Life of a knight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Life of a knight - Essay Example life under the constant stress of managing his estate, engaging in warfare both real and simulated, as well as conducting himself in such a way as to comport with the social expectations and the chivalric code of his day. Considering the everyday life that the knight actually endured, a thorough investigation reveals his existence to be more rigorous, dangerous, and demanding than that described in stories. One of the most easily-recognized aspects of the life of the knight is his castle. The romantic notion of a shiny building on a hill is not so realistic. The idea of even having a castle was rooted in the need to defend the land; it was a necessity for protection from Viking or other foreign raiders as well as rival political factions in the kingdom. Early castles were little more than dirt berms reinforced with timber beams. As civil society developed, the castle evolved into a center of commerce, more comfortable quarters for the knight’s family and servants as well as a key military defense post. In terms of its protective role, Singman notes that an â€Å"[e]ffective response to the military challenges of the medieval world required the power of a great lord...[and] the castle had arisen as the distinctive seat of a great feudal lords power† (105). The family of the knight also lived in the castle, and the local village populations looked to it as a source of protection, provision, and justice. In addition to providing military support for the kingdom, the knight was charged with overseeing the provision of the necessities of life and arbitrating the quarrels of the residents within his area. When he wasn’t fighting, the knight was ensuring that enough food, fuel, supplies, and entertainment were there for his people. He would also spend time sitting in a large room and settling the disputes of his serfs, much like a modern-day judge. His daily life, in addition to fighting or practicing his combat skills, was filled with family and social

Insanity of War Essay Example for Free

Insanity of War Essay Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut were two of the most influential anti-war authors of the twentieth century. Heller and Vonnegut served in Second World War; Heller flew sixty missions as a bombardier and Vonnegut was awarded the Purple Heart as an infantry scout. Throughout the Vietnam War, these two authors were idolized for the heroic anti-war masterpieces that they wrote. College students throughout the country carried the novels Heller and Vonnegut wrote everywhere they went. Heller first published his book in 1961, right in the midst of Civil Rights Movement, a perfect time for a book that challenges the power of bureaucracy. Vonnegut published his novel eight years later in 1969, during the Vietnam War, a controversial period for American citizens. One student was quoted saying, Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller were part of a vanguard of writers my friends and I idolized (Golly). Through the use of complex structures, highly effective literary styles, and character portrayal, Heller and Vonnegut helped to reveal the insanity of war. Heller and Vonnegut both use a complex structure when writing their satirical anti-war novels. When writing Catch-22, Heller intentionally created a narrative that is hard to follow. While Heller admits that Catch-22 was meticulously structured in order to seem chaotic, he disagrees with the readers that claim Catch-22 is formless (Merrill 34). Merrill also claims that Heller says the real structure is artfully camouflaged (34). He speaks the ideas of multiple characters and tells the story in an unconventional manner. While the majority of the novel is written from the ideas, actions, and feelings of John Yossarian, the protagonist, Heller uses other characters to tell the story from a different perspective. An example of this comes in Chapter 6, aptly named Hungry Joe, where Heller writes the ideas and feelings of Hungry Joe (Heller 51). Another comes in the twentieth chapter, where the narrative comes from Corporal Whitcomb (Heller 198). Heller also uses an unorthodox chronology while writing Catch-22. Multiple times during the text Heller makes obvious jumps in time, be it forward or back. Heller uses the number of missions to help the reader follow the chronology of this insane structure. On the twenty-first page, Doc Daneeka declares that the colonel want fifty missions (Heller). He then declares that the Twenty-seventh Air Force only requires forty missions and later on the same page they are required fifty-five missions (Heller 58). Vonnegut also uses a complex structure when writing his book, Slaughterhouse-five, but rather than switching from character to character, he changes between past, present, future. Vonnegut uses a chronological scheme that is difficult to follow as well; he actually starts the narrative during the second chapter. He starts the novel, on page twenty-three, by talking about the past and tells us that the protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, was born in 1922 (Vonnegut). Seven pages later, he jumps to 1944 describing his position of assistant chaplain and his first time being unstuck in time (Vonnegut 30). Then, during the fifth chapter, starting on page eighty-eight, he talks about the past again. When he was twelve years old, he went on vacation to the Grand Canyon that he hated (Vonnegut). In addition to using a complex structure, Vonnegut uses the phrase So it goes over one hundred times (Slaughterhouse-Five). These writing structures both work to expose the insanity of war. Heller creates a chaotic atmosphere by writing through numerous characters and through a chronology that is anything but in a logical order. While Vonnegut employs the death of over a hundred people within Slaughterhouse-Five and uses an intensely paced, chronological mess (Vonnegut). They both write chapters and paragraphs that follow the same disorganized style. With the structures that Heller and Vonnegut use, they both create a chaotic atmosphere for their readers, similar to that of war. They attempt to place the readers in a situation that makes them feel similar to the authors, when they were in the military. Heller and Vonneguts literary style is to create tension in the mind of the reader by shifting the narrative around from character to character and to and from different time periods. They do this in order to draw the readers closer to the soldiers and bombardiers of the Second World War. By doing so, they cause the readers to begin to wonder what will be happening next in the story; much like the way the soldiers of Catch-22 do on the fictional island of Pianosa and the Slaughterhouse-Five soldiers in the German city of Dresden (Heller, Vonnegut). The overall pace of Catch-22 is slow; Heller is very descriptive and builds the setting and atmosphere. There is, however, parts of Catch-22 that are intense and fast paced. Heller uses this slow pace to build tension before the novel climaxes. Catch-22 becomes faster as it approaches the climax and the end of the novel. This change of pace ties directly to war; at first everything is slow, then suddenly, the characters are in the middle of a firefight or bombing mission, then it quickly ceases. Slaughterhouse-Five uses a slightly faster pace throughout the novel; Vonneguts narrative is much shorter and does not go into as much depth as Hellers story does. However, this is the same feeling that many soldiers of the Second World War felt. The soldiers and bombardiers do not always know what is happening next or, in regard to the current Iraqi war, which is the enemy and which is not. Heller employs another literary device, called a motif, a recurring theme or device in literature, and in the novel written by Heller, the motif was catch-22. Heller incorporates many forms of the catch-22 throughout the novel. The main catch occurs when Yossarian must continue flying missions. Obviously anyone willing to risk their lives by flying these missions is crazy. The only way to be granted permission to stop flying the missions is to ask the commanding officer, but he cannot grant permission to be grounded unless it is asked of him. However, anyone sane enough to ask a commanding officer to be grounded is clearly not insane because they have regard for their lives. Therefore, they must continue flying missions. In short, any circular argument that always works in favor of the bureaucratic system that puts it in place is a catch-22. These circular arguments trap soldiers within the chaos of war; they have no way to escape it because of the system that placed it. There is several other catch-22s in the novel Catch-22, such as the open and close case against Clevenger in which all they need is something to charge him with and how they can only meet up with Major Major Major Major in his office when he is not in his office. Vonnegut also employs the literary device motif, within his novel. He uses the phrase So it goes over one hundred times in Slaughterhouse-Five (Slaughterhouse-Five). He first uses the phrase So it goes when talking about Gerhard Mullers, a cab driver, mother, who was incinerated in the Dresden fire-storm (Vonnegut 2). During chapter nine, Vonnegut writes about how Billys wife, Valencia, dies of carbon monoxide poisoning after an accident she caused while driving to the hospital Billy was taken to after a plane accident he was involved in (Vonnegut). In the prior situation, Vonnegut ended to text with So it goes, this shows how the insanity of war causes death to mean so little to some people. The last use is on the second to last page, two hundred fourteen; he uses it after the death of Edgar Derby, an old, poor English teacher, who was arrested, tried, and shot for stealing a teapot (Vonnegut). Vonnegut uses the phrase So it goes to equalize all death. Through equalizing all death, Vonnegut brings forward how some bureaucratic systems feel about war and their effects on life. Vonnegut writes to point out the insanity of war; he shows his readers what war can cause and how his characters and their lives are affected. Hellers characters display insanity throughout Catch-22. An example of this occurs on page seventy-five, when the following conversation takes place: In sixty days youll be fighting Billy Petrolle, the colonel with the big fat mustache roared. And you think its a big fat joke. I dont think its a joke, sir, Clevenger replied. Dont interrupt Yes, sir And say sir when you do, ordered Major Metcalf. Yes, sir. Werent you just ordered not to interrupt? Major Metcalf inquired coldly. But I didnt interrupt, sir, Clevenger protested. No, and you didnt say sir, either. Add that to the charges against him, Major Metcalf directed the corporal who could take shorthand, Failure to say sir to superior officers when not interrupting them. (Heller) This conversation shows just how crazy some of Hellers characters are. Through his dialogue, Heller shows the insanity of his characters and the absurdity of war. Conversations similar to this occur a dozens of times throughout Catch-22. Another example of Heller portraying insanity occurs when the IBM machine in control of the military ranking system gains a sense of humor. After only four days of enlistment, Private Major Major Major, one of Hellers more awkward characters, becomes Major Major Major Major (Heller). This mistake portrays another chaotic situation that war created. The bureaucratic system causes confusion and people lose control of their responsibilities. The actions of war depicted in Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-five, caused a large amount of death. The center of the book, the German city of Dresden, is approximated to have had at least thirty-five thousand and some sources say up to one hundred thousand casualties in the infamous firebombing of Dresden during the Second World War (Bombing of Dresden). A few characters from Slaughterhouse-five share the same insanity of those from Catch-22, such as Roland Weary, who is intent on glorifying himself and uses the fact that he saved Billy multiple times to do it (Vonnegut). Although the characters from Slaughterhouse-five dont carry on crazy dialogues, they still portray madness through their actions, like when Wild Bob inquires if Billy is part of the regiment that he is colonel of, even though all his men are dead (Vonnegut). Heller and Vonnegut use their characters in a way that proves that war does really take a toll of a persons mental situation. Through their motifs, Catch-22 and So it goes, Heller and Vonnegut show that bureaucratic systems and death do not mix well. Systems like this shouldnt have control over such a life altering things, especially since they carry the attitude So it goes throughout the war. It really is insane for a system to be in place in which someone has absolute control over anothers life. And the ability of these people to have a So it goes attitude is as pure madness. The structure in Slaughterhouse-five and Catch-22 are very similar in that the both follow a chronology that is nowhere near in order. This is significant because it puts the reader into the insanity of war. The have the same confusion that soldier does until they realize what is really going on. Through the use of characters, motifs, and confusing chronologies; these brilliant antiwar authors capture the insanity of war.

Analysis of Hospitality Industry in Mauritius

Analysis of Hospitality Industry in Mauritius 2.1 Definitions of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) CSR has been defined as the duty of the organization to respect individuals rights and promote human welfare in its operations (Manakkalathil and Rudolf, 1995; Oppewal et al., 2006). Businesses not only have the economic responsibility of being profitable and the legal responsibility to follow the laws or ground rules that guide their ability to achieve their economic requirements, but they also have ethical responsibilities that include a range of societal norms, or standards (Carroll, 2000). CSR has been around for more than two decades. During the later half of twentieth century there arose the idea of the corporate social contract, which today underlies the CSR concept. Given the sometimes adverse effects of business decision making on society as well as corporate reliance on society, the notion of an implied corporate social contract was conceived by social and economic theorists. This contract spells out societys expectations of business as well as (although much less discussed) businesss expectations of society (Bowie, 1983). There is no single authoritative definition of CSR (ISO COPOLCO, 2002). The CSR agenda seems to be a loosely defined umbrella embracing a vast number of concepts traditionally framed as environmental concerns, public relations, corporate philanthropy, human resource management and community relations. One of the most referred definitions is by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) (1999) that defines CSR as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at largeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. CSR means being a good steward of societys economic and human resources ( Journal of Consumer Marketing, 2001). In summary, CSR entails the obligation stemming from the implicit à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“social contractà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? between business and society for firms to be responsive to societys long-run needs and want s, optimizing the positive effects and minimizing the negative effects of its actions on society. To synchronize that organizational social responsibility concerns are treated in the same routine manner in which legal, financial, and marketing concerns are addressed, four theories of corporate social responsibility have been advanced in the literature. The four positions are the classical, stakeholder, social demandingness, and social activist theories. The classical theory is the oldest of the four, and is grounded in classical economic theory. Firstly business executives are said to be primarily responsible to the shareholders of the corporation and their primary goal is to promote efficiency and secure effective economic performance. Secondly managers are said to be responsible to respond to the shareholders demands. These views are often thought to coincide with each other, because it is usually assumed that the main demand of shareholders is to maximize economic performance. In addition, both versions agree that managers are to perform their corporate function according to the laws and, thus, to avoid such things as fraud and deception. Friedman (1970), points out à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Here the businessman self-selected or appointed directly or indirectly by stockholders is to be simultaneously legislator, executive, or juristà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦He becomes in effect a public employee, a civil servant, even though he remains in name an e mployee of a private enterprise.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? This theory, albeit the oldest of the four theories, is still well and alive; it has many supporters and proponents among academicians and practitioners. The second theory is the stakeholder theory which integrates the main idea of classical theory, that is, corporate executives are responsible to stockholders. Nevertheless, what differs it from classical theory is that other groups are directly affected by the conduct and decision of the firm. These groups can employees, consumers, creditors, suppliers, and legal sub-systems who have a stake in the organisation and who might affect, in one way or another, the corporate decision making process. Furthermore, corporate executives have a direct responsibility to promote the interests of these groups. The main disagreement among stakeholder theorists, however, over whether stakeholder interests of these groups take precedence over the financial interests of stockholders or the stakeholder interests are the overriding ones. Social demandingness theorists argue that corporations have a responsibility to protect and promote certain interests of the general public. They agree with the stakeholder theorists that the interests of stakeholder groups are important, but they believe that these interests do not override non-stakeholdersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ interests or demands for such things as safety, health, freedom, and prosperity. As with the stakeholder theory, this theory repudiates the notion that there is some balanced or sensible list of tangible responsibilities that corporate executives always have toward society. The list varies as the nature and ranking of the interests or demands of the public change. The fourth and final theory is the social activist theory which is distinctively the most socially and morally demanding of the four theories. While agreeing with the stakeholders and social demandingness theories that executives have responsibilities toward stakeholders groups and the general public, social activistsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ theorists argue that corporate managers should sometimes strive to undertake projects that advance the interests of the public even when these undertakings are neither expected nor demanded by them. Social activists theorists contend that such projects should, for the most part, be in the area of corporate know-how, but they sometimes urge that executives deliberately take on social projects for which they have no special training or expertise 2.1 Types of CSR and Corporate Governance The notion that business has duties to society is firmly entrenched, although in the past several decades there has been a revolution in the way people view the relationship between business and society. Carroll (1979) and other researchers believe that we should judge corporations not just on their economic success, but also on non-economic criteria. Carroll (1979) proposed a popular four-part definition of CSR, suggesting that corporations have four responsibilities or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“four facesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Carroll, 2000b, p. 187) to fulfill to be good corporate citizens: economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic: Economic responsibility. Economic responsibility is to be profitable for principals, by delivering a good quality product, at a fair price, is due to customers. Legal responsibilities. Legal duties entail complying with the law and playing by the rules of the game Ethical responsibilities. Ethical duties overcome the limitations of legal duties. They entail being moral, doing what is right, just, and fair; respecting peoples moral rights; and avoiding harm or social injury as well as preventing harm caused by others (Smith and Quelch, 1993). Philanthropic responsibility. Interest in doing good for society, regardless of its impact on the bottom line is what is called altruistic, humanitarian or philanthropic CSR. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“giving backà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? time and money in the forms of voluntary service, voluntary association and voluntary giving à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" is where most of the controversy over the legitimacy of CSR lies. CORPORATE GOUVERNANCE (CG) Moreover, CSR is closely linked with the Corporate Governance of the organization, be it hotel organization. Any of those types of CSR should start in the hotel organizations first and then move to external environment. The key people should be taken into consideration so the CSR practices should be geared towards the internal customers who will in turn become CSR delegates to reach the external customers and environment. Companies must improve their business models by bringing CSR and sustainability into their strategy. Shleifer and Vishny (1997) define CG as the ways in which suppliers of finance to organisations assure themselves of getting a return on investment. Over the years, CG has evolved from the traditional à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“profit-centered modelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. By incorporating the community in which firms operate, the political environment, laws and regulations, and more generally the markets in which firms are involved. See Figure 1: The Business in Society which reflects a stakeholder perspective on the firm (Jensen, 2001) 2.1The Hospitality Industry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"Definitions Definitions of the hospitality have been approached from a number of different perspectives. Most of them combine physiological and psychological elements with security and levels of service. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Hospitality is concerned with the provision of physiological and psychological comfort with defined levels of service. The satisfactions may be physiological (thirst, bed, warmth), economic (value for money), social (company, service) and psychological (self-esteem, status, security).à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Source: C.Cooper, R.Shepherd, J. Westlake (1994) Even if the approach to defining hospitality may shift according to the authors, there are a number of integral elements that are common to all. These are: Hospitality is a complex combination of tangible and intangible features and benefits Hospitality involves a satisfying interaction between the service provider and the customer Hospitality provides guests with security, psychological and physiological comfort by offering food, beverage and accommodation. Therefore, bearing in mind the above characteristics, a simpler definition of the hospitality industry may be: The Hospitality Industry is involved with providing accommodations, food, beverage, entertainment, comfort and recreation for travelers away from their usual residences and normal surroundings. The industry also naturally look forward to meet the customer`s needs for safety and support of their persons, property, modes of transportation, and even the varying purpose of their travel. Speaking generally, those who make use of hospitality services demand attainment of a professional level of quality consistent with world standards, although perhaps adjusted for local conditions. They anticipate the facilities will be clean, comfortable, safe and secure. They expect good food and beverage at a reasonable rate. Furthermore, they look for courtesy, friendliness, respect and identification from the host. Perhaps more importantly they demand honesty, truth and equity in their dealings with the operator and his employees. Hospitality Industry In Mauritius HISTORICAL BACKGROUND In Mauritius, the first hotel was the Park Hotel in 1952 so as to accommodate the crew members coming at that time. Then came the Mauritius Hotel, the first beach hotel, built in 1954 at Le Morne followed by Le Chaland, another beach hotel in 1961. But the real development of tourism took place soon after Mauritius got its independence from the British. In early 1970`s the creation of Trou aux Biches Hotel by the Mauritius Hotels, the setting up of the Club MeditÃÆ' ©ranÃÆ' ©e and the Saint GÃÆ' ©ran Hotel by the Southern Sun Hotels as well as the Merville Beach Hotel by the ex-British Colons who wanted to come back here during the winter months of England. The Mauritius Hotel is now the Beachcomber group and the Southern Sun Hotels is the Sun International Resorts Limited. At present there are 95 hotels in Mauritius and there are not less than 5 more under construction as per the registered list set by the Ministry of Tourism. The numbers of hotels, rooms and bed places have increased constantly from 1991. Moreover the Prime Minister has announced his vision to reach 2 million tourists in 2015. Consequently an average annual growth of 10% in tourist arrival is expected. In order to reach this target, an approximate nu mber of 18500 rooms should be made available. This will bring about the creation of around 37000 direct jobs and double the amount in terms of indirect jobs. Due to the rapid growth of tourism and hospitality industry, government has introduced incentives for the private sector to bring in a sustainable development, namely by corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. This is achievable through proper public-private sector partnership. Overview of the Hotel industry IN MAURITIUS The hospitality industry in Mauritius has developed rapidly during the past 25 years. The coastal regions as well as the interior part of the island are constantly changing with the construction of the hotels and the increasing number of vehicles being used for the tourism industry. In 2007, the tourism industry was considered the third pillar of the economy after Sugar and Textile, and currently it plays a vital role in the economic growth of the country. The undoubted fall of 35% in the price of sugar and the removal of preference agreement with the EU market, has earmarked the tourism industry as the main industry capable of boosting the Mauritian economy. In July 2008, according to the last bulletin published by the Central Statistical Office (CSO), Mauritius welcomed 81,169 tourists as compared to 77,225 in 2007, registering a 5.1% growth over the same period a year ago. Table 1: Monthly tourist arrivals, July 2007 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" July 2008 Source:Tourism sector performance for the month of July, AHRIM Report, August 2008, pg 2 But after two decades of impressive growth, the need for responsible corporate governance has been felt in the country as the attitudes; mentality and knowledge of those working in that industry have not evolved at the same pace in terms of social responsibility and environmental awareness. Impacts of this rapid and somehow unplanned development are being experienced in the environment at large. Still, a lot has to be done to meet the competitive edge through proper campaign and involvement of all stakeholders so as to contribute towards sustainable development of the hospitality sector. In order to support its continuous growth, the Mauritian Tourism and Hospitality industry needs well-trained staff with full knowledge of their product while respecting the socio-economic and cultural environment in which the Mauritian tourism product is evolving. It is really important to maintain a high standard of efficiency and service so as to meet the requirements of an increasingly competitive and sophisticated global market. 2.7 CSR in the hotel industry In Mauritius Within the hospitality industry it has been agreed that there are increasing environmental and societal concerns. The big question is how to manage our environmental impact as demand grows against a backdrop of increasing vulnerability. As a result of demand for more sustainable destinations and travel preferences, management policies are being felt. Hotels practicing CSR look at the following areas: Workplace (where employees are treated equally and fairly) Marketplace (stakeholders) Environment (which has to be sustained for the future generation) Community Ethics Human rights Many hotels are now aware of CSR practices and have begun to use environmental-friendly products. Hotels in Mauritius are reducing the use of hazardous or non-degradable chemicals. Big hotel chains like Oberoi Mauritius recycle oil, water and plastic bottles while all hotels with more than 50 rooms are compel to recycle water as per the legislation. Hotels tend to purchase products that have a reduced environmental impact during their life cycle, from suppliers that demonstrate environmental and social responsibility to their customers and the society. Furthermore, Association des Hoteliers et Restaurateurs de L`Ile Maurice (AHRIM), is fully supporting the CSR initiatives initiated by the Mauritian Government. Through its members, they are actively putting forward the CSR activities on a regional basis all over the island. (See Appendix 1: Recommended CSR activities by AHRIM to its Members in June 2008). Stakeholders (employees, customers, shareholders, suppliers, business partners, government) are getting more and more involved the hotelsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ CSR activities. Hotel employees are educated to make a conscious decision in favour of environment and social issues in their private and business lives. Hotel guests are informed about CSR activities and are asked to participate in responsible business activities within the hotels and to work together to find innovative solutions that satisfy the hotelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s economic, environmental and social objectives. Managers are asked to abide by local and EU legislation especially on labour laws, health and safety, human rights and the environment. A great deal can be done when developing a hotel property in order to make both the development process and the eventual operation more environmentally sustainable. One of the aims of CSR is to make the community benefit from the hotel industry. 2.8 Benefits of CSR in the hotel industry Hotels who adopt CSR into their operations and public image depend on the following factors: Size Level of diversification Research and Development Advertising Government Intervention Consumer Income Labour market conditions Stage of the industry life cycle However this differs for different hotel organization, for example, larger hotels like international hotel chains may operate a CSR program at a lower cost than a small hotel because of economies of scale. It is a method for organization to distinguish themselves from their competitors Firstly, hotels benefit from CSR as it helps to reduce operating cost such as implementing of recycling and energy saving programs. Secondly, their brand image and reputation are enhanced as consumers prefer companies with CSR programs. Another benefit derived by hotels is in terms of productivity and quality since productivity goes up whenever working conditions improve. Other beneficiaries of the CSR programs are immediate environment in which the company is evolving. It comprises of the local community, neighboring villages, employees who usually live in those areas, the hotel guests and the host country at large. Hotels are expected to have ethical and social commitments, valued connections with partners and consistency over time to build trust with the stakeholders. In doing so, the hotel organizations are also developing societal marketing concept, therefore beneficiate from it. Analysis of Hospitality Industry in Mauritius Analysis of Hospitality Industry in Mauritius 2.1 Definitions of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) CSR has been defined as the duty of the organization to respect individuals rights and promote human welfare in its operations (Manakkalathil and Rudolf, 1995; Oppewal et al., 2006). Businesses not only have the economic responsibility of being profitable and the legal responsibility to follow the laws or ground rules that guide their ability to achieve their economic requirements, but they also have ethical responsibilities that include a range of societal norms, or standards (Carroll, 2000). CSR has been around for more than two decades. During the later half of twentieth century there arose the idea of the corporate social contract, which today underlies the CSR concept. Given the sometimes adverse effects of business decision making on society as well as corporate reliance on society, the notion of an implied corporate social contract was conceived by social and economic theorists. This contract spells out societys expectations of business as well as (although much less discussed) businesss expectations of society (Bowie, 1983). There is no single authoritative definition of CSR (ISO COPOLCO, 2002). The CSR agenda seems to be a loosely defined umbrella embracing a vast number of concepts traditionally framed as environmental concerns, public relations, corporate philanthropy, human resource management and community relations. One of the most referred definitions is by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) (1999) that defines CSR as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at largeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. CSR means being a good steward of societys economic and human resources ( Journal of Consumer Marketing, 2001). In summary, CSR entails the obligation stemming from the implicit à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“social contractà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? between business and society for firms to be responsive to societys long-run needs and want s, optimizing the positive effects and minimizing the negative effects of its actions on society. To synchronize that organizational social responsibility concerns are treated in the same routine manner in which legal, financial, and marketing concerns are addressed, four theories of corporate social responsibility have been advanced in the literature. The four positions are the classical, stakeholder, social demandingness, and social activist theories. The classical theory is the oldest of the four, and is grounded in classical economic theory. Firstly business executives are said to be primarily responsible to the shareholders of the corporation and their primary goal is to promote efficiency and secure effective economic performance. Secondly managers are said to be responsible to respond to the shareholders demands. These views are often thought to coincide with each other, because it is usually assumed that the main demand of shareholders is to maximize economic performance. In addition, both versions agree that managers are to perform their corporate function according to the laws and, thus, to avoid such things as fraud and deception. Friedman (1970), points out à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Here the businessman self-selected or appointed directly or indirectly by stockholders is to be simultaneously legislator, executive, or juristà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦He becomes in effect a public employee, a civil servant, even though he remains in name an e mployee of a private enterprise.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? This theory, albeit the oldest of the four theories, is still well and alive; it has many supporters and proponents among academicians and practitioners. The second theory is the stakeholder theory which integrates the main idea of classical theory, that is, corporate executives are responsible to stockholders. Nevertheless, what differs it from classical theory is that other groups are directly affected by the conduct and decision of the firm. These groups can employees, consumers, creditors, suppliers, and legal sub-systems who have a stake in the organisation and who might affect, in one way or another, the corporate decision making process. Furthermore, corporate executives have a direct responsibility to promote the interests of these groups. The main disagreement among stakeholder theorists, however, over whether stakeholder interests of these groups take precedence over the financial interests of stockholders or the stakeholder interests are the overriding ones. Social demandingness theorists argue that corporations have a responsibility to protect and promote certain interests of the general public. They agree with the stakeholder theorists that the interests of stakeholder groups are important, but they believe that these interests do not override non-stakeholdersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ interests or demands for such things as safety, health, freedom, and prosperity. As with the stakeholder theory, this theory repudiates the notion that there is some balanced or sensible list of tangible responsibilities that corporate executives always have toward society. The list varies as the nature and ranking of the interests or demands of the public change. The fourth and final theory is the social activist theory which is distinctively the most socially and morally demanding of the four theories. While agreeing with the stakeholders and social demandingness theories that executives have responsibilities toward stakeholders groups and the general public, social activistsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ theorists argue that corporate managers should sometimes strive to undertake projects that advance the interests of the public even when these undertakings are neither expected nor demanded by them. Social activists theorists contend that such projects should, for the most part, be in the area of corporate know-how, but they sometimes urge that executives deliberately take on social projects for which they have no special training or expertise 2.1 Types of CSR and Corporate Governance The notion that business has duties to society is firmly entrenched, although in the past several decades there has been a revolution in the way people view the relationship between business and society. Carroll (1979) and other researchers believe that we should judge corporations not just on their economic success, but also on non-economic criteria. Carroll (1979) proposed a popular four-part definition of CSR, suggesting that corporations have four responsibilities or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“four facesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Carroll, 2000b, p. 187) to fulfill to be good corporate citizens: economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic: Economic responsibility. Economic responsibility is to be profitable for principals, by delivering a good quality product, at a fair price, is due to customers. Legal responsibilities. Legal duties entail complying with the law and playing by the rules of the game Ethical responsibilities. Ethical duties overcome the limitations of legal duties. They entail being moral, doing what is right, just, and fair; respecting peoples moral rights; and avoiding harm or social injury as well as preventing harm caused by others (Smith and Quelch, 1993). Philanthropic responsibility. Interest in doing good for society, regardless of its impact on the bottom line is what is called altruistic, humanitarian or philanthropic CSR. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“giving backà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? time and money in the forms of voluntary service, voluntary association and voluntary giving à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" is where most of the controversy over the legitimacy of CSR lies. CORPORATE GOUVERNANCE (CG) Moreover, CSR is closely linked with the Corporate Governance of the organization, be it hotel organization. Any of those types of CSR should start in the hotel organizations first and then move to external environment. The key people should be taken into consideration so the CSR practices should be geared towards the internal customers who will in turn become CSR delegates to reach the external customers and environment. Companies must improve their business models by bringing CSR and sustainability into their strategy. Shleifer and Vishny (1997) define CG as the ways in which suppliers of finance to organisations assure themselves of getting a return on investment. Over the years, CG has evolved from the traditional à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“profit-centered modelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. By incorporating the community in which firms operate, the political environment, laws and regulations, and more generally the markets in which firms are involved. See Figure 1: The Business in Society which reflects a stakeholder perspective on the firm (Jensen, 2001) 2.1The Hospitality Industry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"Definitions Definitions of the hospitality have been approached from a number of different perspectives. Most of them combine physiological and psychological elements with security and levels of service. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Hospitality is concerned with the provision of physiological and psychological comfort with defined levels of service. The satisfactions may be physiological (thirst, bed, warmth), economic (value for money), social (company, service) and psychological (self-esteem, status, security).à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Source: C.Cooper, R.Shepherd, J. Westlake (1994) Even if the approach to defining hospitality may shift according to the authors, there are a number of integral elements that are common to all. These are: Hospitality is a complex combination of tangible and intangible features and benefits Hospitality involves a satisfying interaction between the service provider and the customer Hospitality provides guests with security, psychological and physiological comfort by offering food, beverage and accommodation. Therefore, bearing in mind the above characteristics, a simpler definition of the hospitality industry may be: The Hospitality Industry is involved with providing accommodations, food, beverage, entertainment, comfort and recreation for travelers away from their usual residences and normal surroundings. The industry also naturally look forward to meet the customer`s needs for safety and support of their persons, property, modes of transportation, and even the varying purpose of their travel. Speaking generally, those who make use of hospitality services demand attainment of a professional level of quality consistent with world standards, although perhaps adjusted for local conditions. They anticipate the facilities will be clean, comfortable, safe and secure. They expect good food and beverage at a reasonable rate. Furthermore, they look for courtesy, friendliness, respect and identification from the host. Perhaps more importantly they demand honesty, truth and equity in their dealings with the operator and his employees. Hospitality Industry In Mauritius HISTORICAL BACKGROUND In Mauritius, the first hotel was the Park Hotel in 1952 so as to accommodate the crew members coming at that time. Then came the Mauritius Hotel, the first beach hotel, built in 1954 at Le Morne followed by Le Chaland, another beach hotel in 1961. But the real development of tourism took place soon after Mauritius got its independence from the British. In early 1970`s the creation of Trou aux Biches Hotel by the Mauritius Hotels, the setting up of the Club MeditÃÆ' ©ranÃÆ' ©e and the Saint GÃÆ' ©ran Hotel by the Southern Sun Hotels as well as the Merville Beach Hotel by the ex-British Colons who wanted to come back here during the winter months of England. The Mauritius Hotel is now the Beachcomber group and the Southern Sun Hotels is the Sun International Resorts Limited. At present there are 95 hotels in Mauritius and there are not less than 5 more under construction as per the registered list set by the Ministry of Tourism. The numbers of hotels, rooms and bed places have increased constantly from 1991. Moreover the Prime Minister has announced his vision to reach 2 million tourists in 2015. Consequently an average annual growth of 10% in tourist arrival is expected. In order to reach this target, an approximate nu mber of 18500 rooms should be made available. This will bring about the creation of around 37000 direct jobs and double the amount in terms of indirect jobs. Due to the rapid growth of tourism and hospitality industry, government has introduced incentives for the private sector to bring in a sustainable development, namely by corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. This is achievable through proper public-private sector partnership. Overview of the Hotel industry IN MAURITIUS The hospitality industry in Mauritius has developed rapidly during the past 25 years. The coastal regions as well as the interior part of the island are constantly changing with the construction of the hotels and the increasing number of vehicles being used for the tourism industry. In 2007, the tourism industry was considered the third pillar of the economy after Sugar and Textile, and currently it plays a vital role in the economic growth of the country. The undoubted fall of 35% in the price of sugar and the removal of preference agreement with the EU market, has earmarked the tourism industry as the main industry capable of boosting the Mauritian economy. In July 2008, according to the last bulletin published by the Central Statistical Office (CSO), Mauritius welcomed 81,169 tourists as compared to 77,225 in 2007, registering a 5.1% growth over the same period a year ago. Table 1: Monthly tourist arrivals, July 2007 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" July 2008 Source:Tourism sector performance for the month of July, AHRIM Report, August 2008, pg 2 But after two decades of impressive growth, the need for responsible corporate governance has been felt in the country as the attitudes; mentality and knowledge of those working in that industry have not evolved at the same pace in terms of social responsibility and environmental awareness. Impacts of this rapid and somehow unplanned development are being experienced in the environment at large. Still, a lot has to be done to meet the competitive edge through proper campaign and involvement of all stakeholders so as to contribute towards sustainable development of the hospitality sector. In order to support its continuous growth, the Mauritian Tourism and Hospitality industry needs well-trained staff with full knowledge of their product while respecting the socio-economic and cultural environment in which the Mauritian tourism product is evolving. It is really important to maintain a high standard of efficiency and service so as to meet the requirements of an increasingly competitive and sophisticated global market. 2.7 CSR in the hotel industry In Mauritius Within the hospitality industry it has been agreed that there are increasing environmental and societal concerns. The big question is how to manage our environmental impact as demand grows against a backdrop of increasing vulnerability. As a result of demand for more sustainable destinations and travel preferences, management policies are being felt. Hotels practicing CSR look at the following areas: Workplace (where employees are treated equally and fairly) Marketplace (stakeholders) Environment (which has to be sustained for the future generation) Community Ethics Human rights Many hotels are now aware of CSR practices and have begun to use environmental-friendly products. Hotels in Mauritius are reducing the use of hazardous or non-degradable chemicals. Big hotel chains like Oberoi Mauritius recycle oil, water and plastic bottles while all hotels with more than 50 rooms are compel to recycle water as per the legislation. Hotels tend to purchase products that have a reduced environmental impact during their life cycle, from suppliers that demonstrate environmental and social responsibility to their customers and the society. Furthermore, Association des Hoteliers et Restaurateurs de L`Ile Maurice (AHRIM), is fully supporting the CSR initiatives initiated by the Mauritian Government. Through its members, they are actively putting forward the CSR activities on a regional basis all over the island. (See Appendix 1: Recommended CSR activities by AHRIM to its Members in June 2008). Stakeholders (employees, customers, shareholders, suppliers, business partners, government) are getting more and more involved the hotelsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ CSR activities. Hotel employees are educated to make a conscious decision in favour of environment and social issues in their private and business lives. Hotel guests are informed about CSR activities and are asked to participate in responsible business activities within the hotels and to work together to find innovative solutions that satisfy the hotelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s economic, environmental and social objectives. Managers are asked to abide by local and EU legislation especially on labour laws, health and safety, human rights and the environment. A great deal can be done when developing a hotel property in order to make both the development process and the eventual operation more environmentally sustainable. One of the aims of CSR is to make the community benefit from the hotel industry. 2.8 Benefits of CSR in the hotel industry Hotels who adopt CSR into their operations and public image depend on the following factors: Size Level of diversification Research and Development Advertising Government Intervention Consumer Income Labour market conditions Stage of the industry life cycle However this differs for different hotel organization, for example, larger hotels like international hotel chains may operate a CSR program at a lower cost than a small hotel because of economies of scale. It is a method for organization to distinguish themselves from their competitors Firstly, hotels benefit from CSR as it helps to reduce operating cost such as implementing of recycling and energy saving programs. Secondly, their brand image and reputation are enhanced as consumers prefer companies with CSR programs. Another benefit derived by hotels is in terms of productivity and quality since productivity goes up whenever working conditions improve. Other beneficiaries of the CSR programs are immediate environment in which the company is evolving. It comprises of the local community, neighboring villages, employees who usually live in those areas, the hotel guests and the host country at large. Hotels are expected to have ethical and social commitments, valued connections with partners and consistency over time to build trust with the stakeholders. In doing so, the hotel organizations are also developing societal marketing concept, therefore beneficiate from it.

Essay --

George Washington was the first President of the United States. He was elected on April 30, 1789 Washington had the respect of everyone. Washington had many intriguing qualities. An example would be his quality of concern for his men. Throughout the Revolutionary War, Washington lost many of the battles, but he chose to lose them, rather than to win and risk all of his men’s lives. He made tactical retreats to save his men. George Washington, our first President, won over the hearts and earned the respect of the people of the United States because of his strong character, and not because of his political genius. In fact he never even went to college, due to lack of money. George Washington had the respect of not only politicians, lawyers, wealthy plantation owners, but also the respect of people who were not considered to be people. Such peoples included slaves and women. A man named Phyllis Wheatley became the first black poet of America. He talks about Washington’s greatness at the Siege of Boston in one of his poems, claiming virtue to always be at his side. Another poem was wri...

Ways to better your presentation

Technology has changed people's life in many different ways but not always for the best or even to improve their life but to do badly in the world. Like they say that a person can change behind closed doors so can peoples ethics. As for example the No Electronic Theft (NET) Act in 1997, how many of us sometimes are will wait for a CD or movie to come out and when we think about going to buy it or even see it the movie n theater, especially if we have a normal size family of people.There easy could be a hundred dollars for a trip to the movie but when there might be a place where you know they sell black market or even a website online. That where the No Electronic Theft (NET) Act in 1997 comes in place for people make or even reproduce or share copies of copyrighted work. Before this law people would sell and copied software programs, movies, games and even songs for profit gain. It carries a maximum anally of three years and a huge fine of 250,000.But if it shows that person was doi ng it for nonprofit gain they could face no chargers or minimum penalties but still if we sit down and realize where the ethics are. The other law that caught my eye during the homework assignment was Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCP), 1991 since right after working in a call center for two years after my high school day with all honestly I didn't seem to know what was important that our personal honestly ND ethics is more important than the companies and if that company doesn't have the honest ethics maybe isn't the right place for someone.I know that sometimes be get call by telemarketer all day and sometimes we tell them we want to be on the Do Not Call Registry. Because of the problem with telemarketing that they call to early or two late they have rules and it's where the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCP), 1991 comes in two place where if you telemarketer you want on the Do Not Call List and from there on it take 31 days from the date you asked to be on the list for it in order to be removed and it have a 5 year register .

Literature review- burnout among construction workers

A case of burnout among project managers in the South African construction Industry. Burnout Is a syndrome which Is commonly found among Individuals working In high pressure environments and is defined as a negative experience which results from the interaction between the individual and the environment (Yip and Rollins, 2009).Burnout is known to be a syndrome characterized by three dimensions; these dimensions being emotional exhaustion, cynicism and personal inefficacy; burnout affects individuals in a way that they are likely to feel as if they have a lack of energy, cynical attitude which causes distancing from work and are inclined to view themselves in a negative light causing them to feel dissatisfied with their achievements in the workplace (Miasmal et al, cited in Yip and Rollins, 2009).The construction Industry Is a complex and demanding environment which consists of long working hours and as a result can cause mental and physical exhaustion (YIP and Rollins, 2009). Charac teristics of the construction Industry which Include multilevel subcontracting, time pressure, constant worker rotation and an unstable work environment are what could contribute to the psychological stress experienced y managers in the construction industry; these stress causing factors are what justify studying the prevalence of burnout in the construction industry (Amelia and Bacterial, 2007).The level of burnout among project managers in the construction industry: Existing literature discusses burnout in terms of the three dimensions, emotional exhaustion, cynicism and personal inefficacy, and relates these constructs of burnout to turnover Intention, Job satisfaction, demographic characteristics, work engagement and organizational commitment; the literature also considers the prevalence of runt In the construction Industry and the effects thereof on the performance of employees.Emotional exhaustion occurs when an individual has been under too much burden and as a result their e motional resources have been used up (Kill, Pent and Selves, 2011). Cynicism is representative of the interpersonal dimension of burnout and refers to â€Å"a negative, callous, or excessively detached response to various aspects of the job† (Letter and Miasmal, 2004, p. 93). In addition, Letter and Miasmal (2004) notes that personal inefficacy relates to self-evaluation and refers to linings of incompetence, a lack of productivity and a lack of achievement in the work place.According to COB (cited In Lung, Chain and Dungy, 2011) the construction Industry Is a stressful Industry where often, many of the professionals suffer from stress. Project managers in the construction industry take on the role of a middle ground departments, construction professionals, consultancies, contractors, sub-contractors, and suppliers (Lung, Chain and Dungy, 2011). Hamilton (cited in Lung, Chain and Dungy, 2011), noted that a construction project manager acts as the leader of a empowers construc tion team during the different phases of a project life cycle.In addition to dealing with demanding time schedules, limited site resources and uncertainties, project managers also need to plan, organize and supervise the progress and safety of the work as well as motivate the teams on the construction site (Ritz, cited in cited in Lung, Chain and Dungy, 2011). For construction project managers, interpersonal relationships is also needed to accomplish good performance (Disbarred, 1996; Lung et al. , 2009), thus, burnout among construction project managers can be considered to include exhaustion, cynicism, reduced reflections efficacy (Lung, Chain and Dungy, 2011).According to Cherries and Brandenburg (cited in Lung, Chain and Dungy, 2011), burnout starts with exposure to excessive Job stress which results from long and irregular working hours and produces strain among construction project managers which eventually leads to burnout. This is supported by Bowen, Edwards and Leningrad (2 013) who states that in the construction industry, work hours are long and the inability to meet project objectives is sometimes caused by unexpected events.Based on a study of 108 construction project managers, the results showed that burnout mongo construction project managers occurs as a result of Job stress, the occurrence of burnout then acts as a catalyst for physiological stress (Lung, Chain and Dungy, 2011). The study by Lung, Chain and Dungy (2011) correlates with the argument presented by Monster, Peters and Roost (201 1), which states that burnout results from high work demands which need to be dealt with under limited resources which leads to negative experiences which accumulate and results in burnout.Lung, Chain and Dungy (2011) states that it is important for project managers to recognize their Job stress in the early stages, from this point they recommend that takeovers assess the stress shown by the project managers and rearrange the work allocation accordingly; sub sequent to this, firms should regularly monitor the level of stress and burnout shown by the project managers and offer sources of social support which could include non-work related gatherings.Contrary to the views shared by Lung, Chain and Dungy (2011) as well as Monster, Peters and Roost (201 1), which state that long working hours and high demands are what leads to Job stress and ultimately burnout, IBM et al (2011) argue that long working hours is not the main source of stress but rather budget related pressures ND ambitious deadlines. IBM et al (2011) do however agree with Ritz (cited in Lung, Chain and Dungy, 2011), that factors which contribute to Job stress include high work volume and safety and security concerns on site.Brand-Leprechauns, Monster and Earthman (2012) discussed that over the past decade, work related well-being specifically related to burnout and work engagement Construction Regulations in South Africa introduced psychological well-being in the Occupational Health Safety Act; the purpose of this Act was to create a framework which ensures higher levels of health and safety in the industry (Deacon and Eke 006, cited in Brand-Leprechauns, Monster and Earthman, 2012).According to Bowen, Edwards and Leningrad (2013), the construction industry is known as a high- stress working environment which affects the health and well-being of the people in it. Based on the literature reviewed for the purpose of this study, it is evident that there are studies which discuss burnout within the context of the South African construction industry, however not many studies have been done to measure specifically the level of burnout among project managers within the South African construction industry. The existing research does however show that there clearly is evidence of burnout within the construction industry.Research done in Hong Kong by Lung, Chain and Dungy (2011) shows that burnout is highly prevalent among project managers in the construction ind ustry and discusses the negative effects it has on the managers and the working environment as well as possible solutions to address the level of burnout experienced. Lung, Chain and Dungy (2011) states that for a study of this nature, questionnaire surveys as a method of data collection proves difficult to eliminate potential errors and therefore and recommend that qualitative data using semi-structured or non- structured interviews be used for rather research.Understanding the effects and consequences of burnout can thus be viewed as a preventative measure and the study thereof is therefore important and relevant in the South African context. Relationship between burnout and turnover intentions: A big question to the management of many firms is what influences an employee to leave the firm. Numerous studies have found that burnout and Job satisfaction are among the major influencer of turnover intentions. According to studies done by researchers such as Cotton and Tuttle (1986), t urnover intention is the likelihood of an employee staying or leaving a company.However, Teeth and Meyer (1993) stated that turnover intention is when the employee is determined to leave the company. In addition, Fishbone and Zen, (1975) found an indication that employees make a conscious choice to leave before actually leaving their Jobs. Bark et al. (2001) discussed that several research that has been done used intent to leave instead of actual turnover as measures for turnover intentions. For example, Cotton and Tuttle (1986) found that people are more likely to leave an organization when their expectations have not been met.However, Ghana and Fen (2011) indicate that many, UT not all factors of both Job satisfaction and burnout prove to be relevant factors affecting turnover intention. Choc et al (2012) found that managing Job burnout is important for decreasing turnover intentions and show that turnover intentions can be explained by the factors of Job burnout: emotional exhaus tion, diversification, and reduced personal accomplishment. Between Job burnout and turnover intentions in various settings. Sings et al. 1994) stated that Job burnout is a generalized construct including emotional exhaustion, diversification, and decreased achievements and proved that Job burnout has did detrimental effects on Job outcomes, through increased employee turnover, reduced Job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and Job performance. Schaeffer and Beaker (2004) stressed that Job burnout specifically including emotional exhaustion and diversification is an important predictor of turnover intentions for companies.The argument by Choc et al (2012) agrees with that of Schaeffer and Beaker (2004) which states that burnout is a predictor of turnover intention, however Choc et al (2012) discusses that all the dimensions of burnout are positively related to turnover intentions. In addition, Letter and Miasmal, (2009) established that burnout and high workload increase the l evel of employee intention. Furthermore, Leather and Mach (2009) discuss that all burnout factors are among the main causes for turnover intentions and that these results are supported by other studies within different industries.However, Demerit et. Al (2001) states that high Job stresses together with lack of resources most likely cause burnout. Briar et al (2013) tested the impact of very stressful Jobs and found that emotional Job demands are causes for burnout, specifically related to exhaustion and cynicism. Lachrymal and Aryan, (1986) and Sorensen Sorensen, (1974) both argue that the reasons for turnover intention rely on the assumption that the basic conflict between loyalties experienced mostly by professionals negatively affects their work attitudes, and hence leads to turnover intentions.Ghana and Fen (2011) show that many but not all factors of Job satisfaction and burnout are applicable dynamics affecting turnover intention. Letter and Miasmal (2009) also found that the re may be limited mediation effects of burnout, mainly through emotional exhaustion, within the impact of Job satisfaction on turnover intention, Choc et al (2012) showed that financial prizes were effective in decreasing turnover intentions under diversification. However, financial rewards increased turnover intentions under reduced personal accomplishment.In addition, career paths were effective in decreasing turnover under both diversification and reduced personal accomplishment. Choc et al (2012) goes on to show how complex it is for managers to implement Just one set of policies to reduce all problems. Many studies that have been conducted, (Briar et al. (2013), Cotton and Tuttle (1986), Cohen(1999), Choc et al (2012)) all conclude that there is a positive relationship teens burnout and turnover intention in which they add that if the burnout factors are not managed properly it is likely to cause an increase in turnover intention.Relationship between burnout and organizational commitment: According to Corded (1993), emotional exhaustion is the main characteristic of burnout. Emotional exhaustion is characterized by a somatic and psychological are depleted, when the possibility of resources being depleted is high, in scenarios whereby an individual's resources are insufficient enough to carry out work requirements or when expected results are not acquired by the resources (Hobble, 1988).Hobble (1989) described these resources as an individual's personal attributes, circumstances, limitations or vigor that represents the individual's ability to achieve work demands. Social support, promotions, the level of participation during decision making processes, independence and reward incentives are all examples of resources (Lee and Seaports, 1996). Wright and Cropland (1998) described compromising situations in the workplace, workload and conflict as work demands.Emotional exhaustion takes place when individuals believe they do not have the adequate resources to meet work demands (Hobble, 1989). Organizational ointment has a negative relationship with an individual's resources that are required to meet organizational demands (Wright and Cropland, 1998). The pressure to meet organizational demands eventually leads to Job stress which, if left untreated, could lead potentially lead to emotional exhaustion (Wright and Cropland, 1998).Emotional exhaustion, in turn, diminishes organizational commitment (Lee and Seaports, 1996). Miasmal (2003) speculated that organizational commitment has a negative relationship with burnout. Individuals who experience high levels of burnout affect their fellow colleagues negatively, bringing about conflict n the workplace and disturbing work activities (Miasmal, 2003). Wright and Cropland (1998), however, argue that despite the fact that emotional exhaustion diminishes organizational commitment, practical evidence for this particular research is lacking.Research on burnout has classically been based on the princ iple that it affects employees' organizational commitment negatively (Lee and Seaports 1996). As is apparent with the research analyses above, studies have obtained evidence that burnout causes decreased levels of organizational commitment Jackson et al. 1987, Letter and Miasmal 1988). However, there are studies which show that the relationship between burnout and commitment could possibly operate in the opposite direction, that is; organizational commitment could possibly cause burnout (Goliath, Drilldown and Gillespie, 1998).In a study conducted by Goliath, Drilldown and Gillespie (1998), results verify that organizational commitment had equally direct and indirect consequences on burnout. The study, which focused on nurses, demonstrated that a huge commitment to the organization had a positive relationship with levels of emotional exhaustion (Goliath, Drilldown and Gillespie, 1998). Put simply, these results maintain the argument that, in extremely demanding work environments, or ganizational commitment may be a major attributer of burnout (Goliath, Drilldown and Gillespie, 1998).Schaeffer and Bunk (1996) suggested that employees with low levels of commitment tend to withdraw from the work environment and are likely to experience the penalties of heavily stressed work environment a whole lot more than their fellow employees who are highly committed to the organization. This is quite similar to the results found by Begley and Chukka (1993), which discovered that organizational commitment intensified the correlation teens stress and Job discontentment among nurses.In a study involving technicians, results demonstrated that organizational commitment has varying Gillespie, 1998). Different elements of burnout are not only more outstanding for varying professions, in addition, the possible attribution to burnout and the penalties of burnout could be highly variable (Goliath, Drilldown and Gillespie, 1998). Lee and Seaports (1996) asserted that additional research should make the methodical contrast of the burnout occurrence of a variety of professions a focal point of research. Currents studies have several restrictions (Goliath, Drilldown and Gillespie, 1998).Finally, while preceding studies have focused largely on the consequences of burnout on employees' level of organizational commitment, other studies have established that it is likewise imperative to take into consideration the effects of organizational commitment on burnout (Goliath, Drilldown and Gillespie, 1998). Relationship between burnout and Job satisfaction: A pleasurable or positive emotional state as a result of Job experience or the appraisal of the Job is known as Job satisfaction (Digitalis, Ketosis's and Toga, cited in Marinas and Van Deer Westernizes, 2013).According to War (cited in Marinas and Van Deer Westernizes, 2013), Job satisfaction can occur as a result of remuneration, work relationships, working conditions, Job security, promotional prospects, training opport unities and the nature of the Job. Marinas and Van Deer Westernizes (2013) who conducted a study based on work well-being in a medical laboratory setting in South Africa, states that the results of the study in this environment found that exhaustion and cynicism which are dimensions of burnout are significantly negatively related to Job satisfaction.Marinas and Van Deer Westernizes (2013) also state that Job satisfaction is the strongest component of well- being in the work place. Oozed, Graciously and Wildfire (2013) agrees with the argument put forward by Digitalis, Ketosis's and Toga (cited in Marinas and Van Deer Westernizes, 2013) which states that Job satisfaction is an emotional state, however according to Oozed, Graciously and Wildfire (2013), Job satisfaction is also a behavioral expression which shows an individual's evaluation of their work, working life and working environment.According to Oozed, Graciously and Wildfire 2013), who conducted a study in Turkey based on the relationship between burnout and Job satisfaction among nurses found that nurses who suffer with emotional exhaustion and diversification have lower scores for Job satisfaction whereas those nurses who experience higher levels of personal achievement have greater levels of Job satisfaction.Thus, the study conducted by Oozed, Graciously and Wildfire (2013) supports the findings by Marinas and Van Deer Westernizes (2013) which states that a negative relationship exists between Job satisfaction and the dimensions of burnout. Similarly, a study conducted by Digitalis, Ketosis's and Toga (2004) among librarians in academic libraries in Greece shows that Job satisfaction is negatively related to emotional exhaustion and diversification while a positive relationship exists between personal achievement and Job satisfaction.To further confirm the findings by other researchers, a study conducted in the hospitality industry in Istanbul by Kill, Polite and Selves (2011) notes that the study of the relationship between burnout and Job satisfaction is important for business managers and practitioners and furthermore found that within this industry, runt. Few studies have been conducted which focus specifically on the relationship between burnout and Job satisfaction among project managers in the construction industry; a study was however conducted based on construction project managers' health in the UK by Love and Edwards (2005).According to Love and Edwards (2005), Job satisfaction among construction workers is defined as a â€Å"match between the rewards offered by the work environment and the individual's preferences for those rewards†. The study by Love and Edwards (2005) used a measurement scale developed by War et al (cited in Love and Edwards, 2005) to assure Job satisfaction; the scale includes the factors of work conditions, management, promotion, salary, Job security and co-workers as variables of Job satisfaction.Recommendations for managing stress, heal th and Job satisfaction among project managers in the construction industry includes training construction project managers to adopt and implement strategies to cope with their stress as well as providing support mechanisms within the firm (Love and Edwards, 2005). A South African study which looks at burnout and Job satisfaction among nurses shows that two factors were yielded when measuring Job satisfaction; these factors include reflections advancement and reward as one factor and leave as another factor (Sloppier et al. , 2012).The results of the study show that the most dissatisfaction was experienced with regards to wages, opportunities for advancement and study leave (Sloppier et al. , 2012). Sloppier et al. (2012) argue that Job satisfaction and burnout are related and furthermore that a positive environment leads to increased Job satisfaction and lower levels of burnout. In agreement with Oozed, Graciously and Wildfire (2013), the study by Sloppier et al. (2012) states that the degree of burnout in he nursing industry in South Africa is strongly correlated to that of Job satisfaction.A review of existing literature on burnout and the constructs thereof show that there are many arguments by various researchers which correlate with each other. In this review, the dimensions of burnout are clearly identified as emotional exhaustion, cynicism and personal efficacy (Letter and Miasmal, 2004). The review of literature with regards to the level of burnout among project managers in the construction industry shows that the complex nature of the Job is likely to cause Job stress which is a predictor of burnout (Lung, Chain and Dungy, 2011).A gap was identified in the lack of literature which exists based on project managers in the construction industry in South Africa and specifically the levels of burnout among them. Furthermore, the review of existing literature shows that researchers have adopted different definitions for the term turnover intentions', despi te this a clear correlation in results exists which shows that a relationship does exist between turnover intention and burnout. Similarly, the review of literature relating organizational commitment and burnout shows that a relationship does exist between the two variables.A clear lack f literature when reviewing the literature based on burnout related to turnover intention, Job satisfaction, organizational commitment and demographic factors is evident. This lack of literature shows that there is a need for further research on these work-related outcomes not only among project managers but within the construction industry in South Africa as a whole. Service employees' burnout levels related to demographic characteristics: According to Miasmal (2003), individuals to the working environment alone.These attributes include demographics, personal traits as well as beliefs that stem from the working environment (Miasmal, 003). Miasmal (2003) affirmed that a number of these attributes are correlated to burnout. The area of interest in this instance is demographic characteristics. Miasmal (2003) put forward that age is the variable that is most constantly correlated to burnout, among the available demographic variables. It was reported that younger employees, under the ages of 30 and 40, experience high levels of burnout (Miasmal, 2003).This is attributed to the fact that age is disconcerted with the individuals level of work experience and it is for this reason that the younger employees experience higher levels of burnout (Miasmal, 2003). Miasmal (2003) allowed up with the sex demographic and concluded that this particular demographic was not an efficient forecaster of burnout. Results from previously conducted research suggested that female employees are characterized with higher levels of burnout, while other results characterized men with higher levels of burnout (Miasmal, 2003).Also, some research results were inconclusive, with very little difference between t he levels of burnout experienced by men and women (Miasmal, 2003). Regarding marital status, Miasmal (2003) discovered that individuals who were not married experienced higher levels of burnout than those who were aired. Furthermore, single individuals experienced higher levels of burnout than divorced individuals (Miasmal, 2003). Miasmal (2003) then explored the level of education and came to conclude that individuals with a higher level of education experience higher levels of burnout than those who are less educated.In a study conducted by Corded (1993), she suggested that there are certain demographic variables that have proven to contribute to the Justification of why certain individuals experience high levels of burnout and why others are somewhat immune to burnout demographic variables. Men and women have frequently reported discrepancies in the levels of burnout experienced, however, there is inconclusive evidence pertaining to the pattern and complications of relationships (Lemmas, Rafter, Purdue, and Ruddiest, 1987).Studies conducted by Anderson and Knick (1984) also suggested that younger employees constantly reported higher levels of burnout compared to employees who were much older. Employees who were more experienced reported extremely low levels of burnout thus concluding that, the older and more experienced an employee, the lower the reported levels of burnout (Anderson and Knick, 1984). Miasmal and Jackson (1985) further asserted that individuals who were married experienced very low levels of burnout compared to individuals who are not married and experienced considerably higher levels of burnout.Individuals who have children experienced lower levels of burnout compared to individuals who had no children and experienced higher levels of burnout (Miasmal and Jackson, 1985). To conclude, Corded (1993) affirmed that based on the available literature today, she believes that the burnout trend requires more consideration by researchers whose focus of study is stress processes in the work environment. Burnout seems to be a extinctive kind of a stress pattern that takes into account the awareness of emotional of reduced personal achievement (Corded, 1993).