Caregiver stress Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Caregiver stress - Research Paper Example The median age is 63 years and the mode is 76 years. The figure below shows the distribution of caregiver age in the sample. Patient Gender: Out of the valid sample of 348, 130 patients are male and 218 female. That is 37.4% of the sample is males and 62.6% females Caregiver Gender: Out of the valid sample of 348, 88 patients are male and 260 female. That is 25.3% of the sample is males and 74.7% females Ethnicity: White non-Hispanics are the largest group by ethnicity constituting 42.3% of the sample. Hispanic ethnicity is the second largest group constituting 32.5% of the sample and the rest are African Americans constituting the remaining 25.3% of the sample. Caregiver Education The average caregiver education is 13.1 years. The range is 20 years from a minimum 3 years to a maximum of 20 years of education. Household Income For the household income, the dataset was not complete and data labels were not set for all ordinal values. Of all the data points, only 170 had disappoints fo r which the ordinal values were described in the data set. For the available dataset details, the maximum frequency was observed for the 2000-2300 income group and greater than 2400 income group with a frequency of 31 data points each. Hypothesis test 1: Religious patients complain less about somatic illnesses In order to test this hypothesis, we can compare the means for total somatic illness complaints observed for the religious patients (any level of being religious – from somewhat religious to very religious) and for non-religious patents. The corresponding data in the sample would be the data for â€Å"Somatic Complaints Total† (SCT). Out of the sample of 349, 5 cases are excluded in the analysis. Two of these are excluded because there is no data available and the remaining three because the data for their religiousness is not rightly captured in the database. It is captured as 2.56, which is not related to any ordinal assignment of data. The following table summ arizes the mean SCT for different groups of patients based on their religiousness. We can see whether there is any difference in means of complaints by the different patients to ascertain whether religious people complain less or not. This can be done using 2 statistical tests: the two-sample t-test and the one way Anova test. Two-sample t-test where we group all the religious people as one and â€Å"not at all religious† people as the second group to see whether not at all religious people complain more. Also, we can now consider two groups of samples, one including people who are not at all religious and second of people who are religious, somewhat religious, or very religious. The table for means for these groups is as below. =2) is people who are religious. These notations are due to nature of data in the dataset. Now, we need to test whether the group of religious people complain less about somatic illness. Hypothesis testing by Two-sample t-test for independent variable s Let  µr denote the observed mean for religious group and  µn denote the mean for not at all religious group. So, our Null hypothesis:  µr =  µnr The sig. value, which is the p-value for the test is 0.578. This is too high compared to a 0.05 or 0.10 p-value which would have been for 95% confidence or 90% confidence level. So, we must reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis that religious people do NOT complain less abo

Research Paper on the Psychology of Women Essay

Research Paper on the Psychology of Women - Essay Example en from an early age many times determines the type of vocation and thus pay scale women may believe they must conform to and be satisfied with instead of being determined by their own inherent talents and aptitude for learning. Though females comprise almost half of the workforce, they are bunched together in professions that are traditionally viewed as ‘women’s jobs’ which usually means they receive less compensation for their efforts (U.S. Department of Labor, 2003). The labor force is a system that is segregated on the basis of gender. In 2003, of those employed as administrative assistants and secretaries, more than 96 percent were women who also comprise more than 80 percent of elementary and middle school teachers while 90 percent of those employed in the nursing profession are women according to the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor. These figures support previous studies that confirm the propensity for women to select educational paths and subsequently careers which historically have been deemed by society as the proper role for women (Hopkins & McManus, 1998). Conversely, few women can be found employed in typical ‘blue collar’ vocations that re quire higher levels of physical exertion. For instance, only about 12 percent of all law enforcement officials, eight percent of civil, three percent of construction workers and two percent of electricians are women (U.S. Department of Labor, 2003). The same gender bias prevails in certain areas of intellectual endeavors as well. For example, according to the October 1990 issue of Notices, â€Å"of the 991 doctorates awarded in mathematics by institutions in the U.S. and Canada in 1989-1990, 18 percent of which were awarded to women† (Schafer, 1991). While the lack of women employed in more physical jobs can be explained at least to some degree, the reasons that women are not usually considered as equals to their male counterparts in the sciences and mathematics fields is more of a

Bonchon Analysis Essay Example for Free

Bonchon Analysis Essay Banchan (pronounced bonchon) refers to the assorted sides served alongside a main course in Korean cuisine. About a half dozen banchan are served at any meal; the best known are kimchi — pickled dishes, made of either fermented cabbage (baechu), daikon radish (mu), or other vegetables like scallions (pa) — although they might also include japchae (glass noodles), marinated tofu, or even American potato salad. Typically served in small portions that are meant to be finished (and replenished if necessary) at every meal, banchan are shared amongst everyone at the table. My favorite banchan is ggakdugi, or kak tu gi, the spicy diced radish kimchi. BonChon is a Korean word meaning â€Å"original village†. Just as people yearn for their hometown, we hope that our customers will seek our amazingly crispy, juicy, and flavorful chicken wherever they are. As we grow and expand, we will make sure that he who seeks BonChon shall always find it. BonChon’s mission is to bring the most gratifying eating experience to people around the globe, and to be a company which cares for and grows with our franchisees and customers. Through a culture of hard work and loyalty, we aspire to be a reliable and constant source of quality food and service, dedicating ourselves to encouraging joy and positive energy in all those who encounter us.

News Management of Influenza Outbreak

News Management of Influenza Outbreak 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2.0 NEWS MANAGEMENT The media is facing increasing pressure and demands from the public for timely and varied news stories in diverse angles. Media agencies are seeking above all to be the one-stop conduit of information for their audiences and the understanding of these pressures and angles can help organizations to not only cope with media attention but to also turn it to its advantage. News management according to Underwood (2010) is the process by which organizations attempt to take control of the flow of news to the media and setting the agenda for the media. The media will always want to set the agenda- which is what they consider as newsworthy. Organizations, ranging from businesses to political institutions all leverage this tactic to either establish a positive reputation or counteract public scrutiny in its activities. This is done through; issuing of press releases, holding press conferences and staging events which is also very powerful as a strategy to influence the media in its coverage. News agencies are considered to act as gatekeepers by seeking events and defining stories. The defining of stories that are newsworthy or not is done through a set of criteria called news values (Underwood, 2010). News value, as a criterion helps determine what makes a story and also, can make into the news. The selection of news events is determined by the creation of reality through choices of journalists related to their professional standards and what a journalist or editor considers an event is what they see to be an event and can make the news. For example, the opening of a multinational bank will make a potential news item than the same bank hiring new executives. Organisations can play the media at their own game through news values. For example, a political government choosing to announce details of an embarrassing report on the same day a latest report of an arrest of a corrupt official or an epidemic outbreak is announced. The arrest and epidemic issue may fit the mediaâ⠂¬â„¢s angle and thus rendering the report overlooked. News management within the context of political organisations is seen as a practical solution for governments and political actors to use the media in furthering their political goals. According to Pfetsch (1999), a particular selection and shaping of news is dependent on the institution, political and media context of a country. With political organizations’ objective of controlling information on the public agenda, through shaping media coverage makes news management an important factor. Political actors use news management as a way to manage contingencies, considering instances when the media is fed with information and the organisation still has no power to control the main news coverage. Framing and Spin-control are some of the strategies political organisations employ to control information. Framing as a structure of meaning and interpretation is seen to be connected to message contents, the media and the situation at hand (Klandermans, 1988). Spin-controlling is also a technique that is employed by political organisations in news management to fix results from happenings and to manage expectations of events about to happen (Bruce, 1992). This technique is used by organisations to stress more on features that is attractive to the target media and also avoid the features that are considered undesirable. For example, during election night news coverage, defeats in elections are interpreted as victories in front of television cameras. A typical example of a spin was the news during the September 11th World Trade Center came falling and Jo Moore sent Stephen Byers (Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and Regions) her boss a memo proposing â€Å"it’s now a very good day to get out anything we want to bury. Councillors expenses?† Unfortunately, the memo got leaked and she was reprimanded by her boss and there was a media onslaught and outrage. But on her part, it was a cynical spin which suggests she was able to divert attention on the serious event that has happened (Sparrow, 2001). Every organisation is potential for media scrutiny and needs to be prepared any time. Organisations always strive for brand recognition and reputation building through activities using public relations and advertising strategies; however, the media’s coverage during any event can be unsatisfactory. Therefore, when a crisis event hit an organisation, it isn’t difficult to see the media coming to knock on the door step to seek stories that are newsworthy. Organisations ultimate goal in news management should be to influence by all means possible what kind of news should appear in the media in any situation. Kotoka International Airport (KIA) has hit by a strain of influenza virus, has its image to protect in this crisis and as an organisation, it can only influence media coverage through setting the agenda for the media through an effective news management strategy. 2.0 INTRODUCTION An epidemic outbreak believed to be an influenza virus has come to the notice of the management at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Ghana. Several cases have been reported within the last 3 hours and seven people including three children are now hospitalized and one passenger reported dead from the influenza virus but in another country. The KIA is an airport that has facilities and offers services in line with international standards. KIA has seen more than 2.6 million passengers in 2013. The recent reported a case on the passenger who died of the epidemic was reported to have been on a trip to Thailand. The international airport has structured standard procedures to handle and protect the lives of passengers through its Emergency Medical Services (EMS) but the media in Ghana is criticising KIA on its poor cleaning routines and hygienic practices in controlling the epidemic so far. As the media relations officer of KIA, this strategic plan is devised to manage the news and also counteract any media onslaught concerning the influenza epidemic. 2.1 Aim The aim of this plan is to get the public informed about the influenza outbreak, provide safety actions at the airport and to also assure the public with the trust and confidence of putting the crisis under control. The plan also seeks to counteract any form of media scrutiny and protect the reputation of the KIA. 2.3 Objectives The following are the objectives of the strategic media plan: To install confidence to travellers at the KIA and how management is working effectively to keep the outbreak under control within 72 hours. To inform and communicate facts on the outbreak and minimize rumours before the end of the second day. To promote a positive understanding of the epidemic response, mitigation and control programs in place by the end of 48 hours’ time. To maintain confidence and order in the safety and operations at KIA by the end of the week. 3.0 THE CRISIS COMMUNICATION TEAM (CCT) In the development and implementation of a strategic plan, the first step is the creation of a team who will plan the response and provide the media with all details pertaining to the influenza outbreak at KIA. All the employees will be informed with measures on the influenza epidemic but authorised not to respond to any media enquiries. The CCT will include the following: i. Director of Airports The Director of Airports is Dr Gani and has been serving in that office for 15 years with vast experience and knowledge on the business at the KIA. He will be in authority to direct, control and coordinate the overall management of the epidemic crisis. He will work closely with his deputy in to oversee all measures put in place to control the epidemic and also manage all the section/team heads. ii. Health and Safety Director Mrs Ganira as the director will be playing a very important role. She will be responsible for coordinating all health and safety functions during this emergency at KIA. She will coordinate with all departments and provide messages and information regarding safety conditions to help minimize the outbreak. She will also coordinate with health services for emergency responses and quarantining of affected passengers. iii. Public Information Officer (PIO) Miss Claudia will be responsible for managing all media enquiries and assists in the preparation and dissemination of information and brief the media before a press conference. Supervise and monitor all information for accuracy and consistency before being discharged into the public domain via the media. She will prepare the spokesperson for any press conference or interviews and also train him on regular basis. She will be in-charge of the Media Information Centre (MIC). Chief of Operations Mr Saah will lead the operations section in the development and implementation of the health standard measures. He will ensure the planning and logistics functions support at KIA. He will support the MIC with operational information. He will identify the deployment and actions of each team and also someone to keep a log on all activities throughout. 3.1 DESIGNATED SPOKESPERSON In considering someone as the spokesperson for the team, factors considered include someone who is a real communicator, has a respectable public figure and the media are familiar with and can convey accurate and important messages to the media and public. With such qualities, no other person can occupy that other than Mr Godwin, who is the Deputy Director of Airports. With his vast experience in his past work history as the director of operations for the Ministry of Health, he suits the position to be the spokesperson for the crisis team. 3.2 TIPS FOR THE SPOKESPERSON Every spokesperson is expected to know or possess some characteristics to be able to engage and utilise the media to the organisations advantage. The following tips are considered and followed to gain some form of representation from the media. He must know the policies of KIA and be informed thoroughly on any current information before engaged by the media. Show empathy with those affected but not using words like â€Å"we regret†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which might make it look like a lawsuit. During interviews or Press conferences: When reporters or journalists put up sticky questions to him, he must answer them but will bridge them to the key messages he wants to convey. Must avoid â€Å"No comment† phrase. He will need to avoid replying questions with that phrase he do not want to answer. Appropriate answers can be, â€Å"I don’t have that information with me now. May I research it and get back to you?† And avoid using jargons or acronyms when speaking with news reporters and stick to the facts. 4.0 KEY MESSAGES The key messages play a very important aspect during crisis communication. They need to be few in number, short and concise to the public through the media. Other factors considered for key messages include giving positive action steps, not speculating, use of pronouns and cut-to-the-chase. The message map below shows the key messages to be used. Table 1: Message map for the influenza pandemic crisis 5.0 STRATEGIC MEDIA CHANNELS Media agencies are every time seeking above all to be their audiences’ avenue for information and make it important for the organization to meet its needs. It is imperative for organizations to establish positive relationships with the news media to help build partnership during any situation. KIA has built a positive relationship with key news media agencies in the capital. Therefore during this crisis, KIA’s goal is to be accurate, timely and reliable with its news coverage. There are a wide range of available media channels KIA can employ to disseminate and engage the media to reach its audience. However, the success will depend on the unique and best conduit for widest possible audience. The following will be considered by KIA. 5.1 Press Conference The first action to be taken when KIA has news on the influenza strain within 1 hour to 2 hours is to extend an invitation to media representatives (See Appendix A for Ghana’s media) to attend a press conference. This will help project KIA with an authoritative image and with a credible message during the crisis. To do this, the press statements will be brief, true, and accurate. As first official information, the key messages will include elements like expression of concern for passenger’s welfare, confirmed facts and action steps, the process, commitment statement and where to go for more information and the spokesperson will stay on the key messages throughout. 5.2 Website The next within the 2 hour period of the crisis it to create a crisis page on KIA’s official website and updates will be continuing on any new development on the epidemic at the airport. 5.3 Press release Within 3 to 5 hours period, possible topics would have been identified and press release sent to both the traditional and social media. They will include facts on the epidemic at KIA, and will stay on the key messages 1, 2 and 3. A media kit will be included with detail facts sheets on the crisis at KIA. 5.4 Social Media Considered as the fastest and uncontrolled channels for information travel, KIA will engage the public through key social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. YouTube channel will also be used for broadcasting the information on the epidemic. All key messages will be tweeted often as well as images posted. This will help inform and give details on the epidemic at KIA and users can also engage with the team to know how the crisis is being controlled. Continues updating will be done. Facebook: [emailprotected] Twitter: [emailprotected] and all posts will start with a hash tag (#). Example: #kiainfluenza 5.5 Radio Since radio listening is one of the most listened media outlets, KIA will leverage this tool to reach the wider public through news shows and live talk shows within 42 hours of the crisis. ‘Talk radio’ will provide KIA an opportunity to speak directly on important health messages and share the actions KIA is taking to protect passengers and the spread of the influenza epidemic in the region. (see Appendix B for list of radio stations KIA will be hosted on) 6.0 MONITORING INFORMATION FLOW It is critical to monitor the news on both the traditional media and social media to identify and rectify rumours or misleading reportage. KIA will establish a Media Information Centre (MIC) to function as a central point for all epidemic-related communications and queries from the media. The MIC will serve as the media-monitoring office to monitor all news and make immediate responses. Appendices Appendix A Ghana’s Media Ghana’s media enjoys a high degree of media freedom and thus can pose a threat to organizations during a crisis event. They are free to criticise authorities without fear with a lively press and an often phone-in programs on many radio stations. Radio is the most popular medium with over 200 stations and many of them based in the main cities. The State-run media is the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). The key media will be listed for the purpose of the plan Source: BBC (2013) Appendix B Schedule for Talk Radio shows References BRUCE, B., 1992. Images of Power. London: Kogan Page. Ghana profile, 2013. News Africa [online] Available on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13433793 [Accessed on 6 January 2015] KLANDERMANS, B., 1988. The Formation and Mobilization of Consensus. In Nandermans, B., Kriesi Hans Peter, Tarrow Sidney (ed.), International Social Movement Research (Vol. 1, pp. 173-198). PFETSCH, B., 1999. Government news management: Strategic communication in comparative perspective. [online] Available on: https://www.econstor.eu/dspace/bitstream/10419/49821/1/30895761X.pdf [Accessed on 6 January 2015] SPARROW, A. 2001. Sept. 11: A good day to bury bad news. [online] Available on: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1358985/Sept-11-a-good-day-to-bury-bad-news.html [Accessed on 6 January 2015] UNDERWOOD, M. 2010. News Management. [online] Available on: http://www.cultsock.org/index.php?page=media/setorder.html [Accessed on 6 January 2015]

Behavioral Jealousy Essay -- Psychology, Behavior

Behavioral jealousy are actions that occur between an individual who is experiencing envious thoughts and how they internalize and react to the stimuli. Pfeiffer and Wong (1989) â€Å"conceptualize jealous behaviors as the detective/protective measures a person takes when relationship rivals (real or imaginary) are perceived. Detective actions include questioning, checking up on the partner, and searching the partner’s belongings† (p.183). Research suggests that behavioral jealousy is used to maintain relationships. Relationship maintenance refers to either positive or negative behaviors that occur between two individuals in order to maintain a healthy communicative balance. Dainton and Gross (2008) specifically discuss the repercussions that negative behaviors such as jealousy induction may have on relationship maintenance. For instance utilizing negative maintenance behaviors such as jealousy to react to a relationship is negatively associated with relationship satisfaction. This research is tied in with the idea of social support and how individual respond to their partners. Researchers agree that jealousy in relationships can have a negative impact, yet also enhance romantic feelings and satisfaction based on how jealousy is initially communicated (Dainton & Gross, 2008; Yoshimura, 2004). â€Å"An essential idea behind this study is that the ways in which jealous individuals communicate their jealousy influence how the target communicatively responds. The results showed that targets of jealousy expressions most strongly respond in the style of the initial expression† (Yoshimura, 2004, p. 95). The way jealousy is expressed initially based on attitude and mood can affect the response of the partner and at shaping and guiding the relat... ...e a parallel correlation from offline jealousy behaviors. Groothof, Dijkstra, and Barelds (2009) suggest that â€Å"as for offline acts of infidelity, men compared to women are more upset by a mates sexual infidelity over the Internet, whereas women, more than men, are more upset by a mate’s emotional infidelity over the Internet† (p.1126). Research also suggests that besides socio-cultural and evolutionary jealousy based on gender differentiation; further research should focus on individual’s cognitive social perspective pertaining to jealousy emotion. Harris (2002) suggest that â€Å"individuals clearly vary in their susceptibility to feelings of jealousy†¦the degree of jealousy will be determined by the appraisals people make regarding the seriousness of a threat† (p.11). With that said, further research on sexual jealousy triggers should be further investigated.

Hamlets Immaturity in Shakespeares Hamlet :: essays research papers

Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is an immature child who craves attention. Throughout the play â€Å"Hamlet† by William Shakespeare, Hamlet creates difficulty for himself because of his inability to handle the situations life throws at him. There are many aspects of life that become easier with maturity. Hamlet’s lack of maturity makes his entire life that much more difficult and, in the end, his immaturity kills him. Hamlet is given reason to believe that his Father was murdered. A ghost bearing the â€Å"†¦same figure like the king that’s dead.† (Bernardo 1:1) informed him that the old King’s death was â€Å"Murder most foul†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ghost 1:5). When Hamlet eagerly inquires as to the meaning of the Ghost’s words he is told that â€Å"The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/ Now wears his crown.† Upon hearing this Hamlet immediately knows that his Uncle Claudius, the new king and his new step-father, is the guilty party. A mature person upon hearing news like this would, most likely, also have gone slightly insane with anger. How ever a mature person, upon regaining some control of his or her faculties, would have taken steps to punish the murderer in a just fashion. These steps would have included informing to populace and the Queen of the New King’s treachery against the old. Hamlet does not do this, instead he schemes and plots ways to kill his Uncle as opposed to giving him the opportunity to exculpate himself. Had Hamlet acted with maturity and expressed his concerns about his uncle the lives of many people would have been spared. A second example of Hamlet’s immaturity, which stems from his plotting against Claudius, can be seen in his treatment of Ophelia, the daughter of a court advisor. Hamlet himself gives cause for belief that he is in love with Ophelia. He writes to her informing her that she is his â€Å"†¦soul’s idol†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Polonius 2:2). How ever when Hamlet affects insanity he treats Ophelia in a very ribald manner. After a litany of insults directed at Ophelia because of Hamlet’s belief that she is in league with Polonius in trying to trap him he goes so far as to proclaim â€Å"I loved you not.† (Hamlet 3:1) Hamlet used Ophelia quite cruelly in order to strike a blow at her father and Claudius. Instead of acting like a man and telling them directly what he thought of them he abused a trusting, loving, girl in order to deliver his message of loathing. Hamlet's Immaturity in Shakespeare's Hamlet :: essays research papers Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is an immature child who craves attention. Throughout the play â€Å"Hamlet† by William Shakespeare, Hamlet creates difficulty for himself because of his inability to handle the situations life throws at him. There are many aspects of life that become easier with maturity. Hamlet’s lack of maturity makes his entire life that much more difficult and, in the end, his immaturity kills him. Hamlet is given reason to believe that his Father was murdered. A ghost bearing the â€Å"†¦same figure like the king that’s dead.† (Bernardo 1:1) informed him that the old King’s death was â€Å"Murder most foul†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ghost 1:5). When Hamlet eagerly inquires as to the meaning of the Ghost’s words he is told that â€Å"The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/ Now wears his crown.† Upon hearing this Hamlet immediately knows that his Uncle Claudius, the new king and his new step-father, is the guilty party. A mature person upon hearing news like this would, most likely, also have gone slightly insane with anger. How ever a mature person, upon regaining some control of his or her faculties, would have taken steps to punish the murderer in a just fashion. These steps would have included informing to populace and the Queen of the New King’s treachery against the old. Hamlet does not do this, instead he schemes and plots ways to kill his Uncle as opposed to giving him the opportunity to exculpate himself. Had Hamlet acted with maturity and expressed his concerns about his uncle the lives of many people would have been spared. A second example of Hamlet’s immaturity, which stems from his plotting against Claudius, can be seen in his treatment of Ophelia, the daughter of a court advisor. Hamlet himself gives cause for belief that he is in love with Ophelia. He writes to her informing her that she is his â€Å"†¦soul’s idol†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Polonius 2:2). How ever when Hamlet affects insanity he treats Ophelia in a very ribald manner. After a litany of insults directed at Ophelia because of Hamlet’s belief that she is in league with Polonius in trying to trap him he goes so far as to proclaim â€Å"I loved you not.† (Hamlet 3:1) Hamlet used Ophelia quite cruelly in order to strike a blow at her father and Claudius. Instead of acting like a man and telling them directly what he thought of them he abused a trusting, loving, girl in order to deliver his message of loathing.

Benihana of Tokyo Essay

Benihana of Tokyo has been very successful for the last 40 years since 1964. From a small restaurant, it has developed into a chain of themed restaurants. The success of Benihana has been attributed to the superb total quality management (TQM) process especially in maintaining the overall exotic ambience and the high quality food provided. All these strengths contribute to providing an unforgettable dining experience to its consumers and are reflected in their ability to retain consumers which is shown in exhibit 4 such that 65. % of their customers are return customers. Benihana is able to minimize cost effectively without affecting the quality of food and service provided. From Exhibit 1, total costs of sales are kept to 35-45% of total sales. Their attempt to reduce operating costs is also reflected through a reasonable net profit margin of 0. 5-9% of sales. Benihana made use of floor space efficiently to decrease labor costs and rent. The elimination of the conventional kitchen w ith the hibachi arrangement allows the company to keep labor costs low and at the same time, give huge amount of attentive service. This boosted its dining experience, through constant interaction with consumers. Benihana also focuses on setting up their businesses in areas with high traffic, especially in the business district areas. Rent is usually higher in these areas. By using floor space more efficiently, Benihana is able to serve more consumers during peak period and allow for more sales to cover the higher rental costs. The concept that Benihana adopts is that consumers are served at their tables with freshly prepared food by the chef. By only providing 3 menus to consumers, this reduces food costs and wastage. Benihana’s lower food costs are also reduced through the use of fresh ingredients, where storage is minimized. The main process flow of a Benihana restaurant is different from a typical restaurant. In Benihana, the orders for the soup, salad and beverages taken by the waiter while the order for the main dish is taken directly to the chef. This allows Benihana to quicken the process flow, and make it more efficient, as it eliminated the waiting time in ordering and receiving their orders. As the food is freshly prepared, the production flow is very short as there is limited movement to the food being moved from the storage area to the tables where food is being prepared. As food is being served on the spot after being cooked, this allows Benihana to maintain their quality of the food, and this satisfies consumers as shown in their feedback in Exhibit 4, where food is the main highlight of Benihana restaurants. Benihana is also able to reduce labor costs through the use of a simple management structure in each of their restaurant. In addition, chefs and waiters would clear the dishes and set the table for the next customer, unlike the use of cleaners in typical restaurants. This also reduces labor costs. Benihana success is also attributed to their TQM system where the management also emphasizes the importance of quality control in every employee’s responsibility. They emphasize quality in their inputs like the high quality food provided, and the sources of food are also selected carefully. Benihana also highlight quality in the process of serving their food to their consumers. However, the management of Benihana also faces problems despite their raving success. Their attempts to go into franchising didn’t go as planned as Rocky was unwilling to give up its control, and he felt that these franchisees were not well equipped with the experience and knowledge to run a food business, especially one that relates with Japanese culture. In addition, Bill Susha, the head of Operations for Benihana recognizes that if Benihana wants to continue to expand, it will face higher costs in terms of rental as well as shortage of well trained employees. Although Benihana has been proven that their uniqueness cannot be replicated easily by competitors, critics have been predicting that the uniqueness of Benihana is only a fad and it will not last. As Benihana is providing not only products, but also the service, they should continue to emphasize and improve on their TQM, as in this industry, employees are key input sources and by implementing TQM, there will be positive impacts on the service being delivered.