Saturday, January 25, 2020
Sharing Pirated MP3’s :: File Sharing Essays
Sharing Pirated MP3’s The sharing of MP3 music and its legality is a major issue in our legal system at this time. It has been a battle in the courts for several years now. It all began with the legendary downfall of the original bad boy of sharing, Napster. Despite the legal actions of the music industry, the file sharing community continues to thrive. Millions of users still log on to a handful of programs and illegally trade MP3’s and other computer programs. College students are suspected to be one of the major culprits of People to People file sharing. A survey was conducted in order to obtain an understanding of why students of James Madison University would use People to People sharing programs. More importantly, it was to gain insight into the ethical outlook of students in concern to the sharing of MP3 music files. The survey attempts to determine why, in light of the ethical issue and possible legal repercussions, do JMU students still trade illegally pirated music? The survey was composed of ten multiple choice questions and administered to twenty random students. The students were taken from various areas around the campus in order to obtain a wide variety of responses. It sought to have respondents who were of various age, race, and sex. The surveys were handed out in a classroom, a dining hall, and an events committee meeting for the University Programming Board. Students remained anonymous to the administer and their confidentiality was assured. Most of the students filled out the survey with relative ease and only had to debate on a couple of the questions. Several students were kind enough to give a few extra minutes of their time for various follow up questions. I began to ask students which questions gave them the most trouble. Many felt the last question, asking if downloading MP3’s for free is ethical, was the most thought provoking question. Nineteen of the twenty students surveyed downloaded MP3’s. Fourteen said they felt it was unethical to download the MP3’s, yet most of them continue to download. The question seemed to stimulate an ethical debate inside the respondents of which they had trouble answering. A vast majority of the students simply do not care about pushing ethics aside and continue to download pirated music.
Friday, January 17, 2020
ABC Management Company: Organizing for Mid-Range Service
1. List some of the important organizational and service factors that the executives of ABC Management should consider before responding to the owners of the three mid-range service properties. Since the hotels are within the mid range (350-500 rooms), a room director will be needed to supervise the departments that make up the rooms division, another director for the food and beverage department and supervisors in the subdivision under the food and beverage department.Other key members of the management team that should be included are a director of sales and marketing, controller, and a director of human resources. Other hotel service and organizational factors should also include an executive housekeeper and director of catering as part of the management team. Some of these positions may be limited as some of them can be done by one person. I am a strong believer in department heads. Considering that they are taking in three hotels with a range in size of 350-450 rooms each, it wo uld be best to consider department heads for more control and organization. 2. Create an organization chart that ABC Management could use to identify management positions for the operation of a 450-room, mid-range service hotel. Aside of the organization chart, briefly describe each management position’s primary responsibilities. Primary Duties of each department head are listed below. However, they are not limited. There are just a few items listed. Position Oversees Responsibility General Hotel Manager All departments†¢Ã‚  Responsible for maximizing revenues and flow through to GOP to meet or exceed budgeted EBITDA. †¢Ã‚  Responsible for preparation of property budget and forecasts. †¢Ã‚  Manages labor standards and property level expenses to achieve maximum flow through to the bottom line profit. †¢Ã‚  Promotes 100%Guest satisfaction throughout property. Instills the 100% guest satisfaction objective to AGM and hourly associates.†¢Ã‚  Ensures that all guest related issues are resolved in a manner consistent with the company’s goals and objectives. †¢Ã‚  Recruits qualified applicants. Trains employees in accordance with company standards. †¢Ã‚  Motivates and gives direction to all employees. †¢Ã‚  Communicates all policies and procedures to entire staff Rooms Division Manger Front Desk, Uniform Services, Housekeeping †¢Ã‚  Train hotel associates/administration †¢Ã‚  Communicates all policies and procedures to entire staff Supervise continuous 7 day/week, 24 hour front office operation, night audit and housekeeping operations and assigned staff, including hiring, training, evaluating performance and scheduling work. †¢Ã‚  Formulate budgets and prepare monthly revenue/expense forecasts. †¢Ã‚  Maintain customer service/satisfaction standards; handle customer service issues. †¢Ã‚  Maintain and operate all computer equipment. Food and Beverage ManagerFood Production, Restaurants, Banquets, Cocktail Lounge, Room Service †¢Ã‚  Check budgets, payroll and food order invoices from suppliers †¢Ã‚  Hire and schedules servers, bartenders and other food service employees, assigns kitchen staff to cooking and preparation tasks, and determines service standards for personnel. †¢Ã‚  Knowledge of American and ethnic cuisine, food preparation and the costs of purchasing items for particular dishes. †¢Ã‚  Plan menus for restaurants and special events like banquets. Sales & Marketing Manager Sales & Marketing†¢Ã‚  Develops and manages sales/marketing operating budgets. †¢Ã‚  Plans and oversees advertising and promotion activities including print, online, electronic media, and direct mail. †¢Ã‚  Develops and recommends product positioning, packaging, and pricing strategy to produce the highest possible long-term market share. †¢Ã‚  Achieves satisfactory profit/loss ratio and market share in relation to preset standards and industry and economic trends.Controller Hotel Finances†¢Ã‚  Takes ownership for the production of monthly financial and management accounts, budgets and forecasts and to ensure strong financial controls and processes operate throughout the business. †¢Ã‚  Manages a designated team, ensuring month end accounts are prepared in a timely and accurate manner, producing statutory accounts, preparing business budgets and forecasts, managing cash flow and working cross functionally in order to champion commercial initiatives.Accounting Manager Payables & Receivables†¢Ã‚  Achieves accounting operational objectives by contributing accounting information and recommendations to strategic plans and reviews. †¢Ã‚  Meets accounting financial objectives by forecasting requirements. †¢Ã‚  Confirms financial status by monitoring revenue and expenses. †¢Ã‚  Maintains accounting controls by establishing a chart of accounts. †¢Ã‚  Guides other departments by researching and interpreting accounting policy; applying observations and recommendations to operational issues.Director of Human Resources Human Resources Department†¢Ã‚  Employee services and counseling. †¢Ã‚  Employee safety, welfare, wellness, and health. †¢Ã‚  Charitable giving. †¢Ã‚  Organizational and space planning. †¢Ã‚  Performance management and improvement systems. †¢Ã‚  Employment and compliance to regulatory concerns. †¢Ã‚  Policy development and community communication. †¢Ã‚  Compensation and benefits administration. 3. Create an organization chart that ABC Management could use to identify front office positions for the operation of a 450-room, mid-range service hotel. Aside of the organization chart, briefly describe each front officeposition’s primary responsibilities. Position Oversees Responsibility Front Office MangerAssistant Front Office Manager, Security Agent, and Reservations Supervisor †¢Ã‚  Is able to effectively interpret financial results in regards to revenues, payroll, costs, and expenses. †¢Ã‚  Establish and monitor cost and expense control systems and procedures to achieve budgets. †¢Ã‚  Take corrective measures and actions to ensure highest possible profitability. †¢Ã‚  Personally and frequently verify that guests are receiving the best possible service. †¢Ã‚  Demanding on service standards as well as hygiene standards. †¢Ã‚  Ensures speedy and accurate service at all times. Assistant Front Office Mgr Front Office Supervisor AM/PM, Front Desk Agent†¢Ã‚  Responsible for employees to project professionalism and are well trained to provide friendly service. †¢Ã‚  Periodically inspects rooms to ensure cleanliness and well maintained rooms. †¢Ã‚  Assists the Front Office Manger. †¢Ã‚  Aware of new market trends and activities of competitors.Security AgentSecurity of the hotel†¢Ã‚  Check doors and stairwells to make sure the locks are secure and no danger is lurking. †¢Ã‚  Patrols outdoors as well as room hallways and activity areas. †¢Ã‚  Response to complaints and calls for help. †¢Ã‚  Purchases, maintains, and monitor security cameras, alarm systems, and other electronic surveillance equipment. †¢Ã‚  Escort unruly patrons from the property. †¢Ã‚  Administrative Duties.  Reservations SupervisorReservation Agent†¢Ã‚ Reserves rooms for guests. †¢Ã‚  Interacts with upper management to inform them of special events or local affairs. †¢Ã‚  Communicates with housekeeping and service staffs to share customer concerns and propose resolutions. †¢Ã‚  Communicates with the sales and marketing department for develop advertising and promotional campaigns.  Front Office Supervisor Front Desk†¢Ã‚  Reports to Assistant Front Office Manager. †¢Ã‚  Overview of the Front Office Department. †¢Ã‚  Checklist of all arrival and departures. †¢Ã‚  Handling complaints and issues about the service. †¢Ã‚  Welcoming and greeting all guests and the VIP. †¢Ã‚  Bookings and Reservations. †¢Ã‚  Supervise the Front Office Staff on a daily basis. †¢Ã‚  Schedule employees.Reservation AgentGuest Reservations†¢Ã‚  Register guests as they come into the hotel. †¢Ã‚  Inform guests on hotel happenings †¢Ã‚  Works as a liaison between guests and maintenance personnel. Front Office AgentGuests †¢Ã‚  Greets and welcomes guests. †¢Ã‚  Reservations. †¢Ã‚  Cash and Credit Card handling. †¢Ã‚  Check guests in. The above positions may even be trickled down to just a few positions as they can go under one position. For example, the Front Offic e Agent can do the same tasks as the Reservation Agent. I indicated these for just in case ABC Management needed them in order to service the guests better by splitting up the positions and responsibilities.
Thursday, January 9, 2020
The Importance of Scaffolding in Children’s Play - 2069 Words
One of the most successful and influential early childhood educational strategies that have been used to promote children’s social and cognitive development is scaffolding. Scaffolding generally refers to the process through which adults facilitate children’s learning by enabling them achieve a level of ability beyond the child’s capacity at the time (Scarlett, 2005). This essay will discuss how scaffolding facilitates and supports meaning making in children’s play. First, the essay will briefly introduce the concept of scaffolding and its importance in children’s development. The essay will then explore various early childhood educational theories that support or acknowledge the role played by scaffolding, the view of children as learners†¦show more content†¦The zone of proximal development refers to the distance or developmental gap between what the children can accomplish by themselves in learning and the next stage of learning which th ey can achieve aided by competent assistance from an adult caregiver. Bruner drew heavily from the works of Vygotsky, particularly the zone of proximal development, in conceptualizing scaffolding (Berk and Winsler, 2010 Lambert and Clyde, 2003). Vygotsky regards play as the leading source of children’s cognitive development (Vygotsky, 1962 Lambert and Clyde, 2003). For Vygotsky, children begin their development by first thinking with others or at the prompting of others before they are capable to think independently. Therefore, from Vygotsky’s approach, cognitive development essentially occurs through scaffolding where the child first interacts with the teacher (as the competent adult) who helps identify their zone of proximal development and gradually, through guided discovery, withdraws this guidance and support to enable the child think independently. The teacher identifies the zone of proximal development or the area where the childShow MoreRelatedStructured Play in the Classroom627 Words  | 3 Pagesmake-believe play is an important and unique context, providing opportunities to learn not afforded by other classroom activities. It should not be considered something extra that can be cut to accommodate more time for academic skills, nor should it be used as a means of adding â€Å"entertainment value†for inherently boring and decontextualized drills. Instead, play should be preserved and nurtured as one of the â€Å"uniquely preschool†activities that provide the most beneficial context for children’s developmentRead MoreThe Early Childhood Years For Children1283 Words  | 6 Pagesstudies conducted on scaffolding shows that it can support cognitive and social development. Scaffolding is a process when one person supports another in reaching a goal. Typically during the scaffolding process one person is more experienced and the other is inexperienced, such as a tutor and an apprentice. Scaffolding research is al so supported by Lev Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, which involves skills a child is developing, but may need assistance. Scaffolding can occur through verbalRead MoreChildren s Learning Within Early Childhood Education1559 Words  | 7 PagesPlay in early childhood education is of great importance in the holistic development of children. Play is hard to define, due to its various presenting means. It must be regarded as an indispensable component of an individual’s development (Saracho, Olivia, Spodek Bernard,1998). Through play, the child interacts with their peers as they explore and participate in different activities. The role of the early childhood teachers is crucial in encouraging and stimulating children’s interest in playRead MoreEssay about Assignment One EDE 31032096 Words  | 9 Pagescurriculum. Quality interactions between teacher and child form the foundation for a successful and effective early childhood program. This essay wil l discuss the use of scaffolding as one of the strategies of intentional teaching, and its importance in facilitating children’s play. It will explore various theories relating to scaffolding and show clear links between these theorists and how they view the teacher as an integral part of learning. It will go on to explore the term ‘Intentional Teaching’Read MorePlay Based Learning : A Context For Learning1615 Words  | 7 PagesPlay-based learning has been defined as â€Å"a context for learning through which children organise and make sense of their social world as they engage actively with people, objects and representations†(DEEWR, 2009). Playing is one of the most important parts of a child’s development phase. The characteristics of play include active where children use their bodies and minds in their play, communicative where children will share knowledge of their play with others, enjoyable where they will be able toRead MoreAs Part Of My Pgce Early Education, I Have Been Instructed1030 Words  | 5 Pages As part of my PGCE Early Education, I have been instructed to conduct an assignment based on my own philosophy of teaching in Early Years settings. Farquhar and White (2014: 821) highlight the importance of early education as the ‘theory and practice of educating young children’, which is deeply rooted in the philosophy of the practitioner as they have a repertoire of strategies to teaching and learning. King and Howard (2016) believe that philosophy and pedagogyRead MoreSociocultural Development in Young Children1154 Words  | 5 PagesLev Semyonovich Vygotsky is a well known to be a theorist who focused on the sociocultural development in young children. Lev Vygotsky strongly believed in the importance of the interaction with peers when it comes to the children’s growing process of learning. Through Vygotsky’s research, he came up with the co ncept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD). The zone of proximal development is the range of the child’s development of skills and abilities to which the child is able to completeRead MoreEssay Sociocultural Theory: Lev Vygotsky1112 Words  | 5 Pagesconsists of four basic principles as summarized in the Tools of the Mind (pg. 8), 1. Children construct knowledge. Vygotsky believed that children construct their own knowledge based on their present and past social interactions and emphasizes the importance of understanding what these influences are or were to better understand what the Childs concept is. 2. Development cannot be separated from its social context. Although attitudes and beliefs influence learning the social context influences it moreRead MoreThe Theory Of Language For Children With Language Impairments, And The Zone Of Proximal Development Essay1584 Words  | 7 Pagesprocess. Piaget’s key findings in the sensorimotor stage of a child’s development and the fact that children are active learners are highly applicable in an occupation such as speech language pathology. The same is true about Vygotsky’s ideas of scaffolding, social interaction, and the zone of proximal development. These beliefs of Piaget and Vygotsky are essential to the understanding and application of speech language pathologists in their language evaluations and in developing treatment plans forRead More Piaget and Vygotsky: The Psychology of Cognitive Development1701 Words  | 7 Pagesaround them. Piaget explained children’s maturation process by initiating a four stage developmental process which he considered to be univer sal. They are; sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete and formal (in Passer, M. et al., 2009). The sensorimotor occurs from birth up to two years old. Social interactions and the environment play a prominent role in the
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)