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).

The Killer Angels :: essays research papers fc

CONTENTS: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Terror Near the Tracks -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Manhunt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Suspicious Angel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Surrender -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incarceration -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sentenced to Death -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bibliography -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Author -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By the Same Author -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Home Angel Maturino Resendez: The Railroad Killer by Joe Geringer Terror Near the Tracks One of the more romantic elements of American folklore has been the criss-crossing rail system of this country – steel rails carrying Americans to new territories across desert and mountain, through wheat fields and over great rivers. Carl Sandburg has flavored the mighty steam engine in elegant prose and Arlo Guthrie has made the roundhouse a sturdy emblem of America’s commerce. But, even the most colorful dreams have their dark sides. For nearly two years, a killer literally followed wheatfield America’s railroad tracks to slay unsuspecting victims before disappearing back into the pre-lit dawn. His modus operandi was always the same – he struck near the rail lines he illegally rode, then stowed away on the next freight train to come his way. Always ahead of the law. Angel Maturino Resendez, 39 years old, was apprehended early this month (July, 1999) after eluding state police for two years and slipping through a two-month FBI net until, after nine alleged murders, he was finally traced and captured by a determined Texas Ranger. Known, for apparent reasons, as "The Railroad Killer," Angel Resendez (who was known throughout much of the manhunt by the alias Rafael Ramirez) has been called "a man with a grudge," "confused," hostile" and "angry" by the police, the news media and psychiatrists. He is an illegal immigrant from Mexico who crossed the international border at will. Most of his crimes took place in central Texas, but he is suspected of having killed as far north as Kentucky and Illinois. Mugshot of Angel Resendez While he fits the mold of serial killers such as David Berkowitz and the Boston Strangler, Resendez killed more meditatively for something he needed: alcohol, drugs, a place to hide out, though usually money. He raped, but "sex seemed almost secondary," according to former FBI profiler John Douglas. Douglas calls Resendez "just a bungling crook †¦very disorganized," but one whose own disorganization worked well for him. Because his trail was haphazard, because he himself didn’t know where he was heading next, this directionless, drifting form of operation kept Resendez inadvertently ever-the-more elusive. FBI special agent Don K. Clark says that the manhunt was complicated by the fact that Resendez had "no permanent address" while continuing to travel unchecked "throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada.

African Slaves Essay

Rationale My project will be to examine the lives of Indian Indentured labourers between 1845 and 1917. The reason I am examining their lives is to prove that Indian Indentureship was just another form of slavery with a different name. The project will also assist me in learning about the Indian Indentureship period for my CSEC examination. Introduction Indentured labour was something like the last resort for planters after slavery. After the abolition of slavery the planters were left with a labour shortage. In their search for other sources of labour the planters tried Chinese, Madeirans, even free African slaves but each of these options all had their disadvantages. After a trial and error period with many different labourers, it was found that the Indians were the ideal labourers. The Indentureship period was supposed to be a fair, humane and just system unlike the African slave trade and slavery on the whole but this was not the case. In many aspects of the Indentureship period, it was almost identical to slavery. In the following paragraphs it will be shown from the evidence given, that Indians were treated almost as badly as African slaves, proving that the Indentureship period was simply another form of slavery. Indentureship and slavery are basically the same thing but the major thing that differentiated them was the fact t hat the Indian labourers were legally owned while the African slaves were forced to work for the planters. The Indians were cheated into signing contracts which they didn’t understand with false promises of a better life and good working conditions. The Indians were gullible and were easily tricked into signing the contracts  which ran from 3-5 years. The African slaves on the other were kidnapped in most cases and forced to work for the rest of their usually short lives. Their only chance of freedom would be allowed only if they purchased it, which was very unlikely. The journey for both the Africans and the Indians began with a long journey on a boat in deplorable living conditions. For the Indians the journey lasted from 93 to 113 days which was longer than the journey of the Africans which lasted from 6 to 10 weeks. Although both journeys were bad the Middle passage was a little worse than the journey the Indians endured. They were both kept in confined spaces which was unhealthy, especially if kept for long periods of time. Because of their confinement diseases were easily s pread and the mortality rate was very high. Life on the plantation was not much different because their living quarter were also confined.

These 30 ROFL Steven Wrights Funniest Jokes Are Crazily Funny

These 30 ROFL Steven Wright's Funniest Jokes Are Crazily Funny The Persona of Steven Wright: Deadpan, Dead Serious Comedian When he walks up the stage, the lackadaisical strut which is a Steven Wright signature makes the audience lean forward in rapt attention.  They know that something really big is about to happen. He paces up and down the platform, seemingly in no hurry, and without making eye contact with his eager listeners. The build-up to this climax can only be satisfied by a one-liner from the ace comedian as he cracks his first joke: Thanks! The sudden burst of laughter among the audience tells you that the comedian has struck a chord. And with a deadpan expression, eyes searching the room, Steven Wright lands another gem from his collection: I got food poisoning today. I dont know when Ill use it. With this funny quip, he has nailed it. The audience is now enraptured. The evening has just begun. What Makes Steven Wright Such a Hit With His Audience? One of the things you will like about Steven Wright, the famous American comedian, is that he does not make ribald jokes on race or color. Most of his humor revolves around his observations of day-to-day life. With Steven Wrights humor, you can see how ludicrous our lifestyles and beliefs are. Why Steven Wright Is Like No Other Standup Comedian Steven Wrights deadpan facial expression adds to the humor. His wacky frazzled hair balding in the center, overgrowing on the sides contribute to his humorous persona. He comes across as a laid-back performer, who happened to accidentally walk on to the stage.  It only takes a minute for the audience to connect with him. Once he is on stage, Steven Wright is a transformed man. He ensures that his audience has a bellyful of laughs, and they keep asking for more. Steven Wright does not come across as a comedian who is trying hard to please. He looks like he sleepwalked his way into the show. But given that he puts up this act every time with aplomb, it is anybodys guess how much work he puts into making every act of his act seem like a masterpiece. Steven Wright Short and Funny Jokes Are Classic Humor What makes Steven Wright stand out from his contemporaries and predecessors, is that he can create a joke with the fewest words in them. His signature Thanks! at the beginning of his show is proof that you dont need too many words to create a great joke. In fact, too many words kill the essence of the joke, when you spell it out for the audience. Another of his characteristic short one liner is: Lost a buttonhole.What are imitation rhinestones?If I ever have twins, Id use one for parts.I was skydiving horizontally.Whats another word for Thesaurus?I xeroxed my watch. Now I have time to spare.Is tired old cliche one? Steven Wright has a gift of great observation. His jokes usually talk about the absurdities of life. They often make you think, Now, thats really funny. Why didnt I think of that joke? His great ability to use  paraprosdokians with perfect comic timing makes him an instant hit with his audience. The Comedian, Actor, Director, Grammy Award and Academy Award Winner Steven Wright is a man of many colors. In 1989,  he won an Academy Award for a 30-minute short film he co-wrote with Michael Armstrong titled, The Appointments of Dennis Jennings. Prior to this,  Wright created a comedy album in 1985, which was titled, I Have a Pony. The album was widely appreciated and even nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. Read Some of the Funniest Steven Wright Jokes Here are some gems of humor from the famous comedian. These Steven Wright jokes are great conversation starters. I have seen many of these lines used as ice-breakers in training sessions, speeches, and Facebook status updates. Spice up your essays with a punch of humor from these jokes. Right now Im having amnesia and deja vu at the same time.One time, the police stopped me for speeding, and they said, Dont you know the speed limit is 55 miles an hour? I said, Yeah, I know, but I wasnt gonna be out that long.I broke a mirror in my house. Im supposed to get seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five.The