Modernism And Its Impact On The Modern Era - 847 Words

The twenty-first century is developing into a time of technological developments and the beginning of the Modern Era. The early Modern Era was known as a time of exploration and globalization. Globalization is the interconnection of countries; there is an active exchange of commodities, ideas, and philosophical thoughts. With the development in technology such as cell phones, airplanes, Internet, and social media; it has made the growth of transportation and communication networks possible and much more advanced. In other words, people and countries can exchange information, ideas, and goods more quickly and efficiently. The worldwide spread of technology creates vast connections that create new opportunities on a larger scale. One philosophical movement that spread quickly was Modernism. Modernism is a philosophical movement in the arts. The modernists rejected traditional notions of plot and time. In contrast, they would show a rational, cause-effect relationship between events an d the character’s development. In this essay I will be demonstrating one of Berolt Brecht non-Aristotelian drama, a dramatic form intended to be staged with the methods of epic theatre. Berolt Brecht was one of most prominent modernists during this era. He proposed the idea of the Epic Theater. In 1924, after moving to Berlin, Brecht started to work with Erwin Piscator. Piscator was known for practicing forms of political and social epic theater. After working with Piscator for some time,Show MoreRelatedModernism And Its Impact On Art And Architecture1536 Words   |  7 Pages†¢ Modernism in oxford dictionary is defined as â€Å"A style or movement in the arts that aims to depart significantly from classical and traditional forms.† While this explanation defines modernism in design and architecture very clearly, roots of modernism are deeper. The movement of modernism has affected arts and design forever. Modernism was a start for designers to move forward and start making necessary changes to their pieces. As discussed before during the module a design needs to be functionalRead MoreThe Modern Era And Its Impact On The World1086 Words   |  5 Pag esThe Modern period is a cultural movement that has a lasting impact on the world. The Romantic period provoked everyone to rebellion and two of the greatest revolutions, the American and French, were an outcome of that period. Thus, the Modern period was born when the Romantics faded out and this shift in culture changed the world forever. Modernism changed the way people lived in a number of different reasons, but there are three that stood out from the rest. The Modern Era changed the world throughRead MoreLiterary evolution: Differentiating Romanticism and Modernist Literature1077 Words   |  5 Pagesyears, each one of these periods can easily be separated by what literature was used for in each specific era and the ideas that are represented in the literature of these years. The two periods I would like to analyze are romanticism and modernism, namely for the dramatic change in both the form and the use of literature, along with its value to society. Between the romantic an d modernist era of literature, writing went from a complex expression of ideals and evocation of emotion to a much lessRead MoreTechnology During The Twentieth Century1076 Words   |  5 PagesTechnology had a great influence on literature in the early twentieth century. This was the era of Women’s Suffrage Movement and the â€Å"Great War† both of which had an impact on literature. The Women’s Movement challenged long held ideals that men were superior in both mind and body, but more importantly, activists used technology to advance their cause. Five thousand women marched on Washington in order to gain media attention and support, and this coverage eventually led to the ratification ofRead MoreThe Modernism Movement Essay1133 Words   |  5 PagesModernism started as a movement around late 19th and 20th centuries. It rejected the conventional forms of art, architecture, literature, religious faith, social organisation and everyday life as they felt it wa s incompatible with the new economical, social and political conditions that was emerging at that period of time. Many distinctive styles can be defined as modernist, but majority of them had very similar values and theories on different aspects of society. It gave birth to a whole array ofRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1651 Words   |  7 Pages Modernism is a philosophical movement that came along with cultural trends and changes. It is an international movement in European and American art, literature, and culture. It started from wide scale and far reaching transformations in Western society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. World War 1 is often seen as a starting event of Modernism. The devastation of Western Civilization in the great war accelerated and strengthened Modernist thinking. Modernism was the most influentialRead MoreThe Movements of the 20th Century Culture Essay1170 Words   |  5 Pagestremendous impact in our lives as of today. The 20th century contributed an abundance of improvements to our culture. In addition, the progressions of the advancement helped society lives to better, such as the industrialization, the remarkable inventions that made our lives easier. Nevertheless, the 20th century presented a copious amount of remarkable artists that introduced us to many arts that were modernism and postmodernism; such as Pablo Picasso his work of art were considered a modern art, andRead MoreThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay1524 Words   |  7 Pagesof the major ideas, issues, values and beliefs within the text. T.S (Thomas Stearns) Eliot was one of the twentieth century’s major poets and still remains relevant today. For many, Eliot and his works synonymous with Modernism; his â€Å"use of myth to undergird and order atomized modern experience; its collage-like juxtaposition of different voices, traditions, and discourses; and its focus on form as the carrier of meaning† (Domestico, A Lewis, P, 2010, p. 1).The poem ‘The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock’Read MoreThe Influence of History on American Literature Essay1546 Words   |  7 PagesLiterature, we have seen the inhumane treatment of slaves, we have seen the destruction caused by wars, and we have seen the devastation of eras such as The Great Depression. In order to see how cultural and historical situations affect literature throughout history, it is important to get a brief history on each era discussed in this paper. The first era we will be reviewing will be writings from 1865-1914. The Civil War was just ending in 1865. America lost over a half of million Americans inRead MoreModernism, Modernity and Modernisation: Urban Growth in Melbourne Between the Wars1533 Words   |  7 Pagesand publications, Australia first came into contact with Modernism in the mid-1910s. The modernist movement in Australia was at it’s most influential for over five decades, including global wars, economic depression, technological advances and massive social change. (http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/modernism) This article, however, will be focusing on Australia’s development of Modernity, Modernisation and Modernism between the inter-war period of 1919 to 1939. With an ever

The Mexican Revolution Of 1910 - 1619 Words

The Mexican Revolution of 1910 set many influences in motion shaping the course of Mexican history between 1920 up into the 2000s. There are several patterns that take its cue from the Revolution include the creation and long standing existence of a one political party rule. The Mexican Revolution is an extremely long and complicated subject to perceive without much background information, but in summation the Revolution was an attempt to end a dictatorship of Porfirio Dà ­az and to establish a constitutional republic. Many problems arose during the Revolution, including several divided groups lead by strong willed individual lovely referred to as revolutionaries these included Francisco Madero, Pascual Orozco, Pancho Villa, and Emiliano Zapata. With threatening political crisis among competing Mexican elites and the opportunity for agrarian insurgence lead to the outbreak of the Revolution. The Revolution would leave lasting influences such as those on Mexico far beyond the imagina tion thought possible. The first pattern set noticeably in history would the creation and long standing institution of a one-party rule over Mexican government. The first election of a Mexican President after the removal of Porfirio Diaz was in 1920 with Alvaro Obregon. (CMH, 425) Obregon would face harsh economic trouble during a post-World War I economy. The most important aspect of his presidency would be to finally implement the constitution that had been written in 1917. Obregon faces a MexicoShow MoreRelatedThe Mexican Revolution Of 1910 Essay1747 Words   |  7 Pagesattributed to the Mexican Revolution of 1910, that may or may not deem it a legitimate revolution, we must first establish and define that which is allocated by the term, revolution. Merriam Webster defines a revolution as, a complete overthrow of an established government or political system. The Oxford Dictionary defines a revolution as, â€Å"an overthrow of old government by force and replacing it by a new one. Funk and Wagnall’s Standard Desk Dictionary establishes that a revolution is, a great upheaval:Read MoreReginald Lewis II EVALUATION OF SOURCES: Gonzales, Michael J.. The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1940.1600 Words   |  7 PagesEVALUATION OF SOURCES: Gonzales, Michael J.. The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1940. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2002. Michael J. Gonzales, noted Peruvianist and author of two articles on copper mining in northern Mexico, in this latest book describes the revolution and provides extensive coverage (nearly one-third of the text) of the Porfiriato. Lucid, engaging, and containing interesting anecdotes, this political survey of the Mexican Revolution makes liberal use of relevant photographs.Read More The Mexican Revolution Essay1160 Words   |  5 PagesThe Mexican Revolution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There was a huge revolution in the country of Mexico that started in the year 1910, led by Porfirio Diaz, the president of Mexico in 1910. In the 1860’s Diaz was important to Mexican politics and then was elected president in 1877. Diaz said that he would only be president for one year and then would resign, but after four years he was re-elected as the President of Mexico. Porfirio Diaz and the Mexican revolution had a huge impact on the country of Mexico that isRead MoreThe Mexican Revolution1019 Words   |  5 PagesMexico’s Revolution Ariel Elias HIST 112 Proffesor Cummings 17 February 2013 Ariel Elias Professor Cummings Hist 112 17 February 2013 Mexico’s Revolution Many nations across time and the world have experienced a revolution. From the American revolution to the French revolution, history has proven conflict can engage a nation at any moment. Tanter explains that two possible scenarios, changesRead More The Mexican Revolution: An Overview Essay1467 Words   |  6 PagesThe Mexican Revolution: An Overview Throughout its history Mexico has had many revolutions. The most famous perhaps is the Mexican Revolution from 1910-1920. The people of Mexico were getting tired of the dictator rule of President Porfino Diaz. People of all classes were fighting in the revolution. The middle and upper classes were dissatisfied with the President’s ways. The lower and working class people had many factors such as poor working conditions, inflation, inferior housing, lowRead MoreThe French and Mexican Revolutions Essay763 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is a revolution? By definition it means the overthrow of a government by those who are governed. That is exactly what the French and the Mexican revolutions were all about. The living conditions and overall treatment of the poor, pheasants, lower class, last man on the totem pole or what ever you want to call them, was a large factor in the coming of these revolutions. Those who are governed are exactly what the lower class people were. Also, li berty was one of the peoples major concernsRead MoreThe Mexican Revolution1259 Words   |  6 PagesThe Mexican Revolution began November 20th, 1910. It is disputable that it extended up to two decades and seized more than 900,000 lives. This revolution, however, also ended dictatorship in Mexico and restored the rights of farm workers, or peons, and its citizens. Revolutions are often started because a large group of individuals want to see a change. These beings decided to be the change that they wanted to see and risked many things, including their lives. Francisco â€Å"Pancho† Villa and EmilianoRead More The Mexican Revolution Essay example722 Words   |  3 PagesThe Mexican Revolution The prevailing concern of the Mexican revolution was the welfare of the common Mexican worker, be he a farm worker on a Southern hacienda, or a rancher in the North. The presidents of Mexico, starting most notably with Benito Juà ¡rez, really incited the revolution, though laterthe main course of protest and turmoil focused on the presidents themselves. Dà ­az served as Mexican president until 1910. During his time in office, the Mexican economy and lifestyle were fairlyRead MoreBook Analysis: The Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution1280 Words   |  6 PagesThe Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution: The Bloodiest Decade, 1910-1920. By Charles H. Harris III and Louis R. Sadler (Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico, 2007. Print.) This is the most comprehensive collection of The Texas Rangers during the Mexican revolution that has been published. Charles Harris III and Louis Sadler share the details behind this unstable period by uncovering the views and actions of the Rangers during the highest point of border violence up until that time. The RangersRead MoreTaking a Look at the Mexican Revolution918 Words   |  4 PagesThe Mexican revolution was an important time in the history of Mexico. It was important because Mexico stopped the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz and they established a constitutional republic. During that time a lot of major people were involved in establishing a good government like Francisco Madero, Pascual Orozco, Pancho villa, and Emiliano Zapata. All of these people had a major role in the revolution and also in changing the future of Mexico. Each and everyone one of them had an impact as revolutionists

Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov two novels in one Free Essays

â€Å"Master and Margarita† by Mikhail Bulgakov is probably the most famous and the most unusual novel ever created in the USSR. Bulgakov artistically investigated the theme of epic struggle of good and evil relating biblical events to the realities of Moscow in the mid-thirties, having demonstrated that people have not changed in the last two thousand of years except that â€Å"only the housing problem has   corrupted them†[1]. The narrative of â€Å"Master and Margarita† is pretty sophisticated, including at least three plot lines: adventures of Woland and his suit in Moscow, story of Master and Margarita themselves, both taking place in Moscow, and a tale of Yeshua Ha-Nozri – a mendicant prophet before Pontius Pilate and an obvious allegory of Jesus Christ. We will write a custom essay sample on Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov: two novels in one or any similar topic only for you Order Now This paper aims to investigate ties between modern and biblical events in the â€Å"Master and Margarita† and show how Bulgakov paralleled biblical characters and events with his contemporaries. Bulgakov’s mission in â€Å"Master and Margarita† was more than complicated because he devoted his novel to such sempiternal topics as love and fear, good and evil, God and Satan. He obviously demonstrated that those topics are timeless, for Master is interested in the same questions as Pilate was 1900 years before. At the end of the novel Moscow and Jerusalem seem to be united in a metaphysical oneness, and two plots turn out to be one. Jerusalem in the case symbolizes immortal ever-being world and Moscow is the world of the earth. At that Woland acts as a figure which ties the worlds, for he â€Å"was   on Pontius Pilate’s   balcony, and in the garden when   he   talked with Kaifa, and on the platform, only   secretly, incognito†[2] and then visited Moscow and talked to Master. It is hard to believe, that Woland is a real Satan, he rather looks like exactly part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good. The story opens by a discussion at Patriarch’s Ponds and nothing unreal happens at the beginning, except for s strange presentiment of Berlioz. In order to continue his narration, Bulgakov needed to introduce the reader into fantastic multi-world reality. He accepts that the reader is so skeptic about existence of God and Satan, that Woland expects to notice an atheist in every window. In this scene Bulgakov puts the words into the mouths of Woland:   â€Å"Bear in mind that Jesus did exist†[3]. Woland says this to Berlioz, but it is Bulgakov who says to the reader: bear in mind that Jesus did exist. After that Bulgakov’s story of Jesus is perceived by the reader as actual, and the biblical world is easily connected with earthly world. Moreover, the existence of the divine reality is proved even by its fiercest enemies – Berlioz and Ivanushka. The latter has blamed Jesus so desperately, â€Å"his Jesus came out, well, completely alive, the once-existing   Jesus, though,   true,   a Jesus   furnished   with   all negative features†[4]. Berlioz tells Ivanushka that the rhyme has to be rewritten, but it is then rewritten not by Ivanushka but by Woland. So, concludes Bulgakov, whatever we mean about Jesus in this life, divine reality will remain unchanged. In order to stress the biblical chapters and keep the style unified Bulgakov showed Jerusalem as a vision of Woland or a dream of Ivanushka or a story told by Master or read by Margarita. His tone changes from satiric or sympathetic to unimpassioned speech in the evangelical passages. In contrast, when Bulgakov turns back to Moscow, his characters are   no longer legendary and obtain everyday features. Thusly he achieves to basic aims – inseparably integrates biblical chapters into the novel and creates an illusion of parallel between the two worlds. Events are separated almost by two thousand years of time, but analogies are easy to trace. Both stories happen in May in the days before Easter, both in the mid-thirties of I and XX century AD. The weather and temporary changes are almost same. And surely the crowd is the same, whether it is a crowd which gathers to stare at Yeshua’s execution or a crowd in the vaudeville house.   The tale of both worlds ends with the same conclusive phrase â€Å"the cruel fifth procurator of Judea, the equestrian Pontius Pilate†[5], and so Bulgakov shows that the outcome of the novel is justification and recognition of truth. When Pilate, a biblical symbol of a man who yields before evil, shrives, he enters into the moonlight, being â€Å"forgiven on the eve of Sunday†. While Pilate walks with Yeshua by the moonlight beam Ivanushka stands at the beginning of this beam, symbolizing those whose choice is still not sure. The most recognizable â€Å"double-character† is Yeshua and Master – an analogy of Christ and Bulgakov himself. Yeshua does not act as a Saviour, he is rather a creator who faces incomprehension and repudiation. Same happens to Master, whose novel is welcomed by angry critics and who is finally symbolically executed, because he is unable to create any more and falls into insanity. However, his novel is not lost, and later it is read by Yeshua-Jesus himself, so Master’s novel is a story of biblical events and at the same time a link between those events and our world.   In contrast to all other human characters, even Margarita, Master and Yeshua are the only ones who struggle for truth and sincerity to the end. Pilate had a heart with Yeshua and hinted, that only a slight lie could save his life. Yeshua refused and became a martyr. Pilate could not overcome his fear and sentenced himself to everlasting spiritual unrest. Surprisingly, Pilate’s vis-à  -vis in the modern world is Margarita, who leaves Master in a critical moment and has a feeling of guilt for long years. But at the end she is saved by Woland and Pilate is forgiven by Christ. Virtually every character in the novel has to face a choice situation and the choice he or she makes in the usual world predetermines his or her future existence in the spiritual reality. Master chooses to forget about his novel and about Margarita and so he becomes Pilate’s accomplice in execution of Christ. Therefore, he is not worthy of light and he never meets Jesus. Divine will is passed to him by Woland, who, in turn, receives it from Matthew Levi. Characters of the paralleled novels never meet together and their ties are limited to communication via messengers and joining into one at the end. As regards the other characters, their choice is rather comic, than dramatic. Berlioz’s uncle chooses to live in Moscow, and the only thing he is interested in when he receives a message about death of his nephew is to receive ownership of an apartment. Nikanor Ivanovich, chairman of the tenants’ association’, chooses to take money from a suspicious foreigner. The crowd of women chooses to change their dress at a show arranged by Fagot and Behemoth. Their punishments are ridiculous but this does not mean that their actions will not be judged later in Ewigkeit. Fate of Berlioz is the most frightening warning. Woland appeared to be an adept of a theory â€Å"which holds that it will be given to each according to his faith.†[6] In the earthly life Berlioz has chosen to believe that there is nothing in the afterlife, and Woland has put him into nonentity in the spiritual world. The final scenes of the novel show the idea, that examples of the great masters are never lost, for â€Å"manuscripts don’t burn†[7]. They become a part of eternity, and their creators obtain eternal life. So they are able to cross the border between two worlds. The fate of Bulgakov’s novel is the best illustration for this thesis, for it has been published only decades after his death and immediately gained global recognition. Perhaps this was in a way a fourth plot line of the novel – Bulgakov’s own life became a parallel for lives of Yeshua and Master. References: Mikhail Bulgakov. The Master and Margarita. Penguin Books Ltd; New Ed edition, 2004. 432 pages. [1] Mikhail Bulgakov. The Master and Margarita. Penguin Books Ltd; New Ed edition, 2004.   p. 124 [2] Ibid, p. 42 [3] Ibid, p. 18 [4] Ibid, p. 8 [5] Ibid, p.380 [6] Ibid, p.275   [7] Ibid, p.369 How to cite Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov: two novels in one, Essay examples

Marketing Plan for New BMW M4 CS Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Marketing Plan for New BMW M4 CS. Answer: Overview Over the years the BMW Company has established itself as one of the worlds leading provider of elegant high-performance cars. The company will be releasing its new BMW M4 CS on the fourth quarter of the year 2017 and the car promises to deliver on all fronts in which the BMW brand is famous for (BMW M4 CS, 2017). The M4 CS is a part of the BMW M GmbH model of cars that keep the companies tradition of high performance, elegantly designed luxurious vehicles. The origins of the M4 CS can be traced back to the BMW M3 Evolution of the popular E30 Series (Dolor, 2017). To ensure high standards of quality and that the car maintains its ascribed value, the production run will be limited and implying that the model will not be mass produced. The gene of the BMW M4 CS from the BMW M4 GTS line is seamlessly united with the operational day to day suitability of the popular four-seat BMW M4 Coupe (Dolor, 2017). With a complete integration of M series technologies and elegant aerodynamic lightweight carbon fiber parts, the M4 CS can effectively complete the famous North loop of Nrburgring in 7.38 minutes without affecting its performance (Dolor, 2017). This car promises to redefine the concept of high performance in the street. Based on the information available on the M4 CS andBMW marketing data, this paper will provide aneffective marketing plan for the BMW M4 CS. In developing the marketing plan the paper will integrate elements of the marketing concept, therefore, ensuring the delivery of an all-rounded marketing strategy for the company to employ. Marketing Objectives In the development of an effective marketing plan, the company needs to first establish its marketing objectives. This will serve to ensure that the marketing plan is in line with the companys marketing objectives. Due to the fact that the BMW M4 CS series is a new product in the market: The first objective of an efficient marketing plan should be to identify the target market for the product. This will enable the company in developing an efficient customer acquisition strategy. The second objective for the company should be to the development of brand awareness. This entails educating the target clientele base on the existence of the car. The third and final objective should be obtaining sales. Identification of Target Market The BMW Company utilizes a single segment marketing strategy (BMW Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning, 2017). In this strategy, the company develops high-end vehicles which are sold to a wealthy clientele base (BMW Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning, 2017). As indicated in the introductory section of the paper, the BMW M4 CS is a high-end luxury car that was designed and developed with the principles of the BMW brand in mind. With a price tag of $211, 610 before on-road costs which stand at $80,000, the company should primarily target its high-end clientele consumer base which consists of individuals in the upper-class echelons of society (Tripolone, 2017). This is largely due to the fact that a significant percentage of the society would not be able to afford the car given its off-road maintenance cost. The sporty interior which serves to contribute to the athletic exclusivity of the car also serves to make it suitable the company to target wealthy individuals who are sports lovers. Based on the information provided above it is logical to conclude that the target market for the company should be men and women who are aged between 28-50 years and exists in the upper-class regions of society. Brand Awareness Once the organization has identified the target market for its product, the next step in any effective marketing strategy is informing the target market of the existence of the product. In doing this the organization seeks to educate the consumer on the benefits of the product and why he/she should acquire the product (Baker, Saren, 2016). This section of the paper will provide a discussion on the various ways through which the company can be able to reach its consumer base, the type of message the company should communicate and the manner of persuading the consumer to purchase the product. Communication Medium Communication mediums are decided upon based on the target clientele base that the company seeks to sell its product to. Based on this, the company should utilize both conventional and non-conventional media in marketing the BMW M4 CS. Under the umbrella of conventional media, the company should utilize both T.V advertisements and magazine publications. Studies into vehicle sales have revealed that the use f television advertisements are one of the most effective avenues of marketing as through this avenue the company is able to exhibit the vehicle in its operational state (Kretchmer, 2004). The use of television advertisements will also enable the company to communicate to a significantly larger clientele base. Studies into consumer marketing have also revealed that a significant percentage of individuals who are aged 45 and above learn about new products primarily from television advertisements. The BMW M4 CS can also be marketed through magazine advertisements. According to the studies on vehicle sales, advertisements through magazines are the second most popular avenues through which motor vehicles are sold due to a large number of car lovers who subscribe to these magazines. The company can also market itself through social media platforms like Instagram where a significant percentage of young wealthy individuals interact. By marketing itself in social media platforms and websites the company will be able to effectively educate the target consumer base on the BMW M4 CS and as a result increase awareness of the product. Message Another integral element in marketing is the type of message that the company communicates to the consumer. The message is important as it helps to educate the target clientele base on the various features of the products and why they should purchase it. In developing the message the company should consider the five marketing concepts and how they relate with the product being sold. This section of the paper creates a marketing message for the BMW M4 CS that incorporates the five marketing concepts. Product Concept The primary idea behind the product concept of marketing is that consumers are more likely to favor products which are highly affordable and available (Dibb et al., 2005). However, in dealing with luxurious goods (goods of considerable value) the product concepts holds that the market is more likely to favor goods that are exclusive and expensive (Atwal, Williams, 2017). Based on this and the fact that the BMW M4 CS will be on a limited production run, it is logical to conclude that with regards to the production concept, the message for the M4 CS should be exclusivity. Studies into the purchasing behavior of the rich have revealed that the more limited a particular product is in the market the more appealing the product will be to them (Vigneron, Johnson, 2009). Therefore by limiting the production run for the vehicle, the BMW company will make the car more appealing to the wealthy. Launching the product under a limited production line will also serve to inflate its ascribed value as not a lot of people will be able to acquire one. This will ensure that the price tag that the company has set on the car is not watered down due to buyer apathy. Product Concept The principle of product concept holds that consumers are more likely to favor products that provide the most in terms of performance, quality and innovative feature (Houston, 2016). The BMW Company has developed a reputation for delivering quality products that have the latest in innovation and are capable of performing exemplary (Fournier, Dolan, 2007). These attributes have also been impacted on the BMW M4 CS which as indicated is capable of completing the North loop in 7.38 minutes without affecting its operational usability. This is considered to be quite impressive with regards to the car's performance. The car is also capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds with a maximum power output of 338(460)/6.250* kW (Dolor, 2017). The performance of the car is also enhanced by the fact that it utilizes a high-performance M TwinPower Turbo 6-cylinder inline petrol engine that has a torque capacity of 600 Nm making the BMW M4 CS capable of reaching top speeds of 280km/h (Dolor, 2017). The cars high-performance levels are also driven by its electromechanical M Servotronic steering, a sporty M double clutch system and the Active M Differential (Dolor, 2017). These innovations make the car perform exceptionally both on the road and on the track. Based on this it is logical to conclude that the BMW M4 CS meets all the criteria set by the product concept and thus the message should emphasize its performance, innovations and the quality of the car. Marketing Concept The marketing concept holds that for an organization to achieve its goals it needs to be able to know what the target market requires and delivering the product in a manner that is better than the competitors (Foreman, Money, 2015). Over the years, the BMW company has established itself as a major player in the luxury automotive sector and as a result of this, it has been able to develop an in-depth understanding of the needs of consumers who occupy the high-end segments. The BMW M4 CS is an upgrade of the existing BMW M4 series. The decision to develop the M4 CS was made after the organization conducted in-depth research into the needs of the consumer segment it was servicing with the M4 series. Based on this it is logical to conclude that the BMW M4 CS is capable of effectively satisfying the needs of its target consumer base in a manner that is better than that of the existing competition. Sales concept The sales concept holds that clients will not purchase enough of a companys products unless the company undertakes a large scale promotion and selling campaign (Armstrong et al., 2015). However, this concept does not apply when dealing with products that are under a limited production run. Products under a limited production run are not meant for the mass market but a select category of individuals and as a result of this, there is no need of engaging in massive marketing campaigns. When selling the BMW M4 CS, the company should focus more on establishing relationships with its targeted clientele base than on sales transaction. This will help ensure the product appeals more to the targeted high-end clientele base. Studies into the purchase behaviors of wealthy individuals have indicated that wealthy individuals prefer organizations that seek to establish long-term relationships with them than those whose primary objectives is to make sales (Kapferer, Bastien, 2012). Making Sales The final step of any effective marketing plan is determining how the company would make the sale to the consumer. To determine how a company should best sell its products one review the products positioning in the market, the targeted consumer base and the market in which the company operates. As already indicated in the paper, the BMW M4 CS is meant for a limited high-end clientele base. The company has positioned the product as an exclusive high-performance vehicle that is for the wealthy individuals in society. Based on this, the BMW M4 CS should be sold in car dealerships that cater to a high-end consumer base. This will ensure that the car is sold in an environment its target clientele base can be found. The product should also be sold on a made to order basis where clients purchase the cars when they are still on the assembly line. This has proven to be an effective marketing strategy for high-end products as the manufacturer is able to customize the product to meet the specific clients requirements (Chandon, Laurent, Valette-Florence, 2016). Finally, the car should be sold in markets that are known to have a demand for high-end vehicles and where the company already has a market presence (Oliver et al., 2010). Some of the countries where the BMW M4 CS can be sold are Dubai and the greater Middle East region, China, the U.S, and Russia. By focusing on these countries the company will be able to achieve success with the marketing of the BMW M4 CS. References Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., Brennan, R. (2015).Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education. Baker, M. J., Saren, M. (Eds.). (2016).Marketing theory: a student text. Sage. Atwal, G., Williams, A. (2017). Luxury brand marketingthe experience is everything!. InAdvances in Luxury Brand Management(pp. 43-57). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. Chandon, J. L., Laurent, G., Valette-Florence, P. (2016). Pursuing the concept of luxury: Introduction to the JBR Special Issue on Luxury Marketing from Tradition to Innovation.Journal of Business Research,69(1), 299-303. Vigneron, F., Johnson, L. W. (2009). A review and a conceptual framework of prestige-seeking consumer behavior.Academy of Marketing Science Review,1999, 1. Foreman, S. K., Money, A. H. (2015). Internal marketing: concepts, measurement and application.Journal of marketing management,11(8), 755-768. Dibb, S., Simkin, L., Pride, W. M., Ferrell, O. C. (2005).Marketing: Concepts and strategies(p. 850). Houghton Mifflin. Fournier, S., Dolan, R. J. (2007).Launching the BMW Z3 roadster. Harvard Business School Publishing. Oliver, J. D., Rosen, D. E. (2010). Applying the environmental propensity framework: A segmented approach to hybrid electric vehicle marketing strategies.Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice,18(4), 377-393. Kretchmer, S. B. (2004). Advertainment: The evolution of product placement as a mass media marketing strategy.Journal of Promotion Management,10(1-2), 37-54. Kapferer, J. N., Bastien, V. (2012).The luxury strategy: break the rules of marketing to build luxury brands. Kogan page publishers. Tripolone, D. (2017, July 31). New BMW M4 CS price revealed. Retrieved October 04, 2017, from https://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/more-powerful-bmw-m4-s-price-revealed-64770.html Dolor, L. I. ( 2017). ADRENALINE COMES WITH 4 SEATS. Retrieved October 04, 2017, from https://www.bmw.com/en/all-models/m-series/m4-coupe/2017/bmw-m4-cs.html BMW Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. (2017, January 06). Retrieved October 04, 2017, from https://research-methodology.net/bmw-segmentation-targeting-and-positioning/ BMW M4 CS. (2017). Retrieved October 04, 2017, from https://www.bmwblog.com/tag/bmw-m4-cs/ Houston, F. S. (2016). The marketing concept: what it is and what it is not.The Journal of Marketing, 81-87.

Tips If Youre Applying Early Action Early Decision

For those of you applying to early admission to any of the schools on your college list, it’s crunch time. A few college students who recently went through the early admission application process have some advice for you. Take a breather, and see what they have to say: 1. Not feeling ready? It’s okay to re-evaluate applying early. Apjpaj,Harvard University ‘21 I tried to apply too early by participating in early decision. If you are feeling stressed out/not your best self/uncomfortable about applying early, I would recommend not doing it. I felt all these things, and had 0 success with my early decision ventures. Looking back, I should have realized that I was not increasing my chances of getting into my early schools because I was not adequately prepared. I was still fumbling in the last minute to finalize my college exams, not feeling good about myself as an applicant, and rushing last minute with essays. In the end, you have to look at it from the perspective from the college application reader. They are looking to pick up the outstanding and wow applicants with early decision, and probably wont take the effort to settle for any applicant less than perfect. Thus, this wow factor effect must be achieved by extensive preparation and thinking ahead if you are to successfully apply (and get accepted) early decision. Then, and only then, wil l have an edge on others applying to youre school. Unlock apjpaj’s full Harvard University to learn more about his application journey! 2. Wait to complete your regular decision applications. Bweintraub,Cornell University ‘21 I think it would have been great to have had more fun during the process – but my method, while risky, worked perfectly. If youre applying to a school ED, and know that youll hear back on or before December 15th, you can hold your regular decision applications until you hear back from your top choice. Make sure that the RD applications are completed, as thats the last thing youll want to do if youve just been rejected from your early decision school. But by delaying the submission of the regular applications, you can save the application fees and the hassle of having to withdraw all of your regular decision applications. Once again – this system will only work if youre able to complete your regular applications in a timely manner. Unlock Bryanweintraub’s Cornell University profile to view his successful application file! 3. Pacing and time management are key. Mouse43,Yale University ‘20 I would have solidified my Early Action plan and recorded my arts supplement earlier. I decided to apply to Yale and UMich early in late September. This gave me a little under a month to whip around eight essays into shape, which was a little overwhelming. I also recorded my arts supplement in mid-October while my application process was in full swing. Preparing an arts supplement on top of advanced coursework and writing college application essays was very difficult for me. It took approximately a month of practicing for three hours each day (on top of twelve prior years of violin instruction and practice) for me to reach a point when I felt confident enough to book a studio appointment and actually record my arts supplement. Do not do this. You will lose your mind. Please record your arts supplement and do all the necessary practice during the summer before your senior year. Interested in mouse43’s yale profile? Unlock to view her full Yale application. 4. You dont have to win awards. Emphasize your intellectual curiosity. Ronayw,Massachusetts Institute of Technology ‘20 A year ago, when I applied Early Action to MIT, I was really stressing out, so Id like to offer up advice on improving your chances at MIT. The admissions office looks for intellectual curiosity, collaborative spirit, and problem-solving abilities. Its okay if youre not an International Math Olympiad medalistIm not either, and neither are most people here. But MIT is seeking students who want to know why and wants to use that to make the world a better place. They want to see what steps youve made towards contributing to your own community. They want to see the cool projects youve done, not for a class or for an award, but because you truly wanted to make or study something that interested you. Plus, psst, another tipwhen I applied, for their essay asking about which academic program I was interested in, I wrote about the writing department, which was less common than say, computer science. Granted, I had lots of experience with it in high school and writing was/is truly something I love, so this was honest, but touching upon a unique subject certainly helped me get in. View RonayW’s successful MIT application file to learn more. ​Looking for more college application advice? Use ourAdvice Search Featureto get the answers you’re looking for. For further access, ourpremium subscriptionsoffer different levels of access to our searchable database of successful college applications and advice.

Prologue Essays - The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoners Tale, Ethics

Prologue Essays - The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoners Tale, Ethics Prologue The Pardoner explains to the audience his usual methods of preaching, as well as his regular themes. He takes pains to have an important sounding speech and a satisfactory performance, thus earning him admiration. In addition, he explains how he sells fake relics and makes a huge profit from doing so. His theme is always "The love of money is the root of all evil," and he preaches heavily against greed and gluttony. At the same time, he repeatedly willingly admits to going against his own preaching. Pardoner's Story Three immoral men are drinking in an inn when they are informed Death has taken one of their friends. They promptly, and drunkenly, swear oaths to avenge their former companion and slay Death. They head off, and not quite half a mile from where they started, they encounter a poor old man. The old man greets them, and is treated rudely. The three men, believing the old man is an accomplice of Death, demand of him death's location. The old man responds that if they are so eager to find Death they should look in a grove, under an oak tree. The men go, and upon arriving promptly forget about Death, as they find almost eight bushels of gold coins. They plan to remove the gold at night, and send the youngest to town to fetch bread and wine. After he leaves, the two remaining men hatch a plot to kill him when he returns, as they will then have a larger portion of the treasure. While in town the youngest decides to kill the other two, and buys poison for two of the three purchased wine bottles. He returns and is killed by the other two, after which they promptly die by drinking the poisoned wine. Epilogue The Pardoner attempts to sell his relics' and pardons, but when asked to come forth and unbuckle his purse, the Host calls his fraud and refuses. The Host claims the Pardoner is not a real man, and the Pardoner gets very angry. The tale ends with the Knight stepping forth and making peace between them. Themes - The love of money is the root of all evil - Elders should be respected - Oaths should not be taken in vain - Drink (alcohol) leads to bad judgment and death - Friends should be chosen carefully, and are close enough to stab you in the back

Gold Standard Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gold Standard - Research Paper Example This paper will discuss both advantages and disadvantages that could be incurred if the United States economy returns to the Gold Standard, by presenting a brief history on US economy’s use of the Gold Standard and the circumstances surrounding the standard’s dismissal. From early centuries, Gold has always been placed at an esteemed position due to its use and functionality. Among the various precious metals that are found here on earth, Gold is considered the most 'valuable' as it has many applications, from being used in Jewelry to being the main tool in International financial transactions. The major nations of the world including United States from the latter half of 19th century till 1920’s used Gold to pay for all the trade that was carried out between them. To standardize this form of gold transaction, a Gold standard was adopted. Under the Gold Standard, currencies of the countries, using gold for transaction, are tied to a specific amount of gold. So, w hen a country redeems or pays its money in the form of gold, it is said to be following or using the Gold Standard. This way, the government of the country which redeems gold and its counterparts who receive the gold will share a fixed-currency relationship. The advantage, the nations were able achieve due to the use of earlier introduced Gold Standard was the adjustment of their Balance of payments. That is, when a nation has a trade deficit while doing trade with a particular country, they could balance it by paying in gold, as currencies were convertible to gold. This advantage could also be garnered, if the Gold Standard is reintroduced again, particularly in relation to United States Economy. The pro-group for the introduction of Gold Standard state that if the standard is introduced in United States, preferably within next 5 years, it could solve number of fiscal and monetary problems that has been plaguing the US economy in the recent past. One of the main advantages that cou ld be incurred is stabilization of the US’ Dollar value, which in a way could restore the confidence among the â€Å"foreign investors in U.S. government bonds,† and importantly could also â€Å"discourage reckless federal spending.† (Dykewicz, 2011). That is, with the Dollar serving as the world's reserve currency, it enables other countries to use it for all types of trade and even stockpile it, thus providing the U.S. Federal Reserve to print as much Dollar as it needs to fiddle with its economy as it sees fit. The downside of such loose monetary policies includes higher inflation rates and a weaker Dollar, and so certain sections of experts advocate the return to the Gold Standard, with the hope that it could force the government to live within its means. (Jones and Walter, 2011). In a way, the return of Gold Standard could bring stability and strengthening of the US Dollar, thereby having many positive impacts on the economy. The positive impacts include so lutions to the current unemployment problem, because strengthened or expensive Dollar would lead to people using more labor, and importantly would lead to fiscal discipline. Thus, it is being pointed out that the current Fed’s policy of pouring trillions of Dollars into the economy to stimulate growth, will only lead to more inflation and weakening of Dollar, and so if the Gold Stand

Experiment Report Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Experiment - Lab Report Example he most important factor affecting the availability of these nutrients is soil pH, a measure of the amount of hydronium ion (H+) that is present in solution. Pure water has a neutral pH of 7, lower values mean that the solution is acidic and soils with pH higher than 7 are alkaline. Different crops vary in their response to acid and alkaline soil conditions (Mathers, 2001). However, for most field crops, slightly acidic (pH = 5.6) to neutral soils are optimal for growth. Soil pH affects plant growth and productivity indirectly because, depending on the nutrient, availability is affected which can result in nutrient deficiency or nutrient toxicity. In higher pH or alkaline soils, result in deficiencies in the essential micronutrients iron, zinc, and manganese. Soil pH of less than 5.5 is already considered strongly acidic and will not support growth of economically important crops. Thus, the right soil pH is a requirement for maximum yield production. The development of acid soils has been due to high weathering brought about by warm temperatures and rainfall, and manmade events like the continuous use of nitrogen fertilizers and acid rain effects. At pH below 6 or under acidic soils, increased availability of micronutrients like iron, manganese, zinc , copper and aluminium result in toxicity symptoms (CSIRO Plant Industry, 2004); while decreased availability of phosphorus results in deficiency of this element . This is very true in humid countries where soil acidity is often associated with low crop productivity (Schroth, Lehman, & Barrios, 2003). The class was divided into eight groups. Each group was asked to bring soil samples from the area near their residence. In the laboratory, the pH and temperature of pure water was determined. After adding water to the soil and mixing the slurry, the pH and temperature of each sample were measured. Mean values of the soil pH of each group were determined, and the hydronium ion concentration was calculated using the

DQ5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

DQ5 - Essay Example If the data has some extreme values, then median becomes the most accurate measure of central tendency. However, one weakness of median is that it cannot be applied to raw-data and the data has to arranged in ascending or descending order. This indicates that this measure is time consuming and when data is very large it is very difficult to first arrange it in ascending order and then arrive at median. Mode is considered appropriate for nominal data and can be calculated very easily by observation. There are no calculations required when computing mode and hence it is very quick. The only disadvantage with mode is that it gives the least accurate answer and hence people do not use it despite it being the easiest measure of center or central tendency. Measures of dispersion describe the spread of data. Some of these measures include range, variance and standard deviation. It includes measures such as range, standard deviation and variance. The advantage of range is that it is very simple and tells you the spread of data. However, since it is dependent on just two values, the answer is not the fairest representation of the distribution. Another very important measure of dispersion is standard deviation. Since it includes all the values of the observation it is most likely to give a good and accurate answer. But, as the numbers are squared in computing standard deviation, the extreme values get more weightage and answer is distorted. Similarly, variance is another good measure as it includes all the values in a observation. The only weakness of variance is that it is very time consuming as each observation has to be squared. The number of observations that fall into a particular class is call the frequency or count of that class. Frequency distribution is a table that lists all class and their frequencies in a systemized manner. This table tells us at a glance that how many times a particular observation has been seen in our

Human Resource Management in UK Hotel Industry

Human Resource Management in UK Hotel Industry 1 Introduction Human Resource Management is a consistent and productive approach towards the management of employees who are ‘valued assets to the organization. And managing resourceful humans requires a constant balancing between meeting the human aspirations of the people and meeting the strategic and financial needs of the business. Hence linking the HRM more explicitly to the strategic goals to improve the business and foster innovation and flexibility, thus serves the overall purpose. Through best possible use and application of HR policies in the organization, commitment can be encouraged thus leading to better performance, improve staff attitude and lower labour turnover, this is the ideal aim of the human resource practices which has been argued to neglect the fact that HR specialists and line managers have a major impact on how these HR policies are implemented at the hotels and whether all the HR practices are universally applicable. Human resource management is the techniques businesses incorporate to maintain an effective workforce to meet operational requirements. It is the organizational function that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, administration, organization development, employee motivation, wellness, benefits, safety, communication, performance management, and training. Human resource practices implemented in an organisation are used for recruitment, selection; training and development, reward management, performance appraisal etc. Human Resource Management strategically manages people and work place environment and culture. Effective HRM practices enable employees to contribute effectively and productively towards the attainment of the organizations goals and objectives facilitates overall company mission. HRM practices are one of the channels of communication for an organization with its employees it consists of the actual programs, processes and techniques. It conveys as to what the organization desires as valuable and appropriate behaviors. The workers on reception of such a message build up their own distinct perceptions and through a self-assessment (evaluation) process subsequently shape their attitude and behavior. For instance, if an organization implemented a training program for their workers, it will develop workers knowledge, skills and capability, and thus cultivate better employee commitment due to contented experience with the organization; however, such correlation may at times be misleading or unpredictable i.e. even though some employees may think this training as useful and recognize the implementation of organizational HRM practices, but on the contrary, other workers may see the program as non-effective and view it as a trouble that hamper their regular work timeta ble, hence this may work in an unintended way by bringing down their satisfaction with the organization and negatively effect their commitment. This is the very reason why employees individual view plays as a vital intermediary in the association between organizational HRM practices and the real disclosure of employees outlook and behaviors. Therefore, from this point of view, one can argue that HRM practices in its dominating effect alter an employees affective commitment, by first impinging upon their perception of organizational HRM practices and consequently further alter or transform their emotional commitment towards the organization. Thats why, by the means of implementation of high-commitment HRM practices, i.e. intensive training and development, high level of compensation, promotion from within, socialization, etc. convince the employees that the organizations purpose is in conformity with their insight, and it impinges upon them to reciprocate with advanced commitment and stronger deference to devote and put in for the organization. Therefore this research will try to establish a correlation between HR practices and their effects on employee commitment. The HR practices that will be examined in the research will be Selection and Recruitment Process, Training and Development programs, Performance management, Reward management and industrial labour relations. These are some of the main HR practices followed by the hotels aiming for the more committed team. But the researcher is interested in knowing whether these HR practices really result in more committed employees. And if these HR practices really result in committed employees then is it universally applicable in all countries of the world or all types of industries. These are some of the questions that have encouraged the researcher in conducting this research. 1.1 Research Aim The aim of this dissertation is to examine the HR practices implemented in UK hotels and their impact on employee commitment. 1.2 Objective The objectives of this research were to:- Examine the current HR practices prevalent in UK hotels. Evaluating these current HR practices against the existing literature to find out whether they match or not. Evaluating the factors leading to employee commitment and how many factors come by conducting HR practices in the company. 2 Literature review 2.1 Philosophy of Human Resource Management Human Resource Management is shifting its traditional stance from personnel, administration, and transactional roles, which are being increasingly outsourced. HRM is now focusing more and more towards adding quality and value to the strategic exploitation of employees and that employee development programs impact the business in tangible terms. This new approach towards revolution in HRM involves strategic direction and HRM metrics and measurements in tangible terms to gauge the effect of these practices. Some of the HRM practices studied in this project are selection, benefits, training, performance feedback, communication systems, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and employee participation. David E. Guest (1987) says that human resource management is the tool for attainment of the managerial objectives in the organizations that have accepted the need for the optimum utilization of human resource to achieve competitive advantage and stay viable in their businesses. The primary objective of HRM is amalgamation of companys mission and goal with the HR practices. David E. Guest argues that formulation of a comprehensive corporate strategy is a major factor that decides the continuing business success of any organization.For matured managers human resource planning is not just a fundamental component of strategic planning, but somewhat flows from it. This holds especially true in todays context where the accomplishment of the process of adjusting to change warrants an escalating level of individual and group participation, for the seamless integration of human resources into the strategic plans. HRM also focuses to attain employee commitment, this involves classification of the type of commitment required e.g. attitudinal, behavioral. Commitment of an employee can be at different levels it could be towards the organization, to his job, for individual career advancement and numerous such like things. Commitment in an employees context can be defined as approval of enterprise mission and goals, and could be reflected in behaviour adopted by him/her that furthers these goals. David further proposes that theoretically the combination of organizational commitment and job related behavioral commitment constitutes a high degree of employee satisfaction, motivates them for high performance, longer tenure with their organisations and prepares them to willingly accept changes. The third goal of strategic HRM is to exercise flexibility and adaptability, which basically translates into the ability to manage change and innovation and to react swiftly to transforming market demands and changes. Thus arises a need for a HRM policy which is favorable to change at all levels of the organization, an arrangement which is practical not bureaucratic, functional and adaptable, with an absence of rigid job divisions and with capable of functional flexibility i.e. flexible skills and motivation to move from one assignment to another. Promoting these is possible only according to David if the employees at all levels exhibit a high degree of organizational commitment, their trust towards the organizational policies and have high levels of intrinsic motivation. Attaining and maintaining total quality is the fourth goal of HRM. This highlights the importance of policies and practices to recruit, development and retention of skilled and flexible employees, and the formulation of established performance standards and performance procedures. This can be further subdivide into two broader goals i.e. building a integrated organizational culture and achieving and maintaining competitive advantage through the dynamic use of human resources. Guest (2002) has argued that the effect of human resource management practices on overall performance of a firm will depend upon response of the employees to the implemented HRM practices; therefore the impact will be more or less a translation of the perception of HRM practices by the employee. Wood (1999) and Guest (2002) have stressed upon the need to build a competent, committed and highly involved work force is the one required for best implementation of business strategy. Huselid (1995) discovered that the effectiveness of employees is directly related to the impact of HRM practices on behavior of the workforce. Patterson et al (1997) while arguing about the effect of human resource management practices on business performance have said that HR practices in selection and training influence performance by providing appropriate skills. HR practices have a potent impact on performance even if it just measured in terms of overall productivity. Huselid (1995) stressed that the adoption of best practices in selection will lead to inflow of best quality of skill set ultimately will result in adding to the value towards the skills inventory of the organization. He also highlighted the role of personnel training as an accompaniment of selection practices through which the organizational culture and employee behavior can be integrated with the organization goals to produce positive results. Cooke (2000) has included competence and effectiveness as the vital ingredients of performance apart from competitiveness and productivity. She further amplifies training as the tool to grow knowledge and skills and as way of improving individuals performance (efficiency and effectiveness). Singh (2004), whose interpretations are more pertinent in our cultural context, says that compensation is a mechanism that aligns the behavior of employees with the firms business strategy. William et al, have argued that Career planning is a tool that wo rks in sync with the strategy and future HR needs of the organisation and encourages employee to attain their individual goals for personal development. By encouraging employee involvement, the firm will profit from increase in efficiency of theemployee due to improved commitment of the employee. Financial participation schemes are more beneficial for the organizations than the associated cost (Summers Hyman, 2005). In high growth industry use of best HR practices result in a stronger association with firms productivity (Datta et al, 2003). Wright et al (2003) have said that if proper performance management system is in place and is complemented by a just compensation system that is linked with the performance management system an employee will exert unrestricted effort to improve his performance. Similarly to improve performance the need is to clearly define the jobs. â€Å"Job definition is combination of job description and job specification. It clearly outlines duties, responsibilities, working conditions and expected skills of an individual performing that job† (Qureshi, 2006). Ichniowski (1995) while studying productivity of steel workers have argued that harmonizing HR practice System positively effects employees performance.Sels,2006 Collins (2005) in a study of similar character targeting small business have also argued that efficient HR practices affect employee productivity to a great extent. Meyer and Allen (1997) indicated that HRM practices have been considered to be valuable and effective tools for elevating organizational commitment, especially affective commitment. However, there are some other perspectives also on this subject; De Coninsk and Stilwell (1996) argued that what directly influences employees affective commitment is not the actual practices itself, but the employee perceptions of fairness of practices that affects organizational commitment. Ogilvie (1986) found that, even with personal and work characteristics controlled, employees perceptions of two characteristics of HRM practices, namely, the accuracy of the merit rating system and the fairness of promotions, contributed to the prediction of commitment. Gaertner and Nollen (1989) also found that employees commitment was related to the perceived HRM practices, including internal promotion, training opportunities, and employment security. Ostroff and Bowen (2000) made use of â€Å"meso† theory t o explain that the implementation of HRM practices helped to amplify workers identification with their organization through employees psychological contracts. Therefore, just as what the above mentioned scholars stated, the HRM practices itself cannot have impact on employees commitment, it is after the implementation of the HRM practices that triggered employees own perceptions and then assess whether the practice is considered fair or favorable to them and consequently influence their attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, if the HRM practices that an organization implements permit the employees to acknowledge it as highly committed, consequently, this will lead to reinforced trust and concurrently generate higher emotional attachment with his/her serviced organization. Despite several experiential studies that have established a relationship between HRM practices and organizational commitment, however, such a connection seems to be a little too straightforward (Paul Anantharaman, 2004; Ulrich, 1997; Wimalasiri, 1995). Ostroff and Bowen (2000) projected that it was the psychological bond of an individual that unified how an organizational HRM practice influenced employees mind-set and behavior. This also entails that HRM practices may conjointly manipulate employees organizational commitment obliquely, and must go through by means of individuals psychological alteration system. Guzzo and Noonan (1994) said that â€Å"An organizations HRM practices influenced employee commitment since they are communications from the employer to the employee. How employees interpreted and made sense of their organizational HRM practices affected their psychological contract with their employer and, ultimately, their commitment to that employer.† Zucker (1983) also suppose that the organization members attitudes and behaviors are subjective and are governed by organizations official communication of ‘common understandings. Term common understandings denoting what were considered the appropriate, essential and meaningful behaviors within an organization. Basically, the official organization communication of common understandings will direct its members to alter their own personal attitudes and behaviors so that they can match organizational expectations and requirements. 2.2 Human resources practices HRM propose that there is a universal ‘one best way to administer people. By assuming a best practice method it is argued that organizations will attain improved commitment from people leading to better organizational performance, top levels of service quality and eventually boost in efficiency and profitability, Usually couched in terms of ‘bundles, the HRM practices that are offered in support of a high commitment and performance model are generally fairly consistent. A range of HR practices which are suggested as being important to organizational strategies aimed at securing high-quality service are:- 2.3 Recruitment and Selection One of the main and most basic HRM practice is of Recruiting and selecting staff with the correct attitudinal and behavioral characteristics. The process of selection is AIMED at picking out the most probable candidate from a bunch of applicants who best suites the needs of the organisation. According to Vlachos the person who is most suitable is chosen based on his educational and/or professional qualifications and the focus of the whole process is to decrease the cost for the organisation and employ such employees who have merit and talent and can maximize the profits. A variety of considerations in the selection process should be employed to assess the work values, interpersonal skills, personality and problem-solving capabilities of likely employees to evaluate their ‘service orientation. To maintain the high degree of competitive advantage an organisation requires capable and skillful personnel (Liao Chu 2006). Huselid (1995) has established that organisational productivi ty and high degree of performance is dependant upon the selection of the appropriate person, which is also a way to reduce employee turnover. Michie and Sheehan-Quinn (2001) recognized a positive link between hiring employees, and the creation of the appropriate culture for organisational growth. Cho, et al. (2006) established a positive and considerable connection between HRM practices adopted by a firm and the various recruitment selection techniques implemented like the recruitment resource, screening test, behavioural tests interviews i.e. structured and unstructured to improve the fiscal performance. Therefore, it made compulsory for the organisations to attract qualified candidates and recruit them for survival and growth. 2.4 Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal has attracted an immense degree of interest. Levin (1986) identified uses of performance appraisal, like potential analysis which assesses the performance of the employee in past, need for training, remuneration expectations- salary, employee merit appraisal, suggestion for and by the employee, employee career development etc. Thang (2004) in his study has shown as to effect of suitable HRM related decision on how well employees are performing their jobs. Performance appraisal is a constant procedure rather than a once a year fatigue. It is an official arrangement where periodical assessment of an individuals or teams performance for a particular task is carried out and a feedback is given on the same. Stone (2002) said that in order to survive in a highly competitive environment a firm must focus on improving its performance. In addition, in the fast changing surroundings, tighter finances, downsizing and demands for enhanced responsibility and accountability on the part of the employees and thus result in more emphasis on performance appraisal in order to enable the management to attain the organisational objectives. To achieve optimum performance requirements performance related rewards target those who meet the expectations of the organisation (Stone 2002, Cho, et al. 2006, Chand Katou 2007). Information in regard to employee salary, training needs, compensation, promotion as well as employee development, transfer and employee fe edback is provided by performance appraisal (Huber 1983). Appraisal systems have also moved away from conventional top down approaches to appraisal in more modern and pertinent terms such as customer evaluation, team-based performance, the appraisal of managers by subordinates and peer review. Generally, all of these performance appraisal methods should focus on the quality objectives of the organization and the behaviors of employees required for maintaining these. Performance appraisal has both administrative and individual development focus and organizations sincerity towards performance appraisal goes a long way in developing commitment and trust among people. Overall attitude towards HRM department is a significant predictor of organizational commitment. This aspect of HRM practice refers to how people see their HRM department, with respect, with disdain, with indifference and so on. It refers to the fact that the acceptance of various HRM practices depend largely on the overall image of the HR department. Hospitality industry needs to rely on the commitment of a well-trained, multi-skilled workforce in order to achieve a competitive position, especially in terms of providing high quality customer service. This suggests that hotels need to adopt HRM organisational practices that enhance the motivation of employees and improve organisational effectiveness. 2.5 Reward Management Huselid (1995) asserts that compensation and employee merit are directly related and finally contribute towards the firm outcomes. Compensation by its definition means all payments in terms of money and all commodities provided in kind i.e. instead of financial to recompense employees. The reward system was organized to attract and motivate so as to keep employees. More so, employee influence was tailored on controlled authority and decision making. The expectancy theory (Vroom 1964) suggests that rewards, that can be comprehended as a form of direct and indirect recompense packages, have the ability to manipulate employee work enthusiasm. Thang (2004) suggests that to achieve concerted efforts from the employees to fulfill the organisational goals compensation and reward can be used as powerful tools. On the same lines, Wan (2008) argued that compensation should be measured depending on employees performance not on the basis of position or seniority in the organization.Pay practic e is one of the tools of human resources management practices which manage wage, salary, pay and benefits etc. for the employees. Reward management has got an important role in HRM. A high level of pay and remuneration in comparison to that of rivals ensures the attraction and retention of high-quality employee, however this may impact negatively on the companys overall labor expenditures. Also by connecting pay with performance, the company can educe desired standards of performance as well as specific task orientation from employee (Noe et al., 2006). Generally, pay practice is very significant for the organizations and firms which can attract employees to apply for the job as recruitment. Attractive pay practices play a major role in attracting talent and are very helpful during the recruitment process. Similarly for the employees this means that they are required to show a continuously high level of commitment and performance in order to keep their jobs. Pay packages also have a degree of connection with the job satisfaction of an employee. Ting (1997) asserts that the job satisfaction can be gauged by the pay structure. He further explains two different type of effect of pay practices on job satisfaction; first is the satisfaction with pay itself and second is the satisfaction with financial prospects in the future. There is a venerable interest of these two things which are correlated with job satisfaction. Thus, it is pertinent to understand the relationship between job satisfaction and pay practices which eventually materializes in terms of higher productivity. Efficiency wage theories also suggest that paying higher wages can often result in increased efficiency. There are three main channels that are addressed in these theories that improve productivity, as described by Katz, 1987. Firstly it means that the harder the employees of an organization work higher will be the punishment for someone who is caught shirking and higher w ill be the probability of losing job of the employee getting caught. Thus higher wages means an increased effort on part of the employee due to the enhanced probability of losing job in a high performance environment. In other words, wage and pay practice are directly responsible for employees productivity and turnover. Secondly, a higher wage translates directly into workers loyalty towards organization thus improving employees efforts. Also it is a pertinent deduction that higher wage structure plays considerable amount of restraint on the employees to turnover their jobs. Thirdly, in more tangible terms higher wages are responsible for reducing firm employee turnover and recruitment costs. 2.6 Training and Development ‘Training and development (TD) is a very important tool of HRM (Vlachos 2008). According to Li, et al. 2008 Training is the set of activities which prepare the employees to attain needed skill sets and to deliver more efficiently in their current jobs. In the environment of todays business an employee is needed to cope with various pressures and are required to keep their skills and knowledge current to stay competitive. Tai (2006) asserts that more adaptability, ability, flexibility, motivation, maintenance of skills and efficiency are greatly enhanced by proper training and development of employees. According to Vlachos training and firms performance are indirectly related. In most of the manufacturing industry, the prevailing training programs are mostly unstructured on the job is the most preferred mode. Bartel (1994) in her study found a positive and significant relation between training and labour productivity. Guidetti and Mazzanti (2007) found that high performance and training activities are positively associated. It is also affected by labour flexibility in various directions. Apospori, et al. (2008) in their study of southern European countries have discovered the impact of training on firms performance. Equipping of service level staff enables them towards ‘service orientation. Training is the planned effort that facilitates the acquisition of job related knowledge, updating of skill sets, and impacts the behavior of an employee. In the implementation of HRM tools training is an important factor responsible for productivity. Higher productivity observed in firms is a direct outcome of training programs. â€Å"High-Involvementpractices such as autonomy, team collaboration, and training are helpful in reducing employee turnover and enhance productivity. Untrained workers tend to change job more often. An increase in high-performance work practices converts into decrease in turnover† (Bradley, Petrescu Simmons, 2004). Training programs are particularly helpful when an employer is experiencing a high degree of employee turnover more so during the times of economic uncertainty. Even during the times when the business is flourishing an organization should proactively earmark their investment for on the job training and other training programs balancing the cost of training with the perceived benefits of productivity. On the other hand, a trained worker has got the required skills and knowledge and can be a candidate for job turnover. Therefore, job satisfaction is crucial factor to retain the employee from shifting his jobs. Bradley, Petrescu and Simmons (2004) explained that job satisfaction can be effectively imoproved by creating on-going learning as well as training in workplace; moreover their study indicates that training increases satisfaction levels of an employee which in turn enhances employee motivation and commitment. Therefore it is argued that acquisition or knowledge or training has a positive impact on job satisfaction. 2.7 Traditional and Recent HR Practices in Hospitality Industry Keep and Mayhew (1999) in their study regarding the personnel problems in the tourism and hospitality industry some of them areas follow: low pay, no fixed hours and shift. Poor career growth, seasonal employment; informal recruitment methods; lack of good HR practice; high attrition rate and retaining employees. Riley et al. (2000) to recognize the reality of traditional and poor HR practices, he said that determining factor for HR policies and practices in tourism and hospitality industry is the key economics. Riley et al. says that it carries a very important meaning in tourism and hospitality industry, as in this service sector there is every thing which is intangible. According to (ILO, 2001: 6).Employers and the organizational representatives consider employee turnover in the industry as not the major issue according to them it is the part of working they have not realized that what are its causes and reasons, retaining staff is costlier than hiring new for them. When the organizations will realize that poor HR practices like low pay benefits, lack career opportunities, work life imbalance are the main reason employee turnover. That day the organizations will be successful in real terms. The inability of the businesses and the industry to recognize the most glaring issues can be attributed to the hostility and opposition from employers associations in the industry such as British Hospitality Association (BHA), to governmental initiative such as the minimum wage and working time directive. BHA is still apprehensive of these initiatives despite support from other quarters who favor these initiatives (Lucas, 2004). It is to a great extend clear from the above researches which supports the fact that tourism and hospitality industry is a poor employing sector. Kelliher and Perrett (2001), Kelliher and Johnson (1997) have clearly said that â€Å"the dominant paradigm has tended to stress the negative aspects of working in the hospitality sector†. It is not surprising to see a long history that supports the fact that hospitality remains a poorly employing sector. Kelliher and Perrett (2001) did an analysis of a designer restaurant. These types of ventures were supposed to be implementing sophisticated HRM approaches as they aimed at building competitive advantage. Although the restaurant had adopted a more modern and sophisticated approach towards, training and development and focused on an innovative strategy ‘there was little real evidence that human resources were seen as a source of competitive advantage (p. 434). Instead, the HRM approaches adopted by the restaurant were much more reflective of immediate environmental constraints, such as the difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff. In short, any number of reasons for poor HR practices in the tourism and hospitality industry. Economic determinism, the predominance of SMEs, a low-skills base, employer antipathy to a more progressive approach to HRM, labour market characteristics, organizations ensuring best fit HRM practices to support a high volume, low-cost strategy; all are plausible reasons for a view of HRM which is not necessarily premised on high-skills, high-wages and a high-quality route to competitive advantage. That said, it would be equally wrong to paint a wholly pessimistic picture. Hoque (2000). On his work of good practice in the hotel sector, says that the hotels have started taking the issues seriously and have come up with good HR practices for the employee commitment. He further says that argues that arguments which give a picture of the industry as backward and un strategic is now outdated, hotels have started taking it seriously as there main aim is customer satisfaction which is possible only through strong employee commitment. In fact, he says that the management has become very serious regarding the practices and polices of HR .The hotels have started experimenting with innovation approaches, quality enhancement of HRM polices and practices. The hotels industry has started paying well, have revised appraisal system, proper training programs for employees skills development, schemes for proper balance between work and life, special advantages to women, job rotation, employee empowerment, performance based pay, teamwork etc. the implementation of all th ese polices and practices helps in gaining employee commitment and customer satisfaction. The focus of hospitality Human Resource Management in UK Hotel Industry Human Resource Management in UK Hotel Industry 1 Introduction Human Resource Management is a consistent and productive approach towards the management of employees who are ‘valued assets to the organization. And managing resourceful humans requires a constant balancing between meeting the human aspirations of the people and meeting the strategic and financial needs of the business. Hence linking the HRM more explicitly to the strategic goals to improve the business and foster innovation and flexibility, thus serves the overall purpose. Through best possible use and application of HR policies in the organization, commitment can be encouraged thus leading to better performance, improve staff attitude and lower labour turnover, this is the ideal aim of the human resource practices which has been argued to neglect the fact that HR specialists and line managers have a major impact on how these HR policies are implemented at the hotels and whether all the HR practices are universally applicable. Human resource management is the techniques businesses incorporate to maintain an effective workforce to meet operational requirements. It is the organizational function that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, administration, organization development, employee motivation, wellness, benefits, safety, communication, performance management, and training. Human resource practices implemented in an organisation are used for recruitment, selection; training and development, reward management, performance appraisal etc. Human Resource Management strategically manages people and work place environment and culture. Effective HRM practices enable employees to contribute effectively and productively towards the attainment of the organizations goals and objectives facilitates overall company mission. HRM practices are one of the channels of communication for an organization with its employees it consists of the actual programs, processes and techniques. It conveys as to what the organization desires as valuable and appropriate behaviors. The workers on reception of such a message build up their own distinct perceptions and through a self-assessment (evaluation) process subsequently shape their attitude and behavior. For instance, if an organization implemented a training program for their workers, it will develop workers knowledge, skills and capability, and thus cultivate better employee commitment due to contented experience with the organization; however, such correlation may at times be misleading or unpredictable i.e. even though some employees may think this training as useful and recognize the implementation of organizational HRM practices, but on the contrary, other workers may see the program as non-effective and view it as a trouble that hamper their regular work timeta ble, hence this may work in an unintended way by bringing down their satisfaction with the organization and negatively effect their commitment. This is the very reason why employees individual view plays as a vital intermediary in the association between organizational HRM practices and the real disclosure of employees outlook and behaviors. Therefore, from this point of view, one can argue that HRM practices in its dominating effect alter an employees affective commitment, by first impinging upon their perception of organizational HRM practices and consequently further alter or transform their emotional commitment towards the organization. Thats why, by the means of implementation of high-commitment HRM practices, i.e. intensive training and development, high level of compensation, promotion from within, socialization, etc. convince the employees that the organizations purpose is in conformity with their insight, and it impinges upon them to reciprocate with advanced commitment and stronger deference to devote and put in for the organization. Therefore this research will try to establish a correlation between HR practices and their effects on employee commitment. The HR practices that will be examined in the research will be Selection and Recruitment Process, Training and Development programs, Performance management, Reward management and industrial labour relations. These are some of the main HR practices followed by the hotels aiming for the more committed team. But the researcher is interested in knowing whether these HR practices really result in more committed employees. And if these HR practices really result in committed employees then is it universally applicable in all countries of the world or all types of industries. These are some of the questions that have encouraged the researcher in conducting this research. 1.1 Research Aim The aim of this dissertation is to examine the HR practices implemented in UK hotels and their impact on employee commitment. 1.2 Objective The objectives of this research were to:- Examine the current HR practices prevalent in UK hotels. Evaluating these current HR practices against the existing literature to find out whether they match or not. Evaluating the factors leading to employee commitment and how many factors come by conducting HR practices in the company. 2 Literature review 2.1 Philosophy of Human Resource Management Human Resource Management is shifting its traditional stance from personnel, administration, and transactional roles, which are being increasingly outsourced. HRM is now focusing more and more towards adding quality and value to the strategic exploitation of employees and that employee development programs impact the business in tangible terms. This new approach towards revolution in HRM involves strategic direction and HRM metrics and measurements in tangible terms to gauge the effect of these practices. Some of the HRM practices studied in this project are selection, benefits, training, performance feedback, communication systems, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and employee participation. David E. Guest (1987) says that human resource management is the tool for attainment of the managerial objectives in the organizations that have accepted the need for the optimum utilization of human resource to achieve competitive advantage and stay viable in their businesses. The primary objective of HRM is amalgamation of companys mission and goal with the HR practices. David E. Guest argues that formulation of a comprehensive corporate strategy is a major factor that decides the continuing business success of any organization.For matured managers human resource planning is not just a fundamental component of strategic planning, but somewhat flows from it. This holds especially true in todays context where the accomplishment of the process of adjusting to change warrants an escalating level of individual and group participation, for the seamless integration of human resources into the strategic plans. HRM also focuses to attain employee commitment, this involves classification of the type of commitment required e.g. attitudinal, behavioral. Commitment of an employee can be at different levels it could be towards the organization, to his job, for individual career advancement and numerous such like things. Commitment in an employees context can be defined as approval of enterprise mission and goals, and could be reflected in behaviour adopted by him/her that furthers these goals. David further proposes that theoretically the combination of organizational commitment and job related behavioral commitment constitutes a high degree of employee satisfaction, motivates them for high performance, longer tenure with their organisations and prepares them to willingly accept changes. The third goal of strategic HRM is to exercise flexibility and adaptability, which basically translates into the ability to manage change and innovation and to react swiftly to transforming market demands and changes. Thus arises a need for a HRM policy which is favorable to change at all levels of the organization, an arrangement which is practical not bureaucratic, functional and adaptable, with an absence of rigid job divisions and with capable of functional flexibility i.e. flexible skills and motivation to move from one assignment to another. Promoting these is possible only according to David if the employees at all levels exhibit a high degree of organizational commitment, their trust towards the organizational policies and have high levels of intrinsic motivation. Attaining and maintaining total quality is the fourth goal of HRM. This highlights the importance of policies and practices to recruit, development and retention of skilled and flexible employees, and the formulation of established performance standards and performance procedures. This can be further subdivide into two broader goals i.e. building a integrated organizational culture and achieving and maintaining competitive advantage through the dynamic use of human resources. Guest (2002) has argued that the effect of human resource management practices on overall performance of a firm will depend upon response of the employees to the implemented HRM practices; therefore the impact will be more or less a translation of the perception of HRM practices by the employee. Wood (1999) and Guest (2002) have stressed upon the need to build a competent, committed and highly involved work force is the one required for best implementation of business strategy. Huselid (1995) discovered that the effectiveness of employees is directly related to the impact of HRM practices on behavior of the workforce. Patterson et al (1997) while arguing about the effect of human resource management practices on business performance have said that HR practices in selection and training influence performance by providing appropriate skills. HR practices have a potent impact on performance even if it just measured in terms of overall productivity. Huselid (1995) stressed that the adoption of best practices in selection will lead to inflow of best quality of skill set ultimately will result in adding to the value towards the skills inventory of the organization. He also highlighted the role of personnel training as an accompaniment of selection practices through which the organizational culture and employee behavior can be integrated with the organization goals to produce positive results. Cooke (2000) has included competence and effectiveness as the vital ingredients of performance apart from competitiveness and productivity. She further amplifies training as the tool to grow knowledge and skills and as way of improving individuals performance (efficiency and effectiveness). Singh (2004), whose interpretations are more pertinent in our cultural context, says that compensation is a mechanism that aligns the behavior of employees with the firms business strategy. William et al, have argued that Career planning is a tool that wo rks in sync with the strategy and future HR needs of the organisation and encourages employee to attain their individual goals for personal development. By encouraging employee involvement, the firm will profit from increase in efficiency of theemployee due to improved commitment of the employee. Financial participation schemes are more beneficial for the organizations than the associated cost (Summers Hyman, 2005). In high growth industry use of best HR practices result in a stronger association with firms productivity (Datta et al, 2003). Wright et al (2003) have said that if proper performance management system is in place and is complemented by a just compensation system that is linked with the performance management system an employee will exert unrestricted effort to improve his performance. Similarly to improve performance the need is to clearly define the jobs. â€Å"Job definition is combination of job description and job specification. It clearly outlines duties, responsibilities, working conditions and expected skills of an individual performing that job† (Qureshi, 2006). Ichniowski (1995) while studying productivity of steel workers have argued that harmonizing HR practice System positively effects employees performance.Sels,2006 Collins (2005) in a study of similar character targeting small business have also argued that efficient HR practices affect employee productivity to a great extent. Meyer and Allen (1997) indicated that HRM practices have been considered to be valuable and effective tools for elevating organizational commitment, especially affective commitment. However, there are some other perspectives also on this subject; De Coninsk and Stilwell (1996) argued that what directly influences employees affective commitment is not the actual practices itself, but the employee perceptions of fairness of practices that affects organizational commitment. Ogilvie (1986) found that, even with personal and work characteristics controlled, employees perceptions of two characteristics of HRM practices, namely, the accuracy of the merit rating system and the fairness of promotions, contributed to the prediction of commitment. Gaertner and Nollen (1989) also found that employees commitment was related to the perceived HRM practices, including internal promotion, training opportunities, and employment security. Ostroff and Bowen (2000) made use of â€Å"meso† theory t o explain that the implementation of HRM practices helped to amplify workers identification with their organization through employees psychological contracts. Therefore, just as what the above mentioned scholars stated, the HRM practices itself cannot have impact on employees commitment, it is after the implementation of the HRM practices that triggered employees own perceptions and then assess whether the practice is considered fair or favorable to them and consequently influence their attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, if the HRM practices that an organization implements permit the employees to acknowledge it as highly committed, consequently, this will lead to reinforced trust and concurrently generate higher emotional attachment with his/her serviced organization. Despite several experiential studies that have established a relationship between HRM practices and organizational commitment, however, such a connection seems to be a little too straightforward (Paul Anantharaman, 2004; Ulrich, 1997; Wimalasiri, 1995). Ostroff and Bowen (2000) projected that it was the psychological bond of an individual that unified how an organizational HRM practice influenced employees mind-set and behavior. This also entails that HRM practices may conjointly manipulate employees organizational commitment obliquely, and must go through by means of individuals psychological alteration system. Guzzo and Noonan (1994) said that â€Å"An organizations HRM practices influenced employee commitment since they are communications from the employer to the employee. How employees interpreted and made sense of their organizational HRM practices affected their psychological contract with their employer and, ultimately, their commitment to that employer.† Zucker (1983) also suppose that the organization members attitudes and behaviors are subjective and are governed by organizations official communication of ‘common understandings. Term common understandings denoting what were considered the appropriate, essential and meaningful behaviors within an organization. Basically, the official organization communication of common understandings will direct its members to alter their own personal attitudes and behaviors so that they can match organizational expectations and requirements. 2.2 Human resources practices HRM propose that there is a universal ‘one best way to administer people. By assuming a best practice method it is argued that organizations will attain improved commitment from people leading to better organizational performance, top levels of service quality and eventually boost in efficiency and profitability, Usually couched in terms of ‘bundles, the HRM practices that are offered in support of a high commitment and performance model are generally fairly consistent. A range of HR practices which are suggested as being important to organizational strategies aimed at securing high-quality service are:- 2.3 Recruitment and Selection One of the main and most basic HRM practice is of Recruiting and selecting staff with the correct attitudinal and behavioral characteristics. The process of selection is AIMED at picking out the most probable candidate from a bunch of applicants who best suites the needs of the organisation. According to Vlachos the person who is most suitable is chosen based on his educational and/or professional qualifications and the focus of the whole process is to decrease the cost for the organisation and employ such employees who have merit and talent and can maximize the profits. A variety of considerations in the selection process should be employed to assess the work values, interpersonal skills, personality and problem-solving capabilities of likely employees to evaluate their ‘service orientation. To maintain the high degree of competitive advantage an organisation requires capable and skillful personnel (Liao Chu 2006). Huselid (1995) has established that organisational productivi ty and high degree of performance is dependant upon the selection of the appropriate person, which is also a way to reduce employee turnover. Michie and Sheehan-Quinn (2001) recognized a positive link between hiring employees, and the creation of the appropriate culture for organisational growth. Cho, et al. (2006) established a positive and considerable connection between HRM practices adopted by a firm and the various recruitment selection techniques implemented like the recruitment resource, screening test, behavioural tests interviews i.e. structured and unstructured to improve the fiscal performance. Therefore, it made compulsory for the organisations to attract qualified candidates and recruit them for survival and growth. 2.4 Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal has attracted an immense degree of interest. Levin (1986) identified uses of performance appraisal, like potential analysis which assesses the performance of the employee in past, need for training, remuneration expectations- salary, employee merit appraisal, suggestion for and by the employee, employee career development etc. Thang (2004) in his study has shown as to effect of suitable HRM related decision on how well employees are performing their jobs. Performance appraisal is a constant procedure rather than a once a year fatigue. It is an official arrangement where periodical assessment of an individuals or teams performance for a particular task is carried out and a feedback is given on the same. Stone (2002) said that in order to survive in a highly competitive environment a firm must focus on improving its performance. In addition, in the fast changing surroundings, tighter finances, downsizing and demands for enhanced responsibility and accountability on the part of the employees and thus result in more emphasis on performance appraisal in order to enable the management to attain the organisational objectives. To achieve optimum performance requirements performance related rewards target those who meet the expectations of the organisation (Stone 2002, Cho, et al. 2006, Chand Katou 2007). Information in regard to employee salary, training needs, compensation, promotion as well as employee development, transfer and employee fe edback is provided by performance appraisal (Huber 1983). Appraisal systems have also moved away from conventional top down approaches to appraisal in more modern and pertinent terms such as customer evaluation, team-based performance, the appraisal of managers by subordinates and peer review. Generally, all of these performance appraisal methods should focus on the quality objectives of the organization and the behaviors of employees required for maintaining these. Performance appraisal has both administrative and individual development focus and organizations sincerity towards performance appraisal goes a long way in developing commitment and trust among people. Overall attitude towards HRM department is a significant predictor of organizational commitment. This aspect of HRM practice refers to how people see their HRM department, with respect, with disdain, with indifference and so on. It refers to the fact that the acceptance of various HRM practices depend largely on the overall image of the HR department. Hospitality industry needs to rely on the commitment of a well-trained, multi-skilled workforce in order to achieve a competitive position, especially in terms of providing high quality customer service. This suggests that hotels need to adopt HRM organisational practices that enhance the motivation of employees and improve organisational effectiveness. 2.5 Reward Management Huselid (1995) asserts that compensation and employee merit are directly related and finally contribute towards the firm outcomes. Compensation by its definition means all payments in terms of money and all commodities provided in kind i.e. instead of financial to recompense employees. The reward system was organized to attract and motivate so as to keep employees. More so, employee influence was tailored on controlled authority and decision making. The expectancy theory (Vroom 1964) suggests that rewards, that can be comprehended as a form of direct and indirect recompense packages, have the ability to manipulate employee work enthusiasm. Thang (2004) suggests that to achieve concerted efforts from the employees to fulfill the organisational goals compensation and reward can be used as powerful tools. On the same lines, Wan (2008) argued that compensation should be measured depending on employees performance not on the basis of position or seniority in the organization.Pay practic e is one of the tools of human resources management practices which manage wage, salary, pay and benefits etc. for the employees. Reward management has got an important role in HRM. A high level of pay and remuneration in comparison to that of rivals ensures the attraction and retention of high-quality employee, however this may impact negatively on the companys overall labor expenditures. Also by connecting pay with performance, the company can educe desired standards of performance as well as specific task orientation from employee (Noe et al., 2006). Generally, pay practice is very significant for the organizations and firms which can attract employees to apply for the job as recruitment. Attractive pay practices play a major role in attracting talent and are very helpful during the recruitment process. Similarly for the employees this means that they are required to show a continuously high level of commitment and performance in order to keep their jobs. Pay packages also have a degree of connection with the job satisfaction of an employee. Ting (1997) asserts that the job satisfaction can be gauged by the pay structure. He further explains two different type of effect of pay practices on job satisfaction; first is the satisfaction with pay itself and second is the satisfaction with financial prospects in the future. There is a venerable interest of these two things which are correlated with job satisfaction. Thus, it is pertinent to understand the relationship between job satisfaction and pay practices which eventually materializes in terms of higher productivity. Efficiency wage theories also suggest that paying higher wages can often result in increased efficiency. There are three main channels that are addressed in these theories that improve productivity, as described by Katz, 1987. Firstly it means that the harder the employees of an organization work higher will be the punishment for someone who is caught shirking and higher w ill be the probability of losing job of the employee getting caught. Thus higher wages means an increased effort on part of the employee due to the enhanced probability of losing job in a high performance environment. In other words, wage and pay practice are directly responsible for employees productivity and turnover. Secondly, a higher wage translates directly into workers loyalty towards organization thus improving employees efforts. Also it is a pertinent deduction that higher wage structure plays considerable amount of restraint on the employees to turnover their jobs. Thirdly, in more tangible terms higher wages are responsible for reducing firm employee turnover and recruitment costs. 2.6 Training and Development ‘Training and development (TD) is a very important tool of HRM (Vlachos 2008). According to Li, et al. 2008 Training is the set of activities which prepare the employees to attain needed skill sets and to deliver more efficiently in their current jobs. In the environment of todays business an employee is needed to cope with various pressures and are required to keep their skills and knowledge current to stay competitive. Tai (2006) asserts that more adaptability, ability, flexibility, motivation, maintenance of skills and efficiency are greatly enhanced by proper training and development of employees. According to Vlachos training and firms performance are indirectly related. In most of the manufacturing industry, the prevailing training programs are mostly unstructured on the job is the most preferred mode. Bartel (1994) in her study found a positive and significant relation between training and labour productivity. Guidetti and Mazzanti (2007) found that high performance and training activities are positively associated. It is also affected by labour flexibility in various directions. Apospori, et al. (2008) in their study of southern European countries have discovered the impact of training on firms performance. Equipping of service level staff enables them towards ‘service orientation. Training is the planned effort that facilitates the acquisition of job related knowledge, updating of skill sets, and impacts the behavior of an employee. In the implementation of HRM tools training is an important factor responsible for productivity. Higher productivity observed in firms is a direct outcome of training programs. â€Å"High-Involvementpractices such as autonomy, team collaboration, and training are helpful in reducing employee turnover and enhance productivity. Untrained workers tend to change job more often. An increase in high-performance work practices converts into decrease in turnover† (Bradley, Petrescu Simmons, 2004). Training programs are particularly helpful when an employer is experiencing a high degree of employee turnover more so during the times of economic uncertainty. Even during the times when the business is flourishing an organization should proactively earmark their investment for on the job training and other training programs balancing the cost of training with the perceived benefits of productivity. On the other hand, a trained worker has got the required skills and knowledge and can be a candidate for job turnover. Therefore, job satisfaction is crucial factor to retain the employee from shifting his jobs. Bradley, Petrescu and Simmons (2004) explained that job satisfaction can be effectively imoproved by creating on-going learning as well as training in workplace; moreover their study indicates that training increases satisfaction levels of an employee which in turn enhances employee motivation and commitment. Therefore it is argued that acquisition or knowledge or training has a positive impact on job satisfaction. 2.7 Traditional and Recent HR Practices in Hospitality Industry Keep and Mayhew (1999) in their study regarding the personnel problems in the tourism and hospitality industry some of them areas follow: low pay, no fixed hours and shift. Poor career growth, seasonal employment; informal recruitment methods; lack of good HR practice; high attrition rate and retaining employees. Riley et al. (2000) to recognize the reality of traditional and poor HR practices, he said that determining factor for HR policies and practices in tourism and hospitality industry is the key economics. Riley et al. says that it carries a very important meaning in tourism and hospitality industry, as in this service sector there is every thing which is intangible. According to (ILO, 2001: 6).Employers and the organizational representatives consider employee turnover in the industry as not the major issue according to them it is the part of working they have not realized that what are its causes and reasons, retaining staff is costlier than hiring new for them. When the organizations will realize that poor HR practices like low pay benefits, lack career opportunities, work life imbalance are the main reason employee turnover. That day the organizations will be successful in real terms. The inability of the businesses and the industry to recognize the most glaring issues can be attributed to the hostility and opposition from employers associations in the industry such as British Hospitality Association (BHA), to governmental initiative such as the minimum wage and working time directive. BHA is still apprehensive of these initiatives despite support from other quarters who favor these initiatives (Lucas, 2004). It is to a great extend clear from the above researches which supports the fact that tourism and hospitality industry is a poor employing sector. Kelliher and Perrett (2001), Kelliher and Johnson (1997) have clearly said that â€Å"the dominant paradigm has tended to stress the negative aspects of working in the hospitality sector†. It is not surprising to see a long history that supports the fact that hospitality remains a poorly employing sector. Kelliher and Perrett (2001) did an analysis of a designer restaurant. These types of ventures were supposed to be implementing sophisticated HRM approaches as they aimed at building competitive advantage. Although the restaurant had adopted a more modern and sophisticated approach towards, training and development and focused on an innovative strategy ‘there was little real evidence that human resources were seen as a source of competitive advantage (p. 434). Instead, the HRM approaches adopted by the restaurant were much more reflective of immediate environmental constraints, such as the difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff. In short, any number of reasons for poor HR practices in the tourism and hospitality industry. Economic determinism, the predominance of SMEs, a low-skills base, employer antipathy to a more progressive approach to HRM, labour market characteristics, organizations ensuring best fit HRM practices to support a high volume, low-cost strategy; all are plausible reasons for a view of HRM which is not necessarily premised on high-skills, high-wages and a high-quality route to competitive advantage. That said, it would be equally wrong to paint a wholly pessimistic picture. Hoque (2000). On his work of good practice in the hotel sector, says that the hotels have started taking the issues seriously and have come up with good HR practices for the employee commitment. He further says that argues that arguments which give a picture of the industry as backward and un strategic is now outdated, hotels have started taking it seriously as there main aim is customer satisfaction which is possible only through strong employee commitment. In fact, he says that the management has become very serious regarding the practices and polices of HR .The hotels have started experimenting with innovation approaches, quality enhancement of HRM polices and practices. The hotels industry has started paying well, have revised appraisal system, proper training programs for employees skills development, schemes for proper balance between work and life, special advantages to women, job rotation, employee empowerment, performance based pay, teamwork etc. the implementation of all th ese polices and practices helps in gaining employee commitment and customer satisfaction. The focus of hospitality