Arabs' Generosity and Hospitality in the Arabian Peninsula Essay

Arabs' Generosity and Hospitality in the Arabian Peninsula - Essay Example Another major reason of the extreme generosity and hospitality of the Arabs is that they are encouraged by their religion to be that way. The influence on Islam on the culture of the Arabs cannot be overemphasized. This is evident from almost all good behaviors displayed by the Arabs. For example, the Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula frequently make use of these words in their everyday conversation with one another; inshaAllah and mashaAllah, which mean â€Å"if Allah wills so† and â€Å"as Allah has willed† respectively. Islam is the religion of a vast majority of Arabs in the Arabian Peninsula. Islam places immense emphasis on the hospitality of guests and encourages its followers to be highly generous to others. Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) said, â€Å"Nothing shall ensure the welfare (and interests) of your religion except generosity and good disposition† (ezsoftech.com, 2011). This is the reason why Islam has a well-defined system of Zakat i.e. charity. While p aying Zakat is obligatory upon every Muslim who has assets or money above a certain limit, Islam also encourages its followers to pay more than just Zakat from what they have to the deserving; known as Sadqa in Islam. Allah says, â€Å"Take alms from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allah for them† (9:103 cited in Jabir al-Jaza'iry, 2013). In addition to Zakat and Sadqa, gift-giving is a very popular practice and tradition of Islam. Islam encourages its followers to exchange gifts with one another because it promotes love between them and causes the animosity to recede. It is important to note here that Islam has defined particular standards for gift-giving. Islam encourages its followers to give the same thing to others as gifts that they would choose... It is evident from the study that the Arabs consider being generous and hospitable a matter of honor and feel obliged to display it toward others as if it is a sacred duty that they have to perform. Arabs think of it more as an obligation and cultural duty to be generous and hospitable to each other as well as outsiders than simply a behavior. That is why they are famous for generosity and hospitality. Three main reasons of their generosity and hospitality are their centuries of living and trade in the deserts that made them extremely dependent upon one another, the teachings of Islam that place immense emphasis on the display of generosity and hospitality toward others, and the homogeneity of the culture and demographics of the Arab countries in the Arabian Peninsula. Islam is the religion of a vast majority of the Arabs in the Arabian Peninsula, and its impact and influence of the culture of the countries in the Arabian Peninsula is immense. The extreme generosity and hospitality o f the Arab people makes the foreigners feel like at home in the Arab countries. This has benefited both the Arabs and the foreigners as millions of foreigners are employed in the Arab countries and are contributing to the development and prosperity of the Arab countries. Both nationally and internationally, the Arab countries of the Arabian Peninsula have adopted the policies of generosity and hospitality which has helped them foster good relations with other countries of the world.

Racial profiling is not beneficial despite expert's findings Term Paper

Racial profiling is not beneficial despite expert's findings - Term Paper Example It suggests that profiling undermines social cohesion, is unjust, and should be stopped. Introduction Racial profiling is a controversial subject that is increasingly on the minds of both minorities and the police. This is a common practice by which people of a certain ethnic background are targeted by the security apparatus on the belief that they are more likely to commit or be involved in illegal activity. There is no other probable suspicion except for their skin colour, and because of it they are subject to search or even detention. There are some that suggest this needs to be done in order to protect our security and to cut down on costs. However, racial profiling is inherently unjust and unAmerican. It is not a useful or acceptable practice and it may even have negative consequences for security. Background To properly understand the role played by racial profiling in the criminal justice system it is important to take a step back and look at the various theories that underlie the system we live in. There are two main models that are used to frame the criminal justice system. These two models are excellent illustrations of the thinking behind a great deal of the policy discussion relating to racial profiling. The first model is called the Due Process model. In this system, the standard to arrest and convict a person is very high. There are numerous safeguards in place to ensure that no innocent person is ever subject to any sort of invasive treatment. Everyone, no matter what the crime or the nature of the evidence, is treated with kid gloves. Not until the judge weighs in with the final conviction is the suspect sent to prison. Trials, under this model, last for a very long time and every scrap of evidence is reviewed. The problem with this model is that it is impracticable. It is very expensive and time consuming. It uses up a lot of resources in a system with limited or finite resources already. It may also permit guilty people to game the system to s ome extent. This system is often promoted by people on the left of the political spectrum. There is a second model called the Crime Control model. Under this system, the police have a great deal of power to act as they see fit. They are empowered to stop people without suspicion and hold people without charge. The prosecutors are usually presumed to be right. The presumption of innocence is somewhat limited. There are few protections regarding the civil rights of those accused under this model. An accusation is similar to a conviction. Trials and investigations are short; everything is aligned against the suspect. Suspicion is akin to guilt. Criminals have few rights and little evidence needs to be presented in order to convict someone. This model is often promoted by people on the right. These two models are good illustrations of the politics behind racial profiling. They also represent two poles, neither of which are an appropriate way to run a criminal justice system. We see that racial profiling falls into the Crime Control model, where suspects have fewer rights, but community security is the ultimate good. Preserving limited resources is important. Rather than randomly searching people, under racial profiling ethnic background is taken to imply a likely disposition to commit a crime or type of crime. Race is used as an investigative shortcut. This is an unfortunate extreme. A much better position is between the two models. Problems with Racial Profiling There are many possible reasons why

Hurricane Katrina Was a Man-Made and Natural Disaster Essay Example for Free

Hurricane Katrina Was a Man-Made and Natural Disaster Essay The hurricane, of course, was a natural disaster. The after effects like the levees breaching, people starving and dieing in the streets, how the government handle the situation were all man made. The reason being a man made were , The man-made part of the disaster is that the government knew the levees wouldnt hold up in a Category 3 hurricane, and they didnt shore them up anyway. What was also man-made was the fact that the government told people to go to the Superdome, and when they did, they were stranded and many died a painful death. The reason being a natural disaster, New Orleans is below sea level, there wasnt much anyone could do to prevent it. A lot of people say that President Bush was lazy and uncaring about the problem and refused to help. However, the truth is he couldnt. In the case of a natural disaster, its up to the Governor of said area to either fix the problem or call in for help. The Governor in charge of that 5 years ago failed to respond, putting our former president in a tough situation. Eventually the government stepped in when it was clear there was no other choice, but saying Katrina was Bushs fault is like saying the oil spill is Obamas. It was a terrible natural disaster that happened 5 years ago, I say we put the past in the past.

Literary Analysis of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Essay -- Pride

Literary Analysis of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The novel Pride and Prejudice, is a romantic comedy, by Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is a story about an unlikely pair who go through many obstacles before finally coming together. Pride is the opinion of oneself and prejudice is how one person feels others perceive them. The novel, Pride and Prejudice, uses plot, the characters of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and the status of women and social standing, to portray the theme of the novel - pride and prejudice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plot of the novel follows traditional plot guidelines; although there are many small conflicts, there is one central conflict that sets the scene for the novel. The novel is about an embarrassing; mismatched couple and their five daughters. The novel begins with Mrs. Bennet, telling her daughters of the importance of marrying well. During this time a wealthy man, Charles Bingley, moves close to Netherfield, where the Bennets’ reside. The Bennet girls struggle to capture his attention, and Jane, who judges no one, is the daughter who manages to win his heart, until Mr. Bingley abruptly leaves town. Mr. Bingley is often accompanied by Fitzwilliam Darcy, who is a very proud man. Elizabeth Bennet, who is proud of herself, and Mr. Darcy are not fond of one another from the start, these two characters pose the central conflict in the novel. As the novel progresses, Elizabeth receives a marriage proposal from her cousin, Mr. Collins, and turns him down. Mr. Co llins then proposes to Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth’s bestfriend, who accepts. Elizabeth then leaves home to stay with, the Collins’ who live near Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy’s aunt. While this is going on, Mr. Darcy realizes he has feelings for Elizabeth and proposes to her, this is the climax of the novel. She is astonished by his actions, and turns him flat down. She explains that she feels he is arrogant, and feels he stood in the way of Jane and Mr. Bingley marrying, and also feels he is a cruel man, especially in his treating of Mr. Wickham, she is expressing her prejudice towards him. He leaves and they part very angry with each other. Mr. Darcy then writes Elizabeth a letter, explaining his feelings, defending his actions, and reveling the true nature of Mr. Wickham. During this time Elizabeth returns home still baffled about the letter Mr.... ...udice in the social ladder. The Bennet family, although wealthy, was looked down upon, is relation to their social status. They were seen as low on the social ladder, because they had "new money." Lady Catherine, is another example of pride and prejudice displayed through social status, "Now and then they were honoured with a call from her ladyship, and nothing escaped her observation†¦" Lady Catherine noticed flaws in everyone and used her position and title of "Lady" to rise above everyone and make herself seem superior to them. Her position gives her pride and she flaunts it in a negative way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many examples throughout the novel, to support the running theme, and title of the novel, Pride and Prejudice. Pride in not always a good thing, it can lead to arrogance and contempt very quickly. Prejudice is not necessarily a bad thing either, and is never unavoidable, sometimes disliking a person and not being friends with them works out to an advantage. Jane Austen dramatized the theme of pride and prejudice, through plot, her main characters, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, and demonstrated how the status of women and social status can lead to pride and prejudice.

Email Privacy Issues :: essays research papers

Email Privacy Issues   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a result of recent lawsuits against many organizations, companies have developed a policy on proper email practices on company computers. No longer is your personal email regarded as private when accessed on a company’s computer. Companies, in order to decrease lawsuits and increase productivity, have purchased email monitoring software to track email usage during work hours. Therefore, with the onslaught of email monitoring, is a private email really private?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In NetworkWorld’s The Perils of Privacy, Sharon Gaudin discusses the benefits of a company having a well-defined email policy. She provides the pros and cons of whether a company should invest in an email monitoring system. According to Gaudin, companies are held liable for what their employees do when using company equipment. A joke between to college buddies can be deemed sexual harassment by the company and open up a lawsuit if it ends up in the wrong hands. Because of this, companies have begun monitoring not only emails that employees send, but the websites they visit. Is this ethical? Some would say yes. A company has to protect its name and assets. The business arena is just for that†¦business. Employees are not paid to do personal business on company time. Leisure activity on the internet slows productivity and costs money. On the other hand, if a â€Å"clerk uses her lunch break to scan the Web for information on abuse victims, [and] the info rmation she calls up also flashes onto a screen in her boss's office, and now he knows a secret she never told anyone,† isn’t that a violation of her privacy?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While this issue seems to be one of ongoing debate, I am one who does not take sides. On one hand I can see the need for corporations to monitor their employees. Information within an email can be deemed unimportant to the mission and goals of the company.

An Unhealthy Image Essay

Over the years, models have become skinnier and skinnier, and now most models are just too thin. Being a fashion model went hand-in-hand with being slim, but now being a fashion model goes hand-in-hand with no body fat whatsoever. It took the death of a young adult at a fashion show taking place during Fashion Week for officials in Madrid to finally say ‘No more’ to overly underweight models, and others are being to follow suit. Luisel Ramos was one of Uruguay’s top fashion models at the age of only 22. In preparation for Uruguay’s Fashion Week, she stuck to a strict diet of only lettuce and Diet Coke for about three months leading up to the show. Shortly after exiting the runway during a fashion show, she collapsed backstage trying to fight through a heart attack, but because of the lack of nutrition was unable to win the battle (Phillips). The strict dieting Ramos stuck to left her weighing only 98 pounds. This is the average weight of a 12 or 13 year old standing a little over 5 feet tall, but at a height of almost 5’10, this is alarming (Average Height to Weight Chart). That’s a body mass index, or BMI, of only 14.5! BMI is calculated using a person’s weight in conjunction to their height and is used to categorize a person’s weight to determine if they are underweight, average weight, or overweight. (Healthy Weight: Assessing Your Weight: Body Mass Index (BMI)). According to The World Health Organization, a BMI of 16 is already considered starving, so 14.5 is extremely underweight. To add insult to injury, Lusiel’s 18-year-old sister died the following year for the same contributing reason, malnutrition (Phillips). Australia, along with some European countries, and a few case-by-case fashion shows in the United States have already started banning severely underweight models, but a majority of countries have yet to join the movement. There should be a weight minimum on models because without one the pressure to be thin forces unhealthy dieting and eating disorders, the fashion industry is promoting an unhealthy body image, and because we simply should not be encouraging a sickness. There is definitely an undeniable pressure for models to be thin in the fashion industry. According to Martin J. Tovee, a professor at Newcastle University and one of the conductors of the study â€Å"Supermodels: Stick  Insects or Hourglasses?†, â€Å"model cards provide accurate biometric data on the basis of which the models are hired† meaning to models and designers, numbers are everything (Tovee). Unfortunately, it is usually the lower the numbers, the greater the chance of being picked, putting a great amount of pressure on fashion models to be skinny. But there are a host of health problems that go hand-in-hand with being super skinny. One with an eating disorder will most likely suffer from an irregular heartbeat; sensitivity to cold temperatures; thinning of bones; lowered blood pressure but also a lowered pulse, lowered body temperature, and breathing rates. Lack of proper nutrition can even cause damage to vital organs like the heart, brain, or kidneys (â⠂¬Å"Eating Disorders: Complications†). None of these health problems can and should be taken lightly. After reading a list like this, it’s not surprising that 1 out every 10 eating disorders leads to death (Weltzin). What is shocking, however, that it is said that one of the most common causes of death among those with an eating disorder is not directly related to a physical health problem, but instead the mental aspect of it. It appears that suicide among those with eating disorders is one of the most common causes of death and was confirmed in one of the many studies done titled, Suicide and attempted suicide in eating disorders, obesity and weight-image concern, which is a study completed by the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rome. They have determined that, â€Å"individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa commit suicide more often than their counterparts in the general population; also a few studies have suggested that suicide is the major cause of death among patients with anorexia nervosa, refuting the assumption that inanition generally threatens the life of these patients† (Pompili). Suicide is often a result of pressure or challenges becoming unbearable. These models are literally dying to be ‘beautiful’. Since 2010 alone, there have been seven reported cases of suicide among models as young as 16-years-old (Coles). With a minimum weight requirement put in place, some of the pressure put on by the fashion industry to be too skinny will be taken off of these young models. The fashion industry is crawling with designers and the â€Å"beautiful† people they chose to represent them. Sadly, the fashion industry’s idea of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"beautiful† is unhealthily underweight bodies attached to pretty faces. In many aspects, models are widely respected. They introduce the world to the up-and-coming trends; they show the world different ways to put together outfits; and they make up a small portion of the population who are portrayed as physically â€Å"perfect† and who doesn’t want to be what others think â€Å"perfect† is? For those who feel they are not already beautiful, they look to these models to try and discover how â€Å"beauty† can actually be defined. A few things might stick out to those who look to models for guidance. They might notice the pretty hair, or the seemingly flawless skin, and they may even notice the models’ above average height, but one thing that cannot be looked over: the modelâ₠¬â„¢s weight. Fashion models are all very petite and most are lacking the natural curves of a woman. But models and the fashion industry are promoting this body image as what ‘beauty’ can be defined as. Former Victoria Secret model, Frederique van der Wal, was in awe at the sight of how skinny the models were who strutted down the runway during New York’s Fashion Week in 2006. She commented on the sight by stating, â€Å"This unnatural thinness is a terrible message to send out. The people watching the fashion shows are young, impressionable women† (Hellmich). It can be agreed that the situation is bad when one of their own comments on it. But there is plenty of truth to stand behind what the model is saying. In fact, a professor of psychiatry at Rush Medical College in Chicago and the vice president of the American Psychiatric Association, Nada Stotland agrees, arguing that â€Å"We know seeing super-thin models can play a role in causing anorexia†¦ because many models and actresses are so thin, it makes anorexics think their emaciated bodies are normal† (Hellmich). With this definition of beauty, young people who aspire to be models are doomed. Whether they like it or not, many models and actresses are seen as role models, and many young girls growing up look to models and actresses as such. When females look to some of the models as role models, and see all the glam, glory, and attention that these models are receiving, it only encourages the disorder. Role models should be that: role models. They should be promoting a positive image, both mentally and also physically. However, overly thin models display the exact opposite. They are mentally unhealthy, and it shows physically. What these young people may not know about wanting to be a dangerously underweight model are the health problems  that being dangerously underweight are linked to. In fact, the models that are participating in being dangerously underweight may not know the health problems they may be bringing upon themselves either. However, this is not a suggestion that thin models cause eating disorder in those who look up to them. One of the misconceptions and arguments against applying a weight minimum to modeling is that thin models do not cause eating disorders, it has yet to be proven so this is a valid argument, but on the other hand, it cannot be denied that it could be an attributing factor in some cases. Another argument against weight restrictions, is that if models are seen as role models to others and are being held accountable, then others in the limelight need to be held accountable, also. The flaw in this argument is that ‘others’ are actually being held accountable. Some may considered musical artists a role model. With this said, newly signed rapper, Wiz Khalifa is known for his reference to marijuana in his songs, but is still adored by the younger generation. However, this caught up with him last year when he was arrested for drug position (Miller). Without this minimum weight requirement, these severely underweight models are only being encouraged. The thinner the model, the more work and opportunities that are available to them. Hiring the thinnest models is justified by saying that designers need models that will fit sample clothes. There has been discussion by The Council of Fashion Designers of America about increasing sample clothing sizes but only few have taken the initiative to increase the sample clothing size. Sample clothing is prototype of clothing designers create for a model to wear down the runway, before mass producing. Sample clothing sizes usually range from a size zero to a size two. A former runway model, Valentine Fillol Cordier, explains, â€Å"The measurements have changed – I’d say the perfect hip size now is 10cm less that it was in the 90’s. All the girls have lost on the hips† (Fisher). She then goes on to explain that since she was unable to keep up with changing measureme nts, â€Å"[she] can’t work anymore† (Fisher). The editor of respected fashion magazine, _Vogue_, Alexandra Shulman, sent a letter to major international fashion houses complaining that â€Å"sample sizes sent by designers are now so ‘minuscule’ they force fashion editors to use models  with ‘jutting bones’ and ‘no breasts or hips'† (Fisher). As sample sizes get smaller and smaller, the healthier models find themselves out of work while the unhealthy models get all the glory. By the unhealthier models getting all the glory, it is only reassuring the models that being severely underweight is a good thing, and encouraging other models to get skinnier when in fact is it absurd. The world might wince at the sight of skin and bones walking around, but as long as these models are being used to showcase designers’ apparel and still getting paid, who is going to stop them? Some have finally said enough is enough to severely underweight models. The first ban on overly underweight models took place in 2006 in Madrid. In order to determine what a healthy weight is for a model, fashion shows taking place in Madrid evaluate the Body Mass Index, or BMI, which compares the models’ height to their weight. Any models falling below the â€Å"healthy† weight limit being turned away. The mayor of Milan in Italy, has decided to do the same. She says that the only way that this policy will be overturned is if there is another to keep the models from looking â€Å"sick† (â€Å"Skinny Models Banned from Catwalk†). More recently, Victoria Beckham banned 12 models from her New York fashion show last year. Even though she is quite thin herself, she did not want to keep the trend going by supporting underweight models. Placing a weight minimum on models would not be put in place to discriminate against models and designers, but instead for the welfare of models and the people who look up to them. Without the weight minimum, the fashion industry is promoting an unhealthy body image. They are sending the message to consumers and the people who look towards the models as role models that it is okay to be severely underweight. Not only is the fashion industry negatively impacting others, but it is also negatively impacting the models, themselves. They are killing themselves to be this idea of â€Å"beautiful† that the fashion industry has defined. Just as important, without this minimum weight requirement, this unhealthy lifestyle, this sickness, is being glorified and encouraged, wherein it should not be. Eating disorders are exactly that, illness, and no one should be cheered on for it. Bibliography â€Å"Average Height to Weight Chart.† _Disability News, Information and Resources – Disabled World_. Disabled World, 28 Oct. 2007. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. . Coles, John. â€Å"Aspiring Teenage Model Gabby Joseph Killed by a Train.† _Metro.co.uk_. Metro, 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. . â€Å"Eating Disorders: Complications.† Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 12 Jan. 2010. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. . Fisher, Alice, and Caroline Davies. â€Å"Fashion Houses Hit Back In Row Over Who’s To Blame For ‘Size Zero’ Models.† The Guardian. The Observer, 13 June 2009. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. . â€Å"Healthy Weight: Assessing Your Weight: Body Mass Index (BMI).† _Centers for Disease Control and Prevention_. CDC, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. . Hellmich, Nanci. â€Å"Do Thin Models Warp Girls’ Body Image?† _Health & Behavior_. USA TODAY, 26 Sept. 2006. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. . Miller, Carlin DeGuerin. â€Å"Wiz Khalifa Arrested: Rapper Bonds Out of Jail in Time for â€Å"Cheese Eggs Pimp† Breakfast – Crimesider – CBS News.† Breaking News Headlines. CBS, 9 Nov. 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2012. . Phillips, Tom. â€Å"Anna Carolina Reston: The Model Who Starved Herself to Death.† _Latest News, Sport and Comment from the Guardian | The Guardian_. The Guardian, 13 Jan. 2007. Web. 23 Oct. 2011. . Pompili, M, Girardi P, Tatarelli G, Ruberto A, and Tatarelli R. â€Å"Suicide and Attempted Suicide in Eating Disorders, Obesity and Weight-image Concern.† _Eating Behavior_ (2006): 384-94. _NCBI_. NCBI, 23 Jan. 2006. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. . Povoledo, Elisabetta. â€Å"Milan Wants to See More Meat on Models.† _The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia_. The New York Times, 15 Sept. 2006. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. . â€Å"Skinny Models Banned from Catwalk.† Featured Articles from CNN. CNN, 13 Sept. 2006. Web. 24 Nov. 2011. . Tovee, Martin J., Suzanne M. Mason, Joanne L. Emery, Sara E. McCluskey, and Esther M. Cohen- Tovee. â€Å"Supermodels: Stick Insects or Hourglasses?† _Supermodels: Stick Insects or Hourglasses?_ 350.9089 (1997): 1474-475. _TheLancet.com_. The Lancet. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. . Weltzin, Theodore E. â€Å"Eating Disorders.† _American Bar Association_. GPsolo Magazine, Oct.- Nov. 2004. Web. 24 Nov. 2011.

Lean Management in a Salon

1. 0. About the organization Yellow Nails Salon is a privately run business which specializes in nail care and started off as a nail-bar 5 years ago. It is a small setup with 10 service staff, one main work floor, 2 treatment rooms, a storeroom, a pantry and a restroom. The owner visits the salon every day for a couple of hours to keep an eye on the over-all running of the salon and to ensure work is being done up to the standard. The salon services about 20 customers on weekdays and up to 40 customers on weekends/peak seasons, and receives about 20% turn-away customers daily. . 1. Main products and services The core services provided by the salon are different types of manicures and pedicures. Since 2010 the salon has grown in popularity and seen a demand from regular clients to offer more varied services, so hair treatments, massage services, hair removal and specialized facials have been introduced. The salon also stocks nail polishes which the customers can purchase. 1. 2. The cu stomers The client base consists of women from low to mid-income families residing in the area.These are women that like the convenience of having a salon close by that they can visit regularly and pamper themselves, yet not blow a hole in their pockets by doing so. A lot of the customers treat their salon time as a requirement rather than an indulgence and slot it in as a job in their busy schedules. 1. 3. Order qualifiers and order winners for the company The order winners for the salon are the prices offered along with the decor and environment.There are no other salons in the area with a matching stylish interior while offering similar competitive rates. Any salons that offer this type of ambience will be too pricey, and those that are not, will not have the same sort of interiors. The order qualifiers are the experience of the staff, the services offered and the location. 2. 0. Challenges One of the biggest challenges faced by the business is that a lot of customers have to be turned away because the salon is unable to accommodate them in several ways.While a lot of similar salons thrive on new and walk-in customers, in Yellow Nails, unless you have pre planned the visit and booked, you will not be attended to, even if is it a case of adding an extra treatment during your visit. Appointments are made and not kept, yet the staff is obligated to sit idle until the customer arrives and turn away walk-in customers. Another major problem is that a lot of time is taken up by each customer alone as a single specialist attends to a customer at a time, while other staff waits for their booking to arrive.There have been occasions when it has been witnessed that some roll-on wax has been thrown away because it has dried up so the attendant has had to open a new case, which is also the case with other beauty products. Seemingly, there is quite a bit of wastage due to old stock being kept. Another issue seems to be that though the staff is very friendly and their work is of a high standard, the space around them is not very organized, resulting in longer waiting time for the customer, even between services.Along with these challenges, the cost of operations is high, as the owner gets the spa products from Switzerland which she visits periodically and stocks up on her visit and has also invested heavily in treatment machines, which require regular maintenance. These factors show that it is quite important for the business to structure its operations more effectively in order to generate more desirable profits. 2. 1. Evidence Having been to the salon many times and witnessing the problems on a first-hand basis, there is no doubt that the problems observed do truly exist.Many businesses have challenges which are buried under a shiny exterior, but when the customer starts facing it directly, you know it’s an issue that needs to be dealt with immediately, possibly more critically in a service-based company. 2. 2. Effects on the Business While the salon is making sufficient revenue, it is losing out on prospective business because the jobs are not streamlined effectively. Having spoken to the manager of the salon about how the business is performing, she said it is doing quite well and they are making â€Å"good money†.On the slightly negative side, she went on to say that they are unable to hire any more staff because they don’t have space to accommodate more customers at one time and the owner had no intention to expand the space. What was perceived from the discussion was that they do recognize that a lot of customers have to be turned away due to which they are losing potential business, and that the owner is interested in hiring more girls in order to boost profit but is unable to, and she doesn’t think there is any other solution to this problem.The obvious answer, as per the owner, is that more staff equals more customers, which means more revenue. ? 3. 0. Lean implementation in the service sec tor Traditionally, Lean practices have been largely associated with the manufacturing industry, with literature and methods of implementation being more accessible in that particular sector. We therefore look at the research of several authors that discuss how lean can be applied in service industries and the factors that need to be focused on in order to be able to do so.We also look at the different frameworks of lean that makes it a recommended approach. 3. 1. Literature Review The term Lean management has first been used in the book The Machine That Changed the World by Womack, Jones and Roos (1990), describing the fundamentals of the Toyota production system as lean production (Coote and Gould, 2006). Following on from which, Coote and Gould’s (2006) literature talks about lean as a concept that has come to mean different things to different people, from claiming that most view it as a collaboration of efficiency and low cost which they depict as being a narrow view.They provide a more wholesome definition describing it as ‘delivering customer value without waste’. As businesses tend to place a high importance to their customers, it would be inevitable that a concept with a large focus on that factor would be adopted, although one would question whether the approach is only fit for a manufacturing company. Abdi et al (2006) state that lean can be applied to service sectors and that there are similarities and differences in adopting the approach from a service point of view.Their literature discusses five different principles from the works of Womack and Jones (1996) and how these lean manufacturing principles can be applied to the service sector, which includes specifying value by service, indentifying the service value stream, making the service flow, supplying at the pull of the customer and implementing the pursuit of perfection and in order to apply these principles, they place the human element as a crucial variable in the service s sector.Another piece of literature, researched by Bonaccorsi et al (2011), concludes that lean thinking has the potentialities to be implemented in the service industry as an effective way to cut costs and increase customer satisfaction. They emphasize that applying lean to service is challenging which is why lean concepts must often be redefined in a proper way, and to solve this, the concept Service Value Stream Management (SVSM) has been developed.This approach is flexible in nature and can be applied to a wide range of cases, including Yellow Nails salon, wherein the principles of lean need to be tailored to the requirements of that particular sector. As SVSM is claimed to be flexible and used functionally as a general guide, there should be no complications to develop a true lean service via its implementation. Piercy and Rich’s (2009) research findings highlight that through the adoption of lean service tools, service business can serve the traditionally competing pri orities both of operational cost reduction and of increased customer service quality.The lean approach is validated in the service context and proposed as a valuable addition to traditional service marketing approaches to services improvement. In their paper, they present the data on the implementation of lean process approaches in the call centre context highlighting rapid improvements such as value identification, process/value stream mapping, and removal of barriers to flow value to the customer. An empirical study by Alsmadi et al (2012), analyzes the differences in the relationship between lean practices and firm performance in the UK manufacturing and service sectors.Although lean practices have been successfully implemented in many manufacturing cases, their effect on firm performance in both manufacturing and service sectors is still limited. First, the empirical findings in both sectors suggest that Lean practices are positively associated with firms’ performance and the degree of impact on performance is also identical between the two sectors, therefore their study supports the positive argument concerning the applicability of Lean practices in service firms and their potential effect on performance.The results also suggested that soft Lean practices related to customer and HR management in the service sector was performing highly which is why it is essential, as stated by other authors, that Lean practices need to be distilled and tailored to the specific features of the sector. Once the idea of lean principles has been accepted that is can be implemented by a service based company, it would be important to focus on the specific internal implementation techniques, wherein Malayeff (2006) attempts to provide insight into the management of an internal service system derived from a perspective of Lean management.He claims this would exist within professional service units of development, engineering, information technology, human resources and c onsumer affairs. In the case of Yellow Nails salon, the focus would be on the HR and consumer functions.. Malayeff’s (2006) study stated that internal service systems have numerous common structural characteristics including the importance of information, process flows across functions, many hand-offs of information, hidden costs and benefits and no explicit motivation for urgency.The wasteful activities can be classified into seven groups: delays reviews, mistakes, duplication, movement, processing inefficiencies and resource inefficiencies, and he found that the most common problems included a lack of standard procedures, long service times, communication breakdowns and poor personnel management, out of which all but communication breakdowns are issues that Yellow Nails salon can be seen as a victim of. Draghichi and Petcu (2011) also propose Lean Six Sigma as a strong leadership approach for improving management rocesses, while reducing errors which can in turn help both t he organization and its employees do things quicker and better through quality principles, resulting in improvements at all service organization levels Bortolotti and Romano (2012) developed a framework based on a study they conducted wherein they found that the automation of a process that is not streamlined can generate problems that can slow down the flow of work and increase errors. They state that a process should first be mapped to highlight waste and only when the new process is streamlined, can it actually be automated.They go on to say that by doing so, the new process will automate only value-added activities recognized by the customers which we will touch upon in more detail for Yellow Nails salon in section 4. 3. 2. Recommendations Though the authors state that through tailored concepts being applied to service sectors, lean can be effectively employed, it is important for authors in the field to depict more focused principles relating to lean practices for a full servic e based business, which seems to be missing. 4. 0. Project Plan for Lean ImplementationIn order to fix the problems that the business is facing, I would propose a new business model incorporating a lean approach. Lean focuses on elimination of waste (Slack et al, 2010) and the following are some of the Muda, or non-value adding work for the customer that can be eliminated with the suggested operational implementations. 4. 1. Reducing waiting time Yellow Nails Salon will benefit from eradicating the appointment system that they are currently enforcing, which in fact ties up the service slot, even if the customer is late due to the business’ policy that could be given to a walk-in customer.Management should instead implement job cards with a list of what treatments the customer wants with service being given on a first-come-first-serve basis. This will allow the business to maximize the number of customers they are taking on daily, not turn any customers away and eventually cut down on the waiting time of the customer. 4. 2. Full utilization of Human Resources Currently, the staff is not being utilized to their maximum capability so it would be beneficial to the business to reorganize the way the service staff is taking on workload.A full utilization of all staff at all times approach should be set into place, so if there is one customer and two staff members available, they should both attend to the client to speed up the service where possible . This would essentially free up 50% of the client’s time in the salon, which no doubt will be give them better value for money. The improved efficiencies can be highlighted by illustrating this using Value Stream Mapping. 4. 2. 1 Value Stream Mapping Value stream mapping focuses on value-adding activities and distinguishes between value-adding and non-value-adding activities (Slack et al, 2010).The following is a simplified version showing the value added activities for a customer at the salon and highligh ts the waiting time as the ‘waste’ which should be eliminated. Example of customer x – Requirement: Manicure, Haircut & Waxing It can be seen that with the current means of operations, a customer with the mentioned requirements will be at the salon for three hours and fifteen minutes, whereas by employing lean practices, their time can be cut down by a full hour and fifteen minutes. 4. 3. JIT implementation for beauty productsThough the owner may view it as a major set-back, it would be an intelligent decision to acquire a local supplier that can provide good quality products that the salon can order in smaller batches when required, rather than purchasing excellent quality products in large quantities, keep the stock in storage over long periods of time and throw a large portion of it away due to it being spoilt.. By introducing JIT, the salon can keep customers happy as well as combat avoidable costs. 4. 4. 5S principles implementationAnother factor that can im prove customer service provided at the salon would be to reorganize the workspace by adopting the 5S lean implementation framework which would help the staff operate in a more orderly manner. The staff is directly customer facing so there is not a lot of scope to waste time locating the required goods to service the customer. 5. 0. Conclusion To conclude, though the business is currently at a good stable position in the market with a loyal customer base, there is scope for growth in terms of increased profits and new business which can only be enjoyed by Yellow Nails if it implements lean practices.The challenges which are currently faced comprising of turning away customers, long waiting time and wastage of stock can all be solved by incorporating the 5 principles of lean thinking, which include focusing on value of the customer, appreciating the value stream, concentrating on improved flow and perfecting quality. The business possesses some very strong attributes wherein some lean values can already be found such as the pull factor as staff is flexible in fulfilling customer requirement, and additional care is given to quality of service.However, there is still a gap in the model which is not allowing the business to perform at its full potential, and by tapping in to this area, going forward, Yellow Nails will be able to see substantial improvements. ? 6. 0. References †¢Abdi, F. et al. (2006) Glean Lean: How to use Lean approach in service industries?. Journal of Services Research, 6 p. 191-206. †¢Alsmadi, M. et al. (2012) A comparative analysis of Lean practices and performance in the UK manufacturing and service sector firms. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 23 (4), p. 81-396. †¢Bonaccorsi, A. et al. (2011) Service Value Stream Management (SVSM): Developing Lean Thinking in the Service Industry. Journal of Service Science and Management, 4 p. 428-439. †¢Bortolotti, T. and Romano, P. (2013) ‘Lean first, then automa te': a framework for process improvement in pure service companies. Production Planning & Control: The Management of Operations, 23 (7), p. 513-522. †¢Coote, P. and Gould, S. (2006) Technical Matters – Lean Management. Financial Management, p. 31-34 †¢Draghici, M. and Jenica Petcu, A. 2011) Knowledge Transfer – The Key to Drive Innovation for Service Organizations Excellence. Journal of Knowledge Management, Economics and Information Technology, (4), p. 44-53. †¢Maleyeff, J. (2006) Exploration of internal service systems using lean principles. Management Decision, 44 (5), p. 674-689. †¢Piercy, N. and Rich, N. (2009) High quality and low cost: the lean service centre. European Journal of Marketing, 43 (11/12), p. 1477-1497. †¢Slack, N. et al. (2011) Essentials of Operations Management. Harlow: Prentice Hall Financial Times, p. 1-318.