Discuss why food services are the most commonly outsourced function in the business Community

Discuss why food services are the most commonly outsourced function in the business Community Food services are the most commonly outsourced functions in the business community for several reasons. To start with, it is important to appreciate the fact that the preparation of food is a very involving task and if at all businesses are to provide their employees with nutritious and healthy meals, then they need to leave this work to professionals. In addition, once the business community has outsourced the food services function, it can now be able to concentrate on its core business activities.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss why food services are the most commonly outsourced function in the business Community specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This helps to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business functions. Moreover, food service departments in organizations are required to adhere to various federal nutritional guidelines and because of the lack of professionals in the business community, bu sinesses risk failing to comply with these rules. This means that the business community can face prosecution by the federal government for violation of the rules. In order to avoid such problems, outsourcing becomes the most logical thing to do. Describe the advantages of outsourcing food services to a management Contractor When a business community decides to outsource its food services function to a management contractor, there are a number of benefits associated with such a decision. To start with, such a decision will more than likely reduce the operational costs of the business in question. This is because a lot of resources usually go to the process of acquiring, processing, preparing, and serving food. Such process requires money and when the company outsources these functions, it can save on some of these expenses. In addition, food services do not constitute a core process of a business community, unless it is in the hospitality industry. Therefore, the company is likely t o record improve efficiency in its operations because all the resources of the firm are directed towards achieving its core objectives. The business community is also likely to save on the money that would otherwise have been spent in the purchase of new food equipment, as well as in replacing other equipments. In this case, the outsourced company has to assume this new role. This also goes for the salaries and wages of the employees working at the food services department in a business entity. Once a management contractor has been tasked with the responsibility of providing food services functions to a business entity, he has to pay his own workforce. Therefore, the company is able to save on employee salaries. Explain the unique aspects of food service operations that drive these Advantages Unlike the production of other products, foodservice is characterized by certain unique characteristics and these can affect the decisions made regarding production and services. To start with, there are certain peak periods when the demand for food tends to be high (for example during lunch, supper, and breakfast).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In between the demand is somewhat erratic. Also, the demand for food can be affected by competitive events or time of the year and this can result in the modification of food production to suit the demand. We also need to note that food production is by and large, labor intensive, often requiring unskilled and skilled labour. At the same time, the perishable nature of food means that there is need to have professionals handling food during production, while preparing it, and during serving. A change in food production can also affect the menu planning. The aforementioned unique aspects of food service operations are therefore the driving force when a business entity decides to outsource the food services functi on to a management contractor and in the process, it can benefit from the associated advantages.

How to overcome writers block - Emphasis

How to overcome writers block How to overcome writers block Fear is the underlying emotion behind writers block. An inability to start writing hours before deadline may trigger the fight or flight response, leaving us in a cold sweat and frowning at a blank screen. But psychologists have found that the causes of writers block are much more complicated than blind panic. The foundations of the problem are laid down by the way we think and our patterns of behaviour. Avoidance makes it worse Avoiding writing not only wastes time, but it also makes writers block worse, according to behavioural theory. Psychologist Burrhus Skinner coined the term negative reinforcement: thats when a particular behaviour (such as turning off an alarm) is rewarded because it makes a bad feeling or unwanted sensation go away. Avoiding writing is also an act that is negatively reinforced because it brings us relief (albeit temporarily). The trouble is, since rewarded behaviour is strengthened, were more likely to carry on doing it. The inner voice We may have negative expectations about a report we have to write. The pessimistic thoughts might be caused by an overly critical boss, or we might be born worriers. Either way, our inner voice can sometimes say unhelpful things we are barely conscious of, like, The report might not be good enough or even People will think Im stupid. Evidence of our shortcomings is unpleasant, so we keep the imagined outcomes at bay by postponing the writing task. But the longer we go without disproving our need to worry, the more likely we are to keep putting it off. In other words, if we never start the project, well never see that it isnt going to be a disaster. Negative thinking There is a strong association between negative thinking and writers block. One experiment, from researchers at Princeton and Yale, found that combining writing training with strategies from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was an effective way to overcome writing anxiety. Participants using this combined approach wrote higher quality documents than a group who were given only writing training. CBT is a goal-orientated talking therapy that helps people to challenge negative thinking. According to Aaron Beck, the clinical psychologist who developed the approach, human behaviour often stems from the way we think. And rational thinking leads to constructive behaviour. Reframe your thoughts In the Princeton/Yale study, participants were asked to identify negative self-statements those thoughts that inhibited coping behaviour and update them with more productive ideas. For example, Ill never get this work done is an example of black-and-white thinking, the tendency to evaluate yourself, people or situations in extreme terms. After looking at evidence for and against the idea that the work would never get done, the thought could be reframed into something more positive: I may be very busy, but I am experienced enough to finish the task. Catching yourself in the act of avoidance and negative thinking can be the point where you begin to unblock your writing. Writing in the blog Psychology Today, business coach Margaret Moore suggests ways to get rid of your inner critic. These include logging your negative thoughts in a notepad, identifying the feelings that lie behind the thoughts to get to the root of the block, and even telling your inner voice to shut up!. We can think of a few stronger words you might want to use. For techniques on how to beat the block, see our article Tips for breaking through the barrier. Reference: The efficacy of cognitive-behavior therapy and writing process training for alleviating writing anxiety by Peter Salovey and Matthew Haar was originally published in Cognitive Therapy And Research Vol 14, Number 5 (1990).