Catholic Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Catholic - Research Paper Example All these enable them to say consecrated in order to experience a deeper sense of spirituality (Laurent 116). The Catholic Church sticks strictly to its rituals. An infant born to a catholic mother gets its introduction to the catholic faith and rituals at an early age. This is usually through infant baptism. A few months after birth, infants undergo baptism and receive Christian names. The catholic baptism involves washing of the head with water and not full immersion into water as other religions do (O’Grady 157). As the infants grow up, they receive stepwise introduction to the catholic belief and teachings. Before the age of ten, they are able to recite most of the common prayers and liturgies. Towards the early teenage, these children enroll in catechism classes whereby they receive a deeper teaching on all values and rituals observed during the catholic worship. It is upon their understanding and appreciation of such that they attain baptism out of their own initiative a t this age. Later, they get confirmed after more catechism classes accompanied by usual practice of what they learn. After baptism confirmation, they can now celebrate mass just like other mature catholic devotees (O’Grady 161). There is a specific order that the Christians follow in their worship. In every step of the worship, there are rituals that they observe (O’Grady 7). ... In some occasions, the priest proceeds to carry out the rite of blessing that involves sprinkling of the people with water symbolic of their baptism. In other cases, the priest may opt for the penitential rite that involves expression of guilt over their transgressions. The Kyrie, Gloria acclamations then follow on all Sundays except during lent, and advent. The liturgy of the word then follows. This involves two readings separated by a relevant responsorial psalm. After the two readings, the entire group rises up to sing the Gospel acclamation. The gospel proclamation by the priest then follows. After the gospel proclamation, a sermon follows referred to as the homily and during this time the people take their seats. After the homily, the people indulge in a profession of their faith by reciting the apostles ‘or Nicene creed. Liturgy of the Eucharist follows and this begins with presentation of gifts and then preparation of the altar (O’Grady 164). The priest prays over the gifts and then goes on to lead the Eucharistic prayer. The worshippers recite the holy acclamation, then the memorial and then the priest recites the doxology and the worshippers respond in a massive ‘Amen’. The worshippers are now ready to partake of the communion ritual. It starts with a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer followed by the sign of peace and then the breaking of bread. After breaking of the bread, they partake of the Holy Communion. After receiving of the communion, the people kneel for silent individual prayers. During the communion, relevant songs prevail and the priests lead a prayer after the communion. After this, announcements may follow and then the conclusion rite with the priest saying a prayer and wishing the people peace (O’Grady 147). The catholic calendar of

Support Individuals in Eating and Drinking Essay Example for Free

Support Individuals in Eating and Drinking Essay 1. 3 Describe ways to resolve any difficulties or dilemmas about the choice of food and drink A resident at our care home is diabetic, so some foods are different to others as it has small sugar content. When bringing out puddings after dinner staff usually do diabetics first then everyone elses. However, the individual expressed her feelings and shared that she was fed up of having the diabetic pudding as she felt different to everyone else. Staff explained that she needed this pudding as she has diabetes but the resident didn’t care and wanted the same. So staff had a deep conversation with the resident trying to come up with an idea to make sure she was happy and suggested bringing her pudding out at the same time as everyone else so then she wouldn’t feel different. She was happy with this idea and had her pudding at the same time as others. Line manager was informed. 1. 4 Describe how and when to seek additional guidance about an individual’s choice of food and drink When I need additional guidance on an indivudla’s choice of food and drink I speak to the other care staff, senior carers or if needs be the manager. For example, a resident has his family to bring in his favourite biscuits for mid-morning tea, however on one occasion he ran out and didn’t like any others that staff offered him. At the care home there is a large variety of biscuits but the individual only likes the ones his family bring. We did not want him missing out and being unhappy, so senior staff and manager was informed and had a meeting on how to stop this issue happening again. We suggested that we could keep emergency biscuits for him in the pantry so if he runs out again, we will have some and he won’t miss out. His family was informed and thought the idea was great. 2. 1 Identify the level and type of support an individual requires when eating and drinking All service user’ need different support when eating and drinking depending on whether they are able to do it on their own or with assistance. Some residents are able to have an ordinary meal and eat well without any support. Others may need their food to be liquidised because they struggle chewing on solid foods however they are able to eat by themselves. Then other individual’s need full support when eating and drinking because they may not be able to move arms to eat and drink, or because they need encouragement in eating and drinking. When residents need full support it is important to have patience with them eating, and encourage them as much as possible to have as much as they can. If the individual refuses food then pushing fluids is extra important. 3. 1 Describe factors that help promote an individual’s dignity, comfort and enjoyment while eating and drinking When residents are eating and drinking I make sure the individual is sat upright and in a comfortable position to avoid choking. To promote their dignity I place a napkin on their clothing so if food or drink is spilt it doesn’t go on their clothes and it can just be removed. I also have one spare on the table so I am able to assist them wiping their mouths and fingers when needs be. Promoting enjoyment whilst eating and drinking includes many factors to consider, like making sure they have been toileted before meal times so they feel comfortable when eating and drinking. Also giving the resident choice on where they have their dinner, trying to encourage sitting with others to socialise but giving the choice as they might have days they wish to be on their own. Also the way the meal is presented with bright colours (vegetables), for it to be hot and looks tasty to promote them enjoying the food. 4. 1 Explain why it is important to be sure that an individual has chosen to finish eating and drinking before clearing away It is very important for individual’s to eat and drink as much as they are able to manage. When clearing away dishes, you cannot just take the plate away when there is food still left. You need to encourage the individual as much as you can for them to eat, however you cannot force them they have rights to not eat. But it is still important to encourage them as much as possible, and push fluids. Not only is it important for them to eat as much as possible but it shows them respect and that they do not have to rush their food, so they can feel relaxed and take their time. 5. 1 Explain the importance of monitoring food and drink an individual consumes and any difficulties they encounter It is important to monitor the food and drink intake of an individual as it can show whether they are having enough or even too much food or drink, whether it can lead to dehydration or if they have lost or gained weight. It is also important that the individuals are receiving the correct nutrition in their care and they are getting the goodness they need. If due to health issues the individual is struggling to eat, this needs to be recorded and other suggestions need to be put in place to resolve this. For example, if a resident’s suffering tooth ache and they are unable to chew their food to eat. In this case we could liquidise their food whilst they have toothache to enable them on eating.

Police Pursuits Essay -- Law Enforcement

There are virtually an unlimited amount of aspects about police work that places them in harm’s way every day. Some of which officers are trained to mitigate and exercise some form of control over while others are mostly out of police control. Vehicle pursuit is one instance where police have little control over and thus must adopt a mostly reactionary response rather than a proactive approach. Police officer training and preparation for such pursuits are conducted during their initial phases of training and some receive advanced Emergency Vehicle Operational and Control (EVOC) training that they will bring back to their respective agencies to provide training for the rest of their fellow officers. This is only in response to an increasingly dangerous and costly increase to the amount of police vehicle pursuits over approximately the last decade. But why are criminals increasingly running from police? Since the inception of police as a profession, the ‘bad guys’ have always tried to escape justice form the ‘good guys’ in an attempt to continue their lawless and criminal activity. However as times have changed from horseback chases in rural country landscapes to heavy and speeding vehicles in urban settings, the danger to innocent life has increased exponentially. Some has argued that a ‘contempt of cop’ attitude adopted by police in where the officer attempting to make the stop is offended or slighted and therefore acts aggressively to make an apprehension. A possible reason for this is the adrenalin rush rendering officers to adopt an aggressive and overly focused mindset causing them to experience myopia and auditory lockout (Schultz, Hudak, Alpert, 2009) Others claim that an increased lack of authority and an increase in se... .... Until courts and the public start shifting the volume of blame towards the suspect who failed to stop for police, suspects will continue to put us, the law abiding public, at risk. Works Cited Alpert, G. & Smith, W. (2008). Police Pursuits After Scott v. Harris: Far from Ideal. Police Foundation:. Ideas in American Policing. June, 2008. Hill, J. (July 2002) High-Speed Police Pursuits: Dangers, Dynamics, and Risk Reduction. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. July 2002. Oyez. (n.d.) Scott v. Harris. Retrieved on April 03, 2012 from http://www.oyez.org/cases/2000- 2009/2006/2006_05_1631 Schultz, D., Hudak, E., Alpert, G. (2009) Emergency Driving and Pursuits: The Officer’s Perspective. FBI Law Enforcement Bulliten. April 2009. Scott v. Harris. 550 U.S.___(2007). Retrieved on April 02, 2012 from http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/06pdf/05-1631.pdf

Sonnet 104

Essay: Sonnet 104 Sonnet 104 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English poet William Shakespeare. It's a member of the Fair Youth sequence, in which the poet expresses his love towards a fair friend. Each stanza expresses Shakespeare’s relationship with his beloved. The sonnet deals with the destructive forces of time as humans grow older and makes a commentary on the process of aging. In the first quatrain, the poet focuses on his beloved, exploring the theme of beauty and aging. The very beginning of the quatrain begins with â€Å"To me†, and in the second line, ends with â€Å"eye I eyed. These two phrases signified that what he was writing was from his own perspective. The poet did not consider the opinion of the reader and later in the quatrain, continues this theme when he states, â€Å"Such seems† in the third line. This quatrain was a commentary on the beauty of his beloved friend. The poet acknowledges that this is his perspective; yet he does not ack nowledge the perspective of anyone else. These lines also discuss that his beloved friend is as beautiful as when they first met and that his opinion of beauty is not judged upon the reader.In the second quatrain, the poet focuses on time passing the significance of evolution. This theme progresses with the continual mentioning of seasons. The poet wants to emphasize the three years that have passed. The natural cycle between seasons emphasizes the time passing. â€Å"Summers pride† gives way to â€Å"winters cold†, â€Å"beauteous springs† give way to â€Å"yellow autumn†, and April perfumes make way to the â€Å"hot Junes burnd†. This is not only a commentary on how much time has passed, but also a commentary on how beauty can fade.As stated in the phrases listed above, the changes in seasons always lead to a different landscape. With this evolution, it is only natural that beauty fades. However, the poet makes is blatantly clear in the eighth li ne that his beloved never changes. This last line of the quatrain shows that his beloved is a fresh beauty. The use of the words â€Å"green† and â€Å"fresh† signify his beloved’s youthfulness and prove that he has defied nature. This breaking of the cycle proves to be a powerful use of language and diction.In the third quatrain, the poet recognizes that his beliefs are unnatural, and creates a shift in the sonnet. The ninth line instigates the shift once the poet writes, â€Å"Ah, yet†. This sign tone and shift in perception help him come to a realization. This recognition proves that the poet is fooling himself about his friend’s beauty. The â€Å"dial-hand† mentioned in the ninth line signifies that even though his beloved friend is actually aging, he only sees him to be beautiful. This metaphor is a perfect representation of his perception of beauty.As the quatrain continues he explains that his eye deceives him of reality. Like a clock hand moves slowly, he slowly recognizes reality. In conclusion, sonnet 104 is a commentary on the poet’s perception versus reality. The poet ends the sonnet by announcing that no one, after he and his beloved die, could ever understand what beauty really is. The height of beauty was when his fair friend lived. Beauty was and will always be understood as a part of his writing. Though his friend may not be living, his beauty still lies within the poet’s literature.

Roger Mcgough Poem Analysi

Roger McGough was a well-known British poet who has written a lot of poems about inequality, life and unfairness between social classes. I have chosen to discuss and compare the following poem â€Å"The Commission†, â€Å"Nooligan† and â€Å"Streemin† of Roger McGough. The three poems I have chosen are mainly written in the area of inequality of this world and the unfairness of social class. In â€Å"The Commission† Roger McGough has written the contrast of the different social class and the difference between the wealthy and the poor. In the poem he wrote â€Å"In this poem there is a table.Groaning with food. There is also a child, Groaning for lack of food† this clearly stated out the different between the wealthy and the poor. In â€Å"Nooligan† he criticises the use of violence and bullying in school, he used the following lines â€Å"I’m a Nooligan don’t give a toss, in our class I’m the boss† to tell to the audience that everyone is born equal, no one should be hurt or to be treated differently to others. In the poem â€Å"Streemin† Roger McGough again criticises the inequality between the different social classes by using â€Å"But all these divishns aren’t reely fair†.Roger McGough’s poem is always very relaxed and smooth, never intense. Most of the time he seems like he is talking to himself or into his own deep thinking. In â€Å"The Commission† he used rhyme over the whole poem, with the relax tone, he presented his theme of the inequality like he was telling the audience about one of his dreams. However he used rhyming in the poem â€Å"Nooligan† to create a sense of humours, describing a bully in school, he presents his idea nicely to audience while giving them some fun.The poem â€Å"Streemin† isn’t written in formal language, slangs and short forms are used, this give the audience an idea that the person isn’t real ly educated, which presents his purpose for this poem perfectly. After reading Roger McGough’s poem, I have learned a lot about life and this world. His poem told me that everybody are born in to this world equally and that no one should be treated like slaves, no matter of this social class, skin colour, culture background or the wealth and poor.He presented this to the audience through his poem â€Å"The commission† in the first 4 lines of the first stanza. In the 2nd stanza Roger McGough have written that there was a photographer draws â€Å"a little Asian girl, Naked, wide-eyed, pleading† he points out the unfairness in this world very clear and sharp with just one sentence. After reading and a little thinking of the poem, I feel really tempered about the unfairness in this world and even a little sadness, I think this was also what the poet felt while he wrote down this poem.From his poem â€Å"Nooligan† it teaches me that everyone should deserve hap piness in this world, because to be born into this world and determined that they are going to die sooner or later was not a child’s choice, it was not their choice to be born in to a violence family, it was not their fault that the parents are devoiced. Therefore I think that everyone who was born into this world deserves to have their own happiness and no one should have the power to take it away from them. Roger McGough was writing about the bullies in school in this poem, they hurt people.The rhyme used in this poem have turned mood very humorous and he used the humorous to present to the audience about the bullies in his eyes. â€Å"Streemin† was one of the shortest poems Roger McGough has written. He described the feelings of the lower social class with just a few sentences. In the last stanza he written â€Å"But all these divishns arnt reely fair look at the cemetery no Streemin there† presents his idea of how the lower social class look at this world. T hey have not been educated, but this does not make them less of a person.They think it’s not fair that they have to be treated differently to all the other people who live in this world just because they don’t like reading and can hardly write. After reading Roger McGough’s poem I feel like I have learned a lot about this society, good side and bad side. I would strongly recommend Roger McGough’s to a young adult, or people who are about to walk into this society, because his poem taught me a lot of things and this might benefit people in a lot of ways. And personally I really like his poems, like the way he presents his ideas and like his idea about this society

Home Depot Service

Home Depot Service Introduction and service Background of Home Depot Home Depot Inc has grown immensely since its commencement back in the 1970’s when it was a small organization founded by three business executives who had left Handy Dan Stores to start their own home appliance service delivery company. Back then the company had only one store and annual earnings of $ 23M.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Home Depot Service specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More But through good management and efficiency, the company has grown into one of the largest vendor and installer of home improvement appliances serving individuals and professional customers. The company’s founders retired back in the year 2000 after opening the 1000th store and Bob Nardelli was appointed C.E.O. This move has contributed a lot to the success of the company because since then the company has even performed better. The new C.E.O has overseen the openin g of over 900 stores and currently the organization has over 2200 stores across the United States of America. The home improvement retailer is now among the top 3 retailers in the world following Wal-Mart, but it is the America’s largest Home Improvement appliance and service selling company in the United States of America, the company is now a home appliance service company helping build beautiful homes across America, Canada and Mexico. The company has experienced profit growth every year since 2000-2005; the profits have grown from $45.7B in 2000 to over $81B. Despite the value of its shares doing poorly in the NYSE, the company has improved its earnings per share from $1.10 to $2.75 therefore pleasing shareholders and currently the company has paid out close to $ 13B in cumulative earnings back to its shareholders. Besides this, the company’s operating margin has also grown from 9.2 % to 11.5% thereby indicating that the company is quite healthy and is performing w ell. The company has over 300,000 employees on its payroll to ensure that the company is able to cater for its customers especially when it comes to superior service delivery.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The efforts of former C.E.O, Bob Nardelli, have to be appreciated since he has used all his experience and skills in his position to ensure that the company continues to operate on a path which allows it to grow in both size and revenue by catering for the needs of their customer base and offering a lot of competition to rivals such as Wal-Mart by building stores and Home depot centers that are spacious and well designed. The decision to open the Home depot online business has also played a big role in ensuring dominance of the retailer. Strategic Posture Mission Home Depot Inc is a well established company that aims to provide its customers with the highe st quality home improvement products and high quality service (Home Depot Inc). The slogan, â€Å"improve everything we touch,† is a clear indication of the customer experience that is part of the service delivery strategy that Home Depot wants its entire customers to experience as soon as they enter in the premises of the organization to purchase products from their retail centers all over America (Kotler, 167). The company takes its customers seriously and hopes to offer solutions to their daily needs by providing services that will improve the homes and lives of their customers. This mission has been relevant to the current performance and the vision of the company is to become the best retail company of this millennium with superior service delivery. Objectives Home Depot has most of its services rooted in the service industry; the organization desires to be one of the biggest participants in the retail industry in this millennium and also aims to realize a rise in its ma rket share by acquiring other companies using an aggressive business strategy. The company has ambitions to maintain an annual growth in sales of between 9-12% by the year 2012. Additionally, the company aims to increase its earnings per share for its equity owners to between 10-14% by the year 2012 by growing its service delivery to its target audience.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Home Depot Service specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company believes that its survival is not the only objective but it is important for the company to grow and acquire other new companies such as Hughes Supplies to increase its dominance in the retail industry. Furthermore, the company intends to pen close to 400-500 stores in various regions of the world by the end of 2012 despite the indication that the market is saturating. Other objectives of the company include increasing cumulative operating cash flow to $50b, cumulati ve capital expenditure to $17-20b and grow their supply sales to $23-27b (Home Depot Inc).The stores believe that their targets can be met if employees spend approximately 70% of their working hours on the selling floor and expanding their markets. Strategy Home Depot uses an aggressive strategy which aims at sustaining the company’s growth. The strategy is known as the 3E’s strategy which involves extending business, expanding the market and enhancing the core. This strategy is effective as besides guaranteeing its growth it also ensures that the quality of service and value delivered to customers increase as the company expands (Home Depot Inc). Policies The company’s policy revolves around its clientele and the need to enhance the customer experience is fundamental to success and for that reason the company has a policy that instructs its staff to spend close to 70% of total work time on the selling floor and performing customer service activities because thi s way the needs of the current consumers and targeted consumers can be catered for and the customers are most likely to have the complete customer experience (Kotler, 239; Home Depot Inc). Figure 1 A diagrammatic representation of the full elements included in a product Services delivered by Home Depot are valuable to their clientele and this is why the organization has been able to get a lot of positive reviews from numerous quarters and their customers have grown in number (Home Depot Inc).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The wide variety of the services is offered by the organization and these include mostly services which complement their product offering. Customers usually desire not only to purchase the core product but services accompanying the product is very important especially because home appliances require some level of expertise especially when it comes to installation. When customers purchase home appliances such as tools, hardware, lumber, building materials, paint, plumbing, flooring and garden supplies, they may require expertise services from the staff before they gain the skills to use the appliances. This is why home depot offers â€Å" installation services, advice, clinics, contractor services, credit center, delivery services, design services, home services, import/export services, moving services, tool rental, and truck rental this way a holistic customer satisfaction dimension is achieved† (Kotler, 110). Service process structure, structural alternatives, technology, st andardization, co-production, High vs. Low contact The corporate structure and the customer service process structure cannot be separated unlike long ago where the customer service delivery process structure of the Home Depot was reportedly chaotic before the arrival of Bob Nardelli, the former C.E.O who retired in 2007. The current structure is managed according to regions such as south, south east, west, east, north and Midwest, whereby each store has its own overall manager and functional level managers. The regional managers serve as head of strategy and are responsible for customer service despite that fact that they have other customer service department managers and departments within their branches. This structure has ensured efficiency unlike beforehand where management was fragmented and decentralized hence the current management system allows its managers to communicate directly with the top management team thus enabling the organization respond appropriately to the needs of the customers (Kotler, 229). The former C.E.O, Bob Nardelli, did set expectations that up to date play a major role in encouraging every manager to achieve the optimal output and deliver results furthermore all employees are required to spend some time on the selling floor in order to ensure that the needs of customers are catered for in order to ensure that customer satisfaction ratings go up. This policy put into in place by the C.E.O has fostered the culture of collective responsibility as far as issues of customer service are concerned it is not only the duty of regional managers, general managers and functional area managers within the stores but also a responsibility of the lowest level of staff within the organization. Table1.The Service Process Structure of Home Depot This referral system of customer service can take a long time and at times can consume a lot of time especially when low staff employees lack the capacity to solve problems and hence send customers to the next level of the hierarchy. This can thereby be replaced by specialized customer care departments or booths that have fully trained customer care experts to respond to specific product needs of the customers (Kotler, 179; Porter, 17). Illustration: Home depots superior customer service techniques are part of the key competencies that have contributed to the organization’s success Home depot’s customer service policy aims to ensure that the needs and queries of customers are resolved in the shortest time frame possible. Service process structure of Home Depot aims to provide the maximum customer experience by providing services that are considered of high quality and at the same time affordable. The entire sales service engineering process of Home Depot aims to respond to the needs of their customers by enabling them get high quality assistance as far as pre-purchase and post-purchase queries such as planning, installation, training, trouble shooting, repairs, product upgrading and discarding of products are concerned. The management of Home Depot centre believes that their customer care policy offers them an opportunity to form relationships with their clients and therefore even improve thus empowering them. Empowered customers are more likely to engage themselves in the process of co-production of services and this reduces the workload that the staffs of Home Depot are most likely to face if they were dealing with underpowered clients (Worthington Britton 45). The top management regularly organizes seminars, workshops and training opportunities which are very crucial to empowering employees and standardizing the delivery of service (Kourdi, 43). The failure of offering standardized service delivery can at times be very costly and this is why employees of Home Depot care are given strict guidelines under which they can use to deal with both easy and hard clients. The entire sales engineering process of Home Depot has enabled different employee s to operate with a standardized approach which enables them to treat the needs and demands of all their clients within a reasonable time frame using high degrees of etiquette and friendliness (Kotler, 334). This fact has contributed to the high rate of customer retention and repeated purchases due to the fact that some sort of intimacy has arisen between the customers of the organization and the organization itself (Worthington Britton 57). Illustration: A model representing careful planning that has been used to develop the Customer service policies at the Home Depot Marketing Guru, Kotler, (44) insists that high quality customer care is never accidental but rather a product of vigorous and continuous planning programs that are initiated by top management and customer care staff within the organization. The Home Depot has put in place the necessary Information Communication Technology (ICT) structure that has assisted the organization towards ensuring that they can gather all th e necessary information which can be used to cater for their information needs. Model customer care departments and procedures are a result of goods planning and good planning cannot occur if an organization does not have the necessary information. The use of Information technology in this case has played a big role in the process by assisting customers become better co producers (Kotler, 269; Worthington Britton 164). This is because the use of Email, websites and customer care call centers has made it possible for the organization to interact with its clients at arm’s length. The technological environment in North America is becoming more advanced daily and Home Depot Inc has not been left behind. The organization has installed various technologies to cater for their business needs. The corporation has installed the most modern bar-coding technologies and UNIX servers and in this way, the organization is able to take care of inventory, financial accounting and also record customer needs accurately. Previously, when technology was an obstacle to corporations poor inventory management increased companies costs by interfering especially with customer care processes within the organization. The Home Depot management has put in place an additional I.T department in Texas to guarantee that the corporation runs efficiently and avoid extra costs due to poor business practices. This center has played a big role towards ensuring that their client’s needs are recorded and appropriate strategic responses are formulated hence improving customer care within the organization. Moreover, the corporation has installed back end scanning technology and upgraded call centre technology in order to support various processes within the organization (Worthington Britton 143). These actions have made sure that all transactions are recorded and that customer queries are recorded and queued so that customer care personnel can respond to them in the shortest time frame p ossible (Campbell et al 142). Unlike long ago where all service delivery programs were characterized by high levels of contact this has drastically changed and now when customers have queries it is not a must for them to be physically present at the premises of the Home Depot to raise their queries or even conduct business but they can do this at the comfort of their homes by ordering online and asking for more specified customized services. This way if there are more low contact services transactions then queuing and overcrowding at the stores are consequentially reduced saving costs in the long run for the organization (Porter, 88). Service blueprint, lines of visibility, interaction, on-stage and back-stage interaction failure points and poka-yokes Home Depot understands that it deals with heterogeneous clientele and every client has his/her own needs, wants and desires but the overall aim of their customer service charter is to offer lasting solutions to their clientele in the s hortest time frame possible (Kotler, 156). The customer service strategy of the Home Depot aims to foster loyalty and repeated purchase through ensuring high levels of satisfaction within customers. The staff are rigorously trained and given operational policies to deal with both simple and difficult clientele with the aim of enhancing customer satisfaction. The customer service department has adopted a flat structure and incorporated the use of information communication technology in order to ensure that the organization is able to communicate efficiently and effectively at high speeds to resolve customer needs as soon as they arise (Worthington Britton 77). The organization has made it mandatory for every individual within the organization to spend some time on the retail floor and interact with customers and hence this has contributed a lot towards developing an organization that is holistic when it comes to customer service matters. The main pillars of the strategy that is used by the Home depot include staying in touch with the needs and demands of customers and this is achieved by strategic gathering of data which is stored in data warehouses. This data is used by strategy formulation experts who are specialists in customer service to understand and predict customer behavior. Consumer behavior is a discipline anchored in understanding the needs, perceptions, tastes, preferences, attitudes and other forms of consumer behavior (Wheelen Hunger, 411). The output of this process is used to develop the most appropriate training programs of the employees which in turn empower employees once they interact with customers during the moment of truth. Home depots customer service policy is hence developed from predictions that emanate from their information communication technology department and therefore the staff have undergone various simulations that enable them enter into most probable question and answer scenario sessions that may involve potential customer s (Home Depot Inc). The customer service strategy blue print demands that all organizational employees aim to create great service delivery priorities. Therefore, the staff is required to be smart, smiling and polite when dealing with clients. Dealing with clients with the highest level of etiquette enables staff to avoid confrontational instances that may pose a bad image on the organization. Moreover, when customer service and clientele argue or conflict negatively then a lot of time is more likely to be lost. Illustration: The customer relationship management process that is part of the customer service blue print Home Depot Inc values all of its customers and it uses a sales engineering process to develop the most appropriate customer relationship management program that allows the organization to get closer and more personal with some of its most important clients. Customer relationship management is the backbone of The Home Depot center’s customer service strategy beca use it aims to reduce order processing/transaction time, this way the problem of long queue that arises in the process of service delivery can be reduced easily hence improving the customer experience. In order to shorten the time frame of the customer and organization interaction the Home depot center has automated some processes by encouraging customers to carry out their orders online and hence reduce instances of long queues thereby hastening the process of service delivery. The customer care call centre belonging to the Home depot center allows the organization to be able to interact with its clients in real time (on stage) or take down their details search for their solutions and contact them at later times in order to offer them solutions. The web angle and internet of customer care also offers a venue under which the organization can offer long lasting solutions to complex customer problems. The current problem with the customer service department is the problem of queuing. The Home Depot has a large number of customers who have problems ranging from simple to very complex problems and this therefore increases the processing time of the customer service department (Wheelen Hunger, 304). The high level of queuing especially during peak season ends up annoying some customers who assume that the organization is ignoring their needs/queries and complaints. Therefore the Home Dept should aim to open a more efficient and effective customer care centre that can dedicate all its efforts exclusively towards responding to the needs of clients. The customer care complex can be seasonal but it will serve as a failsafe method for which the organization can be able to ensure that incase of overloading customer service tasks run smoothly. The strategy taken by Home Depot to manage their, delivery systems, facility design, location selection, capacity planning, service encounter, quality management, information management The Home Depot centre occupies over 105,000 f t ² (9,755 m ²) in warehouse floor space with its megastores operating in larger facilities with its largest store in New Jersey occupying over 200,000 square feet (Home Depot Inc). Every store/warehouse chosen by the company is not accidentally chosen but careful planning is usually common in all location decisions. Key location decisions are made by marketers and population statistics experts who chose areas which are most likely to choose locations that are considered highly attractive in terms of security, consumer traffic and economic parameters. This technique of choosing locations has enabled the organization open stores at very strategic locations within the United States, Mexico and Canada and this has assisted the organization maximize revenues and grow their business portfolio and expand their business (Home Depot Inc). Basically, the location decision has enable Home Depot move closer to their prospective clients and address their needs adequately. Using particular t raffic forecasts that are linked to their location decisions has enabled the organization to perform adequate capacity planning. This has enabled the organization match consumer needs with their provisions through this has not been easy due to higher levels of customers which has increased their demand and led to long queues often. But in order to deliver services the organization in conjunction with their information technology department has been able to adequately develop delivery systems that enable service delivery be queued appropriately in order to deliver services in good time and condition. The organization has over time increased the number of suppliers that it has and this has enabled the organization to be able to be able to maintain high levels of quality supplies at relatively lower pricing. The high variety of brands in the shelves of Home Depot enables customers to choose products from wide variety of product and suppliers are hence forced to produce products that ar e considered of high quality this way the suppliers are forced to produce highly attractive products that are of high quality. Moreover the Home Depot use a last in first out inventory system which ensures that products that are on the shelves follow a queue that is directly related to the time which they arrived at their stores. When dealing with obsolescence and redundancy of stock the organization has a quality control department that is charged with the responsibility inspecting and verifying the quality of goods right before they reach the shelves for customers to purchase (Wheelen Hunger, 338). Every piece of inventory is bar-coded and stored at the organization n data base this way the organization is able to account for all items which are defective or considered as unsuitable following customer complaints. By keeping accurate records and supplying information to all employees within the organization a total quality management system is used to ensure that employees communi cate the message of quality management especially when interacting with customers on the floor of the retail centers (Wheelen Hunger 122). Suggestions for improving and redesigning the services/ interface Home Depot is a home appliance retail and interacts with customers to ensure that they are able to understand their products and if necessary install or even know how to use them. Home Depot Inc serves millions of customers across the Americas. The organization serves the do-it-yourself market, do-it-for-me market and the professional customers (Kotler 244). All this clients have different needs and are considered important to the organization and thus the organization has customized service delivery in order to fit the needs and desires of each customer segment. The organization should therefore aim to expand their existing customer services department by dedicating more resources to this business department this way the organization will be able to deliver services efficiently a nd effectively without delay or compromise in quality (Wheelen Hunger 78). The service delivery process should be upgraded to encourage customers to carry out business transactions over the net and having their goods delivered to their door steps upon agreement. Additionally the organization should improve their capacity planning in order to ensure that the retail center can be able to respond to the needs of their customers as soon as they arise. Conclusion The customer service practices of Home Depot Inc are good but a lot can be done in order to ensure that the organization is able get closer and to respond to the needs of their clients as soon as they occur. Delivery of high quality services is very important and Home Depot has ensured that it makes good lasting impressions on their customers by enhancing good customer experiences. The company should initiate programs that will incorporate the opinions of the lowest level of employees, customers and aim to improve service deliv ery within the organization. Good customer service is an ingredient of creating intimacy with customers and thereby cultivating customer loyalty which is very important to organizations. Campbell, David, Stonehouse, George Houston, Bill. Business Strategy an Introduction, 2nd edition. Banbury Rd: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002. Print. Home Depot Inc. â€Å"Home.† Home Depot Inc. 2011. Web. Kotler, Phillip. 2008. Principles of marketing, 13th edn. New York: Prentice Hall, 2008. Print. Kourdi, Jeremy. Business Strategy: A Guide to Effective Decision Making, 2nd edition. New York: Economist books, 2009. Print. Porter, Michael. Competitive advantage, illustrated edition. Northampton MA: Free press, 2004. Print. Wheelen, Thomas Hunger, David. Strategic management and business policy. New Jersey: Prentice hall, 2002. Print. Worthington, Ian Britton, Chris. Business environment, 6th edition. Canada: Pearson Education, 2009. Print.

What American Dream Essay

What American Dream Essay What American Dream? Essay What American Dream? â€Å"The idea that we are the greatest people in the world because we have the most money in the world is ridiculous. Wait until this wave of prosperity is over! Wait ten or fifteen years! Wait until the next war on the Pacific, or against some European combination! ... The next fifteen years will show how much resistance there is in the American race. There has never been an American tragedy. There have only been great failures.† Fitzgerald uttered these words to an interviewer, sent to talk with one of the great writers of the 20th century, two years after The Great Gatsby was published. Two more years passed, Wall Street crashed, another great American failure. While some in Fitzgerald’s own time thought this outlook gloomy, as well as impossible, sitting in the relative comfort of the 21st century we know better. Fitzgerald noticed the greed of the people and the common practice of living outside their means; he also noticed how this c ould ruin America and all that we used to be. The Great Gatsby is known by many as a poignant insight into the ruin of the American dream, but these same people may be surprised to learn that when writing The Great Gatsby, the term ‘the American dream’ did not exist. That was not to become commonplace until 1931 in James Truslow’s The Epic of America (Churchwell). One fact remains as true today as the day Fitzgerald put his finishing touches on The Great Gatsby; money is the true corrupter. Fitzgerald saw this truth before the stock market crashed and before we put a name on the American dream. Using symbolism, F. Scott Fitzgerald warned America of what was to come if we didn’t turn away from greed and the all encompassing corruption of money. Perhaps the first character to analyze should be Daisy Buchanan, Gatsby’s one, but ultimately heartless, love. To me, Daisy represents money, the dream that the 99% strived for. She does not really care about anyone, she does whatever suits her. Like money, she is heartless, yet the object of many men’s desires. Fitzgerald physically describes her like money as well; â€Å"†¦full of money- that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song in it† (Fitzgerald 127). No one in Daisy’s life treats her as a person or sees her as she truly is; like money, she is just an object. To Tom, she is the wife he can always go back to, a trophy and the person society expects him to be with. To Gatsby, she is the young girl he met and fell in love with before the war. Just like money, people are blinded to Daisy and what having her truly does to you. Both men go to great lengths to keep her; in a sense, Tom kills to have her. It isn’t Daisy they really love or want, but the idea of her; as with money, it’s everything she can bring you. While reading The Great Gatsby, the audience is well aware of t he class differences in this 1920’s society, even if Gatsby is not. Gatsby symbolizes the 99%, those who don’t have money but wish they did, who want the lavish lifestyle of the upperclass. Typical of someone driven by greed, he does immoral things to get his dream. Gatsby’s business dealings show how far he is willing to go to secure Daisy, and by extension, money. That is not to say that Gatsby is an immoral man, he is human, and like most of the 99% does whatever necessary to secure his wealth. Tom Buchanan is the character who I think represents something very interesting; both the corruption of wealth and the idea that those who strive for this ‘American dream’ will never reach true satisfaction. That idea works very well for the relationship between Tom and Daisy; â€Å"I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, in my heart I love her all the time† (Fitzgerald 138). In the end, people will always choose money, they will always go back to that corrupt seductress. Myrtle was something on the side, a distraction, but she could