How has voting become less valuable as we have expanded the suffrage Essay

How has voting become less valuable as we have expanded the suffrage of our citizens - Essay Example 14th Amendment was passed in 1868 declaring all those who reside in US or being born in US as citizens of US. 15th Amendment was passed in 1870 against any kind of discrimination such as color, race or ancestral status. 17th Amendment was passed for direct elections of senators of US. 19th Amendment was passed in 1920 against discrimination on the basis of gender and 26th Amendment was passed in 1971 against discrimination on the basis of age above eighteen years. All the passed and stated amendments prove that enough suffrage has been provided to the nationals of US but with expansion of suffrage, people have shown less interest towards voting. People do not vote because they feel no change in their day-to-day lives as to whatever happens in politics. They consider their participation as invalid and valueless. People fought for their rights to vote to see some transformation in their lives that is beneficial for them. When they saw no change, their interest in voting got lessened in spite of the suffrage. Expanded suffrage has only informed people about their rights but in actuality, no practical rights were given as people are deprived of their rights due to which, they consider voting less valuable. People also try to avoid politics and remain busy in their own activities due to which, they show lacking interest towards

Cost Management in the Fast Food Industry

Cost Management in the Fast Food Industry The Fast food organization which the researcher intends to carry out research is owned by a leading fast food brand ÂÂ  it is the worlds largestÂÂ  fast foodÂÂ  restaurant company in terms of system units-over 36,000 restaurants around the world in more than 110 countries and territories. In 2008, its globalÂÂ  salesÂÂ  totaled more thanÂÂ  US$11 billion was created on October 7, 1997, asÂÂ  Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc. This organization is a world wide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of fast food restaurants. The head quarters of this organization are in United States. It has a wide range of brands:- The researcher is going to research on the Pizza Hut, as it is the prime brand . 1.1 Cost Control Generating revenue is the main aim of an organization. The maximum use of resources with least expenses is cost control. Cutting costs is the simplest way to improve your bottom line. Introducing a cost control system can bring immediate savings and ensure that you remain competitive in the longer term. But cost control needs to be carefully managed. While eliminating wasteful activities is clearly beneficial, indiscriminate cost cutting can lead to falling quality and poor morale. According to (Clement Ojugo ,2003) cost control means steps taken by management to assure that the cost objectives set down in the planning stage are attained and to assure that all segments of the organization function in a manner consistent with its policies. For effective cost control, most organizations useÂÂ  standard cost systemÂÂ  , in which the actual costs are compared against standard costs for performance evaluation and the deviations are investigated for remedial actions. Cost control is also concerned with feedback that might change any or all of the future plans, the production method, or both. (Michael M, 2001) defines; cost accountingÂÂ  establishes budget and actual cost of operations, processes, departments or product and the analysis of variances, profitability or social use of funds. Managers use cost accounting to support decision-making to cut a companysÂÂ  costsÂÂ  and improve profitability. Importance of cost control in Fast -Food Industry. The operations cost in a fast-food organization depends upon how accurately the costing strategies are applied. If the cost control strategies are applied with-out considering the operational side of the organization it will have negative results on revenue. According to (Ismail A, 2001) successful cost control strategies require inventory data updated. Author suggest best practice, cost control depends upon Frequency and timeliness of inventory which means daily business reports, weekly trading reports and monthly reporting. According to (Talyn. L, 2001) because food cost is usually one of the highest cost percentages in any establishment, it is important to know how to calculate it.ÂÂ  Whether it is a steak and seafood restaurant, a family restaurant, a pub or a martini bar, it is very important to know what the total food cost is. Author says that if the food cost is not learnt or pre calculated then the end result would be a lack or lose control over the food cost giving higher losses in return. According to (Jagels.M, 2007) the implementation of cost control has number of advantages. Quantify future plans: the cost control process compels operational managers to look ahead and follow the strategies applied by the cost controller. This identifies the shortfalls in sales and resources and provides the opportunity for measures to be implemented to overcome the difficulties. Set revenue objectives and targets: the cost control process provides the opportunity to set targets to reduce operational expenditure. The restaurants cost control is dependent on the operational staff. Communicate objectives: the cost control system provides a formal opportunity for higher level managers at divisional regional levels to set targets based on the long term objectives of the organization. Control business performance: the process provides a standard based on expected revenues and costs to which actual performance can be compared. Variance between fixed cost and variable cost identifies the o pportunity to maximize profits. (Wood.R, 2008) looks at cost control with a very practical approach. (Woods R, 2008) says that costing process in its entirely time consuming and therefore costly in terms of management time and resources. (Woods. R, 2008) argues that the cost and time involved are not justifiable because the end result is based on many unknown factors and the actual performance will almost certainly be different. This criticism needs to be considered in the advantages of the cost control system, because it forces managers to consider all relevant factors likely to affect their business and plan for the effective use of resources, and this requires both an internal and an external analysis. THE RATIONALE According to ( Cohen.L, 2000) rational is sensible reason to conduct a research study. The researcher finds fast food field interesting because of the researcher is presently in the same field. This research will help the researcher learn the fast food organization cost control strategies. The organization is fast food sector have different kind of budgets like Material, capital, operation strategies. To solve the problem of high cost and generate maximum profit. The researcher is working in the fast food industry which researcher wishes to research. The main concern in this industry is to serve people and have 100% customer satisfaction. In order to present the best of amenities, facilities and infrastructure to the guest the organization has to make some expenses which have to be planned and aligned with the help of cost control strategies from the revenues generated. 3. RESEARCH QUESTION This research is designed to answer the question Is the Fast- Food industry able to control cost and maximize profit? According to (Jagels.M, 2007) it is difficult task because of pilferage, lack of training to the new staff, adherence to standard recipe, perishables, etc should be considered while applying cost control strategies. According to(Ralston.C, 2004) fast food operations are people oriented and people driven, it is more difficult to effectively automate and control food costs than in any other non business organization. The costs in fast food operations are fixed cost but the sales revenue are totally unpredictable. With the above mentioned statements it can be considered that cost control is a difficult task in fast food industry. There for importance of cost control can be clear seen . Considering the details wastage details affecting the sales revenue will make perfect cost control for an organization. 4. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS According to (Maxwell.J, 2005) a research hypothesis is the statement created by a researcher when they speculate upon the outcome of a research or experiment. The researcher here tries to assume that, those fast food organizations having a low food cost and higher profit are having the superior cost control strategies. In addition, those fast food organizations having a perfect cost control will be more profitable when compared to that fast food organization who often fumbles in cost control system. 5. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES According to ( Hussey.J, 1997) the underlying and overriding aims and purposes of a research or analysis exercise that is, what researcher specifically want to find out. The main aim of this research is to understand the cost control strategies in the fast food organization using costing as a tool The research objectives can be summarized as follows: To gain knowledge on how to do cost control To identify the cost control strategy in fast food organization. To analyze the importance of cost control in fast food organization, which contributes in keeping expenses in control and increase revenues. To develop a list of best practices of successful strategies, which controls the cost and helps in maximizing revenue? 6. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY According to (Zikmund.W, 2006) Methodology includes a philosophically coherent collection of theories, concepts or ideas as they relate to a particular discipline or field of inquiry. According to (Klein and Myers, 1999) Methodology refers to more than a simple set of methods; rather it refers to the rationale and the philosophical assumptions that underlie to particular study. 7. METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH According to (Creswell. J , ) a quantitative approach is one in which the investigator primarily uses post positivist claims for developing knowledge i.e. cause effect thinking, reduction to specific variables and hypothesis and questions, use of measurement and observation, and the test of theories. Employs strategies of inquiry such as experiments and surveys, and collects data on predetermine instruments that yield statistical data. The research approach will be deductive to bring out the best result of research findings. The researcher emphasizes on the cost control strategies of fast food organization so the nature of the methodology will be post positivist knowledge claims, experimental strategy of inquiry. According to ( Teddlie C 1998) quantitative research includes substantial amount of literature at the beginning of a study to provide direction for the research question or hypothesis. In planning quantitative study the literature is often used at the beginning of a study to introduce a problem or to describe in detail the existing literature in a section titled review of literature. In addition literature is also included a the end of a study which the researcher compares the results of the study with the existing findings in the literature. The research will be carried out keeping the research question in focus. There will be interviews and questionnaires. (Bryman et al 2008) suggest that a researcher should give respondents the closed ended questions where there is limited choice of possible answers. The researcher plans to give limited choice of answers but also at the same time open questions will be included in order to collect accurate and as much as possible information required in conducting the research. 8. RESEARCH METHODS AÂÂ  deductive argument is anÂÂ  argument in which it is thought that the premises provide aÂÂ  guarantee of the truth of the conclusion. In a deductive argument, the premises are intended to provide support for the conclusion that is so strong that, if the premises are true, it would beÂÂ  impossible for the conclusion to be false. (Winch. W, 1913) The researcher decides to adapt the deductive method of research, as the nature research is quantitative. According to (Thomas R, 2003) quantitative research uses numbers and statistical methods. It tends to be based on nuerical measurements of specific aspects of phenomena, rather than theory and words. According to (Glesne and Peshkin, 1992) careful sampling strategies and experimental designs are aspects of quantitative methods aimed at produce generalizable results. The researcher intends to find out the cost control strategy by interviews and questionnaires etc. The interview will be conducted with top level managers who are involved in cost control. The survey participants will be all working in research related areas. The semi structured interviews may start with an organizational questionnaire to gain company information such as numbers of restaurants, average revenue/cost per cover etc. The aim of the interview will be to find out the way cost control strategies are implemented. The principles they adapt to maximize their profits. 9. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS The researcher intends to perform the research in the organization where he is employed and therefore has been granted access to carry out the interviews and survey. In addition, it is believed that the researcher may require at least two more organizations to make a comparison of the cost control strategies and how are they implemented. The researcher is confident that he will be able to gain the required number of participating organizations in the research. Interviews: The researcher intends to conduct the research in the organization where he is employed. Hence to reach to the top level managers would not be a barrier. The interviews will be planned and organized well in advance, without disturbing the outlet operations. To make the most out of the interview of the managers, researcher plans to use some tools like spidogram, voice recording and collect relevant samples of past cost control if available. This will make the research more effective. According to (Zikmund.W, 2006) in an interview where is a face to face personal interaction between the interviewer and interviewee (respondent) has several benefits that help researcher obtain complete and precise information. The researcher highlights in gathering information through the interviews as face expression can be taken into consideration. (Zikmund.W, 2006) statement is very important as it is considered that 70% of the communication is a non verbal communication. Questionnaires: The researcher intends to prepare a questionnaire for the top level managers in operating department of an hospitality organization. Questionnaires will be based to find out different strategies, methods and plans made by top level managers. This will help the researcher in gaining knowledge about how the practical budgets are made compared to the theoretical. Survey: According to ( Vaus De D.A, 2002) a survey is not just a particular technique of collecting information; questionnaires are widely used but other techniques, such as structured and in-depth interviews, observation, content analysis and so forth, can also be used in survey research. The distinguishing features of surveys are the form of the data and the method of analysis. According to (Zikmund.W, 2006) the main purpose of surveys in research is to collect primary data, which is assembled specifically for the research. Survey is something asking people who are respondents for information using either verbal or written questions. It is better to conduct a survey in written form so that information can be kept as a record. 10. VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY Validity: The researcher intends to use of multiple sources of evidence, structured interviews and questionnaires (both open and closed question). The design of questions and survey will be based on understanding the cost control strategies, the interview and questionnaire will be used to make sure questions are understood as intended. (Saunders,et al 2008). If allowed by the respondent the researcher also wishes to record the interviews for future. To generalize over two organizations the cost control strategies multiple theoretical methods will be considered. According to (Saunders, et al 2008) the structure of interview and questionnaires must be consistent and understandable to each individual. Reliability: According to (Bryman, et al 2008) a research can be reliable when there is stability. The research can be stable when results are stable. The result of group of people or individual must not fluctuate. There is stability in research when the same process is used with everyone. The way of questions and interview must be same. Surveys to back up the interviews, and obtain views from different organization managers, for better understanding and in depth knowledge of the subject. According to (Saunders et al 2008) the participants involved in should understand the research in a same way; they must me asked the same questions in same way. 11. RESEARCH ETHICS The top level managers in hospitality organizations where researcher intends to research will be given a clear written description of the purpose, scope, and intended outcomes of the research. The name of the participating three hospitality organizations and the participating top level managers in the research will be kept confidential. The information gathered during research about the organization will not be presented in dissertation for the confidentiality of the organization. The research is being carried out as a academic requirement and no other intentions. The interview questions and questionnaires will be designed to examine only the strategies of forecasting and budgeting, nothing apart from that. The research interviews, surveys, or questionnaire will not be aimed at finding any other information which is not related to this research. According to ( Klein and Myers, 1999) suggest to use a hidden agenda which ensure confidentiality of the participant organizations and the individual participants in the surveys. 12. TIME SCALE Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule. Gantt charts illustrate the start and finish dates of the terminal elements and summary elements of a project. Terminal elements and summary elements comprise the work breakdown structure of the project. ( Wallace.C, 1952) The plan for the research project timescale is shown in the GANNT CHART. A brief summary of time taken from presenting research proposal to dissertation is shown below. 13. BUDGET The researcher has spent about GBP40 to GBP50 approximately on preparing this research proposal.

MTV: Music Mainstream Essay -- Entertainment Television Papers

Invention of MTV MTV pioneered the music video, music television industry. The music video genre was taking its first steps in the 60s and 70s. MTV seized upon the idea, linked it with cable television and created a media icon. MTV has been the launching pad for the careers of stars for two decades. On the MTV model, other music television programs adopted the format such as BET, VH-1, and the Nashville Network. MTV has continuously pushed the envelope in music and social issues. Their success deserves to be studied. The story of the founding of MTV has valuable lessons for the media industry. This is a brief look at who did it, how they accomplished it and their adaptations to the changing nuances of the industry. Linking music and the video is similar to the linking of sound and films in the early 20th century. It changed the way Rock and Roll music did business. Rock groups and soloists no longer had to sound good; they now had to look good close up. Professionals in video art and technology joined with professionals in the sound recording industry. The concept of the video jockey, VJ evolved. The term â€Å"yeah, I saw that song† was born. Prior to the invention and distribution of cable television, rock and roll music was flourishing. The few television networks limited the convergence of music and television in existence at the time. The music video was an experiment and the resources the networks could provide limited it. Music and television usually converged on Saturdays with programs like â€Å"the Monkeys†, and the cartoon â€Å"the Beatles† in the morning, â€Å"American Bandstand† in the early afternoon, â€Å"Soul Train† in the late afternoon, and â€Å"Midnight Special† or â€Å"Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert† Saturday night.... ...deos, all the time†. Who knows what will happen in the future of music television. Either way MTV will find a way to dominate popular culture and help young kids fit into the society that MTV keeps creating and recreating. Work Cited Absolute TRL. Show Index. 5 November 2001. http://absolutetrl.net/showinfo/index.html Denisoff, Serge R. Inside MTV. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 1988. Waits, Jennifer C. (1997). Fantastic Reality: The Blurring of Leisure and Work Space On MTV’S The Real World and Road Rules. Bowling Green State University: Bowling Green, OH. http://www.mtv.com http://www.mtvi.com http://www.rockthevote.org http://www.CKY2K.net â€Å"Rockin in Time 4th Edition† David P. Szatmary, Prentis Hall INC. 2000. â€Å"The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Rock† Carlton Books Limited, 1993, Michael Heatley Editor, p. 321-22.

Marketing the $100 Laptop

The idea of â€Å"One Laptop Per Child† that was thought up by Negroponte was designed to offer essentially a $100 Laptop to needy children around the world to promote the use of technology in the classroom and home as an educational tool. Negroponte believed that children around the world who privileged enough to own or even access a computer were at a severe disadvantage when it came to education. The first challenge that the OLPC faced was how to design and mass-produce the $100 laptop. The issues that the design team faced was rooted in the conditions faced in the countries that the laptop would be used, not only environmental conditions but also resource availability such as electricity and Internet coverage. Another challenge that the OLPC faced was how to convince the governments that this was the â€Å"best investment† to not only improve the education in their country but also assist in their fight against poverty. With regards to the design issues and ability to make the idea a reality I think they have done a great job. They have met all the design needs of the involved countries and sourced a producer that matches the demands while offering effective pricing. In my opinion I think they have done a fair job in showing the true benefits that these laptops can provide to communities that are not privileged enough to have computers and internet in every household. The strategic placements in come communities to get the attention of the governments was a great idea like in Uruguay but I believe they should have donated more to create a bigger hype and better opinion of in the news. The difficulties with marketing the OLPC to governments were based on government’s agenda matched by their budgets. What I mean by this is that if a government decides to invest a certain proportion of their budget to the OLPC then it has to be cut from some other department, which many governments could not justify. The spending of millions on laptops for children over a health program or more teachers for classrooms was a debate faced by all involved governments and created a major hurdle for OLPC to overcome. In my opinion there are two strategic options that OLPC could undertake, the first option would be to go ahead and get project underway without the firm commitments in an attempt to grab market share through first mover advantage created by being the only sub $200 laptop and then continue to market it to governments by showing benefits through real results. The other strategic option would be to join up with one of the currently successful companies to create a unified product such as the Lenovo OLPC using combined expertise and solid customer base and distribution network to bring down overall costs and make the $100 laptop a reality out of the gates.

Is man Good or Evil? Essay

Man is innately good, but has the ability to be evil. I believe that a majority of people do what they believe to be right. Whether they are correct or not is another matter. In order to be truly evil, I believe that one has to purposely, consciously, try to hurt others. Be it physically or mentally, a conscious effort to injure others is for no obvious benifit to the human race is evil. I also think that good and evil are on totally different planes than right and wrong. They do not go hand in hand. I believe this because good and evil in my mind are concrete, they do not change. Right and wrong, however, are more of an individual thing, which can not be confined to guidelines. As I said before, I believe that people try to do good most of the time. As in every rule, however, there is an exception. There are certain circumstances in life which can change the way a person acts. There is a definite duality within me. I am usually a good person. I open doors, push in chairs, listen to people, and help little kids. But, occasionally I catch myself thinking about how I could make someone feel bad. I automatically feel my face turn red, and that would be the end of the thought. But I think once in a while everyone thinks something like, ‘He would really be embarrassed if I told everyone about that time at camp. Plus I could get him back,’ or something like, ‘She doesn’t deserve that. What if they found out what she did last year.’ This is not exactly evil thoughts, but it can quite possibly lead to evil actions. Prejudice is another form of evil that produces alienation and war. I have certain prejudices that I carry and I am not very proud of them, though often my instinct about a person is right. My major prejudice is against people who cannot grasp new concepts at a relatively quick rate, or those who cannot understand quickly. Somebody put it best by saying, ‘Oh, you mean the stupid people.’ I truly do hate calling them that, because often what they don’t succeed at academically, they make it up through artistic talents, athletic, or mechanical talents. But the people I have no respect for are those w ho I know can think for themselves, and understand things, but choose not to. I sometimes have trouble understanding if a person just absolutely cannot get it. I have a couple of friends who are that way, and they just cannot figure out trig. or chemistry. I just get frustrated and want to yell, ‘Why don’t you get this? Why can’t you understand that the thirty-sixty triangle always has a 1-2- 3 ratio!?’ But I can’t because one, I would seem like a total jerk, which I probably would be, and two, they are my friends. Then there are those people who dress and act, and are in fact, ‘druggies’. This prejudice kind of ties in with the first one because if the person is intelligent, than I have absolutely no problem with them dressing etc. like they do. But if they are one of the people who think that the cranium is a type of juice, then I seriously get so stressed out that I want to grab them by their lapels and shake them to jump start the brain I know they have. How does this effect my life? I know that it puts a great amount of extra stress on me that I could definitely live with out. But it also really makes me fell bad that I feel this way. I think that I am pretty open minded when it comes to the types of prejudice that are usually discussed, such as racism and sexism. I also am not homophobic and usually do not discriminate on the basis of age. In fact, I am very much biased against the people that are such. However, I believe that my prejudices are not something which contribute to hate crimes, the deaths of minorities or the dreams of a young girl. I feel that my biases are very much benign. A Shaker saying is something which if all men lived by, the world would be a ahppy place. Mary Whitcher said,’Be slow to anger, slow to blame, and slow to plead thy cause. but swift to speak of any gain that gives thy friend applause.