Analysis of British Petroleum's management of the 2010 Gulf of Essay

Analysis of British Petroleum's management of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico's oil spill - Essay Example There was also a huge fouling of beaches in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama which meant that the leisure activities of many people had to be put to a halt not to mention the many beach hotels that suffered huge losses due to lack of customers (Eilperin, & Mufson, 2010; Tangley, 2010). The spill resulted into hundreds of law suits that were filed. A special investigative panel consisting of officials from the coast guard office as well as the department of Interior was constituted by President Obama to look into the issues that surround the oil spill. BP began an assessment of the resource damage as soon as they managed to control the spillage. The losses incurred by the company are huge since at least 185,000,000 gallons (which comes to around 4.4 million barrels) of oil was lost. The clean up process might have succeeded to remove the spilt oil but the ramifications on the environment are probably going to last for decades to come (Jervis, & Levin, 2010; Jervis, 2010) Th ere are many questions concerning the resource damage that might not be fully answered any time soon. The extensive media coverage during the duration of the spill raised important questions that unfortunately did not have very comprehensive answers. For instance: the delay in response to the emergency, the companies that are to blame and most importantly and if the environment could survive such a disaster. Who is to blame? Before the OPA 90 was passed, it was not very clear who amongst the federal state, private players and the other local officials was directly responsible in the event of an oil spill of the magnitude of the BP Mexican gulf spill. The current legislation now demands that federal government should step in immediately when such a disaster strikes. The responsibility on the government according to the OPA 90 covers spills on the land as well as coastal spills. Offshore incidents like the recent BP Gulf of Mexico spill lie well in these boundaries. In the same breath e; the OPA 90 also includes the coast guard as a party that should be in charge of evacuations and control of the spillage. The biggest challenge of this is that the coast guard may not have access to the kind of equipment and personnel that it requires to handle such spills. However, legislation gives the coast guard the authority to acquire the equipment from private companies. BP was consistently present during the control of the spill and though it was largely in charge of the process, it was also assisted by personnel and equipment that the coast guard had acquired. There was some tension between the government and BP originally. This tension was addressed by the reports made by the president’s commission. Ideally, the responsible party is both the partner and the adversary since they are in charge of containing the spill and they are also required to take responsibility for all damages. It is a relationship that often confuses the general public but it is something that was established in the OPA 90 (Schwartz, 2010). Oil spill management is usually based on the National Contingency plan. The National Contingency plan identifies the national, regional as well as the local infrastructures. It integrates the different agencies that might be involved in the event of a spill. The National Contingency plan usually comes up with an initial disaster response team both nationally and regionally. It coordinates the efforts by setting up an on-site coordinator as well as a centralised command

Personal Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Personal Project - Essay Example Initiation of a new venture has various advantages as well as disadvantages. For example, with the introduction of a new venture, an individual can make more capital and have own freedom (Hultman and Shaw, 2003). On the contrary, initiating a new venture involves huge financial risks and along with that one need to take extra burden of work so as to get success. Yet, individuals explore this avenue so as earn money, respect and at the same time carry out some social works (Carson, Cromie, McGowan and Hill, 1995). In our case, the business chosen was restaurant business. The company was named as E-Food Restaurant and positioned to capitalize on the opportunities arises due to the changing consumer needs. The USP (unique selling proposition) of our restaurant is customer tailored and fresh meals. In addition, the location of our restaurant coupled with large seating capacity acts as a competitive advantage to the firm. The products of our restaurant are mostly inspired from the British culture and wildlife (Hultman, 1999). The launching of our first restaurant business is a part of our long term plan and to drive change in the industry. However, the process was not easy enough and we had to pass through various complexities before reaching this stage. In this report, I on behalf of our company would like to reflect upon the steps that we went through in establishing and running the company through the competition & the decisions that were made during the competition and their outcome. In addit ion, this self reflection report also proposes to shed light on the overall experience and knowledge that we have gained from the module. Lastly, a conclusive statement will be drawn regarding our overall experience and the things we have learned over the years. Our business also took the steps as other businesses usually take before venturing into a business. Likewise, any other business, our

The Power of Religion Essay Example for Free

The Power of Religion Essay In a very rapidly evolving economy and society the power of religion, culture and politics are making a major effect on the world that everyone today calls home. The power of religion, culture and politics relate to the post colonial literary lens and can be synced into creating the definition of what the post colonial literary lens means. In the New York Times bestseller written by John Updike titled Terrorist, the post colonial lens is evident throughout the novel as there is a continuous struggle of religion, culture and politics. The power of religion and culture is shown as individuals are willing to risk their lives for their own religion. In the United States of America members of the Muslim religion are not always treated as equally as the average American and this creates a struggle. The effects and struggles are shown throughout the novel from three of the main characters Ahmad Mulloy, Jack Levy and Shaikh Rashid. Ahmad Mulloy is an eighteen year old boy who is about to graduate high school and is strongly influenced by his Muslim religion and background beliefs. Jack Levy is the guidance councilor at the school that Ahmad attends and sees the intelligence in Ahmad when others do not including Ahmad himself. Shaikh Rashid is the leader of the local mosque that Ahmad attends frequently for advice and to pray. Through these three very different characters the post colonial lens is shown in different ways. At the beginning of the novel it is evident that the Muslim religion is not welcomed and appreciated in the American society of Patterson, New Jersey where Ahmad has been raised. Ahmad has a hatred for his mother Teresa Mulloy who raised him from a child, but on the flip side he idolizes his absent father who left Ahmad and his mother when he was only three years old. The power of the Muslim religion on Ahmad is present right from the beginning of the novel as he has sexual impulses towards another girl at his high school named Joryleen. The power of the Muslim religion on Ahmad can be seen when â€Å"Ahmad knows it is a sin to be vulgar towards his own god and that is why his sexual impulses for Joryleen dissipated,† (Updike, 18). Ahmad had sexual impulses towards a fellow schoolmate Joryleen who he had a crush on but God instructed him to repress them as it is a sin to have thoughts like this occupying your head. The power of religion is shown as he forces himself to give up thoughts that make him happy and excites him because it is not welcomed by the God in which he finds himself in the arms of. Moving through the novel Ahmad who is a very intelligent young adult has a desire to be a truck driver as he is convinced that it is a practical skill of good merit. Ahmad is also very frightened by the thoughts that continuing his academic studies in high school will strengthen his occasional religious doubt. While Ahmad is sitting in class his thoughts are doubtful, â€Å"sitting in class listening to his fellow classmates discuss what they are doing on the weekend, he realizes that he is not doing as much to keep up with his religion as he did in the past,† (Updike, 64). Ahmad has been in school and is realizing that the effects of an American public high school is changing his views on his religion and in his mind he believes he is betraying his God and this frightens him. He realizes tha t he needs to get out of school because it is manipulating him into a non-Islamic minded American like all of the others. He decides to drop out of school and become a truck driver and focus more on his religion and practicing the Muslim religion and this is why he begins going to a local mosque frequently. Moving on towards the ending of the novel Ahmad has become a very big believer in the Muslim religion and it is overpowering his thoughts on what is politically right and right in his religion. Ahmad’s involvement in the local mosque that he attends has got him involved in a terrorist plot against American infidels or non-Muslims. Shaikh Rashid who is the leader of the mosque Ahmad visits frequently begins going through the terrorist plot â€Å"Ahmad you will be driving the truck that is going to be used to blow up the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River,† (Updike, 196). Ahmad is willing to risk his life by blowing himself up in the blast of the Lincoln Tunnel for the Muslim religion he believes in and stands so strongly behind. The power and impact of others and God on Ahmad is evident in showing how the power of religion is used and shown in the novel as not many people are willing to go to the extent of killing themselves to prove that they are true to their religion and beliefs. Throughout the novel Ahmad goes from losing his beliefs in the Muslim religion to realizing that his religion is what sets him free from everybody else and it is what he cares so strongly about. Moving throughout the novel and after Ahmad had realized that he needs to put more focus into his Muslim religion he meets a man named Shaikh Rashid. Shaikh is Ahmad’s imam at the local mosque that Ahmad begins to attend and his visits become more frequent as he gets closer to Shaikh. This man worked as Ahmad’s imam and mentor and this kept Ahmad going back and back to the mosque more frequently as he liked to associate himself with Shaikh. A good time in the novel where this is shown is when Ahmad left school to go to the mosque, â€Å"the streets were empty as everybody was in class learning and as Ahmad was about to learn more about himself,† (104). Shaikh was a great mentor for Ahmad and this is shown as he would give up going to school to further his beliefs in the Muslim religion. Shaikh agrees with Ahmad’s decision to give up going to school and focus on his religion because he also agreed that by continuing the opportunity of going to school it wou ld further corrupt his mindset on the Muslim religion. This would occur because Ahmad would have more American based beliefs pushed into his mind every day at the public high school he was enrolled in. Continuing deeper into the novel Shaikh found Ahmad a job with a furniture company called Excellency Home Furnishings and at this point Ahmad began trusting Shaikh more and more as he was helping him move on from high school. Shaikh announced the news to Ahmad about him finding him the job at Excellency Home Furnishings and this lead to Ahmad being more independent and without his mother. Ahmad shows this when he says, â€Å"My mother has tried to strip me down of my true Muslim desires for her own comfort,† (141). Shaikh has made Ahmad believe that his mother was a bad influence on him as it is evident that she did not put any focus into his background and where he came from. Ahmad does not feel the need for his mother anymore and begins being more independent because his mother is the only person in his life and she does not believe in the Muslim religion. To Ahmad this means that it is just him and the people he knows from the mosque now as he sees them as more caring towards him than his own mother. The power of Ahmad’s religion has pushed him right out of his mother’s arms and into the arms of fellow Muslims at the mosque. Shaikh turns out to be a very manipulative person and has mentored Ahmad for his own benefit and the job at the furniture company just turns out to be part of the plan. Shaikh manipulates Ahmad to participate in the terrorist bomb plot to blow up the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River. Shaikh has gotten Ahmad taken over by the Muslim religion and says, â€Å"Already you have lived longer than many martyrs in Iran and Iraq,† (195). Shaikh has used the power of religion to manipulate Ahmad into participating in the terrorist plot and sacrificing his own life. The power of the Muslim religion has taken Ahmad fully over and it had been pressured upon him by Shaikh who is also a strong believer. Ahmad has felt let down by both of his parents and feels as if there is no life left in him; this is his calling to be a true Muslim and to prove that he is a pure believer. Shaikh used the power of religion to get a young adult to sacrifice his life for something that he himself was to coward to do alone. Throughout the novel Shaikh uses the power of religion to manipulate a young adult to do things he never would have done on his own. The power of the Muslim religion is proven when Ahmad follows through on the sacrifice of his life even after he finds out that is was staged. Lastly, the power of religion on Ahmad can also be seen through the interactions with the guidance councilor of the high school where Ahmad was attending. Jack Levy is an American Jew who had abandoned practicing his religion earlier on in his life. Jack in the novel showed that he cared for Ahmad quite a bit after visiting his mother to try and get her support in pushing Ahmad to further educate himself at the college level as he is very intelligent. Jack comes across as a nice and caring guy as he is trying to help Ahmad make the right choice in his life as shown when he goes to talk to his mother Teresa Mulloy â€Å"hello Ms. Mulloy, I am Jack Levy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (176). Jack and Ahmad’s mother both agreed into trying to push Ahmad towards going to college but Ahmad disagreed. He thought about what abandoning his religion got Jack and it got him nowhere, he became one of many Americans who is in an unhealthy marriage and lives every day of his life facing coming home to an o bese wife. To Ahmad he cannot abandon his religion because putting more belief into it has changed who he is and how he does things. He is not risking of getting this happiness and freedom that he sees in the Muslim religion taken from him by going to college. Moving on into the conflict between Jack and Ahmad, each of them learn more about each other and many things come as surprise to both of them. One of the things that Ahmad learns about Jack is that he has been having an affair with his mother for the past three months. Ahmad learns this when Jack tries to have an honest conversation with him and says, â€Å"I have been having an affair with your mother for the last three months,† (213). This is the last string for Ahmad as he sees that Jack abandoning his religion has turned him into a sinner and a cheater as he cheated on his wife. The last thing that Ahmad wants is to turn out like Jack and share the same American non-Islamic beliefs. At this point Jack realizes that what he has just told Ahmad has pushed him further away and his mind more on continuing his religious practice. The power of the Muslim religion on Ahmad has him unwilling to turn into and die a sinner and thus is why he continues in his terrorist plot. Coming towards the end of the novel Ahmad is not looking back and has no regrets. He continues his trek to blow up the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River. Nothing can stop him at this point and this is seen when â€Å"Ahmad while approaching the meeting point in the bomb-laden truck does not see his accomplices,† (274). On the day of the planned terrorist plot Ahmad’s accomplices are not at the planned meeting place but the mission must continue in Ahmad’s mind. Ahmad avoids being arrested by federal agents and continues his suicide mission alone as he has no intentions of turning around. Jack hears about this planned plot and tries to stop Ahmad but is ignored as Ahmad drives past him. At this point for Ahmad it is sacrificing his life because to him it is the right thing to do as his God is telling him to do it. He had two choices to continue the mission or to stop and turn out like the other American non-Islamic people and he did not want to turn out like them. The power of religion upon Ahmad is very evident and Jack Levy is used to show that nobody could stop Ahmad as the power of his beliefs caused him to get involved with criminal activity but it is what the Muslim God wanted for him. Finally, the aspects of the post colonial lens such as the power of religion, culture and politics are very evident in this novel. The power behind the belief in the Muslim religion is shown through Ahmad as the novel progresses and it is evident that no religion should be challenged. The struggle of American non-Islamic citizens on a true believer of the Islamic Muslim religion is seen throughout the novel. Evident characters in the novel that fall victim to these struggles are Ahmad, Shaikh and Jack. Ahmad was the biggest person in the novel that was influenced by the Muslim religion and proves that religion is very powerful as shows the willingness to sacrifice his life for his God. Shaikh is the main person involved in Ahmad’s life as he taught him a lot about himself and motivated him also. Although seen the motivation not always to be a good thing in his mind it was right, he strongly believed that. Jack is the one who saw well in Ahmad but failed to be able to help him because at this point Jack was only fueling Ahmad’s terrorist plot activity. Throughout the novel the power of religion surprises everybody and it is proof that nobody should challenge another person’s beliefs because it is infuriating and this is shown through Ahmad’s activities towards the end of the novel. Works Cited Updike, John. Terrorist. New York: The Random House Publishing Group. 2006. 310.

Skills in customer service: A handbook

Skills in customer service: A handbook Communication skills below please explain how each step would be used to provide excellent customer service skills. Face to face Face to face helps provide excellent customer service by delivering/developing good interpersonal relationships. It allows the customer to engage with the agent better. In addition it allows the customer to feel important because the agent has given dedicated time to that customer. By having a face to face it helps the agent gage what the customer needs and provide better customer service as a result. Telephone e.g. call centre A telephone call to a call centre allows the customer to discuss their needs as and when it suits them. For example they are not governed by the shop opening times of Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm. As it can be harder to understand communications via phone it means that the agent needs to listen more meticulously, this should therefore help the customer feel understood and appreciated. Building rapport By building a rapport the customer feels as if the agent is interested in what the customer has to say and the customer feels as if they associate with the agent. By the customer feeling understood the customer is more likely to be free coming with information and this will assist the agent in providing the customer a better service. Effective listening By the agent demonstrating good listening skills the customer feels as if he/she is important and that the agent wishes to assist the customer. Affective communication is a two way process you have to listen in order to understand the problem then you have to be able to ask the customer relevant questions to develop as good a relationship as possible. Questioning By probing the customer with relevant questions you can show that you have listened. It also assists you in aiding the customer to develop their travel plans. This ultimately gains higher commission levels for the agency. Developing a dialogue Verbal communications is a key feature of as a sales consultant. By developing a dialogue you show interest in the customer, you can also show that you care and want to understand the customers individual needs to best serve them Non-verbal communication e.g. body language, eye contact All though verbal communication is important, it is not the most used. Non-verbal communication is used around % of the time. By keeping good eye contact with the customer you help to develop a sense of interest with that customer. In addition by ensuring that you do not cross your arms and leave your body as open as possible. This is because crossed arms demonstrates that you are feeling defensive and this creates an atmosphere of anticipation and potentially physiological discomfort. Written Communication It is important to ensure that all written communications are written with good grammatical structure, that there is no spelling issues and that correct punctuation is used. It is important to use the correct salutations as to not cause offense to the customer. By ensuring that all documents are correctly structured helps to ensure that the customer is dealing a boni fied professional organisation. Complaint Handling Which skills could you show throughout each procedure? Listening When dealing with a customer complaint it is important to show that you care. One important part of this to allow the customer to talk. By listening to what the customer has to say you can then start to work out how to deal with this problem. It will also allow you to prepare any questions you need to ask in order to develop the full scenario of the compliant. Questioning By asking the customer relevant questions you can help develop a case file you need to best assist the customer. It also demonstrates to the customer that you have been listening to their problem and that you wish to help them resolve it where possible Empathising By empathising with the customer you demonstrate to the customer that you care about what has happened and that you wish to do all within you power to help them. Empathising can help the customer to feel as if they are being taken seriously. By the customer feeling as if they are being taken seriously it means that they can believe that the situation will be dealt with in a professional manner. Understanding the problem By understanding the problem at hand the agent can work out the best solution to resolve the problem. This may mean talking with other colleagues or referring the matter. The agent can ensure that all segments of the situation are accounted for and dealt with. Taking control of the situation By having one member of staff being in charge of dealing with the complaint it helps to ensure that the situation is dealt with correctly. It also reassures the customer that they will be dealt with in a professional and competent manner. Agreeing solutions Once the employee has deemed at least one suitable solution Follow up Presentation of yourself Show how a member of staff should be presented Presentation of the organisation Below explain how the environment should be presented The exterior: The exterior of the store should be clean, this means ensuring that windows and doors are washed and that the path is swept and looks presentable. Window displays should be structured: They should be level, crisp and eye catching. The information should be clear and concise. The interior: The interior should be well lit. The floors should be hovered and kept clear from rubbish and clutter. The racks should be well stocked and the brochures on display should not be ripped or creased. Those that are ripped or creased should be removed. The brochures should have a structure for easier allocating, i.e. brochures that are for worldwide travel should be in the worldwide travel section where as brochures that are UK tourism should be located in the UK tourism section. Staff should ensure that when they place brochures on the shelf’s they follow the companies racking policy. Staff desks should be neat and tidy. This will help customers feel as if they are dealing with professionals. Teamwork Please explain the importance of the following when working in a team – ensure you explain each step and the possible outcome. Motivation Motivation is important because it helps regulate an organisations productivity. Keeping teams motivated means that everyone feels responsible and helps staff develop a sense of importance and means that they put all there effort into their work. By developing motivation sales are more likely to be higher and therefore the agent is of more benefit to the agency Team roles When roles are defined to staff it helps to develop a structure, in return this helps to define what each employee is responsible for doing to achieve the business goals and objectives. By developing a clear structure of who is responsible for what role means that employees can do work without necessarily interfering with others work, this means that work is done to a quicker and higher standard. Delegation of tasks By delegating staff with tasks means that they have clear objectives and tasks that they must complete in order to be successful. By ensuring that employees know what is expected of them they can develop a plan on how they will achieve this task and if possible exceed it. This is then beneficial to the employer as it means that revenue is high, staff and customer moral is also high and will most likely lead to repeat business as the customer is happy with the outcome. Lines of authority By having set outlines of authority it helps all subordinates to know who they speak to regarding problems In the long run this assists with ensuring that the organisation maintains effective communication. By ensuring that clear lines of communication are kept it allows for problems to be dealt with in a quick and easy manner. This means that a customer can have their problems dealt with in an effective manner. This will ensure that the customer remains satisfied with any problems that may have occurred. What are the benefits of teamwork to colleagues, customers and the organisation? The benefit of teamwork for colleagues: By employees working together it allows them to tackle an issue with multiple views. This can assist them in finding the best outcome for that given situation. Team work can help employees develop their communication skills. This can help them to become more assertive and feel as if they settle within the organisation. By ensuring teamwork is a strong ethic it helps to develop a multi-cultural environment where diversity has a strong place within the organisation. By developing a diverse environment it helps all employees to bond. The benefit of teamwork to customers: Good levels of team work means that employees feel happier and this can be sensed by customers. By ensuring that customers feel good vibrations from customers from employee’s means that a customer is more likely to feel comfortable and purchase. By employees working as a team it allows the employees to develop their competencies and demonstrates professionalism to customers. This helps to make customers feel more confident with the service they are to be offered. The benefit of teamwork to organisations: By an organisation having staff that work well within a team setting it allows the business to develop a good culture that allows for productivity to be at an optimum and in return means that profitability is likely to be higher. This means that employees are more able to satisfy the needs of the customer and the customer more likely to offer repeat business. If employees work as part of a team it can help an employer abide with discrimination laws as the employees feel more connected and less likely to discriminate against one and other. Business Skills What is the importance of having these skills for an organisation? Where could they help you within your employment? Completion of documentation e.g. tickets, forms Use of IT e.g. email, computerised reservations system (CRS), internet Business standards e.g. accuracy, legibility, business conventions

Where the Boys Arent Essay -- Education

Education in the United States was largely of the single-sex (SS) variety until the mid 1800s; that single sex was male. Gradually, coeducational schools became the rule and the passage of Title IX of the Education Act of 1972 was a concrete step toward insuring that gender equality would be the norm in all government-supported schools (Anfara & Mertens, 2008; Halpern et al., 2011; Johnson, 2004). A major change took place in 2001 when Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA). An amendment to the act authorized school to use federal money to create innovative programs including SS classes (Dee, 2006; Johnson, 2004). The amendment was co-sponsored or supported by five female senators, namely, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Susan Collins, Barbara Mikulski (Johnson, 2004), and Diane Feinstein (Meyer, 2008) and approved unanimously by the Senate (Johnson, 2004). A reinterpretation of Title IX was issued in 2006 promulgating a set of federal guidelines under which SS classes would be legally permitted (Anfara & Mertens, 2008; Halpern et al., 2011; Johnson, 2004; Novotney, 2011; Rex & Chadwell, 2009). The following were required: (a) be based on attaining a stated educational goal or providing diversity, (b) be wholly voluntary, (c) be implemented even handedly, (d) be substantially equal for both sexes, and (e) be reviewed at least biennially (Johnson, 2004; Rex & Chadwell, 2009). Since these changes have been implemented there has been a veritable explosion of new SS classes implemented. As of the 2007-2008 school year, 97 SS public schools and 295 SS classes have been started (Billger, 2009). In South Carolina alone, the number of schools offering SS classes jumped from 30 in 200... ... K., & Smith, M. (2005). Single-sex versus coeducational schooling: A Systematic Review (2005-01). Retrieved from U. S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/reports.html Meyer, P. (2008). Learning separately: The case for single-sex schools. Education Next, 8(1), 11-21. Retrieved from www.educationnext.org/learning-separately/ Novotney, A. (2011). Coed versus single-sex ed. Monitor on Psychology, 42(2). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/02/coed.aspx Rex, J., & Chadwell, D. (2009). Single-gender classrooms. The School Administrator, 66(8), 28-33. Retrieved from http://www.aasa.org Wolfgang, B. (2011, September 2). Boys in one class, girls in another at more schools;Single-sex option grows, but some still skeptical. The Washington Times , p. 7. Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/

The Great Depression :: essays research papers

October 29,1929 was the day when my world got turned upside down. It was dubbed Black Tuesday because that was the day the Stock Market crashed where many people and corporations frantically tried to sell their stocks before the prices fell to the lowest they've been in years. (pg.485) My husband, our two children and I lived in Chicago during the Great Depression. Our economy has severely declined putting millions of men and women out of jobs including my husband. (486) Before the depression his income would total up to several thousand dollars a year but now we are lucky if we even get a quarter of that. The Red Cross has set up soup kitchens and bread lines for the poor. (pg. 491) My husband has spent many hours waiting in lines to receive fresh bread for the family. I refuse to stand there on the streets begging for food, I have to much pride and will not be seen stooping to such levels of the poor. The few food that we do have left over before the depression is canned and saved in the icebox for winter. I used to be able to go out and pay for new clothes for my children but once again that pleasure is stripped from me as I now sit hours a day sewing from scratch. Because material is so hard to come by at a cheap price, I try and gather as many scraps of old or used material as I can so I may sew them together to create a quilt for the family to use at night. With all of these domestic duties to complete at home its hard to find time to look for one of the scarce jobs available. (pg. 493) Although I would receive less money then the men, it would still provide more income to the house budget. Additionally, the odds of a married woman securing a job are slim. Many people believe that married women have no right to work when there are plenty of single men out of their jobs and suffering. Plebeians assume that I have the easier side of the dilemma because they don?t see me standing in the cold asking for food, but the thing is, I?m doing as much if not more than they are! Not only am I budgeting the household income, I?

McDonaldization of Society

Ritzer’s theory of McDonaldization proposes a new interpretation of modern world order, social structure of society and business relations. Efficiency is one of the main components of McDonaldization. Ritzer (2000) explains: â€Å"McDonald's offers efficiency, or the optimum method for getting from one point to another. For consumers, this means that McDonald's offers the best available way to get from being hungry to being full† (9). Efficiency helps companies to adopt particular cause of action. Efficiency means the best solution to meet the needs of parties involved. Efficiency involves the identification of a problem or issue which requires consideration. At this stage there will be a decision to do nothing or pursue the issue. For instance, fast food restaurants help customers to save time and money. People can buy meals in a short period of time ‘without leaving their cars’ (9). Efficiency can be explained as rationality, fast service delivery and low cost solutions.   Continued change is inevitable and likely to develop at an even faster rate. â€Å"The fast-food model offers people, or at least appears to offer them, an efficient method for satisfying many needs† (10). A salad bar is a vivid example of efficiency: a customer buys a plat and creates a salad himself. By keep ­ing the objectives in mind and always looking for ways in which both parties can work together to achieve their common objectives, it should be easier to reach a mutually acceptable service. If efficiency concept is followed, the company is required to identify possible courses of customers’ action to solve the problem. www.expedia.com is a travel agency which follows an efficiency principle in order to deliver quality services at low cost. ‘Self-service’ is the main tool used by Expedia Travel. A client can plan his trip or vocation according to his budget and wants. A client calculates the price of his trip himself and can reduce its cost choosing a cheaper hotel or flight. This self-service presents opportunities for diverse customer groups. This approach is interesting to everyone who wants to plan a good vocation at low cost. On the other hand, a client is forced to spend more time on planning and organizing process, mastering new technology and computer skills. The case of Expedia travel shows that in changing environment, the use of technology requires more problem solving skills and the ability to interpret data. Routine tasks requiring a low level of skill are disappearing fast. Used in conjunction with flexible planning, efficiency requires a customer’s participation in service delivery. Using this approach many firms adopted that principle understands it as clients’ participation in planning which have the potential to improve the quality of their work. Any improvement here is said to be beneficial. Important in the above is the recognition that involvement of clients in examining problems and seeking to develop solutions is only one part of the efficiency approach. Moreover, all manner of developments and improvements are discussed in the context of the strategy that management has agreed upon in order to turn the company around. Through involvement of all parties and by bringing in new skills new ways of doing things are sought. Ritzer’s concept of ‘efficiency’ shows that involvement of a customer/client in service delivery process helps companies to reduce operational costs and time. Ritzer underlines that a modern consumer pays for this privilege. Beyond this it is essential that customers are given a chance to seek out and develop cost-effective solutions. Works Cited Ritzer, G. The McDonaldization of Society. Pine Forge Press; 2000.