Performance Management Plan Essay

Good afternoon Traci, after assessing the current status and future needs of Marylee Luther’s construction company and taking some notes from your conversation with her the other day we have compiled a performance management framework that we believe will integrate the company’s goals to its strategy while making the growth move from Michigan to Arizona and staying consistent with the organizations current revenue and employee growth projections over the next year. We will briefly outline this performance management plan as it pertains to the categories of alignment of the performance management framework to the organizational business strategy, organizational performance philosophy, the job analysis process you will complete to identify the skills needed by employees, methods used for measuring the employee’s skills, process for addressing skill gaps, and an approach for delivering effective performance feedback. The framework that has been chosen for the organi zation will ease the growing pains of adding 20% more personnel (130 people) over the next year. Performance Framework Organizations with the revenues and personnel comparable to Mrs. Luther’s construction business have made the move to all inclusive software systems in order to handle the monitoring and scheduled maintenance of both operational and employee performance metrics which allow managers to make real time changes that save time and money for the organization. We recommend WebFOCUS performance management framework or (PMF). According to â€Å"Information Builders† (1996-2013), â€Å"PMF is a comprehensive, fully integrated, out-of-the-box solution that fully supports any existing performance management methodology, such as balanced scorecard (BSC). It comes complete with all the functionality and tools companies need to efficiently and effectively set and communicate strategy across the organization, define related metrics, and involve all stakeholders in monitoring and measurement – all from a single, intuitive, easy-to-access, browser-based environment.† Read more:  Growth Performance Management The PMF software has such features as †¢Performance management data models †¢Pre-built dashboards, scorecards, and reports †¢More than 500 pre-packaged metrics for common industries and business functions †¢Strategy mapping to visualize and communicate strategy †¢The ability to manage performance and risk together †¢Mobile alerts †¢In-depth analytics †¢Link scorecards to operational reports The WebFOCUS framework software will be a good fit for the organization due to the fact that the software will give the organization the ability to maintain consistency and allow for growth in every area of the business. Performance Philosophy In order to facilitate the solidification of the performance framework with the organizations new performance strategy, we have chosen a proven philosophy that encourages the simultaneous improvement of both technical and social aspects of the company through aligning the organizations strategy with its goals and clearly incorporating each employee into a definable part of the business. Core principles are developed as guidelines for members of the organization to operate under to stay in line with the business goals. Here are the principles that should be focused on moving forward. †¢The strategy and goals of the organization are clear to all members of the organization and are an integral part of everyday operations †¢The employees are treated as the organizations key assets and are provided with the training, skill development, and resources to succeed while fulfilling the organizations strategy †¢Work is designed around teams to accomplish the goals of the business as a whole †¢Job processes and structures are streamlined to support a focused part of the organizations strategy †¢The management team is present to provide operational boundaries, resources for tasks and guidance when needed †¢The organization will always exceed the expectations of its customers Identifying Employee Needs Given the fact that construction workers are out on job sites most of the day and cannot voice their needs or concerns when they arise, we recommend a system of top-down check ins daily where managers will have mobile conferences with site supervisors after having team meetings that morning on the different job sites. This will help move any employee needs or issues up the management chain faster. To add to that process management will have quarterly one-on-one meetings with all employees to address any needs and guide in filling any performance or skill gaps that will later be scheduled for improvement. Measuring Employee Skills Using the WebFOCUS software, we recommend having employees taking an online test that can be done at work or home that will identify each employee’s skills and strengths and will put those into a database that measures standards to each job and where that employee excels or falls short in that job and the construction industry. The new software will also keep the company goals and focus for both Michigan and new Arizona facilities simultaneously. Addressing Skill Gaps Construction employees are notoriously hands on people so after a proper skills assessment test to identify strengths and weaknesses in that employees current position we recommend a one-on-one meeting between that employee and their manager where a training map can be discussed and implemented over a three month period which will consist of both online and on-the-job training to bring the employee up to industry standards for their respective position. The training will be monitored by site supervisors and progress will be logged and relayed to upper management. Effective Performance Feedback Performance feedback is essential to both the employee as well as the company so we recommend a system of open communication and full disclosure as they pertain to current and the projected 20% new employees over the next year for the company. The process will consist of the manager clearly conveying their expectations of said employee at the point of hire, informing that quarterly one-on-one meetings with the manager will be held to make sure that employees performance goals are being met, and address any issues or concerns that arise. The process for the yearly performance feedback reviews will consist of a clear ranking system based off of the managers previously stated expectations of that employee, social and technical compliances for that employee, and will give an overall score that will dictate any compensation raise or bonus. The day of the performance feedback the employee will receive a printed out copy of the feedback an hour before their actual meeting with management. This will allow the employee to work out any emotions or feeling within themselves first so that the meeting with their manager can be conducted with fresh eyes and ears. The manager will not address any issue with compensation or wander off topic during the feedback and new goals and expectations will be discussed and implemented from that point. Conclusion The information that has been given in regards to Marylee Luther’s construction company warranted a completely all inclusive software system to be able to make assessments and organize information regarding the business and employees. We feel that the WebFOCUS software chosen for her company will streamline processes and expedite growth as they expand to the Arizona market and provide flexibility for the managers to use in new ways moving forward in both states respectively. We believe that the process changes recommended towards employee relations will empower the employees to expand their own knowledge and foster a sense of accountability and ownership that will ultimately take the company and employee to the next level. References Information builders (1996-2013). Retrieved from http://www.informationbuilders.com/products/webfocus/webfocuspmf The center for organizational design (2012). Retrieved from http://www.centerod.com/high-performance-philosophy/

How Do We Know Something Is True in the Arts and Science Essay

Hey Jamie! I’ve been wondering for a while now how you can really know if something in art or natural sciences is true.? I mean when you look at a piece of art or let’s say the way atoms connect with each other, or how the gravity works, how do you know it’s all true? Obviously there are laws that are connected with these things, however how can you be sure if what the law states is true? Jamie:You’re pretty much right about that, but I think it’s not about the truth for now – first there should be some kind of idea or a belief, before it can be confirmed, right? I mean, for instance Newton came up with the idea of gravity when an apple fell on his head, remember? It made him think about it more and more until the conception of some kind of force that affects everything on Earth popped into his mind, but I don’t think art works the same way†¦ Molly:Right†¦ Art’s totally different thing. Natural science have some rules they work with, even though there probably are some we still don’t know about, however we can notice something that happens the certain way. The rules are true. Well – people, or rather scientists claim so, but they are based on long-term observation and other research, right? Jamie:Right! If someone is absolutely certain that something is true, is it because this is the way he sees it or seeing it equals believing it is true? Molly:Well†¦ That’s a good question. I’ve heard that there are some ways to know that something is true – like I’ve mentioned before, observation, or rather a sense of perception, is one of them, but there is also reason and language that suggests people which is the objective, factual or relative truth. It’s more connected with natural sciences, however when it comes to art the way one can tell something is true is slightly different. Jamie:How so? I mean†¦ I don’t get what your point is. Molly:Look, if you have a piece of art, let’s say a picture of a battle, okay? The one who painted it, probably had some kind of knowledge about the battle he was drawing, right? Jamie:I think so†¦ Molly:So, let’s say, there is a person the picture revolves around, some kind of great figure, a king or other known man. The author of the painting wanted to show ordinary people the greatness of the person he pictured in the centre of his work. And there is a big chance that the person who’ll look at this exact piece of art, will think ‘Oh, that man was so great. ’, but how can he or she know it is true that he was as ‘great’ as the author portrayed him? Then, we could take a work of another author, the same battle, and there will be no person who will attract your attention at first, just the way the battle looked like, dead people, blood on the ground and other realistic fragments. If I was the one comparing these two pictures, I’d get a feeling that the first artist suggested the greatness of the man he portrayed because he was paid or had to do so, while the second one would be more true to me, because it would probably show the facts at some point. Jamie:Oh I see what you mean now! Hmm†¦ I have a feeling that in the end art and natural science are somehow connected when it comes to knowing the truth! Molly:†¦ Okay, now you got me confused. How can they be connected? Explain? Jamie:Oh look! If you take our chemistry book, you’ll find there all kinds of described experiments, right? However it is rare to find the outcomes of these experiments in the book. Molly:Yeah†¦? Jamie:And when you listen to your chemistry teacher, and he’ll tell you before you do the experiment that the product of the reaction should smell the certain way, as let’s say†¦ Hydro-sulfuric acid smells like rotten eggs. After finishing your research and experiment you would probably note that the smell of the acid was of rotten eggs, because this is what has been suggested by your teacher, right? Molly:Oh, now I see how it’s connected to art. Some kind of statement can be suggested to you and you are very likely to believe it, however, then you could find some other research that declines what your teacher claimed or that the guy portrayed in the picture was great. Jamie:Yes! Exactly! But then there arises a new question. Molly:Huh? What question? Jamie:Can we be sure of what people claim to be true to be actually true? Molly:Right†¦ In the end I think we are should stick to the rules that have been stated in the past, because they seem to be true, however after you said that†¦ I’m starting to doubt everything I know! Jamie:Sorry for that! Didn’t want to make you confused! Molly:No, it was actually pretty interesting! Jamie:Yup! But I think we can never be in 100% sure of what is true when it comes to art and natural science. Molly:Yeah, totally agree with you on this one.

Why may the Romans be considered great city builders Essay

Why may the Romans be considered great city builders - Essay Example The capital city of Rome was especially famous for its detailed planning and organization. It is difficult to perceive how city planners of Rome could have pulled off such a grand and sweeping project without the aid of modern architectural aids. Yet, it is a fact that the monuments, government buildings, public recreation houses and other structures and provisions within the city were quite advanced for the time. And some of the technology used by Romans continues to find application in modern cities today. With no greater aid than stones, bricks, wood and mortar, the Romans constructed great works of architectural value. The Bridges over Danube and Rhine are prime examples of Roman architecture. These two rivers, which set the northern limits of the empire, proved to be a hurdle for the northward expansion of the empire. To overcome this problem Julius Caesar brought together the best architectural minds at his disposal to build these politically and militarily important bridges. T he Colosseum is another landmark in the historic city of Rome. Even after several centuries of its construction, the structure has largely remained intact, offering visitors a theatrical experience. Built by Emperor Titus, the Colosseum was meant to host gladiator fights and animal fights. So during its functioning days, it was witness to some of the most gory battles for life.

Social Media in the USA Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Social Media in the USA - Coursework Example According to the study, the social media channels include website, magazine, television and radio. Through print newsletters, for example, the magazines, the company displays information and testimonies from his employees on how effective their services are to the clients. Besides it also runs adverts incorporation with other programs on television bulletin or within family programs to win the audience. Some of the adverts are posted on their website where those who frequent the internet can find and look through their services in addition to commenting. The company has hotline number, website, facebook page, twitter handles, emails that are displayed on any good advertised under the company’s name. They value any feedback irrespective of its negativity or positivity thus handles to the best interest of their customers. Besides, the company offers promotions of their goods as free samples to their customers. Social media used by the company enables it to promote its market loc ally and internationally furthermore in my perception is influenced by how fast realized its market beyond borders.

4Ps of Gap 360 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

4Ps of Gap 360 - Essay Example any not only provides service by providing tour plans but also does provides many other services to make the trip of the customers very pleasant and also to satisfy the customer’s needs and wishes (Hoffmann, 2008, pp.87-96). The various other services that the company offers to the customers are like providing good accommodations, good transport facilities etc. which are comfortable and also affordable for the customers. It also provides complementary meals to its customer’s on the trip like on Monday it provides a welcome dinner and a drink, on Tuesday it provides the Lunch in the same way different other meals on different days of the weak on the trip to Australia (Leader and Kyritsis, 1994, pp. 94-103). The company’s biggest competitive advantage over other companies is that it provides tour packages in a varied forms and it has the flexibility to change its plans as per the customers’ demands as a result of which the customers get lots of advantage in planning their trips based on their budget and also preference of location. Price plays a big role in this competitive market environment, with huge number of competitors existing in every industry customers have lots of options to choose among the various companies and products available in the market. The price set by the Gap 360 for various trips are basically customised one’s apart from that some of the cost for various trips are been listed below. Looking at the price ranges with the plans given by the company to the customers they are really very reasonable and affordable for the customers. This price of the plans encourages customers to come and take the services from Gap 360. The customer also gets profit by customising their tour plans as per their budget as a result of which it allows the customer to get their wish fulfilled and also this helps the company to achieve full customer satisfaction and also a good brand name in the market (Gap 360, 2014). The location at which the company is

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management Essay - 14

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management - Essay Example This was followed by a close examination of the competition in London with restaurants with a similar theme of organic food serves. Analyzing the strategies and financial aspects followed by reviewing the success prospect of this business project. I also included the start up cost as well as the feasibility of funds According to a report; organic food Industry is growing internationally, its sales have grown 8% in 2010 globally and it is valued as pounds  £ 44.5 Billion. It has shown remarkable growth in the European and the US market and for future the prospect is positive ("soil association"). People in Europe are more concerned about consuming safe food. They are aware about the harmful affects of modified foods and hence the organic food market is the fastest growing filed in United Kingdom. People tend to choose organic food to compliment their living standard which has increased significantly in the recent years. UK sells Organic food and presently it the second highest sale in Europe. The most popular organic foods in UK are fruits, potatoes, cereals, milk products and vegetables (George 205-206). When it comes to the word ‘Organic’, the very first impression one gets is of a product which is free of chemicals, it is mostly attributed to vegetables and fruits and not with any non vegetarian food. However, animals those are raised in an organic environment, taken complete care with natural substances and without any pesticides involvement are highly preferred by consumers. They are fed with natural diet and they are free from genetically modified organism, when they are sick they are treated with drugs and not with antibiotics. These animals are never given hormones ("Soil association"). Presently there are very few restaurants in London; engaged in serving organic food. This report will highlight the possibilities of its successful venture. It is quite evident through research reports provided by the soil association, UK’; that organic

How does the film represent the causes of the war and various kinds of Essay

How does the film represent the causes of the war and various kinds of manipulation that keep it going - Essay Example his epoch making book, â€Å"War and Film† mentions in the Introduction section, â€Å"It seems to me that film about war have generally fallen, into one or more categories, and these categories have, in turn, given rise to lineages, taxonomies or modes that can be mapped across different national cinemas† (Chapman, 2008). The effect of war on the creative minds across the globe was so stark that the directors of the twenty-first century could not come out of the trauma and social devastation caused by the outbreak of war. In the year 1996, Yugoslavian director Srdan Dragojecvic made a film bearing the title ‘Pretty Village, Pretty Flame’ that yielded a bizarre but unique and unwelcoming dark humour regarding the events and manipulation that evolved and continued Bosnian war. The film is considered as one of the finest modern classics of Serbian cinema and the plot of the film is motivated by the real life circumstances that occurred during the initial days of Bosnian war. The story of the film centres round a group of Serbian soldiers who got trapped inside the tunnel and were entrapped by a fragment of the Bosnian troop. These soldiers interestingly did not join the war out of any sense of patriotism or extreme nationalism. The screenplay of the film ‘Pretty Village, Pretty Flame’ is based on a magazine article that was published in â€Å"Duga† authored by Vanja Bulic. Through a series of flashbacks, the film represents the early life of every soldier trapped inside the tunnel and endeavours to give an impression about the facts that culminated into a wartime situation and myriad manipulations that took place to continue it. ‘Pretty Village, Pretty Flame’ presents a plot that centres round a long-nurtured friendship of Halil who is a Muslim and Milan a Serbian. Set in the backdrop of 1980s, these two boys spend their boyhood playing and spending a considerable time from their playful days near a tunnel which they found mostly abandoned. Extremely

Nazi Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nazi Germany - Essay Example European history exhibits myriad number of totalitarian practices before, during, and after the first half of the 20th century. In this respect, Nazi Germany became part of the totalitarian history in Europe. This followed the appointment of Adolf Hitler as the Chancellor of Germany on the 30th of January, 1933 (Paxton and Julie 317). Hitler and his party consolidated political power in Germany and controlled every aspect of people’s lives. As a result, Nazi Germany was not necessarily an anomaly of history, since there had been other totalitarian rulers before Hitler. For instance, Tsars government in Russia had centralized political power and authority even before Hitler was appointed as Germany’s chancellor. While totalitarian practices were not new in the history of Europe, Hitler had taken his rule to another step. Hitler’s form of leadership took totalitarian rules and practices to an extreme high end. He not only controlled the lives of the people in Germany, but also destroyed political institutions and eliminated all aspects of opposition in his leadership. The cultural, social, economic, religious, and political face of Germany critically changed over the years of Hitler’s rule (Paxton and Julie 342). Consequently, the impact of Germany’s history on that of Europe remains alive to date. The cultural and social aspects of Germany were not spared by Hitler’s rule, and the Nazi Germany critically reshaped these aspects. For instance, homosexual rights groups were restricted in the year 1933, Jehovah witnesses were massively arrested from the year 1936, habitual criminals were arrested and punished from 1937 onwards, employment of Jews was banned in the year 1938, and Jewish businesses were sold to Aryans (Paxton and Julie 359). These among other activities characterized the kind of life that people lived in Germany, following the

Seeds milk rather than cow's milk Literature review

Seeds milk rather than cow's milk - Literature review Example These peptides are in the form of epidermal and nerve growth factors and other growth inhibitors like MAF and MDGI. White blood cells exist in cow’s milk that is being sold to people. There are about 1.5 million white blood cells commonly observed in per millilitre of cow’s milk. Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone is used in order to enhance rate of milk production. This hormone is directly injected into cows. It is a genetically engineered hormone and has direct linkage with prostate, breast and colon cancer. At a national average, every glass of milk consists of pus and it accounts for 322 million cell count. It is not safe for humans to intake such high level of pus (Buttriss, 2008). This ultimately leads to Crohn’s disease. Infected udders generate this form of pus and it is known as mastitis. Antibiotics are an essential component found in blood and milk of cows. There are wide array of diseases that affect cows and hence they are treated with the help of ant ibiotics. Antibiotic medicines are constantly injected in cows. Chemically laden ointments are also used so as to protect cows from chronic diseases. Four most common antibiotic drugs are noticed in dairy cows. Sulfa drugs contaminate about 38% of cow’s milk, specifically in United States. There is a negative correlation observed within milk intake and bone mineral density. Interleukin 6 found in cow’s milk results into cardiovascular disease. This shall influence osteoporosis and bone loss. Higher degree of non-fermented milk consumption eventually leads to high blood pressure, high insulin resistance and lower high density level of lipoprotein cholesterol. The negative impact of cow’s milk is observed in the form of reduced ability of children to absorb iron. Subtle blood loss is also common in infants consuming cow’s milk. Coronary Heart Disease is another adverse impact caused by milk consumption. Cancer risk is prominent with consumption of cowâ€⠄¢s milk. IGF-1 is present within

Planning an IT Infrastructure Audit for Compliance Term Paper - 1

Planning an IT Infrastructure Audit for Compliance - Term Paper Example With such an evaluation, the company will be able to streamline the inter-company communication effectiveness and departmental communications (Newsom & Haynes, J. 2014. P66). Planning, the IT audit, entails gathering information to formulate an audit plan and to gain insight of the available internal control structure of the IT. The Planning and IT infrastructure audit is a valuable practice to local and global organizations. The audit planning process directly affects the quality of the outcome. A proper plan ensures that resources are focused on the right areas and that potential problems are identified early. A successful audit first outlines what’s supposed to be achieved as well as what procedures will be followed and the required resources to carry out the procedures. The information to be collected is regulatory statutes, inherent risk assessment, recent financial information, and past audit results. Besides the auditors will require to avail information such as control procedures, equate total risks, control risk assessment, and control environment to gain an understanding of the present internal control structure. With all this prior audit information, auditors will be in a position to formulate a useful audit plan. The audit plan must details the time and cost required to execute IT infrast ructure audit. It also needs to show the different areas and activities to be engaged during IT auditing process. The scope of planning and IT infrastructure audit: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is a Canadian IT organization that manages and controls the IT infrastructure of two government organizations. It also provides auditing and IT security services to various digital organizations in Canada. CBSA performs frequent IT infrastructure audit to appraise how effective and efficient the organization execute it operations and activities. Goals and objectives of

Bend it like Beckham Essay Example for Free

Bend it like Beckham Essay All cultures have different ways of showing respect and how there life is. In Bend it Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha shows us the Indian life with the character Jessminda. Jessminda’s dreams are more important than her culture so she does not want to be the typical traditional Indian girl her parents want her to be; it sets the tone of depressed, troubled, and motivated. Jessminda changes throughout the story. At first she is really depressed because she wants to play soccer but her parents won’t let her. The reason why they won’t let her is because her culture is against her playing a boy sport that shows body parts her culture is against showing. The author shows us the tone of depressed by having Jessminda act sad and rude towards her parents. Also he shows the tone of depressed by having calm sentimental music playing. For example, ff she follows her culture her parents will be happy and she will have to give up scholarships that she could have. If she plays soccer her parents will be mad at her but she will get what she’s been wanting. Then her best friend, Jules stops talking to her because she sees Jess kiss there soccer coach, Joe. The reason her friend got mad is because Jess knew Jules and there soccer coach. The author uses this fight with her friend to show more depression that Jessminda is going through. He shows by putting them together and have them argue and he angles the camera close up to show their emotions as there talking. Culture is a big part of our lives but do we always follow it or would we rather follow our dreams? Jess starts to become daring which makes her start getting in trouble. She does what she has to just so she can play in soccer games. For example her parents and sister leave but she acts like she is sick so she doesn’t have to go with them but once they leave she goes to play in a soccer game but her dad had to go back to the house and finds out that she isn’t home. He then goes to where her game is and watches her play. Her parent’s hate that she wants to play soccer but her dad sees how much she likes it but she’s sneaking out to go play. By the author putting in this scene, he is showing that sometimes people have to do what they need to just to get what they want. He shows us the process of Jessminda lying to her parents and going and playing the game. This shows that she is a troubled girl who will show how much she likes something that means something to her. Everyone has those moments when we have to sneak away to do something that we really want to do. In addition another example of her being troubled is when she starts falling in love with their coach. She knows her culture only allows Indian woman to date Indian boys that the family accepts. Her falling for Joe is risking her life and his. The author shows us being troubled by having them two alone, dark nights so they fall in love. She does spend a lot of time with Joe but only because he is her soccer coach. Everyone has moments when we do things that changes us as a person. Jess becomes motivated to playing soccer. If it wasn’t for her coach she would of quit right in the beginning when her parents told her she couldn’t play. The problem is if she doesn’t play she won’t get the scholarships she can get and she won’t go on to college. So her coach talks to her and tells her if she just plays this championship game she will have a scholarship because they will be out there watching how they play. The author uses this to show that there are chances out there. Another problem is that her sister’s wedding lands on the day of the championship game, and her parents will not let her miss her sister’s wedding. She is sad that she can’t go but until her dad sees that she is talking to the guy her parents want her to marry and he sees what’s going on. They then tell her dad that the championship game is going on and she’s missing it so he tells them to go. This example shows confident by Chadha having her dad give her a chance to play. She then goes to the game and gets more motivated that when she gets there Jules is happy to see her so they could play together. She then played and ended up making the winning goal. After the game the person who was watching them to see if they can get there scholarships went up to them and offered them there scholarships. While he is watching them play Chadha keeps having the camera go to him to show how he reacts to good or bad plays. The camera angles help shows motivation and confidence by they keeps repeating his reaction. Chadha has good parts and bad parts to get us thinking. If it wasn’t for her coach Joe she would have given up her dream to respect her culture but now she has a scholarship that leads her to a better successful life. Cultures are what people believe in and that they follow but sometimes there’s a negative side in our culture that cannot always be followed. Everyone changes as a person good or bad and have different types of attitudes towards what he or she wants or has. Jessmindas dreams were more important to her that she went against her culture but her dad accepted it.

Surface Modification of Titania Experiment

Surface Modification of Titania Experiment 1.4  Surface Modification of Titania and its requirement: The chief active fields of research in non-homogeneous photocatalysis with semiconductor particles is development of a system that is capable of using the visible sunlight to degrade inorganic organic contaminants. The total photocatalytic activity of a particular S/C system for the discussed purpose is measured by various factors.The major factors include semiconductor stability, photocatalytic efficiency, process, response of wavelength range and selectivity of products . Modifying the surface of the semiconductor can surmount the limitations and drawbacks of a particular semiconductor as a photocatalyst for a particular use. Various benefits of modifying and changing the surface of titania have been studied. Below is the list as discussed before: (a) Inhibiting recombination by increasing the charge separation and therefore the efficiency of the photocatalytic process; (b) Changing yield of the particular product. (c) Increasing the wavelength response range (i.e. excitation of wide band gap semiconductors by visible light); and 1.4.1  Metal Semiconductor Modification The photocatalytic process is changed after the addition of the noble metals as the surface properties of the semiconductor are modified. The metal generally enhances and changes the output of a particular product . The rate of photocatalytic reaction is also altered by the metal. Besides, there is also a chance that addition can change the reaction products also. The electron will migrate to the metal where it gets trapped after the excitation and as a result of this migration , the electron-hole recombination is inhibited. The movement of negatively charged electrons to the metal particles has been confirmed by various studies showing there is a reported reduction in photo conductance of metal which has been deposited on the semiconductor compared to no reductionin photo conductance of the bare semiconductor particles. The hole becomes free to diffuse to the surface of the semiconductor particles.The oxidation can take place on the surface of the semiconductor. Besides, the metal has also got its own photocatalytic activity. Hence, the metal actually alters the photocatalytic properties of the semiconductor by altering the distribution of electrons. The Fermi levels of the two align in such a way which causes the electrons to flow from the semiconductor to the metal as the two species come together in contact. This reduction in electron density in the semiconductor leads to increase in the hydroxyl group[14]. This in turn alters the photocatalytic process on the semiconductor surface. The modification (electronic) of the semiconductor surface using metal deposition has witnessed with many noble metals such as gold, silver and platinum. 1.4.2  Modification of Titania by Noble metals like Silver: Ag has been deposited onto TiO2 in most of the studies asit is more cost-effective than other noble metals such as gold and platinum. Moreover, the Ag nanoparticles also have an intrinsic ability to stop and prevent the growth of bacteria. Also is has a very effective photocatalytic ability at the nanoscale [15]. Ag has formerly been added to TiO2 nanoparticles, TiO2 nanofilms and on TiO2 nanorods. Various studies conducted by Li et al have reported that Ag-deposited TiO2 anatase nanoparticles have shown an improvement in the photoresponse compared to that of anatase bare TiO2 nanoparticles [16]. Ag–TiO2 nanocomposite films has also been used and have showed an increased photocatalytic activity compared to the non-modified material. In fact, UV-illuminated Ag–TiO2 nano-composite films have been found out to be up to 6.3 times more effective at photo degrading MO than are UV-illuminated bare TiO2 films [17]. Plasmonic photocatalysis has lately been anticipated to increase and extend the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 to the visible light range (400nm-800nm). The plasmonic photocatalysts are different combinations of noble metal nanoparticles and semiconductor nanoparticles. The semiconductors nanoparticles absorb UV / visible light. Noble metal nanoparticles usually have very strong absorption in the visible region of solar light due to localized surface plasmon resonance commonly known as LSPR. If this energy of the absorbed visible light by the noble metal nanoparticles can be exploited to improve the reaction rates of photocatalysis, then the semiconductor/metal system is known as plasmonic photocatalyst. There’re different mechanism for plasmonic photocatalyst to enhance and extenf the photocatalytic performance to visible light range of the solar spectrum: Coupling of noble metal nanoparticles directly with the semiconductor nanoparticles .This will lead to transferring of the photogenerated electrons or holes (due to the LSPR absorbance present in the metal nanoparticles) to the semiconductor, thereby enhancing the photocatalytic performance of the semiconductor [18] . One thing that shall be kept in mind is that the direct contact of semiconductor with noble metal may also lead to back transfer of charges from the semiconductors to nanoparticles of the noble metal. The transfer of the absorbed energy by the noble metal nanoparticles to semiconductors via radioactive route using the localized interaction of the LSPR-induced improved localized elec. à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ eld with semiconduuctors. [19]. Ag−TiO2 composites have been extensively studied prepared by a lot of methods. Loading of Ag nanoparticles on the surface of TiO2 is done via dià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â€š ¬erent techniques. Photocatalytic activity enhancement has been reported with these samples of Ag−TiO2. But because of the fact that most Ag is present on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles, the exposed TiO2 surface area to illumination is reduced. It must be noted that the interface between Ag and TiO2 is also limited. Hence, in order to assist the charge-transfer process, we must maximize the interface between Ag and TiO2. We can also achieve a better design by simply mixing Ag NPs to TiO2 structures. This has been successfully done using the sol−gel method [20,21]. But there is a drawback of the sol−gel method as it typically needs precursors and therefore may have organic residues in the samples. Hence, in order to achieve a very good control over the structure of samples, we must make Ag−TiO2 p orous nanostructures directly through physical methods. Also it must be stated that silver metal deposition is of considerable interest because of it excellent potential applications.. There are a lot of applications of silver in the medical field and in the anti-microbial field. This has led many researchers and scholars to develop and synthesize silver deposited titania coated sanitary wares [22], food preparation surfaces, air conditioning filters, medical devices etc. Ag traps the excited electrons from TiO2 and also leave the holes behind for the degradation reaction of organic species .Furthermore, it also results in the extending the response of wavelength in the visible region [23–25]. Ag nanoparticles can also facilitate in the process o electron excitation by creating a local electric field [26]. The plasmon resonance effects in Ag nanoparticles show an enhancement in this elect. field [27]. The effect of Ag deposition on TiO2 on the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 by UV irradiation was studied by Chao et al. [28] (using the sol–gel method) .T hey found that silver promotes also leads to the anatase to rutile phase transformation, which may be credited to the increase in specific surface area. This increase in the specific surface area causes the enhancement in photocatalytic activityand the electron–hole pair charge separation. Au/Pt deposition onto TiO2 nanoparticles has also reported an increase in the photocatalytic reactivity of TiO2. Yu and coworkers reported an enhanced photocatalytic reactivity micro-spheres of Au/TiO2 nanocomposite compared to bare TiO2 microspheres and Degussa P25 TiO2 nanoparticles [29]. In addition, the UV-illuminated nanofilms of titania surrounded with Au nanoparticles have also shown a better photonic efficiency than the UV-illuminated bare TiO2 films [30].

Service Quality In Restaurants

Service Quality In Restaurants By conducting a literature review, the reader gets a better understanding of the question in hand. According to LeCompte et al(2003,p.124), conducting a literature review is a means of demonstrating an authors knowledge about a particular field of study, including vocabulary, theories, key variables and phenomena, and its methods and history. The research question which is addressed is service quality in restaurants, to which the literature review would focus to wherever necessary, with wide areas of service quality in general being looked into. Service Quality is not only an object of wide interest among organizations, but also is a topic that is widely discussed by researchers. Since it doesnt possess characteristics such as products do, service quality has never been easy to define. Researches have proposed different characteristics in terms of its dimensions, but few have been used. One of the most widely used model is based on the comparison between the expectations and perceptions of the customer about an organizations service. Parasuraman et al.(1985) created a model to measure service quality called the Gap Model. This was later used as a basis for creating the SERVQUAL model which is a 22-item scale used to measure service quality. It had a great impact on later works and evolved as one of the predominant tools t o be used across organizations. Restaurant is a field where SERVQUAL is used extensively for measuring their service quality. In the following section, the service quality literature is explained in detailed and later on, its linkage to the restaurant industry is looked into. 1. SERVICE QUALITY The service management literature argues that customer satisfaction is the result of a customers perception of the value received, where value equals perceived service quality relative to price (Hallowell, 1996, p. 29). 1.1 DEFINITION OF SERVICE In order to understand what Service Quality is, it is essential that the term Service is defined. Grà ¶nroos(2001) claims that services are processes and not physical entities or goods, and that service firms have processes that interact rather than products. According to Stromgren(2007, p.12) , a service is an activity or series of activities of a more or less intangible nature than normal, but not necessarily , take place in the interaction between the customer and service employees and/or physical resources or goods and/or systems of the service provider, which are provided as solutions to the customer problems. 1.2 DEFINITION OF QUALITY There are plenty of definitions of quality that are prescribed by different authors. According to Juran(1988), quality can be defined as the fitting to the intended use of the entity and thereby meeting the expected standards. In the case of an entity not fitting its intended use and expectations, the customers can bill it as of poor quality. Crosby(1979) prescribed quality as `conformance to requirements`; Garvin(1988) found internal and external failures of the entity and measured quality by the count of the failures. However, Parasuraman et al(1985) claims that quality cannot be defined using a product-based approach when dealing with service sectors and hence came forward with the term Service Quality. Considering that my research topic and questions is based on service quality, the explanation provided by Parasuraman et al(1985) is used. 1.3 DEFINITION OF SERVICE QUALITY The concept of service quality and its theories and practicality has been considered very important by the academics and practitioners over the past few decades because it acts as a chief contributor to customer satisfaction and profitability (Parasuraman et al,1985). Thus service quality has become as important factor for all organizations that need to survive in a competitive market. The definition of service quality as conceptualized in various literatures on service, centres on the quality perceived, and is defined as the judgement made by the customer about an entitys overall excellence or superiority (Parasuraman et al., 1988). In accordance with the finding of Ghobadian et al(1994),service generally has four characteristics which are different from manufacturing goods. The four characteristics are described below: Inseparability of production and consumption: This characteristic of services refers to the fact that production and consumption of service is inseparable as they are in contact with each other (Parasuraman et al.,1985). The service provider in turn becomes an important component of the service and is assessed by the consumers (Zeithaml et al., 2003). In the process, the consumers become co-producers of the service (Edvardsson,2005). In the service industry, the producers create the services which simultaneously involve its consumption. There is no room for complacency and quality shortfalls cannot be covered at this point. To illustrate, the service is being constructed at the same time that the customer is receiving it. Intangibility: Services are fundamentally intangible which means that it is impossible for the customers to physically see, smell or touch the product before the purchase is made. Services can easily be copied as a result of intangibility, because most of the services are not patented (Zeithaml et al.,2003). Intangibility results not only in difficulty to manage services, but it becomes hard for the consumers to evaluate(Lovelock et al.,2004). Hence, the customer turns to other alternatives such as obvious signs of quality such as reputation, physical tangibles, and word of mouth from previous users. In services, word of mouth and reputation have the most importance, and thus drives the service provider to deliver services right and flawless, the first time. Perishability : Service cannot be inventoried for later use which means that it impossible to have a final check like manufactured goods. According to Zeithaml et al.(2003), careful planning has to be made to manage services, as they cannot be resold or re-inventoried. Hill(1977,p.318), in his article, mentions that services can be seen as a change in the condition of a person, or of a good belonging to some economic unit, which is brought about as the result of the activity of some other economic. Another dimension to this was added by Lovelock et al.(2004) that stated that goods could be more complex to manage as the costs are incurred for its storage. So, service operations must get the right service first time. Heterogeneity: It involves service consistency and accuracy. Due to the fact that delivery of service usually involves a contact between provider and consumer, thus the behaviour of service provider can influence the perception of the customer. Moreover the accuracy of the information and the ability to interpret customers expectation correctly has a great influence on customers perception of service quality. However, expectations may change during delivery process. For this reason, service providers have to rely heavily on the ability of their staff to understand customers demand and respond in a suitable way. Service can be divided into two dimensions, the functional quality and the technical quality (Gronroos,1984). The technical quality essentially deals with what or what service is provided and functional quality deals with how or how the service is delivered. Another conceptual model which was brought forward by Lehtinen et al. (1991) comprises of physical, interactive and corporate qualities of an organization. Interactive quality deals with the overall interaction of the customers with the elements of the firm. Corporate quality deals with the image customers have about the firm. Physical quality deals with the physical good which is consumed during a service process, food at a restaurant for example and also the physical elements which make up the facilities of the restaurant. Going further deep into the service quality literature, Parasuraman et al. (1985) used 10 dimensions to explain service quality which were tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, courtesy, credibility, compet ence, access, communication, security and understanding. This model was later reduced to a scale of 5 dimensions after a process of reliability and validity testing (Parasuraman et al. , 1988). 2. CUSTOMER LOYALTY The satisfaction of the customers is one of the main aims in any business, the restaurant business in this case. Businesses recognize that maintaining current customers is much easier than winning over new ones to replace the loss (McColl-Kennedy Schneider, 2000). It is mandatory for restaurants to strategize their services to suit the ever-changing dining needs and lifestyles of customers, if they have to increase loyalty from customers. (Min et al,2002). Individuals dining expectations have evolved over the years due to changing social environment, better education, the development of culinary culture, healthy dieting awareness and cultural influences(Markovic, S .et al ,2010 p.182). According to Wishna (2000), customers, in future, would expand their dining horizons to a new level. They would need new experiences to satisfy their ever-changing requirements. Probably the most extensively debated topic about service quality field is the constructs of service quality and the related customer satisfaction (Johnston,1995). Many researches have come to a conclusion that they are two different entities but the relation between the two entities is still questioned(Cronin et al.1992). Parasuraman et al(1988,p16), suggested that perceived service quality is a global judgement, or attitude, relating to the superiority of the service, whereas satisfaction is related to a specific transaction. Parasuraman et al(1995) identified from their research that satisfaction is clearly linked to each specific transaction. They also mention that customers may be satisfied with the particular transaction but might not identify the firm as a high quality one. On one hand, there are other researches which support the argument that customer satisfaction is an antecedent of service quality(Bitner,1990). Bolton et al.(1991) suggest that satisfaction is derived from disconfirmation and becomes an important factor which influences customers opinion of the service quality. However, recent researches claim that service quality is the antecedent of satisfaction, in opposition to the arguments from the earlier works. According to Zeithaml et al(2003) states that while customer satisfaction is a broader concept, service quality is a component that comprises of customer satisfaction along with other components which includes price, product quality, personal factors and situational factors. 3. SERVICE QUALITY MODELS The use of technology can provide an organization with the needed thrust to enhance its service quality. There are several conceptual models of service quality available, which helps the management in identifying quality issues. By making sure these issues do not re-surface, it increases the possibility of improving the organizations profitability, efficiency and overall performance ( Parasuraman et al,1988). 3.1 THE GAP MODEL Service quality, unlike goods quality, cannot be measured in terms of the number of defects. It is an elusive component which is difficult to measure ( Parasuraman et al,1988). In their earlier research in 1985, Parasuraman et al. identified that service quality rises from the comparison of the expected quality and the perceived quality of service performed. They explored the concept of service quality by taking focus group interviews. The conceptual model which was identified as a result of the research consisted of five gaps in the desired service.The first four gaps is part of the perceptions and tasks in providing services, by the management. The last gap is the overall expectations from the customers. They formed a new service quality model which was based on the gaps between the expected and perceived quality. This is known as the GAP Model. Fig 1. Illustrates the model. The five Gaps that were identified are ( Parasuraman et al., 1985) : Knowledge GAP, Standards GAP, Delivery GAP, Communications GAP. GAP 1 : The Knowledge GAP is the difference in the level of expectation of the customer and the organizations perceptions of the customers expectations. In some cases, the management fails in understanding what the customers want. The dimensions identified by the management as important and which constitutes good service might not be the things that the customers look for. GAP 2 : The Standards GAP is the difference in organizations perceptions of the customers expectations and the service quality standards. The management find it difficult to deliver services according to the customers expectations due to lack of resources or other conditions which are not favourable. But they understand what the customers want. GAP 3 : The Delivery GAP is the difference between the organizations service delivery and its related communication with the customer. Staff performance towards delivery of the service plays a huge part in the customers perception of the service quality. But it can be inconsistent, even though the standards are specified. The quality of service delivery can be affected due to variability among providers. GAP 4 : The Communications GAP is the difference between the organizations service delivery and the communicated information about the service to the customers. This gap occurs when a firm fails to deliver the promised services. The consequences of overpromising in that the expectations of the customers are high and when the actual service is received, their perceptions of service quality sink. GAP 5: Overall experience of the service is the main point of focus here. The first four gaps form the perception of service that the customers receive whereas the fifth gap stands for the customers expectations compared to their perceptions, ie their view on the service quality. The diagram is illustrated in Fig 1. Fig.1 The GAP Model The GAP model is the most widely used and is one of the most important contributions to service quality literature (Brown et al. 1995). Gaps 1 to 4 shows how the service is delivered, while Gap 5 depicts the overall difference between the expected and perceived service with respect to the customer. Gap 5 is the most influential in the SERVQUAL model (Parasuraman et al, 1985). 3.2 SERVQUAL Measuring the quality of services in a restaurant is a daunting task as both the service outcome and service delivery is to be assessed. According to Wu et al. (2009), service encounters in restaurants comprise of three components: environmental elements (e.g. design, music,lighting), employees (e.g. professional skills, reliability) and customers (e.g. interaction with other customers). Environmental elements consist of the design of the restaurant interiors, the music being played and the lighting which is used. Employees form the core part of the service which helps to perform the service. To understand all characteristics of the restaurant service quality an appropriate measurement instrument should be developed. SERVQUAL is an instrument that is used to assess the customers perception of the service quality of a service. It is a multi-scale instrument, which took its shape from the GAP model originally, and later was developed further in the 1980s. The instrument contains two sections. One section consists of 22 items that measure consumers expectations. The other section includes 22 corresponding items that measure consumers perceptions of the service they received. The 22 statements represent the five service dimensions that consumers use to evaluate service quality: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy (Markovic, S., 2010, p.183). According to Parasuraman et al. (1988), Tangibles: Comprises of physical settings, the equipment used and the appearance of the employees Reliability: the ability of the employees to deliver the promised level of service Responsiveness: the ability of the employees to be willing to help out the customers and serve customers without any delay Assurance: is the level of knowledge the employees possess and their courtesy towards the customers, together with their ability to build trust and express their confidence Empathy: is the providing of individualized attention to the customers and be caring towards them. In SERVQUAL, the service quality measurement is based on the comparison of customers expectations and their perceptions of delivered service. The difference between expectations and perceptions scores is called the SERVQUAL gap. A negative gap indicates that received service did not met customers expectations. On the contrary, a positive gap indicates that customers perceived that service delivery exceeded their expectations. SERVQUAL is used as an instrument to diagnose an organizations weaknesses and strength in terms of service quality and uncover them. It creates a systematic, multi-stage process that is based on the dimensions identified and entities which correspond to that organization (Zeithaml et al., 1988). It can be used in businesses of any kind and provides a basis structure owing to its expectations-perceptions model, comprising statements for all the five different dimensions. 3.3 LIMITATIONS OF SERVQUAL Many organizations have used SERVQUAL for measuring their service quality with considerable amount of success, although there have been certain problems which have been identified. These problems are : Dimensions of the model Parasuraman et al.(1991) claimed that the five dimensions is SERVQUAL used to assess service quality can be used in all service contexts. However there were differences in opinion among other researchers. Buttle(1996) argued that the dimensions change with respect to numbers and the factors as SERVQUAL is used in different service contexts. According a research conducted in a retail setting by Finn et al.(1991), SERVQUAL dimensions are not generic. Babakus et al.(1992) noted that the dimensions can be simple or complex depending on the type of industries it is used in. A major argument to Parasuraman et al. was by Carman(1990), where he did not agree with the combining of the 10 original dimensions to five as he thinks the collapsed dimensions could have been important in certain areas and hence should be looked into as a separate dimension. Expectation of the service Expectation in a service context essentially means the desired level of service that a customer would like to receive ( Parasuraman et al., 1988). It is the minimum level of service quality that the provider should provide. But due to the ambiguous nature, it can be interpreted in different ways. While some may rate expectations according to their expected ideal or optimal performance, others may rate it as a minimum tolerable performance (Teas,1993). Issues with GAP scores The high rating of expectations by customers in the SERVQUAL setup leads to negative scores which immediately start questioning the analytical utility and interpretation of the concept (Smith, 1995). Process Focus According to Buttle(1996), SERVQUAL deals with only the process or the method by which services are delivered but not the quality of the final output that is provided. When service quality is assessed, both process and output should be used in SERVQUAL as both together can give the prediction of the choice that the customer would make rather than one without the other(Richard et al.,1993). Pricing Price plays an important role in determining the customers expectations and perceived quality(Smith,1995). He states that according to some customers, excellent food service comes with high price while lower prices are associated with restaurants which are targeting a lesser market. Hence, according to Smith(1995), price should be considered when measuring service quality. SERVQUAL is only one of those instruments which is used in measuring service quality. And going by the words of Asubonteng et al.(1996), until a model which is capable of better measurement evolves, SERVQUAL will be dominant. I am using SERVQUAL as the tool to measure service quality in the restaurants I am focussing on. 4. SERVICE QUALITY IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY Expectations are defined as what the customer beliefs of the service that would be provided and is the main standard against which the actual performance is measured (Zeithaml, V. and Bitner, M., J. 2003). There are five types of expectations of the customers- (i) minimum tolerable expectations (ii) acceptable expectations (iii) experience-based norms (iv) normative should expectations (v) ideal expectations(Zeithaml, V. and Bitner, M., J. 2003) According to Garvin(1987), the common attributes of service quality are Performance, features, conformance, aesthetics, reliability, durability, serviceability and perceived quality. Parasuraman et al. (1990) developed a five-dimensional framework of service quality which consisted of tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy to analyse service quality. However, GroÈnroos (1990) came up with a framework of his own which consisted of six elements in measuring the perceived value of services. These are explained in Table 1. There are many factors that may influence customers assessments of restaurant quality. Previous researches suggested that food quality, physical environment and service are the major components of overall restaurant service quality (Dulen 1999; Susskind Chan 2000). Among these attributes, food quality is the most important dimension of the restaurant experience (Sulek Hensley 2004). What is more, it is an essential requirement to satisfy the needs and expectations of restaurant customers (Peri 2006). Although there is no consensus on the individual attributes that constitute food quality, the researchers focus on presentation, healthy options, taste, freshness and temperature (Namkung Jang 2008). Several studies have cited the importance of service quality for customer satisfaction with a service encounter (Stevens et al. 1995; Qu 1997). Additionally, in restaurants settings, service quality is an important determinant of customer satisfaction (Kim et al.2009) and return intention (Kivela et al. 2000). Stevens et al. (1995) developed an instrument called DINESERV which was based on the SERVQUAL. It was created to measure the perceptions of the customers about the restaurants service quality. It was used by many as a very reliable and simple tool for finding out the customers view on service quality. It consisted of 29 items, which fell into the five service quality dimensions. It is used in assessing different types of restaurants. Through the findings, it is known that the customers give the highest priority to reliability. Further researchers like Heung et al.(2000) have identified that the customers expectations vary depending on the restaurants. They used DINESERV to compare and contrast certain restaurants at an airport and found out that the expectations vary with different restaurants. However none of the tools have included food quality as a possible dimension. According to Andaleeb et al.(2006), SERVQUAL should include food quality as a service quality dimension as food quality covers the entire section of food service attributes. This was supported by Namkung et al.(2007) who valued the importance of food quality in measuring service quality as they identified in their research that it was the main factor which influenced customer satisfaction. They claim food quality constitute of presentation, variety, healthy options, taste, freshness and temperature(Namkung et al., 2007). Against this backdrop, the main aim of the research, the use of technology in improving service quality in restaurants is looked into. 5. USE OF EXISTING TECHNOLOGY IN RESTAURANTS TO AID SERVICE QUALITY The use of technology is increasing in all aspects of the restaurant industrys operations and management. Technology is traditionally viewed as the key component in industries. In recent years, technological developments have acted as the key catalyst in improving service operations and providing the customers with enhanced experiences at restaurants. According to Berry(1995), technology should be used as a servant rather than acting as the master. It should be used to add value to the service offered to the customers, not to completely replace the role of service. Technology offers a better method of performing the service, which eventually benefits the firm, the customers and the employees. It provides a better image to the firm, better dining experiences to the customers and varied and easy way of performing service, to the employees. To cite an example, McDonalds, the chain of restaurants maintain their business by deploying simple technologies to aid services. Devices like food timers and vegetable cutting machines are used to maintain the consistency of various products. When the management considers the type of technology to be adopted, they should also take into account, the reaction of the customers to it, apart from the expenses and benefits that the restaurant might face. It is worthwhile to note that, a new technology will not be of significance if it does not satisfy the customer. By using technology, it benefits both the customers and the restaurant management. 5.1 Benefits to customers Improved convenience The term service convenience deals with the desired time and effort the customers are ready to invest in dining out. An increase in service convenience is directly related to an increase in customer satisfaction (Holdern et al., 2008). Technology can be used to improve access convenience which deals with the relative ease with which an order can be placed, transaction convenience which deals with speeding up the payments and benefit convenience which deals with controlling the pace of their time at the restaurant (Dixon et al.,2009). Increased control Control is defined as the need to demonstrate ones competence, superiority, and mastery over the environment( Hui et al., 2002). From past researches, it has been proved that customers feel more satisfied when they feel they have substantial control over their service encounter( Ariely et al., 2000). Hence, when implementing new technologies, it is important to choose such that the majority of the control the service encounters remains with the customer. 5.2 Benefits to the restaurant management Service speed Increased speed of service can lead to more satisfaction and higher revenues, as more customers can be served. This is where use of technology steps up. The time taken for taking orders, communicating the orders to the kitchen, managing the tables, transaction times can all be reduced by the use of technology. Hand-held electronic devices like ipad and HP touchpad are widely used in restaurants. Orders taken through these devices can be directly sent to the electronic display board in the kitchen, so that there is no delay between taking the order and food preparation, which speeds up the service, and eventually better customer satisfaction. The tables in the restaurant can be managed by using advanced table managing softwares that are prevalent these days. This can help in effectively controlling queuing. Transactions and payments can be made faster by using handheld credit card machines at the table to ensure there are no delays. While faster service always leads to better satisfaction, it should be managed properly so that the customers must not feel the notion that they are being rushed through the service. Reduction in labour cost- Usage of technology helps in reducing cost incurred due to large number of staff. Usage of self-service kiosk and online and off-line reservations help reduce labor charges. Also, kitchen equipments like automatic dishwasher, plate warmer helps reduce costs incurred for staffs. A steady increase in volume and revenue A new trend in the modern restaurant industry is to create attractive websites and create their own accounts in various social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter. Customers can access information from these pages and can also subscribe to updates from these restaurants about the latest offerings, menu and special events if any. Online reservations provide the restaurants with a separate channel which makes the restaurant feel more accessible and also through which customers can be attracted. Previous researchers have found out 59% of the restaurants which uses online reservations encounter a steady increase in sales(Lang,2006). Other research identified that customers even make online reservations even during hours outside the working hours of the restaurant, which means the restaurants are capturing business during periods which they normally did not expect to( Layton, 2006; Ross, 2006). Improved service and product Technology if used appropriately, can aid restaurants to provide improved and consistent service to customers. Past researches have shown that an increase in the perceived product quality and service quality have led to an increase in the restaurants profit and better customer satisfaction ( Rust et al.,1995). The areas in a restaurant where technology are used can be divided into five section, namely(Dixon et al.(2009)): Queue management Menu Internet-based content Kiosk Transactions The usage is depicted in a tabular form in the next page. Category Technology used Relevance Queue Management 1.Table management software 2.Pagers given to the customers 3.Hand-held order-taking devices while waiting in the queue Pagers alert the customers seated in the waiting area when their table is ready Hand-held devices help to take the orders from the waiting customers and transfer it directly to the kitchen so as to minimize the delay of food preparation Menu Virtual menus available online which contains details of the nutritional values Virtual menus available at the table Customers can decide on the menu when ordering online based on the nutritional value Customers seated at a table gets to know the content of the food and its nutritional values before ordering Internet-based content Online table and food reservation system Websites to connect to the customers about new offers, special discounts and new items on the menu Accounts on social networks to create a sense of belonging to the customers Online ordering helps in reducing the waiting time for food at the restaurant Customers get to know the latest happenings at the restaurant and understand the new things on offer Urges customers to become part of the restaurants online family Kiosk Ordering food through kiosk Making payments through kiosk Ordering through kiosk helps the customers to order through a touch screen device, without other staff contact Making payments using kiosks add the personal touch to each customer Transcations Payment using hand-held credit card machines,SMS and NFC(Near-field communication) Makes payment much faster than the traditional cash or taking-card-to-counter method Table 1 : Usage of existing technology(Dixon et al.200

Children: Tomorrow’s Future Essay -- Education Kids Teaching Papers

Children: Tomorrow’s Future Introduction Let children be children, is not only a popular phrase heard in education, but it is also my motto. Yes, it is true, today’s children are tomorrow’s future; but how we choose to raise our children determines the outcome of our future. Many believe academics should be stressed more in schools, taking away from children’s playtime. I feel that play is what molds a child. Play allows not only a child’s imagination to run freely, but builds and strengthens children’s motor, language, cognitive, and social emotional development skills. I believe that play; along with parental involvement forms a child’s identity. Play is what makes children: tomorrow’s future. Body Motor Development Motor Development is defined as â€Å"the development of skill in the use of the body and its parts† (Charlesworth, 2000.p.12). Motor development can be even further defined by dividing it into two main categories: (1) Gross Motor and (2) Fine Motor skills. Gross motor skills involve many different physical motives and activities. The ability to run, jump, build muscle strength, gain a sense of gravity, and a sense of balance all fall under the gross motor category (Woolfolk, 2001a). Fine motor skills involve all of the little small-muscle movements (Woolfolk, 2001b). Motor development is greatly used and emphasized during the early childhood years because this is the time of a child’s life when their brain is like a sponge absorbing all information they come in contact with, and developing the most in order to form a path to their future. The early childhood years demonstrate many ways in which the motor skills are used and the many means of importance these skills display during these sta... ...uce new ideas and concepts into children's minds. Teachers can play at the children's level of social interaction. All these strategies can be implied in everyday situations to help enhance children‘s play levels. Conclusion In conclusion, as we are traveling through the twenty-first century, we are approaching new technology, scientific research, and current and future world events, but the most important thing to keep in perspective are the children of today’s society. Children are our tomorrow, and our future. As children go through school, and people push for more academics to be taught, it is important to remember that too much is overload. Children can indirectly build on their developmental skills through the use of play. Play is something that should never be buried. Play is what forms a child’s identity; it is what allows a child to be a kid!

Free Essays - Running From Prejudice :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

Running From Prejudice I look around and I see it, and then I read about it. But I never thought I would be faced with discrimination firsthand. It's my junior year in high school, with lots of opportunities, freedom and responsibility. I decided to join the cross-country team, and somehow I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I knew most of the team from classes and from running track. The first day of practice I disregarded the stares. As the season went on, though, I started to feel out of place, like an outsider. I was the only African-American and there was no one I could relate to or who could relate to me. I stayed to myself and kept thinking, Life is not always great, but I just have to get through this. There were certain people I was able to get along with, but even they would occasionally make racial comments. By then I was fully aware of how much respect they lacked. One day after a meet as we were preparing to leave, they started discussing how teens sometimes do crazy things. Then all of a sudden the issue of black and white surfaced and someone said, "Whites are superior to blacks, blacks have issues." The saddest part of this was realizing they knew I was there and didn't care. My world crumbled as they made comment after comment and laughed. Reality smacked me in the face. I'd had my first encounter with discrimination. The tears poured from my eyes as I headed for the bus. The only thought I had was how I had been deceived into believing these people were my friends and I could trust them. Even though some apologized, I don't have the respect for them I had had before. My insight on people will never be the same. After the incident, I took some time away from the team to reflect on what was important to me.

Resolved: Presidential Signing Statements Threaten to Undermine the Ru

The subject of signing statements has created much debate among the houses of Congress, government officials, and the public alike. These signing statements fall under the categories of constitutional and legislative history signing statements. Constitutional signing statements are those in which the president deems certain provisions of the legislation as unconstitutional, therefore they should not be enforced (Bradley & Posner, 2006). Legislative history signing statements are executive interpretations of ambiguous legislation (Bradley & Posner, 2006). The Constitution very specifically outlines the process of a bill being passed up to the executive level, but the issue of presidential signing statements is not explicitly discussed, therefore it becomes a controversial grey area; specifically when a President uses a signing statement to express partial support and intent to enforce a law. This essay will discuss signing statements and the role that they play in the legislative pr ocess. In addition, the legality of presidential signing statements in respect to the constitution will be argued through the exploration of the origins, past applications, and attempts at limiting such presidential implements. Presidential signing statements are a president’s formal declaration of their interpretation of a bill that is being signed into law, namely the objections to segments of the bill that they have deemed in opposition of the constitution as well as the measures of the bill that will be enforced. (CRS, 2006) They can also convey support or appreciation towards the bill and its contributors (Kelley, 2007) Signing statements tend to occur on significant pieces of legislation and function similarly to presidential vetoes in that th... ...igning statements: Constitutional and institutional implications (Order Code RL33667)Congressional Research Service. Kelley, C. S. (2007). The law: Contextualizing the signing statement. Presidential Studies Quarterly,, 37(4), 737-748. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27552286 Kinkopf, N. (2006). Signing statements and the president's authority to refuse to enforce the law. American Constitution Society for Law and Policy Lee, M. (2008). Reorienting the debate on presidential signing statements: The need for transparency in the president’s constitutional objections, reservations, and assertions of power. Manuscript submitted for publication, School of Law, UCLA, Retrieved from http://www.uclalawreview.org/wordpress/?p=339 Lund, N. (2007). Presidential signing statements in perspective.William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, 16(1), 95-111.

Management Art or Science Essay

The concept of management is universal and very old. That is why different views have been expressed about its nature by different writers from time to time. The continuous and rapid development of management principles and practices in organization has changed the nature of management. The main points of view about the nature of management are given below: Management as an Art, Science or Both A lot of controversy arises whether management is an art or science or both. It is said that the management is the oldest of arts and youngest of science. This explains the changing nature of management. But to have an exact answer to this question, it is necessary to understand both these aspects separately and combinedly, as given below: Management as an Art: Art refers to the way of doing specific things; it indicates how an object can be achieved. In the words of George R. Terry, â€Å"Art is bringing about of a desired result through the application of skill.† Art is, thus, skilful application of knowledge which entirely depends on the inherent capacity of a person which comes from within a person and is learned from practice and experience. In this sense, management is certainly an art as a manager uses his skill, knowledge and experience in solving various problems, both complicated and non-complicated that arise in the working of his enterprise successful. In the words of Ernest Dale, â€Å"Management is considered as an art rather than science mainly because managerial skill is a personnel possession and is intuitive.† Management as a Science: Science may be described as a systematized body of knowledge based on proper findings and exact principles and is capable of verification. It is a reservoir of fundamental truths and its findings apply safely in all the situations. In this sense, management is a science as it has also developed some systematized knowledge. Like other sciences, management has also developed certain principles, laws, generalization, which are universal in nature and are applicable wherever the efforts of the people are to be coordinated. But management is not as exact science as other physical sciences like physic, chemistry, biology, astronomy etc. The main reason for the inexactness of science of management is that it deals with the people and it is very difficult to predict their behavior accurately. In this way, management falls in the area of ‘social sciences’. Thus, it is a social science. Conclusion- Management is an Art and Science Both From the above study, we conclude that management is an art and science both. According to American Society of Mechanical Engineers. â€Å"Management is the art and science of preparing, organizing and directing human efforts to control the forces and utilize the material of nature for the benefit of men. â€Å"Thus, it has now been accepted that management is an art as well as science. It has the elements of both arts and science. In the words of Dean Stanley, â€Å"Management is a mixture of an art an science – the present ratio is about 80% art and 20% science.†

America’s rising white collar crime Essay

Senior citizens especially, have proved to be particular targets of identity theft and credit card fraud. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation web site, senior citizens are often targeted for five common reasons. The first is because older citizens usually have a â€Å"nest egg† hidden away or excellent credit ratings that the thieves may tap into. Second, people born in the 30’s or 40’s particularly the women, are generally used to being polite and trusting of whatever they are told. Third is that senior citizens generally do not recognize fraud in its earlier stages and even if they did, would not know who to report it to. Usually, they also feel hesitant at admitting the fraud for fear that relatives will just chalk it up to diminished mental capacity and incapability to handle their own finances. ( â€Å"Fraud Target: Senior Citizens,† para. 1-6. ) Fraudsters also count on the elderly citizens making poor witnesses even if the fraud is discovered and the perpetrator caught. The elderly are also susceptible to scams and often end up giving credit card and financial information in the belief that they are purchasing health aids and the like. 15. Some credit card transactions issue carbon copies of the charges along with the sales receipt. Destroy these carbon copies as they also carry credit card information that fraudsters and counterfeiters may use. 16. Never write credit card information in public places especially where there is glass. The glass or mirror may very well reflect what you are writing down to the person standing behind you. 17. Never lend your credit or identification cards to anyone not even family. They may not cheat you but you never know how careful they will be of your cards. It takes just a few minutes to copy information off of a card and a few seconds to take photos of these for duplication. 18. In shopping online, make sure that you are dealing with legitimate companies only. Check their privacy and security policies. When possible, do a research on the company’s background through the Better Business Bureau of well-known consumer protection offices. Make sure that there is an email or working phone number for a customer service department that you can contact for any issues that may arise. Customers may also want to check the site’s browser security. Check the URL address on pages where you are required to give personal or financial information. Secure browsers will start wit https:// rather that the usual http://. (Jackson) The ease by which unscrupulous identity thieves and credit card fraudsters can ruin their victim’s reputation and credit line can be horrifying. It is a crime that does not discriminate and has targeted victims both from all classes. In a May 2001 congressional hearing on the joint investigation done by the Secret Service and the New York Police Department (NYPD), the US Secret Service revealed that even wealth and influence does not deter thievery and fraud. The well-protected financial and credit card accounts of some of the nation’s richest and most influential men have been compromised by identity thieves and credit card fraudsters. (Dutta 290) With the use of mobile technology such as mobile phones and the Internet, the fraudsters were able to obtain their victims’ credit card numbers and by creating fictitious addresses and bank accounts, attempted to transfer around $22million from brokerage firms and banks handling their victim’s finances. (290) One such fraudster was caught in October 2002. The 32-year old restaurant workers confessed to obtaining and breaking into the â€Å"bank, brokerage and credit card accounts belonging to the richest Americans, including billionaire Warren Buffet, in his scheme to steal over $80million. † (290) Identity theft is not limited to purposes of financial gain either. Illegal immigrants have been known to use fraudulent and stolen identification cards and documents so they may obtain work and residency. The past years of terrorist threats reveal that this ease in stealing and counterfeiting identification papers and financial documents have been employed by terrorists as well. One of the defendants for the World Trade Center bombing was found with a number of counterfeit identification documents that included among which â€Å"†bank documents, medical histories and education records from which numerous false identities could have been created. â€Å"† (290) Even the FBI admits that the stolen credit cards may well be used in funding terrorist activities. Today’s modern and computerized lifestyles and services have made everything so convenient. People would well be guided however in remembering that this convenience comes with a price. No matter how many consumer help lines, specialized police agencies or consumer advocacy groups there are, taking care of one’s self and possessions still rest largely on individuals themselves. How often is it that pure carelessness can amount to a multitude of troubles? It is easy enough to think that â€Å"that sort of thing will never happen to me† until the next moment when you’re kicking yourself for not having taken more care and diligence in safeguarding your identification papers and financial documents. To believe that it is â€Å"better to be safe than sorry† is not a bad thing. In fact, it can very well be the most sensible thing to remember in everyday life. Bankruptcy and credit cards are expensive. Common sense is free. Bankruptcy and the sorrows and problems of being victimized by unscrupulous people may very well have been avoided and forestalled if people would apply a measure of old-fashioned common sense and careful judgment in their daily lives and transactions. In a bid to protect the citizenry from the relatively new spate of cyber based crimes the U. S. Congress has passed several laws meant to prevent identity theft. One of these laws is the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which compels credit reporting agencies to disclose to people the contents of their own records and to correct mistakes if any. Another law meant to prevent credit card fraud is the Fair Credit Billing Act which grants cardholders the right to dispute credit card charges. Under this law, cardholders cannot be compelled to pay any portion of a disputed amount till the matter has been resolved within 30 days. The only requirement is for cardholders to notify the card issuer in writing within 60 days. Another protective law is the Federal electronic fund transfer act, which regulates the use of plastic cards and other access devices such as credit cards and ATMs. The act also gives the Federal Reserve Board the power to regulate the liability of customers for unauthorized transfer of funds. Directly hitting the problem of Identity Theft is the law Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act. This law punishes the act of â€Å"‘knowingly transfer[ing], possess[ing] or us[ing], without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, †¦ any unlawful activity'†(Howard).

Golden Parachute

Often in a stack of current newspapers, the front page topics that will catch your attention are ethical issues behind upper management compensations; in this case, on March 30th 2009, the issue that surfaced was Rick Wagoner’s leave from GM and his retirement package and how his actual/ base compensation doubled in his last year from approximately $7M to $15M. (7) With the current economic crisis, many people outside the business society have become aware of the ridiculously high income difference between top managers and regular working citizens. For instance, terms such as ‘golden parachute’ have been put under the limelight and are scrutinized. Golden parachutes are severance pays to CEOs when they leave their company. The amount of money is usually influenced by the size of the business and the effort they put in. The golden parachute was once used to ethically to compensate CEOs who sacrificed their time and effort for the business; however, this is currently not the only case. Before we get into more detail, it is important to understand that the golden parachute once had a reason for being employed. With many mergers and acquisitions during the second industrial revolution, CEOs were offered compensations proportional to how much their effort was worth. According to the Journal of Business Ethics, this was an ethical standpoint because it was followed by two positive effects. First of all, golden parachutes encouraged mergers and acquisitions as opposed to bankruptcy. For instance, the CEO would choose to merge with a competitor and leave with an enticing amount of money. This minimized unemployment and loss of structural capital which is result of bankruptcy. Another positive effect in using the golden parachute was attracting an effective management team. Great CEOs are essential for the success of businesses, yet great CEOs are low on supply. As a result, golden parachutes can be ‘recruitment tool[s]’ and can bring the business back into an economically stable position. In essence, golden parachutes were and can still be ethical if the CEOs receive compensations proportional to their effort that was put forth to the company. 1) However, although these compensation packages began as an alternative that maximizes the sum of stakeholders’ satisfaction, many CEOs began to abuse this privilege. Highlighted by the principle agent theory, most people would prioritize personal incentives above all else. Therefore, it is understandable for a CEO to pursue personal incentives. However, fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders must be reinforced by boards. It is human nature to prioritize personal needs, but it is unethical to harm the business or shareholders during the process. Therefore, whether or not golden parachutes should or should not be mandatory remains a moral dilemma. The question still stands; is it defendable that CEOs deserve and have rights to collect golden parachutes? In a current issue, Rick Wagoner, CEO of GM, was asked to resign by Obama due to his failure to submit a restructuring plan. As a result, he received a whopping golden parachute of $20 million. If the decision was put in the hands of many tax payers, he would not have left with $20 million due to his track record. According to ABC News, under his leadership, â€Å"GM lost tens of billions of dollars, took billions in taxpayer-financed aid, and cut tens of thousands of jobs, including announced plans to cut 47,000 employees by the end of 2009†. (2) On top of that, he was included in a scandal, late 2008, where he was witnessed to have flown private jets when asking for a government bailout. With such exposure, tax payers are petrified with the fact that their money is going towards a paying a company which failed restructure. Thus, many argue that he did not deserve the money since he neglected his responsibility as the CEO of GM to look in the best interest of the stakeholder. On the other hand, GM and the government had to, by law, give Rick Wagoner the pay since it was already negotiated; thus, he was entitled to retirement funds. As a result, another ethical issue may arise based on whether or not he deserves the pay. Let’s also not forget the fact that he worked in GM for 32 years. 2) On top of that, if a golden parachute was not offered, many capable CEOs will lose incentives and GM’s financial position may not be able to recuperate without an effective leader. In essence, the dilemma a remains in debate regarding whether or not the benefits of golden parachutes override the possible abuse of this privilege. To further analyze this case, this dilemma was applied to the seven step decision procedure. Moral Standards To start off with, the first step to the decision procedure is to identify moral standards. Since each stakeholder’s interests vary, there is a conflict among personal goals, beliefs and values. For instance, CEOs and board members take action to maximize their pay due to personal goals; however, it may not be in the best interest of the company. As a result, by pursuing this goal, CEOs and board members believe in egoism where they look solely in the best interest of themselves and consider it as a means to goodness. They also believe that with a capitalist economy, the government should not intervene and should grant businesses’ their freedom resulting a laissez-faire perspective. Similarly, shareholders also intend to maximize their income and personal incentives. In doing so, they value trust and honesty and expect fiduciary duties to be met. Moral Impacts The second step is to recognize all moral impacts and how they either benefit or harm stakeholders. It is also important to identify any rights that are linked to entitlement and/or duty that may be recognized or violated. The following chart is a cost/ benefit analysis if the government was to allow the practice of golden parachutes.

Characteristics of Philippine Literature

CHARACTERISTICS OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE Philippine literature is the literature associated with the Philippines and includes the legends of prehistory, and the colonial legacy of the Philippines. Most of the notable literature of the Philippines was written during the Spanish period and the first half of the 20th century in Spanish language. Philippine literature is written in Spanish, English, Tagalog, and/or other native Philippine languages. Philippine literature refers to all literature from the Philippines, written in Spanish, English, Tagalog, and a variety of other Philippine languages.Philippine literature flourished during the Spanish period (nineteenth century) and the first half of the twentieth century. The literature of the Philippines covers a variety of genres, most notably poetry and metrical romances, prose, dramas, religious dramas, and secular dramas.INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE LITERATUREThe history of a nation can be learned in its constitution, its laws and its political statements. But to know the hist ory of a nation’s spirit, you must read its literature. For in literature you can discover how the people of a nation have reacted to the events around them.In the stories, essays and poems contained in this volume, you will read the dreams, anxieties, joys and problems of the Filipino in the past seventy-five years. By reading this development of Philippine Literature you will review what has happened to the Filipino since 1900. But literature offers much more than a mere personalized history. For an important quality of art is to share with others the intense realization of a human experience. Through this sharing, you may recognize your own experiences. You may learn what you are or how you have become what you are. You may even learn what you might be in the future.Philippine literature shows you how the Filipino differs from others. Yet in a sense the Filipino writer is linked with all the other writers of the world. For in explaining or questioning human experience, wri ters are never alone. Philippine Literature in English is really a part of the literatures of the world. A further quality of literature is that the expressions used should be memorable. The language should be clear and forceful so that the ideas strike the reader with almost the same force with which they struck the writer. The early Filipino writers had difficulty in expressing themselves since English was a language new to them.The marvel is that they learned this language so quickly and with such facility. Philippine literature in English reveals the spirit of the Filipino. Gradually this literature has learned to express the deepest of human experiences in words that create memorable images. You may divide Philippine Literature in English into many types and numerous periods. But for our purposes, we shall consider three stages through which the literature has passed. These stages might be called: 1) The Early Period, from 1900 to 1930 2) The Middle Period, from 1930 to 1960 3) The Modern Period, from 1960 to 1974Philippine literature Philippine literature is the literature associated with the Philippines and includes the legends of prehistory, and the colonial legacy of the Philippines, written in both Indigenous, and Hispanic languages. Most of the notable literature of the Philippines was written during the Spanish period and the first half of the 20th century in Spanish language. Philippine literature is written in Spanish, English, Tagalog, and other native Philippine languages.EARLY WORKSâ€Å"Doctrina Christiana†, Manila, 1593, is the first book printed in the Philippines.Tomas Pinpin wrote and printed in 1610 â€Å"Librong Pagaaralan nang mga Tagalog nang Wikang Kastila†, 119 pages designed to help fellow Filipinos to learn the Spanish language in a simple way. He is also credited with the first news publication made in the Philippines, â€Å"Successos Felices†, CLASSICAL LITERATURE IN SPANISH (19TH CENTURY) On December 1, 184 6, La Esperanza, the first daily newspaper, was published in the country. Other early newspapers were La Estrella (1847), Diario de Manila (1848) and Boletin Oficial de Filipinas (1852). The first provincial newspaper was El Eco de Vigan (1884), which was issued in Ilocos.In Cebu City â€Å"El Boletin de Cebu† (The Bulletin of Cebu), was published in 1890. On 1863, the Spanish government introduced a system of free public education that had an important effect on the ability of the population to read in Spanish and further in the rise of an educated class called the Ilustrado (meaning, well-informed). Spanish became the social language of urban places and the true lingua franca of the archipelago. A good number of Spanish newspapers were published until the end of the 1940s, the most influential of them being El Renacimiento, printed in Manila by members of the Guerrero de Ermita family.Some members of the ilustrado group, while residing or studying in Spain, decided to start a literary production in Spanish with the aim of serving the autonomy and/or independence projects. Members of this group included Pedro Alejandro Paterno, who wrote the novel Ninay (first novel written by a Filipino); the Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal, who wrote excellent poetry and two famous novels in Spanish: Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not), and El Filibusterismo'.MODERN LITERATURE (20TH AND 21ST CENTURY)The greatest portion of Spanish literature was written during the American period, most often as an expression of pro-Hispanic nationalism, by those who had been educated in Spanish or had lived in the Spanish-speaking society of the big cities, and whose principles entered in conflict with the American cultural trends. Such period of Spanish literary production—i. e. , between the independence of Spain in 1898 and well ahead into the decade of the 1940s—is known as â€Å"Edad de Oro del Castellano en Filipinas. † Some prominent writers of this era we re Wenceslao Retana and Claro Mayo Recto, both in drama and essay; Antonio M.Abad and Guillermo Gomez Wyndham, in the narrative; Fernando Maria Guerrero and Manuel Bernabe, both in poetry. The predominant literary style was the so called â€Å"Modernismo,† a mixture of elements from the French Parnassien and Symboliste schools, as promoted by some Latin American and Peninsular Spanish writers (e. g. the Nicaraguan Ruben Dario, the Mexican Amado Nervo, the Spaniard Francisco Villaespesa, and the Peruvian Jose Santos Chocano as major models). Apart from the works in Spanish, the only remarkable and valuable Filipino writer writing in the English language is Nick Joaquin.