Advantages and Disadvantages of Effective Budget Control

Advantages and Disadvantages of Effective Budget Control This paper will look at what is required of an effective budgetary control mechanism and try to assess the advantages and disadvantages of using a system imposed from above, or externally, over a decentralized system controlled by lower level management as task level. Using an empirical case study from the international banking sector, it will be shown that too much managerial autonomy can lead to disaster not just for the manager concerned but also for the whole organization. In contrast the role of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in imposing nation-state loan budgets will be critiqued to highlight the potential flaws of centralizing and dominating budget control management. Effective budgetary controlHenderson (2003) notes that regardless of the situation or workplace, in order to be effective it is crucial that budgetary control systems: Account for money received and spent Make sure that the organizations financial policies are adhered to Ensure that money is not wasted Assist managers to run, and develop, services or departments These controls have developed from the need to account for large sums of money but are equally applicable to any budgetary situation. However, from a managerial perspective they have often been criticised for being insensitive and restrictive at the lower levels of management. As the number of stakeholders increases so does the need to be fully accountable and therefore more controls are also needed. This is particularly noticeable in the public sector National Health Service. Here lower level management are extremely subservient to imposed and tight budgeting restrictions from a distantly senior level. This is arguably a result of the need to satisfy a multitude of stakeholder interests and a concern that empowering lower management with the autonomy to control their own budgets would fail to include the number of interested parties from politicians to doctors and patients. With organisations as complex as the NHS whether public or private sector – It is safer and easier to p lan and control from above using imposed budget control methods. Politically imposed budgeting is preferably because senior managers, directors, or institutions who set the budgets are arguably best placed to recognise the wider implications of budgeting decisions but, according to Marginson (1999), financially imposed budget controls make sense too. Financial losses, which can occur for such damaging reasons as incompetence, error, negligence or fraud, are most likely to be minimised, or avoided altogether, by well constructed control systems. Imposed budgets benefit from the experience, acquired knowledge and full backing of senior management. They arguably encourage a sense of confidence in lower level management to do their job whilst reducing the massive levels of stress that come with having to create and manage your own budget. Another advantage of imposed budgeting is that it encourages regular monitoring, reporting, progress reports and ultimately improvements in the budgetary system. This enables problems to be uncovered and dealt with quickly and efficiently. Henderson (2003) states that it is advantageous to review arrangements occasionally. Even if procedures within your work area operate well, you should ensure that the budgetary responsibilities of staff at all levels are clear and understood by everyone. It would be unfortunate if problems arise because people do not know the extent or limit of their responsibilities (p33). Autonomous managers are arguably less likely to self-review their processes if they are deemed to be working well. Whereas senior management may be able to employ the use of an external or dedicated process-auditing team, lower level management are unlikely to have the resources or inclination to do the same especially if a process is deemed to be largely successful and given that any negative results will reflect directly and negatively on their managerial budgeting ability. There are further problems with lower level management dictating their own budget. As a budget manager, you are in charge of producing an annual cash flow forecast detailing accurately all of your income and expenditures. Budget managers are also expected to collect a range of information throughout each year, both financial and non-financial, to supplement their cash flow predictions and help better manage their finances. Finally they are then expected to critically compare the planned figures and the actual revenues and expenditures that occurred and act to ensure that the inflows and outflows of cash are within budget limits. In short, managers who are given control over their own budgets are required to be financially adept. Often, even if the manager is financially confident, proof of budgetary ability will only be learned from success or failure by which time it may be too late to rectify any problems. Marginson (1999) suggests that the concept of self-managing a budget at all levels through an organization is essentially flawed. If a manager has responsibility for a budget they he argues should not be expected to regulate and monitor is on their own. Ideally a system would be in place to bring any relevant or potentially important information to the managers attention. The flaw of any budgeting system that encourages managerial autonomy is that, eventually, in the case of poor performance a reporting system will eventually alert senior management to the crisis. Inevitably, senior manage will then try to rectify the situation costing time, resources and money. This often lengthy process would almost certainly be entirely avoided if senior management imposed budgetary control measures tightly from the top. A potential hazard in using imposed budgetary controls Imposing financial authority from the top-down may be one method of ensuring that the commands of senior management (or external bodies such a the Government) are carried out but this strict system of financial control is not necessarily the most productive method of financial management. The most commonly cited problem with a top-down method of strict budgetary control is the message that it permeates down the hierarchy. This invariably is translated as a lack of trust in the ability of lower-level and middle-management from those above them. As Benston (1963) explains: Decentralization contributes to effective motivation. The firm’s accounting system that facilitates decentralization hence has an indirect but important impact on motivation. The direct use of accounting reports, such as budgets, for motivation can result in reduced performance, if the budget is imposed on the department manager. (p347) The financial advantages of imposing budgetary control – such as less risk of money being wasted, tighter adherence to company financial polity etc are potentially offset by the negative effects on motivation (and therefore productivity and profitability) such a gesture could make.According to Petrova (2004), autonomy and motivation are commonly considered to be extremely closely associated to one another. Given the value of a motivated workforce, the use of imposed budgets could be limiting the success of the business as well as its employees. Case Study:  Too much managerial autonomy – Nick Leeson and banking crises Over the last two decades crises the banking worldwide and the subsequent global financial instability they have invariably caused have occurred with alarming regularity and always at a huge, often crippling, cost. According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund, more than a dozen banking crises in the past 15 years have cost the countries afflicted 10% or more of their gross domestic product (Economist, 2003). Although the majority of banking collapses seem to occur in the less developed and therefore poorer nations of the world, rich countries are also susceptible, as Japan demonstrated before the world in the 1990s. The blame is frequently – and correctly – laid on macroeconomic policy: an unsustainable exchange rate has no doubt often exacerbated problems but it is poor budgetary control that has been at the root of the majority of banking crises in recent times.. It is not just the banks who are to blame for this. Imposed budgets do not necessarily have to come from within the organisation. Bank regulators, too, should have done, and should do, more to help avoid these crises. The Basel Accord is the main external control that is used to protect the financial safety of banks. The Accord established a set of international rules that limit banks exposure to risk by requiring that their capital must at least equal a minimum proportion of their assets (Economist, 2003). This proportion is weighted by a calculated risk based on the circumstances of each individual bank. The Basel Accord is effectively the banking industries version of imposed budgeting. The external regulator oversees the business of the banks to ensure that they do not assume too much autonomy. (Economist, 2003) The case of Nick Leeson and the collapse of Barings Banks provides a hugely unlikely yet extremely note-worthy case to act as a warning of what can happen to companies that do not impose strict financial controls on their management. As Van der Stede (2000) warns, this is especially pertinent for companies concerned with achieving tangible results as they are more likely to have managers with a stronger focus on business matters that affect the short-term results (p609) and are therefore more likely to take poorly calculated risks with company money. In the Leeson case the bank were found to be guilty of allowing an unprecedented degree of managerial influence in the trading budget. This eventually allowed just a single employee Leeson to accumulate debts of over  £1.3 billion and bankrupt one of the worlds oldest banks. In a fatal mistake, the bank allowed Leeson to remain Chief Trader while being responsible for settling his trades, a job that is usually split. This had made it much simpler for him to hide his losses. (BBC, 2002). If any case highlights the dangers of allowing managers unbridled participation in budgetary control, the Lesson case is it. Problems with imposed budgets a global political perspective. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund control the flow of finances and effectively national budgets in every country across the globe. Their role is to promote stable growth in a bid to increase the wealth of citizens across the globe. However, as recently as April 2005, hundreds of members of parliaments around the world are calling on these two institutions lenders of billions of dollars every year, – to renege many of the numerous conditions they impose on borrowing countries in order to secure their loans. These conditions, they say, are eroding national sovereignty and impeding long-term economic planning necessary to achieve positive and sustained growth. Instead, global politicians, most vocally from the less developing countries who are the primary victims of the current restrictive loan scheme, are calling for the World Bank and IMF to let local legislators have the final say in domestic economic policies. Typical IMF conditions imposed on lending nations include devaluation of local currencies, deregulation of state-owned industry, tight public spending caps, liberalisation of trade and exchange controls, withdrawal of subsidies, and more protections for the private sector and multinational companies (Mekay, 2005). Beyond this critics argue that both institutions have been guilty of providing inaccurate and detrimental economic advice that has only helped to compound the economic rigidities created by the loans causing delayed debt relief, increased poverty and undermined democracy, prompting demonstrations and street protests in many countries (Mekay, 2005). According to the petition, in 2003, the former Soviet state of Georgia’s budget deficit exceeded its IMF-set limit. The Fund then asked Georgia to revise its budget for that year, but the parliament refused to pass it. Rather than accepting this decision, the IMF allowed its lending programme with Georgia to expire in retaliation. This led to threats from the World Bank that it, too, would pull the plug on existing projects. (Mekay, 2005) The IMF and World Bank reflect a system of imposed budgeting that is arguably more detrimental than it is effective. Imposed budgets must be careful to provide some degree of flexibility and maneuverability if they are not to cause resentment and productivity problems. This is particularly the case if budgets are being set and imposed from external sources. On a local or company scale there are further problems with the use of imposed budgeting in trying to link financial failures with those responsible for them. It is important to be able to link levels of activity, the consumption of resources and the achievement of targets with the managers primarily responsible for making decisions about these issues (Henderson, p33). If budgets are imposed from above, it is potentially difficult to identify the source of budgetary failure. If managers are autonomous, any budgetary failure is attributed directly to them. This arguably generates stricter budgetary discipline, responsibility and better management. Unless you have the authority to control financial resources, you cannot effectively manage the services for which you are responsible (Henderson, p23). Conclusion Henderson (2003) argued that successful budgetary control resulted in; being able to account for money received and spent, making sure that the organisations financial policies are adhered to, ensuring that money is not wasted, and assisted managers to run, and develop, services or departments. There is no single correct way of managing budgets but from the evidence presented above it is arguable that imposing a set of budget controls is a more effective method of safeguarding company finances. Certainly this method guarantees that company polices are adhered to and money is accounted and, if employees and managers are motivated, imposed budgets do not necessarily detract from department development or cause money to be wasted. It is the assumption that motivation is sapped by reducing autonomy that is the major criticism of imposed budgeting but this is little proof that this is the case. Petrova (2004) writes in her article on motivation and autonomy that motivated employees may gain more from autonomy but autonomy in itself is not a guaranteed method of increasing employee motivation. In addition, Petrova concludes that the likely benefits for increasing autonomy for already motivated employees are unlikely to be returned in financial gains but rather in changes in leadership styles and organizational structure. Given that the foremost concern of budgeting is to secure the financial future of the company, rejecting imposed budgeting on account of its effect on organizational structure and leadership style arguably inappropriate. Bibliography Mekey, E (2005); MPs demand more budgetary control from IMF and World Bank; Finance Customwire, Public Agenda/All Africa Global Media Economist (2003); Guiding the pack; Vol 368, Issue 8334 Henderson, Prof. E (2003); Budgeting Part Two; Nurse Management Vol 10, Issue 2, p32-37 Van der Stede, W (2000); The relationship between two consequences of budgetary controls: budgetary slack creation and managerial short-term orientation; Accounting, Organisation Society; Vol 25, Issue 8, p609-623 Marginson, D.E.W (1999); Beyond the budgetary control system: towards a two-tiered process of management control; Management Accounting Research; Vol 10, Issue 3, p203-231 Benston, G.J (1963); Accounting Review; Vol 38, Issue 2; p347-354 Petrova, K (2004); Does Motivation trigger Autonomy, or Vice-Versa?; Econometrics of Labour Demand; VXXXVIII International Conference Applied Econometrics Association; www.aea.fed-eco.org 10/05/05 BBC News Website (2002); Nick Leeson and Barings Bank; Crimewatch Case Closed; www.bbe.co.uk/crime – 10/05/05

Essay --

Strengths: Morocco’s biggest marketing strength is their website. This web interface is very interactive with the potential tourist by using a tool called â€Å"My Ideal Trip†. This application finds a Morocco experience that is tailored towards your personal preferences. My ideal Trip walks you through step by step what you prefer doing on a vacation, so it can hone in on a variety of options within your particular vocational preferences. They probe you with questions to find out a variety of things about the potential tourist. This application first finds out what country you in, and then it discovers the reason for your potential visit to Morocco. This enables them to not only understand the location people are coming from, but also allows them to find out what type of tourist they are. This gives them the ability to better market their location to those tourists. For example, they give you statements that best fit what you are looking to get out of the vocational experience, s uch as â€Å"I want to relax, I love doing nothing†, â€Å"I want to make the most of my carefully planned stay†, as well as â€Å"I need a good hotel in order to fully enjoy my stay†. This sets the tone to which options they give the potential tourist. They continue to pepper in questions that allows them to understand what you want to get out of the experience, and ultimately lays out some different vocational options that are geared toward their preferences. Not only is the website successful due to this tool, but it has an array of other features that solidifies this website. For example, on the top of the site there are scrolling pictures that illustrate highlights for Moroccan travel. They have a picture with a link to a CNN article for the top travel destinations ... ...that hasn’t been is the cultural food. Morocco cuisine isn’t of the ‘norm’ when you go to other tourist destinations. With the food only being found in this region, it is not commoditized like Italian, Mexican and Chinese foods have been in the United States and around the world. Though experiences and services can be easily duplicated, Morocco does offer a wide variety of experiences any visitor can expect. With so many different types of experiences and services Morocco offers, there is bound to be positive and negative impacts as a result. Morocco is a tourist destination with much promise. When considering the future prospects of Morocco as a destination it is important to consider not only the positive impacts of tourism but also the negative impacts. These impacts can be broken down into the three categories: Economic, socio-cultural, and environmental.

The Human Brain Essay -- Health, Diseases, Brain Damage

The human brain is a big, intricate—yet delicate, structure in the human body. It is the key structure in cognitive function. Any damage to the brain does not only â€Å"erase† memories but also may â€Å"deceive† the brain to erroneously remember a new object as being familiar (2010). The innovative researchers at Cambridge University investigated this phenomenon in their research on The Paradoxial False Memory for Objects after Brain Damage. The publication began by stating the widely acceptable premise that medial temporal lobe damage results in the inability to remember new experiences soon after they are learned. They indicated that the general belief is that this occurs because the ability to remember such information becomes compromised after a short period of time. They therefore deduced based on this premise that such information or experiences are either lost or become inaccessible to the extent that when such experiences are presented and re-experienced, they appear as if they are new or never have been learned. They therefore set out to explore this premise by using the generally used model of memory impairment, the â€Å"the standard object recognition memory model.† According to James Hampton, a well-renowned Professor of Cognitive Psychology at City University London, â€Å"recognition is the process of matching a perceptual representation of the stimulus item [into] stored representations of previously [exposed] stimuli† (2003). This stored information is known as structural representations based on the visual-spatial nature of the retained information (Moss and Hampton, 2003). â€Å"Object recognition memory is the ability to discriminate the familiarity of previously encountered objects† (Gaskins et al., 2009). The standard object ... ...indings from the simulation were valid because animals that suffered damage to the perirhinal cortex saw novel objects as familiar. Based on the support of these simulations and their laboratory findings, I agree with the notion â€Å"that object recognition memory impairments does not result from damage to the memory system. Rather brain damage that results in such impairments only compromises only a [precise] type of complex stimulus representation† (McTighe et al., 2010). Such may be the case of individuals with cortical brain damage such amnesia and Alzheimer’s disease based the combination of perirhinal lesions and object recognition impairments similar to the findings in this research. However in order to evaluation between and the paradoxical phenomenon, more research is needed and further representation-hierarchical simulation testing must be performed on humans. The Human Brain Essay -- Health, Diseases, Brain Damage The human brain is a big, intricate—yet delicate, structure in the human body. It is the key structure in cognitive function. Any damage to the brain does not only â€Å"erase† memories but also may â€Å"deceive† the brain to erroneously remember a new object as being familiar (2010). The innovative researchers at Cambridge University investigated this phenomenon in their research on The Paradoxial False Memory for Objects after Brain Damage. The publication began by stating the widely acceptable premise that medial temporal lobe damage results in the inability to remember new experiences soon after they are learned. They indicated that the general belief is that this occurs because the ability to remember such information becomes compromised after a short period of time. They therefore deduced based on this premise that such information or experiences are either lost or become inaccessible to the extent that when such experiences are presented and re-experienced, they appear as if they are new or never have been learned. They therefore set out to explore this premise by using the generally used model of memory impairment, the â€Å"the standard object recognition memory model.† According to James Hampton, a well-renowned Professor of Cognitive Psychology at City University London, â€Å"recognition is the process of matching a perceptual representation of the stimulus item [into] stored representations of previously [exposed] stimuli† (2003). This stored information is known as structural representations based on the visual-spatial nature of the retained information (Moss and Hampton, 2003). â€Å"Object recognition memory is the ability to discriminate the familiarity of previously encountered objects† (Gaskins et al., 2009). The standard object ... ...indings from the simulation were valid because animals that suffered damage to the perirhinal cortex saw novel objects as familiar. Based on the support of these simulations and their laboratory findings, I agree with the notion â€Å"that object recognition memory impairments does not result from damage to the memory system. Rather brain damage that results in such impairments only compromises only a [precise] type of complex stimulus representation† (McTighe et al., 2010). Such may be the case of individuals with cortical brain damage such amnesia and Alzheimer’s disease based the combination of perirhinal lesions and object recognition impairments similar to the findings in this research. However in order to evaluation between and the paradoxical phenomenon, more research is needed and further representation-hierarchical simulation testing must be performed on humans.

The Actual Meaning of My Papas Waltz by Theodore Roethke Essay example

The Actual Meaning of "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke Poetry is made to express the feelings, thoughts, and emotions of the poet. The reader can interpret the poem however they see fit. Critics are undecided about the theme of Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz." Some people believe that the poem is one of a happy exchange between a father and son. The more convincing interpretation is that it has a hidden message of parental abuse. Careful analysis of the keywords and each individual stanza back up this theory of child abuse by a violent and drunken father. The word that is key to the poem is romp. Roethke states that "we romped until the pans / slid from the kitchen shelf" (5-6). The word is usually associated with happy, boisterous, and energetic running around or dancing. A second definition is rough, lively play. Alcohol would cause a person to act in such a harsh manner. In athletics, a romp is an easy victory over an easy opponent. This means one side is clearly superior and beats the competition with fury and ease. The father could be viewed as a dominating and overpowering force to a small child. The younger son could not possible fight back to his bigger father especially with the added influence of liquor. Further reading of the poem will back up that meaning of the poem is to illustrate parental abuse. The first stanza sets the scene with clear imagery. The father appears to be in a heavily drunken state because the son can smell the "whiskey on your breath" (1). The reader knows the drinking is excessive because it almost made the boy dizzy. Clearly, the father is in a heavenly drunken state because someone else is feeling the effects of his drinking. Critics will ague that the son was enjoying ... ... is a happy time between a father and his child. Through careful reading, that interpretation is not valid. In 1948, actions such as this may have been a part of life. Maybe that is why Roethke wrote the poem this way because the event was probably happening in many households and people then could identify with this. Because of the vivid imagery, the reader can feel the boy's pain and fear of his father. In this case, the waltz is not a bonding time between a father and his son. People now would identify with the son and find a hatred for the father because of the mental and physical toll this could have on a child. The father does his dance by "waltzing" all over his son. Works Cited Roethke, Theodore. "My Papa's Waltz." Discovering Literature: Stories, Poems, Plays. Ed. Hans P. Guth and Gabriel L. Rico. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1997, 536.

How does technology effects us? Essay

Look back at our day so far, how many people have we seen ignoring the world around them, not paying attention to the cashier or not absorbing the information in class? In Alina Tugend essay, multitasking can make you lose†¦Um†¦ focus, she reported that multitasking may seem like it saves people time however, it makes people less efficient. It may be true that technology provides us with time-saving devices like push to cars, cell-phones that consist of 4G internet access, and washing machines with built in dyers; however most of us still complain about not having enough time. Like everything else in the world, technology has its pros and cons; it affects peoples’ concentration, writing skills, and what we consider reality; but how exactly is technology affecting the way we think, read, write and live? The development of technology has greatly improved my life but diminished it at the same time. It brought me closer to my family in Trinidad after my father passed, th ree years ago. Logging onto Facebook and Instagram, receiving phone calls, text messages, video chatting kept me fasten into their world 24/7. Although we built such a strong relationship within those years, I was totally disconnecting from what was going on around me and my immediate family. I came to this realization when my little sister’s fifth birthday nearly past without me noticing. The array of technology can be a distraction; in my case, I disengaged myself from the most significant part of my life. Technology can be a distraction during office meetings, daily human interaction, study time and even our concentration; since, we are constantly being interrupted by a phone call, text message or a game notification. Tugend, who wrote, Multitasking Can Make You Lose†¦Um†¦Focus, explained that multitasking actually delays our process rather than accelerating it. We often believe that doing multiple assignments would be effortless but it causes an abundance of stress. Research has proven that the human mind can only focus â€Å"on one or two items at a time† (716). I believe multitasking all depends on the two tasks that is being combined, for example: listening to music while doing math homework seems to me as a good mixture because the music is helping the worker better cope with the math problems. On the other hand, driving while text messaging  can be a distraction because, they activities require full focus and concentration. Focus is very important when it comes to multitasking but also significant when using the internet to search long pieces of writing. In Nicholas Carr’s essay, Is Google Making Us Stupid, he states, â€Å"research that once required days in the stacks or periodical room of libraries can now be done in minutes† (732). The use of technology is very beneficial and time efficient, however does the pros overcome the cons? Carr also discusses the fight against technology to stay focus; since now a day, â€Å"†¦three or four paragraphs is too much to absorb† (733). I reckoned that we must realize that reading doesn’t come natural like speech does. We must keep training ourselves to read no matter if it’s in a paperback book or an online blogging site without distractions. Many teachers and parents believe most teenagers are distracted by text messaging (texting). A variety of teachers dispraise texting because most students use text slag and abbreviation in professional writings, and students do not become conscious of the fact. Also there are parent who think texting negatively imp act their children communication skills. On the other hand, Michaela Cullington, the writing of Does Texting Affect Writing, would most likely disagree. Cullington believes that texting motivate student to write and also it is â€Å"practice in specific writing skills, and an opportunity to gain confidence in their writing† (89-90). After her research she was convince that texting is not interfering in students’ writing skills. I caught myself plenty of times using text slag when writing a paper to turn into class. Fortunately, I have taught myself to text in complete sentence and use correct abbreviation so it wouldn’t interfere with my writing skills. If text messaging doesn’t interfere than maybe games can. Sam Anderson would consider games like Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja as â€Å"Hyperaddictive stupid games,† because it’s a simple thing that becomes addictive and eventually form into a distraction. In Anderson essay, Just One More Game†¦: Angry Birds, Farmville, and Other Hyperaddictive Stupid Games, he illustrates that stupid games were designed to pop up in other occasions. For exa mple, you are doing calculus homework and you receive a text message and suddenly it’s an hour later and you are launching another bird. People are so attached to their phones because game-studies scholars specially design games to be so addictive. Especially now that people can a play game anywhere at the palms of their hands. Using the same addicting  technology can probably â€Å"help solve real world problems like obesity, education and government abuse† (67). Living in a generation where technology affect everything around us including our communication, multitasking, concentration, writing skills, and our view of reality. I believe that technology was made to make our lives easier sadly, it can bring upon more difficulties in our life. Technology will always be prevailing and it is our responsibility to work with it. The majority of people today have become so dependent on technology that they aren’t be able to function a full day without it. I believe it is up to the people of America to decide whether we have taken advantage of technology, or has technology taken advantage of us, without us bei ng aware of it. Works Cited Anderson, Sam. â€Å"Just One More Game†¦: Angry Birds, Farmville, and Other Hyperaddictive Stupid Games.† The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 64-69 Print. Carr, Nicholas. â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid† The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.731-744. Print. Cullington, Michaela. â€Å"Does texting affect writing† The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.87-95. Print. Tugend, Alina. â€Å" Multitasking can make us lose†¦Um†¦Focus.† The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.714-718. Print.

Medieval Times

Imagine you are in Medieval Times, the food, the people, the weapons. The bus ride was long. I could not wait to see the castle, the medieval castle looked like. I was amazed when I got to the castle. You need to work on these sentences to make your writing stronger. â€Å"Show me, don’t tell me. † Use sensory words! The last sentence (your thesis) should be 1 sentence. Try combining the last two sentences of this paragraph. Medieval Times is an accurate representation of the Middle Ages. That is because of the food and beverages, weapons, and the extras.Primarily Good transition and topic sentence. , the food and beverages were accurate. You had water to drink. The chicken was good and was a little salty, so it was beneficial to have water to drink. Also, at dinner time, a food option was soup or stew. We however Switch these words and insert a comma. did not have soup or stew because it was lunch time and not dinner. On the other hand, the weapons were realistic. The knight was training his squires with certain weapons. Like the halberd is a combination of a battle-axe and a pike.Also, the bludgeon, a type of mace, was also used. Then they were using swords. Finally, the dagger was used, a small sword. Furthermore, the extras were amazing. The dancing and bowing horse from Saudi Arabia was the best part. The falcon with the bell on his foot was also a tradition of the opening ceremony. The color of the knight’s armor and the horse’s armor also told where they came from. Like the red knight, Baron Ruiz de Roig was from Castilla. Similarly, the black and white knight, Don Iofre Santa Creu was from Santiago de Compostela.That is why I think Medieval Times is an accurate representation of the Medieval era. You do not need to tell me â€Å"That is why I think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The first sentence should be the exact same sentence from your thesis. I think this because of the extras, the weapons and last but not least, the food and beverages . I do think it is a great show to see so, I do recommend Why do you recommend it? I need more than you enjoyed it. that next year’s 7th grade class should see the medieval times show. I liked it, it was enjoyable.

Going Green in Hospitality

Hospitality Studies Report GOING GREEN IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY Word count: 1328 ? Introduction3 Benefits3 Are there actually disadvantage of staying the same? 3 The definite advantages of changing3 What people think4 Are there side effects? 4 Knowledge aquired4 Financial5 Conclusion5 Bibliography6 ? Introduction The effects of global warming continue generating intense debate among businesses that see it as a major threat to their operations.In this regard the global community is seeking partnerships with governments and other stakeholders to formulate policy guidelines that will act as means of ensuring that they adopt green technology in their operations to counter this threat. Failure to do this will result to irreversible decline in profits, deterioration of people’s health through emergence of killer diseases like skin cancer and closure of businesses. Benefits The hospitality industry has not been left out in adopting green technologies in their operations to ensure they slay this global phenomenon.In doing this they have realized the immense benefits that come with the green technology in almost all areas of their industry. The use of renewable power like solar energy, wind power and bio fuels reduces the energy costs incurred in the hospitality industry a great deal. Due to their nature of operations they require power throughout; when preparing food, entertaining guests and also when cleaning. This therefore means they incur huge electricity bills through out and this can be reduced by the adaptation of green technology.Installation of solar panels or wind power can reduce these expenses in a great way and this can increase their profits and enable investment in other projects like expansion. Are there actually disadvantage of staying the same? The use of green technology reduces the pollution of the environment. The damage that is usually done to the environment when hotels use petroleum products is very catastrophic. They use the product o n large quantities especially in cooking.Diesel products for instance emit a lot of hydrocarbons into the air that cause global warming, which is known to hamper marine life and make some species of the marine bio diversity extinct. This affects the product range available for offer to their clients. They also poison most fish species which make them unfit for human consumption. These diesel emissions are also known to be carcinogenic and cause a lot of cancer related ailments that pose a very great danger to the workers in the industry and to the whole world at large.However all this can be avoided if the industry adopts green technology. There are no side effects of using green energy since they are environmentally friendly and they use ecologically friendly resources. The definite advantages of changing The industry has also come alive to the fact that ecotourism is a major attraction to many people who want to conserve the world we live in. (Hotelinteractive. com. 2008) People a ppreciate and value those involved in environmental conservation and most like being associated with them.Many organizations and governments prefer holding their meetings and conferences in venues that are accredited by environmental conservation agencies as compliant to set green standards. The hospitality industry being a major player in this field does not want to be left behind. This is because those who comply and champion these interests will attract wide clientele and this will be a major boost to their businesses. Many players in the industry have sought to comply with the set standards to ensure they remain competitive in the industry.The industry has therefore invested heavily in imparting the required knowledge and skills to its staff and other stakeholders to ensure best practices. They are then seeking certification from recognized regulatory institutions that also continuously monitor their progress through regular visits and checks. What people think The adoption of g reen technology by the hospitality industry improves the public image and the perceptions that people have towards the industry. â€Å"Going green is no longer a request, but rather a demand. † ( Nowpublic. com. 008) The world today is doing everything to combat global warming which is seen as a major threat to future earnings of almost each sector in the global economy. This will also attract a lot of customers to those who will be seen to be compliant. The hospitality industry is therefore viewed as one of the environmentally sensitive industries and this places it strategically on the global arena of attaining sustainable development. Are there side effects? The players in the hospitality industry must embrace the use of renewable sources of energy like wind power and solar energy.Such installations will ensure minimal environmental pollution and also availability throughout. This is because the sources such as sun and wind are naturally available and apart from installati on costs and routine maintenance there are no other major associated costs. The electricity bills and the costs of running stand-by generators will be done away with and profits will increase both in the short and in the long run. Knowledge aquired The industry players should also minimize the amount of wastes that is usually dumped. This can be done through recycling most of these wastes.For example , a hotel can recycle waste paper into scratch pads, the cartridges used by printers and fax machines can be refilled when empty instead of being dumped, they can also install soap and shampoo dispensers in their facilities to reduce the waste from small plastic bottles, they can also replace toxic and hazardous cleaning agents with good friendlier biodegradable cleaners, they can also donate reusable dishes and other cutlery to charities instead of dumping and also they should install recyclable bins in all areas for collection of waste cans and plastics.When these measures are underta ken, the industry will enjoy the enormous benefits associated with the green technology. The industry players should also invest heavily in the provision of skills and knowledge to the stakeholders who must be involved in the attainment of desired objectives. The stakeholders are mainly their workers, customers and also their suppliers. They should organize workshops and seminars to educate them on the necessity of adopting the green technology.When they fully understand the benefits they will commit to observe and adhere to the standards set in the industry and this will ensure attainment of desired results.? Financial The adoption of the above measures will nonetheless be an uphill task to most of the players in the hospitality industry. Most of these measures like installing and maintaining solar and wind energy systems require huge budgets and skilled workers. Most of the players in the industry are midlevel enterprises that lack the financial ability to manage such capital-inte nsive projects.Also those who carry out these projects may take a long time to recover and return to profitability. Nonetheless the hotels will save BIG money in the end. Conclusion The green technology should be implemented by all the industries not only the hospitality industry. This will enhance the realization of the aspired results which will guarantee the global population of a better environment to live in. This is because global warming is a major threat to all industries regardless of the area of specialization. Failure by the industry players to implement these policies will be threatening the same businesses they rely on. 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Cleaning products [Online Image] Available from: http://www. google. com/imgres? um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org. mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1280&bih=657&tbm=isch&tbnid=xEbt0DfSpFO7FM:&imgre furl=http://www. gogreencleaning. bravehost. com/&docid=TTradC0z9xRMaM&imgurl=http://gogreencleaning. bravehost. com/myPictures/gogreen. jpg&w=390&h=448&ei=TdiiT8mXPMGfOufoqdMI&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1032&vpy=93&dur=1870&hovh=241&hovw=209&tx=161&ty=150&sig=111890973347592325663&page=1&tbnh=125&tbnw=101&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0,i:158 [Accessed 3 May, 2012 ]