Essay Topics in Cinema

Essay Topics in CinemaIn the past, cinema essay topics have consisted of reading selections from a movie-theaters program. Now, the essays are no longer limited to the selection, but can be an entire essay. In fact, this format has become so popular that a number of essay-writing experts have been trying to figure out what the future holds for this genre. There are some trends that seem to be emerging.The first trend is that the essay should be designed for a specific audience. This is similar to choosing a writing topic for a magazine or a small book. The essay should only be written for a certain audience, and therefore there should be some sort of feedback for the essay.The next trend is that the essay should have a deadline. A deadline is important for two reasons. First, it gives the essay the outline necessary to get done before the deadline.Second, it gives the essay the structure required to make it as a standard essay. A deadline will also allow the reader to see how much ti me remains to complete the assignment.The final trend is that the essay should contain points that challenge the views held by the author. The essay should be completely original and a critique of the works of others should be contained within the essay. These challenges should be the key to success.It is vital that the essay writers and the essay supervisors receive feedback on their selections, especially when it comes to critiques. These feedbacks will allow the writers to determine the greatest movie essays in a given genre.If you think you might be interested in essay topics in cinema, you will want to find the best essay assignment programs online. These programs are all over the internet and they are designed to help you write your thesis. Essays in cinema topics have taken on a new meaning since they have been made available to the public. Now, the focus is on taking them seriously and making them count. Writing a movie essay is difficult, but if you put your mind to it, the essays in cinema can be the best essays you have ever written.

Best Practices For Successful and Effective Learning

Best Practices For Successful And Effective Learning We're all different, and each one of us has our own unique way of taking on information and learning new things. There are a number of different learning styles, and most people will use a mixture of these styles in different situations, often noticing one or two techniques that are more dominant than others. Identifying the learning style that you use most often, and familiarising yourself with the other learning styles, can assist you in exam revision and help you to get more from your lectures and seminars. It can also help you post graduation as your learning doesn't end when your degree does; learning styles can help you to train effectively in a new job or get more from your hobbies. Contents Visual/Spatial Learning Aural/Auditory-Musical Learning Verbal/Linguistic Learning Physical/Kinaesthetic Learning Logical/Mathematical Learning Social/Interpersonal Learning Solitary/Intrapersonal Learning Digital Learning Tools vs Physical Learning Tools How To Stay Motivated And Avoid Procrastination    1 Visual/Spatial Learning Those who favour the visual method of learning will typically prefer to use images, pictures, maps, and diagrams to take on new information. Visual learners are able to easily visualise things like objects, plans, and the outcome of a situation within their mind's eye. Visual learners also tend to have good spatial awareness and a good sense of direction; they are good at finding their way around using a map and rarely get lost. Visual and spatial learning techniques If you are a visual learner you should try to incorporate lots of imagery into your studying to aid in your visualisation of the subject. Here are some methods and tools that can help to boost your visual learning: Mind maps: A mind map is a great way to visualise your ideas. Try to use lots of colours and use pictures and images in place of words where possible. Highlighters: Even visual learners will need to make notes at some point, but using colour-coded pens to highlight and categorise different types of information can help it to be better absorbed. Systems diagrams: These can help you to visualise the different aspects of a system and how they link together. Using pictures and lots of colour further helps with the learning process. Visual storytelling: Putting written information into a visual story format, such as a comic book-style layout, can help visual learners to memorise information better. Videos: Watching a tutorial video is much more effective for a visual learner than reading pages and pages of text. Peg system: This is a form of word association, in which the ‘peg' is a mental hook on which to hang information. Numbers are often used as pegs, and visual learners are adept at pegging information for quick and easy recall. Create an effective learning environment for yourself by ensuring that you have a selection of coloured pens and highlighters, as well as paper to draw and doodle on as you study. A whiteboard can also be useful for a visual learner as you can use it to draw out your ideas and wipe things away when needed. Back To Contents 2 Aural/Auditory-Musical Learning Those who tend towards an aural and auditory-musical learning style typically absorb information better when listening to spoken word or music. Aural learners will usually have the ability to play an instrument or sing well, and they'll often find themselves humming or tapping along to a song, or a jingle will pop into their head spontaneously. Aural and auditory-musical learning techniques If you are an aural learner you should try to incorporate sound, music, rhythm, and rhyme into your studies in order to better absorb information. Here are some techniques that can help you: Use recordings: Record your lectures where possible, and play them back when studying to help you take in the information. You could also use sound recording of background sounds; for example if you're learning to tune a car engine, use a recording of an engine running to help you visualise the procedure. Create jingles: Mnemonics and acrostics can aid your learning, and forming them into a jingle that rhymes can help you to remember the information better. Anchoring: The anchoring technique helps you to associate music with certain things; therefore when you hear that music it helps you to recall information. Anchor your emotions and memories to music in order to remember them easily. Group study: Working with a study group can benefit aural learners as you'll pick up information from talking and discussing things with your peers. Things such as word-association games and debates can help with your absorption of the study materials. Text to speech: Take notes in lectures and transfer them to your laptop, then use a text to speech programme to hear them aurally. Create an effective learning environment for yourself by ensuring you have text to speech software on your laptop, and by using a recording device to record lectures. You should also invest in some decent headphones so that you can listen to study podcasts and watch videos on the go via a mobile device. Back To Contents 3 Verbal/Linguistic Learning Those who find that they learn best by using both the written and spoken word find it easy to express themselves verbally and in writing. They enjoy reading, writing, and word play including tongue twisters, limericks, rhymes, and playing on the meaning of words. Verbal and linguistic learning techniques Linguistic learners regularly make the effort to seek out the meaning of new words and phrases, and use them in conversation and written work. Here are some verbal learning techniques that may help you: Mnemonics: Using acronym mnemonics can help you to make up another word or a memorable sequence to help you remember a piece of information. Speaking and writing: Verbal learners should try to find ways to incorporate more speaking and writing into their studies. For example, you could talk yourself through a procedure before and during performing an activity. Assertions: Try to use rhythm and rhyme in your assertions to make things memorable, and read important pieces of information aloud or set them to familiar songs or jingles to aid the absorption of the information. Scripting: Write your study notes down in a script format; you could even record them to play back to yourself too. Read aloud: Reading content aloud helps verbal learners to retain things more easily. A top tip is to read things in a dramatic and animated way rather than using a monotone voice, this will help you to recall things better. Role plays: Work with a study group or friends to role-play the course material. Verbal exchanges such as phone calls, sales call, radio shows, or negotiations can help you to remember and recall information more easily. Create an effective learning environment for yourself by ensuring that you take thorough notes in lectures and rewrite them afterwards to help them sink in. Regularly group up with your course mates to discuss and role play the course material to aid your recall. Back To Contents 4 Physical/Kinaesthetic Learning Those who favour a more physical learning style tend to be very hands-on and tuned in to the world around them. They typically enjoy exercising and playing sports, as well as physical hobbies like gardening. Physical activity is often used as a way of thinking through any problems and issues, with kinaesthetic learners favouring a walk or a run over sitting at home. Physical and kinaesthetic learning techniques Physical learners prefer to jump in and get their hands dirty, as opposed to reading about something or looking at diagrams. If this is your learning style, here are some techniques that may help you: Focus on sensations: If you learn by being physical try to use a visualisation process that focuses on sensations. Visualise the action, for example baking a cake, and think about the sensations associated with it – the vibrations of the electric mixer as you prepare the cake mix, and the smell of the cake as it bakes in the oven. Physical objects: use these as much as possible in your learning process. Touch an object physically as you learn and explore what it can do. Flashcards of information can also help you to recall things as you're touching and manipulating them. Write and draw: These are also physical activities, so use writing and drawing to create mind maps and diagrams that will help you to be active, hands-on, and aid your recall of information. Role playing: You can either do it alone or with others; role playing is a physical activity that enables you to practice skills, behaviours, and processes in order to better absorb information. Breathing and relaxation: Using breathing and relaxation techniques can help you to stay focused, calm, and centred whilst you are studying. Create an effective learning environment for yourself by ensuring that you use physical objects as part of your learning process. Ask your course tutors for hands-on demonstrations, and get involved with study groups for the chance to practice and role play scenarios. It will also help your studies if you schedule in time for exercise to help clear and refocus your mind. Back To Contents 5 Logical/Mathematical Learning Those who typically adopt a logical or mathematical style of learning tend to be able to easily recognise patterns and form connections between pieces of content or information. These learners work well with numbers and calculations and enjoy working through problems in a systematic and logical way. Logical and mathematical learning techniques People who learn in a logical and mathematical way tend to have a scientific approach to thinking, often supporting their points with statistics and logical examples. They also like to do brainteasers and play strategic games like chess and backgammon. If you are a logical learner, these tips may help you: Lists: Take notes in lectures and then spend time afterwards extracting the key points and forming them into lists to aid your absorption and recall of information. Infer meaning: Rather than just learning information by rote, try to infer meaning from content instead. Learning and understanding more detail about things helps you identify links and patterns between things. Illogical association: Your brain will fight against it at first, but illogical and irrational associations are remembered better than logical ones! Scripting: Highlight any logical behaviours and thoughts in your notes and scripts; this will allow you to identify systems and procedures so you can easily change things when you need to. Breathe and relax: Don't forget that your physical body is as much a part of the system as any hardware or software that you may be using in your studies, so be sure to regularly relax and focus on your breathing when you need to re-centre your thinking. Systems thinking: This helps you to understand the links between the individual parts of a system, which helps you to understand and appreciate the bigger picture. Systems diagrams can help you to gain a better understanding of the way in which the components of a system work together to form a whole process. Create an effective learning environment for yourself by ensuring that you find ways to stay focused and on topic. Avoid procrastinating by adopting a ‘do it now' attitude and getting tasks done, or at least adding to a to-do list, as soon as you think of them. Back To Contents 6 Social/Interpersonal Learning People who favour a social and interpersonal learning approach tend to have strong communication skills, both verbally and non-verbally, which draws others to them for advice, mentoring, and counselling. Social learners typically understand others' views, listen well, and are sensitive and empathetic to other people's feelings. Social and interpersonal learning techniques Those with an interpersonal learning style tend to have strong social skills and like to interact and work with others on projects. They work through problems by bouncing ideas off others and listening to their input. If you are a social learner you may benefit from these study tips: Group work: Social learners should aim to work with others as much as possible. Try forming a study group with peers of a similar level and bounce ideas off each other, offering instant and constructive feedback to one another. Role play: Working with others, role play can help you to visualise things better, which aids your recall of information. Obviously it's best to do this with other social learners to avoid making people feel uncomfortable or awkward. Assertions: Reciting assertions and working on your visualisations is a good way of absorbing information, and reciting them with others will help to strengthen them further. Mind maps: These are great to work on as a group; one person is nominated as the writer/drawer, while the rest of the group contribute and share ideas. Afterwards, the mind map can be photocopied for you to add things to on your own and refer back to. Share and listen: Share your own views and reviews with others, and listen to their views and how they solve problems. This may give you more ideas on how to solve your own issues and study more effectively. Create an effective learning environment by surrounding yourself with people you can study with, learn from, and bounce ideas off. Other social learners will be open to group work, but other types of learners will further enhance your learning too as they all have something different to bring to the table. Back To Contents 7 Solitary/Intrapersonal Learning Solitary learners are very independent, private, and introspective. They tend to be able to focus their thoughts and feelings on their current topic, allowing them to concentrate effectively. Those with an intrapersonal learning style spend a lot of time on self-analysis, reflecting on past events, and assessing their own challenges or accomplishments. Solitary and intrapersonal learning techniques Intrapersonal learners typically enjoy spending time alone; they are independent thinkers that have a deep understanding of their own needs and behaviours. If you prefer studying alone in places where it is quiet and uncrowded, here are some tips that might help you: Set personal goals: Set objectives for yourself and make plans to help you achieve them. It helps to understand your own reasons for your goals, and to visualise what things will be like once you've achieved them. Create personal interest in topics: In other words, study what you're interested in and you'll have better success at maintaining your motivation and achieving your goals. Keep a journal: Intrapersonal learners can benefit from keeping a log of their thoughts and feelings; this can help to outline any challenges you are facing and work on ideas for overcoming them. Write down things that have worked well, and things that have not worked so well, and any thoughts that arise as you are studying. You can then come back to this or use your notes to start a discussion with others. Associate your feelings: When you are visualising something it can help to think about the feelings that you associate with the situation or scenario. You'll likely want to do most of your visualising in private, but it can also help to talk to others on occasion too. Role play: You don't necessarily need others to role play with! You can visualise your peers and colleagues with you in order to practice a procedure or process alone. One advantage of role playing alone is that you can control the behaviour of whomever you have visualised! Create an effective learning environment by ensuring you have a comfortable and quiet place in which to study alone. Build up a network of peers that you can study with when you need interpersonal input, and ensure that you give yourself the time and space to log and analyse your study behaviours and feelings. Back To Contents 8 Digital Learning Tools vs. Physical Learning Tools Learning has traditionally taken place within a bricks and mortar institution, i.e. a school, college, or university, using physical tools like textbooks, chalk boards, whiteboards, and pen and paper. However, the rapid expansion of the digital age has seen a shift begin to occur in education. An increasing number of teachers and students are supplementing traditional teaching and learning methods with digital tools. What are the benefits of digital learning tools? We have a strong belief that today's students should be well-prepared for the future, and digital tools can help ensure that they are prepared." Julie Evans, CEO - Julie Evans, CEO at Project Tomorrow Many students now feel that their learning experience should be personalised, and this can be achieved using digital tools that allow education to be untethered from physical constraints. A digitally-rich learning experience can enhance the classroom experience, as well as enabling students to carry on learning outside of the classroom. Digital tools include everything from the use of the internet for research purposes, to watching online tutorial videos, and online-based learning forums. All of these things allow students to expand on what they have learned in class, and further develop their own knowledge and understanding of a subject in a way that is much more accessible and digestible for them. What digital learning tools are available? There are hundreds and thousands of different digital tools that can aid learning, but some are more popular and effective than others. Here are a few that are certainly worth looking into further: Kahoot! – A tool that allows users to create quizzes and questionnaires to test knowledge and aid learning in a game-like format. Skype – Video calling that enables remote learning; for example, students could have meetings with their dissertation tutor remotely. Google Knowledge Graph – An enhanced way of searching; it consists of short and accurate answers that save you from digging through search results. instaGrok – A search engine that generates videos, articles, imagery, and terms, helping students to conduct research effectively. Wolfram Alpha – Part encyclopaedia, part calculator; this tool allows students to access systemised knowledge in an easy-to-use way. Duolingo – A language-learning app that is useful for first time learners and those who want to brush up on their language skills. iTunes University – A free library of educational resources, including books, videos, lectures etc, that can be used on an iPhone/iPad running iOS 7 or higher. Plotly – Create and share graphs and charts in a user-friendly, web-based format. Prezi – Create interactive presentations and collaborate with peers on projects in real time. Quizlet – Create study tools like flashcards, quizzes, and games that can be accessed on desktop or mobile devices and shared with others. Cold Turkey – A tool that blocks out applications ad websites that can cause a sdistraction, helping you to remain focused. Focus Booster – Helps you to focus your time effectively by reminding you to take breaks regularly and monitoring how long you've been working for. RescueTime – Helps you to monitor what you spend your time on when you are using your computer, thus helping to analyse your productivity. SlugBooks – Compares prices of textbooks from different retailers to help you find the best prices for buying and renting textbooks. Back To Contents 9 How to Stay Motivated And Avoid Procrastination How many times have you found yourself with an important deadline looming, yet instead of writing your essay you keep checking your emails and social media accounts, watching videos, or taking a BuzzFeed quiz to find out which Disney Princess you are? Procrastination can come in several forms: Productive procrastination: All the small tasks on your to-do list suddenly become really important to you. You start ticking off all those little tasks, which makes you feel like you're being really productive, but you're still avoiding the one thing that you should be doing. Waiting for the perfect time: You keep putting off your essay because you've convinced yourself you can't possibly start it until you've tidied your room, updated your laptop, been to the shops for the perfect essay snacks etc. Waiting for the pressure: Many people feel that they work best under pressure, so they leave things until the last minute as it's the way they're used to doing things. Whatever type of procrastinator you are, let's not procrastinate any longer, shall we? Without further ado, here are our top tips to help you stay motivated and get sh*t done! Break it down: People often procrastinate because the task seems too overwhelming. Aim to break it down into smaller, more manageable parts, and tackle them one at a time. If you still find that you're procrastinating after breaking the task down, simply break it down even further, perhaps into 20 or 30 minute sections, which will seem much more doable. Make a timeline of deadlines: If you only have one deadline for the final project you're more likely to procrastinate and put it off as long as possible. Instead, after breaking your work down set a deadline for each individual stage of the project. If you know you need to finish each part by a certain date you'll be more likely to get it done. Change your environment: If you always do your work in the same environment and find yourself easily distracted, try changing things up a bit. Rather than trying to work in your room where it's all too easy to lie down and watch TV etc, try going to the library to do your essay instead. The change of scenery will likely help you to focus on the task at hand. Get rid of distractions: Start by identifying what it is that distracts you and causes you to procrastinate, then do something about it. If you check your emails and social media too often try turning off push notifications, and put your phone on silent whilst you're working. Clarify your goals: Often we procrastinate because we have lost sight of what we want our end goal to be. Re-clarify your goals and you should notice if there are any misalignments between what you're aiming for and what you're currently doing. This enables you to make the necessary changes to get back on track. Take regular breaks: People can often become distracted and begin to procrastinate if they're not taking enough breaks away from their work. Take a break at least once an hour to step away from your computer, check your emails, grab a drink, get some fresh air for ten minutes. Regular breaks help you to maintain your energy and focus in the long run. Back To Contents

Professional Development Plan Essay Example

Professional Development Plan Essay Example Professional Development Plan Essay Professional Development Plan Essay Professional Development Plan The group members of Learning Team A took a DISC assessment to determine their personality types, strengths and weaknesses, and areas needing improvement. The members of the group are (your name). The Professional Development Plan will describe the strengths and weaknesses of each personality type, characteristics each type share and characteristics that could cause conflict, and how each type can work together. Along with showing how I the manager can better my ability to lead the team. The DISC assessment generated three personality types within the group: Interactive, Cautious, and Dominance. Three members of the group that include myself are labeled as Interactive. The Interactive strengths include enthusiasm, good people skills, optimists, persuasive, and charming. They do have some weaknesses that are Just wanting to have fun, would rather have lunch with the client than be in the office, disorganized, and have poor-follow through. The member who was labeled Cautious their strengths are independent, dependable, good at follow-through, good isteners, but ask many questions, over critical, want perfection, uncomfortable around Interactive personalities, and work at a slow pace, which are all weaknesses. Last is the Dominance personality type they are goal-oriented, take authority, fast- paced, and willing to challenge outdated thinking and ideas. Their weaknesses are what make them different from the other two personality types. They are not afraid to bend the rules, become annoyed with delays, and they fgure it is easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission. Of the three types the Interactive personality is someone that is more of a people person and not so much business-oriented that is quite different from the Dominance and Cautious type. For each group member to work together as a team. They will first have to understand their strengths and weaknesses and use them as a tool for the group to achieve their goal. The Dominance and Cautious types have more in common than not. They are both productive, problem solving, efficient, independent, and have the same irritations. The only issue between these two types is the pace. The Cautious type prefers a slow pace where the Dominance type prefers a face pace Just like the Interactive type, but they tend to be more spontaneous, unlike Dominance and Cautious types were they are more decisive and want perfection. Dominance and Interactive types have only one thing in common, high energy. What they do not have in common is pace, goals, fears, motivators and irritations. There are no common characteristics between Interactive and Cautious types only Cautious types are uncomfortable with Interactive types. There are many characteristics that could cause issues between the two types that are organization, focus, and motivators. After understanding each personality type, the characteristics of each and what each have in common. The group members now need to utilize each of their own characteristics and use them as a tool to accomplish their goals. For example, if this group was working for a car dealership. I would suggest the Interactive types to be salesmen. They are good with people, and enthusiastic that is definitely needed for selling a car. They enjoy opportunities to talk and a major goal for them is to be recognized. For the Cautious types I would put them in a Human Resources position or maybe in the Accounting department. Those positions need people that posses the following traits: detail oriented, independent workers, and follow-through with their work. For the Dominance type I would see a manager position. They are comfortable in charge, fast paced, and are willing to take challenges head on. All these positions need one another for the dealership to thrive. The DISC assessment labeled me with an Interactive personality and I actually disagree. I tend to have more of a Dominance personality. I want to be in charge, keep things at a fast pace, and tend to get irritated when there is a delay in my projects. I feel a good leader is usually passionate about the organization and his or her work, exudes confidence in his or her abilities, can organizes and makes sense of complex situations, maintains high standards and inspires others to do the same, can motivate and inspire employees, and is generally looked up to as a person of ision (Hill, 2009). This is a quote that I want base my leadership on. I agree with everything it expresses. I feel that I could inspire greatly the members of my group and motivate him or her to accomplish their goals. I look forward to learning more skills about becoming a leader. The DISC assessment has show all the different characteristics of each personality type. There are many traits that each type share and some that could cause some conflict, but without those certain people would not get that push needed to succeed in life. The group members will need to understand ow to rely on one another even if he or she is uncomfortable with that type of personality. My ability to lead the team will be based on my willingness to learn from the team and understand it is a team not an independent project. References Alessandra, Tony, Ph. D. , and Michael J. OConnor, Ph. D. 1996. The Platinum [emailprotected] New York, NY: Warner Books. Hill, C. (2009). NY Daily News. Retrieved from nydailynews. com/2. 1353/ effective-leader-article-I . 372028 Robbins, S. P. , Judge, T. A. (2013). Organizational Behavior (1 5th ed. ). : Pearson.

Accounting For Leases And New Proposed Models Essay

Accounting For Leases And New Proposed Models - Essay Example The International Accounting Standards Board calls for a new lease accounting principle that relates to assets and liabilities. This write up proposes criteria to be set for deciding between two interpretations of whether the lease increases or decreases both assets and / or liabilities. SFAS no. 13, which was issued by FASB, was at that time, 2001, showing improvement on the setting of accounting standards for leases. Many write ups on leases followed suit such as 9 FASB amendments, 12 FASB technical bulletins, EITF consensus, 6 FASB interpretations and others. The FASB is continually working to come up with an adjustment to the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards no. 13 (lease) because it has failed to address many questions by many sectors of the accounting, school, business and other companies on the accounting procedures and interpretation of leases. SFAS no 13 states that an asset can be considered a capital lease, where the value of the leased property is included in the balance sheet of the lessee, If the four conditions listed a are met: a) The lease conveys ownership to the lessee at the end of the lease term. b) The lessee has an option to purchase the asset at a bargain price at the end of the lease term. c) The lease term covers 75% or more of the economic life of the asset. d) The present value of the rental payments when using the lessee’s incremental borrowing rate is ninety percent or more of the fair market value of the asset. TWO ALTERNATIVE CONCEPTS OF LEASE ACCOUNTING One of the main points of SFAS 13 is that all lease contracts generate obligations that should be presented in the balance sheet, contrary to what the Financial Accounting Standards Board believes. In fact, SFAS no. 13 states that "a lease that transfers substantially the entire benefits and risks incident to the ownership of property should be accounted for as the acquisition of an asset and the incurrence of an obligation by the lessee and as a sale or financing by the lessor. All other leases should be accounted for as operating leases. (FASB 1976, para. 60)" FASB differs this by saying that not all lease contracts create both a new asset and a new liability. The FASB and G4+1 group have been implementing the FASB standard on lease recording. Companies in Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand have also been following the FASB standards. THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND ACCOUNTING FOR LEASES When assessing the generally accepted accounting principles states that accounting information that should be included in the financial statements are those that are submitted on time to the decision makers. These financial statements must also be relevant to the decision making process. Further, the financial statement items should stated in such a way as to permit comparability between two accounting periods or two or more financial entity who are subsidiaries, branches or competitors. Therefore, when rights and obligations are recorded in a lease contract, intangible assets are created. An airline company comes into "existence" when it buys an airplane. According to monsoon, There is a possibility that lessees may record the lease asset in the balance sheet will be boundless because intangible assets cannot be easily estimated. When a bank

Dirct and eMarketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dirct and eMarketing - Essay Example This connection between good levels of customer service and good levels of customer satisfaction and retention underpins the common association of customer service with keeping, rather than winning, customers. Customer service therefore plays a pivotal role in relationship marketing. Getting this role right, and to a standard of expertise that is superior to that of competitors and sustainable in the longer term, requires an in-depth understanding of the nature and nuance of customer service. Knowing customers means closing the loop between the messages sent to them and the messages they send back. Developments in IT have led to interactive communication tools such as the mobile phones being used to complement less interactive mechanisms such as mail or media advertisements. Growing use of carefully targeted direct mail has characterized this as the age of addressability. "Mobile commerce refers to transactions using a wireless device and data connection that result in the transfer of value in exchange for information, services, or goods. Mobile commerce, facilitated generally by mobile phones, includes services such as banking, payment, and ticketing" (Mobile commerce, 2005). "Some organisations view m-Commerce as merely another e-Commerce channel, those organisations that exploit the m-Commerce channel properly by developing alternative and complementary propositions will be more successful in m-Commerce" (E-Commerce, 2001). For suppliers, building longer-term customer relationships with the help of m-commerce means maintaining a dynamic knowledge of customers' requirements, preferences and expectations. While corner shop managers may be able to retain customer likes and dislikes in their heads, larger organizations need customer relationship management systems which manage data throughout the customer life-cycle, from initial contact, through information exchange and sales, to delivery and post-sales service. "Elsewhere in Asia, subscribers to Hong Kong mobile service Sunday can receive offers from shops as they pass them in the mall"(May, 2001). This interaction is as important with the mobile as with any other communication medium, and outsource its development and operations with minimal provision for information transfer - hence repeating the mistakes often made in the early days of the call centre. As surveys continue to show, advertising products and services with the help of m-commerce is relatively easy; more difficult, but absolutely crucial, is to gather vital customer information, obtain customer feedback, utilize existing knowledge about the customer and exploit the interactive nature to add value though product configuration (Evans, O'Malley, 2004). For instance, "a European-based mobile operator recently had some tickets for a pop concert for sale. Having identified a target audience, specials offers were sent to mobile customers by SMS allowing them to buy tickets at a discounted rate. Within an hour, all the tickets had been sold for approximately $100 each, customer details had been captured, and most customers had given permission for further follow up offers" (E-commerce, 2001). It is apparent that some industries are being restructured as organizations redefine themselves to take advantage of IT-enabled marketing, or are replaced by newcomers which operate

The Front Desk Essay Example for Free

The Front Desk Essay The front office department is the most visible department in a hotel. The focal point of activity within the front office is the reception desk. The reception desk is usually the place at which the guests form their first impressions of the hotel. It is also the communication center for the hotel’s operation (Baker, S, Huyton, J and Bradley, P, 2000, p. 22). The reception/ front desk: The reception desk may comprise: Cashiering; mail and information; registration; and room assignment. The reception desk is located in the busiest area of the hotel’s lobby. The main financial tasks which are handled by front office staff include: receiving cash payments, handling guest folios, verifying cheques, and handling foreign currency and credit cards (Baker, S, Huyton, J and Bradley, P, 2000, p. 22). The front desk is controlled by the front desk manager. It is the duty of the manager to make sure that a hotel achieves the maximum revenue and the highest level of room occupancy possible. It is also the responsibility of the front desk manager to monitor and motivate the staff as well as to maintain a high profile with the guests. This helps to ensure that a quality service is being given by the front office departments in particular and the hotel in general (Baker, S, Huyton, J and Bradley, P, 2000, p. 52). The specific responsibility of the reception supervisor is to guarantee the smooth running of the front desk. Apart from this overall duty, they would organize duty rotas, and handles complaints or difficult customers which a receptionist may not be able to deal with. The notification and greeting of important guests would also be the duty of the front desk supervisor (Baker, S, Huyton, J and Bradley, P, 2000, p. 52). The senior receptionists are in charge of each shift of staff. The senior receptionists are in charge of each shift of staff. The senior receptionist will take responsibility of assigning rooms to guests, dealing with group arrivals and handling guests’ immediate problems or queries (Baker, S, Huyton, J and Bradley, P, 2000, p. 52). During a hotel stay, guests may require certain services from, and engage in various transactions with a hotel. These are mostly handled by the front office. It is important to note that each section of the front office has an area of task responsibility (Baker, S, Huyton, J and Bradley, P, 2000, p. 0). The main roles of receptionists (or front desk agents) are involved in taking enquiries and reservation requests from hotel guests; preparing for the arrival of guests; greeting guests on their arrival; checking guests in (registering them, allocating suitable rooms and checking methods of payment); selling the facilities and services of the hotel; responding to guest problems and queries, or referring them to other departments that can do so; providing information about guests to other front office units and departments of the hotel; and maintaining guest records. He customarily answers phone inquiries, greets guests as they arrive to check in, and assigns rooms. When guests depart, the agent is typically the person who settles their accounts before they leave (BPP learning media, 2010). In addition to handling arrivals and departures, the agent is customarily in charge of general front desk guest relations. He traditionally controls the guest room keys and keeps track of how many keys have been released for each customer. Handling and distributing guest mail and messages are customarily the responsibility of the front desk agent (BPP learning media, 2010). Front desk supervisors typically serve as the face of a hotel. They provide customers with a first and last impression as both greeters of new guests and well-wishers to departing ones. Front Desk Supervisor These hotel employees oversee that guests are welcomed, registered into a hotels computer system and assigned an appropriate room or suite. They also perform or delegate various tasks, such as making or confirming reservations, verifying and collecting guests payments, issuing room keys and contacting housekeeping or maintenance when guests report a problem. Front desk supervisors must be resourceful, take ownership of problems and issues that arise and have excellent problem-solving skills. In addition to managing the daily operations of the front desk, these supervisors provide hotel clerks with necessary training and support. They maintain all essential front desk equipment and supplies, as well as controlling guests access to safe deposit boxes. Other responsibilities might include tracking and posting appropriate food, liquor or telephone charges to guests accounts; completing bookkeeping duties, like balancing accounts and conducting nightly financial audits; and recording and referring patron comments and complaints to the appropriate hotel manager. Hotel front desk supervisors must be friendly and outgoing and possess excellent communication skills. Perhaps the most important guest service function that can be provided by a front desk agent is that of properly registering guests. This is a five-step process of registration of a hotel guest which is stated by (Hayes, D. K. and Ninemeier, J. D. , 2007) consists of: 1. Greeting the guest: When the guest arrives at the front desk, a professionally dressed, well-trained staff member should greet them in a friendly way. Because most hotel guests arrive in the evening and check-in time can be very busy, it may not always be possible to avoid guests having to wait in line for registration. Proper staffing, however, should minimize the wait. When it is their turn to be registered, guests should, above all else, be made to feel welcome! 2.  Confirming the information on the registration card. This includes the spelling of the guests name, their arrival date, departure date, and room rate, and any other information related to that specific guest. Since the registration card will serve as the record of the guests stay, it must be complete and precise. In addition, misunderstandings regarding room rate can be minimized if the room rate is clearly communicated and understood by both the hotel and the guest prior to room assignment. It is critical that all information on the registration card be accurate and complete. 3. Securing a form of payment.  In most hotels, guests must either pay for their room in advance or provide a valid alternative source of credit at registration. While many hotels accept checks, the most prevalent source of credit provided by guests is that of a credit or debit card. These cards must be legitimate, however, before they represent an acceptable form of payment. To establish the cards legitimacy, the desk agent should authorize the card at the time of guest registration. 4. Room assignment. Once a guests registration information has been confirmed and an acceptable form of payment has been offered, the guest should be assigned to a specific guest oom. In some hotels, all guest rooms are identical, and room assignment is of little consequence. In other hotels, the room types may vary greatly in perceived quality and/or rate based primarily on the rooms location, view, bed type, amenities 5. Issuance of keys. The final step in the registration process is the issuance of their room keys. The actual number of keys to be issued is a matter of hotel policy and guest preference. It is important, however, that the issuance of guest room keys be tightly controlled because the theft, loss, or unauthorized duplication of keys could seriously threaten guest safety. Upon receiving room keys, the guest would be taken or directed to their room. ?A reservation in the context of the front office of a hotel means the booking or reserving of a bedroom (accommodation) by a guest, and involves a particular type of guest room being reserved for a particular person or persons, for a certain period of time. When a reservation or room booking is made at a hotel, it is expected that the hotel will honor its commitment in accepting that reservation and guarantee that a room will be available when a guest arrives (Baker, S, Huyton, J and Bradley, P, 2000, p. 63). A contract of booking is an agreement which is entered into every time a reservations clerk offers a prospective guest a room and that guest accepts the room however, the guest must be informed of all relevant details relating to the booking, for example, the type of room, the cost, dates, VAT and service charges involved (Baker, S, Huyton, J and Bradley, P, 2000, p. 63. This contract of booking means that: * The hotel ensures there will be a room as a specified, available for the guest upon their arrival. * The guest will arrive to use the room which they have booked, on the specified day. The reservation process is of vital importance to a hotel because it gives the first impression of the hotel to guests, sells the main product of a hotel, i. e. accommodations, generates customers for other departments, and provides important management information to other departments. The reservation process is often the first contact between the guest and a hotel. It is, therefore, essential for the reservations clerk to provide prompt and accurate service in order to present a good first impression to the guest. In the hotel industry, strong competition exists for the selling of accommodation; a guest who experiences problems or slow service from the reservations section will think carefully before confirming a reservation or returning to that hotel. An efficient reservations system is, therefore, very important (Baker, S, Huyton, J and Bradley, P, 2000, p. 64). The reservations department sells accommodation and helps to generate income for other departments of a hotel, for example, the food and beverage department. Hotel rooms are a saleable commodity and are strictly limited by factor of time and quantity. Therefore, if a room is not sold on a particular night, the revenue from that room is lost forever. Reservations contribute to the three main objectives of a front office department, i. e. , to maximize rooms, beds and average room rate, thereby achieving the highest possible revenue and profitability for the hotel. In additions, other departments often benefit from the reservations department. Such details may include an accurate estimate of the number of guests staying in the hotel (Baker, S, Huyton, J and Bradley, P, 2000, p. 64). Front Desk and Guest Privacy  Once a guest has been registered for a room, the courts have ruled that these guests enjoy many of the same constitutional rights in the room as they would in their own home. It is not simply the legal thing to do, but it is the proper thing as well, to protect the rights of guests to privacy (Hayes, D. K. and Ninemeier, J. D. , 2007).? A professionally managed front office is one in which guests are confident that their privacy is maintained by all staff members. This includes maintaining a guests anonymity. Hayes, D. K. and Ninemeier, J.  D (2007) states that in order to maintain a guest’s anonymity, a front Desk agent should: Never confirm or deny that a guest is in fact registered in the hotel without the guests express permission Never give out information related to a guests stay (arrival, departure, rate, etc. ) to any third party without that guests express permission Always be vigilant in informing the guest of any unusual third-party information requests regarding their stay Just as guests expect their own privacy to be maintained, they should also feel confident that information regarding their actual room is kept confidential. This is both a safety and a privacy issue. To that end, front desk agents should: Never give out a guests room number to any third party without that guests express permission Never perform registration tasks in such a way as to allow guest room information to he overheard by others in the front office area Never issue a duplicate room key to anyone without confirming the positive identification of that person as the rooms properly registered guest Concerning the financial aspect of the hotel, accounting for guests, while less visible than providing guest services, is another critical responsibility of the front office. Accounting for guests simply means that all charges incurred by a guests use of the hotel are charged for properly. Depending on the services and amenities offered by the hotel, the source of guest charges can be numerous. The following product and services list is not inclusive, but does represent some of the many possible guest charges that must be accurately collected and posted to the guests folio. Bucket Check: A procedure used to verify, for each guest, the accuracy of that guest’s registration information. When performing the bucket check, the desk agent physically verifies that the information on the guests registration card is complete and matches that in the PMS (Hayes, D. K. and Ninemeier, J. D. , 2007). When an appropriate bucket check is performed at each shift, the number of errors related to billing guests folios is greatly reduced. Errors in recording the information related to a guests stay make the hotels accounting records inaccurate. In addition, room rate adjustments made at checkout are both annoying and time consuming to guests. The bucket is the industry term for the location of the actual registration cards signed by guests at check-in. The bucket check is simply a manual procedure for assuring the accuracy of information related to the guests actual room assignment, rate to be paid, departure date, form of payment, and any other accounting-related information (Hayes, D. K. and Ninemeier, J. D. , 2007). The front desk should be able to produce independent supporting documentation for each charge posted to a guests folio. The front desk agent responsible for checking the guest out may need to produce some documentation of the charge. In this case, the documentation would likely be the actual room service ticket signed by the guest when the wine was delivered. It is the responsibility of each shift of the front desk to ensure that all appropriate guest charges incurred are posted to the appropriate guests folio and that the documentation supporting such charges has been thoroughly reviewed prior to posting. The night auditor depends on appropriate documentation provided by each shift of the front desk to support the charges that will be finalized and posted to the guests folio during the night audit (Hayes, D. K. and Ninemeier, J. D. , 2007). One of the most challenging aspects of providing guest service at the front desk relates to ensuring that guests are satisfied during their stay. When guests experience difficulties in the hotel, they will most likely turn to the front desk and its staff for assistance. There are a variety of reasons guest may have special needs or experience dissatisfaction during their stay. During their stay, and at time of checkout, guests are likely to bring up any issues they find that detracted from their experience. Routine items such as requesting room repairs, additional room amenities, or information can, if handled professionally, actually enhance the guests experience (Chon, K. S. and Maier, T. A. 2008). The making of guest reservations is often the first thing that comes to mind when considering the major functions of a front office, and this is indeed an important and often complex aspect of the front offices role. In addition to reservations, however, it falls upon the front office to actually assign arriving guests to specific guest rooms and respond to their special needs during their stay. These needs can include anything from transportation and information to medical assistance. In all of these situations and more, the major role of the front office is to make the guests stay as comfortable and as welcoming as possible.

Existentialism Essay -- Analysis, Jean-Paul Sartre

In his 1946 essay Existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre undertakes the task of defending existentialism against what he defines as â€Å"charges† (341) brought against it. Sartre begins to outline the â€Å"charges† brought against existentialism and further, existentialists. Following the medieval quaestio-form, Sartre begins with the statement of the objection, a short discussion, and then his reply to each. The first of the charges is that of quietism. â€Å"First, it has been charged with inviting people to remain in a kind of desperate quietism because, since no solutions are possible, we should have to consider action in this world as quite impossible† (341). Historically, quietism was a Christian philosophy that advocated withdrawal from worldly activities for passive and constant contemplation of God. The Roman Catholic Church officially decreed quietism to be heresy. The Christians then raise the objection that existentialism focuses on the hopelessness of the human situation and as a result, the philosophy leaves little ambition for action. The next of these objections is that of â€Å"†¦dwelling on human degradation, with pointing up everywhere the sordid, shady, and slimy, and neglecting the gracious and beautiful, the bright side of human nature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (341) As Sartre explains, the objection is essentially that existentialisms focuses on the â€Å"evil† or dreary side of life. The third charge made against existentialism is that of isolation. â€Å"(FINISH QUOTE)†¦having ignored human solidarity, with considering man as an isolated being.† (341) The objection is that existentialism ignores human solidarity and examines human beings as individuals. The fourth and final charge laid against existentialism is that of arbitrariness. â€Å"†¦we are charged w... ...o pass judgment on others, because there’s no reason to prefer one configuration to another’† (360). â€Å"†¦one can still pass judgment, for, as I have said, one makes a choice in relationship to others. First, one can judge (and this is perhaps not a judgment of value, but logical judgment) that certain choices are based on error and others on truth† (362). The final â€Å"sub charge† is that â€Å"‘everything is arbitrary in this choosing of yours. You take something from one pocket and pretend you’re putting it into the other.’† (360) Sartre explains, â€Å"†¦if I’ve discarded God the Father, there has to be someone to invent values,† (365) and that â€Å"†¦to say that we invent values means nothing else but this: life has no meaning a priori. Before you come alive, life is nothing; it’s up to you to give it a meaning and value is nothing else but the meaning that you choose† (365).