Analyze the different techniques used in the openings of Sommersby and Of Mice and Men films

Creating a successful film often lies in creating a successful opening. By using different camera angles and lighting styles, as well as music techniques the director can set the scene and alter the mood in any way he wants. Here I am going to analyze the different techniques used in the openings of both films as they progress. Credits Somersby starts with an air of mystery to it. We are shown this perspective by the lighting styles and camera angles that used. The camera shots show close-ups of firstly a man who we assumed is dead then of another man who's face is shrouded in a shadow of which enables hardly any of his face to be seen at all. This enables as to question his identity an also question the relationship of him and the other man. The music is also suitably grim but is of fairly poor standard, however the music does suggest the time period as the music is slightly patriotic. In the next scene the music fades and we get another close up of the mans face and hands. The hands are shown as they have importance as it is clearly shown they are covered in blood which when linked with the previous scene allows the viewer to jump to a rough conclusion to what has happened. The music is cut to show us that this is a seriousness of the scene. The close up scene soon fades we are taken to the credits, which are played over scenes of this man traveling through different climates, the variety in the climates shows us that he is traveling of long distances. This also asks us the question was is he going and why is he going. The camera still has not shown us a clear image of this mans face, which still gives us an impression of mystery to the character and also shows us that the character is probably deliberately trying to conceal his identity. The camera also pauses at the point when the man passes what looks like a group of soldiers. This emphasizes there is some important connection between the character we have been shown and these soldiers which helps us as viewers to try and fill important gaps in the profile of this character. In direct contrast ‘Of Mice and Men' is played out in a completely different style. The credits are immediately at the beginning and there are no scenes played underneath it only a blank background. Similar to Somersby however, is the music. Whilst ‘Of Mice and Men' music is of a higher standard it sets the scene for the movie. The music is very sad and solemn which can immediately tell us that this film is not going to be a happy film . As the credits continue further we get sound effects that immediately tell us roughly where this scene is set. The noise happens to be of a train so immediately us as viewers are told a) the scene is on a train and b) the characters in the film may be traveling. The camera pans in showing us light coming through gaps in the carriages, this captures the same dark atmosphere as shown in the opening of Somersby but through a different technique. To add to this gloomy effect the music fades so that only the sound effects can be heard. The director has done this to such an effect that it sort of brings us into the movie and lets us feel the cold, dark, and harsh sounds that anyone would be hearing at that time. This brings user involvement into the film and is also relevant in the next few seconds in experiencing the thoughts of the characters. As the credits start to fad the music starts up again and the camera pauses in front of an outline of a figure. The lighting here is used in the same effect as ‘Somersby' were it does not reveal the character but allows us instead to ask questions about the character instead, for instance why is he traveling on this train and why is he lurking in the shadows. And this effect is obviously used in the same context in ‘Somersby' when we see him with the body for the first time. The music then changes dramatically and immediately the credit scene ends and the movie moves on. This effect of the music changing dramatically also highlights the point that the movie is continuing along a different path as apposed to the music in ‘Somersby' that tends to stay constant throughout the opening. It also gives the effect that this maybe a flash back due to the sudden changes in scene and location. Opening In ‘Somersby' continues on to a new location. The location is obviously vastly different so we can say that the character may have traveled a great distance. The music is still shown as grim and adds tension and emotion to the scene. The scene focuses on the firstly a close-up of the hand being wrapped in a handkerchief. The angle is displayed as a first person view so as to give us a better perspective of the characters feelings, and the obvious close-up of the wrapping of the handkerchief shows us there is some relevance in the scene. We are then shown a third person shot of him taken the coat of he has been hidden under, which shows us that firstly he feels ready to reveal himself and secondly that he had a uniform on showing a connection between him and the soldiers. We are then shown the first full picture of him. The music is now suitably brighter to obviously help lighten the characters mood. We are then taken to his first meeting with another character. The music fades to suggest that this maybe quite an important part of plot development. We are also shown the main character through the other characters eyes to show that at that point the concentration of that character would have been minimal. As the scene carries on the music changes to being much more confident which shows us that the tense atmosphere at the beginning of the scene has faded. Of Mice and Men' once again changes to a different style. The music firstly has become more frantic and the scene first shows a women running. At this point she has no part in the story yet the camera follows her so that we know that it must link to the plot somehow. We are then shown to characters running away from the camera. Immediately this tells that because the woman was running toward the camer a they are running away from each other. This type of camera work is not used at all in ‘Somersby' as it tries to capture a different mood. However as the chase scene ends the same first person view as shown in Somersby is implemented to give us a clearer impression of the characters thoughts feelings at this time. To conclude it is obvious that both films implement similar styles however to get the correct mood they want they have often altered techniques to suit that scene creating the same sort of mood but in different ways. This kind of variation adds variety to the film and makes it much more enjoyable to watch.

The defining feature of Modern culture

Modern culture is a direct derivative of and at the same time antithesis of co-existence with nature. The defining feature of Modern culture (adopting the Herder’s definition as â€Å"the practices and beliefs which form the self-identity of a tribe† and not the Humboldt’s version of distinguishing common and high cultures)(Scruton 2) is its increasing distance from the nature and its attempts to understand and divulge the secrets or facets of nature, hither to left unappreciated or not understood.In the history of human civilization (ironically, Civilization means the history of city dwelling population) the pace at which technology improved has grown exponentially since the late 19th century. This growth in technology has spurred the redefining of central values attached to human life. The beneficiaries of the technological advances, the huge sections of societies, seldom bother themselves with the philosophical depths of questions that the increasing use of te chnology and the alienation form nature poses to their central core.However, the tension that resonates between nature and technology is a legacy of inherited historical human values pitted against the negation of the basis of these values in technology. Technology seeks to explore and lay bare while a co-existence with nature demands a certain amount of surrender. Since these two approaches have to be combined in the modern life, there is ambivalence in the approach people are forced to take to their existence.As George Simmel mentions in his work â€Å"The Metropolis and Mental Life†, the deepest problems of modern life are because of the attempts of man to maintain his individuality in the face of changing historic and technological perspectives. (Simmel 11) One basic shift in the modern life to the other forms of society which had a greater correlation with nature is the change in approach to Life in general. Modern life, with it increasing use of technology aims to quant ify everything while co-existence with nature left a lot of qualitative and subjective parameters in place.The resultant void is generally seen as the force that generates the tension between nature and technology. (The dismantling of the religious structure by socialist countries without placing an alternate belief system in place, which saw a huge spurt in religious activity once the socialist structures themselves, crumbled, is an example of a void based on qualitative beliefs and necessity of such beliefs).Modern culture instills a sense of measurement to everything involved in daily life, while co-existence with nature demands suspension of reason to a certain extent. There is an Indian Proverb which roughly translates to â€Å"Plucking the petals of the Rose will not reveal where its beauty lies†. Same is the case with the stimuli caused by nature where suspension of reason is a primary requisite to respond to them. A magnificient sunset is a visual pleasure accorded by nature which cannot be deciphered by any technological quantification measures.â€Å"Whilst Man involuntarily moulds his Life according to the notions he has gathered from his arbitrary views of Nature, and embalms their intuitive expression in Religion: these notions become for him in Science the subject of conscious, intentional review and scrutiny. † (Richard Wagner, 73). In trying to explain the basic differences between Nature and technology Wagner also indicates almost accurately at the reasons for conflict. When viewed in the light of Simmel’s description of man’s emotional responses as he says â€Å"Man is a creature whose existence is dependent on differences, i.e. his mind is stimulated by the difference between present impressions and those that have preceded. † (Simmel 325). But the rapidity with which a person part of the modern culture is accosted by such stimuli is what differentiates his responses. The increasing proximity to his species and in a way that would not have been possible to any of his preceding generations creates a sense of detachment from most stimuli and prevents him from reacting with the same intensity compared to only a few generations earlier. In short, modern culture forces man to react with his head than his heart.This, Simmel argues creates a blase attitude – a defining characteristic of modern culture. â€Å"†¦incapacity to react to new stimulations with the required amount of energy constitutes in fact that blase attitude which every child of a large city evinces hen compared with the products of the more peaceful and more stable milieu† Simmel 14 Advancement in technology creates increased urbanization where people are removed from nature and so closely compressed with one another that their nervous stimulation is hyper excited to become blase.This leads to a state of denial to all other impulses accorded by nature, which are inherently non-quantifiable. Wagner articulate s this alienation of Science and nature in more vocal and less scientific terms. Technology, as mentioned earlier is a result of efforts to understand and harness the energies available in nature, acquires arrogance through its practitioners that it tries to rob the soul of all human interactions with nature. â€Å"And truly Science, in her overweening arrogance, has dreamed of such a triumph; as witness our tight-reined State and modern Art, the sexless, barren children of this dream.† This tension between nature and its instincts as expressed in human emotions and the increasing needs of rational responses conditioned by a technology-driven society are reflected in the probing questions of the late nineteenth and the early twentieth century literature and art forms. Kafkaesque depictions of society not recognizing its traditional pains and bonds due to the demands of the modern culture are common in most art forms. To drive the point home, in his novella â€Å"Metamorphosi s† Kafka paints a picture of the emptiness of modern existence.Seen by many as the gateway to modern literature, it justifies Simmel’s views that the values of modern culture create certain bluntness to responses to stimuli. While it is important to acknowledge the tension between technology (or the changes in life due to technology) and nature as an essential part of the modern cultural set up, it is a learning to understand how this disparity or tension is dealt with. The creation of the modern idiom is largely an effect of the interplay between nature and technology. Additionally, the increased integration of technology has made people more used to viewing their renewed values in a different light.In fact most surviving sensibilities are modern in nature and the exotic feel accorded to romantic art of the previous generations is precisely the result of the contrast. Besides, modern art does adopt the modern life and especially urban living aspect of modern life more readily than was anticipated by the early proponents of modernism. As Wagner argues, Art as an expression of man’s interaction with nature and the resultant emotions – awe or aversion, hope or despair, love or revulsion, harmony or agitation- has in fact been aided by the modern culture. In his typically poetic prose Wagner describes,â€Å" This did the life-force, the life-need, of telluric Nature nurture once those baleful forces – or rather the potentiality of those alliances and, offspring of the elements – which blocked her way in giving true and fitting utterance to the fullness of her vital energy†(Wagner 9) He also seems to say that the potential for abundance brought on by the revolutionary availability of technology affords the luxury of pursuing art for art’s sake for people pf the modern era – all the while remembering that art is the truest form of depicting or connecting with Nature, both internal and external.Besides, a fuller and more complete appreciation of Nature as a separate entity and an ally has blossomed after the initial years of tension with Technology. Though initial years of modern culture and civilization were alarming in the fact that the alienation with nature was at once complete and seemingly irreparable, yet the situation has changed. As with everything and as Darwin would have proudly pointed out, mankind has adapted quite well to this dichotomy of Nature and Technology and has realized the necessity to keep both these aspects of his existence in good humor – all the time.Though it can be argued that most ailments of modern society, like the environmental degradation, lack of trust in human interactions, increasing and pointless violence, or the break down of civilized society in some pockets are essentially the manifestations of the tension between a nature-embracing living and Technology dependent living, it is the way forward. As Man has learnt continuously from all h is endeavors both successful and perilously unsuccessful, modern culture has given a unique perspective to watch Nature in all its glory and make it an ally in pursuing higher spiritual goals.Works Cited Wagner, Richard. The Art Work of the Future. Montana: Kessinger Publishing, 2004. Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Montana: Kessinger Publishing, 2004 Simmel, Georg & Kurt Wolff. The sociology of Georg Simmel. Translated by kurt Wolff Washington DC: Free Press, 1950 Scruton, Roger. Modern Culture. NewYork: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2007

Magazines articles Essay

I enjoyed multiple stories in this film. The first story that stood out for me the most was the mother who had cancer. This story was extremely sad for me because I could not picture my mother in that position. I believe they are communicating through filming because the mother wants to put her story out there. By watching this film the mother seems like she is a strong person who does not mind putting her story out there because she does not want anyone to feel like they are the only ones going through this experience. My reaction was surprised when I saw her marks on her back from the cancer. I did not think she would show that on camera to the world. In her case I believe that verbal communication was the most affective especially when she was talking to her son. The next story that stood out for me was the older couple who wrote their vows for each other. I found that clip humorous. I believe for them communicating verbally is special for them to share what they want for each oth er. Just from watching their clip I could get an insight of their life just by the way they jokes with each other in their vows. It is easy to tell that they have a strong marriage and are not afraid to joke around with each other. The next story that made me think was the story of the women from Afghanistan. This story was interesting to me because for Americans it is portrayed that the women in Afghanistan have no freedom and are controlled by the men in their life. Showing the women doing karate was an eye opener because it showed me we do not know everything that is going on in Afghanistan. Just because one part of Afghanistan may be a certain way does not mean it is all like that. Non verbal communication made the most impact because just seeing the women doing something they enjoy meant a lot. No words can describe that better than seeing the looks on the women’s faces when they are enjoying themselves. Being in different countries sometimes you can’t believe everything you see in politics or see on the news and media. This clip was a perfect example of that. This whole video made an impact on me because it showed me that when I am laying in my bed with all my blankets and pillows there are many people out there my age sleeping on the streets with no food or even shelter. When I am riding the bus to class somewhere around the world a young man or woman is carrying all of their belongings on their back.

Attitude, behavior, & high quality of customer relationship management Research Proposal

Attitude, behavior, & high quality of customer relationship management influences on the Saudi consumer buying decision - Research Proposal Example In this context, customer service is the cornerstone on which customer relationship depends to a considerable extent. In other words, customer service determines and influences customer relationship and enables the business firms to develop positive relationship with customers. Customer service represents an integrated and comprehensive set of business processes and practices delivered by business firms to the customers. Business organisations worldwide strive to deliver an enhanced and enriched set of customer services in order to entail high customer satisfaction (Shoult, 2006). It has also been identified that customer buying decision influences by the customer service significantly. High quality and positive customer services attract customers in purchasing or availing particular products and services. On the other hand, low quality and poor customer service led the customers to switch over to other competitors. This act on the part of customers of switching over to other competitors affects image and reputation of business firms negatively. This situation of switching over other competitors prevails more significantly in case of Saudi Arabian business firms. The present research study aims at identifying and analyzing level of customer service in Saudi Arabian firms like airlines, banks, telecommunication companies, hospitals, restaurants and many more. The variables affecting Saudi Arabian consumers’ decision like price, quality, after sales services, competing offers and many more will also be discussed in the underlying study. The selection of research methods, data collection strategies and approaches will also be done in accordance with overall purpose and aims of the study. The research problem acts as a founding stone for the study as it paves the path for organising and conducting other sections of the research process. In light of this, research

Suicide after Combat in the Military Research Paper

Suicide after Combat in the Military - Research Paper Example The effects of this on the military personnel’s psychological well being has been adverse and contributed greatly to the military suicides since the inception of the missions. Discussion Military deployment negatively affects the lives of the military personnel and their respective families - their family life is altered forever- as it entails four distinct phases; pre-deployment, deployment, reunion and post deployment. The events in these phases affect the military official mentally as they have to deal with issues related to the changes occurring in their lives; they are shifting from their normal life schedules to others they have no idea how they are likely to turn out and if they would actually be back to their families or not. Pre-deployment issues include dealing with the separation from the social support network they are used to, dealing with the increased workload and the shift in daily duties. In the deployment, they may encounter issues like physical injuries, exp osure to traumatic events and lack of communication with their loved ones among others. The re-union and post deployment phases pose their own challenges as the individuals strive to readjust to their old lifestyles and social networks as well as deal with the reality of their experiences during the deployment (Hoge,  2006). The effect of the entire deployment experience is can be devastating and the individual is unable to effectively fit into the society and options of suicide make more sense to appease their conscience. Why does this happen? The deployment experience has negative impact on the military official’s mental health. Stressors and experiences related to the post-deployment, deployment, and post deployment experiences together put the service member at a risk of mental health problems such as post traumatic stress disorder, depression and drug and substance abuse. The experience in one way or the other impairs the service members quality of life; a decrease in the emotional well being, social functioning and the general health of the concerned individual. According to military surveillance data, mental health related concerns and behavioral health among the service members rise 3-6 months after deployment and sometimes it exerts a lasting effect on the military personnel. Other than the experience in the military deployment and combat, mental health is triggered by the interpersonal concerns and stressors throughput the four phases of the deployment. A study conducted on the 2008 OIF veterans showed that mental health was impacted by the post-deployment social support. The study participants reported not getting the desired family and friends emotional and instrumental support they desired during and after the deployment. The respective families experienced financial difficulties, spousal arguments, physical aggression and sometimes abuse of a spouse and child abuse during the post deployment period. Long deployment periods increase the s ervice a member distress levels and shows more psychiatric and physical health symptoms compared to the short deployments, however, the effect of the location and duration of deployment on the peoples’ mental health of depends on the types and severities of the stressors.

The Classical Music Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Classical Music Era - Essay Example Individual notes on a staff have various pitches and the choice of the pitch should be done with much care because very high pitches in a musical performance may distract the ear hence the musical piece may have a negative perception from people. This paper focuses on the various musical features that are used in writing music and how these features affected music in the classical era. Music is composed of various musical features that form the technical part of music because they are normally written in musical language that can only be interpreted by people with musical knowledge. A piece of music involves various notes with varying pitches arranged harmonically on a staff but with all these variations and additions, music can’t make sense to everybody unless words are inserted to match the notes. However, some notes contain pitches well organized to make a very good melody pleasing to the human ear. Musical pitches are produced by a varied genre of instruments including mem branophones whose stretched membranes vibrate when they are beaten to produce sound e.g. drum sets and aerophones which when the air is blown into them, they vibrate to produce sound e.g. flutes. Chordophones, on the other hand, produce sound when a string on the instrument is plucked and such instruments normally have a resonator that amplifies the sound produced. The use of instruments in music brings makes it lively and more enjoyable even when the words are not being understood by the listener (Antonella & Cova 41). Good music involves a melody that is well arranged to produce the best form and notes harmonized to create correct chords that do not clash. When analyzing a particular piece of music, one can be able to tell the meaning of the song from the pitch and also the speed intervals at which the notes are organized.

Personal Assessment and Worldview Concerning Christianity Essay

Personal Assessment and Worldview Concerning Christianity - Essay Example For decades, most Christian social workers have strived to enhance social prominence so as to gain substantial recognition and publicity. Isaiah and Jesus, as depicted in the Biblical Scriptures, advised their followers to worship God in conjunction with the provision of service to God’s creation. According to their message, worship involves some activities such as breaking bread with the hungry, treating employees fairly, inviting into our homes the helpless, and embracing a life of personal righteousness.For decades, most Christian social workers have strived to enhance social prominence so as to gain substantial recognition and publicity. Isaiah and Jesus, as depicted in the Biblical Scriptures, advised their followers to worship God in conjunction with the provision of service to God’s creation. According to their message, worship involves some activities such as breaking bread with the hungry, treating employees fairly, inviting into our homes the helpless, and emb racing a life of personal righteousness.Politically, Christians should not distinguish themselves from other people by country or customs. One of the Christian philosophies states that any individual involved in the material history represents another order or master other than God. Hence, Christians have to engage themselves in political issues so as to influence the world, with no intentions of making the world a paradise, but to minimize the opposition of the world against the Kingdom of God.

Road Pricing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Road Pricing - Essay Example This cleary indicates that there has been hinderance in traffic flow due to traffic congestion and these cases present externalities which must be avoided by using road pricing to reduce the number of cars on road by charging them a flat-fee in the form of road pricing. According to a source that major traffic jams occur in Central London at around 7:30 am in the morning and then 6:30 pm in the evening. Those eligible to pay were around 150,000 people who used the road every day. These charges were only levied on private vehicles. Pulic vehicles were exempted from these charges so as various other kinds of groups. However, many organisations in UK have argued over the price that is being charged. They claim that it is not the appropiate charge and is much higher than social costs that a vechile inflicts. They also support the reduction of this charge. Similarly, many people have argued that there are errors in database technology which often leads to double charging and over charging. So, in both cases if this carelessness persist it would not solve the problem of congestion but would deter people from driving even if they can afford to pay these costs. The economics behind this will that due to double charging and over charging , demand would go down to zero.

Clinical Case Study (Community Nursing in Aged Care,Gerontology) Essay

Clinical Case Study (Community Nursing in Aged Care,Gerontology) - Essay Example According to Ford (2004), elderly have been increasingly the focus of health and social care policy, particularly on their continuing needs of care, which are met in a variety of setting such as their own home, supported housing, residential care, nursing home or hospital. Mrs. Howard, a 72 year old widow, is referred by a concerned neighbor. At the time of visit, it is noted that Mrs Howard is slow to answer the door, and dressed with unkempt appearance. Her house is tidy but her bedroom is unmade. Her gait is slow but steady. It is noted that the refrigerator of Mrs. Howard has no food, and the kitchen is tidy. Mrs. Howard’s medication are sitting on the kitchen bench. Mrs. Howard complained of feeling very tired and she is having difficulty getting out of bed in the morning. She added that she has to get up to the toilet at nighttime. She has not been feeling hungry and has lost a little weight, hasn’t been preparing meals, has not been out for shopping or visiting friends in a few weeks. Mrs. Howard gets confused about how many tablets to take. Her medications were Lanoxin 125, Naprosyn 250 mg, Urex 20 mg, Mylantas, Agarol, Panadol, and Garlic. In older clients, the possibility of developing adverse drug events is increased for the reason that several co – morbidities are observed in the elderly whom multiple medications are prescribed (Hamilton et al., 2009; Woodhouse, 1997). Hamilton et al. (2009) added that this risk is compounded by changes related to age such as physiology and composition of the body influencing drug handling and response. It is also important to note that as the person grows old, the sleeping pattern changes as well. A marked heterogeneity in health status and functional capacity in the elderly makes decisions in prescribing more complex and challenging (Hamilton et al., 2009). The following are the drugs prescribed to Mrs.

Auditor independence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Auditor independence - Research Paper Example Without independence, Arya & Glover (2014, p. 188) believes that there is no need for external auditors attestation to the purported accuracy and the completeness of the company financial information. The adverse effects of auditors providing services to clients that pay them directly question the impairment of auditor independence. An association between fees received by the audit firms directly from the clients will possibly impair auditor independence with particular interest to the going concern reporting decision that continues to have considerable interest to the regulators and others. This paper studies Arthur Andersen clients and investigates whether the decline in Andersens problems due to a criminal indictment can adversely affect the stock market perception of its audit quality. The reputations concerns are an issue on the impairment of the auditors independence. Arya & Glover (2014, p. 190) investigates the relationship between abnormal market returns for the Andersen clients and the fee-based measures of auditor independence. The empirical results support the ideology that auditor independence and reputation can significantly affect the perceived auditor quality and credibility in the audited financial statements as well as the market prices. The paper will also provide empirical evidence on the efficacy of auditors and directors that apply aggressive financial reporting that have accruals. In that light, the paper will investigate a sample of United States firms to evaluate the auditors independence on the clients. According to (), aggressive financing reporting will only occur when multiple governance mechanism fails. The overreliance of SOX-type legislation cannot act as a substitute for strong governance mechanisms in the regulation. Paterson & Valencia (2011, p. 1510) assert that Arthur Andersens perceives audit failure of Enron and other publicized accounting

Write on a current issue in child development Essay

Write on a current issue in child development - Essay Example uire immediate help from the government, non-governmental organizations and members of the society since everyone should play a role in cushioning children from the adverse and varied effects of homelessness. Homeless children live on the streets and make a living by either begging for money and food remnants from pedestrians or by scavenging for food in dustbins and dumpsites. The children face myriad stressful and traumatic conditions. The fact that the children are too young to comprehend such conditions causes them immense psychological and emotional stress. Among the basic effects of homelessness in children is the fact that it hampers their emotional and behavioral development. The children do not receive love and affection from anyone. As such, they systematically acquire wayward behaviors and tend to act aggressively to other members of the society. They face varied stressful conditions in their daily lives. They therefore accumulate the stress as they grow a feature that makes affects their ability to act rationally and impairs their ability to judge issues normally (Yumiko, nccp.org). Shelter is among the basic human needs. Failure to acquire shelter implies that such an individual cannot afford a number of other needs including healthcare. Homeless children face extreme cold both at night and in cold weather. They sleep in dump conditions especially in rainy weather. The exposure to such rough ecological conditions makes homeless children vulnerable to a number of medical conditions. They are likely to suffer from malnutrition owing to their irregular and unpredictable eating pattern. They are also likely to suffer from pneumonia among other ailments that arise from exposure to extreme weather conditions. Additionally, they are likely to suffer from cholera given the poor levels of hygiene in the streets. The impoverished state of such children makes it difficult for them to afford health care services. This implies that they are likely to

Tom Ford Essay Example for Free

Tom Ford Essay Tom Ford is an American Fashion designer, who is famous for turning around the Gucci fashion house. For the past 20 years, Tom Ford has been one of the most influential designers in the world. Tom was born in Austin, Texas but spent the majority of his childhood in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For Tom, nature was definitely on his side. He talks about being picky with what he wanted to wear, even at the age of 3 or 4, and was noticing small details on his shoes that he didn’t believe were right. (Tom Ford OWN Visionaires documentary, 2011) At the age of 17 he moved to New York to pursue acting, he realized he didn’t like not being in control with regards to acting, and he went on to enroll in Architect at Parsons School of Design in New York and Paris. Tom has said that rather than focusing on the architectural model he was to build he was more concerned about what the figures in his model were wearing. He realized architecture was too serious a discipline for him and even went so far as to misrepresent himself to get his foot in the door of the fashion world. His career rose rapidly and at the age of 30 he became the Design Director for all of Gucci. (Tom Ford OWN Visionaires documentary, 2011) He believes perfection is something you are born with, and that his creative drive is â€Å"obsessive†, that â€Å"perfectionism is almost an illness† for him. (Tom Ford OWN Visionaires documentary, 2011) gucci raised from the dead In 1990, Gucci hired Tom as the Womenswear Designer, and at that stage the company was in such a bad shape. In 1992, he became Design Director, yet during 1993-1994 Gucci was almost bankrupt. They appeared to be stuck in organisational inertia. In 1994 he was appointed Creative Director of Gucci. The businessmen running the company at that time were focusing all their energy on how to break the company apart, and what to do with it. Tom had a moment when he was in complete creative control and what he thought was right for Gucci. He went on to design a collection that was unlike anything else Gucci had ever done. It was stated in his contract that he was not allowed to speak to the press, he was not allowed to publicly be the face of Gucci, and that he was not allowed to step out on the runway. Being the risk taker he is, he broke all those rules and is famous for his sending his collection down the runway, and at the end stepping out onto it. (Tom Ford OWN Visionaires documentary, 2 011) His collection oozed sex, something that had gone missing during the 80’s. This could be attributed to the devastation of the financial industry or the fact that AIDS had also become widely exposed during the 80’s. It was looked upon as something dangerous and the lack of sensuality was reflected in all the arts during the 80’s. Looking back you can see a 70’s sensuality to his collection. Excitement over this collection ensued and 6 months later, clothes were in the stores, and he continued to have more hit collections. Sales took off, doubling and doubling. His aesthetic was so gorgeous, so sleek, so sexy, modern, romantic, everything about it I adore. As did many back then and today. Not only the fashion but he had the best taste in music and models. When discussing Tom Ford runway shows many recall the time of the infamous Kate Moss. He was also so good at setting a mood for his shows, so few shows these days have such an atmosphere. He was genius. And having Carine Roitfeld, previous editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris as his number one fan is just a testament to how perfect he is. He is credited for bringing back exuberance, happiness and joy. It was in a way his marketing tool, it was effective in that time as it was fresh. In 1999 Gucci became very successful. Discontinuous change had taken place, Tom Ford’s innovation was revolutionary, he had taken reign over Gucci, but he wasn’t stopping there. The Gucci group took their success and went on to purchase Yves Saint Laurent. He then started designing between Milan, for Gucci and Paris, for YSL, and was creating approximately 16 collections a year for both. In January 2000, following the acquisition of Yves Saint Laurent and YSL Beaute by the Gucci Group, Tom Ford assumed the position of Creative Director of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche and YSL Beaute in addition to his then existing duties at Gucci. Tom worked with all creative teams at YSL to define the overall image and positioning of the YSL brand including all product categories and communication activities. (Tom Ford The Brand) He also served as Creative Director of Gucci Group. In July 2002 he was made Vice Chairman of the Management Board of Gucci Group. (Tom Ford The Brand) During Tom’s 10 years as Creative Director at Gucci and Gucci Group, sales increased from 230 million dollars in 1994 to almost 3 billion dollars in 2003, making Gucci one of the largest and most profitable luxury brands in the world. (Tom Ford The Brand) Inspiration So who or what inspires Tom Ford. He is inspired by a myriad of elements in his life, in particularly the friends that he thinks have great style; the women with jobs, kids and lives. Women with character, iconic women as seen in his first Tom Ford brand runway show: Beyonce, Lauren Hutton, Marisa Berenson. His life and his mood attributes much to his inspiration, how he’s feeling and how he reacts to culture. (Full Time Ford, 2011) SUCCESS After the success of Gucci and YSL, Tom found himself burning out. If he was awake, he was working and in April, he left the Gucci. Following his departure from The Gucci Group, he lost himself; he was no longer designing and hit a low. He was missed extremely by many Tom Ford fans as well as the fashion industry. Reflecting on his departure from Gucci, he mentions â€Å"nothing lasts†. (Tom Ford OWN Visionaires documentary, 2011) After reinventing Gucci and YSL, Tom started the Tom Ford brand in 2005. Tom Ford is a passionate designer, and he transfers that passion into work, he is a very deep thinker. Most importantly he believes 90% of his success is due to his drive. (Tom Ford OWN Visionaires documentary, 2011) He will continue to design under the Tom Ford brand, one hopes for many years to come. Fashion is his business, it is an enhanced version of who he is. BIBLIOGRAPHY Full Time Ford. (2011, July 5). Retrieved August 6, 2012, from Tom Ford Does China: http://www.fulltimeford.com Tom Ford OWN Visionaires documentary. (2011, December 22). Retrieved August 6, 2012, from YouTube: http://youtu.be/NsmJ_l4jZFQ Tom Ford The Brand. (n.d.). Retrieved August 6, 2012, from Tom Ford: http://www.tomford.com/#/en/thebrand/tomford

Sainsburys Ratio Analysis

Sainsburys Ratio Analysis Accounting and Finance Assignment Sainsburys Ratio Analysis Nowadays, it is important for organizations to know how to survive in the competitive market in which they are involved, markets that require managers who understand and are aware of the internal and external factors that concerns to the company. Therefore, it is vital to know the existence of different techniques of measurement such as financial tools, which can give an idea on how the companys financial situation is going to affect its performance in the marketplace. One of these tools can be the used of financial ratios, which gives to managers the information to set up strategies in order to make decisions in the future. However, it is important to highlight that this ratios provide an overview of the businesss financial condition, but an analysis in depth is needed to know the reasons why certain changes have occurred (Maclaney and Atrill, 2002). Nevertheless, there are some limitations in the used of financial ratios, for instance, the information is out of date so it does not reflect the real situation of the company, hence it can lead to wrong decisions, also, the analysis made from the financial statements gives symptoms of such situations but not the causes of it (Berry and Jarvis, 1997). The purpose of this report is to analyze Sainsburys financial performance using the analysis of ratios as a financial tool. This information will be taken from the annual reports of 2003 and 2004. In addition, it will include external and relevant information of the company which adds value to the analysis and thus to the financial performance in the already mentioned period of time. This will also help to compare Sainsburys with its competitor Tesco, in order to identify and evaluate the performance of both companies. Finally, this report will give conclusions and recommendations to those investors who want to make an investment in a secure company. RATIO ANALYSIS Profitability Ratios According to Maclaney and Atrill (2002, p. 197), Profitability ratios provide an insight to the degree of success in achieving this purpose. For instance, the profitability ratios of Sainsbury plc are: Profitabiliy Ratios 2004 2003 Return on Capital Employed 8.53% 9.29% Return on Equity 7.64% 8.95% Gross Profit Margin 8.65% 8.14% Net Profit Margin 3.91% 4.25% Table 1. Profitability Ratios (Base on data contained in Appendix A) Regarding on this table, Sainsburys profitability ratios show a moderately deterioration in profit from 2003 to 2004 in a margin of 6%. This downward trend is due to several changes the company had such as, (1) the sell of JS Development and Shaws supermarket, this has an impact on the companys current assets (cash) and profit, in one hand it brings in cash for the sell but on the other hand it stops the daily cash input, consequently there were a decline in profit in 2.6%; (2) the purchase of Swan Infrastructure Holdings Limited, which consist of a whole modern IT system and it is part of a Business Transformation Programme, therefore, there was a rise in 6% of the capital employed (fixed assets and net debt), and also a significantly fall in cash in 27%. Because of all these reasons, there was a drop in profit, but as it is a long-term investment it is estimated to be an income generation in the future. Efficiency and Effectiveness Ratios These ratios are used to try and identify the strengths and weaknesses of a business using a variety of different ratios (Giles et al., 1994, p. 371). The following table illustrates the efficiency ratios used in Sainsburys case. Efficiency and Effectiveness 2004 2003 Fixed Asset Turnover 2 times 2.17 times Debtor Collection Period 1.51 days 2.48 days Creditor Payment Period 28.83 days 28.78 days Stock Holding Period 17.61 days 18.67 days Table 2. Efficiency and Effectiveness (Base on data contained in Appendix A) The fixed asset turnover has slightly decreased due to the acquisition of Swan Infrastructure Holdings Limited, which caused a rise of 7.73% on Sainsburys fixed assets in comparison with the year 2003. Moreover, sales have remained constant which have risen in 0.3%. The purchase of the IT systems will give opportunities to enhanced operational effectiveness, a stronger platform, low costs and an increased in sales. In what a debtor collection period concerns, although this ratio shows a very little period to collect debts from customers, it is logic for this kind of business to be like that owing to the fact that being a supermarket, sales are in cash, only a 8% of the current assets are related to debtors, which had a fall in almost 40% comparing with 2003. On the other hand, the creditor payment period has stayed constant and it shows good rates. The cycle of both debtor collection period and creditor payment period demonstrates that the company receive the money from their debtors before paying to their suppliers, which is good since they do not need to finance themselves but pay with the cash they get in from debtors. Regarding to the stock holding period, even though it has fallen in 1 day, it still is high for a business like supermarket in which the stock plays an important role because the rotation has to be in short periods of time to keep the food fresh. However, it is good to consider that Sainsbury also have a stock of electro domestics, entertainment, house-wares, etc., that the rotation is meant to be in long periods of time. Liquidity Ratios As Maclaney and Atrill (2002, p. 197) said, Certain ratios may be calculated that examine the relationship between liquid resources held and creditors due for payment in the near future. These ratios in Sainsburys company are as follow. Liquidity Ratios 2004 2003 Current Ratio 0.83:1 0.87:1 Acid Test (Quick Ratio) 0.67:1 0.70:1 Table 3. Liquidity Ratios (Base on data contained in Appendix B) The current ratio has a slightly fall, due to the current liabilities rising faster than the current assets. Looking at the current liabilities it can be seen that the company is using bank loans to finance the acquisition of the IT systems by the group, which increased in 63%. The current assets have also been affected by a decreased in 27% of cash account since a 10% of the purchase was made in cash. Similar situation happened with the acid test ratio with a slight fall in the rate. These ratios show a low rate, due to the fast stock rotation which produces cash sales. Although, it seems like the current assets do not cover the current liabilities, the liquid assets are used as productively by the growing of the business to make it more effective, thus profitable. Capital Gearing Ratios This is the relationship between the amount financed by the owners of the business and the amount contributed by outsiders (Maclaney and Atrill 2002, p. 197). For instance, Sainsburys capital gearing ratios are: Capital Gearing Ratios 2004 2003 Gearing Ratio 28.54% 25.97% Times Interest Covered 5.91 times 5.31 times Table 4. Capital Gearing Ratios (Base on data contained in Appendix B) The gearing ratio has increased by 9% due to the long-term debts rising faster than the capital employed during the period from 2003 to 2004. The long term debts went up by 14%, which is because the purchase of IT fixed assets and also the company resort to operations in the capital market and by operating subsidiaries to deal with the interest rate and current risk these finance involves. On the other hand, the times interest covered stayed constant and even though is a low rate, the company still can cover its interest with their profit. Investor Ratios Certain ratios are concerned with assessing the returns and performance of shares held in a particular business (McLaney et al., 2002, p. 197). In this case, the investor ratios for Sainsburys are the followings: Investor Ratios 2004 2003 Earnings per Share 0.20 0.23 Price Earnings Ratio 12.63 times 9.54 times Dividend Yield 6 6.89 Dividend Cover 1.32 1.52 Table 5. Investor Ratios (Base on data contained in Appendix B) The earning per share has fall by 13% mainly caused by the higher profits on business disposals that the company went through last year, so the return to shareholders was a lower rate per share. In contrast, the price earning per share growth by 24%, due to the increase in the market share price in 14%, this is a good new for Sainsburys since it reflects that the market confidence grew from 2003 to 2004. The dividend yield had a slightly decreased since the dividend per share only increased by 0.7% from last year. This was a decision from the company and it reflects the reduction in the earning per share already mentioned and the fall in the dividend cover by 13%. RECOMMENDATION TO POTENTIAL INVESTORS According to the information given by the ratios analysis in the last section, it can be said that even though the companys ratios showed a decreased rates from 2003 to 2004, the expectations of the business performance looks profitable. This is due to the Business Transformation Programme, which consists on the acquisition of IT systems and the sell of Shaws Supermarket and JS Development. The former will be a positive impact in the financial performance of the company in a long-term by increasing sales and reducing costs; and the latter will be used to develop and make more effective the financial and management resources, hence it will enlarge Sainsburys core UK business and strengthen its market position. Therefore, from the ratios analysis, it can be stated that Sainsburys is not a good company to, at present time invest in, since the company has not showed a significant growth in profit during the last financial year. To conclude, if Sainsburys finances start to grow, there is no doubt that investors should consider this company to invest in as it plans a better performance in the long-term. In the next part, it will be given some additional information about Sainsburys and also a comparison with Tesco. RELEVANT INFORMATION ABOUT SAINSBURYS The acquisition of IT system was an important contribution to lead Sainsburys strength its position in the high competitive marketplace. Whereas the group chief executive of Sainsburys said: The net reduction in costs will provide Sainsburys with additional resources to develop our customer proposition, by investing in quality and innovation and improving further our competitive offer, as we move towards trading our business harder from summer 2004 (http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/index.asp?PageID=19subsection=Year=2004NewsID=384), there are some opinions that contrast with the statement already mentioned, which states that this acquisition of sophisticated technology was too ambition and did the approach too quick, now Sainsburys is in a worst position than it was before (Smiddy cited OBrian, 2004). In addition, after have used the new IT system, Sainsburys realized that the supply chain system have failed and it did not work as they have expected, it did not increased productivity and the costs were higher than they were years ago (http://www.computerweekly.com). SAINSBURYS vs. TESCO The supermarket industry is very competitive nowadays, and even more when it comes to the customers satisfaction which is more and more demanding, so it is important for companies in this business to be focus in valued than in profitability, since the former leads them to the latter. Sainsburys and Tesco are two of the principles supermarket chains in UK. Both chains have similar things to offer, such as own label goods; have concern about consumers needs for example healthy and organic food; launched loyalty cards; expand their products such as clothing, electro domestics, etc. and others. On the other hand, they have some differences that make one stand out from the other. While Tesco have a good supply chains and a good strategy, which is having low prices and improving customer satisfaction by having the right products in shelf, Sainsburys is facing some problems in what a supply chain relates to the implementation of the IT system (http://proquest.umi.com), which causes the lack of products in the shops and also the customers find it more expensive than its competitors, where they can have equal quality products with lower price (http://proquest.umi.com). There are other differences between Sainsburys and Tesco, but there is an important question which is where to invest?. It is important to draw attention to the fact that Sainsburys financial situation does not attract investors, due to the decrease in the profit and sales. In addition, the company has being going through its first loss in 135 years of history (www.accountancyage.com). This reduction was mainly caused by the 554 million acquisition of IT system, and by the drop in profits for the financial year. Thus, it can be said that Tesco might be a better choice to invest in, but this is open to discussion. CONCLUSION Taking into consideration the ratio analysis applied to Sainsburys, it can be said that the company had some variation between 2003 and 2004. Whereas, most of the profitability, efficiency and effectiveness, liquidity and investor ratios demonstrate decline, the gearing ratios demonstrate a rise due to the growth in the long-term debts and the capital employed. Understanding the ratio analysis and the relevant information gathered looks like Sainsburys has gone through some difficulties in their supply chain and their financial and marketing management. Although they have invested in a long-term project and are positive in a potential growth in the coming years, to reach their aim they have to work hard and play in the same field its competitors (Tesco and Asda) are doing, by having low prices and good quality food always available in their shelf for all kind of consumers. Sainsburys still have a strong position in the retail sector in the UK. For this reason it is good for investors to wait and see its performance for the next years, currently is not a good moment to invest in. REFERENCES BERRY, A. and JARVIS, R., 1997. Accounting in a Business Context. 3rd Edition. London: International Thomson Business Press. GILES, R. and CAPEL, J., 1994. Finance and accounting. 3rd Edition. London: MacMillan. HARDING, D., 2005. Supermarket sweep-up for Sainsburys. Accountancy Age. Available from: [http://www.accountancyage.com/news/1139885] Accessed 22/Apr/2005. MARKETING WEEK, 2004. Reinvention is the only option left for Sainsburys. Marketing Week, pg. 30. Available from: [http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=727035691sid=8Fmt=3clientId=15517RQT=309VName=PQD] Accessed 20/Apr/2005. MARKETING WEEK, 2005. Sainsburys promises must mean business. Marketing Week, pg.22. Available from: [http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=792773011sid=9Fmt=3clientId=15517RQT=309VName=PQD] Accessed 20/Apr/2005. MCLANEY, E. and ATRILL, P., 2002. Accounting An Introduction. Second edition. London: Prentice Hall. OBRIEN, L., 2004. Sainsburys blames profit warning on supply failures. Supply Management, 9 (22). Available from: [http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=749826531sid=8Fmt=4clientId=15517RQT=309VName=PQD] Accessed 20/Apr/2005. SAINSBURYS WEBSITE, 2005. Annual Report and Financial Statements 2004. Available from: [http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=20] Accessed 15/Apr/2005. SAINSBURYS WEBSITE, 2005. Sainsburys simplifies financing of IT contract with Accenture. Investor News. Available from: [http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/index.asp?PageID=19subsection=Year=2004NewsID=384] Accessed 20/Apr/2005.

Management Structures And Organization Of Hotels

Management Structures And Organization Of Hotels This module introduces the basic concepts of hotel operations. It will help students to acquire the basic knowledge about the hotel business and its operations prior to acquiring more knowledge in the field The learner should read the ATHE resources, study the recommended text book on this unit and also do their own research. Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria Centres are free to offer this the qualifications using any mode of delivery that meets the needs of their learners. This may be through traditional classroom teaching, open learning, distance learning or a combination of these. Whatever mode of delivery is used, centres must ensure that learners have appropriate access to the resources identified in the specifications and to the subject specialists delivering the units. This is particularly important for learners studying for the qualification through open or distance learning. The lecture and seminar notes provided below are for guidance and it is up to the centre whether they use these or alternative ones. The questions at the end of each unit will form the evidence of understanding. Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria 1. Understand how to categorise the different levels of management. 1.1 Explain how the first line management level differs from middle management level. 1.2 Differentiate the variety of functions of someone who works at top management level. 2. Understand management structures and the way in which the hotel is organised. 2.1 Explain the nature and necessity of management structure in a large hotel. 2.2 Describe and illustrate an organisational structure suitable for a medium sized hotel in a city centre. 3. Understand the importance of maintaining different types of food services within a hotel. 3.1 Examine the different types of room service available for food and beverage. 3.2 Analyse the management of food service in a large hotel. 4. Understand how to appraise the various control systems within a major international hotel. 4.1 Formulate different ways of creating and storing information in a hotel. 4.2 Understand the various ways of financial control systems in a specific hotel. Introduction to Hotel Management Suggested Lesson Plan 1. Understand how to categorise the different levels of management. 1.1 Explain how the first line management level differs from middle management level. Seminar In this seminar the lecturer should discuss with the students about two different line managers as an example quality of first line management and middle line management Lecture This lecture should focus on front line staff should be highly skilled. Group discussion The lecturer should ask the students to pick the work schedule of a Laundry Manager, where teamwork was working and was disrupted by different factors, then facilitate a discussion around this. 1.2 Differentiate the variety of functions of someone who works at top management level. Lecture Explain the variety of functions in a large hotel and identify the top management ones. Seminar: Discuss the paragraph below A manager may be responsible for one functional area, but the general manager is responsible for all areas. Most commonly, the term general manager refers to any executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a companys income statement. This is often referred to as profit loss (PL) responsibility. This means that a general manager usually oversees most or all of the hotels marketing and sales functions as well as the day-to-day operations of the hotel. Frequently, the general manager is also responsible for leading or coordinating the strategic planning functions of the company. In many cases, the general manager of a hotel is given a different formal title or titles. Most corporate managers holding the titles of chief executive officer (CEO) or president, for example, are the general managers of their respective businesses Seminar Discuss the duties of a general manager In hotels, the General Manager is the executive manager responsible for the overall operation of a hotel establishment. The General Manager holds ultimate authority over the hotel operation and usually reports directly to a corporate office or hotel owner. Common duties of a General Manager include hiring and management of a management team, overall management of hotel staff, budgeting and financial management, creating and enforcing business objectives and goals, managing projects and renovations, management of emergencies and other major issues involving guests, employees, or the facility, public relations with the media, local governments, and other businesses, and many additional duties. The extent of duties of a hotel General Manager vary significantly depending on the size of the hotel and company; for example, General Managers of smaller hotels may have additional duties such as accounting, human resources, payroll, purchasing, and other duties that would usually be handled by other managers or departments in a larger hotel. Group Discussion Discuss issues brought up at the lecture and how will this differ with smaller hotels. 2. Understand management structures and the way in which the hotel is organised. 2.1 Explain the nature and necessity of management structure in a large hotel Lecture Lecturer will use the following structure and explain to students. A typical organizational chart for a mid-scale to large hotel: General Manager Assistant Manager or Operations Manager Director of Room Operations Front Office Manager Guest Relations Manager(s) Concierge Manager Front Desk Manager PBX Supervisor Reservations Manager Bell Services Manager Executive Housekeeper Housekeeping Manager(s) Director of Sales Marketing Senior Sales Manager Sales Manager(s) Sales Coordinator Catering Manager Revenue Manager Convention Services Manager(s) Director of Food Beverage Restaurant Manager(s) Room Service Manager Bar Manager Banquet Manager Chief Engineer Director of Human Resources Director of Security Spa Recreation Manager Accounting Manager / Controller Group Discussion Discuss issues brought up at the lecture and how this structure will differ with smaller hotels. 2.2 Describe and illustrate an organisational structure suitable for a medium sized hotel in a city centre Seminar Students will use the organisational chart shown above and then design a flow chart for a smaller hotel. 3. Understand the importance of maintaining different types of food services within a hotel. 3.1 Examine the different types of food service available for food and beverage. Lecture Teacher should explain the different types of food services available and students should then write down examples and the type of person who uses them, e.g. business lunch or quick snack. Students can use notes below. There are various types of food services. Restaurants fall into several industry classification based upon menu style, preparation methods and pricing. Additionally, how the food is served to the customer helps to determine the classification. Historically, restaurant referred only to places that provided tables where one sat down to eat the meal, typically served by a waiter. Following the rise of fast food and take-out restaurants, a retronym for the older standard restaurant was created, sit-down restaurant. Most commonly, sit-down restaurant refers to a casual dining restaurant with table service rather than a fast-food restaurant where one orders food at a counter. Sit-down restaurants are often further categorized as family-style or formal. In British English, the term restaurant almost always means an eating establishment with table service, so the sit-down qualification is not usually necessary. Fast food and takeaway (takeout) outlets with counter service are not normally referred to as restaurants. Outside of North-America the terms Fast casual-dining restaurants, Family style, and Casual dining are not used. Junk food establishments would also not often be referred to as a restaurant. Group discussion After both the Seminar and Lecture the tutor/lecturer should ask the students to write down any questions they have and partake in researching those questions. The students should then bring those questions and research they have undertaken to a smaller group where debate and questioning should be encouraged 3.2 Analyse the function of food and beverage service in a large hotel. Lecture Examine the roles of the Food and Beverage department for a hotel business. The Food and Beverage (FB) department in a hotel is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the dining rooms, restaurants. room service (if available), and the needs of any other function such as a meeting or party that might desire food and beverages. SeminarWhat is the difference in the management of food and beverage services offered by a large hotel compared to a budget hotel. 4. Understand how to appraise the various control systems within a major international hotel. 4.1 Formulate different ways of creating and storing information in a hotel. Seminar Discuss how the information hotels get from guests including personal and bank cards and how they are stored in a secure way 4.2 Understand the various ways of management control systems in a specific hotel. Lecture 2 The lecture can be based on definition and examples of management control. Management controls, in the broadest sense, include the plan of organization, methods and procedures adopted by management to ensure that its goals are met. Management controls include processes for planning, organizing, directing, and controlling programme operations. A subset of management controls are the internal controls used to assure that there is prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the entitys assets.Simons (1994) defined MCS as the formal, information-based routines and procedures managers use to maintain or alter patterns in organizational activities. Seminar In this seminar the lecturer should discuss with the students utensils Inventory control of every department. Unit 2-Hotel staff Management This unit is to help students understand the importance of staffing in a hotel. Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria Importance of briefing of hotel staff Regular coaching gives staff development Appraisal and training gives motivation to staff Staff co-ordination keeps good team work within the industry Hotel staff require speaking skills Explain GMs working process of a hotel Explain all departmental heads duty rosta 1. Understand effective methods of communication for hotel managers when managing staff. 1.1 Examine the different methods of communicating with staff in a large hotel. 1.2 Analyse the importance of the management of staff coordination within a large hotel. 2. Understand hotel organisational charts 2.3 Explain why lines of authority are particularly important in a large metropolitan hotel. 2.4 Evaluate the importance of two organisational rules and regulations. 3. Understand how to review and comment on the management organisational structure of different types of hotels. 3.1 Illustrate the chain of command in a small hotel by using a Management Organisational Chart. 3.2 Explain the nature and necessity of a complex structure in a large hotel. 4. Understand progression opportunities within the hotel industry. 4.1 Analyse the career path within one department of a large hotel. 4.2 Illustrate using a diagram the place of the hotel industry as one of the components of the Tourist industry. Hotel Staff Management-Suggested lesson plan 1. Understand effective methods of communication for hotel managers when managing staff. 1.1 Examine the different methods of communicating with staff in a large hotel. Lecture The lecturer should select a large hotel and discuss the different methods of communication available for both guests and staff. This would depend on the size of the hotel. The students should then be given an assignment where they would imagine a large hotel in a city where many of the staff and guests have lesser knowledge of English and how to communicate messages. Group discussion Continue from lecture and discuss. 1.2 Analyse the importance of the management of staff within a large hotel. Lecture can be based on following notes Small- and medium-sized firms employers realise the value of their staff in driving forward business success according to a recent survey based on a telephone interviews with 500 SMEs. However, too few SMEs focus on the need to motivate staff other than by financial incentives.83% of the SME directors/senior managers surveyed see employees as their businesss most important asset, while 63% believe that attracting and retaining staff is as important to an enterprises success as providing good customer service.However, the report, People Management in Growing Companies, commissioned from MORI by gusinessHR, a SME human resource advisory specialist, also examines SMEs behaviour in terms of expenditure and policies in the light of these opinions. It reveals that SMEs are not necessarily reflecting their views in their actions.A key finding is that SMEs are concerned with their employees job satisfaction and staff motivation, but as many as 86% feel that financial incentives salary and b enefits will do the trick in attracting and retaining staff. Only 28% cited good training and development opportunities for employees as important, with just 25% viewing achieving a good balance between work and home life as significant. An overview of SME human resource policies illustrated that they tended more towards protecting the employer than nurturing the employee. 96% have formal employment contracts, 93% have disciplinary/dismissal procedures, and 88% have health and safety assessment audits and grievance procedures. Only about three-quarters have staff training and development plans and less than two-thirds have a formal appraisal system in place.Businesshr managing director Ian Stobie commented, Skills shortages and the rising costs of recruiting staff mean that it is vital for SMEs to retain key staff if companies wish to grow. Throwing money at someone who is bored will not buy their commitment or ensure consistent, outstanding performance. Interestingly, the larger SMEs (those with over 100 employees) tended to be more concerned about motivating and retaining staff, and their productivity, and placed more value than smaller companies on training and self-development, as well as having more systems and policies in place which motivate and support employees. 91% of larger SMEs have staff handbooks, 85% training and development plans and 80% have an appraisal system.Manager of Advisory Services at businesshr, Tom OReilly, explained, you can think like a corporate but on a smaller scale. SMEs need to get to the root of the issues that affect their employees [rather than just increasing their salaries, for example].There are a variety of sources to tap about human resources issues, but a useful starting point for smaller businesses, is the Small Business Advice Service, managed by the Department of Trade and Industry. Its website is at www.businessonline.org . For a copy of the report, visit www.businesshr.net/businesshr_27cApril.pdf .With thanks to Lloyds TSB Success4Business. For more news and information visit www.success4business.com © 2010 Association of Tourism Hospitality Executives Group discussion Discuss and answer questions on case study. 2.Understand hotel organisational charts 2.1 Explain why lines of authority are particularly important in a large metropolitan hotel. Lecture Organizational structure involves, in addition to task organizational boundary considerations, the designation of jobs within an organization and the relationships among those jobs. There are numerous ways to structure jobs within an organization, but two of the most basic forms include simple line structures and line-and-staff structures. In a line organization, top management has complete control, and the chain of command is clear and simple. Examples of line organizations are small businesses in which the top manager, often the owner, is positioned at the top of the organizational structure and has clear lines of distinction between him and his subordinates. The line-and-staff organization combines the line organization with staff departments that support and advise line departments. Most medium and large-sized firms exhibit line-and-staff organizational structures. The distinguishing characteristic between simple line organizations and line-and-staff organizations is the multiple layers of management within line-and-staff organizations. The following sections refer primarily to line-and-staff structures, although the advantages and disadvantages discussed apply to both types of organizational structures. Several advantages and disadvantages are present within a line-and-staff organization. An advantage of a line-and-staff organization is the availability of technical specialists. Staff experts in specific areas are incorporated into the formal chain of command. A disadvantage of a line-and-staff organization is conflict between line and staff personnel. Group discussion Questions and discussion relating to case study. 2.2 Evaluate the importance of two organisational rules and regulations. Seminar In this seminar the lecturer should discuss different organisational rules and regulations. Group discussion After both the Seminar and Lecture the tutor/lecturer should ask the students to write down any questions they have and partake in researching those questions. The students should then bring those questions and research they have undertaken to a smaller group where debate and questioning should be encouraged 3. Understand how to review and comment on the management organisational structure of different types of hotels. 3.1 Illustrate the chain of command in a small hotel by using a Management Organisational Chart. Lecture This lecture should focus on General Managers working process of a hotel increase business Seminar In this seminar the lecturer should discuss about duty rosta of departmental heads 3.2 Explain the nature and necessity of a complex structure in a large hotel. Lecture This lecture should focus on explain types of chain association and classify types of chain association Seminar In this seminar the lecturer should discuss explain the management contract in a large hotel. 4 Understand progression opportunities within the hotel industry. 4.1 Analyse the career path within one department of a large hotel Lecture This can be based as below. Career in the Hotel Industry Overview There are numerous job opportunities available within the hotel industry due to the many different departments that contribute to the smooth running of an establishment. These include both front and back of house operations such as housekeeping, maintenance, reception, and food and beverage. Additionally, all hotels need a manager and some have individual department managers reporting to a general manager, thus providing opportunities for promotion. Also, the larger chains will often employ area managers who are responsible for the management of a network of hotels. No matter what position you undertake within a hotel, the primary focus of the role will be to ensure that optimum service standards are delivered to guests and visitors to the premises. On the reception desk, you are the first point of contact for guests checking in and out of the hotel, and will therefore have to deal with enquiries and complaints on a daily basis. In the restaurant and bar areas, you are responsible for the quality of food and beverages served to the guests. As a housekeeper, you are accountable for the condition of the bedrooms and the public areas of the hotel. Hotel managers are accountable for all hotel functions as well as the administrative and accounting duties associated with the management of the premises. Additionally, hotels with bars must be compliant with statutory licensing regulations and it is the responsibility of the manager to ensure that this is maintained. Due to the nature of the business, working in a hotel involves unsociable hours with many hotels often busier at weekends and on public holidays. It is essential to be passionate about customer service and all customer-facing roles require excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Hotel managers need to have strong business acumen and the ability to implement effective marketing strategies to enable the hotel to remain profitable in what is a highly competitive industry sector. There will always be complaints received from guests and customers so a professional approach is important as is the ability to deal diplomatically and tactfully with any incidents that occur. Entry requirements The hotel industry is one that benefits more from the personality traits of its staff rather than their standard of education, although for progression to management level it is possible to undertake HNC, HND and degree qualifications in Hotel and Hospitality Management. Most of the larger hotel chains, including Marriott, Travelodge, Ramada and Best Western, offer training courses leading to the achievement of NVQs or SVQs in Hospitality Service, Hospitality Supervision and Hospitality Management. Progression opportunities At entry level, the hotel industry is not necessarily one that pays particularly well although this does improve with progression to management level. Some of the larger hotel chains also have establishments in other countries so if you have a desire to work overseas, the hotel industry can offer excellent opportunities to those willing to learn a foreign language. Seminar In this seminar the lecturer should discuss a career in a specific department e.g. housekeeping. 4.2 Illustrate, using a diagram, the place of the hotel industry as one of the components of the Tourist industry. Lecture This can be based on following case study In the modern times, the way people spend their vacations has undergone a great change. People like to spend good times with family and friend while at the same time exploring various tourist places across the globe. As a result the tourism industry across the globe has seen an unprecedented growth which in turn has also resulted in tremendous growth in the hotel and accommodation facilities. Comfortable hotels and accommodation facilities play a very important role in popularizing any tourist destination. If a person, who is quite far away from home, gets to enjoy the same facilities and comforts as he enjoys at his home, then he is bound to become attached to the place. On the other hand if the tourist ends up at a place where the hotels and accommodation facilities are not satisfactory, it is quite likely that he might never return to that place. Perhaps that is why, hotels and accommodation facilities being made available at different tourists spots, have shifted the focus to providing maximum comfort to tourists at reasonable rates. It is also vital to provide comfortable accommodation to people from diverse economical backgrounds. While five star hotels can cater to the needs of affluent visitors, small and medium range hotels and lodging houses are available for use by a middle class traveler. Blog reviews are also vital in that information about all the hotels and accommodation facilities available in a particular tourism spot are available to people quite easily. For this there can be no better option than internet, as most tourist gain information about the hotels and accommodation facilities through this medium only. The other ways are by making booklets containing information about the hotels and accommodation facilities available at train and bus stations. The information provided to the tourists should be detailed and correct. It should contain the information related to room rentals, types of rooms, catering services, check out times, pick and drop facilities etc. Additional information about the significant tourist spots in the area can also be provided both on the net as well as the booklets, to promote not only the hotel but the tourist spot as well. There are many websites available on the internet which are based on travel and tourism. You can get information regarding hotel accommodations, tourists place, and business blog reviews sight scenes. You should search these websites to make your travel easy and plan things accordingly. Through blog reviews you can get the link of such websites that are truly genuine and will provide you with travel packages into many countries. Read these blog reviews and you will know better. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suman_Ahliya Seminar In this seminar the lecturer should discuss relation between hotel and tourism and how hotels are an integral part of the tourism industry. Unit 3-Marketing of Accommodation Explain pricing strategy Understanding Client behaviour Knowledge of Market Research and Planning Marketing to organize Manage the retail marketing mix Analyse SWOT 1. Understand how marketing principles apply to different types of hotels. 1.1 Examine the components of the marketing mix as applied to the hotel industry. 1.2 Analyse the benefits of segmentation for a large hotel. 2. Understand the marketing strategies and communication strategies of hotels. 2.1 Analyse the advantages of branding in relation the hotel industry. 2.2 Prepare a detailed SWOT analysis for a large chain of hotels. 3. Understand how two sales promotion packages are used to promote hotel services. 3.1 Evaluate two external influences which may affect the promotion of hotels. 3.2 Analyse three marketing objectives to be used in the planning of a promotional campaign. 4. Understand the part which market research has in the selling of accommodation and services 4.1Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of both primary and secondary research. 4.2 Illustrate how two internal and two external sources of information can be used by a hotel when promoting holidays. Marketing of Accommodation-suggested lesson plan Do the case study on Riverview and ask questions. 1. Understand how marketing principles apply to different types of hotels. 1.1 Examine the components of the marketing mix as applied to the hotel industry. Lecture: Explain how the marketing mix is directly responsible for maximizing room sales and revenues in a hotel. Seminar In this seminar the lecturer should explain pricing strategy 1.2 Analyse the benefits of segmentation for a large hotel. The tutor will need to explain what segmentation is and then discuss the list below and whether all of these would apply to a hotel marketing. Companies who segment their markets match their strengths and offerings to the groups of customers most likely to respond to them. Points for discussion. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Differentiate products and services to meet customer needs and desires. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Design or redesign new products and services to meet market needs. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Find hidden needs and make improvements to existing products. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ By selecting and focusing on the most responsive segments to the exclusion of others, marketing can be created to more effectively fit consumers needs. Finding, understanding and focusing on the needs of the best customers can make a market leader. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Target marketing mix to the customers most likely to want the products or services à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Identify behaviours and buying motives for products. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Identify most and least profitable customers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Help. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Avoid unprofitable markets. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Increase brand loyalty and decrease brand switching. 2. Understand the marketing strategies and communication strategies of hotels. 2.1 Analyse the advantages of branding in relation the hotel industry. Lecture In this lecture the lecturer should discuss with the students branding systems in International Marketing Group discussion Srudents should have had photographic evidence of branding of major hotel chains and discuss usefulness in marketing on a global scale. 2.2 Prepare a detailed SWOT analysis for a large chain of hotels. Lecture Provide an explanation of the case study below and advise the students on what they should do. Case study Riverview Hotel The Hotel The Riverview Hotel, Notown USA, is representative of the five star brand within the Exclusive Business Hotels of the World group. All Riverview Hotels are boutique properties, offering between 25 and 35 exclusive rooms. Mission The Riverview Hotel is dedicated to providing its guests with the highest quality of service and standards. We seek to deliver on our promise of value and quality above all else. We value our place in the community and will work to develop those relationships and to respect and protect our environment. We will continue to strive to create value for both owners and shareholders whilst honoring our brand values and encouraging our personnel to develop themselves in an environment of trust, loyalty and encouragement. Service Offering Service: high-quality facilities accompanied by exemplary personal service, differentiated from competition in line with the overall brand strategy, has proven to be a successful approach generating high levels of repeat business. Positioning The Riverview Hotel is positioned as a five star plus, business travellers hotel, strategically located and offering a high level of personal service. Our focus is on offe

Corruption in Ken Keseys One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest :: One Flew Over Cuckoos Nest

Corruption in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest As Lord Acton put it in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." This is the truth that is evident both in Ken Kesey book One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. His main characters Nurse Ratched and Randal McMurphy are in a subtle underground war against each other's accumulating power, and corruptness. This idea of great men being bad men is evident in Kesey's book, my experiences, and society in general. Ken Kesey appears to show disgust for people of power in his book One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Throughout the novel, Nurse Ratched, the lady within whom lays all the power of the staff in a mental institution, frequently sends people who she has behavioral problems with off to the disturbed wing, like she did Maxwell Taber. It is there that they experience the pain of either electroshock therapy, or a full frontal lobotomy. Nurse Ratched uses this and her natural dominance to inspire fear in her patients. She tends to agree with old school of thought that a healthy dose of fear makes people easier to control. Thus she was able to easily putdown any uprising against her totalitarian rule before Randle McMurphy. Nurse Ratched tries to use the power that has been given to her as head nurse to change the patients as she sees fit. As Bromden puts it, "Working alongside others... she is a veteran of adjusting things" (p. 30). But to do this she has created a living hell for them. McMurphy, one of the rare man that dares to vocalize his opinion, shows his negative sentiment towards Nurse Ratched when he tells Harding, "Hell with that; she's a bitch a ball cutter..." (p. 58). The entire ward can see how power has corrupted Nurse Ratched into the pseudo-megalomaniac/sadist she now is. I agree with Kesey's view of power. I once had a teacher who would grade harder for people he didn't like. As a result if he disliked one of his students, they were guaranteed a `C' or lower. His abuse of power went unchecked and unchallenged due to his seniority and the difficulty of proving his crime.

J. Edgar Hoover Essay -- essays research papers fc

J. Edgar Hoover Former Senator Joseph McCarthy put it perfectly when he said, â€Å"†¦ for the FBI is J. Edgar Hoover and I think we can rest assured that it will always be.† (qtd. in Denenberg 7). J. Edgar Hoover is credited for reconstructing the Bureau of Investigations (later renamed Federal Bureau of Investigations). Regardless of how people saw him, Hoover was powerful and committed, and did everything within his power to improve the agency that would make this country a safer place for all. John Edgar Hoover was born New Years Day in 1895. After years of education and law school he started as a third generation government worker in July 1917 as a clerk for the Justice Department (Denenberg 23,25-26). In 1919 he was promoted to acting director and later to director in 1924. He ran the FBI until his death on May 2, 1972 at the age of 77 (DeLoach 226). With all of the changes to the system that occurred because of his hard work, J. Edgar Hoover is referred to as the â€Å"father of modern-day law enforcement† (DeLoach 226). Hoover can take credit for separating the Bureau from politics, raising standards for agents, and implementing many other necessary crime programs (DeLoach 226-227). Most people were frightened of Hoover and this caused an attempt to portray him, through the media, in a manner that was far from complimentary (DeLoach 228). It is very difficult to find positive information about him; but no one can deny the hard work and accomplishments he made for the good of this country. To this day, he is the longest-serving leader of an executive branch agency, having served through the terms of eight presidents. He had good standing relationships with all the presidents regardless of their political position. Herbert Hoover (no relation) recommended J. Edgar Hoover to the attorney general for his director position with the Bureau based on his previous performances. No president came close to firing him (Hoover 34-35). For almost three generations, and even now, it is almost impossible to think of the FBI without thinking of Hoover. Democrats accused him of being Republican just as Republicans accused him of being Democrat. Hoover himself was not political. He was just as skeptical, scornful and vindictive in the treatment of right-wingers and left-wingers he didn’t like (Hoover 40). Hoover swept through the department and fired agents with questionable ... ...velt to obtain communications and tactics of suspected spies and war enemies. Though controversial it terminated the largest spy ring in operation in this country (Denenberg 79-81; Directors). Through the years Hoover’s dedication in raising the importance if the FBI helped to expand the Bureau’s jurisdiction and responsibilities (Directors). J. Edgar Hoover’s record of notable government service has never been matched. He transformed the bureau from a badly managed, corrupt organization to a quality law enforcement agency. As its size and budget have increased over the years, its reputation for competence and integrity has declined. It has lost most of the respect that it enjoyed in Hoover’s day. Works Cited Denenberg, Barry. The True Story of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. New York: Scholastic Inc.,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1993. DeLoach, Cartha. â€Å"J. Edgar Hoover.† Booknotes: Life Stories. Ed. Brian Lamb. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Random House, 1999. Directors: Then and Now. Home page. Federal Bureau of Investigation. 1 July 2004 . Hoover, J. Edgar. â€Å"J. Edgar Hoover Speaks Out.† By Jack Wooldridge and Wilbur Martin. Nation’s Business January 1972: 32-45.

Regional development in France Essay

Regional development in France Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The conventional approach to regional development was assumed by central governments using the levers of infrastructure, subsidies to firms, and the setting of public sector operations. Regional development policies has been superseded by a fashionable approach characterized by decentralized intervention based on integrated regional development plans and strategies, delivered and designed by partnerships of local and regional actors. Regional policy has been in existence for over fifty places especially in Western Europe. Regional policy existed in countries that were affected by the Great Depression of 1930. It became famous part of social policy intervention and widening economic undertaken by all Western European countries from 1950 to 1970. The regional policy began to change in the mid 1970s due to slow economic development and new political policies. The European Union created its regional policy with more and more resources devoted to social and economic cohesion (Funck & Pizzati, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The present economic crisis led the French government to develop measures to accelerate implementation of the operational programs with respect to digital infrastructure, sustainable development, and energy efficiency for housing. Consecutively, some regional authorities included additional measured especially in environment and innovation. The rate of implementation of operational programs is somewhat low among all regions. The differences between regions to an extent depend on the cooperation level between regional and central government. The implementation rate is lowest in sustainable development and highest in the knowledge economy. Annual implementation reports maintain that the crisis between central and regional governments had a negative impact on implementation mainly because enterprises are slow in launching projects. Analysis of regional development is difficult due to lack of comparability of the indicators and homogeneity. In addition, it poses difficult to identify achievements in comparison to the objectives (Lopriore, 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is in the policy part ‘knowledge economy’ that the key results and outputs originate: the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   SRI; R&D equipment and infrastructure, and collaborative R&D projects in relation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   pà ´les de compà ©titività © and poles of excellence and to regional filià ¨res.The SRI program implemented in 2009 has possibly played a affirmative function, jointly with the crisis in support of the execution of improvement support policies. There are fewer consequences for more customary policies such as support to knowledge transfer organizations and to communal actions of enterprises. United regions have focused their labors on intensifying their human resources and research potential that corresponds to a recognized need.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second policy is accessibility and transport and is evaluated in terms of results and outputs with investment in urban transport and railways in addition to broadband infrastructure. Results and outputs in the ‘sustainable development and environment’ policy part are fairly incomplete because of prevalence of management capacity and small projects being less in comparison to creativity. The key achievements are in renewable energies and energy efficiency. In ‘territorial development’, predicaments in some urban parts are being tackled via calls for proposals, which have resulted to creation of the first concrete projects, in addition to sport, tourism, and cultural activities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Territorial Cooperation review on operating programs reveals that there is a general equilibrium between results and outputs in the ‘knowledge economy’ and ‘sustainable development’ policy areas. SRIs have indisputably armored the obligation of officials and politicians at regional point to improvement support strategies, taking part to improve the innovation supremacy scheme, and had a patent effect in escalating wakefulness of the significance of an extra demand-oriented plan and putting more focus to non-technological innovation, service innovation as well as financial engineering. Successively, joint R&D projects have played part in nurturing customs and practice of partnership in both academic community and industry (Funck & Pizzati, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The traditions and practice of appraisal has made noteworthy development in France in the last few years at state as well as regional rank, moderately under the demands of innovative institutional, the Commission and policy system. However, the approaches remain comparatively customary, as shown in the state appraisal of pà ´les de compà ©titività ©. In comparison to the 2005 concluding assessments of SPDs and ERDF, the latest appraisals concentrate on scrutinizing the effects, pointing to key issues and essential re-orientations further than the plain evaluation of the execution of the programs and strategies assessed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most remarkable assessments are the national evaluation of the pà ´les de compà ©titività © (2008) and various regional assessments which focus to specific problems that are serious in France such as the allotment of capabilities and the synchronization between the national and regional systems. They primarily focus on the ‘knowledge economy’ policy part and they in broad highlight once more that it is obligatory to take enhanced account of the exact features of areas or sub-regions, to perk up the authority system, to focus more on the account of non-technological improvement and service innovation , and to incorporate SMEs more efficiently. Regional development also recommends a shift from procedures behind knowledge transfer organizations to dealings supporting joint R&D projects. This is established by the evaluation of the regional improvement systems set up in the SRIs (â€Å"Regional Policy†, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The five regions that exist in France include Ile de France which is the capital region, Western regions, Rhone-Alpes, Changing or the outermost regions and the Southern regions. Ile de France takes a unique position because it accommodates headquarters of huge companies and it is highly concentrated with government offices. Capital region is also highly populated with active and young people with a life-long education at an outstanding level. Its performance is high in regard to all indicators such as competent work-force, private and public R&D expenditure as well as higher education. Ile de France contributes an approximate of 28% of national value-added. Research findings reveal that over the last decade, the capital region is slowly being undertaken by Western and Southern regions in terms of growth of GDP per capita, national value-added and research potential.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rhone-Alpes is the second largest region in regard to GDP and population. Its national value added has slightly increased from 9.4% in 1990 to 9.6% in year 2002. The unemployment rate in Rhone-Alpes region is lower than the national average rate. It has a multifaceted structure with service center such as Lyon, banking, industrial, manufacturing spots, and a world rank R&D monopoly in Grenoble. Southern regions have a higher than average ratio of R&D expenditure to GDP. The Southern regions draw immigrants from Northern and capital regions. It has a young population with a high unemployment rate which drastically fell until 2008. There are strong intra-regional differences because of concentration of research and services in the capital cities and the contrasting significance of mountain and rural areas. Southern regions gain from pensions of retiring generations and the unemployed who move to the â€Å"sun belt†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Western regions continue to experience high growth in terms of competent people and their cities are amongst the most gorgeous in France. The unemployment rate in Western regions is also below that of the country in general. In addition some regions do not have special features in terms of R&D, higher education and competent personnel. Low unemployment level in some regions may be caused by emigration of active generation while others have old industrial base; where despite increased labor, they still experience slow growth and high unemployment rate. French outermost regions undergo various challenges such as cost of access, remoteness, high dependence on the metropole, lack of critical mass and environment challenges. The business sector hugely depends on the government and tourism sector. The ration of minimum income support in French outermost regions is six times compared to the mainland France. There is extremely high unemployment ra te as compared to the national average. France outermost regions comprises of micro-enterprises and service-related SMEs, which are mostly family owned and neither innovation nor export oriented.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Information from statistical data on GDP per capita and population reveals some of the key transforms that have occurred in various regional groups. The Western and Southern regions had the highest population growth from 1999 to 2007. The increase in population in these regions can be associated to migration from capital and other French regions. Region Population growth (%) Corsica +15 Languedoc-Roussillon +11.6 Midi- Pyrà ©nà ©es+10.1 Aquitaine +8.3 Pays de la Loire +8.1 Provence-Alpes-Cà ´te-d’Azur +8 Bretagne +7.4 Rhà ´ne-Alpes +7.4   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The capital region had population growth of 5.9%. The areas with lower population growth were either rural areas such as Bourgogne, Auvergne, Champagne-Ardenne, and Picardie or old industrial regions such as Lorraine, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, and Haute-Normandie. Region Population growth (%) Champagne-Ardenne -0.2 Nord-Pas-de-Calais +0.6 Lorraine +1.3 Bourgogne +1.5 Haute-Normandie +2.1 Picardie +2.3 Auvergne, +2.3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The situation in the French outermost regions various immensely with growth of 12.4% in La Reunion and Quasi-stability in Guadeloupe, however there was high growth of 35.5% in Guyane due to high birth rate and immigration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographic changes in most French regions raise concerns about the future prospects of France. There is low population growth in most French regions because of low fertility. These regions have an ongoing trend of population ageing and this is expected to have profound implications across French both regionally or nationally. Low fertility rates will lead to low population of working generation to support the aged people, high percentage of aged people, and reduction in number of students in education. Elderly people will require additional healthcare, infrastructure and adapted housing. The structural demographic changes will have an impact on French capacity to balance their funds, provide enough health services and pensions, and raising tax revenue (Laurent et al, 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Population ageing and decline are the most demanding trends for future prospects of a country. Immigration is also a very significant factor of population growth in some French regions especially Southern region which attracts immigrants from Capital and Northern regions. Great variations in demographic patterns between French regions rely on various socio-economic aspects. Regions in the rural and peripheral places and the mountain and customary industrial areas are prevalent to de-population. The demographic rend in French regions have significant policy and socio-economic implications because they influence growth and productivity, shortage of workers, urban-rural imbalances in populations, and provision of healthcare and social services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographic change is a major aspect that place concerns in levels of intervention and policy areas, which include employment plans, rural and urban planning, integration and immigration policies, social infrastructures and communication, family and gender equality policies and social protection systems. Research evidence on population trend in economic crisis reveals that recession resulted to decrease in fertility rates and birth rates (Funck & Pizzati, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Industrial structure in French regions reveals major disparities in regard to the significance of diverse operations within non-financial business economies. Regions such as capital region are highly populated with active and young generation. The population in urban and capital regions has an outstanding level of education level. Industrial structure depends on the infrastructure, availability of resources, skilled workers as well as topographic and climatic regions. Urbanization rate in France is high since people migrate from rural to urban areas seeking for employment. The urban areas also attract people from other regions; for example, western region is among the beautiful cities in France.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are high unemployment rates in most regions which might be caused by lack of skilled personnel, continuing trend of ageing population. There is great improvement in some regions which emphasize on ICT and related services since advanced technology is also a cause of unemployment. High population is another cause of unemployment. The global crisis during the great depression also caused unemployment. GDP per capita is high in capital and urban regions which attract tourism and with skilled workers. GDP is low in rural and customary industrial regions. In other regions low GDP is caused by high number of aged people who are unproductive. Capital regions have active, educated and young generation who are productive, thus they have high GDP per capita.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The growth of the GDP per capita since 1990 to 2008 gives significant views to complement the demographic data. The highest GDP growth is experienced in Western and Southern regions. Region Growth in GDP per capita (%) Bretagne 33.4 Pays de la Loire 30.1 Poitou-Charentes 26.3 Midi-pyrenees26.7 Aquitaine 26.6 PACA 25.9   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The GDP growth in Rhone-Alpes and Ile de France was 20.5% and 22.9% respectively. These two regions had a slightly lower GDP growth as compared to the national average of 22.9%. The GDP growth in Alsace was only 11.8%. Alsace is famous as the fourth most thriving French region. The other regions with low GDP per capita growth include Lorraine (17.3 % and Franche-Comte (15.2%), which are regions with customary industries. Other areas with low GDP per capita growth were mostly rural areas such as Centre (15.4%), and Picardie (13.2%). The French outermost regions had a significant contribution with a GDP per capita growth of 29.9% since 1990 up to 2008. The overseas area GDP per capita growth is lower as compared to the national average (22.8%). In addition, high unemployment still persists in these outermost regions such as Guadeloupe, La Reunion and Guyane.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recent research findings brings out a paradox since the less productive regions had immense development in regard to population, employment, income and welfare, while poverty still exist in some of the most thriving regions. This implies that there is an increasing trend of discrepancy between logic of progress and logic of growth. In other instances, some regions such as southern regions depend on pension transfers which hinder them from global competition. The productive regions are the main providers of taxes and engines of French development. For example Paris metropolitan region which accounts for 30% of national GPD, but whose households only receive 22.5% of the national household income. A policy debate has led to concerns regarding strengthening of Ile de France region in terms with the concept of â€Å"Grand Paris†. This might be a classical occurrence in other European countries, but this French system is different becaus e of immigration to Southern regions, and to some extent the Western regions. The immigration has prevailed for more than 20 years and has greatly affected the distribution of wealth and income in France (Lopriore, 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The regional development policy has not been affected by the macroeconomic context. The French government failed to abide by the policies of the stability and Growth pact regarding public debt and budget deficits until 2010. The overall government investment and expenditure has exceeded EU average, there is also low than average yearly GDP growth rate, in addition, because of high investment in regional and local authorities as well as decentralization. Regional development policies have died down from being chief policies over the last few years. At operational stage, regional development policy has basically resulted from amalgamation of operational programs and contrats de plan Etat-region programs with slightly larger plans. At policy-making stage, regional development policies focus on particular areas with an aim of mountain areas, coastal and rural areas and areas with hardships in cities. Cluster policy was developed at the end of 1990, resulting to general program â€Å"Pà ´les de compà ©titività ©Ã¢â‚¬ . Recently, Pà ´les de compà ©titività © is regarded as the most evident tool of a state policy of regional development. The other policy is Prime d’Amenagement du Territoire (PAT), which is a grant plan for business creating jobs. Pat was founded in 1996 and was evaluated in 2006.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The comparative lack of regional development policy has been substituted by investement in infrastructure such as high-speed railway system. The railway network favored the Western and Southern Mediterranean parts. The existing crisis has not affected the general structure of the regions. However, manufacturing regions has been greatly affected. The crisis has intensified social differences with outcomes for poverty in urban regions associated to high unemployment levels. The crisis has greatly raised concerns regarding the prospect of investment and expenditure in the regional and national levels. Research findings reveal that GDP declined by 0.2% in 2008 and significantly declined by 2.6% in 2009. The French government increased their investment and expenditure resulting to deficit and debts in public sector. French regions have struggled to sustain the level of investment, however local authorities are anticipated to face cut off in fin ancial transfers from the state. A reduction in social benefits will have short-term effects on the regions subjugated by public-residential economy as well as urban predicaments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In other instances, some regions have overcome the execution of their European Regional Development Fund operational programs in reaction to the crisis. The regional development policy based on the competitiveness and convergence regions can be evaluated through three policy document namely: the contrats se projet Etat-Region, Regional Schemes for Economic Development and the European Regional Development fund operational programs. The explanation of SRDE in every region is based on the review of 2003 Constitution and 2004 Parliament Act famous as â€Å"Decentralization Acte II† that gave French regions new competencies in the area of economic development. Documents from SRDE are basically policy proposals that do not involve financial obligations of the regional authorities. European Regional Development Fund favor for regional progress is fairly coherent with national policy because there is a solid relationship between the ERDF o perating programs and CPER. The coherence between the regional development policy and CPER/ERDF operating programs can be analyzed through appraisal of SRDE. Generally there are no principal differences between CPER/ERDF operating programs and SRDE.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schà ©mas Rà ©gionaux de Dà ©veloppement Economique (SRDE) outlines the significance of training, education and employment in regard to the anticipation of social and economic change as well as internalization. European Regional Development Fund is complementary to area expansion policy and does not include latest priorities. French regions have given priority axis to innovation and research, competitiveness, fight against greenhouse effect and sustainable development. Accessibility and transport are other priority axis emphasized by the regions. Terriotorial development is another aspect found in the regions priority axis either as a common policy theme occasionally connected to accessibility, cohesion and attractiveness or focusing on particular fields. Aquitaine is the only region that supports ICT. ICT is also supported by other large-scale projects in Languedoc-Roussillon. Lorraine and PACA fully support competitiveness and innovat ion while Rhode-Alpes support accessibility. Guyane and Martinique support social cohesion and health, La Reunion focus on human resource development while Auvergne is the only region which supports financial engineering (Ockwell, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is also vital to recognize other priority axis emphasized by other regions such as European and international dimension. This includes international environment and competitiveness found in Pays de la Laoire and La Reunion. In regard to financial obligation, competitiveness and the knowledge economy seem as the first policy area, while sustainable development and environment takes the second position. In some instances, some aspects of transport policy and territorial development can be linked to sustainable development. There are some discrepancies between convergence and convergence and employment and competitiveness regions. Convergence regions emphasize on the significance of human resource and education development via the ERDF, they also have priorities focused to the reparation for the structural handicaps and ultra-peripherality. In contrast, competitiveness and knowledge economy regions get minimal share of allocation (â€Å"R egional Policy†, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It must be highlighted that all regions incorporate support to poles in the proximity axes devoted to competitiveness and knowledge economy. Poles de competitivite are regarded as part of primary structure of regional development. French region incorporate territorial cooperation operational programs with faintly analogous priorities. The global economic crisis begun to have significant effect on the French economy in 2008. The crisis had distinct impacts depending on the French regions and their economic configuration. For example, Midi-Pyrenees was not greatly hit because it specialized in space industry and aeronautics, while customary industrial regions such as Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Lorraine suffered adversely. The French Government incorporated various measures to combat the crisis especially the implementation of European Regional Development Fund operational programs as component of its â€Å"plan de reliance†, in particular to speed up the execution of the operating programs, and focus on ‘Lisbon’ priorities, digital infrastructure, and energy efficiency for housing as well as sustainable development. Other regions incorporated additional strategies to combat recession; for instance, PACA included vocational training, social watch and economic strategies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is discrepancy between the original and newest allocation of ERDF financing in the five regions, corresponding to changes which were vital in the initial programming stage. There is reduction of initial allocations in Poitou-Charentes and Bourgogne. The reason behind reduction of allocation was the fact that the procedures were not adequately attractive, and, for sustainable non-road transport in Poitou-Charentes and the need of undertaking preliminary technical and feasibility studies. In Lorraine, Pays de la Loire and Franche-Comte, some priority axes have been cut short while others are improved with a depressing net impact.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The implementation rate in the convergence regions such as Guadeloupe, Guyane and Martinique is approximately 5-7% and 11.9% in La Reunion. The higher implementation in La Reunion is due to existence of shared strategic vision among its members in addition to solid partnerships. Generally the priority measures and axes dedicated to economy, competitiveness and innovation have a comparatively higher execution rate compared to other policy areas, except in La Reunion where the highest execution rates are in transport and accessibility and sustainable development. In the employment and competitiveness regions the execution rate is highest for the priority axes devoted to the innovation, knowledge and competitiveness of enterprises in regions such as Limousin, Centre, Alsace, Haute-Normandie, Auvergne, Aquitaine, Champagne-Ardenne, Provence-Alpes-Cote-d’Azur, Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrenees, and Pays de la Loire. The situation of th e regions may differ greatly since in some regions, it is innovation and knowledge economy that have high implementation rate, while in others is financial engineering or competitiveness of enterprises. In most regions, implementation rate ranges from 8 to 14 percent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On standard, the priority axes devoted to environment, sustainable environment and energy have a lower implementation rate. Nine regions had an implementation rate between 2 to 5 percent and nine other regions in a 7-10 range while Bourgogne had the highest implementation rate of 15.4 percent. The priority axes devoted to transport and accessibility, including ICT, has the highest implementation rate in Bretagne. Bretagne has an implementation of 14.5% associated to the construction of the high-speed railway. Generally, the regions have a lower implementation rate as compared to the priority axes devoted to the innovation, competitiveness and economy. The regions devoted to particular aspects such as territorial development have lower implementation rate in general except Franche-Comte. Franche-Comte has an implementation rate of 24.8% which dedicated its efforts at balancing intra-regional development. The intra-regional development invol ves expansion of the mountainous region of the Jura. The discrepancies in the implementation rates between different priority axes can be explained using various factors. Implementation rate in energy and environment policy area is mainly affected by the existence of less established agencies and administrations. The region also experienced a tricky reorganization in the foundation of the Directions regionales de I’environnement, de I’ amenagement et du lodgement (DREAL), in addition to involvements with undersized projects (â€Å"Regional Policy†, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The innovation, knowledge economy and competitiveness policy area have a relatively high implementation rate because these regions experience a well-established administration, strong links with enterprises, good relations with the SRI, amd from the emphasis and momentum on innovation. In some instances, new measures have not impacted full impact such as the Grenelle de I’ Environnement in comparison with the mantra on knowledge economy and innovation caused by the Lisbon plan, and reinforced in France by the (SRI) Regional Innovation Strategies, which were implemented in all French regions in 2009. The implementation rate in transport and accessibility policy areas is influenced by the need to carry out a lot of feasibility and preliminary studies before construction work sets off.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Apart from the crisis issue, the implementation of operation programs had to deal with some organizational and institutional problems. For example, Franche-Comte implemented 2007-2013 operating programs together with final step of 2000 to 2006 SPD. The economic actors and administrative staff had to understand guidelines and objectives in order to cope with the implementation process. The implementation procedure lacked knowledge of officials and adequate time particularly while undertaking innovative projects in Alsace as well as highly technical issues such as high-speed railway network in Bretagne. Other projects were abandoned because they were too complex and would take long duration to be implemented. An example of such project is innovation company creation in Languedoc and Rhone-Alpes regions. In addition some parts of ERDF policies were problematic to some regions; for example income-generating projects in Article 55. The general implementation rate might be low, but commitment rate gives a clear elaboration. France lags behind in ERDF commitment in competitiveness region at the end of 2009. ERDF commitment rates EU27 France Employment and competitiveness objective 30.4% 27.6% Convergence objective 25.2% 26.1%   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The convergence regions had a commitment which is relatively higher than EU27 convergence average and relatively lower than the competitiveness and employment regions. This implies that local and state regions have made efforts in managing structural funds, regardless of the customary problems encountered in the overseas areas, even if most of the EU27 regions are in the EU12 with inadequate knowledge of executing cohesion policy schemes. France has devoted efforts in innovation support for SMEs, risk and environment prevention as well as transport. On the other hand, EU devoted its efforts in ICT and related fields. There is a shift in strategy priorities towards innovation and the environment. There is relatively high commitment rate for innovation support for SMEs is somewhat noteworthy since it has posed difficult to implement projects of this type in French overseas regions. They have placed more emphasis on innovation. ERDF commitment rate EU27 (%) France (%) Enterprise environment 32.6 17.1 ICT and related services 32.3 32.9 Innovation support for SMES 20.7 32.9 Human resources 17.5 38.3 Transport 22.3 35.2 Energy and environment 16.1 37.9 Energy infrastructure 12.1 18.5 Risk prevention and environment 16.8 39.5 Territorial development 32.9 20.7   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The commitment rate in the competitiveness regions is lower than the EU27 average as regards territorial development and transport because urban and transport projects are indulge long schemes before work begins. ERDF commitment rate EU27 (%) France (%) Enterprise environment 33.8 30.5 ICT and related services 24.1 42.4 Innovation support for SMEs 29.2 18.4 Other investments in firms 54.7 42 RTDI and associated activities 32.2 36.3 Human resources 17.7 37.5 Transport 27.8 22.8 Energy and environment 20.2 22.2 Energy infrastructure 18.5 27.1 Risk prevention and environment 21.3 18.8 Territorial development 34.8 28.3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Commitment rates are high in enterprise support where the rates are particularly high for other investment firms and ICT and related services. The crisis greatly affected commitment rate of innovation support for SMEs. High commitment rate in innovation, knowledge economy and competitiveness signifies existence of competent administration and reluctant emphasis on innovation. Lower commitment rate in energy and environment signify lack of technical skills in agencies and administrations in addition to investment in large number of undersized projects as well as complex procedure of reorganization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is not easy to highlight the achievements from the programs because of the difference between initial and programmed objectives. Research reveals that only a few projects have been implemented due to time required for implementation process. Annual Implmentation reports of 2009 reveal that first achievements are beginning to be realized and this is an explanation why AIRs place more emphasis on the programmed projects rather than the achieved programs. In other instances, various indicators in AIRs make comparison efforts very difficult. Regional indicators might be emphasized by some regions, while neglecting EU and national indicators. In some regions, there are no reports or mentioning of the indicators. Comparison might also be difficult because of the likelihood of inappropriate naming of the indicators. In addition, the approaches and the sources used while reporting the indicators continue being imprecise in various regions (â₠¬Å"Regional Policy†, 2010)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The major achievement across French regions prevails in 2009 Regional innovation strategies. Generally, the highest rates and achievements are very crucial in large majority of regions. Urban problems are solved by improving urban transport in cities such as Limousin, Nord-Pas-de Calais. The regions with geographic handicaps develop high speed railway to improve access. There is also improvement of energy and renewable energy in rural areas as well as Southern regions. The evaluation carried on sustainable development and innovation reveals that policies devoted to sustainable development did not consider social issues. Regional innovation strategies have contributed immensely amongst all French regions to the improvement of innovation authority system, expansion of culture of innovation in regional and state administrations, and homogenization of interest in innovation. SRIs emphasize on non-technological innovation and service innovation in addition to financial engineering (Laurent et al, 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion, regional development is very vital since it will ensure equitable distribution of resources among all regions. Regional development mainly focuses on sustainable development, energy efficiency for housing as well as digital infrastructure. The main regions in France include Ile de France, Southern regions, Western regions, outermost regions and Rhà ´ne-Alpes. The central region holds an exceptional place since it is concentrated with governmental offices and headquarters of large companies. The major differences in these regions reveal themselves in terms of unemployment rate, population and GDP per capita. French outermost regions face a lot of problems such as cost of access, remoteness, geographical handicap, high dependence on metropole, lack of critical mass and environmental challenges. High population in some regions is because of high birth rate and immigration. Regions with lower GDP are either rural areas or regio ns with customary industries. Research reveal that only a few projects have been implemented since some of the projects are very complex and will take long time to implement them. It is also to identify the achievement of the implemented projects because there is difference between initial and programmed objectives. Regional development was greatly affected by the Global crisis, organizational and institutional issues. Regional development efforts were also affected by lack of time and competent officials especially when handling highly technical issues. References France., & France. (2006). Spatial planning and sustainable development policy in France. Paris: MinisteÌ€re des affaires eÃŒ trangeÌ€res. Funck,  B., & Pizzati,  L. (2003). European Integration, Regional Policy and Growth. Washington, DC: World Bank. Laurent,  H., Mignolet,  M., & Meunier,  O. (2009). Regional policy: What is the most efficient instrument? Papers in Regional Science, 43, 260. doi:10.1111/j.1435-5957.2008.00214.x Lopriore,  M. (2001). A critical view of the 2nd Social and Economic Cohesion Report and the future of regional policies after 2006. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2002). Impact of transport infrastructure investment on regional development. Paris, France: Author. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2007). Linking regions and central governments: Contracts for regional development. Paris, France: OECD. Regional Policy. (2010, November 10). Retrieved  October  24, 2014, from http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/evaluation/pdf/eval2007/country_reports/france.pdf Source document