Operational Management Issues for Services Essay

Operational Management Issues for Services - Essay Example The organisation generally offers next day gift delivery service throughout the United Kingdom and also in the overseas business market. However, in recent times, new market players have considerably entered into the business market of Pinnacle due to increased market competition and thus the organisation is quite concerned to reconsider its superior market position. The chief vision of Pinnacle is to remain as the topmost brand as well as the first choice of gift delivery service for the customers. In this particular paper, a comprehensive analysis regarding the business operations that are performed by Pinnacle in relation to the business goals as well as the levels of customer service of the organisation will be taken into concern. Moreover, certain alternatives that might enhance the business operations of Pinnacle, suggestion of suitable options along with covering implementation issues and depicting appropriate recommendations for Pinnacle will also be addressed. A Critical Rev iew of the Business Operations of Pinnacle The crucial business function of Pinnacle is generally associated with offering gift delivery service throughout the UK and also in the overseas regions. The majority of the sales of the organisation usually arrive from next day gift delivery service. ... In this context, all the orders of the organisation are delivered by the respective outlets or stores. The retail outlets or the stores are independently owned and perform the business transactions under Pinnacle brand name. From the perspective of the business operations in relation to order distribution and processing, Pinnacle places its business orders from one shop to other shop within the UK. In order to place its business orders in the overseas regions, the organisation executes this sort of business operation through its established mode of central operation. In terms of performing direct sales, the organisation fundamentally conducts its direct sales through a nationally advertised free contact number, online sales through making use of the website of Pinnacle and direct mailing responses that come over phone. It has been viewed that the main business operational systems of Pinnacle include paper based system for taking business orders from the customers by contacting them d irectly over telephone and PDQ (credit card swipe) machines for the purpose of effectively processing all credit card related payments. Furthermore, the other chief operational systems of Pinnacle include the website of the organisation for performing online sales and an outdated Automated Call Distribution System for directing the calls of the customers in relation to the placement of the business orders of the organisation. In this context, Pinnacle should introduce a unique or innovative Automated Call Distribution System that can direct more customer calls and thus ultimately can raise the business orders of the organisation by a significant level. On the basis of the flow chart, in relation to the business objectives along with the level of the

Effects of Christianity on Behaviour, Attitude and Lifestyle Essay Example for Free

Effects of Christianity on Behaviour, Attitude and Lifestyle Essay There could be no such things as prison in a truly Christian society. I think a truly Christian society is based on the life and teaching of Jesus, this means we must follow the 10 commandments and the gospel values. At the heart of Christian society there should be existence of love, forgiveness, mercy, justice to criminals. Jesus command was to Love your God, Love your neighbour and Love yourself. By obeying these commandments we are being Christ-like which is what the Christian society is all about. Forgiveness does not mean letting people walk all over you! But it is important. Christianity follows Jesus teaching in stressing that forgiveness is vital. It may be very hard, particularly for the victim of a crime. The Prodigal Son was a parable that showed forgiveness. The prison is the means to deliver the punishment, the denial of freedom. The convicted are imprisoned as a punishment, not for punishment. Her Majestys Prison Service serves the public by keeping in custody those committed by the courts. Our duty is to look after them with humanity and help them lead law abiding and useful lives in custody and after release. HM Prisons Services Mission Statement 1988. Three principles in prison craft: Security- to hold securely those sent to prison. Humanity- to treat prisoners with humanity, prisoners lose their liberty they should not lose their humanity. They are still human beings with the rights that their nature awards them. Assistance- to help make prisoners law abiding and give them useful lives. Prison can exist in a truly Christian society but not always, poor prison conditions do not lead to reform, they only serve to make prisoners worse. To become better people they need first and foremost their dignity, remember Jesus command to love self, this means having a good self-esteem. Prisoners have a right to feel safe, the opposite happened in Fletham Young Offenders Institution. March 2000, 19 year old Zahid Mubarek was beaten to death by his cellmate, Robert Stewart had a history of racist and violent behaviour. This evidence does not allow for fostering self-esteem or provide opportunities to rehabilitate. For prison to uphold Christian principles the reform of the offender is of paramount importance. Practical measures such as education, drink and drug therapy and counseling are required. There is evidence that education effects personal change in prisoners, not only through the acquisition of practical skills and knowledge, but also through fostering self-esteem and skills in communication. Mike Hart, Category A prisoner, killed a 20 year olds woman in an armed robbery. Whole in prison he become a born again Christian, and has worked on projects while inside to help young people be aware of what prison is really like in an attempt to turn young people away from the life of crime or potential crime. One such project, Better Out than In was a drama presentation re. The image of prisoners and prisons, depicting the harsh reality. How effective his work been, very difficult to assess but anecdotal evidence suggests that it is. There could and couldnt be such things as prison in a truly Christian society, it depends on the type of prison and what happens in the prison as to whether prison has a place in a truly Christian society. For prisons to co-exist in a truly Christian society they need to have therapeutic regime employed to rehabilitate the offender rather than punitive one. Not many people can uphold the mission statement, so it needs to be looked at and improved in order to fit into a Christian society. If we look ahead Christians today can also help reform prisoners like the Howard Penal League, where prisoners where able to reform by their help. During the 19th Century Elizabeth Fry Quaker who was a Christian went to prison to help rehabilitate criminals.

Using Environmental Management For Businesses

Using Environmental Management For Businesses Human beings depend on nature for various purposes like food, water, clothing, shelter and even the air to breath. But, the unintended impacts of human actions are now creating a number of environmental issues like global warming, tropical deforestation, toxic waste disposal, ozone depletion and so on. These environmental issues, in turn, cause increased awareness of the importance of environmental ethics, pertaining to the moral relation between human beings and their natural environment (Stewart, p. 154), and increased awareness of the importance of minimizing the impacts on environment arising out of the activities of manufacturing industries, supply chains, transportation, government etc. Manufacturing industries and business organizations cause major environmental issues and therefore effective Environmental Management has recently been viewed as imperative for businesses. This piece of research paper is an attempt to address the need and importance of environmental management for businesses, and outline the benefits of using such management system for business organizations. Environmental Management As Barrow noted, environmental management, a significant part of environmental ethics, is a system of efforts that attempt to minimize the negative environmental impacts of the products and services that a business is related with (p. 33). When companies are manufacturing large volume of goods by using of various technologies, it causes major issues of waste disposal, toxic wastes, air, water and environmental pollution and so on that in turn ultimately cause major environmental issues of global warming, ozone depletion etc. the fundamental concept of environmental management is that negative impacts of organizational activities on its environment should be minimized, energy to be saved, waste to be disposed effectively or to be renewed and environmental pollution to be avoided. In a broader sense, environmental management system that a business implements not only saves human being life, but also, keeps sustainable environment for animals, species and all others living beings in the earth. Environmental management is essentially a significant part of business ethics and corporate social responsibility, because, the operation of the business should never be harmful to the environment and social life. Ryding emphasized that a business, when it is socially responsible and ethical, must have commitment to keep sustainable environment. He suggested that a good corporate citizen must be socially and ethically committed to conduct operations in order to avoid serious damage to the environment and social life (p. 536). Business organizations, regardless of small or large, nationals or multinationals, should set up a system approach, by taking a group of people to be involved in and by setting certain organizational goals and standards to be achieved by them in order to make the company more ethical, socially responsible and morally committed to its environment (Tinsley, p. 2). In recent days, green business concept, environmental management and ISO 14001 have gained significant attention among the corporate giants. ISO 14001 is a specific and systematic international standards for environmental management, providing a framework on how a business can implement environmental management at corporate levels. The environmental management in a business can be effectively implemented if there are well defined policies, good communication among its members, strong desire from the management and social and ethical commitment towards sustainable environment. Importance of using environmental management for businesses The environmental management at corporate levels would be a system approach aligned with strategies, actions and managerial activities that aim at eliminating the impacts of business operation and its products or services on the environment. There are large numbers of electronic machines, plastic products, household goods, food items and chemicals that cause major pollution to the environment or dispose toxic and dangerous wastes or even cause major health issues to the humans. By effectively implementing the environmental management system or ISO 14001, these pollution and environmental issues can be eliminated up to a greater extent and can do justice to the occupants of the earth, including humans, animals and all other living beings. It shows that environmental management at business level can obviously help enhance environmental ethics. Businesses today face rigorous competition from counterparts that causing them to put any potential efforts that can help them achieve competitive advantages. Businesses require environmental management as an effective tool for achieving its competitive advantages because customers that they face are increasingly aware of environment and products and services that are environment-friendly. To be more specific, a business that fails to meet specific requirements of its customers pertaining to providing goods and services that are conforming to the environmental ethics, will lose its market. In contrast, a business with effective environmental management will eventually be socially responsible, ethical and thus to be able to achieve competitive advantages too. It also can be perceived that environmental management is helpful for businesses to create customer loyalty and reputation through satisfying their needs. Secondly, environmental management helps maintain healthy communication among the members of the organization, because people or workforce of the business are more likely to like working environment that are goods for their health and work and this in turn motivate them to perform in their works. Thirdly, by implementing effective environmental management system and by conforming its standards to that of ISO 14001, it can be certified as ISO 14001 that gives greater values in international relations. Waste minimization, energy saving and effective waste disposal are some of the positive aspects of implementing environmental management for businesses. Waste minimization and effective waste disposal can help the business become socially more responsible, especially among the people who live nearby the business. These both result cost saving to the business as well, because, by minimizing wastes and through better disposal methods, the company will be able to cut its costs down. Environmental management encourages energy saving, that not only helps reduce pollution to the nature, but also cut down expenses of the business. Evaluative Conclusion Ethics is perhaps one of the hot buzzwords of today. Ethics relates to both business and environment. This piece of research work integrated environmental ethics and business ethics, detailing how environmental ethics can be enhanced by businesses through an effective environmental management system. This research paper has highlighted key benefits of implementing environmental management for the businesses.

Classroom Behavior Essay -- essays research papers

Would you be surprised to learn that in today’s classroom children sometimes aren’t learning due to behavioral issues? Teachers are attempting to teach classes in which students can be disruptive, disrespectful and defiant. Classrooms are often overcrowded which adds to the frustration of the situation. Teachers are often tempted to take the easy way out, using antiquated strategies that will usually not help the child to learn. In fact, some types of punishments can actually cause the child to become even more rebellious. The child can experience a sense of worthlessness after being punished again and again. Children do not act out because they are â€Å"bad.† They act out in the hopes of receiving some kind of response or reward. In the past, children who acted out were classified as â€Å"bad kids† therefore were isolated or punished and often wound up slipping through the cracks of the educational system. Recently, some teachers have been attempting to help the behaviorally challenged child. Instead of isolating, punishing, labeling or ignoring a child, with work we can help them to become a part of the class. Teachers also have the power to help the child who would have once been considered a â€Å"lost cause† to learn. Many researchers have worked on learning about the causes of behavioral problems and possibly more importantly, have suggested some solutions to the problem. Behavioral theorists include B.F. Skinner, E. Thorndike, and William Glasser to name a few. Although their research and theories go by different names they all have one thing in common. All o f the above theorists are, in effect, saying that we are not going to change the child’s behavior by changing the child. We must change our reaction to the behavior in order to change it. The idea that bad behavior should not be rewarded is a basic concept. When one rewards any kind of behavior, bad or good, that behavior will continue. Children are especially quick to catch on to what kind of behavior will get them the result that they desire. B.F. Skinner, a behavioral theorist, says that â€Å"when a particular Stimulus–Response (S-R) pattern is reinforced (rewarded), the individual is conditioned to respond.† Skinner’s theory is known as Operant Conditioning (Skinner, 1950-71). Although it seems basic or common sense it is easy to forget that each behavior displayed addresses a need. That need may be attention... ...t every student will understand or grasp every lesson. The important thing to remember is that the student who tries needs to be rewarded too. When using the reward system, teachers need to make the result that we desire the same result that the child desires. This is very tricky. William Glasser’s â€Å"having fun† need comes into play here. The lessons have to be fun for the student that participates. On the other hand the student who is disruptive or refuses to participate should be uncomfortable due to his or her â€Å"attitude.† The norm should be participation and appropriate behavior. If teachers continue to try different strategies in the classroom and pay attention to the theorist’s research and suggestions, they will find that there are less children falling through the cracks of the educational system. References Boeree, George C. (1998). Abraham Maslow. Personality Theories http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/maslow.html. Boatman, Andrew Mclain. (1998). Educational Theory Handbook. http://www.theshop.net/aboatman/edtheory.htm. Skinner B.F. Operant Conditioning. 1950-1971. http://tip.psychology.org/skinner. Thorndike, E. Connectionism. (1913-1928). http://tip.psychology.org/thorn.html.

Pro Choice IS Pro Life Essay

â€Å"No woman wants an abortion as she wants an ice cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal caught in a trap wants to gnaw off its own leg.† Frederica Mathewes-Green In a perfect world, every pregnancy would be considered an utmost blessing. In a perfect world, every birth would involve a healthy, beautiful baby-born to absurdly giddy, loving parents- with the promise of basic needs met and creature comforts strived for. In a perfect world, there would be no such thing as an unwanted pregnancy or the hell of having to make the decision whether or not to terminate. Although the opposing sides will likely never be in agreement on the morality of abortion, both sides can surely agree that the world isn’t perfect and that, consequently, not every pregnancy can be cause for joy and happiness. Regardless of where our moral compass points on the issue of abortion, the fact remains that an estimated 40-50 million abortions take place worldwide each year and nearly half of them are illegal, unsafe procedures that result in severe disability and even death. Accordingly, in 1973, the United States Supreme Court ruled 7–2 that a right to privacy under the due process clause of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution extended to a woman’s decision to have an abortion. Some pro-life proponents bitterly objected to the landmark decision, known as Roe v Wade, as if they felt the ruling had â€Å"invented abortion† or somehow created the problem altogether. The unavoidable reality, however, is that the world is imperfect and so abortion happens. Chinese folklore from 500 BCE suggests the ingestion of mercury to induce abortion. It happened in 1550 BCE in ancient Egypt. Hippocrates is noted for having prescribed â€Å"jumping up and down† to his female patients suffering unwanted pregnancy! It happened in ancient Greece in 421 BC. It happened in the Bible in the book of Numbers. Even Plato proclaimed it the right of women to seek early terminations of pregnancies in â€Å"Theaetetus†, circa 360 BCE. Abortion will always happen, as it always HAS happened, and no amount of legislature or religious browbeating will ever change that fact. To be fair, most people who oppose abortion are well intentioned, pious individuals with a reasonable, valid, argument for favoring ‘pro-life’. They feel that abortion is the equivalent of murder; life begins at conception. Their religious faith compels them to believe that a fertilized embryo is a human being and, therefore, entitled to the right to live. This argument, however, is based on an mere assumption rather than factual evidence. Joyce Arthur, a contributing writer for The Pro-Choice Action Network, suggests that the belief that a fetus is a living human being with a right to live is simply irrelevant because â€Å"biology, medicine, law, philosophy, and theology have no consensus on the issue, and neither does society as a whole.† Admittedly, the thought of so many countless aborted fetuses, unborn and unnamed and unloved, is unsettling to even the strongest supporter of a woman’s right to choose. Even so, the pro-choice advocates don’t just see a fetus; they see the whole complicated, imperfect, often sad world where we can’t solve everything. â€Å"We really need to get over this love affair with the fetus and start worrying about children.† Joycelyn Elders Pro-choice advocates, in scenarios where abortion isn’t an option, see only neglected and abused children who are born to parents who didn’t want them in the first place. They see children who are hungry because their parents are unable to provide for them. They see children who will never know healthy love or feel any real and lasting sense of security. Ultimately, they see children who will be born against their mothers’ will, fully aware that they aren’t valued by the ones who should value them most, and will do little more with their own troubled lives than perpetuate the vicious cycle of a bent and broken society. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, in December 2003, backs this assertion: â€Å"We offer evidence that legalized abortion has contributed signiÂŽcantly to recent crime reductions. Crime began to fall roughly eighteen years after [Roe v Wade] abortion legalization.† The report concludes its study findings with this rather scathing, but factually based statement: â€Å"Roughly half of the crimes committed in the United States are done by individuals born prior to the legalization of abortion. As these older cohorts age out of criminality and are replaced by younger offenders born after abortion became legal, we would predict that crime rates will continue to fall.† â€Å"We’re pro-choice because we know that our faith cannot answer the question of when a fetus becomes a person. We also know that the whole question of fetal personhood is a disingenuous, & often malicious, attempt to distract us from the real issue-which is that the woman is a person. She is a person endowed by God, the U.S. Constitution, and common sense & decency with rights & responsibilities that she must exercise to the best of her ability, using her own best judgment.† -The Reverend Dr. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale Supporters of pro choice see the woman facing an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy in a more compassionate light than do pro life advocates. Those in favor of a woman’s right to choose have the open mindedness needed to recognize the unique and varied circumstances that lead a woman to opt for an abortion. They see rape victims who, after having had control of their bodies taken once, shouldn’t be expected to incubate, give birth to, financially and emotionally support, and somehow manage to love a constant reminder of violence and fear and sexual assault. They see victims of incest who, in reality, are only children themselves. They see loving parents who HAD planned a pregnancy, only to be given heart wrenching news: the baby will suffer extreme birth defects and have no quality of life. They see the straight-A student with a hard earned college scholarship who finds out that she’s pregnant the day before her high school graduation. They see desperate women who fear the judgment of their overly religious families. These are the women who, without access to a safe one, will attempt to perform abortions on themselves or seek the service of an untrained hand, using unsafe procedures, in a non-sterile environment; often with tragic results. According to the World Health Organization in Oct. 2006, â€Å"back-alley abortions cause 68,000 maternal deaths each year in the 33 countries where abortion is not legal or available†. Understand [that] unwanted pregnancy does not always translate into unwanted births, but the developmental research of children unwanted during pregnancy does suggest that when women say they cannot adequately care for a child, it is of the utmost importance that we listen! -Rachel Needle, PsyD To be pro-choice is to truly care about others and to support a woman’s right not to give birth to a child she feels unable to care for. Despite the Pro Life claim that abortion is â€Å"taking the easy way out†, those in favor of choice realize that an imperfect world sometimes finds a woman in an impossible, desperately terrifying situation. The decision to terminate a pregnancy is far from the ‘easy way out’ and, in many cases, may be the only course of action viable to the mother. The decision not to sentence a child to a life of poverty or sickness or oppression is humane if it is nothing else. Ultimately, being pro choice means working towards a world where abortion is legal and safe and rare. Being pro choice means supporting the right of every woman to decide what’s best for her own future, to act in the best interests of her own physical and emotional wellbeing, and to try her best to do whats right for herself and the family involved. To be PRO-CHOICE is to be, quite literally, PRO (happy, healthy, beautiful) LIFE for everyone. The hope and the promise of such a life, however, can be made possible only through loving-kindness, genuine compassion, and- above all else- the freedom of choice. AbouZahr, Carla. â€Å"British Medical Bulletin.† Oxford Journals. British Medical Bulletin, Dec. 2003. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Arthur, Joyce. â€Å"Personhood: Is a Fetus a Human Being?† THE PRO-CHOICE ACTION NETWORK. The Pro Choice Action Network, Aug. 2001. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. â€Å"Civil Rights.† Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. . Donahue, John J., III, and Steven D. Levitt. THE IMPACT OF LEGALIZED ABORTION ON CRIME*. Rep. no. Quarterly Report. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, May 2001. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Russi, Nancy F., PhD. â€Å"When Pregnancies Are Unwanted.† Prochoiceforum.org.uk. Board of Social & Ethical Responsibility for Psychology of the American Psychological Association, 05 Mar. 2002. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Sankin, Aaron. â€Å"Abortion Poverty Study Finds Link Between Lack Of Access And Income.† The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Nov. 2012. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Smith, Sharon. â€Å"Abortion Is Every Woman’s Right.† Abortion Is Every Woman’s Right. N.p., 23 Apr. 2004. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.

Characteristic and performance of the video game Industry Essay

A detailed analysis of the video games industry, the relationship between the console, the developer and the gamer and the case studies of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft has conclusively proved the hypothesis that a symbiotic relationship exists in the video games industry between the console, developer and the consumer which impacts on the overall growth and performance of the business and will also have an effect on future trends. A survey of data analysis will reveal that there are excellent prospects for growth of the console video gaming industry despite threats from other areas of the same business such as online and mobile gaming. The details of the research outcome and the salient conclusions and recommendations are as per succeeding paragraphs. The overall growth of video and computer games world wide is likely to grow from $ 27,000 million to approximately $ 54, 000 million or double during a period of three years from 2005 to 2008. The console video games industry is set to grow from $ 15,000 million in 2005 to over $ 20, 000 million in 2008. This is a growth of over 30 percent which is likely to surpass the growth in all other segments of entertainment. This growth is driven by the popularity of console games in general as well as certain technological factors such as development of online console gaming facilitated by upgraded consoles and broadband connections which can facilitate easy transfer of images and videos. Apart from this economic factor, there are other profound changes which will come about in society as predicted by Doug Lowenstein who has indicated that it would transform the total social and cultural thinking in the years ahead. (Conference, 2000). The numerous voices raised against the growth of video games and their influence on children in America has decried the growth of this industry. Such protests and developments will certainly affect the growth of the video industry and it is likely to create more benign games in the future. Of greater concern to social scientists is the inculcation of hyper competition and deviant sexual values in children due to games. (Squire, 2002). This issue is likely to place pressure on the gaming industry to ensure that it follows the norms set by bodies such as the industry content regulator, Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) in America. Another important facet is content creation and retailing online. This mode will develop at much faster pace than at present. This will enable greater participation of gamers and will consolidate the existing relationship between the console, the developer and the gamer. Technology as the MMOG will further boost the growth of the industry as well as the relationship between the stake holders in its growth. Relationship between console, developer and consumer The research has conclusively established a positive relationship between console, developer and consumer. Video gaming is a highly interactive process in that there has been a total shift in the relationship between the producer of goods, the developers of content and those who are partaking off that content, the gamers. This relationship has become of mutual support rather than of give and take. The mediums used for such an interaction have been consciously developed in some cases as Nintendo which started with a special magazine and has now come up with various other actions to support the developer as well as the consumer in providing the company effective inputs for development of games. A similar trend has been observed in the case of Sony and Microsoft. The growth of the internet has further added to the impetus and this will be supplemented by on line gaming which is providing gamers an opportunity to respond actively to their entertainment requirements. The response of all companies has been active in fostering this relationship. The other aspect is the active involvement of console and developers. While all major console producers have in house developers, they are including the information technology behemoth; Microsoft actively seeking the assistance from external developers. Companies have fostered special programs as Game Play Counselors and Digipen to cultivate the loyalty of the developer community along with community participation program called as NSider forum by Nintendo.

Learn How to Use Cè and Ci Sono

Learn How to Use C'à ¨ and Ci Sono If you stop and listen to yourself speak English, you’ll notice that you repeat the same kind of structures again and again. Most notably, you’ll hear a lot of â€Å"there is† and â€Å"there are† when starting sentences. Since it is such a frequently used structure, it’s one that’s essential to know in Italian. So how do you say â€Å"there is† and â€Å"there are† in Italian? Below you’ll find the translations for both phrases along with examples to help you understand how to use it in everyday conversation. Let’s Discuss the Present C’à ¨ (from ci à ¨) There isCi sono There are Here are some examples of these phrases being used in the present tense. Esempi (c’à ¨): Non c’à ¨ fretta. - There is no hurry.C’à ¨ un bell’uomo l che ti aspetta. - There is a handsome man waiting for you there.Scusi, c’à ¨ Silvia? - Excuse me, is Silvia there?C’à ¨ una parola difficile in questa frase. - Theres a difficult word in this sentence.C’à ¨ qualcosa che non va. - There is something not right (in this situation).C’à ¨ una gelateria qui in zona che à ¨ buonissima. - There is an ice cream shop in this neighborhood that is so delicious.C’à ¨ una ragazza qua che non mi piace per niente. - There is a girl who I don’t like at all. It’s likely that you’ve heard the popular expression â€Å"che c’à ¨?†, which is the Italian equivalent of â€Å"what’s up?†. Literally, it can be translated as â€Å"what is there?†. You: Che c’à ¨ tesoro? - What’s up honey?Friend: Niente, perchà ¨? - Nothing, why are you asking me?You: Ti vedo un pà ² triste. - You look a bit sad. Esempi (ci sono): Ci sono molti italiani a New York. - There are many Italians in New York.Ci sono troppi gusti buonissimi, quindi non posso scegliere! - There are too many good flavors, so I can’t choose!Non ci sono molti ristoranti cinesi qua. - There are not many Chinese restaurants here.Uah! Ci sono tanti libri italiani in questa biblioteca. Sono al settimo cielo! - Wow! There are so many Italians book in this library. I’m in seventh heaven!Sul tavolo ci sono due bottiglie di vino che ho comprato ieri sera. - On the table there are two bottles of wine that I bought last night. C’à ¨ and ci sono should not be confused with ecco (here is, here are; there is, there are), which is used when you point at or draw attention to something or someone (singular or plural). Eccoci! - Here we are!Eccoti i documenti che avevi richiesto. - Here are the documents you requested. What About the Past? If you want to say â€Å"there was† or â€Å"there were†, you’re most likely going to need to use either the passato prossimo tense or l’imperfetto. Knowing which one to choose is a topic for a different day (and one that makes Italian language students want to pull their hair out), so instead we’ll just focus on what these phrases would look like in both forms. Esempi: Il passato prossimo (c’à ¨ stato/a) C’à ¨ stata molta confusione. - There was a lot of confusion/chaos.C’à ¨ stato un grande concerto allo stadio. - There was a great concert at the stadium.Ci sono stati molti esempi produttivi. - There were lots of good examples. Notice here that the ending of â€Å"stato† has to agree with the subject of the sentence, so if â€Å"parola† is feminine and it’s the subject, then â€Å"stato† has to end in an â€Å"a†. Esempi: Il passato prossimo (ci sono stati/e) Ci sono state troppe guste buonissime, quindi non potevo scegliere! - There were too many good flavors, so I couldn’t choose!Ci sono stati tanti libri italiani in quella biblioteca. Sono stato/a al settimo cielo! - There were so many Italians book in that library. I was in seventh heaven!Quando ho studiato l’italiano, non ci sono state molte scuole per imparare la lingua. - When I studied Italian, there were not many schools for learning the language. Notice here that the ending of â€Å"stato† has to agree with the subject of the sentence, so if â€Å"libri† is masculine and it’s the subject, then â€Å"stato† has to end in â€Å"i†. Esempi: l’imperfetto (cera) Quel giorno, non c’era fretta. - That day, there was no hurry.Quando ero piccola qui c’era una gelateria buonissima. - When I was a little girl, there was a delicious ice cream shop in this neighborhood.Intorno a noi, c’era un bel panorama della campagna di Orvieto. - Around us, there was a beautiful view of the countryside of Orvieto. Esempi: l’imperfetto (cerano) Da bambino, non c’erano molti ristoranti cinesi qua. - When I was a little boy, there weren’t many Chinese restaurants here.Un giorno facevo una passeggiata e ho visto che c’erano molti cani randagi. - One day I was taking a walk I saw that there were a lot of stray dogs.C’erano un paio di studenti che hanno imparato pià ¹ velocemente rispetto agli altri. - There were a couple of students that learned faster than the other students. Other Forms You May See Il congiuntivo presente (the present subjunctive) - ci sia and ci siano Spero che ci sia bel tempo. - I hope it’s going to be sunny. Il congiuntivo imperfetto (the imperfect subjunctive) - ci fosse and ci fossero Dubito che ci siano molte persone al teatro. - I doubt there will be lots of people at the theater.