A Report Comparing Employee Salaries at Mama Mia and Pasta Roma Essay

A Report Comparing Employee Salaries at Mama Mia and Pasta Roma Restaurants - Essay Example While the two restaurants are largely similar in terms of products and services offered and thus requires similar efforts from their employees, observations seems to indicate that employees in the two restaurants do not enjoy comparable salaries. This report aims to investigate this issue and provide statistical evidence that would prove or disprove the comparability of salary packages awarded to the employees of the two restaurants. Procedure Information was gathered on the salaries that employees from the two restaurants receive. Upon collecting these data, they were subjected to statistical analysis using the appropriate computer software. Pertinent statistical data of interest regarding employee salaries were: Shape of the distribution, Mean, Median, Minimum value, Maximum value, Range, Lower quartile value (Q1), Upper quartile value (Q3), Semi-interquartile range (SIR), Standard deviation, and Total Salaries. In addition, the number of employees were also noted. The results are presented in Table 1 below. Findings Table 1. Summary of Descriptive Statistics on the Salaries of Mama Mia and Pasta Roma Employees.    MAMA MIA ROMA PASTA Shape of distribution Positively skewed Negatively skewed Mean salary PW ?550 ?553 Median salary PW ?470 ?540 Min ?199 ?450 Max ?901 ?800 Range ?702 ?350 Q1( lower quartile) ?300 ?510 Q3(upper quartile) ?670 ?590 SIR ?185 ?40 Standard deviation ?117 ?66 Number of employees 248 196 Total Salaries ?116560 ?105840 Discussion and Analysis of Results The mean salary of employees from Mama Mia was ?  550 per week while Roma Pasta employees earn an average of ?553 per week. However, since the distributions are skewed, the median is the best measure to use in describing the average salaries of the employees. Looking at the data, we see that fifty percent of Mama Mia employees earned less than ?470 per week while 50% of Roma Pasta employees earned less than ?540 per week. These values indicate that more Roma Pasta employees are getti ng higher salaries than Mama Mia employees. In addition, the salary range of Mama Mia employee salaries is ?702 with a minimum salary of ?199 and ?901 while the salary range of Pasta Roma employee salaries is ?350 with a minimum salary of ?450 and a maximum salary of ?800. A further look into the results indicate that Q1 or the lower quartile employees for Mama Mia’s earn ?300 while lower quartile employees for Pasta Roma earn ?510. This means that 25% of Mama Mia’s employees have salaries of less than ?300 while 25% of Pasta Roma employees have salaries of less than ?510. Considering that the minimum salary received by Pasta Roma employees is ?450, this result suggests that even low-level Pasta Roma employees are being paid better than the low-level Mama Mia’s employees. Furthermore, Q3 or employees belonging to the upper quartile for Mama Mia’s earn ?670 while employees belonging to the upper quartile for Pasta Roma earn ?590. This time, we notice that the upper level employees of Mama Mia’s are actually paid better than the upper level employees of Pasta Roma. Thus, the middle 50% of Mama Mia’s employees earn ? 300 - ? 670 while the middle 50% of Pasta Roma employees earn ?510 - ?590. Factoring in the semi-interquartile range (SIR) of both groups, we see that Mama Mia’s has a high dispersion of the middle 50% of salaries about the median, given at ?185, while Pasta Roma has a low dispersion of the middle 50% of salaries about the median, given at ?40. In addition, the standard deviation of ?117 indicates a large amount of dispersion about the mean for Mama Mia’s while the standard deviation of ?66 indicates a relatively smaller amount of dispers

Managing with Web 2.0 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managing with Web 2.0 - Research Paper Example (Girrell, 2010) The application of Web 2.0 tools and applications can help companies and organizations in knowledge management, work coordination & decision making. Web 2.0 tools help companies manage knowledge, coordinate work and enhance decision making in a number of ways. Blogs, wikis and social networking help companies and their employees communicate and boost productivity. After all, blogs can provide information to users in a less formal way yet attainable form and grant readers the opportunities to respond to the writer, ask, questions, comment, etc. This interaction bridges the corporate users and the readers/customers or potential customers and builds relationships. (Johnston, 2010) Since Web 2.0 tools are user friendly, communication and knowledge creation are easy. For instance, for the workforce, wikis serve as a â€Å"blackboard† a space in which corporate workers and an increasingly mobile workforce can communicate with each other, formalize projects and the components thereof, document progress and do so in a less costly manner. After all, wikis, like most Web 2.0 tools contain costs. This is especially true since Web 2.0 tools do not require IT department implementation. (Johnston, 2010) Blogs, wikis and social networking tools solve the problem of individual emails, IMs and the creation of numerous emails conveying information, raising questions or documenting progress. Web 2.0 solves the problems of connection across a large company or department and provides the users with flexibility. It offers the manager or creator the opportunity to post the information and the other workers or users with 24 hour viewing from anywhere they can log into such platforms. For this reason, all parties have a sense of autonomy and connectedness despite virtual connectivity. Therefore companies could benefit from using Web 2.0 tools

Human Rights and Democracy of Filipinos Essay Example for Free

Human Rights and Democracy of Filipinos Essay According to the United Nations, The values of freedom, respect for human rights and the rule of holding periodic and legitimate elections by universal suffrage are vital elements of democracy. In turn, democracy provides the natural environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights. These standards are embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and further developed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which enshrines a host of political rights and civil liberties underpinning meaningful democracies. The relation between democracy and human rights is captured in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states: â€Å"The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.† With this notion, Martial Law in the Philippines only proves that during that time, Human Rights and Democracy is not totally practiced in the whole nation. The circumstances of arrests, detentions and searches made without court orders are common practice during the martial rule. The fundamental principles of legality and due process have been neglected, with security forces having unprecedented powers given by the head of state under this martial law. Election frauds were also perceived. Justice among those involve were deserted and abandoned and Justice for the country’s democracy were put in to trash. Martial rule and suspension of writ of habeas corpus, which allows warrantless arrests, detention and conduct of searches, have been a convenient solution for the police forces incompetence in enforcing their rudimentary duties. The soldiers have cemented their de facto superiority over the police in conflict areas. But thirty one year had already passed, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have repeatedly been accused of involvement if not actively engaging in the killing of defenceless political activists. The AFP restates that they never will have a rule of intentionally targeting civilians as well as those who may have a different political orientation from our government for as long as they detain their resist within legal and legislative means. The AFP remains committed in  their duty to help ensure that the Philippines progresses as a democratic society free by armed threats. Their answer is explicit in the AFP’s code of ethics in support for peace initiatives. Furthermore, the AFP will persist to fully assist with fact-finding bodies formed by proper authorities. But investigation should be based on valid pieces of evidence as determined by courts and not simply on given away allegations. With proper procedure the AFP makes it a point that Justice is served to each and every Filipinos. Their faults in the past should not be carried today, for the scenario and period is different. Changes in the agency only attest that they are coping with it in order to have Justice in every aspect of their post. References: * United Nation. 2012. Democracy and Human Rights.[Online] accessed from http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/democracy/human_rights.shtml on December 09, 2012 * Asian Human Rights Commission. 2009. Philippines: Martial Law Dilutes Human Rights [Online] Retrieved from http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00305.htm on December 09, 2012 * General Hermogenes C. Esperon Jr. 2007. The AFP in a democracy:protecting human rights [online] ebook downloaded last December 09, 2012

Virgin Organizational Culture

Virgin Organizational Culture Virgin Groups (History) Virgin was started in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson. Today, it is one of the worlds biggest brands in many sectors like financial services, travel, music, transportation, mobile telephony, music and fitness. With 300 companies worldwide, virgin employs about 50,000 people in 30 countries, its global branded revenues in 2009 Â £11.5 billion (About Virgin, 2010). In 1968, Richard Branson issued his magazine student. To the surprise of his family he sold 50,000 copies of his magazine. In 1970, he dropped out of school and started Virgin, it began as a mail-order record company, at that time a new has been introduced that enabled people to sell records at prices that were discounted and Branson took advantage of this law. Branson new company was an instant success, sales boosted. Then, a postal strike negatively affected the mail order business. Branson changed his strategy. He opened a small record store and it was successful, many other stores followed. Many setbacks followed the strike such as tax rates and labor strikes. However, Bransons character helped him overcome these obstacles because he enjoyed overcoming new challenges. He chose to name his company virgin because it means his lack of knowledge of the type of business he entered into. In the late 1970s Virgin sponsored many bands that became very popular in the UK. During the early 1980s Branson started the airline industry by flying people between America and London. He offered entertainment and unique features for passengers. During the early 1990s Virgin Atlantic opened routes to Tokyo, Greece, Hongkong and several U.S. cities Branson continued to sign records with big stars and make millions of dollars and expand his stores to new areas. Bransons extraordinary management methods was one of the key reasons of virgins success during the 1970s and 1980s, Branson favored slacks and sweaters and abandoned the traditional formal workplace suits and ties, furthermore another technique that Branson used was that he operated his holding company from his private barge relying on his personal assistant to keep him in contact with his administrative staff, Bransons barge was located in the industrial regents canal (Virgin Groups Company History) Introduction to Organizational Culture Cultural Functions It is hard to define a culture in a single way; culture is a broad word that can be adjusted on each and every nation differently. Not limited to nations, societies, and individuals, culture can be seen everywhere even in companies and organizations. Culture contains several values, principles, beliefs and behavioral style, artifacts, language and ceremonies, inside and outside an organization, where the employees can contribute to the organization within its rules and boarders. In the industry each and every union customs their own traditions, an organization will set its own culture based on its needs and requirement to represent itself (Components of Culture, 2005). The organizational culture is important to indentify the companys identity which will be successful by introducing three important functions (Principles of Management, 2008): Control system: this function basically states what the organization managers and staff are allowed and not allowed to do, it stays within certain rules that the work force of the company should follow, and it states their behavior. Social glue: it is driving the employees to feel more belonging and integrated to the organization as it fitful their needs and social networking, and to be an important role in this company. Sense making: this important area helps the employees to understand how the company functions, what are their goals, vision, values and how do they practice in their daily life to move forward with it. These important functions also apply on Virgin, since the 1980s Branson had his own unique style of management. He gave managers the authority and full control over the projects that he established. He heavily relied on a group of executives that he selected, he trusted them and allowed them to work in their Divisions with minimum interference, based on their performance Branson offered his executives high-value incentives. An example of Bransons innovative techniques to break up his large-less personal organizations into smaller units he disbanded his record enterprise into five companies by the late 1980s, each of which focused on different artists and bands. In addition, he empowered his employees to take risks without fear of failure. He is also well known to be an adventurer and a risk-taker (Virgin Groups Company History) Adaptive Culture Ethical Culture A culture of an organization is not only affected internally, it could also get affected externally, where it is very important for any organizations culture to be adaptive to change as the employees focus on changing the culture aligned with the environment surrounding it based on its needs and to keep track with the changes (Principles of Management, 2008). To create adaptive culture, there must be a strong communication between the staff and departments; therefore Virgins way of communication is well-built, where Branson is accessible easily for all staff to listen, understand what the employee needs to take this company to the higher level. Branson is a good example of a manager, where he gets to fly in the economy class and help in serving food, that makes him live the moment and observe what needs to be changed in his company (Brown, 2010). An organization should not only have an adaptive culture, but also it should encourage having an ethical culture where their employees can practice their values ethically and competing with honor (Principles of Management, 2008), for instance Virgin airlines; they look for people who are optimistic, enthusiastic and humble. The airline uses behavioral event interviewing, in which applicants are asked questions to Indicate particular behaviors and motivations that align with a Virgin Blue personality template (Breaking in a new culture: the Virgin Blue story, 2010). Strengthen the Organization Cultural Strategies Changing and strengthen the organization culture could be done in so many ways, one of the factors is the actions of the leaders and founders where they got the opportunity to set the standard for the company (Principles of Management, 2008), just like what Virgins high profiled leaders did, the reason behind the success, it is because it has 12 members who were there from the start and they established the culture of virgin (Breaking in a new culture: the Virgin Blue story, 2010). Another way of strengthen the culture is by consistent rewards for the employees to encourage them to behave in a certain way, not limited to rewards but in addition selecting and socializing employees that could blend in with the organization culture. Moreover, aligning artifacts where sharing the stories and the support of the culture and celebrating their goals (Principles of Management, 2008). Virgin did not neglect their employees, Branson is a generous man, where he opens his house for staff parties, send them Christmas gifts, give them responsibilities to make them have the sense of ownership as they are well treated with autonomy (Brown, 2010) Nothing comes without planning and strategizing, so does the culture where there are some strategies to merge different organizational cultures (Principles of Management, 2008): Assimilation: it is when an employee gains the cultural values from a company, and it works best when a company has a weak culture. Deculturation: it is basically stripping a company from its own culture and enforce new rules and values on it, and this happens when a certain culture doesnt work for a company that needs to change. Integration: it is based on combining two cultures into one advanced culture and put it into the best picture; this case can work in an existing culture to improve it. Separation: this case happens while merging companies, however, they agree on remaining different as their business pattern requires different cultures. Conclusion Virgin have their own values such as value for money simple, but not cheap, quality values, values for challenges, brilliant customer service, enjoyment and having fun Humor, but not offensive, and last but not least value for innovation Thinking outside the box (Brown, 2010). To conclude, culture is an important broad topic, and it shapes the identity of an individual or a company, it is recommended for every new entry in the industry to clarify their values, beliefs and rules to have a strong presence in the market, any organizations culture should always be fit within the environment, moderately strong and adaptive, managers should always be aware of presenting their brand in the best way possible, and culture is one of the elements that will help creating the companys brand.

Water Shortage in the Middle East Essay -- Environmental Science Ecolo

Water is the main source of life on the Earth. It is vital for normal existence and functioning of organisms. Earth is sometimes called â€Å"water planet.† But, in fact, the number of freshwater is limited. â€Å"Only about 2 percent of the planet's water is fresh.† (How much water is there on Earth?) This water is not enough even to meet daily needs of mankind. According to World Health Organization, â€Å"a lack of water to meet daily needs is a reality today for one in three people around the world.† (2009) In the Middle East the situation is especially hard. This region is thought to be one of the droughtiest places in the world, most of it’s territory is deserted. Freshwater accounts to 1 percent of the world’s supplies, while the population comes to 5 percent. (Baroudy 2005, 15) And this problem seems to become worse day after day. From the middle of the XX century demand on freshwater has increased three times. And this statistics will continue to grow with population rise and industrial development. Water scarcity is a huge problem, because it may have a number of economical, social and political consequences. Bad harvest and famine are one of them (Brown 2008, 16). Also lack of water for elementary daily needs will lead to insanitariness. This will increase risk of spreading such diseases as typhoid, cholera and dysentery (10 facts about water scarcity 2009). Also disastrous water shortage in the Middle East may change existent struggle into regional conflict. It is evident that this problem needs to be immediately solved. There are few possible solutions and some of them are already applied by this time. All of them have some advantages and disadvantages. The target of humanity is to find the best one. Firstly, one possible solut... ...ana/ (accessed November 20, 2010) Brown, D. 2007. Few alternatives in the Middle East. The Times. 13 April, 22. Newspaper Source. http://web.ebscohost.com/ (accessed November 20, 2010) Brown, L.R. 2008. Draining our future: The growing shortage of freshwater. The Futurist 42 (3): 16-22. Academic Search Premier. http://web.ebscohost.com/ (accessed November 20, 2010) Conway, M. 2008. The desalination solution. The Futurist (42) 3: 23-24. Academic Search Premier. . http://web.ebscohost.com/ (accessed November 20, 2010) Davidson, S. 2005. Making water – hold the salt. ECOS (124): 23-36. Academic Search Premier. http://web.ebscohost.com/ (accessed November 20, 2010) How much water is there on Earth? n.d. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/ (accessed November 20, 2010) Middle East Water Shortage. n.d. http://hydrology1.nmsu.edu/hydrology/wastewater/

“The Chrysanthemums”: An Early Depiction of Gender’s Role :: Literary Analysis, John Steinbeck

The traditional role of women in the American society has transformed as society has trended towards sexual equality. In the past women were expected to be submissive to the man and were looked upon as homemakers rather then providers. Modern day women enjoy the freedom of individuality and are considered as capable as men in many regards. John Steinbeck’s short story, â€Å"The Chrysanthemums,† portrays a woman’s struggle with accepting her life and role as a female (459). Through the protagonist-female character, Elisa Allen, and the symbolism of chrysanthemums, Steinbeck displays the gender roles that define past generations of women’s lives in the United States. Elisa Allen embodies the image of a simple woman eager to escape the confines of a gender defined role in society. Readers are introduced to Elisa as a 35 year old, strong woman living with her husband, Henry, on a ranch in Salinas Valley (Steinbeck 460). Elisa’s masculinity is highlighted from the attire she is wearing to the strength in her hands. Henry affirms that Elisa is capable in her endeavors when he states, â€Å"you’ve got a gift with things,† in regards to her garden (Steinbeck 460). Even though Elisa is delighted at Henry’s suggestion that she work in the orchard, the idea does not seem to get a second thought (Steinbeck 460). The idea of a woman working in the orchard is dismissed on the premise that the orchard is not a woman’s place. In Elisa’s account with the man in the wagon, her sexuality exudes in her graphic explanation of picking off the flower buds and being under the stars, to the point that she almost physically tou ches the man (Steinbeck 463). Her desire would go unsatisfied, as it would not be appropriate for her to act on her impulse. Elisa is searching for fulfillment in life but finds her role to be trivial. Intrigued by the idea of traveling, as the gentleman in the wagon does, she states, â€Å"It must be very nice. I wish women could do such things.† She is shot down as the man replies, â€Å"It ain’t the right kind of a life for a woman† (Steinbeck 464). This conversation clearly depicts the prevalent inequality of the sexes. Furthermore, once the man leaves in the caravan Elisa cements her urge for something more, looking out at the horizon whispering, â€Å"That’s a bright direction. There’s a glowing there† (Steinbeck 464-465).

Look on the Bright Side Essay

Throughout everyone’s life they are surrounded by negative people and their thoughts and numerous negative environments. It is your own choice as to whether you are going to see the world in a positive or a negative aspect. As for myself, I chose to try my best to live my life as an optimist. It is not realistic to say that I am an optimist about every single aspect of my life. However, there are many times in particular where I am optimistic about certain situations. This first situation is when I was born I had clubbed feet. In other words, my feet were turned 180 degrees towards each other. The doctors did not think that I could walk, as I grew older. They were determined to do what they could to get me to walk. I was put through 5 surgeries on each foot, put in casts, orthopedic braces all by the time I was 5 years old. The doctors in the end proved my parents, themselves, and myself wrong, because here I am today walking. By having gone through all this I grew up to see the positive sides of many things such as running and sports and much more because I was not expected to be able to participate in these activities. As I grew up, I had a passion for swimming and playing volleyball. I was on the Varsity Volleyball and Varsity Swim Teams in high school, and could not wait until my senior seasons of my favorite sports. Unfortunately, the third week of my volleyball season I was informed that I had fractured my talus and also had a few stress fractures. At that point I had never been more devastated. Through all the doctor appointments and therapy with my schools trainer I held my head high. I still attended every single game, practice and tournament with my team. I still led them in cheers, and poured my heart to them from the bench. It felt like a knife stabbing through the heart watching from the bench, but I had to be them for them, we were family. This experience helped me learn how to take an extremely difficult time period and put an optimistic spin on it. I wanted to be there cheering for my team, I wanted to see the win and losses. I did not want to be upset and depressed about the situation because there was nothing I could do about it, the only thing I could do was cheer until I had no voice. And that’s exactly what I did. The last situation that I have is a current situation that I am dealing with. It is my choice as to where I was going to attend school after I graduated high school. I am attending Northern Virginia Community College. This was not my first choice of schools, and I was extremely upset about this at first. I saw my friends leave Manassas and go their separate ways. They did not live with their parents, and had no super vision. Everything that they had, I wanted. But after church on Sunday I was more of thinking than listening to my priest’s homily. But I realized that I have just as much if not more than they do. I appreciated that my parents were allowing me to live with them and pay for my bills and education. I was grateful that I was able to work and make money while still attending school. From there, I was pleased with the decision of attending NOVA. It was just how I perceived the situation.