Checkpoint 1: Information System Business Problem Dimensions

Question 1: What are the three dimensions to business problems? Provide examples of each. There are three dimensions to businesses and they are: Organizations, People, and Technology. Organizations use information systems to keep the different levels in their hierarchy separated and organized. Organizations are comprised of different levels from the higher levels of management to the lower levels of operational personnel and have specialty areas from Human Resources to marketing. Information systems are developed for each department at each level in order to keep the different areas clearly defined and organized.In my organization, I hold the position of Vice-President and I specialize in the web development portion of our business. I have an information system that is completely different from the owner and President of our company because our specialties and tasks are in different areas. Information systems are only as good as the people that run and manage them. It is people that have to understand and use the information in order for the system to achieve the business goals. As of right now, we have hired an external company to keep track of all of our information systems and make sure we are keeping on task.This will change once I complete school and have a clear understanding on how to run our information systems myself. Technology is the aspect that continuously evolves to allow us to connect to people all over the world with different computers, networks, software, and mobile devices. Data management technology is what makes our particular company run smoothly because it is a employer/employee match-up system. I am learning more and more about managing our data bases, but it is definitely complex and changes constantly as new technology and platforms are created.This is an exciting time to be a part of technology because of the rapid growth. Question 2: What is the difference between IT and information systems? Describe some functions of information sys tems. Information technology is the hardware and software that a business needs in order to achieve its goals or objectives. Information systems connect information technology, people, and organizations in order for each individual department or person to be able to perform their jobs effectively and efficiently.Information systems collects data, processes the data, stores the data, and then sends the data out to different departments so that it can be analyzed to help the business run smoother. An example for me would be our accounting system. Our bank collects all of our banking data, it stores it for us and then it breaks it down for us so that we can see where we are spending too much, where we need to spend a little more money, how much we are making from different services, and of course lets us know if we are making a profit or not.By utilizing these reports each month, we are able to adjust our pricing points on certain services so that we can sell more and it has also told us we are spending too much on office expenses but that we need to increase our spending on marketing. We scrutinize these reports in order for us to achieve our goals for our company so that we can expand in the future. We also have a marketing system that collects data from each of the marketing strategies we are using so that we can analyze which ones we want to continue to utilize and which ones are not generating any clients so we need to stop using them.

The Advantages and the Disadvantages of Being Female

The advantages and the disadvantages of being female. Today ,be female could be advantageous yet could command some disadvantages ranging from the way one thinks , talk , the way people appreciate and consider you . The pains one may feel physically , spiritually and emotionally. Being female in a world which is continuously changing and demanding could be very difficult at times and very easy in some cases . The advantage of being female includes a lot of things. Females have a wonderful self support system .There are a number of things female do to pick them selves up again that men don ‘t have the privilege of doing. Also exists a number of pampering techniques that women use in putting themselves back together especially those who like to be spoilt could simply pick themselves up again by making a call to several close friends who will be at the door fully armed with sympathy , chocolate and even more quicker than you say so what your evening like. Women are more tuned to e motions than men and find it easier to express themselves .While most men wouldn ‘t be caught dead crying in public , let alone in front of their partners. Women will find a number reasons to burst into tears be it out of frustrations or for emotional reasons . But one aspect of crying men haven ‘t discovered or mastered is that in an argumentative situation , it can be used as a tool to get your way out or to prove a point but case that all effect fails try turning out the water works. A definite advantage of been female is the option to wear make up which really comes in handy.When you are having an off day ,Make up can serve two purposes:It can enhance a woman ‘s natural beauty or it can disguise those occasional flaws in the skin or the after effects of last nights partying. Women unfortunately have to suffer and endure the uncomfortable and often painful experience of having periods and with that ,there are associated emotions and mood swings . A clear disadva ntage over males some may say,but I think it could be also perceived as an advantage. Women unlike men have an excuse to be cranky,unreasonable or even impossible at times an occasionally they milk it for its worth.Just by being female she automatically has a reason for being irritable. Disadvantages are too numerous,frequently you hear men say it ‘s a mans world ‘ really it is a world dominated by men. Even when women get married the men seem to dominate all activities of the family. Even in the larger society men dominate in working sectors and so on. Most frequently women are sexually blackmailed for favors especially for employment purposes. While the men never receive such harassments. Despite the appearances that women are gaining in their options, their status has remained unchanged.This is because society still clings to traditional conventions in which women are supposed to stay inside the home. Furthermore, young women are expected to maintain harmony among the ir group at home or in the office by suppressing their individual personalities. To get out of this setup is difficult because daily life is so deeply immersed in such conventions. It is not as if men do not have they own disadvantages or advantages it is just that women constitute the greatest part of attraction on earth They simply make life interesting. Joana Nano III C

I will be able to provide you with more info once we get started Research Paper

I will be able to provide you with more info once we get started - Research Paper Example Language particularly the mother tongue is probably sensitive index for exploring the ethnic composition of the populations. Statistics based on the ability to speak a specified language or languages are perhaps the least useful measures for identifying the ethnic groups but they have a utility in connecting with the problems of educating and communicating with linguistic minorities and they are means of pointing out heterogeneity of languages within the country and measuring their individual strength. Such data are specially important in countries where more than one official language is being spoken. Two major types of errors in census data leads to over and under enumeration of the population in census the first one being the coverage errors and the second one being the content errors which affect the accuracy of the information collected for the covered population. Since coverage errors occurs most frequently in a population or subgroup than others it may affect not only the abso lute number of persons in a given category but also their relative distribution. Levels and patterns of coverage and content errors differs widely across countries and even from census to census in a given country. Data on mother tongue are designed to identify the cultural or ethnic groups in population by languages reported to have been spoken in early childhood presumably before immigration. Objective and Aim of the Study In this study I wanted to test the hypothesis the relation of languages spoken ( first and second languages) in country by the population in relation to birth in that country or may be an immigrant. Methodology We randomly collected data from a population called R and interviewed them on the languages spoken( first and second languages) and were also asked whether they were born in that country or not. While making this study we wanted to minimize the predicted errors of missing data, coverage errors and content errors. We simply left out the missing data while doing our analysis. Results Fig 1 reflects the data collected in the percentage of the population( valid data country born and preference of language spoken) versus the missing data percentage of population which was left out from the survey Fig 2: Series one reflects the frequency of population speaking language in the country versus the series 2 whether born or not born in that country. The correlation coefficient was calculated about the percentages of population surveyed and language spoken found that the correlation co-efficient was 1 which indicated that the language spoken is definitely related to the birth in a country that means the more the population born in a particular country more he speaks the first or native language of that

Ford Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ford Company - Essay Example During the early stages according to Weiss (2003; pp.104) the Company produced few cars from its factory located in Detroit. Most of the employees were contractors, and each car was under two men. During the great depression, Ford Company fought all odds and emerged as the only Company which survived the harsh economic times. In 1908, there was the introduction of the first engine with a cylinder head which was removable. This invention accelerated the assembling of a Model A which was the first car which had a safety glass. The first low priced V8 engine began its operations in 1932, leading to the offering of the Lifeguard safety package. In the same year, the company introduced the child-roof locks for the doors and the standard deep-dish steering wheel. In the 1980’s in regard to the study work of Tiffany & Peterson, (2005; pp.89) there was the acquisition of the Jaguar Cars and Aston Martin by Ford Company so as to increase its level of competition. At the onset of the 21st century, the Companys operations were low on corporate bonds resulting from high U.S health care costs for the work force which was aging, eroding market share, soaring gasoline prices and much dependence on the SUV sales which were declining. After coming up with a way forward, there was the introduction of the Crossover SUV’s and developed the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV for the hybrid electric power train technologies. In 2001 according to Smith and Carl, (2007; pp.101) the company appointed Bill Ford as the chief executive officer and later appointed Alan Mulally as the president. In 2006, the company was able to raise its level of borrowing to 25 billion dollars and thus securing the credit line through the corporate assets. Currently, the Ford Company upgraded its bonds from junk to investment grade leading to lasting improvements and citing sustainable as seen in the research work of Shurtleff & Aoyagi (2011; pp.65). At the inception of the Ford

Adding some requirements on the project one page only Essay

Adding some requirements on the project one page only - Essay Example This way, it would look like a new product in the market. To add to this, the company could also consider advertising their new image and mentioning the changes they have made and why they are better than before. 3. The company should also invest in latest technology in developing and operating fields so as to consider concerns in healthcare, environmental and safety issues of the Country. This way, the company would practice environmental friendly ways of going about their business. When consumers see this, they may appreciate the company more. This way, the sales of their product would increase as the company would become popular with the consumers. 1. Encouraging investors would be a suitable action plan as they would help the company in their businesses such as the company’s plan for globalization. Investors would also help the company buy modern technologies as they would provide income that could be used for

Finance Policies and Strategies of Multinational Enterprise Essay

Finance Policies and Strategies of Multinational Enterprise - Essay Example Actively managing financial risks allows us to continue doing what we do best – designing and selling great products – instead of just reacting to problems linked to events beyond our control. These risks arise due to the unavoidable effects that some political and natural events have on currency exchange and interest rates. When one of the countries where we operate slides into an economic crisis, for example, a government might impose exchange or currency controls, affecting our cash flow, profits, and funds transfer mechanisms and creating potentially adverse effects on our finances and stock price. These risks arise both from the likelihood that something good will not happen or that something bad will happen (Read and Kaufman, 1997, p. 112). Financial risks are those that threaten the efficiency of the worldwide movement of money and profits amongst our affiliated companies through internal transfer mechanisms (Shapiro, 2003, p. 26). We are exposed to this risk that has several types, amongst which the most relevant given the events just outlined are currency, credit, inflation, and market risks. Although most of the critical events are non-political in nature, their effects on the respective national economies may cause political risks that we must address. Our cost of capital and debt is affected by fluctuations in exchange and interest rates, inflation, and stock market volatility. We also need to manage transaction exposures, the possibility of incurring gains or losses on sales, purchases, and investment decisions entered into and denominated in foreign currencies (Eiteman et al., 2004, p. 155-176). International Finance Strategies Risks are uncertainties and sources of anxiety we need to deal with. Most business and financial risks are caused by outside events and changes in economic variables (GDP growth, commodity prices, interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and stock prices) over which we have virtually no control (Froot et al., 1994). Our inability to control these events, however, does not mean we cannot manage their effects.We manage the consequences of financial risks by adjusting our operational, financial, and investment strategies. Some risks we can take and others we cannot.

Memo 6 M Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Memo 6 M - Essay Example This clearly indicates that their loyalty is directed to the parties. The other work by Daniel Butler and David Nickerson takes a different perspective where it covers the question on whether the legislators are aware of the opinions of their constituents. The experiment to determine this was cautiously chosen so that the accuracy could not be affected by external factors. The experiment was conducted in a 2008 New Mexico’s special legislature session in which the constituent’s opinion on one time budget spending were forwarded to their legislators. The legislatures who received the opinions of their respective constituents were more likely to vote in favor of the constituents opinions. This implies that raising awareness on the opinions of the constituents could affect the representation. One of the shortcomings of the study is that it does not assess other groups that may influence the decision taken by the legislator such as parties and lobbyists. The important part that I feel has not been answered is whether legislators should be trustees or delegates. From a personal viewpoint, they should be trustees because they are not different from institutional board members. This is because shareholders elect the board members to help in leading the company and the legislators are elected to do the same but for the

Judicial Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Judicial Review - Essay Example Who will then protect the ordinary citizen from suffering from the wrath of the angry Queen of Hearts and give them a chance to have their cases reconsidered and to achieve procedural and substantive justice Our saviour is of course the remedy of Judicial Review which has become more of an eye sore to the Executive in the yester decades as the Judiciary continues to "check and balance" an unruly, highly political executive particularly after the new Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and the not so recent Human Rights Act 1998 which seems to have absorbed in the veins of judicial activism and recent case law with much ease. This Paper explores the process of judicial review of administrative action in the United Kingdom in the context of its constitutional significance. ... migration and Terrorism law post 9/11 and 7/7).Although there have been attempts to circumvent the scope and effect of the doctrine of Judicial Review in the past ( Anisminic Ltd. v. Foreign Compensation Commission2) ,the most recent has been the notorious "ouster" clause in the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Bill which has provoked an outcry from the human rights lobby and the constitutional law experts. Also significant is the role of the Human Rights Act 1998 which has to some extent resolved the debate whether judicial review should be based on common law or statute.3 Power must be Checked by Power4 The constitutional basis of Judicial review lies in the concept of "checks and balances" where as the actions of the members of the executive will be "checked" by the Judiciary to see whether they have gone beyond their "power" to prevent the arbitrary abuse of power. Traditionally the English approach to a systematisation of judicial review was remedial based and thus similar to the development of the prerogative writs5 which developed as personal requests by an individual to the King for the redressal of a wrong suffered by another individual.6The UK has no separate system of administrative courts (and the concept never found favour with the system either eversince the abolition of infamous prerogative Star Chamber).Thus the present administrative review system of England can be described as a body that combines both a substantive body of law containing grounds of review and a large number of administrative tribunals dealing with statutory appeals from decisions of public bodies. The subject of judicial review of administrative action thus requires a discussion of the role of the courts in devising and applying constraints to the exercise of

Golds Gym Essay Example for Free

Golds Gym Essay Gold’s gym has been the authority in fitness since 1965 dating back to the original Gold’s Gym in Venice, California. It was the place for serious fitness. Thereafter, Gold’s Gym quickly became known as â€Å"The Mecca of bodybuilding†. In 1977, Gold’s Gym received international attention when it was featured in the movie ‘Pumping Iron’ that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno. Today, Gold’s Gym has expanded its fitness profile to offer all of the latest equipment and services, including group exercise, personal training, cardiovascular equipment, spinning and yoga, while maintaining its core weight training tradition. With 3.5 million members worldwide, Gold’s Gym continues to change lives by helping people achieve their individual potential. Mission Statement: To enhance the quality of life in the communities we serve, through our fitness philosophy, facilities, programs, and products; and to instill in the lives of people everywhere the value of health and fitness. We are committed to exceeding our members fitness goals by utilizing our rich history established over the last 42 years of superior training, information, support and guidance provided by the largest and the best fitness organization in the world. Service excellence is our golden rule. Vision: To inspire, support, and lead every member in their effort toward a healthy, productive, and fun life, and to provide a safe, fun, energetic, rewarding, and fair working environment. We are the inspiration and the leadership that will guide the Wenatchee Valley to be the fittest community in America. We are the Customer Care benchmark. We are passionate about helping others. We are a great company for which to work.   Core Values: Respect – Have regard for others’ beliefs and viewpoints. Candor – Speak openly and honestly. Integrity Don’t â€Å"act† as though you have values – Be your values. If you really don’t care about other people, PLEASE don’t work here. Learning and Knowledge Sharing – Intellectual capital is our most valuable treasure. Share what you learn and be open to learn from others. Teamwork – This isn’t about you or me. It is about us. Make everyone around you look good. Humility – We are all equally important†¦.and equally unimportant. Accountability – True accountability is the process of constantly asking yourself; â€Å"what else can I do to make things better?† While it may have started out as a humble hard core training gym, Golds Gym has grown into a fitness empire. So does big mean bad? Or can corporate gyms still be a good place for independently minded personal trainers? With hundreds of locations across the world, the mega fitness employers of hour fitness, Bally Total Fitness and Golds gym are going to be tempting places where personal trainers can get almost guaranteed employment. The Personal Training Job Board is packed with entry level jobs. Golds Gym International, Inc. is an international chain of co-ed fitness centers commonly referred to as gyms. Each gym features a wide array of exercise equipment, group exercise classes and personal trainers to assist clients. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas Today, Golds Gym claims to be the largest chain of co-ed gyms in the world, with more than 750 locations in 42 states and 30 countries. Golds Gym has a membership of more than three and a half million, split almost equally between male and female patrons. Golds Gym locations are equipped with cardiovascular and strength training equipment and offer group exercise classes such as group cycling, Pilates, Latin dance yoga and stretching through the company GGX (Golds Group Exercise) program. Many gyms also offer basketball, swimming pools and boxing studios. Golds Gym is privately owned. It was acquired from its previous owner, private equity firm Brockway Moran Partners, by Robert Rowlings TRT Holdings in 2004 for approximately $158 million. Brockway Moran had acquired the company in 1999. The current chief corporate officers include President and CEO Jim Snow, David Fowler as senior divisional vice president, and Aaron Watkins as senior vice president of finance and accounting. Average Golds Gym Salaries: As of May 30, 2012, the average salary for golds gym jobs is $41,000 USD. Average golds gym salaries can vary greatly due to company, location, industry, experience and benefits. This salary was calculated using the average salary for all jobs with the term golds gym anywhere in the job listing. Jobs: Employees must be at least 18 years of age. Gold’s Gym is an equal opportunity employer who recognizes the value of having a diverse workforce. It seeks and encourages qualified applicants regardless of gender, ethnicity, or other cultural or physical characteristics. Fitness Sales Manager Our Sales Managers are responsible for consistent improvement of club sales and operations through effective planning, implementation, use and exercise of independent judgment and discretion in determining how to best maximize profits, contain costs, and hold club employees accountable. Personal Training Sales Manager Personal Training Sales Managers are responsible for selling training packages for our certified personal training staff and holding Personal Training Sales Counselors and Personal Trainers accountable. Fitness Sales Counselor A Membership Sales Counselor will actively pursue enrollment of new members through self-generated and Company-sponsored programs, promotions and referrals. This includes establishing and maintaining lead boxes; calling on new businesses for corporate accounts, obtain leads from existing members, give club tours and membership presentations, utilize computer programs to track appointments and sales. Personal Training Sales Counselor A Personal Training Sales Counselor will actively pursue enrollment of new members into Gold’s Gym Pro Results Personal Training packages by providing introductory training assessments, and utilizing computer programs to track appointments and sales. Operations Manager The job of our Operations Managers is to ensure that our members receive exceptional service from a happy, friendly staff in a clean and well-maintained facility. Operations Managers hire, train, and supervise all fitness, babysitting and janitorial staff, resolve all membership issues, update past due accounts, manage payroll and supplies budget, and uphold company standards Club Staff The job of our club staff is to meet, greet and check-in members and guests of Gold’s Gym, provide excellent customer service and update member’s account information using various computer applications and be assertive, enthusiastic and punctual. Group Fitness (Aerobics) Group Fitness Trainers are enthusiastic, professional, motivated, experienced individuals who enjoy teaching group fitness. They have experience in teaching one or several of the following formats: Cycling, Step, Latin, Hip Hop, light weight dumbbells, Kick box Cardio, Aqua, Mat Pilates and yoga. Personal Trainer The main responsibility of our Personal Trainers is to design and implement programs for our personal training clients. They are expected to treat all clients in a professional and compassionate manner and be prepared to advise clients of what to do during their â€Å"off day† when they are exercising on their own. In general, the trainer position requires you to be a positive fitness role model for all our clients and club members Building Maintenance The Building Maintenance personnel must have experience in at least one of the following specialties: wood floor refinishing, tile work, HVAC, painting, CPO, plumbing, electrical. Janitor The Janitor maintains the cleanliness and beauty of the club by cleaning the locker rooms, mopping floors, emptying trash containers, wiping off counters, cleaning equipment, cleaning mirrors and windows, etc. Equipment Technician The Equipment Technician must have a solid experience troubleshooting electrical, electromechanical and mechanical systems. Job Descriptions Tasks: Operate office machines, such as photocopiers and scanners, voice mail systems, and personal computers. Answer telephones, direct calls, and take messages. Maintain and update filing, inventory, mailing, and database systems, either manually or using a computer. Communicate with customers, employees, and other individuals to answer questions, disseminate or explain information, take orders, and address complaints. Open, sort, and route incoming mail, answer correspondence, and prepare outgoing mail. Compile, copy, sort, and file records of office activities, business transactions, and other activities. Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports. Type, format, proofread, and edit correspondence and other documents, from notes or dictating machines, using computers or typewriters. Complete work schedules, manage calendars, and arrange appointments. Review files, records, and other documents to obtain information to respond to requests . Greets each member and guests promptly, enthusiastically and with a smile to create a friendly positive entrance into the gym. Says â€Å"Hello† to all incoming guests and says â€Å"Good-bye† to all outgoing guests. Provides security and control to the front door area of the facility. Checks each member into the gym using the proper check-in procedures. Monitor check-ins to identify delinquent accounts and notifies Gym Operations Supervisor. Register all guests into the gym using proper registration procedures. Ensures that guests and appointments are directed to the appropriate fitness consultant in a prompt, professional manner. Answers phone by the third ring in a professional and courteous manner and uses proper phone greeting techniques. Addresses callers’ requests and/or takes appropriate messages. Registers all telephone inquiries in the TI register in the Master Production Binder and transfers the call to the appropriate Fitness Consultants. Responsible for following up on telephone inquiries to ensure that the appointment was booked properly. Responds immediately to member requests, inquiries and concerns. Maintain neat appearance and wear proper uniform attire with nametag while on duty. Distributes keys, towels and other materials as needed. Reserves time/makes appointments for tanning, special classes or other activities sponsored by the gym. Tools: Franking or postage machines — Postage machines Photocopiers — Photocopying equipment Scanners — Data input scanners Computers — Laptop and Desktop computer Technology: Accounting software — Billing software; Bookkeeping software; Intuit QuickBooks software Data base user interface and query software — Alpha Software Alpha Five; IBM Check Processing Control System CPSC; Microsoft Access; St. Paul Travelers e-CARMA Document management software — Filing system software; Records management software; Transcription system software Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel Word processing software — Microsoft Word Knowledge: Clerical —Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology. Customer and Personal Service — Providing customer and personal services; including customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. Accounting Principles — Understanding of basic accounting principles and cash processing procedures. Skills: Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively. Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others reactions and understanding why they react as they do. Time Management — Managing ones own time and the time of others. Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people. Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. Abilities: Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern, according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). Work Activities: Interacting With Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail. Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data. Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. Requirements: Education This occupation requires a high school diploma. Related Experience Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public. Job Training Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations. Job Zone Examples These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include sheet metal workers, forest fire fighters, customer service representatives, physical therapist aides, salespersons (retail), and tellers. Tasks: Observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary for skill improvement. Instruct participants in maintaining exertion levels to maximize benefits from exercise routines. Offer alternatives during classes to accommodate different levels of fitness. Plan routines, choose appropriate music, and choose different movements for each set of muscles, depending on participants capabilities and limitations. Teach proper breathing techniques used during physical exertion. Evaluate individuals abilities, needs, and physical conditions, and develop suitable training programs to meet any special requirements. Monitor participants progress and adapt programs as needed. Explain and enforce safety rules and regulations governing sports, recreational activities, and the use of exercise equipment. Provide students with information and resources regarding nutrition, weight control, and lifestyle issues. Administer emergency first aid, wrap injuries, treat minor chronic disabilities, or refer injured persons to physicians. Tools: Balance beams — Balance boards; Balance disks Exercise balls — Medicine balls; Weighted exercise balls Fitness weights — Fitness jog belts; Free weights; Water ankle weights; Weighted swim vests Microphones Technology: Calendar and scheduling software — Appointment scheduling software; Contemporary Web Plus Appointment-Plus Data base user interface and query software — BioEx Systems Exercise Expert; DietMaster Systems DietMaster Medical software — BioEx Systems Nutrition Maker Plus Project management software — BioEx Systems Fitness Maker; Get Physical! Software Personal Trainer Pro; Natural Fitness Concepts The Trainers Edge; Vesteon Software Personal Trainer-PDA Knowledge: Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects. English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders. Skills: Instructing — Teaching others how to do something. Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people. Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively. Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods. Monitoring — Monitoring individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others actions. Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. Abilities: Gross Body Coordination — The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion. Stamina — The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath. Trunk Strength — The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without giving out or fatiguing. Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. Extent Flexibility — The ability to bend, stretches, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs. Dynamic Strength — The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue. Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. Static Strength — The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects. Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. Work Activities: Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials. Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. Coaching and Developing Others — Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills. Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients. Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others. Requirements: Education Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associates degree. Related Experience Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job. Job Training Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations. Job Zone Examples These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include food service managers, electricians, agricultural technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents. Sales Manager Tasks: Manage, hire, train and develop sales staff. Generates sales leads through companys sponsored events while coordinating with the regional marketing function locally. Oversees lead generation for sales team through Company’s sponsored (walk-ins) and employee sponsored (outreach and promotions). Motivate sales staff and monitor their production levels by using the established protocols and sales system programs. Hold daily production meeting with sales team. Establish and maintain the standard company protocol for sales tours and price presentation. Maintain and direct training development of the gym sales staff. Establish and maintain an active referral system with the sales team. Establish and maintain a lead box/lead bowl system and monitor on a monthly basis. Develop and retain corporate client relationships through the sales team on a monthly basis. Audit sales team on a monthly basis. Maintain acceptable level of personal sales production. Submit monthly game plan for training, promotions and department meetings to General Manager and Area Manager. Create, implement and promote special events for the gym with regional marketing to generate new member sales. Answers phone by the third ring in a professional and courteous manner and uses proper phone greeting techniques. Addresses callers’ requests and/or takes appropriate messages. Registers all telephone inquiries in the TI register in the Master Production Binder and transfers the call to the appropriate Fitness Consultants. Responsible for following up on telephone inquiries to ensure that the appointment was booked properly. Responds immediately to member requests, inquiries and concerns. Maintain neat appearance and wear proper uniform attire with nametag while on duty. Distributes keys, towels and other materials as needed. Technology: Calendar and scheduling software — Contact management software; Scheduling software Customer relationship management CRM software — Eden Sales Manager; FrontRange Solutions Goldmine software; Salesforce.com Salesforce CRM; Vanguard Software Vanguard Sales Manager Data base user interface and query software — Data entry software; Microsoft Access Electronic mail software — Email software; IBM Lotus Notes; Microsoft Outlook Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel Knowledge: Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources. English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. Personnel and Human Resources — Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems. Economics and Accounting — Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data. Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders. Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects. Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. Skills: Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively. Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others actions. Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people. Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. Management of Personnel Resources — Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job. Abilities: Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity). Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. Work Activities: Selling or Influencing Others — Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions. Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources; in writing, or by telephone or e-mail. Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates — Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance. Developing and Building Teams — Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members. Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them. Coaching and Developing Others — Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills. Requirements: Education Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelors degree, but some do not. College degree preferred. High school diploma and some college courses completed is required Fitness certifications. Related Experience A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified. Previous experience in the fitness area as manager or sales head. Job Training Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. Internal sales training at the fitness center. Job Zone Examples Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, sales managers, database administrators, teachers, chemists, environmental engineers, criminal investigators, and special agents. Job Evaluation Point Method Analysis Defining Compensable Factors 1. Effort: earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something through the exertion of physical or mental power. 2. Skill: ability and capacity acquired through deliberate, systematic, and sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carryout complex activities or job functions involving ideas (cognitive skills), things (technical skills), and/or people (interpersonal skills) 3. Contact with Others: reaching out to or being in touch with another person, business or entity. For example, a salesperson may contact another person or business for a potential sale. 4. Complexity of Duties: Condition of having many diverse and autonomous but interrelated and interdependent components or parts linked through many dense interconnections. 5. Decision Making: Degree to which judgment is required to address typical problems associated with the position, and the impact that these decisions will have on the business Effort This factor evaluates physical and mental requirements of the job. It considers the amount of detail work, diversity of tasks, deadline pressures, and emergency situations. Degree Description of Characteristics 1 Minimal effort required (e.g., tasks are simple and routine, and use well-defined procedures) 2 Limited effort required (e.g., tasks are simple but varied, with some limitations set by standard practices and procedures) 3 Moderate effort required (e.g., tasks have some variation and complexity,with work governed only by broad instructions and objectives) 4 Substantial effort required (e.g., tasks are highly varied and complex, involving analysis and evaluation of many complex and important factors) 5 Extreme effort required (e.g., tasks are highly varied and extremely complex, involving analysis and evaluation of many complex and important factors) Skills This factor evaluates the ability to exercise cognitive skills, technical skills, and/or interpersonal skills. Degree Description of Characteristics 1 Little skill required (e.g. use of reading and writing, adding and subtracting; following of instructions, computer literacy and proper speech, with basic health and fitness skills) 2 Limited skill required (e.g. use of simple use of formulas and formulation of schedules; operation of equipment and machines; checking of reports, forms, records, and comparable data, with fitness training skills) 3 Moderate skill required (e.g. use of different methods of analysis; interpretation of data, equivalent to 1 to 3 years’ applied training in a particular or specialized occupation with fitness training skills) 4 Substantial skill required (e.g. use of advance methods of analysis and interpretation, all varieties of measuring instruments, equivalent to complete accredited apprenticeship in a recognized occupation; or equivalent to a 2-year health, nutrition or fitness college education and skills) 5 Extreme skill required (e.g. use of higher application of principles and the performance of related practical operations, together with a comprehensive knowledge of the theories and practices, health, fitness, management and other related fields. Equivalent to completing 4 years of health, nutrition or fitness college or university education and skills) Contact with Others This factor evaluates personal interaction with others outside direct reporting relationships (e.g. employees from other departments, customers, vendors/suppliers, the general public, etc.) and the degree to which the employee works with or through other people to achieve organization goals. It includes internal and external contacts and evaluates the frequency of the contact, the nature of the contact (informational vs. influencing), and the degree of impact the contact has on the organization. Degree Description of Characteristics Has little or no interaction with others (less than 20% of work time) and contact is internal, limited to co-workers and the direct supervisor for the purpose of supplying or obtaining information on routine matters. (Seeking and exchanging information, engaging others in conversation, and responding to questions) 2 Has moderate interaction with others (21% to 50% of work time) and contact is internal with other departments and superiors in other areas, for the purpose of supplying or obtaining information, but may require some influencing skills, tact and discretion. (Interpreting and explaining information, outlining alternative actions, and or gaining information from others) 3 Has frequent interaction with others (more than 51% or work time) and contact is both internal and external to the organization, for the purpose of supplying or obtaining information, and may require minimal influencing skills, tact and discretion. (Interpreting and explaining information, outlining alternative actions, and gaining information from others) 4 Contact is both internal and external to the organization, for the purposes of influencing and persuading in order to carry out company policy or goals. Requires communication skills, tact, discretion, persuasion, and an awareness of dynamics and organization goals with respect to external contacts (customers, suppliers, government entities, the community, or others) to gain cooperation. (Convincing other people, resolving disagreements, leading group activities, making presentations, or counselling) 5 Contact is both internal and external to the organization, primarily with top management levels, for the purposes of influencing and persuading in order to carry out company goals. Requires an awareness of strategy and timing. May involve difficult or sensitive negotiations requiring considerable tact, discretion, communication skills, and persuasiveness. (Formal or informal negotiations, resolution of complex situations, formalized debates or presentations) Complexity of Duties This factor evaluates the complexity of duties with regards to the degree of independent action, standardized job duties, exercise of judgement, job decisions, exercise of discretion, resourcefulness, or creativity in devising methods, procedures, services or products. Degree Description of Characteristics Little Judgement: Understands and follows simple instructions. 2 Some Judgement: Follows detailed instructions and standard procedures to perform repetitive or routine duties. 3 Simple Analytical Judgement: Plans and performs varied duties requiring an extensive knowledge of a particular field. Uses a wide range of procedures. 4 Complex Analytical Judgement: Plans and performs a wide variety of duties requiring a broad knowledge of company policies and procedures in addition to extensive knowledge of a particular field. 5 Advanced Analytical Judgement: Plans and performs difficult work without set precedent or procedures. Involves highly technical or involved projects that have new or constantly changing problems. Decision Making This factor evaluates the thought process of selecting a logical choice from the available options. When trying to make a good decision, a person must weigh the positives and negatives of each option, and consider all the alternatives. For effective decision-making, a person must be able to forecast the outcome of each option as well, and based on all these items, determine which option is the best for that particular situation. Degree Description of Characteristics Requires few decisions and duties are usually very standardized. 2 Exercises judgement to analyze facts or conditions to determine what action should be taken using standard practices. 3 Requires minor decision making. Requires outstanding judgement and initiative to deal with complex factors not easily evaluated. Makes decisions based on precedent and company policies. 5 Ingenuity and exceptional judgement necessary to deal with not easily evaluated factors and to interpret results. Makes decisions that involve a great deal of responsibility. Job Description for Customer Service Representative/Front Desk Processes orders, prepares correspondence, and fulfills customer needs to ensure customer satisfaction. Requires a high school diploma or equivalent and 0-3 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Has knowledge of commonly-used concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Relies on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job. Works under immediate supervision. Primary job functions do not typically require exercising independent judgment. Typically reports to a supervisor or manager. Customer Service Representative I U.S. National Averages The median expected salary for a typical Customer Service Representative I in the United States is $30,380. This basic market pricing report was prepared using our Certified Compensation Professionals analysis of survey data collected from thousands of HR departments at employers of all sizes, industries and geographies. Additional Information: O’net Source: Median wages (2011) $13.07 hourly, $27,190 annual Job Description for Fitness Instructor Coordinates all fitness programs for a facility. Organizes and instructs exercise classes for all fitness levels. Ensures that all participants are properly trained on the use of the facilitys exercise equipment. Responsible for making sure that the exercise area and equipment are safe and clean. May require a bachelors degree in area of specialty and 2-4 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Relies on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks. Works under general supervision. A certain degree of creativity and latitude is required. Typically reports to a supervisor. Source: HR Reported data as of June 2012 The median expected salary for a typical Fitness Instructor in the United States is $47,240. This basic market pricing report was prepared using our Certified Compensation Professionals analysis of survey data collected from thousands of HR departments at employers of all sizes, industries and geographies. Job Description for Sales Ensures the maximum effectiveness of the sales force by developing and implementing training programs. Designs and delivers training sessions on company products, business practices, and other topics as needed. Monitors and reports on the effectiveness of training programs and may conduct initial needs analysis. Requires a bachelors degree in a related area and 0-2 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Has knowledge of commonly-used concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Relies on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job. Works under immediate supervision. Primary job functions do not typically require exercising independent judgment. Typically reports to a supervisor or manager. Directs and oversees an organizations sales policies, objectives, and initiatives. Sets short- and long-term sales strategies and evaluates effectiveness of current sales programs. Relies on extensive experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Conclusion Recent industry compensation surveys state that employees remain in their jobs for 1 year or more. Though employee motivation is strongly derived from an individual’s passion for his or her work, compensation plays a major role in satisfaction and retention. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, fitness instructor’s average salary is $20.25 per hour, while rates for specialty instructors, yoga/Pilates instructors, group fitness instructors and personal trainers range from $23.75 to $30.50 per hour, on average. Knowing how fitness jobs are positioned within the wider employment market can help keep the industry competitive. However, with increasing numbers of career fitness professionals, progressive salary changes within the industry are perhaps equally important. Gold’s Gym follows a lag policy and although it has remained in the industry for the past decades, it is still one of the most criticized gyms in America unfavorable reviews. Reference: http://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/personal-trainer-salary-SRCH_KO0,16.htm http://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/fitness-trainers-and-instructors.htm http://www.careerbliss.com/salary/golds-gym-salaries-284979/ http://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/fitness-trainers-and-instructors.htm http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-9061.00#AdditionalInformation http://swb.salary.com/salarywizard http://www.simplyhired.com/a/salary/search/q-golds+gym http://www.lafitness.com/pages/employment.aspx http://www1.salary.com/Personal-Trainer-salary.html http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/LA-Fitness-Salaries-E12445.htm

Cultural Characteristics of India Essay Example for Free

Cultural Characteristics of India Essay With more than half of the workforce being in agriculture, services however, is the biggest contributing factor the economic growth in India. The information technology (IT) sector is where most of the growth is taking place. Many companies in the United States are beginning to outsource their help desk and programming specialties to India where the labor is cheaper and there are an abundance of qualified individuals. In-fact many of the positions you see in IT are filled by people native to India simply because training for these specialties is limited in the U. S. For example, if you were looking to hire an Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) developer it is highly unlikely that you will find a U. S. citizen with these skill sets, and if you did the U. S. candidate would certainly be demanding more money. India’s ability to train highly qualified IT professionals and ability to provide cheaper labor will continue to contribute to their increase in economic growth. Ultimately, it is those cultural characteristics we have discussed in class that has led India to so much growth over the last decade. They are a collectivist society, with a large power distance and a different set of value orientations from our own. Higher education is of upmost importance, and often times, much more important than interpersonal relationships. This is evident of the fact that they place so much importance on one’s education and its correlation to family status when selecting a bride/groom in an arranged marriage. India is considered a large power distance culture because there is a clear hierarchy within the family, â€Å"the father rules authoritatively, followed by the eldest son and moving down the ladder by age and sex† (Neuliep, 2009. 9). Within the Indian culture the children are expected to be obedient and many Indian children feel that their parents really don’t understand what it is like to grow up in today’s diverse society. Indian parents constantly expect their children to go to the right schools, only converse with people who share the same cultural backgro unds and to marry within their own race and religion. There are many different religions in India which include: Muslim, Hindu, Christian and Sikh. In India, even though you may share the same ethnicity if you do not share the same religious beliefs, marriage is forbidden. In my research I have come across a common theme within the Indian culture, and that is that Indian parent’s love to gossip about everything; they constantly discuss who got into what school, and who is getting married to whom. It’s not to say that Indian parents don’t want what’s best for their children because they do. In the article Indian Parents and Societal Pressure the author Arti Nehru states, â€Å"The really sad part about all of this is that parents truly want their children to be happy. But they are unsupportive in many instances because they worry about ne thing: What will people say? † The Indian culture is more of a collectivist culture who has the tendency to stress the importance of a group over the importance of the individual. Neuliep confirms that, â€Å"In collectivist cultures, people are not seen as isolated individuals. People see themselves as interdependent with others their (e. g. , their ingroup), where responsibility is shared and accountability is collective. A person’s identity is defined by his or her group memberships† (Neuliep, 2009. Pg. 41). Most of their values come from their traditional beliefs, their religious devotion and their secular spirituality. It is these value orientations that shape the way the Indian culture communicates with individuals in their own culture as well as with individuals outside of their culture. Values can affect the way people communicate within their own culture and with people of different cultures. They are â€Å"evaluative beliefs that synthesize affective and cognitive elements to orient people to the world in which they live† (Mooney, 2001, 2828). The value orientation model is used to compare high-context cultures such as the Indian collectivist culture with low-context individualistic cultures such as the United States. It can be broken down into six different categories: self, family, society, human nature, nature, and supernatural. In a collectivist culture such as the Indian culture â€Å"self† refers to how one may view themselves in relationship to others, and can further be broken down into three different sub-categories: self-identity, age, and activity. In India self-identity would suggest that people value conformity and cooperation. In India people are â€Å"interdependent with others, and for them, responsibility and accountability are shared and divided among the group members. † (Neulip, 2009, 63-64). Age for a collectivist, high-context culture is admired when they are old and conversely, in an individualistic, low-context culture, age is admired when they are young. In a collectivist culture like India the people tend be very spiritual and believe that people should embrace life. The activity one performs on a daily basis is of less importance in a country like India. Whereas in the United States, activity ften refers to how people identify themselves through their activities such as their professions and occupations. Often times when Americans are asked who they are, they will answer with what they do for a living; indicating that they tend to associate who they are, with what they do. Family within a collectivist culture such as India tends to be more authoritative in nature. The â€Å"head of the household† will make the decisions rather than having everyone work together as a democracy when making decisions. In India, families are less mobile, and will always attempt to sit down together when eating dinner. There is often a strict hierarchy that is followed among family members with the man of the house being at the top. The men and women in Indian families have very different roles within the family, which coincide with one’s hierarchal power. The male of the house makes the decisions, provides for the family and the women often times make the meals at night and take care of the children. In Indi,a family is a very important concept and marriage is considered to be sacred and is meant to last a life time. The term â€Å"society† in India can be broken down into two categories: social reciprocity and group membership. According to Neuliep â€Å"social reciprocity refers to the mutual exchanges people make in their dealings with others† (65). In collectivist cultures like India, if one asks another for a favor it is expected that an equal exchange of favors will occur. In India, group membership is often a pervasive formality; they have a tendency to join only a few different groups over a life-time. In the United States membership in a group is usually short lived, whereas in India people are highly selective and group membership is usually a prolonged commitment. This idea of a prolonged commitment to a group stems from those same cultural values that marriage does. In India, they practice arranged marriages and it is considered a lifelong commitment that is viewed as sacred. What may seem strange to the youth in the United States is actually embraced by youth in India. Many children in India feel that it gives them the ability to focus on their youth, and their education without the distraction or worry that an adolescence relationship can bring to the picture. It is also said that the youth in India â€Å"feel secure in their parent’s ability to choose an acceptable partner for them, trusting that their parents have enough experience and knowledge to do so without creating a disastrous situation† (Galt, 2011, 2). Many cultures like India believe that when marriages are not pre-arranged they tend to burn out too quickly. They believe it is because the two people have already gotten to know each other, rather than spending a life-time together after marriage getting to know each other. Marrying a person you don’t know gives one a lifetime to learn to love them, as opposed to the American ideal of learning a person inside and out before entering into marriage† (Galt, 2011, 3). In the United States, many believe that the idea of an arranged marriage is something that is forced upon the two getting married. This however isn’t true, in India before a marriage can become official the bride and groom are afforded the opportunity to meet each other to decide if they would like to go forward with the marriage. You might be surprised to hear that any rejection to a proposed marriage rarely occurs, and more often than not the proposed bride and groom will go through with the wedding as planned. This is because the parents of the bride and groom do their due-diligence and will often times spend years looking for a suitable bride or groom. They spend countless hours meeting with the families and friends, â€Å"considering hundreds of different aspects and comparison points before the potential bride and groom ever meet each other† (Galt, 2011, 6). In many ways the Indian culture is different than our own, we have the tendency to be more of an individualistic culture while they tend be more collectivist. We are considered a low-context culture, while India is considered a high-context culture. We value or independence and look out for our own self-interests over that of the group. In India, they value the group over the individual and believe that if one fails, they all fail. Even though we may differ culturally we are still similar in many ways, the biggest being our level of diversity; we are both comprised of many different values, ethnicities, and religious beliefs.

Stakeholder Management And Its Contribution To Project Success Construction Essay

Stakeholder Management And Its Contribution To Project Success Construction Essay Project management is an evolving discipline which is relatively new in both practice and academics hence knowledge is drawn from other disciplines to further advance both theory and practice in managing projects. Consequently this research will draw from different academic disciplines for its theory and the construction industry for its practice. To this end a project could be described as a strategy used by organisations to achieve its strategic goal, the strategy could be suggested to have a start and an end date (Turner 2009 p.20; Holton 2002 p.10-2). It could also be suggested that the word organisation in the above definition by Turner 2009 could be called the project stakeholder. Olanda and Landin (2005 p.321) defined project stakeholders as a: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦group of people who have a vested interest in the success of a project and the environment within which the project operatesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ This research is focused on investigating the impact of stakeholder management and its contribution to project success in the construction industry. It could be suggested that the use of PMIs life cycle phases be adopted for the entire project plan as seen in figure 1 below. Figure -Project Lifecycle The project initiation phase of this report will include proposing a project research topic, assigning a project supervisor or project sponsor and proposing a research plan. While the project planning phase will include reviewing of the available project materials and the execution phase will involve writing up the literature review and project methodology. Handover and closeout will involve submitting the final report to supervisor and award of Msc degree in Project Management. Lessons learnt could be suggested to be the feedback and experience gained in during the research. 1.2 Project Context Project Context could be suggested to be the setting in which a project is carried out (ApmBok 2009). In relation to the above description, the aim of this research is in agreement with the above suggestion (Achterkamp and Vis 2008 pg 749). 1.3 Project Rationale 1.3.1 Academic Rationale The academic research into project stakeholders has been attractive and extensive to researchers and professionals. Evidence shows that the construction industry accounts directly for 10% GDP growth in the UK (Cridland and Wates 2009 p.5),this goes to justify the need to investigate the impact of stakeholder management and its contribution to project success in the construction industry and also fulfil the academic requirement of the award of Masters Degree. 1.3.2 Business Rationale The economic implications for any organisation if projects fail will be devastating considering the above report by Wates and Cridland (2009 p5), this report shows that the construction industry account for 10% GDP growth. Project failure of any kind in the current economic climate will cost the organization its finance and jobs e.g. BP deep horizon in the US Gulf Coast where the collapse of a well led to fatalities which in-turn increased BPs financial burden. 1.3.3 Personal Rationale It could be suggested that as a project management professional, embarking on this research will help one better understand the principles of stakeholder management. The knowledge gained from this research will clarify any unanswered questions at the end of this research. 1.4 Aim and Objectives This research is aimed at: Investigating the impact of stakeholder management and its contribution to project success in the construction industry Objectives To explore the principles of stakeholder management and project success. To assess the benefits and challenges of stakeholder management. To correlate a relationship between stakeholder management and project success. To propose a strategy for measuring the impact of stakeholder management thereby assessing its impact on project success. To make recommendations for improved stakeholder management practices. 1.4.2 Project Scope According to Burke (2003 p. 104) project scope identifies when a project has been successfully completed within specified requirement. The scope for this project will involve activities such as writing the literature review, research methodology and drawing on the findings of the above mentioned activities to come up with a conclusion and recommendation. The scope of this research excludes the execution of the primary research. 1.4.3 Project Deliverables Project deliverables for this research is suggested to be the outcome of the report at every stage of the lifecycle (ApmBok 2009 p.135). The deliverables as shown in Table 1 are generalised and subject to being revised at the end of this report. Table Project deliverables Deliverables Description Project Research Plan Introduction/ Background Project Context and Project Rationale Project Definition Project Approach Research Project Schedule Resource Requirements Ethical Considerations Literature Review Research of theory and practice within the construction industry Project Approach or Methodology It involves the description of the process in the collection and evaluation of data that will be used to achieve the overall aim and objectives of this report. Project Proposal This involves outlining a research proposal from the finding and the analysis done in the project approach section. Conclusion and Recommendation This section involves the final summation of all the data used and presenting recommendation(s) where necessary. 1.4.4 Assumption, Constraints and Considerations Assumptions The project will be delivered on time, quality and within budget. The literature / materials needed to complete the project will be readily available. That the project aim and objectives will be met at the end of the project. Constraints The time required by the sponsor to complete the report. Combining three live projects at the same period. i.e. CPD, Group placement and dissertation. Considerations That the report will inspire its readers to proceed towards a primary research. That there will be more research into the impact of project stakeholders and its contribution to project success within the construction industry. 1.5 Initial Literature Review 1.5.1 Stakeholder Management Project stakeholders have been widely discussed in various project management literatures. Fewings (2005 p.34) described project stakeholders as people that their interest could affect the outcome of the project while Olanda and Landin (2005 p.321) agues that although project stakeholders are group of people with different interest in a particular project, they are also interested in a successful outcome no matter the level of interest. Since this research will be focusing on stakeholder management, McElroy and Mills (2007 p.270) suggested that stakeholder management deals with the relationships between stakeholders within projects. This relationship must be developed and structured so as to achieve a successful outcome. McElroy and Mills (2007 p.270) description of stakeholder management is convincing because different bodies of knowledge are yet to agree on a particular description for stakeholder management. Fewings (2005) and Olanda Landin (2005) perspectives on project stakeholders in relation to stakeholder management is valid in that all agreed that stakeholders are made up of more than one individual, so managing this relationship as described by McElroy and Mills (2007 p.270) will determine if a project is a success or a failure . 1.5.2 Project Success Yu et al. (2005) suggested that a: Project  is a success if its created product adds value to the client, considering the cost to the client at the point of acceptance While there is no definite definition to what project success is or what will be the best way to define success, this report would look into critical success criteria used in the construction industry to determine when a project is successful. The ApmBok (2009) defined project success as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the satisfaction of stakeholder needs measured by the success criteria as identified and agreed at the start of the projectà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 1.6 Project Research Approach In this section it could be suggested that a proposed research approach be developed, this approach would be aligned with the project aim and objectives. To achieve the above this report has identified two methods or type of research, this are the Primary and Secondary research. A primary research entails the collection of new data or expansion of existing theories in project management body of knowledge. This could be achieved by using the following methods: the use of questionnaires, sampling and survey. Data for this research would be collected though documentary research. This involves analysing various literatures relating to the research; given that this research is a secondary research, a qualitative method will be employed. 1.6.1 Ethical Consideration Sekaran (2000, p17) defined ethics as a code of conduct or expected societal norm of behaviour while conducting a research or project . Below in table 2 are the ethical considerations used to compile this research. Table -Ethical Consideration This research was carefully structured to avoid any misrepresentation or distortion of data collected. All information used for this research was adequately referenced to avoid plagiarism. This report was written with due respect for the subject and authors All information used for this report is in line with universities academic guidelines. Sekaran ( 2000, p.261) 1.7 Project Planning / Report Schedule Burke (2003, p.94) defined project schedule as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a process required to ensure that various elements of the project are properly managed and controlledà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The project schedule will be used to assign expected start date and expected finish date. The schedule is in a Gantt chart, this could be suggested to be in agreement with (Burke 2003) definition. See Appendix 1 for more details. 1.8 Project Resource Requirements and Budget The resources required for a successful completion of this project is listed in Table 2 and the cost estimate that would apply to both primary and secondary research is in Table 3 Figure -Resources Requirement Human Resources Description Hours Researcher Researcher would carry out a secondary research and prepare a primary research plan to be used to further analyse the project aim 600 Academic supervisor The academic supervisor would give guidance, review and monitor project to ascertain if the project is within scope. 60 Project sponsor The project sponsor and management would be need during an actual primary research. 100 Table Project Budget Activity Budget Source Cost for Researcher and supervisor  £3000 RGU and Sponsor Printing of dissertation and buying of CD drives ( hard and soft copies)  £200 Researcher and Sponsor (in the case of a primary Research) Transport is Dependent on the location of the organisation and RGU library Not Determined at present Researcher and Sponsor 1.8.1 Risk Matrix Risk management is a key area in APM and PMI bodies of knowledge; projects are often associated with one form of risk or another (Raz Michael 2000), controlling this risk is an important task for any researcher. To this end, this report will take a proactive role in controlling risks associated to this project by developing a risk plan which can be seen in Table 4 Table Risk Matrix RISK Probability Impact Rating Mitigating Measure New Rating Difficulty in accessing data for literature review 3 5 15 An early start would be suggested, so as to either change research topic or source for resources 5 The aim of the research becomes to wide to handle 3 4 12 Ensure research topic is specific not too wide 4 Too many information 2 4 8 Start gathering and arranging information on time 2 Technological Difficulty 3 5 15 Back up all files and attend classes on software training 4 Respondents for the primary research are not co-operative 2 5 10 Ascertain at an early stage the willingness of respondent 5 Delays leading up to dead line 3 5 15 Early start ensures an early finish 5 The key describing the colour coding is in Appendix 2 1.9 Report Layout Figure Report Layout

Future Solutions to HIV AIDS :: Biology Disease

Introduction to HIV What is HIV? First Things First: What is HIV? The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of the most evasive viruses that the medical world has to experience. We use the word evasive because HIV targets the CD4 cells (T-helper cells), which are the exact cells that are used to protect your body against diseases. Once HIV enters the body, it will infect the CD4 cells and begin to use those cells as its own â€Å"HIV factory.† HIV will therefore begin to destroy your immune system leaving you susceptible to opportunistic diseases. HIV targets your immune system... What does HIV infect and how? HIV affects your immune system. Your immune system can be thought of as your body’s defense line! In which, you have millions of 'soldiers' (T-helper cells) helping you ward off almost any foreign invaders. Now, it is important to note that just like in a army defense line, your body also has different levels of protection. Introduction to HIV Cont. Your skin is the first line of defense... †¢ First line of defense: the skin o Your skin is an amazing organ, which helps you ward off invaders from the outside. Special cells called Dendritic cells and macrophages are white blood cells that try to fight off infection before it becomes a major problem. T-Cells of the humoral immune response are the second line of defense... †¢ Second line of defense: T-Cells o Once a virus has invaded the body, T-Cells (CD4 cells) relay signals to the rest of the immune system, which causes the immune system to activate by sending out the â€Å"reinforcements.† These T-killer cells (CD8 cells) do exactly what the name suggests, they â€Å"kill† almost any foreign invader, through apoptosis or programmed cell death. Other CD4 activated cells are part of your body's line of defenses... †¢ Other Cells activated by CD4 Cells o B-Cells- Once activated, B-cells / Plasma cells begin producing antibodies against a virus o Natural Killer Cells (NK)- Help your body by destroying infected cells Introduction to HIV Cont. All viruses must be able to bind to a cell in order to enter it. In the case of HIV, the virus has a cell membrane with embedded viral proteins that enables it to do so, but this works only when it binds with two specific receptors. One is called the main receptor, and the other a coreceptor. There are two types of HIV; M-tropic and T-tropic. The M-tropic variant targets macrophages while the T-tropic variant targets the T cells. Future Solutions to HIV AIDS :: Biology Disease Introduction to HIV What is HIV? First Things First: What is HIV? The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of the most evasive viruses that the medical world has to experience. We use the word evasive because HIV targets the CD4 cells (T-helper cells), which are the exact cells that are used to protect your body against diseases. Once HIV enters the body, it will infect the CD4 cells and begin to use those cells as its own â€Å"HIV factory.† HIV will therefore begin to destroy your immune system leaving you susceptible to opportunistic diseases. HIV targets your immune system... What does HIV infect and how? HIV affects your immune system. Your immune system can be thought of as your body’s defense line! In which, you have millions of 'soldiers' (T-helper cells) helping you ward off almost any foreign invaders. Now, it is important to note that just like in a army defense line, your body also has different levels of protection. Introduction to HIV Cont. Your skin is the first line of defense... †¢ First line of defense: the skin o Your skin is an amazing organ, which helps you ward off invaders from the outside. Special cells called Dendritic cells and macrophages are white blood cells that try to fight off infection before it becomes a major problem. T-Cells of the humoral immune response are the second line of defense... †¢ Second line of defense: T-Cells o Once a virus has invaded the body, T-Cells (CD4 cells) relay signals to the rest of the immune system, which causes the immune system to activate by sending out the â€Å"reinforcements.† These T-killer cells (CD8 cells) do exactly what the name suggests, they â€Å"kill† almost any foreign invader, through apoptosis or programmed cell death. Other CD4 activated cells are part of your body's line of defenses... †¢ Other Cells activated by CD4 Cells o B-Cells- Once activated, B-cells / Plasma cells begin producing antibodies against a virus o Natural Killer Cells (NK)- Help your body by destroying infected cells Introduction to HIV Cont. All viruses must be able to bind to a cell in order to enter it. In the case of HIV, the virus has a cell membrane with embedded viral proteins that enables it to do so, but this works only when it binds with two specific receptors. One is called the main receptor, and the other a coreceptor. There are two types of HIV; M-tropic and T-tropic. The M-tropic variant targets macrophages while the T-tropic variant targets the T cells.

Artificial Intelligence :: Technology Robots Essays

Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence is a key component to the vision for human-centric computing. Within the wide arena of artificial intelligence, expert systems could become useful for completing specific complex tasks. AI will remain valuable regardless of whether we're able to build fully- functioning robots or human-esque brains. AI, the harnessing of intelligence on the computer, will turn complex thought processes into fast computer simulations; it will be used to analyze past events and predict the future. "The ability of these systems to explain the reasoning process through back-traces and to handle levels of confidence and uncertainty provides an additional feature that conventional programming can't handle." (PC AI) The possibilities are endless. Vision The vision of expert systems is straight forward: to replace complex human thought processes and tasks with computer programs using Artificial Intelligence. For example, create a "stock broker" program to analyze stock prospects. Or create a program to make a decision on whether or not to hire somebody. The fun doesn't stop there: many complex tasks can be done by computers using Expert Systems. This is done by emulating human logic on a machine. For example, an expert system for die polishing was developed: "Several studies on the decision making for polishing sequence and conditions using an expert system in the polishing process have been reported." (Ahn) Also, "Tricks from neural networks and expert systems are used in a smart-vision engine called AIMS-an automatic inspection and management system for finished printed-circuit boards, specifically printed-wiring assembly and high-density interconnect." (Johnson) In the overall vision of human-centric computing, this means that peo ple will one day be able to go to their computers, and not only have the interface of the machine built around them, but the machine will be able to be an "expert" in any number of areas; allowing them to perform complex analysis on data or perhap! s aid them in the creation of any number of things. Objective As the speed of computers increases, and the complexity of AI routines increases, the computer industry should be able to create software applications that replace many of the complex human thought processes. The computer industry should be able to economically create systems to do such tasks as analyze data, create data to meet your needs, and more. This should increase the productivity of the World's work force by greatly. This is the ultimate in human-centric computing applications; with this technology, our most complex work will be done easily on the computer.

British Girls and Women of the 90s †the Spice Girls, Girl Bands and Their Influence on British Culture

British Girls and Women of the 90s – The Spice Girls, Girl Bands and their Influence on British Culture The twentieth century will, without doubt, be viewed by historians as the Woman’s Hour. The status of women in Britain changed. More and more women started to leave their homes and join the labour market. They started to fight for their independence and political, economic and social rights. Women got more recognition from the society and they started to pursue equality with men.They progressed from being (almost) possessions of men, with no legal status of their own, to being considered legal citizens in their own right. As far as the political background is concerned, it is worth saying a few words about Margaret Thatcher. Following the defeat of the Conservatives in 1974 election, Margaret Hilda Thatcher was elected as the new leader. She wentaon to lead the Conservatives toathe victory in the election of 1979 andathe party remained in power until 1997. Christopher states that, â€Å"She was developing economicaideas which were guided by the fashionable theories of monetarism†(Christopher, 12).These involved reducing inflation with high interest rates and submitting all aspects of the economy to free-market theories and the laws of supply and demand. Her economic and political ideas, which came to be known as ‘Thatcherism’ began to be fully expressed and implemented. But in Britain, there were high rates of unemployment during the periods of the 1980s and early 90s. The jobs people lost were mostly skilled jobs in manufacturing industry, which were regarded as ‘men's jobs'. Massive cuts in state spending led to job losses in the public sector, which affected women equally.According to Christopher’s study: Because these jobs were usually semi-skilled or unskilled and low paid, the women were more interchangeable as employees and could find part-time office work or cleaning work, similarly low paid, elsewhere. ( Christopher, 13) Women wereabeginning to occupy postsain traditional male-dominatedaareas such as business,alaw and banks. aMany of them couldaenjoy the benefitsaof increasing financialaand sexual freedom,aand were postponing marriageaand children. By 1986 the economy wasastrong. There was an airaof enterprise and optimism asaa new society emerged. aBritain became oreaaffluent, competitive andamore interested inacash. There was a newageneration of stylishaand image-conscious consumers,aand spending on restaurants,aclothes, cars, homes and holidays reached recordalevels. Many various feminist groups appeared and the third-wave of feminism in the USA began. In the early 1990s, an underground feminist movement called Riot Grrrl jumpstarted the idea of female empowerment. Riot Grrrl was anaunderground feminist punk rock movementathat originally started inaWashington, in the early to mid-1990s – it wasaoften associated with third-waveafeminism. According to some, â€Å"Riot Grrrl . ands often addressed issues, such. as: domestic abuse, rape, sexuality, patriarchy, racism and female empowerment. Riot Grrrls were knownato start chapters, hold meetings,aand suport andaorganize womenain music. †(Schilt, 6). Theamovement allowedawomen their own spaceato create music andamake political statementsaabout the issuesathey were facing inathe punk rock community asawell as inasociety. Those ideas soon entered Great Britain. Shortly after that, British marketers began latching onto the catchphrase ‘girl power’ – which expressed aacultural phenomenon of the 1990saand earlya2000s. It is also linkedato third-waveafeminism.The most memorable example of ‘girl power’ is the Spice Girls. The Spice Girls wereaa Britishapop girlagroup formedain 1994 and the biggest popular cultural icons of the 1990s. As McGibbon mentions, â€Å"performing pop music, Spice Girls achieved a worldwide success, selling over 55 million albums all over the world , the most from among all female singing groups in the twentieth century. †(McGibbon, 23). Wherever they appeared, they could count on the support of the army of fans from all over the world, as well as the hysterical reaction of the media. The pop phenomenon – the Spice Girlsachanged the courseaof popularamusic andapopular culture.Both albums and eight of their singles releases achieved number one chart position in the UK. No pop group since the Beatles attracted as much media attention as the Spice Girls. Ginger,aBaby, Posh,aSporty andaScary were international stars, adored and ridiculed in equal measures which was the ultimate expression of media fame in the Nineties. The girls have made many achievements such as Wannabe – the Spice Girls’ first single – and the most successful song in their career. It plays a crucial role in their fame. The single Wannabe toppedathe UK Singles Chartafor sevenaweeks and acquired a latinumacertification byathe Bri tish Phonographic Industry. Sinclair concludes, â€Å"Itabecame theabest-sellingasingle by aafemale group, sellingaover six millionacopies worldwide. † (Sinclair, 78). In June 1997 the Girls undertook to make a feature-length film called Spiceworld – The Movie. The film was directed by Bob Spiers (director of Absolutely Fabulous, Fawlty Towers, and Are You Being Served? ) and was a comical narrative from the Spice Girls’ real life adventures. According to some, †the film was a runway success, becoming the second highest-grossing British film of 1997 (after Bean). (McGibbon, 45). Theayear 1997 sawathe Spice Girls capitalisingaon their fame throughaa multimillion dollaraphenomenon ofamerchandise, with hundredsaof official products. They may have made a great pop music, but if ever a group regarded their creative endeavours as a means to achieving a commercial end it was the Spice Girls. While pop stars through the decades have generally tried to a greater or lesser extent to protect their artistic integrity by not appearing to endorse unrelated or unsuitable products, the Spice Girls did the exact opposite.They were up for anything. According to Sinclair, „When it came to endorsements, it seemed that Spice Girls didn’t know the meaning of the word ‘No’. †(Sinclair, 50) There was apparently no product of consumer interest, however mundane or embarrassing, that it was beyond their ingenuity to adapt to the girl power credo. By the middleaof 1997, theaSpice Girlsahad signed up for product tie-in deals with Pepsi, Benetton, Feberge, Sony PlayStations, Polaroid cameras and Walker’s crisps. By the September 1997, the group were estimated to have earned $47 million by Forbes magazine, which ranked them at number 32 in their list of highest paid entertainers†. (http://www. sociology. org. uk/fchan1. pdf). This was a staggering achievement considering how little time they had been operating in the ma rketplace. All these achievements of the Spice Girls corroborate a huge potential of the band. Theaarrival of the Spice Girlsaadded to the new imageaand re-branding of Britain,aand underlined the growing worldapopularity of British, ratherathan U.S. , pop music. aThis fact was visible at the BRIT Awards ceremony in 1997. aThe group won twoaawards but itawas Halliwell's Union Jack mini-dress which she designed herself thataappeared in media coverageaall over the worldaand eventually became a symbol of ‘Cool Britannia’. They were the first pop phenomenon truly to understand the demands of the modern multi-media age, and to tailor their efforts accordingly. To their credit, the Spice Girls had an immensely powerful influence on children and teenagers. The girls were crazy about them.The kids of a generation whose musical horizons had previously been restricted to Mr Blobby, a character from a television show Noel's House Party, and Sesame Street singalongs, became sensitis ed to pop music thanks to the Spice Girls. Teenagers modelled on the girls dyeing hair red, performing dances and dressing up as their favourite Spice Girls. There were many all-girl bands which appeared during the existence of the Spice Girls such as: Attomic Kitten, Sugababes or Girls Aloud and many of which were created after the collapse of the group. All or most of them modelled themselves on those five wonderful girls.Despite the fact that there were, and still there are, many girl bands, none of them – also the aforementioned ones – has left such a big impression on pop music as the Spice Girls. As Sinclair states, ‘They became, almost overnight, a fondly regard and instantly recognisable part of British pop's royal family. † (Sinclair, 89). In summaries of their achievements ranging from the most informed biographies to the most aimless of pub conversations it was a generally held and often stated belief that, „the group put British music back on the world stage and ushered in a global renaissance in pop. † (Sinclair, 90).