Studying The Social Problems Of Racism Philosophy Essay

Studying The Social Problems Of Racism Philosophy Essay This essay discusses about an important social problem of nowadays society, about the roots, beginnings of racism. During this essay you will found that racism is taught, not genetic, and all this beginning from childs early ages, you could find some statement which influence in a bad way youre your childs life or why white parents avoid black children adoptions and in final youll find also an important solution, for me, the most important in solving this problem. So, you could find some interesting things about Romanian racism in general and some other facts you should avoid, in order to offer youre child a better life without discrimination. Even now after all the racial disasters (like Auschwitz), race remains a big moral, social and political problem of our world used by political system, in order to make distinctions between whites and people of color. And this problem has a very bad influence in our childrens life, as Gerald Pine and Asa Hilliard stats: Racism, prejudice, and discrimination are shamefully sabotaging our nations efforts to provide a high-quality education for all children (1990:1) First, we should talk about racism in general, in order to have a good view on what we are going to talk forward. Racism is a bad combination between prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice consists of unjustifiable negative feelings and beliefs about a racial or ethnic group and its members. It is characterized by preconceived opinions, judgments or feelings that lack any foundation or substance. Discrimination consists of unjustifiable negative behavior toward a racial or ethnic group and its members. It expresses itself in distinctions and decisions made on the basis of prejudice. (Pine Asa 1990:2) Racism is a psycho-social problem which exists for centuries and people, even if they know is not good, they continue to be racist, and their biggest problem is that they deny being so. There are many definitions of racism, but here are two important ones. Laszloffy and Hardy in Uncommon Strategies for a Common Problem: Addressing Racism in Family Therapy states that Racism is an act that denies a person or humane group treatment or a fair opportunity because of racial bias. While it may occur on different levels (individual level or institutional level) and in different ways (overtly or covertly, intentionally or unintentionally), all expressions of racism are rooted in an ideology of racial superiority/inferiority that assumes some racial groups are superior to others, and therefore deserve preferential treatment. (35). Another definition would be: Racism, also called racialism, represents any action, practice, or belief that reflects the racial worldview- the ideology that humans are divided into separate and exclusive biological entities called races, that there is a causal link between inherited physical traits of personality, intellect, morality, and other cultural behavioral features, and that some races are innately superior to others (Audrey 2010). So, from all this, we can realize that racism is an act of cowardly, which is adopted by people with bad intentions and who dont really have arguments for being racist. Racism has its original roots in history, and this because of wars, another example could be the New World, conquered by Europeans, when they forced black people from Africa to go to America where they became slaves, or other example, more recently, the Jewish from Auschwitz which were killed because of their religion, and the examples could go on, but we are not going to talk about this anymore. But, even knowing all that, people arent aware of the negative aspects of racism and continue being racist and denying it, with words like: Im not racist, but Chinese people are the ugliest faces Ive ever seen, or something like that. We have to admit that whatever the reason, we are racist, but things can change. We can improve our lifestyle if we have wish, and we should have in order to offer our children another vision of life. On the other hand, we must admit that racist people are those with lack of education, but this is the education we use too, in order to teach our children what is good or bad. We hear every day on television anti-racist slogans but we pretend we didnt hear it as we pretend when we hear bad accidents having place, in schools, because of racial problems. Our society has became very indifferent on taking into consideration others problems, and they weak up only when they are in trouble and blame the others for not advising them before. This is a message for everyone who wants to take it into account, and this would be: Racism in not genetic, it is learned from childhood until forever. So, parents should take into account the life they want for their children. Nowadays, childrens life is full of racism; this thing is learned by different ways and by different people from their life. We should start with the babys first steps, when he is taught the basics, and here we can found many racist things. For example, many parents use different statements in order to reflect the bad influence of gypsies in whites world. Statements like: Do not spit like gypsies!, Those moneys were touched by gypsies and you stick them into your mouth! What disgusting! or even worse If youre not good Ill sell you to gypsies are used in everyday life in order to break children of a bad habit and with or without intention, parents also promote and approve racism, by teaching those that gypsies are bad. By this, the bases of racism are well constructed by parents and since children are taught racism before getting to school, parents should be more careful on what they say and what they do and ask themselves if racism is the best solution in learning their children basi cs and behavior. If we go forward in childrens life, at the time when they go outside to play with other children, we see that they are taught another racist rule very known in everydays life of whites in Romania and this rule says something like that: Do not play with gipsy children!. This is a very popular rule of moms and also an unbreakable one. This statement was once even mentioned in a television and radio campaign named: The discrimination of gypsies is taught at home! Know them before you judge them!(Banescu 2009). The spot of the campaign is about a Romanian kid who goes outside to play with his friend (a gypsy kid) and after he comes home is asked by his white racist mother about what he has done outside, and he answers that he had played out alone. So, we should thing a little about the gypsys life, because today all children have the right to be equal, but gypsy children still have to try hard in order to find themselves a place in societyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.their hopes would be the same as the hopes of white children when Romanian moms wont threaten their sons that if they arent good, they would be thrown up at gypsies, and when gypsy moms wont tell their sons that it has no point in dreaming to follow a university because they dont have how to face Romanians. (Banescu 2009). Another imposed thing in childrens life is related this time with the teachers. After giving their sons at school, moms become hysterically on hearing that their son is placed in the same seat with a gypsy child. And because of this type of people, racism grows faster and has many other negative aspects for non-white people like the elimination of colored children from sport clubs, and other extra-school activities. And very often you find examples of children saying to gypsy children that they are not allowed to talk to him because he was a brown kid. (Wallace 2008 b) Those are only a few of the basic racism things learned by white children at home, which are rotten in childhood and are never forgotten, because they only grow faster and faster. And this happens because almost all white children are taught at home how to be racist in a conscious or unconscious way and after they go to school they put in practice everything they learned at home, and because of this children make groups and make jokes of different children, like colored children or they would even say hurtful thing about the others, in order to be funny. But what is also interesting is that even if exist one white child that was not taught to be racist at home, he will soon be learned by his other colleagues how to be so. And some of the parents would blame teachers for the racism which exists in schools, but once the children are taught to be racist, the teachers cant do anything to break them from this habit if parents do not cared about this when they taught them. Another interesting issue about children racism would be the adoptions of a colored child by white parents. This is a big problem of nowadays society, because the cases of gypsy, blacks, yellow or other racial adoption are just a few. This happens because of some ideologies or preconceptions of adoptive parents which put some conditions when they adopt a child, and those conditions would be: first the child have to be healthy and the second, the child must be white, there are few cases in which the adoptive parents ask for a gypsy child. Those type of parents which avoid the adoption of a gypsy child are afraid of the others reactions in doing it, thinking that their friends or their relatives would criticized them or would not accept their son in their group, or other reaction would be that they are afraid for little child to not inherit their parents bad character. Gypsy children deserve a chance, but they have to deal with mass-media, which is often condemning. We hope people woul d become more sensitive and tolerant in understanding that they have the same rights as the others.(Stoler, 2008 a) From all this we should remain with the fact that racism is learned and not genetic and as we can learn to be racist we can learn how not to be racist, and we should improve our behavior not just for us, but for our childrens education and for their and our future too. And all this comes because some people just abuse of their rights in an almost free world, were they start bravely discriminating someone elses human rights, and this breaking of rule has no direct or legal punishment on those who are consciously racist. Some solutions for this problem, in which before school children become racist, exist, but they stay in parents hands, by this they should understand that depends of them if they want a racist child or a good and well educated one. In what follows it will be presented only one of the solutions, the most important one. This solution would be communication, a very important issues in the relation child-parents, because of whom, other, even worse, problems appear in childs life. Communication means everything when you try to educate you child, and it must be made the distinction between good communication and order, or command, which is the worst communication, because is not the same to tell you child: Do not be racist! and when he asks you why, you respond to him: because I said so as to communicate to him and tell him which are the positive and negative aspects of racism and make him understand and also let him choose what he thinks is right or wrong. Children always have the intention and want to be brave by breaking the rule, so, if you give him orders, you wont get any results. Parents should communicate with their sons in order to improve their education, and they should tell their sons that different isnt necessarily wrong and people just need variety, but no matter how different we are outsi de or what color our skin has, our souls do not have to be bad. What is also important is that not only white children must be taught not to be racist, colored children must also be informed to not listen to others jokes or hurtful word, in order to not become a victim. They should be learned how to protect themselves and how to they turn respect the other children, which are not the same color as them. Communication about those problems we can find anywhere: in mass-media, school, social meetings, but neither one has a big influence in childrens life as communication in family. Communication about racial problems means also that parents of colored children should get involved in their child problems and lifestyle. Parents need to discuss early on with their child about race and should even be aware that their son would found out from his classmates or other strangers what is racism, and is better to prevent this before is too late. They are a lot of other solutions, but this is the most important, because you can do all the rest, but if you, as parent, do not communicate with your child, nobody would do it for you, and most important, the problem would never disappear and your children would have to face this problem alone. In defense of colored discriminations come those people which say that they do not have anything with other races, but they hate gypsies because of their attitude, behavior and because of those who beg on streets. Maybe some would even agree this statement, but we have to put a question: Do we choose our family, race or nation before we get birth? Well the answer is negative, which means that gypsy children have no fault, and we must judge them for their behavior and for what they are, not by race or religion. Racial problems are very popular in our country and this because of mass-media, which presents a lot of facts and anti-racial campaigns, in order to stop those people, which do not care about the others. In order to stop this, we all should think twice before saying something that could offend the others. So, racism in childrens life should be stopped, in order to attend for a better world, for a world and a country where all could live in peace and harmony.

Payment security Essay

A business going online can face many diffuculties. These problems include payment security; unfamiliar markets; errors in ordering; loss of personal information; hostile attacks; keeping the website up-to-date; language problems/issues; hardware failure; staffing issues and financial issues. Payment Security When a customer buys a product by either debt or credit card they are be trusting the business with their personal details to be kept safe and confidentioal. Sellers are also not safe because they could be a victim of Card Not Present (CNP) fraud, this is where someone is using someone else’s card details to buy goods online. They may not have the card physically on them, but all they need is just the details of the card to be able to purchase. This can be kept safe by specific security standards. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) this encrypts the information in a browser eg: Internet Explorer which protects the consumers who can see a padlock symbol and also a ‘https’ on the address bar.SET (Secure Electronic Transfer) also protects the seller since the credit card company authorises the card to prove that the person using the card is legitimate. The seller does not know the card number, only to the card’s issuing bank. Unfamiliar Markets This is where a website is available everywhere and the company could be dealing with consumers in unfamiliar markets. Also with different cultural expectations, accuring with unfamiliar regulations and also legal requirements should be dealt with. The business may not understand the popularity of its website, or the number of orders it will receive or even the costs of running the online operations or more so the distributing goods. If the business doesn’t meet orders promptly it will rapidly lose customers and may even be left with unsold stock or even struggle to repay money borrowed to be able to finance the website development. Errors in ordering Order forms online are to be designed to automatically check fot any errors by questioning unexpected entries and boxes left blank. Also they should be designed to remind the consumer if they leave out any information Loss of personal information An online compay is not allowed to put private information on its website or reveal customer details to other customers or viewers. This is why websites include a privacy policy which says how customer information is used by only the business. All companys that keep and also process private information must register with the Information Commissioner’s Office and have to follow with the Data Protection Act 1998 which means that the data must be all accurate, secure and should not be kept for longer than necessary. There are manu aways data can be lost like through human error, hardware failure, or loss or theft and software corruption as well as computer virus. A daily system back-ups a business to enable the reinstall in its system within 24 hours of any problem occurring. Hostile attacks Business are vulnerable to hackers or other types of cybercrime. Financial fraud occurs when a customer or business is denied of money that is theirs. Keeping the website up-to-date Businessess need to update their website from time to time to make sure that the information they have is accurate and reliable eg: product descriptions and prices. All companies have a legal requirement to provide pricise and up to date information. Most websites have a disclaimer clause to protect the problem if a customer takes action based on wrong information. Language problems/issues Some buyers from multinational online business may not understand. These can be fixed by the firms using a local agent who specialises in overseas sales or they can have enquiries translated by an expert. Hardware failure All people who use computers depend on their Internet Service Provider. If that is lost, then it can cause many problems for the business especially if it’s offline for long. Many businesses have back-up servers that they can switch if one server goes down. Software problems may be caused by programming errors or through a virus. To stop this the, business installs an anti-virus software and network security. Staffing Issues Staff may be concerned that their jobs could be changed or disappear. Most companises have a call centre to answer customer queries. The staff now may feel that they may not have much personal contact with consumers as they now can order things online or email the company if they want information or they could contact a call centre if they have a question. Financial Issues Having to set up a small website can be done not very high priced but companies who like to carry out big amounts of companies online or use their website as a extreamly important way of promoting their business can be expensive. Also, having to calculate the estimated financial benefits is hard. The set-up expenses includes having to register the domain name, to be able to arrang for an ISP to host the site (if not being done in-house), having to pay the agency having specialists to design the website, the marketing and promotional costs (so that potential customers can acknowledge the website) and is nessary any staff training requirements. All companies go online to make more trade. There may be a problem if there is a massive flow of interest in the business. This could cause the site to crash or can make it run slowly and if there is not much stock or very few staff to process them, then the orders and enquiries may not be dealt with. Just simply by buying more stock or even employing more staff could result in a bad cash-flow problems. If the business gets a bad reputation online, it will lose customers rather than gain any. Task 2 (P6, M2) Business benefits The market research information from online enquires are all obtained and looked over for many different reasons. The logs and cookies collect all the information on site usage; eventhough users can see their browsers to close the cookies and also many sites don’t use them. Logs, however, are made by all websites this is because they are the records that are created by the web server. Records include the number of hits it has made, the number of visitors it had or even unique users to a website, and how long they have stayed on the site. Some ISPs look at their log file data for consumers while others provide a software and the compnay produces its own reports. Registration forms also allowe the business to find out about the who is  visiting their site, where the peson lives and also what they need. The onnline market research can go from small pop-up questionnaires (which assess a user’s online experience) to produce longer customer service questionnaires which is sent by email and then once they are completed, they are looked at to provide more market information. The website activity software finds which search engines get customers onto the website; also which pages are popular and also which landing pages result in users going off the website eg: a lengthy form or even registration page. Having access to a whole new markets can include having a remote locations such as rural areas or even Highlands and the Islands of Scotland (if they have Internet access). A new markets could also have customers which have disabilities who may have problems(mobility) or customers who are recovering from surgery or who camt go out as they are ill with a cold or flu. So having the internet provides easy and quicker access to a large range of information and fine priced products from their own homes. Under the Disability Discrimination Act, people in charge of websites are to have legal duty to make sure that the services they give on the Internet is available for disabled people. Customers which have travel difficulties e.g. mothers with young babies, the elderly. Meaning that the customers will not be able to go the shops physically as to the inconvenience it would cause them so it would be suitable for them to buy online. It would also be quicker and easier to buy things online and also receive information from the Internet. Having access from a wide range of devices can also make site be viewed from anywhere. Phones with internet accses, laptops and a Wi-Fi hotspot when they are not at home. Customer Benefits Having a wider choice is a great benefit for people who live in small town or even rural areas as they are able to view information online and they can also see what goods are available in store as they don’t live in places the stores aren’t available. Convenience is a massive benefit because having the internet, it is more easier to search and to order online than to have to travel to the shop. All online businesses are also very beneficial to the people who come home late from their work or those who are simply too busy in the day to shop. Websites that are available 24/7 helps those who are  busy as it would be easier for them to order online to make their life less stress. It also benefits busy families as all they need to so is simply sit with their computer/phone/laptop and just shop there and then. People with disabilities or special needs can also benefit from the online businesses as they also don’t have to go to the shops for hours just to look for one thing as they may get tired, so online businesses make their life easier. There are several ways to pay securely eg: over the internet, through log details and PayPal. Task 3 (D2) Risks Solutions Payment security Improving the security of the cardholder – they have entered the correct pin number, also asking them what their last payment on the card was to make sure it is the actual cardholder before any confirmations Unfamiliar markets Having an option where your website is available in many different languages . Also having the currency of different countries. Errors in ordering Having a database where you can store all the customers’ details eg: name, address, order and shipping date this will prevent any mix up with the orders. Making sure all the correct orders are going to the right address, the staff should always double check before they ship goods and also after the delivery; staff should alwaysa ask the customer if they ordered the goods. Loss of personal information Websites should never put personal information on the website as other users can see. All personal deatils should be kept confidential. Do not give personal information in emails and all customer details should be all kept in a secure files or database. Not keeping the website up to date If there is a new offer, or even price reduction, websites should include or change it in their website. In order for them to achieve this, the owner of  the website will have to check up on the website everyday for atleast a few hours to sort any latest information out and to also keep customers update to their products. If they do this, websites will become known for its reliability. Hardware failure Backup server is when the main server is down it can help prevent any hardware failure. Also making sure you have antivirus on the website and a network security which helps because there could be programming errors or even viruses that could potentionally change or delete information. Staffing issues In call centres, the staff can offer a call centre in which it support people and also trained staff can talk to customers so they can resolve any faults or connection problems. To get aways from having not much of personal contact with customers, staff should always stay and help the customers out. If they start off helping at first they then can build a better trust with them. Staff can also keep in touch with the customers and also stay with them until all their purchase is complete. To avoid any staff being unable to work with the technology, you can make sure all staff are capable with all the latest technology. Financial issues Having a small business can be a good thing as you won’t have to be spending as much money and you would also have a bigger income in which it can help you expand your business and it can also prevent you from having any financial issues in the future. If you start with a big business, you may not be getting much interaction and instead of making any profit, you’ll be making a loss instead. Therefore, starting out as a small business is the best way to avoid any financial issues. The business may think to much for their stock where there is not much for it this can impact on the company as it then will be making a loss. To prevent any of this, you may want to estimate very logically and sensibly. Payment Security This method help as you are able to know for sure who you are actually dealing with the real cardholder and to also avoid any fraud. The  likeliness of the problem going down is high as you will need a pin number as well as a security question if you are to forget it. Unfamiliar markets This method helps as it is available to different people all around the world. The likeliness of the problem going down is likely as you are sure that you have the option available just in case you do get someone not from the country that is viewing website. Errors in ordering The solution to having errors in ordering will decrease the risk as having a database with the customer’s name, an order and a order number and address will reduce the risk. This will make sure that the staff will know exactly who is ordering and what they have bought. Loss of personal information From having anything lost it should be be stored somewhere private where it’s not available for the public eye. It can be reduced and also the effectiveness of the method is good as long as information on the business website has nothing personal and is kept private. Not keeping the website up to date Customers will know always know the latest information and changes in your business. This is very important as it will help in the success of the business going online as the customers will feel that the business is reliable and up-to-date. Hardware failure Having a hardware and protecting it well and also a back up system will be a very good way of reducing the risks from hardware. Using these methods to solve the problem is effective for a business. This will effect as having a back up copy of all the information if it gets lost or deleted. Staffing issues The method for staffing issues are that the staff are able to communicate better with the customers and also have more of a personal approach with them, e.g. emailing requesting orders or deliveries. With the solution it is likely that the risk will reduce if staff has a personal email in which they are able to contact customers individually. Financial issues To not have problems of facing financial issues, by starting a small business instead of a large one can still be very beneficial. It is very likely that a business will not go into financial issues and will also not have to suffer from.

Business proposal for Papadeaux

Pudenda is a successful upscale casual restaurant concept with a loyal following. But no restaurant is immune to the highly competitive climate of the industry. Recent studies have shown the upscale casual segment losing market share to both fast and traditional casual restaurants. They also show that consumers find value in upscale casual dining by weighing the food quality and the overall experience against the relatively higher price (Techno, Inc. 2013). We analyzed customer reviews to discern what Pederasty's guests are responding to In terms of value. Based on this analysis, customers respond overwhelmingly positively to food quality, and food quality Is the most critical factor In their value calculation. Price Is still an issue, even those delighted by food quality comment on high prices. Customer comments also suggest that portion sizes may be overly large, and that the investment in large portions is out of step with its importance to the guests.Pudenda may benefit from feat uring new menu items with reduced portion and price. Such offerings at other restaurants have led to increased traffic, revenue, and per person average (APP) (Jennings 2008). . Industry background Casual dining has grown over the last thirty years along with tremendous growth in American's restaurant spending. Half of every food dollar In this country is spent in restaurants, which Is double the spending level In the ass's (Pocket Fastback, 2013). The recession has made a competitive Industry even more competitive.A recent Techno survey on casual dining revealed a three tiered system divided Into fast casual, traditional casual, and upscale casual, with consumers trading up and down between these levels based on their needs and perceptions of value. 5% of those surveyed reported visiting a fast casual restaurant in the past month, 80% had visited a traditional casual restaurant, and 40% reported eating at an upscale casual restaurant. 41% of those surveyed reported finding value in upscale casual when weighing food quality and overall experience against the relatively higher price (Techno, Inc. 2013). The issue for operators in upscale casual is getting consumers to trade up, and to trade up more frequently. 3. Pudenda Seafood Kitchen Pappas Restaurants began In 1 966, when brothers Chris and Harris Pappas opened Dot's Coffee Shop In Houston. Today they operate over eighty restaurants across an array of concepts Including BBC, Tex-Meg, and fine dining. All Pappas restaurants are guided by the Standards of Excellence: Providing superior quality food, providing Kitchen, founded in 1986, is an upscale casual dining restaurant featuring gulf coast seafood and Cajun dishes.It has become the company's largest concept, and is set to absorb Pappas Seafood House, the company's first upscale casual seafood concept, growing its size in the Houston area by five stores. 4. Review Analysis 4. 1 . Methodology One of the most influential ways information is transmitted is wor d-of-mouth (Manikin & Goods, 2002). Word-of-month has an effect on not only potential customers, but also the satisfaction level of current guests. One of the most powerful methods to generate word-of-mouth is online customer review (Dollars, 2003). A total of 441 postings from Yelp. Mom made between September 2012 and September 2013 for all Pudenda locations, were reviewed for this analysis. Chin et al. (2004) found that recommendations have a positive relationship with sales, while consumer ratings were shown to be unrelated. Therefore our analysis focused on content rather than ratings. Content was divided into four main categories: food, service, value and environment/atmosphere. Each of these was further divided into subcategories, which were then coded positive or negative based on comment content. 4. 2. Food Food was the most commented on of the major categories.As displayed in Figure 2, the response to food quality was overwhelmingly positive. Comments such as, â€Å"the co cktail shrimp is well seasoned and super fresh,† â€Å"Just about everything on the menu is delicious,† and â€Å"the crayfish fondue is amazing as well as everything on the menu,† indicate that the customers are not only satisfied but also highly delighted. There were more positive comments on food than comments in any of the other categories. 4. 3. Service Restaurants always receive both positive and negative comments and Pudenda is not an exception.A calculation of the number of positive and negative comments on service, however, shows customers are mostly satisfied by the service. Over 75 percent of comments are positive (see Figure 3). Based on the graph and actual comments, we concluded that the gap between expectation and service delivery is mall in Pudenda case. 4. 4. Environment When commenting on environment and atmosphere, guests tended to be less specific when they were positive. Negative comments focused on noise level, crowding complaints, and wait time.The number of these complaints is relatively high compared with the number of positive comments (see Figure 4). This suggests that the atmosphere of Pudenda is more crowded and noisy than guests expect. 4. 5. Value determined by factors such as price and food quality. As seen in Figure 5, roughly half of all comments in this category stated that Pudenda is expensive. Only 37% recent of comments relate that the price is worth the overall experience, however, the percentage of comments stating that the experience is â€Å"not worth it† is much lower.While the latter two categories are mutually exclusive, significant overlap exists between both and the former category. This suggests that while guests' subjective view of value is affected by the service delivery, their objective view of price is left unaltered. 5. SOOT Analysis 5. 1 . Strengths Pederasty's greatest strength is consistently providing high quality food and service. Doing so is a stated goal of the company, and guest reviews confirm that Pudenda succeeds in following through on that goal. This achievement has garnered the concept a strong reputation.Many reviewers mentioned being repeat customers, or called the experience, â€Å"excellent as always. † This again speaks for the consistency many strive for in this industry, but few are able to attain. 5. 2. Weaknesses Pederasty's main competitive weakness is it's comparatively high prices. Providing high quality food requires an investment in quality products and labor. Seafood is often associated with high costs, because freshness is key to its quality. Additionally, he review analysis found complaints about the atmosphere.Its prices are more similar to lower end fine dining restaurants than its casual dining peers. Pudenda' more family friendly atmosphere may be at odds with what some expect from the environment when they look at the menu prices. 5. 3. Opportunities Despite high prices, Pudenda receives higher average ratings than its competitors. Its greatest opportunity lies in leveraging its high quality against competitors. Strategies that focus on attracting new customers to trade up from lower priced competitors so that they can experience the difference in quality may rove successful.Based on the high rating and positive comments from the Albuquerque and Phoenix locations, further expansion in the Southwest may be worthwhile. 5. 4. Threats Pederasty's faces threats from lower priced competitors. High price is a major component leading consumers to dine at upscale casual restaurants less frequently. Large competitors in this group, like Red Lobster, use nationwide promotions offering greater value to increase traffic at their stores. More similarly priced restaurants tend to have a different market focus, and provide a more elegant and less family oriented atmosphere. Guest Perception of Value Figure 6 GAP Analysis A GAP analysis revealed that there was little mismatch between guest expectations and per ceptions. The only area for concern was the atmosphere. As stated, complaints in this category were relatively high in proportion to positive comments, suggested the atmosphere is louder and more crowded than many guests expect. Relation to value based comments than any type of complaint about atmosphere. Further, price is important factor driving consumers to trade down in the casual dining spectrum. As recommendations are related to sales, comments about price would be taken seriously.While reviews indicate that guests are satisfied, these may not be enough. Oh (2000) found that customers' perceived value has a greater effect on their intention to return, and, more importantly has a greater effect on their long term patronage. In order to further analyze guests' perception of value, we returned to online customer reviews. This time, we focused our research on the Houston area locations. Houston was selected because it has more locations than any other area, and, as the place of it s founding, the area has the greatest familiarity with both Pudenda and the Pappas brand.We analyzed reviews from both Yelp. Com and Trip Advisor from the same time period, September 2012 through September 2013, a total of 490. Two methods were employed. First, the same coding method as before was used to compare against the early data in order to check for differences. Second, quotes relating to value were pulled from the reviews in order to better understand the range of guest attitudes and determine possible trends. The data from the content analysis was similar to what we saw previously. Roughly half of all value related comments referenced high prices.No new issues turned up in any of the other disagrees, so we proceeded to review quotes pulled from the article. 6. 1 . General Perceptions Guests tended to have a favorable impression of value while also acknowledging the high price, for example, â€Å"Pudenda is a little pricey but very good,† â€Å"The price is not low but it is worth the price for good food and service,† and â€Å"The prices are high but the food is excellent. † These responses are in line with the results from the Techno survey (2013) discussed earlier.It is important to note that over 70% of these quotes specifically mentioned food quality and linked it with a positive impression of value. 6. 2. Price and Negative Behavioral Intention Guests with a negative impression of value tended to express their view in terms of price. Quotes such as, â€Å"Overpriced but okay I guess†¦ â€Å", â€Å"†¦ Over priced mediocre food†, and â€Å"†¦ A little overpriced for what you get,† were typical of this group. In addition, negative comments about price were frequently linked with a negative behavioral intention to return.Most interesting was a subgroup of almost 30%, who specifically expressed that while satisfied, they would return less frequently due to price. Typical quotes in this range includ ed, â€Å"I'll be back but Rajah Cajun is definitely more affordable and so will be a more frequent stop for me! † and â€Å"The prices have increased steadily and I don't go as often†¦ â€Å". These quotes are representative of consumers who find value in the quality of the experience, and do trade up to upscale casual, but do so less frequently based solely on price. . 3. Food Quality as the Most Critical Factor Whether guests express a positive or negative perception of value they most frequently link value with their perception of food quality. 70% of positive value impression quotes mentioned food quality, as did 44% of the negative value laity (â€Å"WITH happened to good quality food†¦ â€Å") to those underwhelming with the quality based on price (â€Å"Decent seafood but overpriced†, â€Å"Food was fine, but the prices are nuts†), the latter being the most common.Guest comments also suggest that food quality may trump other aspects of the experience in terms of value: â€Å"Great service! Food was okay†¦ Wasn't worth the $30†, and â€Å"The waiter was nice though†¦ But that still doesn't make up for the lack in quality. † Combined with the results from the content analysis, it appears that food quality is the most critical factor for these viewers, and by extension Pederasty's guests. 6. 4. Identifying an Aspect for Improvement As mentioned previously, recommendations matter more than ratings, and recommendations are based on perceptions of value.Positive recommendations tend to be based on positive perception of food quality, however, these recommendations also tend to mention high prices. High prices are why many consumers report visiting upscale casual restaurants less frequently (Techno, Inc. , 2013), and our observations from online reviews confirm price can impact guests' stated behavioral intention. Based on this, it seems reasonable to assume that lowering prices while maintaining food quality, should lead to improved behavioral intentions and more positive recommendations.But before we explore the validity of that idea, we need to determine if there is any factor that can be changed to allow such a strategy to be entertained. Once again, we turned to the customer reviews, this time examining portion size. 6. 5. Portion Size Pappas Restaurants are known for large portions. Like food quality, it is factor into which money is invested in order to â€Å"wow† the guest. As we saw in the customer views, being â€Å"wowed† is often the line between finding value in the experience and feeling that it is overpriced.Portion size logically contributes to price; therefore we pulled quotes and analyzed them as we did with value-based quotes above. We aimed to determine if the investment in portion size was having the desired effect on guests. Not surprisingly, the reviewers found the portion size to be large: â€Å"the portions were generous†¦ â€Å", â €Å"Huge portions†, and â€Å"†¦ The baked potato is HUGE†¦ â€Å". 30% of the quotes expressed delight. These referred to portions as â€Å"ample† and â€Å"filling†, or mentioned aging a to-go box home (â€Å"l was very happy to have leftovers from this meal! ). 22% were factual statements such as, â€Å"The portion sizes are big like most restaurants in the states†¦ â€Å", or â€Å"l forgot how big the portions are†¦ â€Å". 48%, while not explicitly negative, did express that portion sizes may be overly large. Quotes like, â€Å"†¦ It was Just too big for me to finish! † suggest that portions are too large for guests to finish. One guest felt that they had â€Å"made the mistake of ordering a side salad†, because he was too full to finish his entree.In addition, guests may be lining like they are wasting food they wished to enjoy, a feeling that may be exacerbated by price (â€Å"l felt bad leaving half my lobs ter on my plate because I was full and it was a bit pricey'). Most of the quotes that fell in this category, and 39% of the overall portion size quotes, dealt with guest behaviors based on large portion have developed ordering behaviors to limit portion size, for example, â€Å"The portions are large, so I always split†, â€Å"l usually have to order a lunch size†, and â€Å"My son and I split a salad and catfish/shrimp plate. Perhaps the most important quote in this roof comes from a review posted on Yelp. Com on January fifteenth, 2013. The guest begins the review by giving background on their relationship with Pudenda: â€Å"As a Native Historian, I've enjoyed one of my family's great traditions of dining at Pudenda to celebrate most any occasion – birthdays, graduations, or Just- because-it's-the-weekends. Over the years, we've gathered at various locations throughout the greater Houston area, but as of lately, this is my frequent location of this chain. T hey go on to give a glowing paragraph long endorsement of food quality, which concludes with this quote: FYI Just about every dish here has monstrous portions so you wouldn't be the first to share a plate with someone. † The person writing this article is a champion for the Pudenda brand. She feels a connection to the concept and actively recommends visiting the restaurant. This is meaningful, because in online reviews, recommendations relate to sales, and her recommendation is to share.Guests did not link portion size to value as strongly as they did with food quality. Additionally, explicit complaints portion size was rare, including comments about portion size being too small. This suggests guests view portion size as an enhancement rather than a critical factor when calculating value. While it may be possible that large portion size contributes more greatly to guest delight and it is obscured by reviewers' choice of language, the fact that almost half of the quotes point t o portions being oversized, suggests that they are, in actuality, oversized. . Conclusion 7. 1 . Recommendation Based on our analysis of customer reviews, the investment placed into providing large portions exceeds its relative importance to guests. Guests also report that while they have a largely favorable perception of value, they still find prices to be gig. Food quality was identified by guests as the most critical factor effecting impressions of value. Figure 7 shows their relative positions in terms of investment from the company versus relative importance to guests.By decreasing portion size and lowering prices proportionally, both can be set at new, more appropriate levels without changing food quality. Figure 7 Performance vs.. Importance to Customers Similar strategies have been shown to increase traffic, revenue, and APP. In 2007, they termed â€Å"right portion, right price. † Within a year, these new items were contributing up to 15% of sales per month. They als o saw an increase in APP, as more customers were ordering appetizer and deserts.Their success led to the adoption of similar strategies by others, such as Cheesecake Factory and Minim's Cafe © Innings, 2008). Research from outside the industry suggests that Pudenda may benefit more greatly than others by the implementation of such a strategy. Studies have shown that it grocery stores, high quality food brands gain the most running a promotion with lower prices (Sparkman, 1997). Pudenda has a reputation for high food quality, and it is possible that consumers would view lower prices as a reason to read up, similarly to how they have been shown to behave in grocery stores. . 2. Implementation As large portions are a part of the Pappas brand, and some guests continue to express delight, we suggest maintaining the current menu. New menu items featuring reduced portion and price should be developed and offered separately as has been done by other companies. Tests should be conducted at select locations, and sales can determine their success. In addition, tickets with the new items should be analyzed to determine if they are contributing to an increase APP. Customer dieback should also be utilized, and can be used to refine the new menu.

Stem Cells Essay - 1128 Words

Embryonic Stem Cells â€Å"Embryonic stem cells...are in effect, a human self-repair kit,† (Christopher Reeve, activist – Larry King show). For the advancement of science, stem cells are infinitely valuable, especially when considering all the potential applications in the field of medicine. Stem cell usage is a very controversial topic, because most people think of abortions, cloning, and other negative topics when they hear the term stem cell. However I think those thoughts are because they don’t understand what a stem cell is, where it comes from, or its monumental possibilities that could greatly benefit the medical field. There are already demonstrations of Stem cells possibilities, because treatment with stem cells has already†¦show more content†¦Pluripotent cells could help with things like re-growing a kidney or leg ligament, if yours has been damaged. Pluripotent stem cells can create the possibility for a renewable source of replacement tissues and cells, which means a large number of diseases could be cured and treated. This includes debilitating diseases, Parkinson, Alzheimer, Leukemia, Down syndrome, muscular dystrophies, retinal degeneration, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteo-arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, brain repair, skin for burn victims, and maybe even cancer and diabetes (stemcellnetwork.com). Finally Multipotent cells can be found in children and adults, in blood, bones, and etc. They only have specific functions, and can no longer do anything besides those functions. However, Multipotent cells are still useful in replacing or replenishing any damage cells that are similar to the specialized type, which means less people waiting on organ donors. That would be a tremendous accomplishment, because thousands of people die each while waiting for an organ transplant. (MRC). When scientists completely learn how stem cells work, they could be able to create tissues needed to treat patients with various types of sickness and disease. For example, Birth defects and cancer arise do to abnormal cell specialization and cell division. If scientists were to understand how to manipulate theseShow MoreRelatedStem Cell Research : Stem Cells1338 Words   |  6 Pages Stem Cells Stem cells are cells that are found throughout the human body. They reproduce over a long period of time without changing. Stem cells can produce specialized cells, such as brain, muscle or lung cells. Stem cells in the last few years have recently made a big debut because medical professionals have discovered so many unique qualities to stem cells. They are on the cutting edge of medicine because of all their uses and the qualities that make them so unique from any other cell in theRead MoreStem Cell Research : Stem Cells1416 Words   |  6 PagesSTEM CELLS In this report, I mainly focused on Stem-Cells. You will read about Stem-Cells and its history from the moment this term was known. Also, you will know the Sources, properties, and the types of Stem-Cells. In addition, you will know some of the pros and cons researches about Stem-Cells. Stem-Cells are cells that have the ability to divide and multiply and renew itself. †¢ Sources of Stem-Cells: 1- The first source is Bone Marrow. 2- The second source isRead MoreStem Cell Research : Stem Cells1261 Words   |  6 Pagescure diseases. Now we have stem cell therapy. 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I think in some twisted way, stem cellRead MoreStem Cell Research : Stem Cells941 Words   |  4 PagesStem cells have the extraordinary power to develop into several body cell types during early growth and development. (Stem Cell Basics). Stem cells are eit her embryonic: from a human fetus, or somatic: from an adult (Stem Cell Basics).These cells can be used to rebuild body tissue, treat diseases, and even cure others. They can be more effective in treatment of illness than the common treatment, such as therapy or medication. Stem cells are potentially more medically effective than traditional treatmentsRead MoreStem Cell Research : Stem Cells999 Words   |  4 PagesSTEM CELLS WORKING TO SPECIALIZE INTO CARDIAC CELLS Once the stem cells are delivered near the damaged areas of the heart, the regeneration of cardiac (heart) cells is possible. There is a lack of understanding on how or why specifically the stem cells turn into heart cells. â€Å"Recent studies indicated that the benefits associated with adult stem cell injection might come from paracrine effects, the effect of a nearby cell sending chemical and electrical signals to the stem cell, and not from myocardialRead MoreStem Cell Research : Stem Cells1416 Words   |  6 PagesDana Moua English IV 25 April 2016 Stem Cell Research What are stem cells? Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that are found in multicellular organisms. The reason for scientist’s interest in stem cells is because of the possible applications of using them. These stem cells can be used to regrow organs/tissues. By using stem cells, scientists may be able to find cures for different cancers, certain genetic diseases, and different physical trauma damages. They can be used to treat a varietyRead MoreStem Cell Research : Stem Cells1999 Words   |  8 Pagescinematically as one might imagine. Over the past decade, there have been major advances in regenerative medicine, commonly known as stem cell research. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells within the body that have the capability to specialize into any tissue. They are most commonly found in cord blood, bone marrow, organ donations, placenta, and embryos . Stem cells are seen by some as a new miracle treatment, encouraging many countries to invest in their research. The transfer of information,Read MoreStem Cells And Adult Stem Cell Research882 Words   |  4 PagesStem cell are cells with the ability to divide for indefinite periods in culture and to give rise to specialized cells( Introduction [Stem Cell Information]., 2015). Stem cells, like any other cell divide, however, when stems cells divide they either remain a stem cell or become a specialized cell, for example, a neuron (Introduction [Stem Cell Information]., 2015). Stem cell research is nothing new; in fact the first bone marrow transplant to successfully treat two siblings with combined immunodeficiencyRead MoreStem Cell Research Controversy : Stem Cells1886 Words   |  8 Pages Stem cell research controversy. What is the first thing that comes to your mind? A person like me will either agree with it or disagree with this topic. I personally agree with stem cell research. First I want to start by pointing out that there are three main stem cells used in research the adult stem c ell, induced-pluripotent stem cells, and lastly the embryonic stem cells. It has been shown that using blood stem cells to treat diseases of the blood have been beneficial, and has also saved many