Sexually Transmitted Diseases :: essays research papers

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Sexually Transmitted Diseases STDs, a.k.a venereal diseases, infectious diseases passed from one person to another during sexual contact. STDs are the most common infections known. More than 12 million people in the United States, including 3 million teenagers, are infected with STDs every year. The United States has the highest STD rate in the world about one in ten Americans will contract an STD during his or her lifetime. People who do not know they are infected risk infecting their sexual partners and, in some cases, their unborn children. If left untreated, these diseases may cause pain or may destroy a woman's ability to have children. Some STDs can be cured with a single dose of antibiotics, but AIDS cannot be cured. Those most at risk for contracting STDs are people who have unprotected sex—without using a condom, people who have multiple partners, and people whose sex partners are drug users who share needles. Static’s show that A mericans between the ages of 16 and 24 are most likely of catching STDs than older adults, because younger people usually have multiple sexual partners than an older person in a long-term relationship. Teenagers may be embarrassed to tell their sexual partners they are infected Teenagers may also be embarrassed or unable to seek medical attention for STDs. This means that they only more likely to pass the disease to other young people and have a greater risk of suffering the long-term consequences of untreated STDs. STDs are transmitted by infectious bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and single-celled organisms called protozoa that live in warm, moist parts of the body, like the genital area, mouth, and throat. Most STDs are spread while having sex, but oral sex can also spread disease. Some STDs are passed from a mother to her child while pregnant, when the disease enters the baby's bloodstream, during childbirth as the baby passes through the birth canal, or after birth, when t he baby drinks infected breast milk. AIDS can be transmitted by blood contact such as open wounds, between people who share infected needles or received through an injection of infected blood. Some people believe that STDs can be transmitted through shaking hands or other casual contact, or through contact with inanimate objects such as clothing or toilet seats, but they can’t. Chlamydeous, is from trachoma is bacterium, is the most commonly transmitted STD in the United States.

The Earth Essay -- essays research papers

Did u know that our planet, Earth wasn’t always thought of as a planet? Until the sixteenth century when Capernicus figured out that the Earth was another planet, which revolved around the sun, Greek astronomers thought the Earth was the center of the solar system. Also Earth is the only planet that its name didn’t come from Greek/Roman mythology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When earth was first discovered, astronomers were only able to study it with out spacecraft. It was not until the twentieth century that we had maps of the entire planet. Pictures taken of the planet are very important, not only because they aid in weather predictions, but they are also very beautiful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Earth is divided into seven layers: the crust, upper mantle, transition region, lower mantle, D† layer, outer core, and inner core. â€Å"The crust varies considerably in thickness; it is thinner under the oceans, and thicker under the continents†. (Arnett1) The inner core and crust are solid, and the outer core and mantel layers are plastic or semi-fluid. Most of Earth’s mass is in its mantle and the rest is in its core.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of the core is made of iron, but there may be lighter elements in it too. Temperatures at the center of the core can be as high as 7500K, which is hotter than the surface of the sun.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Unlike the other rocky planets, Earth’s crust is divided into several separate plates, which float around inde...

The Grieving of the White Mistress

I did not know what time it was. I was still in my bed and comfortably tucked in my sheets. Everything is still, no chirping of the birds and no squeaks from the squirrels.Only the whispers of the winds that hustled against the glass windows broke the overwhelming silence. The fire is burning at the fireplace and I could smell the wood burning. But no matter how thick my flannel pajamas are layered with my thermal, I could not help myself from shivering.My eyes were still closed but my brain was already conscious. Apparently, my down covers have fallen from my bed. As I tried to reach for it I saw through my bedroom window that it was already snowing. It was the first day of snow of the year, and it was magnificent.It was the day before Thanksgiving. The crimson leaves of the deciduous trees that line our street have completely fallen. From the warmth of my house, I watched the outside world welcome the coldest season of the year.As if barren, only the green colored pine trees contra sted the landscape of white covered grounds. Six inches thick of snow has cloaked the earth with its solemn beauty. Like minute specks of dust falling gently, ice fell as if God is chistling from the heavens above. The velvety white gleamed and reflected the light that penetrated through the dark clouds in the horizons.The skies seem so heavy, as if heaven and earth are reaching for each other's bosom. Pavements are drenched with melted snow and rooftops are laid with perfect veil of white against the smokes of chimney. Such a picturesque piece of land, such life in this dark and cold weather.After a rose from my bed I took my robe from the edge of my bed and wore my winter slippers. I hurried to the kitchen where I found my Mom mixing hot chocolate on the stove. She poured the black thick liquid on a mug decorated with Old St. Nicholas' portrait sleeping on a rocking chair.I added sprinkles of marshmallows and settled myself on the stool by the nook. I smelled the sweet savory flav or evaporating and smiled at my Mom with content. I love winter mornings, all the peace that envelops the earth lets me contemplate through the depths of my long sleeping soul.I went to the bathroom to take a shower. When I turned the knob and the waters started to gently lather my flesh, the hot waters steamed and misted the smoked windows.   It is a very relaxing feeling to find yourself so warm in this extremely frosted environment. After I finished, I put on my winter attire.I have prepared several pieces of clothing to prudently warm me through different layers. I wore my black colored thermal covering the entire lengths of my arms and legs and wrapping my body's torso. Its smooth texture was a comfort to my skin. Then I continued with my dark blue turtle neck fleece sweater and I slid into a pair of straight cut denim jeans.I took my knee length winter boots made of camel colored suede with flat soles, wore them on my feet and slipped on my black down jacket that extends to my waist.I took my beret and placed it on my head and I warmed my hands with a pair of gray colored and knitted gloves. I finished off with with a long scarf that matches my mittens, wrapped it on my neck and stepped out of our front door.The cold winds gently brushed through my face and softly blew my hair. A distinct chill rushed through my veins which immediately made my shoulders tremble a little.I smelled the air and found myself smiling as I understood that pumpkin pies are being baked at our neighbor's oven. Its sweet flavor entered my nose and I heartily enjoyed its scent. I saw my friend living next door, she is already outside playing with the snow. I saw her lying on the ground repeatedly swaying her arms and feet upwards and downwards.I realized that she is making a snow angel, as if a lass in the midst of a fairly land. I ran towards her and leaped next to her and made my own childhood memories come to life. The earth was soft and cold and I just stared at the skies wit h a sigh.Winter days are beautiful, they have their own charm and endearing beauty. Though most of the world seems to be barren and lifeless, it still holds a promise of rejuvenation. Nights may be longer than days, but the darkness retires our spirit and refreshes our sousls.

Transatlantic Change in North American Colonies

Included in these changes were: lab or source, kinds of labor, organization of labor, race and the types of crops/ agriculture needed. These changes ere more significant because they lead to even more changes, development s, improvements, troubles, etc. Which all lead to society today. Over time, the demand for labor remained the same; things needed to be pro educed, which meant labor was needed in order to provide suppliers/ consumers with whatever they wanted/ needed.The source of that needed labor, however, did change. Indentured SE ravens were the source of labor throughout the colonies, but in 161 9, the first group of people were brought from Africa to the Americas to become slaves. To some, slavery was discovered to be much cheaper and more efficient that indentured servitude: mass amount s of Africans could be brought over to America at once, and they could easily be sold and try added anywhere among the colonies where need be.To others though, there wasn't much of a need for slaves. People still favored indentured servants, whom they'd been using for q tutee a while already, because they felt more of a personal servitude with them, so they we area bit reluctant to give them up. Indentured servitude would soon be almost overshadowed b slavery though, because 30 years after 1 793, comes the cotton gin which will raise the importance of plantations, thus increasing slave demand.Even still though, the labor source changed from indentured servitude to slavery, as did a change occur from subsistence farm s to plantations. With this change from farms to plantations, came a change from subsistence crops to marketed crops such as tobacco and, the most famous, cotton; all of this can be seen as a result of the major population growth and expansion of the county, as well a importation/ exportation changes (trading slaves for goods, triangular trade).To restate, concluding, continuity was maintained in aspects such as demand d/need for labor, need for crops/ agric ulture, importation, etc. It was the changes (labor source, which crops/ type of agriculture is used, what is being imported/ exported) that occurred from transatlantic interactions that hold even more significance because they lead t o changes, improvements, developments, etc.

Adam smith vs Karl marks philosophy economics contribution Essay

To begin with, Smith came up with the concept of the ‘invisible hand’ (Communist (1848)). This concept was to explain that seeking self interest is not necessarily bad but it sought to explain the reality that people tend to act in their own self-interests. When individuals pursue their self interests, they promote without their knowledge the good of the community at large and so it can be said that an individual who wants to maximize their revenue maximizes the revenue of the society too. This liberty to customers to buy freely what they want and for the producers to produce what they want without any pressure enables the market to settle on a product distribution and prices that are beneficial to all individual members of the community. This liberty to both producers and consumers and the greed to maximize their interests, drives them into a behavior that is beneficial to all in that particular community. Due to this, producers are forced to employ methods of production that are efficient with an aim o maximize their profits. This leads to low prices that are meant to out do their competitors and this forces investors to go for firms that wants to maximize their profits and hence this works as mechanism of balancing. The invisible hand concept acts as the root of modern economics. A good example is the general equilibrium which states that if the economic forces are balanced in the absence of external influences, then the economic variables will not change. This requires that everything in the market beginning with pricing to production be controlled by the players in the market but not by other forces. These external forces may include among others the regulations that are imposed by the government or other organizations that may have a say on the market. According to the general equilibrium, when the prices are very low, then there is surplus supply and when the prices are very low, then there’s a shortage in supply. As a result of this, the situations tend to control themselves without the need for any regulator from outside. These outside forces in the market slow the rate at which the economy grows and they also lead to infancy in the division of labor. As a result of that need for self improvement, efficient division of labor is realized as well as improved efficiency in the economy. This concept is very much in use even in today’s economy . The modern market structure borrows greatly from the earlier ideas of natural monopoly by Adam Smith.( The Poverty of Philosophy >human nature) The division of labor Division of labor is a clear indication of qualitative step towards increased productivity and so it acts as an engine that drives towards realization of economic progress. Smith realized that labor division and for that matter labor specialization would improve greatly on the concentration of workers on the duties they perform. This concentration would come as a result of doing a single task many times or repetitively. The need for improvements in productivity of the work force is said to be the root cause for labor division. According to Smith, labor division can lead to increased productivity. This productivity from the workers can be attributed to specialization in one task since specialization leads to greater skill on their particular subtasks compared to what would be accomplished by the same number of workers performing a broad task. For maximum productivity from workers, skills that they have should be matched with the corresponding equipments.   Most of today’s increase in productivity can be attributed to the matching of technological, human and physical capital and mostly in the manner in which they are organized. This means that laborers need to be equipped with the right skills so as to be effective in what they do compared to when there would be no job specialization and hence anybody could perform any job. Todays economics has borrowed greatly from these ideas from Adam smith. Many organization have realized the need to equip their employees and some even hire unskilled ones but pay for their acquisition of skills. Another outcome of labor division according to Adam smith is minimization of time that is wasted by employees when moving from one task to the other. A lot of time is wasted when people keep on relocating and this proves expensive to the company in the long run because they have to pay the employees. Through labor division, this time wastage is minimized . The modern concept of scientific management borrows greatly from Adam Smiths ideas .Scientific management emphasizes on the connection between activities and the transformation that occurs within the process. This is also supported by William Petty who notes and demonstrates its importance in the construction of Dutch ships. He admits that people with a particular task to perform had discovered new ways of doing their work which were later observed and justified by political writers on economy. (An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776)> specialisation) The wages of labor Wages of labor are dictated by mostly by the availability of job vacancies and also by the availability of workforce. When there are many workers and the available vacancies are few, the amount of money the workers are paid usually fall. Likewise, when employers compete against one another and the labor supply is limited, the wages paid to the employees usually rises but its worthy noting that this process is made possible by unity among laborers and masters. This kind of unity enables laborers to come together and stop biding for jobs against each other hence making the employers increase the wages paid to them. Likewise when employers come together in unity and stop binding against each other, the wages fall. However, in places where the amount of labor is more compared to the amount of the amount of revenue that can used to pay for waged labor, the competition among the employees in greater than the competition between the employers. Smith argues that the amount of revenue must keep on increasing constantly compared to the amount of labor so that wages may remain high. Profits of stock too have an impact on the wages because the more money is spent on compensating labor; little is left for personal profit. This is clearly shown in countries where competition amongst employees is great compared to competition among employers, profits will be much higher. Due to these views, Smith attacks people who are politically aligned and try to use their political influence to manipulate the government and other powers into their bidding. Smith feared that people of this class could form a powerful block and take advantage of their closeness with the authorities into manipulating the state into enforcing certain regulations meant to serve their interests against the general interests. These would maker other players vulnerable and have no say in the way businesses were being conducted. According to other people the level of specialization brought about by division of labor was externally determined but in the contrary, Smith argued that it was the dynamic engine towards economic progress. Surprisingly, Smith himself criticizes the division of labor arguing that it leads to mental mutilation of the workers hence rendering them ignorant and insular because their lives are limited only to doing a single task many times. These ideas by Smith are incorporated into today’s discussions on economic issues. Human capital is one of the discussions in which Adams Smiths ideas are used. Human capital is one of the four types of capital that were identified by Adam as being important for the success of a company. As argued by Smith previously, human capital and the productive ability of the labor force is both dependant on the division of labor. It’s worthy noting that human capital includes skills, dexterity, and the ability to make the right decisions and human capital can be acquired through informal schooling and on the so called on-the-job training. These acquisitions of skills aimed at improving the effectiveness of the workforce are still practiced today by ma ny companies. (An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776) > productivity) Adam Smith vs Karl Marx Both Adam Smith and Karl Marx shared a common idea and this common idea was their praise for capitalism .These two early pioneers of modern economics agreed that capitalism was the key in unleashing the productive powers. This argument stated that for the employees to be more productive, they needed to be subject to their bosses or seniors. If the employees were left to work at their own leisure these two men agreed that their productivity would be minimal and as a result, their employers would incur big losses. This created the need for competition among both the employers and the employees as well since this would keep these two parties on their feet through out. But despite these similarities in their in their views, there was differences in their ideas as well. Marx and Smith both seem to agree that capitalism is the ultimate driving force in profit maximization .New profits and value added, they seem to agree came as result of the employers paying the workers the exact value that is in the market for their labor capacity. But the sad thing was that in most cases, the market value of the goods which the workers produced exceeded that market value. This clearly means that the employers were making maximum profits while paying little to their workers. Both Marx and Smith agree that     there are different types of capital and they play different roles during production. Production Capitals include things like land, natural resources or raw materials and lastly technology. All the above named different classes of capital were dependant on each other in production. These two men seemed to agree also that social relations of production should not only be made up of relationships between individuals but rather should be between large groups of people or certain classes of people. These two men had the same idea of a free market. They described a free market as a market in which all prices of the goods that are on offer are decided by mutual consent between sellers and buyers   and also one   that did not mislead both the sellers as well as the buyers. They both argued that these two major people in the market, the buyer and the seller, should not be forced into making decision by an external party. The relationship between these two players should not be manipulated by any one but to the contrary, it should be left to obey the natural law of supply and demand. The difference between free and controlled markets is that   controlled markets are controlled by external forces These forces mostly refers to governments which may directly or indirectly try to have control of prices or the supplies in the market. One area where these two men seem to differ is their idea of job specialization. Smith advocates for specialization for jobs among workers. He argues that laborers who were assigned too many different duties were less productive than those who were assigned a specific task to perform day in day out. He says that this leads to efficient usage of time and it seeks to save time that is usually wasted by workers when moving from one task to another. But to the contrary, Karl Marx disapproves this idea arguing that job specialization could result to workers with more poor overall skills. This, as he says would be brought about by tendency of people to resist change. He also says that when people perform one task repeatedly, it may lead to boredom and make them less enthusiastic about their work. He describes this whole process as a kind of alienation. According to him, the more workers become specialized and do the same thing over and over, they later become totally alienated. Marx goes ahead to argue that division of labor brings with it spiritual depression to the workers. This means that the workers perform their duties feeling as if they are being forced other than doing out of their own will .This greatly lowers the morale of the workers and as a result lower their productivity. Physical tiredness or fatigue can be brought about by job specialization as Marx goes ahead to argue since they no longer feel like human beings but they feel more of machines. Contrary to the idea of Smith, Marx believes that fullness of production is very essential to human liberation goes on to say that he would accept the idea of a strict division of labor as a temporary necessary evil. These views can be said to be in total contrast to those expressed by Smith. Smith on his part believed that any business was a collection of inter related tasks that were aimed at solving a particular issue. So as to effectively do this, Smith argued that the workload should be divided into simple sets of tasks which could be done effectively by workers who were equipped with special skills for doing that particular job. It’s worthy noting that Smith, despite his advocating for division of labor, he does not advocate for achievement of labor division at all costs. It’s worthy noting that in contrast to Smith’s view which were only limited to functional domain only and were made up of activities that were direct in sequence as far as the manufacturing process is concerned, modern processes are very inclusive. It was as a result of his ideas that labor division was adopted. Today, we can clearly say that much of today’s practices in the job markets have bor rowed greatly from the ideas of Smith. In all organization, there is job specialization. This has led to the rise of departments in many organizations and each department is allocated certain workers who are in most cases equipped with certain skill to enable them perform specific duties .The sense in this whole exercise as argued by Smith is that it saves a great deal of time that could be wasted by employees when moving from one task to another. This proves very essential since no employer will want to waste his money employees without maximizing their productivity. However, it is good to note that Smith admits that seeking self interests is not always good. All he tried to do was trying to reverse believe that self interest is generally bad. He also intended to bring to the light the idea that wile human motives are selfish and greedy; the out come of these human behaviors would bring benefits to the whole community at large. This is the direct opposite of the ideas that Marx had .In his arguments; Marx says that the major struggles are always between the producers and those who work in the industries. Another of his greatest contribution to modern economics was his sharp distinction between the two types of division namely social and economic division of labor .If these two labor divisions are conflated, it might look as if labor division is inevitable rather than being constructed socially and influenced by power. (Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776) & Karl Marx, The Poverty of Philosophy). References Edwin G. West, (1976)The Man and His Wor

Accuracy of Historical Films

How accurate a portrayal of Roman gladiatorial games and culture is the movie â€Å"Gladiator'? In society today historical films are merely valuable to society as a form of entertainment. Historical events have become another form of stimulus for directors when creating an engaging film for audience's . Len the creation of a film many historical Inaccuracies occur as seen In the film Gladiator.This film Instead of being a historical recreation of the Roman culture and gladiatorial games tends to embody the idea of certain characters and events. They reflect 21st century ideals onto these historical events to create a film that will appeal to the masses. Ultimately these inaccuracies are in insignificant in detracting from the purpose of these films which is to entertain. Historical films are merely a form of entertainment that is used to engage the masses but this is the extent of its value to society.Unlike a documentary, films are supposed to be â€Å"aesthetic Journeys† a nd historical events are merely another form of stimulus for a director trying to create an Individual storyline. On the release of the â€Å"historical film† 300, Warner Pros issued a statement Insisting that it â€Å"developed this film purely as a fictional work with the sole purpose of entertaining audiences' ‘ . In order to entertain audiences film makers must use these historical events , edit where necessary ,to create an film for a 21st century audience.Gladiator Is a key example of where an aspect of a culture has been reworked into a blockbuster film. The writer for Gladiator started to develop the story after reading â€Å"those who are about to die† by Daniel P Manic . The sinking f the titanic is an important historical event but in order to pitch this event to a current audience it was mixed with â€Å"a Romeo and Juliet love story† . David Benison summed up precisely the method in which accuracy in a historical film is undertaken â€Å"as for being absolutely faithful to the source material, I'm always going to pick the project† .The accuracy of these film's depictions are compromised so that it can be â€Å"guided by the Inner logic of capitalism†. Gladiator through this guidance made $457, 640,427 at the box office a very tricky task If you do not appeal to the audience. As seen In the film Gladiator, historical films tend to embody the Idea of a culture In order to appeal to the wider audience. While the film makers attempt to portray the emperor as the antagonist of the story, they however remove or add material where they see necessary.In the film Gladiator Marcus Aurelia's describes his son Commodes as an â€Å"immoral man† and thus is unable to present him with emperors but this is contradictory as Commodes was a joint ruler with his father Marcus Aurelia . While ancient historian Did Cassias refers to Commodes as a greater curse to the Romans† the production team have excluded facts such as his self-portrayal as Hercules , his left handedness and the â€Å"conspicuous growth on his groin † as these weren't necessary to the plot line and catered to the needs of the actors.This sense of recognition is further seen In how the film Gladiator portrays ancient Rome to be a grand city full of white buildings. The Coliseum was recreated as Riddle Scott felt that the real Coliseum was â€Å"too small† so Instead the CGI team created a grand â€Å"Rome of the Imagination† with a much larger coliseum ND fully white buildings as such to relate with the modern perception of this many colored building but today modern society can only view these structure without the color and in less grandeur.Gladiator's historical inaccuracies are further seen in its depiction of gladiatorial games as they aim to heighten the action within the film. The central character of Maximum is not a historical figure but is merely a personification of the traits that create a g ladiator. Russet's Crow's depiction off brave, fearless, skilled gladiator mirror many historical sources such s Valerian Maximum' who references the bravery skill and passion that are common among the great gladiators. These characteristics are cited by Cicero who describes the gladiators to be incredible well disciplined.Although they have avoided they have used historical figures as stimulus for the central character and as part of the story line. There was indeed a General Maximum who was an advisor to Marcus Aurelia's , and Commodes was killed by a gladiator named Narcissus . These however are two different people but their storyline have been merged to increase the excitement of he games which is further seen where Maximum a Protractor gladiator fights multiple different gladiators and animals.This contrasts to ancient gladiatorial games where he would have only been able to fight another Protractor rather than the Retailers (gladiators fighting with nets), Estuaries (gladiato rs on chariots) and Tigris . The warping of facts can further been seen in the death of Commodes in the arena. Although Commodes did fight in the arena , he always fought as a Sector and therefore Maximum should have faced him as a Retailers but instead both men ought as no particular gladiator type. This battle did not result in his death but rather Commodes was strangled in his home .While the death rate in the film is over 50% Professor David Potter believes the death rate to be 5-10% as too much time and money had been invested into them. Therefore gladiatorial games were to first blood . All of these inaccuracies are created to increase the entertainment value and appeal to a 21st century audience. In the film industry and especially to a 21st century audience the inaccuracies of these films become irrelevant because they increase the entertainment value of the film. The problem however is when these films are described as being historically accurate.Historical films are unreli able for a historian studying the time period but are still useful for discerning the 21st century western perception of Roman society. Gladiator is guilty of false advertising as Peter Russell, art director, states that the film is â€Å"based factually on the events of the time† . Though we can assume this is merely a marketing ploy as the majority of society is uneducated . As one review of the film dutifully states â€Å"there was no alternative odder audiences would have accepted or recognized† and this is true for many of the inaccuracies within the film.Oliver Reed Justifies these inaccuracies when he states â€Å"we are not making a documentary' and anyway if they were to make a historically accurate film it would be too long. Jean Shaw further states that films â€Å"need to appeal to their audience by having an exciting plot, a lot of drama † in order to become successful. As George Lucas was quoted â€Å"the secret to film is that it's an illusionâ €  and this illusion allows millions all over the world to and gain an insight into past civilization.In our modern 21st century society today, historical films are merely an individual's recreation of a culture. The have incredible value to the entertainment industry in providing stimulus for films, however the creation of these the goal off film. The film Gladiator clearly shows how the reliability of a film's portrayal of culture and in these particular case gladiatorial games is warped based on the decisions of the production team. Historical information is better suited to historians and lets leave film makers to cater for the rest of society.

Strategic Hospitality Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Hospitality Management - Essay Example The year 2007 saw a major restructuring for the Accor group with regard to its hotel businesses. The Sofitel group which was classified under the up-market luxury category repositioned itself as a hotel with a French touch. This could be because Sofitel's origins were in France. (Pouillat and Chabrot). The concept now is that each hotel in the chain will be unique in design and architecture that will be suited to the region where it is run. Two sister brands will be introduced in 2009 namely, Sofitel Legend and So by Sofitel. During the years 2006 Sofitel sold one French hotel and six hotels in the USA to streamline its operations and to improve cash flow. The US hotels were sold off for 370 million USD. In 2007 two more hotels in the US were sold for 225 million USD to a GEM Realty Capital of which Accor was a joint venture partner. (Press Release: Accor Announces Sale and Management Back of Sofitel Hotels in New York and Philadelphia). Earlier that year, thirty Accor properties in UK were sold off for 11 million Euros. "Financially, the transaction will enable Accor to reduce its adjusted net debt by '584 million, of which '172 million will be added to the Group's cash reserves. It will have no impact on EBITDA but will add '7 million to 2007 profit before tax." (Press Release: Accor Sells 30 Hotel Properties in the United Kingdom for '711 Million and Signs a Development Partnership with Land Securities, p.1). These are just examples of the selling spree set about by Accor to decrease its net debt and for its major restructuring strategies for the whole group including Sofitel. Human resources challenge: The major restructuring done at Sofitel has created some challenges in the human resources department. Because the hotel chain has reinvented itself under a French image, the staff will now have to be trained or hired accordingly to suit the tastes of lovers of French cuisine and style. As mentioned earlier the new image will result in each hotel having its unique style and architecture, depending on its location and will be blended with its French image. This will create challenges for employees because of the lack standardization and uniformity across its hotels. As a result the group has revamped its strategies to be brand specific. This will entail in creation of a diversified training program that will fit the needs of each of its hotels. The detailed human resources plan was presented to the Geneva based European Works Council as a part of discussion and approval. In order to support these changes at Sofitel and also other strategic changes in the groups the Accor group had started and training school for its employees called the Accor Academy. Apart from general and on the job training, the groups also have three certification programs for its employees. The first one is a skills certification process which it has just introduced and plans to expand worldwide by the year 2010. The success of any organization depends on its top and middle level leadership. With a long term vision in mind the group has started a program called the "GM Pass personalized career development program to train future hotel general managers." (Intensified Training Initiatives. 2007). The third initiative is a advanced training program for managers and future managers with high potential so that they can be developed further. They also have t he potential to become part of the top management of the company later. There have been two key area of challenge for Sofitel and