Analysis Of The Poem Kachchh - 1514 Words

Kachchh is visually one of the most stunning districts of India. The landscape continuously surprises the human eye; in that there is something akin to timelessness of great art about the landscape of Kachchh. A line of a Kachchhi poem reflects Kachchh - dhingi dhara, dhinga dhor, dhingi boli, dhinga bol- meaning: This earth is firm, these animals are tough, this speech is strong, and this language is powerful. Kachchh has been a gateway to Sindh in the west and to Gujarat to the east. Kachchh harbours a gateway to the mysterious Indus Valley Civilization as Dholavira is in Kachchh. If Bhuj town is a gateway to the military past of the region, then Kachchh itself is a gateway to the oceans and the world beyond them through its maritime†¦show more content†¦The cities of Kachchh, during the historical period and after, are important identity elements of the region as they embody vital aspects of Kachchhiyaat (Kachchhness). There are buildings of royal past of the place as well as temples and secular buildings in the towns of Kachchh. Today, more than 30 per cent of the 1.5 million population of Kachchh in an area of 45,652 square kilometers is urban. Bhuj city is the divadandi (light house) of Kachchh, a gateway to the urban past and present of Kachchh. The princely past of Kachchh and its physical isolation has created a symphony of arts and crafts traditions. Some of these are living design and crafts traditions especially in the Kachchhi vernacular architecture; in everyday object designing; and famously in dress. The relative physical isolation of Kachchh has always been pointed out while discussing its arts and that is true but its openness to the world outside is also clear in Kachchhi design and decorative art. The temples of Kerakot and Kotai show a beautiful fusion of the local Kachchhi traditions with that of the Maha-Gurjar style, prevalent at the time of their construction in northern Gujarat and southern Rajasthan. The earliest temple in Kachchh is that of Shiva at Puan Ra’no Gadh. The famous temple at Bhadreshwar (the ancient Bhadrawati) was built in 13th century AD. The princely palace and its construction were important to

What I Thought Was A Curse - 834 Words

For some people, perspective, responsibility, and perseverance are things that are gained over time, for me it came at an early age. What I thought was a curse as a young child, to be forced to grow up more quickly than any kid ever should, was actually a blessing in disguise. When I was six years old my mother got arrested, for the first time, and then again when I was seven and once more when I was nine or ten. My father had been out of our life for about 4 years at this point, my mother had left him when I was three after countless years of abuse. As I watched my mother get carted off to jail the first time, I was scared and confused but that only lasted for a few moments, my fear was interrupted by the tears of my younger brother and sister who were watching out the window even more scared and confused than I was. Fear quickly turned into responsibility, I had to gain perspective for the sake of my brother, my sister and myself. I had to persevere at a point in my life where I sh ouldn t even have known what that meant. All of this, my childhood, my struggles, the struggles of my parents, and my ability to ensure that I, along with my siblings, came out on the other side of this, made me the man I am today. Today, I am a man who graduated from High School with honors. Today, I am a man who is set to become the first person in my family to graduate from college. Today, I am a man who is applying to Law School. Today, I am applying to Law School, not because I thinkShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem Fairy Girl 974 Words   |  4 Pageseventually sell. June’s mother s favorite flower was a petal flower and the only place that had the petal flower was by the Witch s’ house. Once in awhile June and her mother would go out and try to see the flower without getting caught by the mean old Witch. While June and her mom went flower hunting her father would go out and try to sell the different types of flowers that they picked. One day, the mother was getting old and sadly died. June was only 15, but she had to keep finding new flowersRead MoreThe Uncanny Of Sleeping Beauty And Her Children1219 Words   |  5 Pagesmeaning to view the idea of what is uncanny, or heimlich versus unheimlich, bringing us two varying ideas: â€Å"Concealed, kept from sight, so that others do not get to know of or about it, withheld from others. To do something heimlich, i.e., behind someone’s back; to steal away heimlich; †¦In general we are reminded that the word ‘heimlich’ is not unambiguous, but belongs to two sets of ideas, which, without being contradictory, are yet very different: on the one hand it means what is familiar and agreeableRead MoreThe Story Of A Cottage968 Words   |  4 Pagesat and to see. 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The Witch and the Well is placed in 12 century France and was about Catherine, the main character, and her Husband Edgar. ItRead MoreKnowledge : The Endeavor For An African American1541 Words   |  7 Pagesand â€Å"The Library Card† by Richard Wright. It is invariably true that knowledge is both a blessing and a curse, which is why both Douglass and Wright can relate to the inflicting role that knowledge plays in people’s lives. Knowledge is presented as a form of a blessing in both stories as both Douglass and Wright endure the chance to educate themselves, Knowledge is expressed as a form of a curse in both stories as both Douglass and Wright face the risk of encountering with the possible unbearableRead MoreMy Family Are Having A Wonderful Christmas Season !1022 Words   |  5 PagesHey there Gina, I hope you and your family are having a wonderful Christmas season! I was going though a bin of old photos a while ago and found some photos of your baptism, I thought I’d give them to you in case you didn’t get a copy, or if you did and they got lost or something. As for the book†¦ Well a few months ago I was looking at deals in the kindle store in the Christian section, and after reading the introduction chapter within the book, I was encouraged and impressed so I bought the kindleRead MoreAdams Curse by William Butler Yeats Essay933 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Adam’s Curse†Ã¢â‚¬ ¨William Butler Yeats †¨ William Yeats’ â€Å"Adam’s Curse† is a poem that addresses a profound truth of time. Any human accomplishment such as poetry, music, or physical beauty requires much labor and is appreciated by few. He says this through an emotional recollection of a conversation between himself, his lover and her friend. I believe the meaning of the work lays waiting like a net, waiting to catch the reader at surface level. The poem is simplistic in nature, which is quite atypicalRead MoreEssay about Andre Dubus The Curse997 Words   |  4 PagesAndre Dubus The Curse The Curse; by Andre Dubus is about Mitchell Hayes, a forty-nine year old bartender who is witness to a rape. The rape occurs right before closing when five bikers rape a young woman while holding Mitchell at bay. After the rape, Mitchell is distraught over his decision of not making a stronger attempt to help the girl. Police, family and friends try to comfort Mitchell by telling him he made the right decision. However, he continues to feel guilt and self-doubt overRead MoreHamiltons Curse Book Review1464 Words   |  6 PagesBook Review: Hamilton’s Curse: How Jefferson’s Arch Enemy Betrayed the American Revolution- and what it means for America Today What kind of country is the United States of America? Is it really the land of the free or are the Americans controlled by an imperial presidency? Is America peaceful and prosperous? Is it possible to identify the source of America’s economic problems? Some people have a clear picture of how things really are; while others are never able to see the entire scope ofRead MoreThe Battle of Gibeah and Micahs Idol667 Words   |  3 Pageshe takes is 1100 pieces of silver. An average yearly salary in Micah’s day was ten pieces of silver which can be found in verse 10, so he stole a small fortune. Micah’s mom gets very upset, as is her right, and she pronounces a curse on the person that had stolen the silver. When Micah learns of his mother’s curse, he gets worried and returns the silver. The Old Testament law required Micah to add 1/5 (Exodus 22) to what he had stolen, 220 pieces of silver, but he does not do this. It is not a reverential

A Marxist Analysis of the Accra Mall Free Essays

3rd December, 2012. Marxist analysis of the Accra Mall Marxist describes the power struggle between different social classes in society. Marxism is further explained by certain concepts, such as ideology and hegemony, base and superstructure and reification. We will write a custom essay sample on A Marxist Analysis of the Accra Mall or any similar topic only for you Order Now Ideology is a set of ideas or viewpoints that one social class has of another which influences the way they behave towards each other while hegemony refers to the way people act based on the ideas or ideologies that they hold and act out regarding other classes. Base and superstructure refers to the system whereby the working class, which represents the majority of the people, is ruled by the few, the owners of the sources of production. Marxism in essence can be seen in all walks of life and in various parts of our society. The Accra mall in Greater Accra is one such place. The Accra Mall is more than just an avenue to shop. The Accra Mall is the place to see and be seen. It is strategically located at the very tip of the Spintex Road, at the Tetteh Quashie Roundabout, in close proximity to a number of hotels, high end residential apartments and corporate buildings. In essence the mall caters to a certain class of people; the affluent in the Ghanaian society. It contains about twenty or so shops with mostly overpriced goods. There is a food court located right in the middle of the shopping mall with a playground for children. The mall’s general ambience, of money, expensive food, high end clothing and a large parking lot, usually overcrowded with flashy and expensive cars gives one a good idea of what to expect in the mall. The air of spending is further heightened by the presence of the numerous automated teller machines (ATM) placed at one part the mall. The neighborhood and the mall in general gives a clear cut distinction of who they serve and who serves them- it caters for the rich and wealthy that are served by the working class or the poor. The large parking lot mentioned earlier, constantly has a greater ratio of flashy cars to a very small number of not so nice cars. Without a doubt, it is evident that the mall is frequented by the upper classmen, or those who can afford to drive them. The price tags does not encourage the lower class to frequent the place because the products or items sold at the mall are above the financial means of a person for instance, the price of a bottle of soda at Rhapsody’s, one of the restaurants is ludicrously expensive and hence caters to the high class or the middle class that can spend extravagantly. On the other hand a restaurant like Pizza Inn prices the goods somewhat moderately to cater to all the classes. Another case is of two supermarkets, Game and Shoprite. It is common to see people coming out Game with few items. In contrast, Shoprite prices their goods that most people could at least buy a cookie from their bakery or a little toy for their children or a plate of nicely decorated and somewhat tasty meals. The people in the mall fall into two categories, as society dictates; the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. The proletariat is made up of the janitors, the shop attendants, security guards and basically people who are not likely to spend in the mall. The other group, mainly made up of the business men and women, doctors and lawyers are mainly the customers; the proletariat. The shop attendants, the janitors and security guards depend on the purchasing and patronized services of the customers, in this case the bourgeoisie, to spend at the mall, so that they can earn money. The bourgeoisie are catered to by the proletariat at the mall. They serve them at the mall and are the people who work â€Å"behind the scenes† to make things the way they are for the bourgeoisie to enjoy. The proletariats on the other hand are employed by the bourgeoisie and depend on them for their livelihood. At the Accra Mall, there is a general reaction by the shop owners and the other people, based on the way people look. People are profiled into either whether they are of high class or a low class, in other words, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The society has a way of classifying people by the way they dress. If your clothes appear trendy or fashionable enough then you must be in the upper class. The proletariats on the other hand are looked down upon immediately because they are judged to be the lower class based on their dressing and are hence treated as potential shoplifters or people up to no good. Marxism permeates all areas of our society; healthcare, in education and in a number of other aspects of life. The Accra Mall is one such place. People of all sorts can be identified here, and there in lie the groups of the bourgeoisie and proletariat. There is a constant, somewhat passive struggle for power. While the bourgeoisie (the rich, upper class, wealthy customers) continue to revel in their spending and high end lifestyle, the proletariat (the janitors, the security guards and staff in general) work long hours to try to attain a respectful position in life, to become like the bourgeoisie. As long as the society continues to go on in this manner, Marxist theory of power struggle will continue to be relevant in explaining such conflict. How to cite A Marxist Analysis of the Accra Mall, Essay examples

Management Accounting Business Finance for Corporate

Question: Describe about the Management Accounting for Business Finance for Corporate. Answer: a) The production costing system is the process of assigning inventory costs and production costs based on the expenses that are used to buy or produce inventory. It is important for the company to use appropriate costing system in order to record all their information(Elliott and Elliott, 2008). Therefore, it is the process to track and analyze all the expenses that are incurred during the production and sale of the products. It helps the company to store and analyze cost information as well as providing significant information that helps to prepare future business plan. Product costing system helps to increase the efficiency of the business especially when variable costing assigns only the units of the product the variable costs associated with the creation (Elliott and Elliott, 2008). Without an appropriate [product costing system it would be difficult for the company to analyze the flow of cash and determining whether the ongoing project has been successfully accomplished or not. Th e manager of the company makes decisions on the basis of return on investments and the amount of profit the company can obtain from the sale of the product. The product costingsystem shows all the information that helps the manager to make decisions(Fifield and Power, 2011).The development of product refers to the manufacturing of new and innovative product. Product costing can be a valuable resource while designing a new product line as it allows the manufacturing department to evaluate costs associated with the development of the product AASB 102 inventories are equal to the IAS 2. The objective of the AASB is to describe the inventories accounting and applies to the reporting organizations that prepares financial statements in both non for profit and for profit sectors(Helbk, Lindest and McLellan, 2010). The conversion cost of inventories includes costs that are directly related to the production together with allocation of the production overheads are as follows: Direct labor used in the process of production Direct materials that directly enter into the process of production are converted into the finished goods(Hillier, 2010). Fixed overheads such as factory management costs or depreciation Variable overheads such as indirect labor and indirect materials Direct costing is referred to as specialized form of the cost analysis that particularly uses variable cost in order to make appropriate decisions. Direct costing does not includes fixed cost that are assumed to be associated with time periods in which the costs were incurred. It helps the management department to take short term decisions (Holton, 2012).The variables overheads are allocated to units based on the use of the production facilities. The unallocated variances, for an example idle plant should be recognized as expense in profit or loss in the incurred period. The preparation of the financial statements will help to determine and evaluate the financial position of the company(Moles, 2011). b) Cost of goods manufactured Direct Materials Amount ($) Beginning raw material inventory 25000 Purchase of raw material 120000 Raw material available 20000 Closing raw material inventory -24000 Raw materials transferred to production 141000 Direct labour 35700 Indirect labour cost 15000 Factory supplies 5000 Insurance 5000 Repair maintenance 2500 Land tax 2200 Total manufacturing costs 206400 Beginning work in progress 8000 Closing work in progress -7500 Cost of goods manufactured 206900 Cost of goods sold Amount ($) Cost of goods sold Beginning finished goods inventory 12500 Cost of goods manufactured 206900 finished goods inventory -13600 Cost of goods sold 205800 Cost of goods manufactured is referred to total expenses required for the production of products which includes variable and fixed costs that incurs during a specific period of time. It helps to determine the cost of goods sold in the income statement. Cost of goods sold is the direct costs that are associated with the production of the product sold by the company. The amounts include material cost used to manufacture product as well as direct labor used. The items that have been removed are depreciation, advertising expense, managers salary, travel and entertainment expense as because the costs are not associated with the production of goods. The goods of manufactured schedule include all the items that are used during the production process(Paramasivan and Subramanian, 2009). The preparation of the financial statements will help to determine and evaluate the financial position of the company. c) Template T accounts The production department requires investment and resources in order to manufacture products. The production department required raw materials, labour and financial investment. The increases in sale of product will help to increase the profitability of the company. The preparation of cost accounts will help to estimate and evaluate the total cost required for the production of the product. The company will be able to estimate its performance by analyzing the sales and cost of the production. Raw Materials Particulars Debit ($) Particulars Credit ($) Balance b/d 25000 Raw material used 121000 Raw material used 120000 Purchases Balance c/d 24000 Total 145000 Total 145000 Work in progress Particulars Debit ($) Particulars Credit ($) Balance b/d 8000 Expenses 500 Balance c/d 7500 8000 8000 Finished goods Particulars Debit ($) Particulars Credit ($) Balance b/d 12500 Production cost 1100 Balance c/d 13600 12500 12500 Accounts Payable Particulars Debit ($) Particulars Credit ($) Balance b/d 20000 Cash 2500 Balance c/d 22500 22500 22500 Cost of goods sold Particulars Debit ($) Particulars Credit ($) Beginning finished goods inventory 12500 Cost of goods manufactured 206900 Balance c/d 208000 finished goods inventory 13600 220500 220500 i) Manufacturing overhead Particulars Debit ($) Particulars Credit ($) Actual overhead 35700 Applied overhead 53550 Balance c/d 17850 Total 53550 Total 53550 ii) Indirect costs Particulars Debit ($) Particulars Credit ($) Administrative (Sales) salaries 24000 Advertising expense 12000 Travel and entertainment (sales) expense 14100 Balance c/d 50100 Total 50100 Total 50100 iii) Difference between over or under applied overhead is (applied overhead actual overhead), (53550-35700=17850). Therefore, it shows that the overhead is over applied. iv) Particulars Debit ($) Credit ($) Cash 17850 Applied overhead 17850 d) A under applied or over applied manufacturing overhead expenses is referred to as the difference between the production overhead cost that is applied on the work in progress and the production overhead cost that is incurred during a period of time. Therefore, the application of over applied or under applied can be determined if the production manufacturing cost that is applied to the work in process is more than production overhead cost incurred actually during a period(Shapiro, 2006). The difference between the estimation is known as the over applied production overhead. If the production overhead cost that is applied to the work in progress is less than production overhead cost incurred actually during a period. Therefore, the differences between them is known as the under applied production overhead. The company should focus on strategies in order to deal with under or over applied overhead. The decision is based on many factors that should be considered while estimating the overh ead such as expected time length in order to complete the process of manufacturing, anticipating the shared overhead costs and other factors that lead the organization to determine and analyze the amount of production overhead per unit(Smart, Megginson and Gitman, 2004). The most difficult part of manufacturing product and allocating the cost are uneven circumstances that may arise while operating the manufacturing process as well as affecting the overall development of the company. The accountants of the company charges the production overhead expenses to the inventories on the number of hours the machines uses in the process of production and estimating the rate. An appropriate allocation of the resources will help to deal with the situation of under applied or over applied of overhead. The company should focus on strategies in order to deal with under or over applied overhead(Spiceland, Sepe and Nelson, 2011). The production overhead includes all the expense of cost of goods sold that cannot be attributed to product being produced. The overhead expenses statement shows all the expenses that are incurred by a company during a specific period time. It includes variable costs, fixed costs, direct expenses and indirect expenses. The under applied and over applied of production overhead arises when the manufacturing overhead that is budgeted does not match with the actual manufacturing overhead. The main role of the managers is to control the cost of production as well as matching the set result with the actual result. An effective cost control system helps to manage all the operations of the organization as well as enhancing the performance of the company(Stittle and Wearing, 2008). The overheads can be controlled and the manufacturing department plays a significant role in the management of the cost that incurred during specific period of time. The management of costs and other expenses helps to determine and evaluate the efficiency level of a company. The man agement department is responsible to control and manage the cost of the company. Particulars Debit ($) Credit ($) Cash 17850 Applied overhead 17850 e) The standard costing system is a part of the cost accounting that assists the managers to manage all the costs of the organization incurred during a period of time. The standard costs are commonly associated with the production costs which include direct labor costs, manufacturing overhead, material costs of the company(Tripathi, 2008). It is a significant accounting tool that helps the accountants to evaluate the costs and minimizing the errors by suggesting appropriate acting and determining variance in the accounts(Wild, 2005). The managers and staff members of Seafarer Keyaksshould implement standard costing system within their organization in order to establish an efficient cost centers and assigning the responsibilities to different department within the organization that will help to increase the efficiency of the delegation of the authority(Wolf, 2008). The preparation of the cost accounts is very much important such as cost of goods and cost of goods manufactured in order to determine and evaluate the costs incurred by a company during a period of time. An effective standard costing system develops the reappraisals techniques and materials that lead to minimum unfavorable variances(Zopounidis, 2008). Therefore, the managers of the company will be able to determine the products that are not processing as per the projected plan. The procedures of the cost control can be simplified with the help of standard costing system within the departments and provides a wide platform to manage all the operations such as costs, direct expenses, indirect expenses and other costs. The financial plan of an organization depends on effective and efficient costing system as well as also helps in inventory evaluation, marginal costing and budgeting. The cost management shows the expenses incurred by a company during a period of time(Fifield and Power, 2011). The production process cost and other overhead expenses are also estimated with the help of production costing system. The overrate can be estimated of Seafarer Keyaks can be calculated on the basis of labor hours, raw materials, payroll, payment to the supplier etc. It can be managed with the help of standard costing system.The direct labour cost, direct material cost, other cost and their actual costs are compared to the set standards(Helbk, Lindest and McLellan, 2010). T he costing system enables to compare the actual cost with the set standards as well determining and analyzing the variances differences. The analysis of the variances differences will help the managers to determine and evaluate their weaknesses as well as improving their cost control system, cost management system and operational efficiencies. The inventory balances can also be analyzed and printing the report to evaluate the inventory during a period of time(Paramasivan and Subramanian, 2009). The preparation of financial statements helps an organization to analyze their financial performance during a specific period of time.Therefore, the managers of the company should implement standard costing system in order to estimate the cost incurred during a period of time and comparing the actual result with the set results. The management of operations and accounting process increases the cost effectiveness as well as implementing adequate system. The managers of Seafarer Kaykas should m anage their operations and cost with the help of standard costing system(Shapiro, 2006). It will also allow the managers to formulate the pricing and production policies and rules as well planning for future objectives, costs, budgets and production process. The inventory evaluation will become easier as well a managing all the expenses, liabilities and revenues. The preparation of the financial statements will help to determine and evaluate the financial position of the company. The production process of the company includes cost of materials, labour, salaries, factory expenses and other associated costs(Spiceland, Sepe and Nelson, 2011). The finance department plays a significant role in the management of funds and resources of the company. References Berk, J. and DeMarzo, P. (2007).Corporate finance. Boston: Pearson Addison Wesley. Elliott, B. and Elliott, J. (2008).Financial accounting and reporting. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Fifield, S. and Power, D. (2011).Managerial finance. [Bradford, UK]: Emerald. Helbk, M., Lindest, S. and McLellan, B. (2010).Corporate finance. New York: McGraw-Hill. Hillier, D. (2010).Corporate finance. London: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Holton, R. (2012).Global finance. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Moles, P. (2011).Corporate finance. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Paramasivan, C. and Subramanian, T. (2009).Financial management. New Delhi: New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers. Shapiro, A. (2006).Multinational financial management. New York: J. Wiley Sons. Smart, S., Megginson, W. and Gitman, L. (2004).Corporate finance. Mason, Ohio: Thomson/South-Western. Spiceland, J., Sepe, J. and Nelson, M. (2011).Intermediate accounting. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Stittle, J. and Wearing, B. (2008).Financial accounting. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications. Tripathi, M. (2008).Auditing and finance management. New Delhi: Navyug Publishers and Distributors. Wild, J. (2005).Financial accounting. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Wolf, M. (2008).Fixing global finance. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press. Zopounidis, C. (2008).Managerial finance. [Bradford, England]: Emerald.

The Simpsons As The American Family Of The 1990s Essays

The Simpsons as the American Family of the 1990's Meet the Simpsons Over time, the definition of what exactly "family" means has changed with time. Usually, what constitutes making up a family is relative to a specific culture, but as always, there are exceptions to the rule. Ever since the golden age of television had sprung upon American culture, television has tried to mimic the "ideal" American family through it's programming. Even as early as the 1950's, television producers made programming that would represent what exactly the ideal American family was. Take for example the show "Leave It to Beaver". While I am not going to go in detail about each character, I am going to summarize the family structure and the role of the member. There was a father figure, his job, or responsibility rather, was to financially support the family, while being an exemplary father to his children. The mother on the other hand, was solely responsible for being a typical housewife, while not neglecting the rearing of her children. The children did not have any real responsibility, but they respected their parents and attempted to stay out of trouble. Television shows for the most part in this early era of programming followed among these lines. There has always been at least one show each decade that followed the evolution of American life. In the 1960's, there was the "Andy Griffith Show". In the 1970's, there was a different spin on family life with the show "All in the Family", which did not have the typical white collar father, and its emphasis was not on raising the children, rather it was after the children had grown up. While in the 1980's there was a split in the television programming representation of American families. There were still shows that represented the "ideal" American family, such as "Different Strokes" and "Family Ties" as well as "The Cosby Show", but there was also a more realistic representation of American life in "Married With Children". However, it is not in a drama that American family life is best represented in the 1990's. Instead, it is in the animated series, "The Simpsons". "The Simpsons" follows suit with the other dramas that reflected the decade in which they aired. According to the U.S. consensus for March 1998, the majority of households in America are married couples (U.S. Consensus pp. 1, 3,4,6). The Simpson's meet this. Also according to the consensus, the average married couple has approximately 2.6 children per household (U.S. Consensus, Household Characteristics p.1). Since there cannot be six-tenths of a child, I will round up to three children, in which the Simpson family has: Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Also, the average American is a blue-collar worker. The father figure, Homer, meets this factor with his job at the nuclear power plant within his hometown of Springfield. So according to the statistics, the Simpson family could be considered an average American family. In the next part of the essay, I will look at each individual character of the Simpson family, and try to relate how that individual could be considered a typical American. I attempt to avoid using stereotypes, but nothing is full proof. I will look at some of the character's traits and try to relate how that is a parody of an American. First, I will begin with discussing the character of Homer Simpson. As you might know, Homer is the father figure of the household, whose responsibilities include financially supporting the household, since he is the household's primary source of income. He has his flaws like any person would, but somehow he and his family tend to work it out. Some of his mishaps are very similar to those that most of us have had to face. For example, he leaves the keys in his door to the house quite often (Hall, "The Homer File" p. 2). Another example, would be the time when he attempted to un-jam a toaster by shoving a knife in and out of it (Hall, "The Homer File" p.2). Homer also expresses concerns over his obesity as well as being a bad father (Hall, "The Homer File" p. 3). He also has a problem with his cursing, as well as his

Overcoming College Student Homesickness

Overcoming College Student Homesickness You may have spent so much time preparing for college that you may not have considered how much youd miss being back home. While homesickness is common for the majority of college students, it can be difficult to overcome. The key to handling it is understanding where its coming from and knowing what you can realistically do about it. Dont Be Too Harsh on Yourself Being homesick is often a sign that you have happy, healthy relationships with people back at home. You may miss your family, your friends, your boyfriend or girlfriend, or just your old routines and familiarity. Even though many students wont talk about it, a very large number of first-year and transfer students experience homesickness during their first few months at school. So, even if no one you know is talking about it, rest assured that many of your classmates are going through the same thing. Dont be too harsh on yourself for experiencing something that is completely normal and part of many students college experience. Let Yourself Be Sad... For a Little While Trying to fight your way through homesickness can often be futile. But letting yourself process through your emotions can be a great way of dealing with them. Trying to be stoic might end up backfiring on you, and since homesickness is a part of many peoples college experience, its important to let it process itself out. So give yourself a day here or there to be sad about all that you left behind. But make sure to pick yourself up and not be too sad the ​next day. A pity day here or there is alright, but if you find yourself having many in a row or feeling overwhelmingly sad, you may want to think about talking to someone in the campus counseling center. You definitely wont need to worry about being the first student in there who misses home! Be Patient With Yourself If youre a first-year student, youve probably made more major changes in your life than you ever have before, and if youre a transfer, you may be used to being in school, but not this school. Consider what youve done: youve started at an entirely new institution, where you probably dont know anyone at all. You might be in a new city, state, or even country. You have a new lifestyle to manage, where every hour of your day is unlike how you spent your time even 4 or 6 weeks ago. You have new responsibilities that are pretty heavy, from managing finances to learning a new academic system and culture. You may also be living on your own for the first time and learning all kinds of things that you hadnt even thought to ask about before you left. Any one of those changes would be enough to throw someone for a loop. Wouldnt it be a little surprising if someone didnt experience homesickness from everything? So be patient with yourself, just like you would be with a friend. You probably wouldnt judge a friend for being homesick after making such major changes in his or her life, so dont judge yourself unfairly. Let yourself be a little sad, take a deep breath, and do what you can to make your new school your new home. After all, wont it feel fantastic when you realize that, next summer when youre back home, youre homesick for school to start again?

Castel sant's angelo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Castel sant's angelo - Essay Example The monument was constructed on a special site which was on the river edge built on solid ground. The actual architectural layout of the mausoleum is uncertain even today in terms of construction and decorative. The monument composes of three overlaid bodies of architecture which are a square base, a cylindrical body, and the last piece that was a cylindrical shape too but smaller. On top of this last piece was a statute of Hadrian pulling a quadriga. The cylindrical body of the monument was filled with an embankment of earth with a hanging garden for cover. The structure which was built at the Roman period is unrecognizable now. However, some parts still survive including the foundations and masonry of the square base, the entire masonry nucleus, the entrance built with stone blocks, the ramp leasing to the top floor, and funeral hall (Zirpolo, 2010). In all transformations that have taken place in this castle, these constructions have remained the core areas. The castle was transformed into a fortress from a mausoleum in the middle ages. This transformation also changed the layout of the structure. These changes had been taking place for over ten centuries because the building was linked to the town walls, it was built around Rome, and the changes were carried out by a military architect, Nicolo Lamberti. The castle also had a defensive role because it was positioned at a point where the northern access city route was located. The castle gained immense significance throughout the transformations that took place. There was also a dispute in the middle ages regarding the possession of the castle. Papal Court took possession of the castle when he came to Rome in 1377. Eventually in efforts to make the castle a safe place, an internal passageway was created in the cylindrical body, the Roman entrance and the spiral ramp was closed. A new entrance was created on the half way f the cylindrical mole and was linked by

Management Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Strategies - Assignment Example This is because the opinions and the level of exposure to an industry vary with the individual. The study also elaborates how managers in other fields can fit in the management of unfamiliar fields by applying universally adapting strategies. Managers, therefore, emerge as resourceful personnel if they have a wide scope of experience rather than being centralized to one line of thinking. When Barnevick was chief executive officer at ABB, profitability was based on acquisition of firms as a means of diversity to enhance the competitiveness. The plan worked well for the firm noting the changes in profitability and the return on capital. The maxim on ‘thinking Global while acting local’ relieved massively on acquiring firms which had local impact in their respective regions. The products offered were standardized for the markets, hence global. This is evidenced by the fact that some were being exported to other areas such as Africa. While dealing with global products, the f irm was profitable. The down trend in ABB started after the change of management when Barnevick stepped down as CEO. The scenario explains the consequence of change in management in an organization. It expresses the need to hire leaders who can impart continuity in the operation. The close down of Combustion engineering was a case poor market choice. It expresses the need to research extensively before carrying out an investment. Though operating separately, firms under the same umbrella should be controlled by sound centralized structures. The competitiveness of ABB became widely challenged due to minimal bureaucracy. With a compact structure, signals of failure become detected at early stages facilitating counter action. After handing over to Lindahl, the profitability reduced to making losses due to different management styles. Lindahl, however, acted like an economist by consolidating the market to areas which offered a competitive strategy. The new CEO concentrated on using the Asian markets where costs of production were low. The case explores how managers implementing the same strategy can embrace different roles. Barnevick’s focus relied on firm acquisition while Lindahl focused on labor intensive manufacture. The new leadership strategy once again increased the profitability of the conglomerate. Lindahl’s successful leadership was not satisfactory since the position was handed over to another CEO, Jorgen Centermann, who held the position of the Automation business. Centermann’s strategy focused on customer segments. Centermann can be noted as a modern manager due to the indulgence in the use of internet in the business. The strategy introduced, however, drove the firm back to making losses rather than propel it forward. All the CEO’s above relied of the global standardization in order to enhance competitiveness. A totally different perspective came into being with the replacement of Centermann with Dormann. This CEO did not have knowledge of the electrical engineering field like the previous CEO’s. Within a short period, Dormann was able to uncover the deficiencies in the firm and set out to eliminate them. With the keen leadership, the board became aware of various investments done for the firm under the leadership of Barnevick and Lindahl. The firm unearthed interests vested in assets such as jets and armored limousines. They also discovered that pension schemes set up in the past for the two CEO’

Free cash flow Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Free cash flow - Research Paper Example It is therefore the cash flow that remains after the firm makes investment in property, plant and equipments. Often, financial analysts consider free cash flow to be more efficient in measuring the strength of a business than the cash flow from operating activities. To remain competitive large companies and other forms of businesses will need to invest in new equipments in order to maintain its competitive nature. These investments affect the level of free cash flow that the business is able to maintain (Yuangchih, 412). â€Å"This study investigates the ability of Free Cash Flow to predict performance in capital intensive and non-capital intensive industries†. (Nunez, 120). Nunez argues that, â€Å"many financial scholars and researchers have focused on studying the effectiveness of operating cash flow as a measure of a firm’s performance although other researchers have proved that free cash flow is a better measure since it greatly considers capital intensity†. â€Å"Free cash flow as a measure of a firm’s performance is not easy to manipulate compared to the other measures such as earnings, Nunez states. He further states that, â€Å"there are various methods used by different firms in determining their actual free cash flow but there is however no specific guidance given regarding the calculation and this is because its disclosure is not a requirement by the US GAAPs†. â€Å"The few firms that report their free cash flow therefore use the operations based met hod while others use the income based method† (Nunez, 121). Nunez stresses that, â€Å"Firms that base their calculation on operations use a capital maintenance perspective whereby free cash flow is calculated as cash flow from operating activities less capital that are necessary to maintain the firm at a productive capacity and this observes the guidance provided in the International Accounting Standards Board (IAS 7)†. â€Å"The operations based method also uses a perspective

Authors illustrate what is creativity

Authors illustrate what is creativity What is creativity? (not meant to provide an encyclopedic view of its primary object-matter Creativity has a rich and long history. Yet, the intriguing thing about it is that most people feel intuitively what creativity is, but find it hard to define it. The cause is the terms complexity and vagueness. There is, in fact, no single, authoritative perspective or definition of creativity. A few â€Å"personal definitions† by various famous authors may illustrate this disparity of views: Originality is the essence of true scholarship. Creativity is the soul of the true scholar. Nnamdi Azikiwe The creative person is both more primitive and more cultivated, more destructive, a lot madder and a lot saner, than the average person. Frank Barron Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen. Robert Bresson A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something. Frank Capra I have great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift. Septima Poinsette Clark Our inventions mirror our secret wishes. Lawrence Durrell â€Å"The creative individual is a person who regularly solves problems, fashions products, or defines new questions in a domain that is initially considered novel but that ultimately becomes accepted in a particular cultural setting.† Howard Gardner (1993): From things that have happened and from things as they exist and from all things that you know and all those you cannot know, you make something through your invention that is not a representation but a whole new thing truer than anything true and alive, and you make it alive, and if you make it well enough, you give it immortality. That is why you write and for no other reason that you know of. But what about all the reasons that no one knows? Ernest Hemingway Everything vanishes around me, and works are born as if out of the void. Ripe, graphic fruits fall off. My hand has become the obedient instrument of a remote will. Paul Klee An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. Edwin Land The artist produces for the liberation of his soul. It is his nature to create as it is the nature of water to run down the hill. W. Somerset Maugham Creativity is not merely the innocent spontaneity of our youth and childhood; it must also be married to the passion of the adult human being, which is a passion to live beyond ones death. Rollo May When all is said and done, monotony may after all be the best condition for creation. Margaret Sackville Our current obsession with creativity is the result of our continued striving for immortality in an era when most people no longer believe in an after-life. Arianna Stassinopoulos â€Å"The ability to produce work that is both novel (original or unexpected) appropriate. The creative individual persists in the face of resistance.† Robert J. Sternberg (1992) In order to create there must be a dynamic force, and what force is more potent than love? Igor Stravinsky The imagination imitates. It is the critical spirit that creates. Oscar Wilde â€Å"Creativity is the ability to illustrate what is outside the box from within the box.† -The Ride It is almost as if you were frantically constructing another world while the world that you live in dissolves beneath your feet, and that your survival depends on completing this construction at least one second before the old habitation collapses. Tennessee Williams A line will take us hours maybe; Yet if it does not seem a moments thought, Our stitching and unstitching has been naught. W. B. Yeats What, then, is Creativity? Firstly, here is what it is not: Its not just a faculty reserved for artists (musicians, painters, actors), only for writers/authors, scientists, business leaders, or academic ‘stars Its not just for children. Throughout our lives it is a part of us and of our personality. Some people display and apply it more than others, and by doing so it defines their lives. Creativity is timeless. Verdi composed Falstaff at the age of 80. Titian painted many of his best works late in life, and lived to be 100. Tolstoy wrote Resurrection ten years before his death, 82 years old. Creativity has several meanings defined by the transitions Person?Process?Product The meaning of creativity is descriptive: Johnny is so creative! = Person The meaning of creativity is a happening: Children lose track of time when immersed in play = Process The meaning of creativity is the end result: What is produced or completed. = Product (www.sla.org/conf/conf_sar//Barrancotto%20-%20creativity.ppt ) A commonly accepted view of creativity is that it is a mental and social process resulting in the generation of new ideas, terms or concepts. In rare instances these new ideas, terms, or concepts may be original, i. e. unknown previously. Most often, however, they emerge as a result of new combinations of known (existing) ideas or concepts, improvements on them, and associations between them. The mental and social process called creativity must run in some real or virtual environment. This environment has been studied from many points of view and in many scientific disciplines, for instance in philosophy, behavioral and social psychology, psychometrics, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, economics, business, and management. The studies have focused on everyday creativity, exceptional creativity and even artificial (computer enhanced) creativity. The results of the studies show clearly and convincingly that whatever approach is creative in one field of human endeavor can hardly be applied directly in a different field and produce creative results. Thus, an approach that leads to some creative results in, say, mathematics or psychology, will not necessarily produce any creative results in art, business, or psychology. The studies, however, have not lead to any unique and generally applicable definition of creativity. In the absence of a generally valid and accepted definition of creativity, it is always possible to set up a pragmatic set of requirements creativity should satisfy. They might run as follows: Creativity must result in something â€Å"new† as perceived by the people involved. The term new can have a variety of meanings, possibly requiring litigations to prove the validity of this or that meaning. Creativity must result in something that in the eyes of the creators is â€Å"better†. Again what is better? It is a matter of individual or group choice and preference. At this point, we disregard ethical issues stemming from situations in which the creative effort of an individual or a group leads to something â€Å"better† is perceived as something (considerably) â€Å"worse† by another individual or group. Creativity must affect the human life in some way. This implies that the creative result can be or has been implemented, often by technical means. Creativity, as considered in this book, reflects the creativity of the typical segment of the human population, rather than the unique blend of ability, motivation and serendipity dramatically exceeding the social and psychological norm, and resulting in major breakthroughs. Such exceptional abilities were manifested in the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart, or Fuller, to name a few exceptionally creative people. Creativity is a property inseparable from the creative man. It does not exist suspended in the nowhere. For this reason, a number of psychologists studied the circumstances under which creativity in man manifests and what the peculiarities of that person are. Before we review the most significant research efforts, it is good to review briefly the fields of human activity in which creativity has played a major part. Creativity in various contexts There are many perspectives and contexts in which creativity and its importance can and must be studied. This plurality of of views of creativity makes it hard, if not impossible, to file creativity under a single heading. The simplest solution is to consider the various approaches as undisciplinary, rather than trying to form a coherent overall view. The following sections examine some of the areas in which creativity is seen as being important. Creativity in psychology and cognitive science Psychology and cognitive science are the primary arenas for the study of the mental and social process resulting in the generation of new ideas, terms or concepts and any other forms of creative thought. A large number of famous psychologists have contributed to the study of the mental and social processes. Their work is reviewed in a separate section. Examples of psychological thinking and research can, however, be found in most branches of human endeavor. (A psychodynamic approach to understanding creativity was proposed by Sigmund Freud, who suggested that creativity arises as a result of frustrated desires for fame, fortune, and love, with the energy that was previously tied up in frustration and emotional tension in the neurosis being sublimated into creative activity. Freud later retracted this view.[citation needed]) Creativity in science and mathematics Mathematics is a highly abstract discipline that, nevertheless, permeates more and more other disciplines. At the same time, mathematics scares most students. From the point of creative thinking it is therefore natural to ask: How does a mathematician think to produce something new, better, and affecting the human life? Several outstanding mathematicians have described their thinking and summarized their views of creative mathematical thinking. The French mathematician Jacques Hadamard described the process in his book Psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Field, using introspection. Hadamards thinking differs from that of authors for whom language and cognition are inseparable in that it is, in his own words, wordless and often accompanied by mental images. Hadamard asked 100 leading physicists in the beginning of the previous century how they arrived at their problem solutions. Among his test subjects were giants of science, like Gauss, Poincarà ©, Helmholtz. He found that many of the responses were the same as his own, i. e. They viewed the whole solution suddenly and spontaneously (Hadamard, 1954, pp. 13-16). Helmholtz and Poincarà © ere personalities of their own class. ***** Referring to Helmholtz, Hadamards process comprises four steps (i) preparation, (ii) incubation, (iv) illumination, and (v) verification. It thus differs from the five-step model proposed by Graham Wallas in that Step (iii) intimation, was left out (ibid. p. 56). Another outstanding mathematician interested (in his latter days) in the methodology of problem solving was George Polya, of the ETH, Zurich. He wrote four books on the methods that people use to solve problems, and to describe how problem solving should be taught and learned. The books (the publication year is that of the issue used) are: How to Solve It (2004), Mathematical Discovery:On Understanding, Learning, and Teaching Problem Solving (1981); Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning Volume I: Induction and Analogy in Mathematics (1990), and Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning Volume II: Patterns of Plausible Reasoning (1990). The most important among these books probably is How to Solve It, in which Polya provides general heuristics for solving problems of all kinds, including mathematical ones. The book offers advice for teaching students of mathematics and comprises a mini-encyclopedia of heuristic terms. It sold over one million copies and was translated into many languages. Other mathematicians who made statements on the topic of problem solving include G. H. Hardy and Marie-Louise von Franz. In his Mathematicians Apology (1941), Hardy states, among others: I am interested in mathematics only as a creative art. The mathematicians patterns, like the painters or the poets must be beautiful; the ideas, like the colours or the words must fit together in a harmonious way. Beauty is the first test: there is no permanent place in this world for ugly mathematics. A mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent than theirs, it is because they are made with ideas. I believe that mathematical reality lies outside us, that our function is to discover or observe it, and that the theorems which we prove, and which we describe grandiloquently as our â€Å"creations,† are simply the notes of our observations (Hardy, 1941). Marie-Louise von Franz collaborated with psychiatrist Carl Jung who worked on archetypes and patterns. According to Jung, archetypes organize images and ideas. This is an unconscious process that cannot be detected until afterwards. Marie-Louise von Franz discovered an important recurring factor: the simultaneity with which the complete solution is intuitively perceived and can be checked later by discursive reasoning (von Franz, 1992). Creativity in diverse cultures Creativity is a scientific concept that is mostly rooted within a Western creationist perspective. Franà §ois Jullien (1997, 1989) examines the concept from a Chinese cultural point of view. Julliens point of departure is the necessity to work on reducing the distance that separates the Chinese and the European modes of thinking, and restart philosophy. Fangqi Xu et al. (2005) reported on the availability of creativity courses in various countries. Lubart and Sternberg (1999) studied extensively the cultural aspects of creativity and innovation. The authors conclude that creativity, like intelligence, is something everybody possesses. Creativity can be developed. Creative people are able to generate/intuit new and possibly unpopular ideas. They can also work with determination to make these ideas accepted by others. Creative people have the willingness to take sensible risks to go against the crowd in effective ways. Creativity in art and literature Requirements on creativity in the arts and literature differ from the requirements in other fields. While in most fields of the human endeavor, both originality and appropriateness are necessary (Amabile, 1998), in the fields of art and literature creativity is reduced to originality only, as a sufficient condition. Yet, the fields of art and literature for most people represent the true domain of creativity. The different modes of artistic expression do not represent an entirely homogeneous environment. Yet, a continuum extending from â€Å"interpretation† to â€Å"innovation† can be postulated in all established artistic movements and genres. Here, practitioners gravitate to the interpretation end of the scale, whereas original thinkers strive towards the innovation pole. In spite of this coarse division, some â€Å"creative† people (dancers, actors, orchestral members, etc.) are expected to perform (interpret), while others (writers, painters, composers, etc.) get more freedom to express the new and the different. In judging theories of art, several alternatives can be considered. One alternative is the artistic inspiration, comparable to invention. It provides a taste of â€Å"the Divine† in the form of transmission of visions from â€Å"divine sources† such as the Muses. Another alternative is the artistic evolution, comparable to crafts. It focuses on obeying established rules and imitating or appropriating, which results in subtly different but conflict-free and understandable work. Finally, if the creative product is the language, there is the artistic conversation, as in any â€Å"-ism,† stressing the depth of communication. One of the basic questions in looking at artistic creativity, given the uniqueness of the artistic product, is the question of authorship. Many scholars have worked on it. Two rather similar views, even though a generation apart, are the views of the French philosopher Michel Foucault and the Serbian scholar Davor DÃ…Â ¾alto. Foucault claims that all authors are writers, but not all writers are authors. He exemplifies his thesis by the fact that a private letter may have a writer it does not have an author (Foucault, 1969). An author, according to Foucault, exists only as a function of a written work, as a part of its structure. However, the interpretive process is â€Å"the author function.† Thus, for a reader to assign the title of author to the writer of any written work is to confirm that certain standards of the text are working in conjunction with Foucaults idea of â€Å"the author function.† DÃ…Â ¾altos work (DÃ…Â ¾alto, 2003) is based on examination of the relations between personhood and authorship in the context of the post-modern society and the globalized world. His theory stipulates that art represents an expression of the personal identity of the human being, having an existential importance. Human creativity is a basic feature of both the personal existence of the human being and art production. Creativity is thus a basic cultural and anthropological category, since it enables human manifestation in the world as a â€Å"real presence† in contrast to the progressive â€Å"virtualization† of the world. In other words, approaching artistic creativity Foucault focuses on the author function, whereas DÃ…Â ¾alto talks about a real presence of human manifestation in the (possibly virtualized) world. Creative industries, professions and services Creativity is perceived as increasingly important in creative industries and related professions. Creative industries constitute a family of human activities that generate a non-tangible value expressible in monetary units, either by means of creating and exploiting intellectual property or by means of providing creative services. This heading covers such activities as art and antiques markets, architecture, advertising, design, fashion, film, music, performing arts, publishing, computer software services, radio, TV, and the like. Creative professions are any of those involved in the activities listed, including some aspects of scientific research and development, product development, marketing, strategy, curriculum design, some types of teaching, and similar activities. The creative professional workforce is becoming a more integral part of the economies of industrialized nations. It is estimated that in the USA alone, approximately 10 million people work as creative professionals, but there may be twice as many. Accurate estimates are difficult to make, since many creative professionals actors and writers in particular also have a secondary job. Creativity in engineering and sciences Fields such as science and engineering have experienced a less explicit (but arguably no less important) relation to creativity. Simonton is one of many authors who show how some of the major scientific advances in science and engineering can be attributed to the creativity of individuals (Simonton, 1999). Borderline cases exist, too. A good example is accounting. â€Å"Creative accounting† is a popular term denoting unethical practices. However, Amabile suggests that accounting, too, can benefit from creative approaches if these are kept within ethical borders (Amabile 1998). Excellent example of the â€Å"creative leap† can be found in the realm of sciences, be it mathematics, physics, chemistry, medicine, or any other branch of science. Isaac Newtons law of gravity is popularly attributed to a creative leap he experienced by Newton when observing a falling apple. Creativity in organizations According to Amabile, to enhance creativity in business, three components are necessary (Amabile, 1998): Expertise, i. e. technical, procedural, intellectual and tacit knowledge, creative thinking skills, i. e. the flexibility and imagination with which people approach problems, and motivation, particularly its intrinsic variety. The importance of the combination of knowledge and creativity is best exemplified by the unprecedented success of some far-eastern nations, notably Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea and Thailand, which have in recent years been joined by India and China. Economic views of creativity Almost a century ago, Joseph Schumpeter (1942) introduced the economic theory of creative destruction, to describe the creative way in which old ways of doing things are destroyed from within and replaced by new ways. Economists like Paul Romer see creativity as an important element in the recombination of elements to produce new technologies and products. Romer (articles published in 1986 and 1990 amounted to) constructed mathematical representations of economies in which technological change is the result of the intentional actions of people, such as research and development. This is how economic growth becomes a reality and leads to capital. Romer also saw the importance is conditions that demand change, as follows form his popular saying: â€Å"A crisis is a terrible thing to waste†. Creativity is also an important aspect to understanding entrepreneurship. The creative class is seen by some to be an important driver of modern economies. In his 2002 book, The Rise of the Creative Class, economist Richard Florida popularized the notion that regions with â€Å"3 Ts of economic development: Technology, Talent and Tolerance† also have high concentrations of creative professionals and tend to have a higher level of economic development. Florida, R. (2002). The Rise of the Creative Class. New York: Basic Books. Romer, P. (1986). â€Å"Increasing Returns and Long-Run Growth†, Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 94, No. 5 (Oct. 1986), pp. 1002-1037. Romer, P. (1990). â€Å"Endogenous Technological Change†, Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 98, No. 5, â€Å"Part 2: The Problem of Development: A Conference on the Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise Systems.† pp. S71-102. Schumpeter, J. A. (1942). Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy. New York: Harper and Brothers. 5th ed.

fight club Essay -- essays research papers

Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club, that perhaps gained more exposure through the film adaptation, is narrated by a character whose name is never revealed but who is often referred to in critiques and reviews as Joe, a reference to the character’s discovery of an old Reader’s Digest article in which the bodily organs and functions of various people refer to themselves in the first person. The name ‘Joe’ is used in this context throughout the novel to comically articulate the character’s mood or mentality, for example on page 59, he says I am Joe’s Raging Bile Duct. Joe discovers a cure for his insomnia in various support groups for diseases that he does not have, taking solace in the pain and open suffering of others until he encounters Marla, another ‘tourist’ as he describes her, who disrupts his self prescribed ‘therapy’. After his apartment mysteriously explodes while away on business, Joe moves into a dilapidat ed house with what is later revealed as an alter ego in the form of the character Tyler Durden. The pair set about creating an anarchistic ‘club’ where the primary physical objective is to fight, for reasons that will be textually observed in relation to this notion of identity. Tyler and Joe eventually develop what is essentially a small organisation, which is often narrated in almost militaristic descriptions, where a group of followers receive instructions and engage in seemingly anarchistic activities that are orchestrated by Tyler, motivated by issues of socio-econ...

Alcohol’s Effects on Teenagers

The number of teenagers who are into â€Å"alcohol† nowadays is increasingly alarming. The physiological effects, as well as, the physical and behavioral consequences are equally disturbing as well.â€Å"Permanent brain damage, depression, poor school performance, psychological distress / serious behavioral problems, and attention deficit disorder† are some of the physiological effects on teenagers who drink alcohol (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). On the other hand, the physical and behavioral consequences include the following: â€Å"in-denial, self-pity, excessive anger, blaming others, and hurting oneself & other individuals† (Garrett, 2002, n.p.).Physiological Effects Teenagers who are into too much drinking may experience â€Å"permanent brain damage† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). This claim is backed up by an expert named â€Å"Dr. John Nelson†, a member of the American Medical Association (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.).Moreover, according to the â€Å"National Health and Nutrition Survey† girls who drink experience depression â€Å"four times more likely than those who do not engage in drinking† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.).Furthermore, teenagers who drink also suffer from low grades; in fact, according to the â€Å"American Medical Association†, those who drink get lower scores on â€Å"vocabulary, visual-spatial, as well as, memory tests† as compared with those who do not engage in drinking (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.).In addition to that, some teenagers who drink develop â€Å"psychological distress†, as well as, â€Å"serious behavioral problems†; this is according to the statistical information gathered by the â€Å"Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.).Last but not least, a study conducted by the â€Å"Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration† confirms that teenagers who are regularly drinking may develop â€Å"attention-deficit disorder† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.).Physical and Behavioral EffectsTeenagers who engage themselves in alcohol drinking may also suffer from the following physical and behavioral effects:First of all, teenagers may develop problems accepting unfortunate occurrences in their lives (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). They may turn â€Å"in-denial† and make use of alcohol as a â€Å"defense mechanism† every time he or she is reminded of the truth especially in cases where he or she gets offended (Garrett, 2002, n.p.).Second, some teenagers may feel pity for themselves while some tend to get excessively angry which may actu ally result in severe drinking (Garrett, 2002, n.p.).Third, some teenagers drinking severely may experience troubles accepting their faults (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Thus eventually, they blame somebody else for the untoward incidents that occurred to them (Garrett, 2002, n.p.).Finally, some teenagers who drink too much may experience hurting other people or even oneself (Garrett, 2002, n.p.).Summary / ConclusionIndeed, teenagers who engage themselves in drinking alcohol are faced with dangers including physiological and behavioral/physical ones (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). â€Å"Physiological effects† include the following: â€Å"permanent brain damage, depression, poor school performance, psychological distress / serious behavioral problems, and attention deficit disorder† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). Meanwhile, physical ones include: â€Å"in-denial, self-pity, excessive anger, blaming others, and   hurting oneself & other individuals† (Garrett, 20 02, n.p.).ReferencesGarrett, F.P. (2002). Excuses Alcoholics Make. Retrieved April 1, 2009 fromhttp://www.bma-wellness.com/papers/Excuses_Alcoholics.htmlThe Marin Institute. (n.d.). Physiological Effects of Alcohol on Teenagers.Retrieved April 1, 2009 fromhttp://www.marininstitute.org/Youth/teen_alcohol_use.htm   

Its Development, Differences, and Relationship with other Psychological Fields Essay Example

Its Development, Differences, and Relationship with other Psychological Fields Essay Example Its Development, Differences, and Relationship with other Psychological Fields Paper Its Development, Differences, and Relationship with other Psychological Fields Paper Biological psychology studies the physiological basis of human behavior (Johnstone, 2003, p. 15). This evolved because of the need of the venue to further understand the behavior, no longer in the nurture aspect, but on the biological viewpoint. Henri Pieron was considered the leader of biological psychology in Europe, who had an interest in revealing mechanisms behind behavior in a more hard-core scientific way. American psychologists ignored this perspective, though there are available information of the relationship of that time animal behavior to their morphology and physiology (Archer, Hansen, and Larsson, 1991, p. 2). I was in the 19th century when the context of present societies was studied on their biological context, relating the characteristic behavior of the society as evolutionary (Shinobu and Cohen, 2007, p. 79). Thomas young, a physicist, was one of the leading scientists who contributed profoundly in the developments in psychology, specifically on the biological scene (Weiner, Freedheim, and Schinka, 2003, p. 51). The hormones, the genetic materials, the brain, and the central nervous system’s influences are given emphasis. Controversial questions are being raised towards the depth that biological psychology can penetrate. These questions depict psychology in many ways, and also act as a way of understanding what biological psychology is. For example is the suicidal tendency of a person, if it can be traced in the genes this kind of behavior. Biological psychology answers also the percentage of our behavior that we inherited from our parents. More importantly, if there is a connection of our mental state to the physical illnesses that we might experience. The nature vs. nurture and the endless debate on it is still up to now divides the view of psychologists, and basically, biological psychology resides with nature (Johnstone, 2003, p. 15). One of the focuses of biological psychology is the study of developments in medications that are successful in treating depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorders. It has connected the mind and the body which is a crucial step in understanding, measuring, and conquering stress. With the help of biological psychologists, physiological components of illnesses were uncovered. Because of this, establishment of interrelatedness of the illness of the mind and illness of the body was made possible (Johnstone, 2003, p. 15). Theorists like Wolfgang Kohler, a German psychologist, supplied the missing link in understanding the evolutionary aspect of biological psychology, as pioneered by Charles Darwin. He supplemented the organic behavior of humans, and the evolutionary relationships in human development and behavior. On the other hand, in the time of Avicenna who lived in 980-1037 A.D., dated was the first study of biological psychology. According to the Canon Law of Medicine, physiological psychology was recognized in the treatment of emotional sickness, and developed an association with the inner feelings and the pulse rate. Avicenna had the concept of black bile that emanated from the brain causing melancholy or a sad feeling (Stein, Kupfer, and Schatzberg, 2005, p. 6).

Why You Need an Experienced SSD Lawyer

Why You Need an Experienced SSD Lawyer Why You Need an Experienced SSD Lawyer on Your Side Approximately 50 million Americans live with disabilities. Unfortunately, disabilities can cause physical, emotional and financial strains that are too much to handle alone. One of the most challenging aspects is that those who were once able to work and earn a livelihood find the pain to be too much, and can no longer complete the work they used to do, or cannot complete any other kind of work.With their livelihoods stripped away, their entire lives are turned upside down, and they don’t know how to provide for themselves and their families or where to turn.The Social Security Administration offers Social Security Disability (SSD) to those who meet its disability and work credit requirements. Applying for SSD can be overwhelming and complicated, and one mistake could cost a person who desperately needs benefits to start the process all over again, which could take months to years.Let’s take a closer look at why an experienced Social Security Disability lawyer can make all the difference.Hiring an Attorney to Help with Your Initial Application Can Improve Approval Chances If you are disabled, navigating through the complicated process of applying for benefits, including all of the paperwork and medical evidence, can be daunting and confusing. You need to focus on your health, and you’re not expected to be an expert on applying for disability. You’ve likely never been through this before.An experienced Social Security Disability Attorney can walk you through the entire process, filling out necessary paperwork correctly and on time. An SSD lawyer with a proven track record of handling cases such as yours has an in-depth knowledge of the system and the skills to help you receive the benefits you deserve. They will answer all of your questions and provide compassionate and personalized attention to your case.Turning to an experienced lawyer from the beginning can make the process smoother, eliminate errors and help you get accepted on th e first try. An experienced SSD lawyer can help eliminate delays caused by inaccurate documentation and other common mistakes that could be costing you your benefits.An SSD Lawyer Can Successfully Represent You in an Appeal Hearing If you have applied for disability and were denied, you will need to file an appeal to continue your journey to obtain the benefits you deserve. At this stage, it is critically important to hire a skilled SSD lawyer to represent you and handle everything for your hearing. Experienced SSD lawyers will work tirelessly for you, and have experience representing clients just like you in court to make a thorough case for your benefits.A skilled SSD attorney will answer all of your questions, gather crucial evidence for your case, prepare legal memorandums, opening and closing arguments during court, cross-examination of vocational an or medical experts and other filings.Its important to note that waiting for an appeal and waiting for a decision can be a very le ngthy, drawn-out process. Some disability applicants wait years for an appeal. You have already invested a lot of time into applying for benefits, and with your health and future on the line, you can’t risk drawing out the process further. An experienced SSD lawyer can help bear your burdens and work to win your benefits.A Law Firm That Specializes in Social Security Disability Provides You With a Unique Advantage When looking for an SSD lawyer to help with your application or appeal process, look for an established firm that focuses on Social Security Disability. Through focusing solely on SSD, these lawyers know the complexities of the law inside and out and are uniquely qualified to represent you. When an entire law firm dedicates itself to practicing one type of law, they do it better.We Can HelpIf you are disabled and unable to work, call  Disability Attorneys of Michigan  for a free confidential consultation. We’ll let you know if we can help you get a monthl y check and help you determine if any money or assets you receive could impact your eligibility for disability benefits.Disability Attorneys of Michigan  works hard every day helping the disabled of Michigan seek the  Social Security Disability benefits  they need. If you are unable to work due to a physical, mental, or cognitive impairment, call  Disability Attorneys of Michigan  now for a free consultation at  800-949-2900Let Michigan’s experienced Social Security Disability law firm help you get the benefits you deserve.Disability Attorneys of Michigan, Compassionate Excellence. Michigan Social Security Disability Attorney, Michigan Social Security Disability Lawyer

Marks & Spencer and performance analysis Assignment

Marks & Spencer and performance analysis - Assignment Example The business operates in a highly competitive business environment, taking competitive market share losses from other stores such as NEXT, the Gap, House of Fraser, and BHS. Well-known domestic brand names continue to adjust their competitive strategies, thus forcing Marks & Spencer to continuously consider whether its current core philosophy should continue to be promoted in the pursuit of competitive edge or whether new branding/advertising/marketing strategies are required to achieve top performance. This report identifies the processes, strategies and systems that drive alignment toward meeting performance targets and analyses the environment in which Marks & Spencer operates today. The business environment Marks & Spencer continuously attempts to diverse its product offerings, launching new business opportunities in key test markets in order to create a business profile that is secure for a new generation of customers. The company has worked consistently to combat negative perce ptions about the core brand philosophy, attempting to emerge from a staunchy and proud brand that has been a trademark of traditionalist buyers in the UK for decades. Because of this, the company has shifted its focus away from its traditional home and personal fashion philosophy to extend into foods services in an effort to compete with major grocers and also in terms of how the company promotes itself to a new class of buyers. This new focus changes the internal dynamics of management and also the supply chain in an effort to support new business function and principles. For example, M&S has realised that there is a growing trend in a new generation of buyers to secure the interests of the natural environment and reduce the carbon footprint left by operations. The business identifies that 80 percent of its buyers are concerned with sustainability issues, thus the company has developed over 100 different eco-targets to eliminate landfill waste and become carbon neutral (Palmer, 201 0). Much of this is accomplished by establishing a new supply chain that consists of suppliers with sustainable raw materials (Palmer). In order to develop and maintain a sustainability programme, certain operational components must be altered and a new management focus developed. As part of this eco-focus, Marks & Spencer developed what it referred to as Plan A, a sustainability programme that involves waste reduction, the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, and using renewable power to supply 23 percent of the firm’s total electricity inputs (Nagappan, 2009). Why is this important for aligning the business when other competitors continue to develop similar sustainability programmes? M&S has recently been forced to lower prices on merchandise, especially in the clothing sales division (Bokaie, 2008). This has been in response to lowering sales as older customers who were once loyal to the business in the mid 20th Century have been replaced with younger buyers who have a h igher disposable income and a new preference for fashion and home merchandise. The difference between Marks & Spencer and other competition is that the business is using advertising and other marketing-based activities to sell eco-friendly sales in order to rebuild a damaged brand reputation. If 80 percent of customers have been identified through qualitative or quantitative research to have a significant concern over the environment when choosing a brand, M&S aligns the operational function of the company to meet this concern using a new positioning

Motivating Employees Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Motivating Employees - Assignment Example For employees whose drives and needs are focused on satisfying lower order needs (physiological, social and security needs), extrinsic factors (money or compensation) could be the most effective motivators. However, for employees who crave for satisfying higher-order needs (self-actualization and fulfillment), intrinsic factors must be the most effective motivators of performance. The motivational theories that were evidently applied included Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, as well as Herzberg’s two factor model (Martires & Fule, 2004). By accurately identifying the level of needs, as well as the motivational (or hygiene) factors, employers are assisted in designing motivational programs that would keep employees productive, satisfied and motivated. Based on one’s personal and professional experiences and from the readings, one would recommend that employers need to accurately assess the needs and drives of employees to enable them to design motivational or incentive programs that match these needs. As disclosed, intrinsic and extrinsic factors (or hygiene and motivational factors) need to be incorporated in the job to make the tasks inherently interesting, challenging, satisfying, and rewarding. Ryan, R., & Deci, E. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Retrieved December 28, 2014, from Contemporary Educational Psychology:

Activeion - Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Activeion - - Case Study Example The lonator provides health and benefits to the staff of the business. Activeion has no side effects to domestic users and can be used in cleaning household goods. Activeion cleaning tools targets hotels as it is known to kill germs. Food customers are becoming more sensitive to chemicals used in hotels and other food kiosks; hence hotels are a better target for the products. Activeion also targets single families with small children as it has no side effects to the kids. Activeon also targets people with sensitivities since their products have no chemicals. They also target those with pets in their homes as their products are harmless to pets. This is according to their websites. â€Å"Lonator! The chemical free cleaning solution for all your household chores, it is easy to use as it only requires only water. Lonator is suitable for child washing, those with sensitivities and all your cleaning solutions. ‘Lonator ‘for only $ 177† Activeion can market cosmetics with no chemicals; it can market eco friendly cosmetics e.g. herbal nourishers. The company can also market children wear since it is perceived to have friendly products this can be a niche market. Detergents can also make a good market for

Assessments - Nutrition - Food Groups Essay Example for Free

Assessments Nutrition Food Groups Essay My first grade class is participating in a health lesson that will introduce them to the food groups. They will use MyPlate as a resource for learning the food groups and what foods are included in each group. The objective of this lesson is that the student can name foods that belong to each of the food groups labeled on MyPlate. Our health goal will be using MyPlate as a healthy eating tool and our vocabulary words will be food group and MyPlate. We will place foods in each of the five food groups and know the food groups by name and color coding: Grains (orange), Vegetables (green), Fruits (red), Dairy (blue) and Protein (purple). Students will be assessed on their ability to place and/or name foods in the appropriate food group. Students will be placed in assessment groups based on their level of English proficiency. The students will be assessed as follows: * Beginning ELL – students will be shown a photograph of a food and be told the name of the food (ie: photograph of an apple with teacher speaking the word apple) the student will then be asked to point to the food group on MyPlate (see attachment 1) (www. cnpp. usda. gov) in which the apple belongs. Intermediate ELL – Students will be given photographs of food with the name of the food along with a blank MyPlate (see attachment 2) (www. choosemyplate. gov). They will be asked to color each food group and then place the foods in the appropriate food group. * Advanced ELL – Students will be given a blank MyPlate (see attachment 2) (www. chosemyplate. gov) and be asked to write the names of at least three of their favorite foods in each group and then color the food groups the appropriate colors. The data gathered from the assessments will let me know how they comprehended and understood the lesson and will start to give me a snapshot of their English proficiency. Did they understand the words when they were spoken to them? Are they apple to read words associated with a photograph? Can they write words based on their knowledge and the lesson that was taught? Nutrition is taught every year in Kindergarten through 5th rade so a student of any level†¦ELL, SPED, Gifted, and Regular Education can be evaluated and previous years knowledge can be compared. Did the first grade beginning ELL student move up at least one level by second grade? Are they considered proficient by fifth grade? Portfolios can be made and follow the ELL student through school so that teachers can compare previous year’s work to the work they are doing that year. They can look for improvement in their English proficiency as well as the knowledge in the content areas being taught. As a teacher with ELL students I would not only look to teach them our English words for our foods but I would try to pull photographs of foods that might be important to their culture. I would try to find foods they are already familiar with and show them where they fit in the world of nutrition. Using this data would help create a comfort zone for them because they would at least recognize the photograph of the food and learn how we say it in English. Once the assessments are performed we will be able to determine if the student is capable of learning the content even though English proficiency may be low. If they score low then we will know that we have to continue to improve their English to help them in all content areas. If they are scoring high, while we will continue to improve their English but we will know they are capable of learning and understanding the content being presented to them. A teacher might consider placing the ELL student in peer groups with English speaking students to help increase their fluency.

Customer Satisfaction: Hotel Industry

Customer Satisfaction: Hotel Industry The Hotel Industry had a great pickup in early 1980s, at that time hotel businesses all over the globe tried their best to grew up to international level, different mergers and new continental hotels group came into existence in late 1980s. As research figures indicate tourism and hotel industries have turned into one of the most profitable sources of income throughout the world especially in last two decades. In 1990s Electronic businesses had approach hotel industry very quickly where that became a milestone for the said industry that was beginning of this realistic approach to be followed up by hotel industry. Capital expands from rich countries to least developed countries and than the life standard of the people improved on the global very quickly, more wellbeing requisites introduced to satisfy human needs in the shape of technology, more comfort necessities became familiarized and if we could try to portray the current picture of the world we could see hotel industry affected directly in this regard, hotel industry is responsible for the fulfillment of the human desire up to maximum level. It is an instinct of human nature to be creative all the time, measuring once level of satisfaction in hotel industry is quite difficult but there are obvious rules which can be followed to find the level of customers satisfaction attainment in the hotel industry, Express by Holiday Inn GSTS system has great responsibility to judge all customers issues and tell true pictures of the services levels of the hotel. Abstract The study mainly reviews and discusses the topic of customer satisfaction and its application to the Hospitality industries. Defines the concept and analyzes its importance to services and its importance to serves in general and to hospitality / tourism services in particular. Following a discussion on the dimensions and attributes of satisfaction, lists the main methods of measuring satisfaction and concludes with a review of global and cross-cultural issues that affect satisfaction in hotel industry. consequently this research aims to investigate the customer satisfaction level in Express by Holiday Inn hotel, London City (Firoka Group of companies UK Ltd), to apply a tool of SERVQUAL model in Express by holiday Inn hotel, London City. Study has also enlisted descriptive survey, feedbacks, trends, approaches research collection questionnaire; the research questionnaire data contain 25 questions. We discussed approaches toward integration and comprehensive model of satisfaction and loyalty, The quality of the Relation Customer Orientation The competitive Advantage We will focus on rational questions Why should we measure customer satisfaction and who should be involved? What will be the process involve? Where Do I Start? How Do I measure Satisfaction? How can I get insight from the result? How do I communicate and action the results and then what? The analyzed obtained data revealed that guests perceptions of the offered services were below than expected average level of an index indicating, which gives us an idea that service level not at optimal level. The overall services quality standards needs to be calculated in terms of satisfaction to encounter the differential gap of optimization. List of Tables List of Figures Declaration Chapter 1 1.0 Introduction: Living in competitive world today wasnt being challenged ever before, Economic, Socio Cultural environmental effects are deciding future of the world businesses today, this era is more complex due to its immense finance requirements, More competitive tools have been evolved to satisfy human needs, Presently Service industry prevailing great deal of challenges where! Every customer has high demands on lowest prices, Life standards are increased with the passage of time so as expectations! and it is very important for one business to calculate its expectation level towards its customers and judge where it is standing in the markets, In the Hotel industry the trust of the customer is very much fragile, It is almost necessary for all hotel businesses to keep themselves well updated about customers needs and market demands, To count prompt responses of the hotel customers there are many systems are being utilizing by the hotel industry, Express by holiday Inn is a franchise hotel of InterContinental hotel group, IHG Group has centralized reservation department which looking after all customers issues, They also responsible to prepare performance report of an individual affiliated franchise hotel world wide on monthly basis, the report GSTS encounter all areas which need to be focus in terms of customers satisfaction, later we will discusses in details all main areas of that report. Customer satisfaction is the leading decisive factor for determining the quality and standard which is actually delivered to the customer through the product, service or by the accompanying servicing. (Vavra, 1997); Its simply stated, Customer satisfaction is essential for corporate survival Several studies have found that it costs about five times as much in time, money and resources to attract a new customer as it does to retain an existing customer (Neumann, 1995). This creates the challenge of maintaining high levels of service, awareness of customer expectations and improvement in services and product. Hayes states that; Knowledge of customer expectations and requirements is essential for two reasons it provides understanding of how the customer defines quality of services and products, and facilitates the development of a customer satisfaction questionnaire (Hayes, 1997, p7). Furthermore, customer satisfaction is recognized as of great importance to all commercial firms because of its influence on repeat purchases and word of mouth recommendations (Berkman and Gilson, 1986). The researcher interest is to carryout a study of customer satisfaction at Express by Holiday Inn, London. 1.1 Aims Objectives of the Study The main objective is to conduct the customer satisfaction and its measurement in the hotel industry with special reference to Express by Holiday Inn Hotel, London. Subsidiary Objectives Analyses of costs demonstrating that customer retention is substantially less expensive than customer acquisition. Customer behaviorists in the area of lodging, restaurant, food services and tourism. Customer satisfaction is a psychological concept. Customer purchase goods and service with pre purchase expectations about anticipated performance. Assessment of satisfaction is made during the service delivery process. Satisfaction is not a universal phenomenon and everyone is not getting the same satisfaction out of the same hospitality experience. Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Empathy and Tangibles. Research Problem Customer satisfaction research is not an end into itself. The purpose, of course, in measuring customer satisfaction is to see where a company stands in this regard in the eyes of its customers, thereby enabling service and product improvements which will lead to higher satisfaction level. Satisfaction is not a universal phenomenon and not everyone gets the same satisfaction out of the same hospitality experience. The reason is that customers have different needs, objectives and past experiences that influence their expectation. The results of a customer satisfaction survey need to be evaluated to determine what needs to be improved. Goals should be as specific as possible. Hotels are often challenged on how to best increase guest satisfaction, and how to optimize both price and occupancy. Employee satisfaction, guestroom cleanliness, amenities, appearance, food and services all contribute to customer satisfaction, and increase customer satisfaction is a proven driver of guest retent ion and higher occupancy rates. Understanding customer experience through research is widely recognized as a key factor in improving long-term business performance. Express by Holiday Inn Hotel had a requirement to obtain daily feedback at an individual level by rooms/reception questionnaire in general for its GSTS (Guest satisfaction tracking system). It has to introduce web based questionnaire survey to create an opportunity to built feedback interface for general public to get provided a cost-effective and practical methodology so hotel future guest see the reviews in term of past feedbacks. In the customer arena, we believe that regular, quantitative measurement of customer satisfaction provides a much better lead indicator of future organizational health than profitability of market share change (Tom Peters, Management guru) Significance of Study Customer Satisfaction measurement (CSM) consists of on two major roles Providing Information Enabling Communication with Customers The initial or primary reason for taking the time to measure customer satisfaction is based on to collect the information. It means that what customers say that need to be done differently or on the other hand to assess how well an organization is currently meeting its customer needs or requirements. But the secondary is not less important function of CSM in hospitality industry that by surveying customers. An organization is emphasis its interest in communicating with its customers. In hotel industry, its always finding out customers needs, pleasures, displeasures and overall well being. Though it is impossible to measure the satisfaction of every single customer needs. The customer satisfaction may different from organization to organization or hotel to hotel. Here we would like to quote Neumann (1995) five objectives suggestions as follows: To get close to the customer Measure continuous improvement To achieve customer driven improvement To measure competitive strengths and weaknesses To link Customer Satisfaction Measurement (CSM) data to internal systems hypothesis Customer Satisfaction is a psychological concept. Customer purchase goods and services with pre purchase expectations. Assessment of satisfaction is made during the service delivery process. Satisfaction is not Universal phenomenon. Recognition of the employees who contribute to the Customers satisfaction Customer based improvement goals Plans for improving operational variables Incorporation of customer satisfaction skills into employees training program Measurement and plan for improvement of employee satisfaction Importance of my Study To satisfy each and every customer or to meet his / her expectation every time is not an easy task especially in hotel industry. This work is to investigate and examine the psychology of the customer, their expectations and behaviour. Tools of data Collection The data collection would include the use of questionnaire, scheduled interviews, guest feedback, and management feedback, guest services track system (GSTS), guest survey, and personal experience along with personal observation. In the questionnaire design, I will use the respondent completes short closed ended questions and long open ended questions. In the interview design, I would like to use personal forms, sharing their experience and work directly with the respondent. In the guest feedback, I would like to get the guest feedback while they are checking out from the hotel, compare their past and current experience. In the management feedback, I would like to get the information from management regarding the standard and complaint level of the guest activities in the hotel. 1.2 Objectives 1.3 Rationale 1.4 Background of the Organisation 1.5 Structure of the Dissertation 1.5.1 Introduction 1.5.2 Literature Review 1.5.3 Methodology 1.5.4 Analysis Results 1.5.5 Discussions 1.5.6 Conclusion Recommendations Chapter 2 2.0 Literature Review 2.1Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is an important topic for both researchers and managers, because a high level of customer satisfaction leads to an increase in repeat patronage among current customers and aids customer recruitment by enhancing an organizations marker reputation. Being able to successfully judge customers satisfaction levels and to apply that knowledge are critical starting points to establishing and maintaining long term customer retention and long term competitiveness (Yuksel Yuksel, 2002). Customer satisfaction brings many benefits. Satisfaction increases customer retention and customer retention is dependent on the substance of the relationship between parties which is also affected by the service delivered. Satisfaction is an overall customer attitude towards a service provider, or an emotional reaction to the difference between what customers anticipate and what they receive (Zineldin, 2000), regarding the fulfillment of some need, goal or desire. For most products or services, aspects of performance can be objectively assessed. Although these attributes can be objectively measured, customers assessments may not objectively reflect measured performance. Some clients may be taken to several homes that fit their criteria but are unsuitable to the clients personal taste which leads to the clients assessment of the service as being unpleasant because they did not see listings that they liked. Kano, Bentler and Li-tze (1984) developed a model to categorize the attributes of a product or service based on how well they are able to satisfy customer needs. Considering Kanos model, one sees how it may not be enough to merely satisfy customers by meeting only their basic and performance needs. In a highly competitive marketplace, organizations need to adopt strategies and to create product attributes targeted specifically at exciting customers and over-satisfying them (Tan Pawitra, 2001). In real estate to excite or over satisfy customers, an agent would need to have a thorough and vast knowledge of all listings in the local area. In essence, it is the experience and attitudes of the individuals in closest contact with customers that are most likely to affect whether or not customers are satisfied and willing to return to the company. It is also the people in direct contact with customers who determine who the retained and satisfied customers are, and their experience determines how they treat the customers (Hansemark Albinsson, 2004) thus impacting on the service quality delivered. 2-4-1-Customer satisfaction and measuring system: To realize customer satisfaction, everyone within the organization should consider continuous improvement as something normal. As part of this strategy it is important to define the product or service and the customers needs, making an inventory of customers data and complaints, and selecting processes which cause most of these complaints. The central questions in this case are: which products or services do we provide? Who are our customers? What do they want, what are their requirements? Is it measurable? Which critical processes need improvement? By answering these questions continuously, the customer will be better understood, and the product or service will be better in and to create product attributes targeted specifically at exciting customers and over-satisfying them (Tan Pawitra, 2001). In real estate to excite or over satisfy customers, an agent would need to have a thorough and vast knowledge of all listings in the local area. In essence, it is the experience and attitudes of the individuals in closest contact with customers that are most likely to affect whether or not customers are satisfied and willing to return to the company. It is also the people in direct contact with customers who determine who the retaine and satisfied customers are, and their experience determines how they treat the customers (Hansemark Albinsson, 2004) thus impacting on the service quality delivered. To realize customer satisfaction, everyone within the organization should consider continuous improvement as something normal. As part of this strategy it is important to define the product or service and the customers needs, making an inventory of customers data and complaints, and selecting processes which cause most of these complaints. The central questions in this case are: which products or services do we provide? Who are our customers? What do they want, what are their requirements? Is it measurable? Which critical processes need improvement? By answering these questions continuously, the customer will be better understood, and the product or service will be better in tune with the market demand. Which Products/ Services do we provide? First of all, define the most important product or services as concretely as possible. This Definition must indicate what you are really doing as a supplier. The more specific the definition, the better the customers need can be met. Who are our customers? It is important to understand the entire chain of customers. This means that you should know all of your customers. The needs of each customer must be examined separately. Not only the external, but also the internal customers should be considered. In fact, if the company does not satisfy the needs of the internal customers, how will it be able to comply with the needs of the external customer? All employees determine the degree of customer satisfaction. Employees from within different departments must be considered customers of each other. By bringing individual employees together as customers and suppliers, the traditional barriers between departments will be broken. Each employee delivers something to a colleague, whereby one unction as the internal supplier and the other as the internal customer. What do they want, what are their requirements? As a supplier, you should try to figure out what the customer needs and wants. Communication is hereby very important. Talk to your customers and ask them what they think of your product or service. Try to figure out how they use it and what they really want. Listen especially to what they have to say and indicate which customer-supplier relationship needs improvements. The central questions hereby are: -Which needs and expectations do your customers have? -Which needs and expectations do you know? -To what extent do you comply with the needs and expectations of your customers? -If you do not satisfy their needs, what is the reason according to your customers? Making an inventory of customers data, customers complaints and benchmarking are important opportunities to improve the customer orientation of the organization. Information about the opinion of the customer regarding a product or service is of essential importance, and can be obtained in several ways, such as customer surveys, phone interviews, and customer panel discussions. Customer surveys are a powerful tool to get information about what the customer thinks and expects. In general, questionnaires are used with different questions, which may vary from organization to organization. Is it measurable? To comply with the needs of the customer, it is necessary to translate these into product specifications. Quality function deployment is a practical technique to do this. Usually, it is necessary to negotiate with the customer, which results in feasible and agreed on customers requirements, which are measurable and understood by all parties. All statements of the customer about qualitative aspects must be translated into quantitative specifications for the supplier. Define clearly and explicitly what they are talking about. Customer Satisfaction Measuring System: A customer satisfaction measuring system is shown in Table (2-1), to illustrate the activities needed to improve your customer satisfaction. Mark a possibility in this checklist with a cross at each question, and discuss the results of these measurements, and check why this customer Many of these recommendations also apply to your relationships with external suppliers. Treat your suppliers as though they are an integral part of your organization. Listen to their ideas on how you can work closely and productively together, create joint improvement teams with them, invite suggestions from them, assist them in improving their own processes, build mutual trust and respect, reward them if they achieve improvements, let them participate in the celebration of success, involve them in the development of new products and processes, and become a better customer yourself. Expanding your culture of continuous improvement to all your suppliers will ensure that the quality of your inputs is sufficient to meet your own improvement objectives. If possible, minimize the number of suppliers; go with the few best and improvement oriented suppliers with a demonstrated continuous improvement culture and effective leadership by top-management, based on a long term partnership contract. Table (2-1) Customer satisfaction measurement: I customers 1. Do you know who your customers are and how many customers you have? 2. Do you listen effectively to all your customers? 3. Do you regularly make up an inventory of all the needs and expectations of your customers? 4. Did you segment your customers based on their needs? 5. Do you routinely conduct surveys among your customers about your products and services? 6. Are all your employees informed about the results of these surveys? 7. Are more than 75 percent of your customers satisfied? 8. Do you anticipate customer needs? 9. Do you treat each customer as unique? 10. Are complaints replied to whit in two days and solved within one week? 11. Do you stimulate customers to register their complaints? 12. Do you use e-business tools to communicate with customers? 13. Do you have a customers helpdesk or a call center? 14. Do you know which percentage of the customers who terminated their relationship with your organization did this out of dissatisfaction? 15. Are complaints systematically registered and analyzed in your organization? 16. Did you establish complaints handling procedures and are these routinely used in your organization? 17. Do you measure the degree of customer loyalty? 18. Do you make recommendations to customers about the products or services that best suit their needs? 19. Do you know what the costs are when you lose a customer? 20. Do you know what the costs are to gain a new customer? 21. Do you know how much sales you lose due to unsatisfied customers? 22. Do you regularly visit your customers? 23. Do you regularly organize meetings with customers groups to learn about their needs, wants, ideas, and complaints? II. Leadership 24. As a manager, do you know how many complaints are received yearly? 25. is there commitment at top-management for customer orientation? 26. Did you integrate customer satisfaction into the norms and values of the organization? 27. Are these norms and values clearly communicated to all your customers? 28. Does management recognize visible trends and do they anticipate these in a timely manner? 29. Is management convinced of the importance of satisfied customers and do they act accordingly? 30. Does management try to express the importance of satisfied customers to the organization at every occasion? 31. Does management set a good example with regard to customer friendly behavior? 32. Is management open to suggestions and ideas of customers? 33. Does management personally reward those employees who deliver a valuable contribution to increased customers satisfaction? 34. Are relationships with customers reasonably supported and stimulated by management? 35. Is management at all times available to the customer? 36. Does customer satisfaction also belong to the evaluation criteria of management? 37. Are the customers wishes continuously taken into consideration when taking decisions? 38. Does top management also personally handle complaints of customers? 39. Do all members of management in the company have personal contact with external customers at least once a week? III- Policy 40. Is customer satisfaction part of your organizations vision? 41. Did you formulate concrete goals regarding the degree of customer satisfaction? 42. Have you developed e-business strategies for the next two years to increase customer satisfaction? 43. Is the customer satisfaction policy continuously communicated to all employees? 44. Do you have a partnership relation with all your customers based on mutual respect and trust? 45. Do you involve your customers in the development of promotional activities? 46. Do you guarantee your customers a minimal service level and/or complete satisfaction? 47. is there continuous benchmarking with regard to customer satisfaction? 48. Do you involve your customers with the execution of improvement processes in your company? 49. Are more than 50 percent of your employees involved with the improvement of customer orientation? 50. Do you have guidelines with regard to optimally satisfying the customer? 51. Are all employees following these guidelines? 52. Do you have an up-to-date databank in which all characteristics of your customers are registered? IV- Products / services and process 53. Are products delivered within the period expected by the customer? 54. Have you fully integrated the telephone, fax, internet, and any other technology that the customer wants to use to do business? 55. is the phone in you organization answered within three rings in more that 90 percent of the cases? 56. Is every function and each process in your organization arranged to optimally comply with the expectations of your customers? 57. Do these expectations form the basis of internal performance indicators? 58. Are these indicators continuously measured and analyzed? 59. Do you use measured customer satisfaction as an indicator for process improvement? 60. Did you appoint process owners for controlling processes? 61. Do you involve your customers in the development of new products and processes? 62. Do you measure the satisfaction of your internal customers? 63. Do supporting departments within your organization guarantee quality of the work they deliver? V. Human resource management 64. Does customer orientation belong to the profile of the desired employee? 65. Do you have an introduction program in which new employees are also educated concerning the importance of satisfied customers? 66. Are your employees who continuously perform in a customer-oriented manner rewarded? 67. Is training mandatory for each employee in your organization? 68. Are customer orientation and continuous work towards improvement criteria for promotion? 69. Do you regularly organize excursions for your employees and your important customers? 70. Do your marketing employees receive a training of at least two weeks each year in customer orientation? 71. Are your marketing employees free in taking decisions to satisfy customers? 72. Are your marketing employees free to spend what is necessary to correct a mistake made with a customer? 73. Do you involve your employees in improvement projects about increasing customer satisfaction? 74. Do you stimulate your employees to generate ideas about increasing customer satisfactions? 75. Are the employees interest and the interest of the customer related? 2-5. Service quality The concept of service quality as a whole construct is large and varied. The theory has been elaborated on by many researchers. Berry, Parasuraman and Zeithaml (1985) write service quality as perceived by consumers stems from a comparison of what they feel service firms should offer (i.e. from their expectations) with their perception of the performance of the firm providing the services. Perceived service quality is therefore viewed as the degree and direction of discrepancy between consumers perceptions and expectations. For example in real estate, this would be what the client is expecting from the agent in comparison to which is actually delivered by that agent. In real estate, that interaction occurs from the moment the client and agent s peak either verbally or electronically. It is evident that research on goods quality is inadequate in the service field, which has three inherent characteristics: intangibility, heterogeneity and inseparability between production and consumption (Berry, Parasuraman and Zeithmal, 1985). 2-5-1. The Customers Perspective of Service Quality Service quality is usually expressed as a function of customers expectations of the service to be provided (based upon their previous experience, the organizations image, the price of the service for example) compared with their perceptions of the actual service experience (Gronroos, 1984; Berry et al, 1985; Johnston and Heineke, 1998). Perceptions are defined as the consumers judgment of the service organizations performance. However, Parasuraman et al (1988) delve deeper and define the service performance gap as the discrepancy between the specifications of service and the delivery (Chenet, Tynan Money, 2000).