shot continues to be in use when Forrest placesthe feather in his suitcase. A track is used to show Forrest using a medium shot once again afterwards, toshow him staring into the difference, this quickly cuts into a long shot of him still lookinginto the distance. A sense of mystery is created because the audience members want tofind out what is so interesting that he keeps on staring at. Then, a bus comes along andblocks the view of Forrest, and the connection between the audience and Forrest isbroken. The camera remains still until the woman who comes off the bus sits on thebench next to Forrest. A zoom is used here, which is quite effective, because essentially,the audience really wants to know what will happen between Forrest and this woman. Most likely, they will begin chatting, which is why there is a zoom used to basically seewhat will happen. After a bit of chatting between the two, the camera quickly zoomsinto a close up of Forrest? s face. This is a very important and beneficial shot, because itgradually slips into the next scene here. Where Forrest starts squinting his eyes? Overall, a variety of camera movements, angles and distances are used in theopening scene of the well ? known film Forrest Gump. The main sign is the feather,which is in nearly the whole of the opening scene. The significance of it is shown withthe comparison to Forrest? s mothers? theory of life.

Experiment of Long Term Memory Retention

Experiment of Long Term Memory Retention Abstract: The purpose of this study was to test the retention of long term memory based on retrieval environments. Our research is based on Godden and Baddeley’s (1976) study that focused on the relationship between retrieval environments and learning. The technique known as context-dependency –which is defined as â€Å"the belief that what is learnt in a given environment is best recalled in that environment† –is tested and compared to previous research (Godden Baddeley, 1975). An experiment was conducted at Foundation Campus at the University of Central Lancashire with nine international student. Enlisting a repeated measures design and laboratory method, the participants are asked to learn and recall a list of 13 words in the same environment, then they were asked to learn and recall another list of 13 words in two different locations. The results corroborate and support the context-dependency memory effect. Introduction: This experiments is about assessing the effect of retrieval environments when it comes to long term memory (LTM) recall. LTM is described as stored information that can be recalled over a long period of time –e.g. days, weeks, etc. (Merriam-Webster, (2015). Godden and Baddeley (1995) decided to conduct an experiment to test this notion –also known as context-dependency memory effect. Context-dependency memory effect is defined as â€Å"the belief that what is learnt in a given environment is best recalled in that environment† (Godden Baddeley, 1975). The aim of Godden and Baddeley’s research was to examine the association between learning and retrieval environments (Cardwell, Clark, and Meldrum, 2008:11). In order to carry out their experiment, Godden and Baddeley decided to enlist eighteen participants who were divers in Oban, Scotland (Cardwell, Clark, and Meldrum, 2008:11). Furthermore, the divers were instructed to learn a list of forty distinct words on land or, fifteen feet under water (Cardwell, Clark, and Meldrum, 2008:11). They were then asked to recall these words in a different location or in the same location (Cardwell, Clark, and Meldrum, 2008:11). Specifically, half of the divers were directed to a different location when the time came for memory recollection, while the other half remain in the same environment for memory recollection (Cardwell, Clark, and Meldrum, 2008:11). When partaking in Godden and Baddeley’s experiment, the list of 40 words were revealed to participants in groups –this all owed the divers to assume a relaxed/comfortable breathing rate in order to assure that the participants faced no obstacles when learning (Godden Baddeley, 1975). Additionally, each the list of words were revealed in blocks of three, and, the words were spaced at two second intervals (Godden Baddeley, 1975). When asked to recall, Godden and Baddeley found that â€Å"those who learned and recalled in the same location remembered the most words -12.5 on average† (Cardwell, Clark, and Meldrum, 2008:11). According to the aforementioned graph, Godden and Baddeley found that when participant learned on land an recalled the information under water, they could only recall -on average -8.6 words, while those who learned under water and recalled the words land, only remembered 8.4 words on average (Godden Baddeley, 1975). This study –based on Godden and Baddeley’s research in 1975 – will examine and delve into the connection between learning and retrieval environments. This study will utilize students with diversified ethnic backgrounds and ages. Contrary to Godden and Baddeley’s research, it will use two lists of thirteen simple words -–all within one to three syllables –in order to ensure comprehension. Aim: To examine the connection between learning and retrieval environments using Godden and Baddeley’s study on context-dependency retrieval. Hypothesis: Memory recollection in the same environment in which information was learned will yield higher recollections among participants. The hypothesis for this experiment is directional, meaning the independent variable (the retrieval location/environment) will directly affect the dependent variable (the accuracy/amount of words recalled). Method: Design A controlled laboratory experiment was utilised to elucidate a distinct cause and effect relationship between the independent and dependent variables. A controlled laboratory also enabled immense control over variables within the experiment, it also permitted unproblematic replication for future researchers and easy utilisation of equipment –e.g. videos, etc. A repeated measures design was employed in order to negate/remove differences that numerous samples would possess. Due to this design, differences in gender, linguistic ability, comprehension and age were avoided. The independent variable in this experiment was the retrieval environment or location in which the participant were asked to recall the words –i.e. the classroom or the canteen. The dependent variable was the quantity of words the participant could recall in each environment/location. A confounding variable could be the sound/noise of police cars driving past the laboratory environment. In agreement with research principles/ethics, written informed consent forms were distributed to all participants before this experiment commenced. Participants were given the right to withdraw at any time, and immense confidentiality with participant’s information and results was promised and delivered. Participants: There were ten participants –five male and four female participants. The participants were obtained from diversified backgrounds –non-native English speakers and English speakers. Participants that contributed to this experiment were between the ages of eighteen to forty-seven. An opportunity sample was enlisted for this experiment. This sample type allowed expediency when enlisting when procuring participants, it also enables replication for future research. Materials: Informed Consent (Appendix 1) Standardised Instructions (Appendix 2) Word List 1 (Appendix 3) Word List 2 (Appendix 4) Comical Video (Appendix 5) Procedure: Initially, the aforementioned materials were given to the participants. Secondly, in order to check for errors in our experiment, a pilot study was conducted to ensure validity in the experiment. After the pilot study, a classroom and canteen was procured for the experiment. A mixed-gender opportunity sample of nine individuals –ranging from 18 to 25 –was obtained and directed into the classroom. During this experiment, the participants were first given an informed consent form (Appendix 1), after signing and agreeing to the form, they were shown the standardised instructions (Appendix 2). After the standardised instructions, the participants were given a piece of paper –with â€Å"experiment 1† written on one side, and â€Å"experiment 2† written on the other side, -they were also given pens to document their answers. Firstly, the participants were then shown Word List 1 (Appendix 3), secondly, they were given one minute to study the words, then they were shown a four minute Comical Video (Appendix 6), and then they were given approximately one minute to write down the words they could recall. In the next stage of our experiment, the same participants were asked to flip their paper over, then they were given exactly one minute to study Word list 2 (Appendix 4), the participants they were asked to walk around the Vernon Building (located in the University of Central Lancashire’s campus) to a canteen. When the participants arrived at the canteen, they were promptly seated and given one minute to recall and write down the words they could recall in one minute. Results: The result of this experiment were harmonious to that of Godden and Baddeley’s in 1975. 66.67% of the participants recalled more words when their retrieval location was the same as the learning environment, while 11.11% percent of participants recalled more information when the recollection environment was not the same as the learning environment. Furthermore, 33.33% of the population recalled the same amount of words irrespective of the retrieval environment. These results were in accordance with the hypothesis and Godden and Baddeley’s research in 1975. The mean of the results was greatly corrupted by outliers with the sample’s results, in order to rectify this, the median was enlisted to portray a balanced assessment of the results. The median of recollection when the learning and recollection environments were the same is 9 words with a range of 6. When the learning and recollection were different, the median of the recollection data was 4, with a range of 9. Overall, it was quite evident that recollection in the same environment where information is learned yields better results. The results support context-dependency memory effect. Discussion: The result of this experiment were harmonies with Godden and Baddeley’s research, this fortified the immense reliability of their research, and proved that it could be replicated by others. The results of the experiment magnified the context-dependency memory effect, and supported the hypothesis: â€Å"Memory recollection in the same environment in which information was learned will yield higher recollections among participants.† A laboratory method was ideal for this experiment because it allowed for control over numerous variables, and, it permitted and enabled ease when measuring the dependent variable. Utilising a repeated measures design removed differences that individuals could possibly possess that would rob this experiment of credibility. It could also be argued that ‘the fatigue effect’ –which states that â€Å"work †¦[has] a general effect of running down the bodies limited energy supply† –adversely affected the participants recollection after walking around the Vernon Building (Hockey, 2013). Perhaps this is why only one out of the nine participants recalled more on the second experiment. The small sample size on nine indicates that this experiment is not generalizable to bigger populations. Albeit the sample had a plethora of nationalities and ages, this suggests that no definite proclamations can be made about nationality or age. Furthermore, a confounding variable could be the sound/noise of police cars driving past the laboratory environment, or, the limited linguistic ability of some participants. Any further research/study into this topic could be ameliorated by enlisting a grander sample size, or, using both locations as learning and retrieval environments; this provide a deeper insight into context-dependency memory effect. A longer list of words could also be employed to test retention in LTM. References: Cardwell, M., Clark, L. and Meldrum, C. (2008)Psychology AS For AQA A. 3rd edn. London: Harper Collins Publishers. Godden, D. R., Baddeley, A. D. (1975). Context-dependent memory in two natural environments: On land and underwater.British Journal of Psychology, 66(3), 325–331. Hockey, R. (2013) The Psychology of Fatigue: Work, Effort and Control. 1st edn. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. Jansen, I. (2015). Charlie Chaplin The Lions Cage. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2dmV2-zxNg [Accessed 10 Mar. 2015]. Merriam-webster, (2015). Definition of Long-term Memory. [online] Merriam-webster.com. Available at: http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/long-term memory [Accessed 6 Mar. 2015]. Appendices Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Appendix 4 Appendix 5 Comical Video provided and republished by Jansen (2015). Appendix 6

The Survival Of Gone With The Wind English Literature Essay

The Survival Of Gone With The Wind English Literature Essay A bloody war, the fight for survival in a new society, and an epic romance that makes everything else pale in comparison; Scarlett and Rhetts unlikely love in Gone with the Wind matches the scale and grandeur of the antebellum South. Heartbreakingly, though, at the end of the classic book, Scarlett is left high and dry. Anyone who has read the book might have seen it coming. From Scarletts selfishness, need for control, and love of Ashley Wilkes to her daughter Bonnies death, there were many issues that contributed to the failure of Scarletts third marriage. At the heart of the problem was Scarletts selfishness. As a spoiled daughter of a rich plantation owner, Scarlett was never told no. Her hardest decisions were which of her many admirers she should focus on. Then the war struck, and the girl was forced to become a woman and deny herself to preserve Tara, the plantation and home that she loved more than anything. She struggled through hardship and learned to be tough and ruthless. Once she was with Rhett, she had the luxury to be spoiled once again. She took and took; she used Rhetts money to build an ostentatious house in the midst of the hardships of Reconstruction. Even worse, she denied her husband the ability to have another child, simply to preserve her slim waistline. Her vanity and greed slowly chipped away at the love that tied Rhett to her. While he admired her strength, he eventually grew weary of the immaturity that was under the surface. Scarlett also refused to truly admit her love for Rhett, fearing that it would give him leverage over her. This too had been instilled in her during the years of Reconstruction. In addition to making Scarlett grow up overnight, the war had given Scarlett a lack of trust that made it difficult for her to be vulnerable. So day after day, she and Rhett struggled through a marriage where each one was competing for the upper hand instead of submitting to the other. Scarlett would not relinquish her fears and selfish goals, and Rhett was afraid to put himself at the mercy of such a ruthless woman. They were never able to let go and trust each other despite their mutual love; instead, they were constantly bidding for power. What they had at that point was hardly a marriage at all. In addition to these deep problems that she and Rhett faced, Bonnies death put incredible strain on their marriage. Their daughter was perhaps the one thing that kept Rhett tied to Scarlett once the magic was gone. Rhett had gone into things thinking he could charm Scarlett, but he soon realized that it was easier said than done. So when his first daughter came along, she became the light of his life. He could spoil her and love her unconditionally. There were none of the games he had to play with Scarlett. Then, Bonnie fell one day and broke her neck while learning to ride sidesaddle. With no one to offer him unconditional love, Rhett could no longer endure the strains of his marriage. It was the straw that broke the camels back; Rhett had used his love, and without any in return, he was just too tired to continue playing their little game. Perhaps the greatest plague of all in Scarletts marriage was her love for Ashley Wilkes. She pined for him from the time she was sixteen until his wifes death. They were two different people who never would have worked together, but she always longed for what she could not have. Only once he was finally available and needed her could she see that she did not really want him. She had already done plenty of damage by then, however. Her emotional affair with Ashley was practically common knowledge, and she hurt many people in the pursuit of his love. Stolen kisses and improper declarations kept the dream alive even when she finally married Rhett. Then Melanie, Ashleys saint of a wife, died. She had made Scarlett promise to take care of her husband and son. While Scarlett fulfilled this promise, she finally realized that Rhett was the one she truly loved. Her epiphany came too late. He was done with their marriage, exhausted by his wifes constant dedication to another man. She capitulate d, finally able to give him the upper hand and admit her feelings, but Scarlett could not mend the chasm her actions had created. He left with cold parting words as she begged for forgiveness and another chance. Many things contributed to the failure of Scarlett and Rhetts marriage. The war had left deep scars across the South, as well as in Scarletts heart. Because of this and her feelings for Ashley, she was not able to express her love for Rhett. Their daughters death was the beginning of the end. If Scarlett had opened her eyes to look beyond her own needs, though, she might have saved the marriage; they endured so many things together because they were right for each other. The odds were just stacked against them. And so, like the glory of the South, their love was gone like the wind.

Essay --

The Jazz Age was a movement that began during the early 1920s, which jazz music and dance came about with the establishment of mainstream radio and the end of the World War I. Also known as the Roaring Twenties, the period of American prosperity and economy in growth and symbolized not only a dynamic change in music, but also the daily life of Americans. â€Å"The American people had long parties complete with flappers, speakeasies, illegal bathtub gin, and young people doing the Charleston long into the night (Nash, 677).† Culturally and socially, the Roaring Twenties was a time of fast change, creative innovation, and high-society antics. New technologies, soaring business profits, and higher wages allowed more and more Americans to purchase a wide range of consumer goods. Prosperity also provided Americans with more leisure time, and as play soon became the national pastime, literature, film, and music caught up to document the times. The jazz age was developing rapidly and it started to create conflict between the American people. First of all, the 1920s was a decade of social and cultural change. The American people started working on the economic growth which brought change into their lives. One of the major changes in the jazz age was the living style of Americans. There were changes such as gender roles, new styles and lots of entertainment during the 1920s. Furthermore, the Nineteenth Amendment granted American women the right to vote. This meant that women can now work and gain financial independence. The change had brought many opportunities for women and they gained social freedom. One of the major styles was the flapper’s fashion for women. â€Å"The term "flapper" first appeared in Great Britain after World War I. It was ther... ...nd brought change into their lives. In conclusion, the 1920s may seem to be a golden age of flappers, bootleg gin, constant parties, literary masterpieces, sports heroes, and east wealth. However the truth is much more complicated. More than most decades the 1920s was a time of paradox and contradictions. It was a time of prosperity, yet a great many people, including farmers, blacks, and other ordinary Americans, did not prosper. It was a time of progress, when almost every year saw new technological breakthrough, but it was also a decade of hate and violence. It was a time of rapid change, but violence was taking over many things that the people believed it was their right to speak out and fight for freedom. It was hard times for the African Americans because if racial issues and the birth of the second Ku Klux Klan made life difficult for the African Americans.

Enders Game Essay -- Orson Scott Card

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card When the novel starts Ender Wiggin is a six-year-old genius. He has a brother, Peter, and a sister, Valentine, whom is the only person Ender truly loves. Ender is the third born in the Wiggin family, which is rare, because the limited amount of children per family is two. The government had been running a Battle School in space to train young boys and girls to become military commanders to fight against the buggers, aliens who had invaded Earth in the First and Second Invasions. Peter and Valentine had both been tried out for the Battle School, but Peter was too ruthless and Valentine was too soft towards the enemy. They both failed to go to the Battle school. But, the government wanted Ender. They wanted the death threatening genes that Peter had and the merciful and loving genes that Valentine had. They hoped that Ender would make the perfect military commander. So, The government had Ender born and they put a monitor on the back of his neck to watch his every move to see if he ha d what it took to get into Battle School. The monitor protected Ender from Peter and kids at school because if anything got out of hand the officers would stop it to help Ender. They took the monitor off. Peter and the kids at school could finally get to bully Ender without getting caught. Peter quickly took advantage of the monitor being off to bully Ender around. If it weren’t for his loving sister, Valentine, Peter would have killed Ender. The kids at school had formed at gang to jump Ender after school one day. The leader was a boy named Stilson. They were a little bigger than Ender was and they out-numbered him too. Ender knew they were gonna hurt him and keep hurting him for the rest of the school year, so Ender decided to make this the first and last fight. Ender won the fight by ruthless blows to Stilson when he was down. Afterwards Ender cried for what he had done because he didn’t like hurting people, he didn’t like being Peter. Colonel Graff came back to get Ender. It had turned out they wanted to see how Ender could handle himself without the monitor and he had done it perfectly. Colonel Graff took Ender to Battle School. Graff had isolated him from the other boys in his launch group by stating that Ender was the best of them, so Ender had no choice but to be the best in the group to make them like him. After a while, Ender m... ...ut from the queen’s perspective. He opened and closed his eyes again seeing new images of himself putting the egg into a cool place, a dark place, but with water, so she wasn’t dry so that certain reactions could take place within the egg. Ender realized the queen bugger found him through the ansible followed it and dwelt in my mind. They came to know Ender by his nightmares. Ender picked up the egg and thought to himself that he was going to take the egg from world to world looking for the right place to hatch her so she can awake in safety. Ender picked a spot far from the castle tower for the new colony and wrote a novel from the queen’s perspective stating how sorry she was and that they killed us because they couldn’t communicate and Ender signed after the novel as â€Å"Speaker for the Dead†. He sent the book to earth through the nets and the book was published quietly. After a while almost everyone on earth had read it. Ender began to grow happy on the bugger planet and decided he had lived with pain and suffering all his life he can’t be happy now so he and Valentine boarded a starship and went from planet to planet searching for the right place to hatch the queen bugger.

Do you agree that Achebe shows an - awareness of the human qualities :: English Literature

Do you agree that Achebe shows an - awareness of the human qualities common to all men of all times and places - or do you find the novel only uniquely African and of its time? Achebe’s style has been described as one of â€Å"remarkable economy and subtle irony†¦ uniquely and richly African .. revealing Achebe’s keen awareness of the human qualities common to all men of all times and places†. Do you agree that Achebe shows an â€Å"awareness of the human qualities common to all men of all times and places† or do you find the novel only uniquely African and of its time? â€Å"Things Fall Apart† by Chinua Achebe is a twentieth-century African tragedy written about the destruction of the African Igbo tribe by ‘white men’ from the west. The novel focuses on Africa’s gradual invasion by white Westerners and the effects of colonisation on specific individuals and groups within the society. The novel has many distinct African features that define the pre-colonial culture of the Igbo tribe. The very beginning of the novel describes an African festival, in which drums and flutes are being used whilst the spectators look on in awe, â€Å"The drums beat and the flutes sang and the spectators held their breath.† Achebe’s use of sensory language, such as the sounds of the instruments, gives the audience a greater sense of shared experience of what it was like to be part of the Igbo tribe. Achebe’s style of writing throughout the novel allows the audience to imagine being in the position of characters such as Okonkwo who had their common, traditional beliefs and rituals gradually overridden by the increasingly-dominant Western ideology. Achebe uses simple language throughout the novel, particularly at the beginning and this reflects the simplicity of the African oral storytelling tradition. As most African stories were told in traditional verbal ways by illiterate people, the language used tended to be simple, â€Å"Unoka went into an inner room and soon returned with a small wooden disc containing a kola nut, some alligator pepper and a lump of white chalk.† Achebe uses this technique to provide some simple, vivid visual imagery for the reader, while making them aware of traditional African foods such as kola nuts. This type of sentence perfectly illustrates Achebe’s intentions of making this novel ‘uniquely African’. Henrickson suggests â€Å"Things Fall Apart uses language and structures †¦ that make its world seem familiar to Western readers; but questions whether it really is familiar to us.† Henrickson believes that the novel is there to provide an understanding of the African perspective of colonisation; however, he does not argue that the novel is relevant to us.

Case Study: Employee Retention Essay

This is a critique is based on two articles, in which addresses the issues of employee retention and suggestions for the motivation and engagement of employees in the hospitality industry. The first article is titled â€Å"Targeted employee retention: Performance-based and job-related differences in reported reasons for staying† by Hausknecht, Rodda, and Howard (2009), in which addresses the major theories to help in explaining the reason that employees stay or leave their organization, and ways to retain them. The second is titled â€Å"Terms of engagement† written by David MacLeod (2010) that presents suggest ways for motivating and engaging employees so they will want to stay. ANALYSIS OF KEY POINTS IN â€Å"TARGETED EMPLOYEE RETENTION† _Reasons employees want to stay with their company_ According to this article, the primary reason that employees stay with their employer are job satisfaction; they enjoy the work involved in serving customers. For many employees, the reasons for staying are for the extrinsic rewards such as pay, benefits and advancement opportunities. Employees want to receive fair rewards for their efforts. If these rewards are not presently found, employees may leave for other opportunities that offer greater rewards. Another factor is â€Å"constituent attachments, in the form of effective supervision and positive peer group relations,† (Hausknecht et tal, 2009, p. 3). Other incentives to retaining employees are organizational commitment and prestige. The secondary reasons are compensation, competitive wages, health benefits, retirement contributions, and incentive plans. Additional reasons for staying are â€Å"constituent attachments, organizational commitment, organizational prestige, lack of alternatives, investments,  advancement opportunities, location, organizational justice, flexible work arrangements, and non-work influences† (p.10). Companies must find ways to keep their employees satisfied so they will not want to leave. _Retention_ Retention is the most important part of a company’s approach to talent management. When organizations cannot retain high performers, its core leadership base will eventually erode as a result of losses in performance, high replacement costs, and potential talent shortages. Because of this, employers are seeking â€Å"to retain high performers and replace low performers with workers who bring greater skills and abilities to the organization† (p. 5). More important than understanding the reasons why people stay is in understanding how retention factors are different between high performers and others at different levels within the company, (p. 2). The authors suggest that organizations should adopt specific strategies retention of their most valued employees rather than those that are considered average or low performers, (p. 2). ANALYSIS OF KEY POINTS IN â€Å"TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT† _Benefits of better engagement_ The hospitality industry places certain pressures on its employees such as long hours, in which can interfere with their social life, and oftentimes having seasonal nature make it more difficult to retain good people. Engaged employees are far more likely to stay with the company than those who are disengaged. In such a highly-pressured environment as the hospitality industry, it is more difficult to more effectively assess and engage employees. According to the author, there are steps that employers can follow to help ensure employees are committed to delivering great customer experiences along with delivering longer-term growth and success, (MacLeod, 2010). _Define a clear and compelling goal_ Oftentimes employees feel that management does not clearly communicate business objectives to them, in which may give the impression that senior managers do not have a clear vision for the future of the business. That is the reason the author states the importance of communication, and having a clear vision concerning the direction of the company, the goals to achieve, and how the employee fits in to that vision, (MacLeod, 2010). On a personal level, employees want to know what those plans are and how it will affect, (MacLeod, 2010). _Involve employees_ One of the important factors to effective engagement is to involve the employees in sharing their insights into how particular issues can be addressed, such as relating to customer service issues, or how the business is promoted. It is also important to provide feedback on the points they do bring up because employees that are involved in sharing their insights tend to be more engaged in the day-to-day operations of the business, (MacLeod, 2010). _Commit to regular communication_ Whether the economic climate is strong or weak, it is important that management commit regularly to open communication by sharing information with employees throughout the year concerning the performance of the business along with any issues or challenges that they may have. By having open communications with the employees is the key to an effective employer/ employee relationship, in which builds and maintains trust, (MacLeod, 2010). SUMMARY AND OPINION Employee turnover in the hospitality industry is an issue that most business owners face. Hospitality businesses can reduce the turnover rate significantly by paying more attention to the needs of their staff because happy employees make happy customers. The analysis of the key points in the  first article; by Hausknecht, Rodda, and Howard (2009) is more about how to retain employees rather then that the reasons they quit. A primary concern for many organizations is that of retaining top talent. If organizations fail to retain their employees, it will hinder their ability to remain competitive because of a less qualified workforce. The author’s goal for this study was to generate a foundation relating to employees’ reported reasons for staying and to review â€Å"the major theories that have been advanced in the literature over the past 50 years that help explain why employees stay or quit,† (p. 2). After the hospitality industry has faced a serious challenge of retaining employees, MacLeod (2010), in his article â€Å"Terms of engagement† presents a research on the management teams of the hospitality industry. The analysis of the key points in this article was that the research presents suggestions for the motivation of employees and for employee engagement, including a clear goal, involvement of employees and analysis of behavior. The author states the importance of communicating this vision so the employees will know how this vision will personally affect them. As I read these articles, what comes to my mind is the concept of fusion; between retention high performance employees with the motivation of employees and employee engagement. If this cannot be achieved, it will continue to lead to labor turnover, which is very costly. The most important thing to remember in the hospitality industry is that the customer is number one; always. But this cannot be achieved without valuable employees who believe the same thing. Before the customer can be treated as number one, the employees must be first because happy employees lead to happy customers. References Hausknecht, J. P., Rodda, J., & Howard, M. J. (2009). Targeted employee retention: Performance-based and job-related differences in reported reasons for staying. Human Resource Management, 48(2), 269-288. MacLeod, D. (2010). _Terms of engagement_. Caterer & Hotelkeeper, 200(4618), 56-58.