Drawing on a range of scholarly articles, critically examine the Essay

Drawing on a range of scholarly articles, critically examine the relation between leadership and organizational citizenship b - Essay Example This behaviour is not part of the expected conduct that an individual is expected to portray prior to employment; thus, it is difficult to detect, as they are a result of the personal choice of the individual in question. This implies that organizational citizenship behavior is controlled and determined by an individual who exhibits it out of at his or her own decision and choice. The other important point about organizational citizenship behavior is that it is an effort from the employees to benefit the organization without expecting any form of reward (Shweta and Jha 2009, p.33). In spite of the definitions and explanations that label organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), there have been challenges attempting to prove that OCB is not a discretionary form of behavior, but rather can be influenced by other factors both within the organization and outside it. While evaluating the relationship between the OCB and leadership in an organization, it is crucial to avoid confounding by looking at all the other factors, other than leadership, that influence OCB and their impact on it as well. Firstly, organizational leadership shares a close relationship with OCB based on a number of leadership styles used in an organization, as well as efficiency of leadership in an organization (Lian and Tui 2012, p.60). In addition, there exist a relationship between leadership and OCB, which is based on the relationships found between leaders in an organization and their exchanges with their managers and subordinates in the organization. With this in mind, the Leader-Member exchange determines the relationship between employees, their superiors, and their employers. This is to mean that leadership styles that involve role modelling and communicating high levels of performance, as well as envisioning and invigorating employees intellectually affect organizational citizenship behaviour among the employees (Lian and Tui 2012, p.36). In such a case, the leadership style affect the ways in which employees interact with management to create an improved or poor performance willpower amongst the employees. As a result, employees OCB is affected negatively to an almost bare minimum, such that employees exercise their discretionary to flunk the organization. Therefore, the relationship between OCB and organizational leadership can be described as dependent on the state of leadership or style of leadership to influence how employees’ covert behaviour. In addition, transformational leadership behaviour is one that is known to influence this behaviour in employees as it involves direct contact between employees and management. It is through communication and motivation found in the transformational leadership style that contributes to improved OCB. This is because of the conduct of the leaders towards the employees, where they express satisfaction and appreciation for good performance. In addition, employers and leaders who have shared resources with the emplo yees, bring out the relationship between OCB and leadership. This is due to the level of personal support that employees share with the leaders, as well as time and information, which draw employees to engage in OCB readily. Studies indicate that leaders with defined job roles or

Adrienne Richs Elements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Adrienne Richs Elements - Essay Example She was also known to receive a variety of awards on her poems. Through the years, Adrienne Rich focused seemingly on â€Å"fairytale† theme poetry writings (Academy of American Poets). However, through the years and within the course of her marriage, Adrienne Rich transitioned into a different focus on her life and poetry. The year 1973 and onwards were Adrienne’s significant years for which she transformed her poetry. These years were known for fighting on Women and Civil rights. She focused on writing poems that implied hatred on how women are treated, and she eventually became a feminist (Academy of American Poets). This paper aims to examine the unique elements of Adrienne Rich’s poem â€Å"Rape† and provide the meaning and effect of each. Adrienne Rich’s â€Å"Rape† Adrienne’s transition to writings and poems focused on feminism, and she had made them pieces of art works in the literary world. â€Å"Rape† was one of the kn own poems of Adrienne Rich pertaining to fight for women’s rights. Collins stated that â€Å"Rape† was made known in 1972, and this was an â€Å"example of the silencing nature of pain.† This was related to violence with regard to men’s predominance. The poem â€Å"Rape† was said to be one of Adrienne’s drive to women’s rights with regard to their abuse, and other crimes that made women victims. Sielke also stated that the poem was the armour to provide anger on â€Å"patriarchal oppression† and â€Å"compulsory heterosexuality† (152). Adrienne Rich used her capabilities to come up with her own ways and means to promote the rights of women. Examining Elements The significant elements of Adrienne Rich’s poem are the unusual use of a second person and the multiple connotations portrayed through her use of diction. The poem is all about a woman who seeks justice after being raped and relays the story to a police offi cer. The poem is said to portray the complications of reporting such case in a â€Å"criminal justice system† that is operated by men (â€Å"Violence against Women,† n. pag.). Second person usage in the poem meant that there is a â€Å"presence of a stereotyping consciousness† (Templeton 48). On the other hand, the use of a second person implies her emphasis on a woman who underwent a dreadful experience of violence such as rape, and the need to seek justice with uncertainty. The use of a second person also serves a motivation and awakening of women to come out in the open and demand justice. These were all clearly identified in almost all of the lines in the poem. One of the lines that clearly describe the main idea of the poem stated â€Å"You have to confess to him, you are guilty of the crime of having been forced† (Rich lines 11-15). The effect of this second person usage would be more personal for the reader. The readers can easily imagine the real complications and the need to fight for their right if this was to happen to them in real life. The multiple connotations that were portrayed through her diction implied her interpretation as to how she sees and describes the justice system when a woman is the victim of such crime. It is said that Adrienne Rich used straightforward messages for complicated meanings (Atwood 1-2, qtd. in â€Å"Adrienne Rich†). This poem did not use poetic verses or style that would be hard to understand, but rather direct, internal, and simple words that can typically relate to any ordinary life. Adrienne Rich was able to state thoughts about a specific scenario that a reader usually has an idea already of what is expected to happen. However, as the reader progresses into the next lines of the poem, it provides more definite meaning other than the one stated. It gives more emphasis on the agony of a

Research an Entertainment Business Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An Entertainment Business - Research Paper Example (ATG, 2011). The business growth that ATG has achieved in less than two decades is a success story, specially attributed to Joint Chief Executive & Creative Director Howard Panter and Joint Chief Executive  Rosemary Squire OBE. Hoyle (2009) has recognizes the effort in these words, â€Å"It is an extraordinary story and one that could have distinct consequences for theatre goers, particularly in the regions, where the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) now has five times as many seats as any other operator.† ATG also acquired Live Nation’s Theatres in 2009 to further strengthen its market share. The group achieved the stature of single largest theatre group from scratch as Nighingale states, â€Å"That’s the challenge for Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire — who have seen ATG grow from nothing into the most important theatre group in the nation — have wisely or unwisely set themselves.† (Nighingale, 2009) The business of ATG falls under the doma in of art and media production, theatre and cinema industry. The ATG group run theatre and cinema, produces and invest in plays, films, dramas, live shows, comedy plays etc. It is a vast business sector that has diverse footings. â€Å"The arts, entertainment & recreation sector is a vast industry classification as per the NAICS – North American Industry Classification System.

Marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Marketing plan - Essay Example However, at later stages more specialized trainings will be given to employees. For staffing purpose, the job descriptions will be developed and the ads will be given on the website and in the printed media. Proper interviews and tests will be conducted to hire the staff. Vigor will be a created as a partnership among the three partners. The Partnership Agreement will be assigned by the three partners and they will have unlimited liability which means that in the case of the dissolution of the company, the personal assets of the partners can be also claimed by the creditors. No corporate taxes will be imposed and each partner will be liable to pay his personal tax at the rate of tax applicable to him individually. In future, if the company expands and we plan to establish more branches of Spa, then we may plan to convert our legal structure into a limited partnership or corporation. At Vigor, strong contacts will be established with health care providers. In collaboration with the health insurance companies, Vigor will offer insured services to its customers. Most of the people coming to Spas and taking massage therapies are unaware that when a physician prescribes massage therapy then it is usually paid by insurance. If insurance will not cover the expense of clients, the difference will be charged from the client. To handle insurance coverage, management software will be purchased. Vigor will also maintain a list of acceptable insurance companies and their clients will be handled. To ensure quality services, high quality products of good brands will be used. While servicing the customers their needs and wants will be understood. Moreover, a regular customer feedback will be also taken to ensure high service

Psychopathic behavior Essay Example for Free

Psychopathic behavior Essay Mike Tyson, or Iron Mike, the world’s youngest heavy weight boxing champion, has been involved in several problems with the law. A brief look at his life will show that it is possible that he is suffering from antisocial personality disorder or psychopathy. Mike was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 30, 1966. He came from a broken family as his left them when he was two years old. At his younger years, before 12 years old, he became a member a street gang and was involved in numerous bouts with the law. At the age 12 he was arrested for armed robbery and was sent a correctional center for juveniles in New York. At the age of 16 his mother died, and having no parent, he lived with his boxing trainer D’ Amato, became his legal guardian. There were rumors that he sexually abused a 12 year old girl. At age 20, in 1986, he came the world’s youngest WBC heavyweight champion. At age 21, he became the WBA heavy weight champion, and earned $20 million. Later he was married to actress Robin Givens, but they subsequently divorced. In 1992, he was convicted of rape and he spent 3 years in prison. In an official match, he bit off a chink of Evander Holyfield’s ear, which caused him to be banished from boxing for quite some time. In 1999, he was again sent to prison for assault. In a 2002 press conference, he attacked Lennox Lewis and bit his leg. In 2005, he was in debt for $34 million, despite earning hundreds of millions throughout his career. In 2006, he was again apprehended for driving while under the influence of alcohol. Based on these, it can be believed that Mike Tyson is possibly suffering from antisocial personality disorder. The key symptoms of antisocial personality disorder are; repeated lawbreaking, which can be seen from his repeated arrests; deceitfulness or lying; impulsivity, irritableness and aggressiveness, which can be seen from his assault and attack charges; reckless disregard for own safety and that of others, which can be seen when he was driving without a license; irresponsibility as seen unreliable employment history or not meeting financial obligations, which can be seen is being in debt for millions of dollars; lack of remorse; conduct disorder, which can be seen as he was already a member of a gang conduct disorder before 15 yrs of age. Lacks of affection, severe parental rejection, and lack of discipline from parents, are considered to be the primary causes of psychopathic behavior. In Mike’s case, he came from a broken family. He had no father since he was 2 years old. He had no mother since he was 16 years old. One might assume that mike never that the affection from his parents. When his father left their family, Mike might have taken it as being rejected. Their family set-up provided no or little room for discipline. Experts have found that it is futile to try to alter the nature of psychopaths (Davidson et al, 2004). A reason for this is that psychopaths just play along with therapists, indicating the manipulative character of psychopaths. It is also believed that it is unlikely that psychopaths would want to be in therapy. Recent studies however show that there can benefits from psychosocial treatment for younger patients with the said disorder (Davidson et al, 2004). Because of these, I believe treatment for Mike would be futile. Considering that he is already 42 years old, and that research have shown that treatment for psychopaths are often unsuccessful, and that psychosocial treatment would only benefit younger patients, it would be safe to assume that he will derive minimal, or no benefit at all from treatment. However since, he is already 42 years old, it can also be said that it would not be needed since psychopaths often settle down in middle age and after. In this stage in his life, antisocial behavior is believed to be less evident (Davidson et al, 2004). Reference Davidson, G. C. , Neale, J. M. , Kring, A. M. ( 2004) Abnormal Psychology. USA. John Wiley Sons, Inc.

Rules Of The Game English Literature Essay

Rules Of The Game English Literature Essay The main topic in this short story is the communicational barriers between mothers and daughters of different nationalities. All stories that make up the novel are related to this idea of not being able to communicate. First of all, it is hard enough to communicate with ones parents because of the generational gap, but for Waverly it is even more difficult to communicate with her mother because they have been raised in different countries, in different cultures. First of all, at the beginning of the novel there is a little introduction that covers all the themes that the novel deals with. It is the story of a woman who left China accompanied by a swan with dreams and hopes for a better life and when she finally arrived to the United States of America, she was deprived of the swan and was left with a single feather. The woman now whishes she could give her daughter that feather and teach her her meaning. I think that this introduction is the summary of the whole novel, and a good way to understand Rules of the Game. Here we can see that the introduction to the novel raises the issue of the linguistic and cultural barrier that exists between each immigrant mother and her American-born daughter. In this story, the daughter does not realize how lucky she is because she does not know her mothers story. It is impossible for the daughter to understand her mother because she does not know her past. Moreover, the mother actually wants to teach her daughter about her past so that she can learn from it, but her wish is not granted because even though she wants to do it, she is reluctant to do so because she is afraid that her daughter might not understand her or might think that everything she says is nonsense. At the same time that she fears that her daughter will not care about it, she is also fearful that she will not leave a mark in the world. And as we see in the story Rules of the Game, this also happens with the mother in Rules of the Game, Lindo, and her daughter, Waverly. Lindo wishes to teach Waverly everything she knows. Moreover, Lindo wants her daughter to have everything that she didnt have growing up in China. That is the reason why she teaches her daughter the art of invisible strength which is actually self-control. Lindo learns this lesson, and the importance of self-control in a very hard way, as we can see in her tale in The Joy Luck Club, and she gives Waverly all her knowledge even though, by teaching her, she is actually giving her the power to defeat her. Lindo teaches Waverly how to keep things to herself and use them when she needs them. And as we can see, Waverly actually uses this to her advantage throughout the story, to get her mother to let her compete and also to win chess games. The power that Waverly thinks the art of invisible strength has is very well depicted in this quote: I learned why it is essential in the endgame to have a foresight, a mathematical understanding of all possible moves, and patience; all weaknesses and advantages become evident to a strong adversary and are obscured to a tiring opponent I discovered that for the whole game one must gather invisible strengths and see the endgame before the game begins. I also found out why I should never reveal why to others. A little knowledge withheld is a great advantage one should store for future use. That is the power of chess. It is a game of secrets in which one must show and never tell. However, the main problem is that Waverly thinks that her intelligence is everything that she needs to be good at chess. It will be later on in her life that she learns that invisible strength was a very big part in her winning those games. When Waverly is little she has no concern for Chinese culture and she thinks that everything that comes from China is not useful in America. However, even if she does not realize that she is learning from her mother she actually is, and moreover, her mothers teachings have a big impact in her life. On the other hand, there is also a different theme in this story, which is the need of American-born children to separate themselves from the Chinese culture that their parents represent and to have a more separate American identity. The cultural differences make Waverly misunderstand her mothers pride in her achievements as pride in herself. But most importantly she wants chess to be a part of her own identity, separate from that of her mother and therefore, separate from Chinese culture. This is easily seen in her infuriating when her mother tries to advice her on how to play chess even though she apparently does not know anything about chess: Next time win more, lose less. Ma, its not how many pieces you lose, I said. Sometimes you need to lose pieces to get ahead. Better to lose less, see if you really need. Nevertheless, in the end, Waverly is able to win all those games, not only because of her aptitude but also because of her mothers teaching of invisible strength. As we can see in the following quotation, Waverly uses the wind as a metaphor for this invisible strength: Blow from the South, it murmured. The wind leaves no trail. I saw a clear path, the traps to avoid. The crowd rustled. Shh! Shh! said the corners of the room. The wind blew stronger. Throw sand from the East to distract him. The knight came forward ready for the sacrifice. The wind hissed, louder and louder. Blow, blow, blow. He cannot see. He is blind now. Make him lean lean away from the wind so he is easier to knock down. She, as it has already been said, thinks of the invisible strength as the wind, thus aligning herself with the same element her mother had identified with when facing her arranged marriage in China as we can see in the story Red Candle. So it is actually because of her mothers Chinese culture that she gets to be a chess champion. Furthermore, the way Waverly uses this metaphor is very similar to what we think of as Chinese imagery. Lindo is not the only source of Chiniseness that Waverly is exposed to, but also Lao Pao uses a lot of Chinese imagery when he is teaching Waverly to play chess. Another example of the fact that Waverly sees her mother, who represents Chinese culture, as something to reject and fight is that she depicts her mother as an actual opponent. The struggle for control between Waverly and her mother is symbolized in the dreamlike chess game at the end of Rules of the Game. Waverlys opponent in this game is two angry black slits. When Waverly confronts her mother during their shopping expedition, Lindos eyes turn into dangerous black slits. In the final line of the story, Waverly thinks, I closed my eyes and pondered my next move. Waverly does this in an attempt to break from the Chinese culture and trying to achieve an identity of her own, separate from that of her family, and, especially, her mother. Aside from the issue of linguistic and cultural barriers, and the need for a separate identity for the second generation, another important theme that this story deals with is storytelling. In the introduction of the novel, Tan uses a very short story in which we find the little tale that we mentioned before and which we may even consider it as a fairy tale. This brief introduction to the novel, like the feather that the introductions main character owns, symbolizes the importance of knowing the past to learn from it, and the only way to do it is by telling past experiences so that other people might learn from them. By stating this, all significance is given to storytelling. Additionally, storytelling acquires even more relevance for the children of Chinese immigrants, who are neither fully Chinese nor American and seek their identity in those stories. The oral tradition of the Chinese culture is like Russian matriuska dolls or a spiral case, as there is always a story embedded on another which is told from one person to another and thus there is no end to it. In this case, the introduction is a story in itself about a woman who is immigrating to America; this story has a fairy tale inside: the story of the duck stretching its neck to become a goose and instead became a swan. The mothers in the novel, by telling tales are ensuring that their story, the people in it, and their culture will not die with them, all those things will pass onto following generations, starting with their daughters. They also achieve the goal of making their daughters feel like they belong somewhere. When Lindo tells Waverly stories she is ensuring that she will be remembered by her daughter, and that she will pass on to her all her knowledge. Aside from this we should also make clear that circularity is a main characteristic of storytelling and also of this short story too. At the beginning of the short story, Lindo tells Waverly that strongest wind cannot be seen, and at the end of the short story we get the same sentence strongest wind cannot be seen even though this time it is Waverly who imagines her mother saying this. Therefore we can see how circularity and storytelling shape this short story. It is important to add that various narrators throughout the novel dwell on the idea of not being able to translate ideas, feelings, or cultural concepts from one language to the other. Mothers and daughters do not share the same language and therefore communication becomes only possible with the translation of Chinese into English, or vice versa. Thus the whole meaning that they want to pass onto the other person is lost in translation, their intentions might be misinterpreted. The mothers in this novel choose storytelling as their way of communicating due to the fact that neither the daughters speak much Chinese nor the mothers much English; there is an evident language barrier that they overcome by telling stories that they can all understand and from where they can simply get the moral. For example, Waverly remembers that her mother told her the story of a careless girl who ran into a crowded street and was crushed by a cab. So, as we can see storytelling in this case is being us ed as a cautionary tale. Moreover, Lindo does not explain explicitly the importance of self-control, but she actually uses a metaphor, the wind, to teach Waverly about this. And we can also see that because of the lack of communication, Waverly misinterprets her mother, and thinks she is giving herself credit for her daughters achievements. In conclusion,

Food Purchasing Cost Control

Food Purchasing Cost Control In the hospitality industry, purchasing may be defined as a function concerned with the search, selection, purchase, receipt, storage, and final use of a commodity in accordance with the catering policy of the establishment. (Davis and Kotas, 1986:47) Davis and Kotas (1986) suggest that purchasing is a fundamental function in the beverage control cycle. If this function is managed efficiently, then any hotel can attain quality beverage products at the minimum cost possible according to the companys financial objectives. The objective of beverage purchasing is to procure the best quality of items, at the lowest price for a specific purpose. It is a must to give considerable attention to the beverage cost control since beverages will normally throw in more profits than food. Fewer staff is required to process beverage into a finished item for consumption by the customers compares to food. (Davis et al, 2008) 3.2 The Purchasing Personnel Staff members that are responsible for the beverage purchases vary depending on the type and size of the establishment. (Davis and Kotas, 1986) The purchasing manager is responsible for the beverage purchasing function in Hotels One and Two. In Hotel-Three the purchasing manager and the food and beverage manager are responsible for the beverage purchasing function whereas in Hotel-Four the purchasing manager and the cost controller are accountable for this function. In Hotel-Two when there is a special theme night, the food and beverage manager will join the purchasing manager for such occasions. The purchasing function is centralised as hotel purchasing for Hotels One and Four. On the other hand the purchasing function is centralised as a group purchasing for Hotels Two and Three. It was agreed by all the interviewed personnel that the purchasing personnel have to be experienced and knowledgeable about the products that they have to order. In fact the purchasing manager in Hotel-Three has over thirty years of experience in this function. In the case of Hotel-Two it was mentioned that although experience and knowledge are vital for the purchasing function, most items in Malta are standard. Additionally it was also pointed out that the purchasing function depends on the demand of other departments. There have to be cross functional teams (that is team effort) and strong communication among all the hotel departments. Standards for beverage purchasing are developed for all the four hotels interviewed. Quality is given primary priority in all the hotels interviewed apart from for Hotel-Two where the first preference is on the price. In the case of Hotel-One, the products have to satisfy the bar manager and afterwards the purchasing personnel will deal for the best price for the pre-established quality. They will try to obtain the best price at the best quality. In Hotel-Three the purchasing personnel will try to attain a balance between price and quality however Quality is on top of the agenda. It is essential to consider the purchase of some of beverage items of each outlet separately. For example the wines offered at the pool bar will be at a lower quality and at a lower price when compared to the main bar. Each product can have a good quality, very good quality or best quality. The purchasing personnel have to choose the quality that is adequate for the specific outlet. In Hotel-Four both qualit y and price are given right of way however quality will always win. In Hotel-Two price is given precedence in the sense that, when choosing between two products with similar quality but different prices, the purchasing personnel will go for the cheaper product. The quantities of beverages to be ordered are determined by the storekeeper with the skilled assistance of the purchasing manager using a par stock level. When required in Hotel-One the cost controller will help out to determine the quantities to be ordered. In Hotel-Three the food and beverage manager will assist when needed to determine such quantities. 3.3 The Selection of Suppliers The suppliers selected can be either existing suppliers or potential suppliers. The advantage of the existing suppliers is that the quality of the goods received, the price and the service offered would all be already known. According to Dopsen, Hayes and Miller (2007) when dealing with new suppliers it is vital to exercise prudence and to get the subsequent information as a minimum: Full details of the firm and the range of items it is selling; Copies of recent price lists; Details of trading terms; Details of other customers they deal with; Samples of products. Ideally there should be a visit to any potential supplier to enhance knowledge about the size of the company; the range of the products; the size of processing and storage facilities and to meet members of the management team. All these factors facilitate a sustainable long-term business relationship. (Dopsen, Hayes and Miller, 2007) Suppliers can be chosen on the basis of their reputation in the market, upon an investigation of a supplier and on the basis of their performance. The best supplier is the one who provides the firm with the most efficient service with regard to quantity, quality, price and delivery performance. (Davis and Kotas, 1986:53) In all the hotels except for Hotel-Four there is a list of agreed suppliers from whom products are bought. Hotel-One has a list of preferred suppliers from whom the purchasing personnel will buy continually. It is a preferred suppliers list rather than an approved suppliers list. The advantage of having a preferred rather than an approved list is that if any particular supplier will give you a hard time (not reliable towards the hotel), then this supplier can be immediately replaced. Hotel-Two has an approved supplier when it comes to soft drinks and beers. When it comes to spirits, the suppliers are preferred rather than approved. Hotel-Three has contracts with the suppliers containing pre-agreed prices and pre-agreed quality of the listed products, however if something will not vary for example the quality will deteriorate, the purchasing personnel will alter the supplier if the problems will not be tackled. Although there is a contract, it is not a fixed contact that is the hotel personnel are not obliged to buy the beverage products from the specific supplier. Hotel-Four does not have any suppliers list. In this hotel the suppliers are chosen according to the quality of the products, the type of brands required and the services that the supplier will offer to the hotel. When selecting the suppliers, the criteria evaluated by Hotel-One are credit term, quality and prices. The credit term period is given top priority. According to Hotel-One it is useless to go for the best quality and the best price if the credit terms period is short. In Hotel-Two price is given top priority when selecting suppliers while quality and lead time are also analysed to make the right decision. In the other two hotels quality is the most influential factor used to determine the suppliers to be chosen for the beverage products. Dopsen, Hayes and Miller (2007) explained that the supplier performance can be evaluated using the rating system which usually includes: price, quality and delivery performance. Potential suppliers performance is only evaluated by Hotel-Three. Every now and then the purchasing manager will pick some items and verify if there is a better product in the market than the one that the hotel is currently using. The purchasing manager without involving employees in operation will pick up different products and will make a blind presentation and tasting of the product. The purchasing department will decant the product that will be identifiable (delete the tag and the supplier name) and the food and beverage manager will rate the product using a rating sheet including quality, yields among other factors. The person rating the product will not know who the supplier is. Although the decision taken will not be based on price, the food and beverage personnel will know the price to be able to match the product being tasted with its price accordingly. There have to be a balance between quality and price. It can be that the product quality is superior compared to the hotel standard thus the product will not be affordable. Then the rating sheet is filled out. Hotel-One pointed out that the suppliers evaluation and performance is not prepared because this does not add any value on the hotel sales. The cheapest item is not automatically the best to buy since low-cost products can lead to low quality. Normally the responsible persons go for the supplier on the basis of the quality required and then negotiate the best price for it. There is always a trade-off between quality and price. 3.4 The Purchasing Procedure According to Dopsen, Hayes and Miller (2007) the various steps in the purchasing procedure are: The initiation of a request to purchase beverages by an authorised employee such as the head of department or restaurant manager; The selection of the source of supply from which the goods are to be purchased, and the price to be paid; Entering into a contract with the supplier by telephone, electronically or in writing; Obtaining a satisfactory delivery performance from the supplier with regard to time, date and place of delivery; The acceptance of goods ordered and the transfer to the ordering department or to the stores. Purchasing is not a separate activity. What, how and when you buy must always reflect the overall goals of your establishment. Trends change so must you, the purchaser. (Brown, 2005:396) Dopsen, Hayes and Miller (2007) recommend that the procedure should reflect the type of the establishment and the market where it operates. Those responsible should consider: the location of the establishment in relation to its suppliers; the size of the storage facilities of the hotel; the shelf life of the beverage product; and the companys purchasing power. Whatever the establishment is, it is crucial to have a sound purchasing policy so that satisfactory standards will be achieved. 3.5 Purchasing Orders In every hotel it is vital to have purchasing policies and procedures which are planned to allow business transactions to take place smoothly between supplier and receiver. Documentary evidence should confirm that the procedures are actually being followed. In Hotel-One purchase orders are authorised by the purchasing officer and the financial controller while in Hotel-Two these are authorised by the group purchasing manager. In Hotel-Three the purchase orders are authorised by the cost controller or the general manager while in Hotel-Four these are authorised by the head of department and the latter will also communicate with the financial controller and the general manager, if deemed necessary. In all the hotels those authorising purchase orders are independent from those responsible for issuing requisitions. This prevents certain abuses that can be carried out when the same person will be responsible for both authorising purchase orders and for issuing requisitions. In Hotel-Two the persons issuing requisitions are the head of departments or the supervisors. Then the storekeeper will deliver the items that were previously ordered and the cost controller will verify that every order is in its perspective. In Hotel-Four the purchase orders are prepared by the head of departments while for the other three hotels, the purchase orders are prepared by the purchasing manager. Every hotel has a system of par stock level. In Hotel-One the cost controller will work to create a par stock level which will depend on the period of the year, the type of functions that the hotel has, and the type of clients that the hotel has. The aim of these par stock levels is to have some items of every stock with a limited quantity since excessive stock means cash put down the drain. Additionally useless stock will lead to negative cash flows. In Hotel-Two it was remarked that the par stock level used is an informal one that will be adapted according to the company needs. A point to note is that in Malta, hoteliers work a lot on a last minute purchases. This can be used since distances are short and so if there is a stock item missing, you can phone the supplier and the latter will bring the item in a few hours. In Hotel-Three the cost controller is responsible to ensure that stocks in the stores are kept lowest as possible as these will represent idle money. The information contained in the purchase orders of each hotel is nearly identical to each other. Hotels One and Three does not have the terms of payments listed in the purchase orders. The purchase order of Hotel-Three contained a disclaimer that declares that if the supplier (who will receive the purchase order) will not agree with the purchase order in terms of quantity or price or he does not have the pre-agreed brand, the supplier shall inform the purchasing manager before the delivery. In Hotel-Four the type of brand is not listed in the purchase orders. All the hotels have sequentially pre-numbered purchase orders. Normally a copy of the purchase order is being received by the supplier. The goods received clerk/storekeeper will also receive the purchase order and the same copy will go to the cost controller who will attach it with the invoice and passes it through his system and then the cost controller will give the purchase order to the accounts clerk who will pass it through the accounting system. On receipt of an authorised requisition form, it is vital to check the economic quantity to be purchased by checking the existing stocks and the sales volume forecast. After establishing the purchase requirements, a formal written purchase order is prepared. This serves as the basis for ordering. Written records lessen misunderstandings so it is better to maintain some written record of purchases, preferably on a purchase order, to verify the accuracy of deliveries received. (Dopsen, Hayes and Miller, 2007) 3.6 Concluding Remark Think of purchasing as a cycle, not a one-time activity. Purchasing is not just a matter of phoning or emailing another order. You dont want to run out, nor do you want to overstock. (Brown, 2005:395)