Art: Birth of the Virgin

Description In Pietro Lorenzetti’s triptych, Birth of the Virgin, the artist’s gift for pictorial illusionism is clearly evident. The painting is 6’1’‘X5’11’’ in dimensions and painted with tempera on wood. Lorenzetti enhances the illusion by using various vertical lines as well as painting a column through one of the figures. This creates an illusion of extended space within the painting. Lorenzetti uses shades of red, brown, green, black and blue. The clothing of the figures are darker in shade compared to the background of the scene which is painted in tints of yellow and white. The contrast each other very well and draws more attention to the subject of the painting, Saint Anne. The strong contrast between the light and dark colors of the painting create a three dimensional illusion. Lorenzetti uses the tints of white and yellow to contrast the the wardrobe and appearance of the figures. The artist also used extensive shading on the wardrobe and curtains to add a three dimensional appearance to the painting. Lorenzetti was successful in creating depth within his painting for it shows the room as three dimensional rather that two dimensional. Overall, the colors truly create a sense of drama within this painting. The subject of the triptych, St. Anne, is in a reclining posture. There are three scenes within this painting. First, we see the child informing Joachim on the birth of his daughter. We also see women bringing gifts to the new mother. Lastly, the midwives attend to and wash the new child. The painting has two triangular aspects in this painting with St. Anne at its highest point and also the dome at the top of the triptych as another high point.

Pangloss and Martin: Fate and Reality

As far as my simple self could deduce from Voltaire's Candide, Pangloss and Martin are as different as they are wise when it comes to the brightness or, in Martin's case, the darkness with which they view the world. Pangloss is evidently a man of knowing and has put much thought Into his philosophy that â€Å"everything Is for the best In the physical as well as the moral universe and nothing could be otherwise†¦ Quite the optimist, he went about life accepting things the way they were, putting up little fight nd attributing everything to the will of God or whatever higher power runs this universe (fate). I'd Ilke to think that Pangloss even looked forward to living life, gathering experiences even If they werent exactly Ideal. Martin on the other hand, finds life very depressing what with having no one to love and nothing to look forward to; he sees no goodness in his fellow man and no happiness in any situation and often expresses exasperation with life.The Interesting thing about him however Is that he carries still this energy, an angry passion if you will. o live as well as he can (i. e. Martin decides to hang around with Candide because he has nothing to his name while Candide is flowing with riches and people treat the rich much better than those who have none); he's actually a dark version of a realist, I think. Personally, find Martin to be a much better companion to be with for rather than Just placidly allow things to run way they do, he decides to take action and make things better in spite of his supposedly being fed up with the way the universe is.

Heathrow and Gatwick Essay

These results show that 70% of businesses believe the expansion will allow them to expand, even if it is only slightly. This will most likely be due to the increase in demand enabling them to expand due to higher profits, or expanding out of necessity to access the larger market and cope with it. For instance computerising the system they work on so the business managers can cope with the increase in customers, and employing people to look after it. The 40% of businesses who claimed a great amount of expansion is possible are most likely directly involved with the airport and only catering for customers ad employees using it. Those businesses that expansion will not be an option open to them as a result of the expansion; will be again those businesses whose customer base is not linked to that of the airport. Evaluation of Primary Research To summarise, it is important to notice that all businesses are going to be affected one way or another by the expansion on the airport, and therefore all have a vested interest in it. This effect may be one of a beneficial or problematic nature. With the huge increase of passengers and employees using the airport, demand for many of the businesses will be set to rise. However this increase in demand could be less favourable to profits because of the possible increase in competition, which will lead to an inevitable raise in human resource and marketing costs, to maintain their competitiveness. Also, the expansion of the airport itself is likely to result giving businesses the option to expand themselves, to cater for the increase in demand, and the new needs of consumers that the expansion will produce. I received answers from 10 businesses in and around the area of Stansted Airport. The range of businesses with which I made contact was varying in both type of business and location, however it is unlikely the situation of all business is represented in these results, and therefore the primary research is not something I can completely rely on when coming to a conclusion. Secondary Research This graph shows a clear rise in the amount of passengers for the next two decades, with actual numbers in 2005 reaching 228million. The growth rate is very steady with only a slight slump in the later 2020’s, however the rate of increase is still good. This is an obvious good sign as the increase in the size of the market through continuous market growth gives airlines a much larger customer base. This following graph goes back further and takes pinpoints reasons for more dramatic slumps that have occurred: The only noticeable declines or slowing down of growth are the results of specific crises, similar to and including the attack on the World Trade Centre. However the most noticeable point in decline, with the slowest return to the earlier rate of growth, is the Oil Crisis in 1973, which essentially resulted in huge inflation within the oil industry. With the evident effect that the oil industry has on the Air Travel industry it will be important to consider its current state and future prospects. This graph clearly shows a continuous increase in the price of oil for the next decade, with no apparent evidence that it will slow down. With this increase in oil prices the Airlines variable costs are bound to increase because of their oil usage. This increase in variable costs will most likely be covered by an increase in the airlines flight prices. This table shows the price elasticity of demand for both ‘business’ and ‘leisure’ flights and overall measure. From the results we can determine that the demand for flights overall is certainly price elastic, therefore the increase in price of flights will affect the airline’s sales, specifically in leisure travel. This is backed up also by the results of a poll stating that 78% of people consider the cost of travelling plays a part in how often they are able to visit close friends and family members abroad. However, business flights are inelastic, although sales will go down, they will not go down at a rate that would be too effective to their profits if prices were raised. Therefore Stansted should try and attract as much of the business market as possible. Another factor of cost increase to consider is the taxes put on air travel. The Government is trying the counter the current environmental problem by placing higher taxes on air travel therefore attempting to reduce the amount of flights. This tax is set to rise soon and again almost double in 2010, and probably carry on rising. This increase in tax is likely to be passed on to passengers, therefore adding even more onto the price, on top of the oil increases. The director of the Gatwick Diamond Business Association (GDBA) stated that â€Å"This expansion is looking at increasing capacity by 10m passengers a year and that is going to bring substantial changes, meaning they could attract more business trade. † This is obvious great news for Stansted, with the apparent price in elasticity of the business flights, and the increasing oil prices. He then went on to say the expansion will increase Stansted’s capacity by 10m a year and will therefore increase its competitiveness with Gatwick. For customers this will be beneficial as the airports and airlines may then drop their prices in order to be more competitive, and try to develop a strong sense of brand loyalty. This chart shows the distribution of passengers flying from different airports: It clearly shows that the London airports have a large majority of the market share and with the expansion of Stansted this is very likely to become even higher, with the increased amount of destinations. Evaluation of Secondary Research This research shows clearly that passenger numbers are expected to increase and that Stansted Airport’s market share is very likely to rise within the growing market for air travel, specifically with the South Eastern Airports having a large majority of the market share. This increase in passengers will bring a large increase of the amount of people going to and from the airport and requiring the different services to do so and be comfortable, therefore increasing demand for many different types of business in and around the Airport, specifically from passengers flying for business purposes. Expansion at Stansted will however only have these desired effects if the airlines manage to keep their prices down, as this is evidently a price elastic business within leisure fliers who make up a large proportion of their customers, and with the impending taxation and oil price rises they must find a way to avoid the rise in variable costs affecting their product prices too much. This is especially important as there is a lot of competition from rival airports in the same area, Heathrow and Gatwick.

Taran Swan at Nickelodeon Latin America Term Paper

Taran Swan at Nickelodeon Latin America - Term Paper Example Due to her personal need, the management is left with considerable options how they could continuously perform operation on a normal basis, and without interrupting the possible opportunities of Nickelodeon in Latin America in the future. This report tries to recommend important suggestions how the organization could effectively emancipate action based on these crucial concerns without possibly compromising its future opportunities in Latin America. This report starts with the actual issues and assumptions of the actual scenario Nickelodeon in Latin America is facing. This is followed by a brief analysis of management functions which have been playing elemental role towards the success of Taran from the past and even for future achievement of best opportunities. Problems are presented and the required actions to address them are also elaborated in detail. Keywords: Nickelodeon, management functions, management, leadership Issues and Assumptions Taran Swan, branch director and general manager of Nickelodeon Latin America is faced with various options how she could deliver her role effectively far from Miami to New York after her doctor recommended she had to stay at home for the duration of her pregnancy. This is not going to be an easy situation on her part especially that there were major projects that could either make or break Nickelodeon in the future such as the Cablevision/TCI and the Brazil-dedicated feed. Swan was faced with two major important issues in order to effectively manage or lead her team. She needs to consider her leadership style and working relationships while working with her team from afar. Then she also needs to consider a possibility of appointing an interim director who would take her post while she is absent, which for her, needs to have substantive criteria and evaluations. Assuming Swan would continue work with her team so as to ensure maximum achievement of various opportunities like those for Cablevision/TCI and the Brazil-dedicat ed feed even at a far distance, she therefore needs to enhance her ability to formulate and initiate the whole plan, extra-organize her team, lead them and even ensure a high level of control. Assuming further that she would appoint interim director for the mean time, Swan should therefore consider certain criteria in order to choose the one with excellent qualification that would be able to fit to the prevailing task. Swan needs to consider strategic human resource management which would include but also may not limit to human resource selection process. The case â€Å"Taran Swan at Nickelodeon Latin America† based on the above issues and assumptions is therefore composed of complex management activities which can be subdivided into four functions: planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Analysis Planning The first management function clearly indicated in the case is planning. Obviously it is here where Swan started everything how she was able to prove herself that sh e could actually make it to Nickelodeon Latin America as a branch director and general manager. In the industry where Nickelodeon belongs, planning plays a crucial role as a gateway to its success. As a novice in Nickelodeon business from the beginning, Taran learned to appreciate the significance of planning activity, and she found at the later part there were more complex things to be considered in the actual planning activity rather than relying on pure assumptions and estimates or projections. Planning has become integral part to leapfrog company’s success and achieve competitive advantage (Porter, 1998; Schnaars, 1998). In planning activity, Swan was able to understand the importance of ensuring the achievement of a

Romance in the workplace Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Romance in the workplace - Research Paper Example (Quinn, 1977) It is important to know that how these workplace romances affect an individual’s productivity and all the negative sides of this phenomenon and positive sides; if there are any. The substance of this prose focuses on this highly intriguing aspect of the society that is gaining so much popularity. The prose will further highlight the positive and negative consequences and how various authors and research analysts view the subject. There has been much debate on the subject and this prose will objectively discuss all facets of workplace romances and how it compromises professionalism in the workplace. II. Literature Review As mentioned earlier, there are a number of researchers who have done substantial amount of researches regarding romance in a professional environment. Robert E. Quinn was the pioneer in producing a prolific research and article that provides ample amount of information on the subject. The study was then followed by Lisa Mainiero, who further disc usses and updates the research conducted by Quinn in 1977 that paves way for an accurate comparative analysis to be drawn and clearly shows how the society has changed from what it was in the 70’s to what it has become now. According to Robert E. Quinn, about 60% of people had either known about a workplace romance or were in such a relationship themselves. A more recent research in to the matter by Lisa Mainiero puts the figure at 76% and this only shows how drastically the numbers have risen. As professional life becomes more and more challenging for an average individual, it often renders them incapable of maintaining a healthy social life. As a result, people usually turn to people in their workplace in search for romance and hence, there are a number of repercussions that an individual experiences. (Mainiero, 1989) Hence, the most commendable fact about the researches done by Mainiero and Quinn is that their hypotheses are backed up by statistical evidences, which not on ly gives qualitative but also quantitative insight in to the subject. Quinn has further stated that only 10% of the cases resulted in increased coordination amongst the employees and led to greater understanding. However, in most cases the romance usually creates more problems in the working environment than benefits. Though, there may be some statistical variation but Quinn’s work is the pioneer and forms the basis for further research. (Mainiero, 1989) III. Study of Human Effectiveness The study of human effectiveness has a strong association with how one function in his or her professional environment. Professional growth is highly important aspect that contributes to self-actualization as hypothesized by John Maslow and this ideology was further propagated by his hierarchy of needs. Therefore, office romances not only hinder one’s ability to view things objectively but also results in nepotism and widespread favoritism in the workplace. The findings of Quinn showed that only 10% of organizations showed increased coordination and understanding amongst employees, however, the remaining 90% of the organizations showed a highly negative impact of workplace romances on the entire fabric of the organization. (Montana & Charnov, 2004, p. 238; Quinn, 1977 cited in Mainiero, 1989) It is human nature when an individual becomes romantically involved with someone in his or her workplace, the individual is likely to become biased and often treat

United States Colonization of the Philippines Essay

United States Colonization of the Philippines - Essay Example The period between 1898 and 1946 became a time when the Philippines underwent torture, enslavement and loss of their individual rights. Therefore, the colonization of the US was oppressive to the people of Philippine and it benefit for the US. In the year 1898, Philippines fought against exploitation by Spain and managed to reach a treaty. Therefore, the country was in the process of reconstruction before the US arrived in this country. The US disguised in its entry and pretended to have the motive of conducting business with this country. Although trade was part of the plan, it dawned that the purpose of the invasion was to take advantage of the country and leverage economic benefits from the country. In April 1898, the US army engaged the Philippines in war, which led to the death of many people. In the year 1902, the US government elected a civil law to govern the people of Spain (Fitzpatrick and Richard 840-845). This resulted into a tough battle between the two sides, but the Philippines had to finally give up and submit to the rule of the US. Therefore, Philippines served under the rule of Spain in the next 40 years. The motive of the US government to enter Philippine became clear immediately after it took over in the country. To begin with, the government took over the land that the Philippines had invested their efforts on. They were dispossessed of the rice and wheat lands that they had ploughed. The citizens served in these lands with little or no pay, what amounts to slavery. The US took advantage of the fertile lands to develop their industrial sector, which was the main reason for the expansionism strategy. In fact, many Americans became natives of Philippine and they even retained their identities after independence in 1946. The motive of the US was much similar to that of other western countries in the period of colonization. It was a strategy to

PMI and factors for problems solving Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PMI and factors for problems solving - Essay Example To solve this problem, PMI needs to address the basic issue of illegal selling and must attempt to make fundamental changes in the way it does its business. It is imperative that therefore the best solution for PMI would be to re-assess its selling strategy in order to align it with the market. Market trends are clearly showing a very diverging view as in comparison to PMI's current strategy therefore a complete revamp of its strategies including further refinements in its segmentation as well as supply chain management. This will allow PMI to be successful because it will re-focus its strategy on aligning it with external reality as well as it will allow PMI to further refine its internal strengths to meet external threats. From the facts provided in case study, it seems that eBay is battling on many grounds especially on ensuring secure, transparent and ethical trade. Since eBay is a unique business model where it earns its revenue by performing the role of an intermediary therefore it somehow kept itself protected from the disputes arising out due to fraudulent and illegal transactions using eBay as a channel. Since eBay has not transformed itself into a global company therefore the immediate groups of people who have a role to play as a response to eBay's problems are the buyers and sellers

Movie comment Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Comment - Movie Review Example If not, explain why 2. What are your thoughts about â€Å"liminal space† that connects black Americans with White American? 3. Give your comment after reading the paragraph. Different Interpretation â€Å"Love is blind†. This contention is another interpretation of the movie. Both Flipper and Angie are blinded with their love. This is evident in their romantic twist. An example of this is the choice they both made in their life to be with each other despite of their happy marriages. Risking the marriage for another woman or man shows that being in love is more important over others. They both sacrificed to hurt their families and for their families to ostracized them. Flipper was thrown by Drew out of the house while Angie was beaten and very much criticized by his father. Another example supporting that they are blindly in love is that they went on with their relationship despite their cultural differences. It is known during the 1990’s that black Americans and white Americans are rarely involve with each other because of some racial discrimination. Blacks are not so much accepted in white families. Apart from this, Flipper and Angie are open with their relationship that it is readily observed within their families and communities. They are not concern if they are caught with their affair because they are in love.

Redefinition of Japanese American Identity Essay

Redefinition of Japanese American Identity - Essay Example Industrialists sought Japanese immigrants to replace the Chinese after the Chinese Exclusion Act took effect. The cultural diversity in the U.S resulted in fundamental questions being raised on America’s culture and identity. The reception of other Asian Americans in U.S had its basis on the reception that the Chinese received. The Japanese later discovered during the Second World War that their achievements in U.S did not lead to any acceptance by the American community. The Japanese were placed in internment camps, unlike the German and Italian Americans (Takaki, p. 7). After the Second World War, and following the treatment of the Japanese Americans during the war, their identity underwent redefinition. This is because of the historical experiences and changes in laws, economics and attitude during the war. After the Second World War, Japanese Americans faced numerous challenges that helped in the creation of their identity. In 1942 following the Pearl Harbor attack, Presid ent Roosevelt instituted the Executive Order 9066. Though the order appeared neutral, it targeted the Japanese classified as a danger to the American society. Thousands of Japanese-American citizens were sent to hurriedly constructed camps (Takaki, p. 6). Many of these citizens spent close to four years in this camps living under heavily armed guards. This Japanese American had American citizenship but faced internment because of their original country’s attack on Pearl Harbor. While the Japanese Americans faced internment, the African Americans faced extreme discrimination and segregation. African Americans would be forced into war and later be discriminated by the exact society it protected (Jones, p. 9). While the Japanese Americans population in West U.S represented a small portion of Japanese Americans in the country, they faced hostility from the vast white population. Customs and laws shut them out from participation in civil life and economics. Japanese immigrants did not have rights to property or citizenship. However, their descendants became citizens by birth and successful in farming and business. The Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese gave the white Americans an opportunity to renew and reinforce their hostility towards the Japanese Americans. It also gave the white community an opportunity for targeting their competitors in economic activities. This community agitated for the elimination or removal of unwanted competitors-Japanese (Takaki, p. 6). White Americans posted relocation notices all over the American West Coast. The white Americans gave the Japanese one week to leave the country. Japanese farmer’s desperately looked to their unwilling neighbors to take care of their farms. Business owners and farm owners faced financial ruin. They lost everything and forced to sell their shops, homes, furniture and clothes. The Supreme Court in 1944 reinforced the exclusion constitutionally by declaring the permissibility of the exclusion to curtail the civil rights of the Japanese Americans because of the pressing public necessity (Jones, p. 6). This treatment of Japanese Americans by the white Americans is similar to the treatment of other Americans. The African and Mexican Americans faced exclusion from economic activities. Economic and social activities were the preserve of the white Americans, and they viewed other races as competition or slaves.

Administrative law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Administrative law - Essay Example Law Administration falls under as a set of laws for the people (Nyberg, 2013). The set of laws that fall under the agencies in administration having certain powers to be executed can be regarded in Administrative Laws of United States of America (USA). The Administrative Law is also called regulatory law. These administrative bodies serve the function to use their finite powers to bring peace and demolish injustice in complicated situations on public level. The role of Law Administrative Agencies is not only unique but precise in terms of its application. The Administrative authority is given by the Congress (HG, 2014). The agencies of the law administration publish their hearings of regulations that can be accessed by the common man which is commonly available on print and electronic media. The Law Administration is considered to be the basic model to shape up and enforce regulations in any society. It has certain hearings and briefings consisting of rules, orders, regulations, laws, that are held together in proper compilation which are later published which can be easily accessed from print media and electronic media (DL, 2014). This deals in amending the already existing rules and regulations that are found in favor of mankind. The masses are to be provided rights that can be enjoyed from grass root level. An existing law that had been terminated its implementation formerly can be introduced once again which falls under Rule Making. This deals in formulating new set of laws and regulations that are to be presented and shaped in such a way that are in favour of people. Agencies aim to ensure the common man to enjoy huge amount of benefits and work day in and day out to make it a reality for the people present in society. Administrative Laws that are governed by the states have their own set of rules and regulations to be implemented. An example can be considered where State governments would be appealing the

Supreme court cases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Supreme court cases - Essay Example Dissent opinions among the judges suggest potential existence of flaws and that the judgment could be wrong. This paper reviews the Supreme Court decision on the case of Roe v. Wade with the opinion that the court erred in its decision. The case involved decision on legality of abortion based Texas laws that prohibited abortion. The court ruled against state law and explained that a woman has a right to abortion. The Supreme Court further stated that this right was constitutional, derived from two amendments of the United States’ constitution. â€Å"The Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments,† the court explained, provide for the right to â€Å"personal privacy,† and grants a woman the sole right to make decisions on reproductive issues (United States Confederation of Catholic Bishops 1). The court further explained that the fetus lacks personality and therefore does not have a right to life, an argument to the effect that abortion does not amount to any element of murd er. The court however established a strategy for determining the rights of a woman and rights of the state regarding abortion in which the state has no right over abortion in the first three months of pregnancy. The decision granted the state limited right to protecting the mother’s rights in the second trimester and right in the fetus’ life in the last three months of pregnancy (Gerber 181). ... Interpreting the Tenth amendment together with the Ninth amendment grants states the power to make laws on abortion. The Ninth amendment is clear that recognized rights in the constitution shall not be interpreted to impair another right but the Texas law on abortion was not specifically based on a right. Even though the law prohibited abortion unless the mother’s life was in danger, secondary rights such as rights of the fetus were not primary to the law. This means that the Ninth amendment that limits interpretations of some rights to disadvantage others should have not been applied against the abortion law and abortion laws, having not been provided for by the constitution, should fall within jurisdiction of states (Rechtschaffen and Markell 41). Provisions of the Fourteenth amendment also appear ambiguous to have warranted the Supreme Court’s decision to legalized abortion. While the amendment provides that states should not enact laws that infringe people’s rights, the amendment fails to recognize limits of people’s rights and unless interpreted will other laws, is repugnant to natural justice and other people’s rights. If, for example, that a person’s right is a threat to other people then care must be taken to limit such a right. While this argument does not rely on possible rights of the fetus, it notes that independent reliance on the Fourteenth amendment’s provision for supremacy of constitutional rights was not the right basis. The Texas abortion law would fall under cases of misused Fourteenth amendment rights towards injustice (Miller and Jentz 9). The court’s decision is also contradictory because it reprimanded the Texas’ abortion law for infringing women’s rights but at

Couples counseling Essay Example for Free

Couples counseling Essay Woman is a greatest creature of the god. Woman plays an important role in every man’s life. There is a woman behind the every successful man. Men and women are made for each other. Actually they are life partner of each other, but the chance of the death of a partner is more for women than for men. There is a ratio of 1:4 between men and women. It means chance of the death of a married man is 4 times greater than the chance of the death of a married woman. Generally aged men become widower than young man (U. S. Census Bureau). There are many of similarities and differences between the experiences of the widowers and widows. Comparisons are done by the many people between widows and widowers. But there are some unique experiences in the life of widowers. The course of bereavement is wrought with diversity and variability among widowers. Widowers are not able to adapt the death of their wife easily. Some widowers face greater difficulty in adaptation the death of their wives. But many widowers ultimately become able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. (WIDOWERS, 2007) Couple’s counseling is a way of solving the problems of widowers. Couple’s counseling is based on the problems of the widower. A widower can take help of the Couples counseling for recovering. It has proved that Couples counseling is very beneficial for widowers. Problems are handled in a best way in the Couples counseling. Widowers have to attend the counseling session to discuss the problems in life. Solutions are suggested by the experts and â€Å"how to get those solution? †, is also suggested in Couples counseling. â€Å"How to deal with current problems of life? † is also learned to the widowers in these Couples counseling sessions. There specific problems are also discussed and solved in these sessions. The main aim of the Couples counseling is to provide a better way to solve the problems. The problem of loneliness, emptiness and past memories are the main problems of a widower. (Will) When a man lost his wife then he feels like a limb is cut from his body. Wife is a very important part of a man’s life. She is a person who kept them organized. A man is not called complete without a woman. That’s why loosing wife is very painful. Couples counseling has become very essential at this time for widowers because wives are â€Å"the primary source of protection, support, and comfort† for men. Wives show a right direction to the husbands. Death of the wife means being lost without a compass. Widowers feel great loneliness after the death of their wives because they are dependent of wives for many things such as organization the home, caring of children and wives are supposed only true confidant of the husbands. Hence widowers need help after the death of their wives and this help is provided by the Couples counseling. It is very difficult for a widower to express himself. He cannot express his emotions easily. In such type of conditions Couples counseling sessions are very helpful. . (WIDOWERS, 2007)

Consumer buying behaviour in Thailand

Consumer buying behaviour in Thailand The telephone took four decades to reach 50 million people The Internet has managed this within four years as digital technologies provide such efficient channels for business and consumer interaction transactions The Internet has changed people lifestyle; it became apart of people daily life. They use internet to replace their common activities such as E-mail instead of writing letter, MSN chat and Skype instead of using telephone, YouTube instead of watching TV. Therefore, many organisations tried to use Internet as a new way to reach their customers which called E-marketing. E-marketing is a new marketing strategy using to reach many consumers at low cost. It can be used to interact with customer 24hrs a day, 7days a week without any additional cost. Consumer can get information about products any times, any places. According to Seock and Norton (2007), consumer channel choices for shopping had been widened because of diffusion of the Internet: causing everything that happens to sales in electronic form or what it realized as online shopping. 84 per cent of global consumers have experience purchasing over the internet (Nielsen, 2008). Number of Thais internet usage rate is increasing everyday. There are many internet service providers offer high speed internet. Most of Thais are familiar with using internet in playing game, social network like Facebook, twitter but number of online purchasing is very low. Comparing between European and Western to Thai, the number of online purchasing is very different. Online purchasing is still very limited for Thais. They are not familiar with buying things online. Thai consumers love to see and touch and feel the product before making any purchasing decision. With brand name product, consumers seem to have a high involvement because its impossible for them to buy without seeing the real product. They also have very limited knowledge to buy thing online as they are afraid to share important information online such as their bank account, there personal data or their credit card number. At the same time, the number of Thai website that offers online service is very rare. Therefore there is opportunity to introduce this service for Thais. This research attempts at learning why Thais consumer do not want to buying brand name online. The aim of this research is to learn what Thai consumer perception toward buying brand name online is and what factors effect their decision making. What Thai consumers characteristic make a brand name online shopping. The area of this research will focus mainly on Thai consumers in Thailand. The research objective will be divided into five main areas: To investigate Thai consumer buying making decision toward online shopping. To investigate Thai consumers experience on shopping online. To investigate Thai consumers perception toward buying brand name online. To identify the most important factors in the buying decision making on online shopping in Thailand To investigate Thai consumer demographic characteristic who make online shopping. In research methodology, we will try to achieve the objective by using quantitative research through online questionnaire. The result of research will help researcher in order to achieve the objective that has been set and help us to determine Thai consumer behavior and perception toward buying online. Literature Review In this part, the researcher would like to divide into two parts: The first part will explain a character of consumer behavior towards high involvement such as buying brand name product, what factors effect them to buy online, and consumers perception toward brand. The second part will clarify the characteristic of online marketing in Thailand. Involvement Some products, such as high-performance car seem inherently involving because of their complexity, risk and cost, while others, such as toothpaste seem uninvolving by comparison because of their familiarity, low risk and low cost Laakasonen (1994) Therefore, buying brand name online is like a high-performance car because is too complex (untouchable product) and risky (fake product), this will make consumer spend more time in order to search information before making a decision. Moreover, a consumers level of involvement depends on their individual interests, value of products, needs, which attract or motivate them. Involvement is commonly defined as the consumers personal interest in buying or using an item from a given product field, an approach which nicely summarizes the personal, product and situational components of the relationship (Evan et al,. 2009). Factor Customer satisfaction seems to be a key major to influence consumer-buying decision. Customer satisfaction can be the most important reason for customers deciding to make a repeat purchase, and telling their friends about their satisfaction (Palmer 2000). If online shop can make customers believed that their shop has good quality product, secure, and friendly, this would help their shop gain more new customers. Not only online shops give customer a good quality product, but they should also give them equity. Oliver (1997) defined equity as a fairness, rightness or deservingness judgment that consumers make in reference to what others receive; it is also considered as an important determinant of satisfaction. With these product quality and equity, this would make customers satisfy and motivate them to make a repurchase. Brand Brand image seems to be an important for online market area because brand helps consumer make buying decision and it creates a credibility of online shop. Rio del B. et al. (2001) defined brand as the set of associations and behaviors on the part of a brands customers, channel membersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and that gives that brand a strong, sustainable, and differential advantage over competitors. In Thailand, the customers perception toward brand product equate to high price, which in turn dampens their willingness to make decision toward buying brand name online. Online market It seems to be that now the market channel has been classified into two main channels that are online channels and offline channels or we called traditional channels. Offline channels, consumers reduce of risk on shopping because they can have a physical interaction with products, when compared to online channels. According to Brown et al. (2003), Whilst shopping online allows the exchanging of value and productà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ by using computer as a medium of transaction transference. In Thailand, it seems to be that now Thai consumers still like to buy products from offline channel or in shopping mall due to online channel still do not have a good credibility. Thai online retailer should have to create credibility and trust to consumer in order to make them believe that Thai online channel is secure (Mict 2010). It seems to be that in Thailand, many of online retailers seem not to register for doing their business compare to Western country. Moreover, Thailand online payment still unsecure, this make Thai online consumers do not want to take risk on payment that is why they prefer to touch and see product before making buying decision. The key concerns that consumers have over the online purchasing trends are security of the privacy or financial which relatively unsecure once online payment has been made, such as credit card fraud (Harridge 2006). Moreover, Roman and Cuestas (2008) stated that security on online transaction is need to be strict as to gain trust i n the mind of shoppers regarding their online financial transaction made with the site will be safe form unauthorized access. Research Question This research has focused on four main research questions as follows: Who are online stores target customers in Thailand? What is the perception of Thai customers toward online shopping? What factors affect Thai consumers purchasing decisions? Which is the most important factor that influences Thai consumers purchasing brand name online? Research Method Research method helps online retailer know which strategies they should use to influence consumer buying decision. Research method can be classified into two types that are Quantitative research and Qualitative research. Both of them have different pros and cons, which researcher will discuss more in detail later on. Data can be collected in variety of ways, in different settings-field or lab-and from different sources. Choosing methodology is up to what paradigms the researcher adopts. There are two main paradigms or philosophies, which are positivist and phenomological (Collis and Hussey, 2003). The alternative terms for positivist are quantitative, objectivist, experimentalist, and traditionalist. The other terms for phenomenological are qualitative, subjectivist, humanistic, and interprevist. There are several data collection methods, each with their own advantage and disadvantages. The research method that researcher will use is Quantitative research, focusing on the survey method. Now, researcher should think about what types of questionnaire should be used, such as mail questionnaire, electronic questionnaire, and personal questionnaire. In this report, due to time limitation, it seems to be that the used of electronic questionnaire or online questionnaire will be more suitable and take less time, cost, and can expand very quickly in order to collect data than other quantitative research. After researcher has chosen a specific method, researcher will make a questionnaire by using pilot test in to make sure that all questions can be understand by respondent. If questionnaires have any errors or respondents hard to understand, researcher can improve before using to the target audiences. Researcher has specific target to make a research that is a Thai consumer age between 18 and 35 years old and compare between teenager (18-27) and middle age (28-35). A sample size that researcher expect to have is minimum 100 respondents, the questionnaire will be distributed through email and social networks to 200 respondent who have use internet. In order to make data collection, we will use both primary and secondary data. The secondary data will used on book, journal, article, and commercial online database provide from the website (Mintel, or Google Shcolar). Website offering information for a fee, almost every industry association, government agency, business publication, and news medium offers free information to those tenacious enough to find their website (Armstrong and Kotler 2009). The use of secondary provides a good start for research and define problem and objective. This helps researcher in order to find an objective for consumer buying decision and perception toward online brand name in Thailand. Secondary data helps researcher to better understand and indicated what has been missing form the current online business in Thailand. Moreover, it helps researcher to develop hypotheses and objective of the study. For primary data, a survey research has been chosen as a method of conducting a research, because survey was available to large number of population. As a time limitation, using questionnaire can help researcher save time and cost. After we already collect data from questionnaire, then we can identify that questionnaire is validity, reliability, and genalisability or not. Roadblock There might have some limitations when make a research, due to limit of time and budget cost. Moreover, the respondents are required to have a computer access to be able to take part in this research. Discussion To sum up, researcher believed that this research will help us to know more about Thai consumers behavior and perception toward online brand name store. The use of secondary data helps researcher can set a research question in order to collect a primary data. However, researcher has to select which research method would like to use in order to collect primary data. As a result, a good method in this report is Quantitative research by using questionnaire to collect primary data. By using questionnaire, it will help researcher to collect data and can analyses about Thai consumers. Due to time limitation of research, the used of questionnaire will helps us to save cost and time. The questionnaire has been sent to 200 via e-mail and social network in order to collect minimum 100 respondents. Researcher believed that the primary data that we collect can help to do finding and analyses on Thai consumers buying behavior and perception toward online brand name. Moreover, to learn more what f actor can influence Thai consumer in order to purchase brand name online.

There Are Many Recent Pieces The Children Act Physical Education Essays

There Are Many Recent Pieces The Children Act Physical Education Essays The Children Act 1989, States that it is the authorities duty to safeguard children and promote their welfare. This is to say that children from all backgrounds that are vulnerable to harm should be protected. Also their general way of life should be shielded from those who threaten to harm or impair it in anyway. To protect the children from such people or events, such as abduction, social workers (sometimes known as child protection officers) have been employed. Their primary goal is to focus on the safeguarding of children and for many years these workers have also provided additional support to families and family members that feel they are vulnerable. CAFCAS along with social work is another agency that is employed in the welfare of children dealing with courts to find solutions to families differences when parents separate. Their goal is to reunite parents with their children and also to provide the children with a better way of life. This is either by shielding them from an ab usive parent or, by helping the single parent gain access to finances to help support the child. Another feature of this legislation is to enable the courts to decide on what is best for the child, if that choice is more beneficial for the child in their current situation. This could in extreme cases involve the removal of the child from their parents and be placed into the care/foster care system; this is always the last resort. CAFCAS along with the clerks of the court help support the magistrates or judges in this matter as it is also their responsibility to help provide courts with relevant information as to the best suitable course of action to take. This would normally take place after a number of consultations, observations or a combination of both with the childs parents. This responsibility could also be delegated by CAFCAS to other organizations such as Pro Contact who act on behalf of CAFCAS and are obliged to follow strict codes of practice which revolve around all varieties of child protection legislations. This enables CAFCAS to pursue more pressing engagements in volving children who are more vulnerable to harm rather than using those resources for a family dispute over something such as access to a child. Finally, The Children Act 1989 also recommends that in the best interest of the child concerned the court should where applicable not delay in the hearing of a case surrounding the welfare of the child. It, furthermore, goes to suggest that any form of delay could have detrimental effects typical of a long and drawn out dispute. Although the court is responsible for the schedule of the hearing, it does, however, give the judge or magistrate if needed (and beneficial to the welfare of the child) the power to prolong any hearing it deems fit. The above is an example of one countys interpretation of The Children Act 1989. Within the UK the legislation itself is full policies for bettering the welfare of at risk children. It, in addition, gives clear guidelines for authorities and agencies to adhere that are involved in any such case of a susceptible child. It should also be made clear that the agency CAFCA workers, mentioned above, are formally trained in social work and/or probation services. (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/CaringForSomeone/CaringForADisabledChild/DG_10027594, The Adoption and Children Act 2002 was brought into effect in 2005. It was brought in to replace the Adoption Act 1976 and Children Act 1989 the new Act enabled people who we previously excluded from adopting a child through the likes of sexuality and smokers along with other such things which could pose a risk to a childs health or wellbeing. The courts and other agencies (the likes of social workers for instance) deemed these examples to be improper and unhealthy for the child to be surrounded by, so a no blanket ban clause within the legislation made adoption accessible to all. With this new no blanket policy also made way for another key feature which was to banish selection by area (also known as the postcode lottery) this meant that people from less affluent backgrounds were now eligible to adopt and not just the more wealthier people who would have been one of the main criteria for adoptions as this gave for a better living for a child who previously had nothing. Another feature within this Act whereby a special guardianship law was put into place allowed children to stay in contact with their birth parents, this feature of the legislation is conducted with social workers present and allows for close monitoring of relationships between parents and children, the outcome of these visits would be drawn up in a report and regular assessments would be carried out to check suitability of re-introducing the child back with their birth parents on a permanent basis. The assessments carried out on both the parents who may have had a history of drug or alcohol abuse and child who may have become troublesome because of this environment in which they were living in is essential to ensure that a suitable and caring environment can be sustained allowing the child to grow with the love and care in which every child should be accustomed to. Whilst the child is apart from their maternal parents the child would stay housed with either, foster carers or within c are institutions. It is also the duty of the social worker to provide the foster parents with the support they need to ensure the childs welfare and education is met and kept at a suitable standard. Suitability of a child to perspective adoptive parents has long been an issue as some children, especially those forced to move, tend to rebel against the authorities decision to re-house them. They do this by showing disregard to the temporary carers and in extreme cases by running away from home or possibly stealing and involving the police. To some new foster parents some of these situations can be unbearable and require that the child is removed and re-housed elsewhere this, would be especially true if the foster parents have children of their own and see the bad influence this child may have upon their own children. If this was to be the case then it is the duty of the social worker to put a plan into action to rectify the issue, and also as previously mentioned if the police were to be involved it would be the social worker that would deal with these issues liaising with the police and the courts to find a resolution that would best serve the child. This more information policy within the legislation attempts to put an end to these kinds of events from happening and it is considered to be one of the most important parts of the legislation as a suitable pairing of both adoptive parents and child can only best serve and aid the child in the future. (http://www.courtroomadvice.co.uk/adoption-children-act-2002-overview.html)

Baker :: essays research papers

Director of Bakery Cooperative My buddy is a baker out in DowningTown J$G Bagelry so I thought reading about a baker would be nice start to see what he does after he leaves home at one two in the morning to not return until midday. I know a few things about what by buddy does one is that you can't stay in the same bakery for more than 8 hours in a row or you get kind of sick I know he has to manage a bunch of people at two different bakeries. It seems like a job that could be fun but bad hours and a lot of responsibility. The one thing that would be hard is that my friend has to stay till the work is done and that can be 48 hour days. I want to work there but I bet they are out of business by now. The ideas that are held in esteem by these people are some things I want to be part of. First, the idea of community involvement stated as such, "We hire only nationhood people. We will hire anyone who can do the work. There have been all ages." (467). The other idea I like is that there is no owner and it's non profit, as the put it, "I'm the director. It has no owner. Originally I owned it. We're a nonprofit corporation 'cause we give our leftover bread away, give it to anyone who would be hungry."(447). They seem to mean that witch they say about giving away food I was most impressed with the story of the naborhood drunk, it goes something like this A drunk, who had obviously had a hard day's night, enters. There is a soft discussion. She hands him a loaf. He leaves, "He asked me for a quarter.

Death of a Salesman :: Death of a Salesman

It is known that in literature, a tragedy is one of the most popular genres. It always combines some story which discusses human sufferings with a certain sense of audience fulfillment. The roots of the tragedy are related to ancient Greece. A Greek tragedy is a sad story, which represents a character with a tragic flaw leading to his downfall. In addition, in traditional tragedy, the main character falls from high authority and often it is predetermined by fate, while the audience experiences catharsis (Bloom 2). Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman is considered to be a tragedy because this literary work has some of the main characteristics of the tragedy genre. In this play, the main character Willy Loman possesses such traits and behaviors that lead to his downfall, and the audience experiences catharsis. Willy Loman as a real tragic hero comes to the decision to commit suicide because of serious financial problems of his family (Phelps 79). This play has already been criticized by a number of literary critics who represented different opinions on the plot of the book. The major goal of this paper is to critically evaluate the play Death of a Salesman written by the well-known American writer Arthur Miller, paying special attention to the play’s characteristics of a tragedy. In the play Death of a Salesman, the author investigates human nature and represents his main character as a person whose dissatisfaction with his own life leads to his tragic end. The plot of this literary work is rather simple. The play consists of two acts. In the first act, Willy Loman, the main character of Miller’s play returns home from New York. It is found that his goal was to travel to Boston, but he could not achieve this goal and returned home. The author of the play states that Willy’s personal dissatisfaction is the result of the tension in interpersonal relations between him, his wife Linda, and their two sons Biff and Happy. The first act of the play is focused on such issues as Willy Loman’s emotional instability because of his personal dissatisfaction, Biff’s frustration and the family’s financial problems. Moreover, the author represents his story is such a way that Willy’s emotional instability leads to the tension in rela tionships between Willy and Biff, who is also unhappy because of his professional failure. Willy says: â€Å"The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he’s rich!† (Miller 31).

Effects of Gadgets

UNIVERSITY OF PANGASINAN PHINMA EDUCATION NETWORK DAGUPAN CITY EFFECTS OF GADGETS TO STUDENTS STUDYING HABITS SUBMITTED BY 2BSN-1 CASILANG, JAY BRYANT E. DUNGO, ELJOHN F. GARCIA, ROLLEX JOHN MACARAEG, JETHRO RJ ORPILLA, JEFFERSON AGUSTIN, SHAIRA IGLESIAS, GEE ANN CASTILLO, MARWILL JORDAN CUSTODIO, JEREMIAS TABLE OF CONTENTS RATIONALE STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM BRIEF METHODOLOGY RESULTS DISCUSSION APPENDICES END NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY RATIONALESeveral studies and reports show that the tremendous use of technological peripherals or we popularly call as â€Å"gadgets† have effects to the different aspects of our human body – physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually. A  gadget  is usually referred to as â€Å"a small tool such as a machine that has a particular function, but is often thought of as a novelty†. The definition states that â€Å"it has a particular function† which means it can perform particular tasks. Nowadays, these widgets are used for several purposes just like PSP which is used for gaming and also for picture viewing.With the development of Internet and the growth of applications, many features are installed on the new gadgets today which also implies that gadgets have increased their functions. These features attracts the people to purchase them which now leads to the prevalence of gadget in the world principally they are cheaper presently compared to the past years. Undeniably, these gadgets became a necessity in life that’s why they can’t be easily pull away from everyone. These devices brought fun and excitement, better communication and virtual gaming which makes it more interactive to everyone.One of these gadgets is the computer. In today’s modern times, computers are seen almost everywhere we go just like establishments, offices, businesses and schools. With the power of modern technology, these computers created a big difference to the world today compared to the past years. At that time when computers are not yet invented, there is no such thing we call as â€Å"automation†. All works are done manually, time and energy consuming. Just like in creating a simple document, we used pen and paper to write an article or any other paper works.But with the existence of computers, you just need to click the word processing program icon to prepare your medium for writing and you can immediately start typing the characters. It is also free from erasure because of the undo feature included on it. These computers are built to make works easier, faster and lighter. Undeniably, students are also benefited to the existence of computers. During those years when computer is not yet present, students are dependent to books and libraries when it comes to making their home works and paper works.But as the years passed by, students in the library got fewer because they spend their time doing their works in computer or in their own personal computer. Now in the present t ime, the age of modern technology, where almost everything is high-tech, computer technologies has greatly improved and has had become better. These days, the computer technology industry is rapidly growing and changing. Internet are now used on these widgets which become a factor which makes studying fun and easy. With just a single click, all you are searching for will be presented ithout wasting your energy looking for references. However, users of gadgets are becoming addicted in using their devices or being overexposed without knowing the effects it may give to them. According to an article of IndiaStudyChannel. com (2010), â€Å"Several studies and researches have suggested about the various harmful effects gadgets have on human health. Have you ever imagined that why after watching Television for a long time you tend to feel tired and your eyes strained? Sometimes even listening to music from earphones for a long time can cause pain in the ears. In our society nowadays, many youths which are mostly composed of high percentage of students are addicted especially to social networking sites like Facebook and games like Defense of the Ancients. What’s alarming about these things is that students spend most of their time socializing, gaming and they just reserved a little time for studying their lessons. A reason why students are having difficulty when it comes to school works. Their school performances are getting weak reason why they get low grades. Computer addiction is a huge problem for most students.They procrastinate their works because they don’t notice their time is running fast while they are in front of it. We know that computer and all other gadgets are made to make life easier and enjoyable and all we are searching are attached in this machine. But despite of this factor, the students still get low grades and have weak performance in school. That’s why there is a need for research about this study to find out the effects of computers to students’ studying habits and the solutions for any dilemma that will present to the results of this research. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Topic: â€Å"Effects of Gadgets to Students’ Studying Habits†The effects of using gadgets affecting the students’ studying habits disturbed the attention of the researchers because of the fast growing innovations of gadgets nowadays, especially these peripherals are now dominating the world including the field of education. The researchers are mainly concerned with the effects of the gadgets to students’ studying habits and also the solutions to any dilemma that will be present after the results of this research are already been shown. And the most important part of the research, to collect information about the common effects of gadgets to students’ studying habits. BRIEF MEHODOLGY

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 5

â€Å"Are you excited for Alaric to arrive tomorrow?† Matt asked. â€Å"He's bringing his researcher friend Celia, right?† Meredith kicked him in the chest. â€Å"Oof!† Matt staggered backward, knocked breathless despite the protective vest he had on. Meredith fol owed up with a roundhouse kick to Matt's side, and he fel to his knees, barely managing to raise his hands and block a straight punch to his face. â€Å"Ow!† he said. â€Å"Meredith, time-out, okay?† Meredith dropped into a graceful tiger stance, her back leg supporting her weight while her front foot rested lightly on her toes. Her face was calm, her eyes cool and watchful. She looked ready to pounce if Matt showed any sign of sudden movement. When he'd arrived to spar with Meredith – to help her keep her hunter-slayer skil s in top-notch shape – Matt had wondered why she had handed him a helmet, mouth guard, gloves, shin guards, and vest, while she wore only sleek black workout clothes. Now he knew. He hadn't even come close to hitting her, while she'd pummeled him mercilessly. Matt eased a hand up under the vest and rubbed rueful y at his side. He hoped he hadn't cracked a rib. â€Å"Ready to go again?† Meredith said, her eyebrows raised in chal enge. â€Å"Please, no, Meredith,† Matt said, raising his hands in surrender. â€Å"Let's take a break. It feels like you've been punching me for hours.† Meredith walked over to the smal fridge in the corner of her family's rec room and tossed Matt a bottle of water, then sank down next to him on the mat. â€Å"Sorry. I guess I got carried away. I've never sparred with a friend before.† Looking around as he took a long, cool drink, Matt shook his head. â€Å"I don't know how you managed to keep this place secret for so long.† The basement room had been converted into a perfect place to train: throwing stars, knives, swords, and staves of various kinds were mounted on the wal s; a punching bag hung in one corner, while a padded dummy leaned in another. The floor was lined with mats, and one wal was completely mirrored. In the middle of the opposite wal hung the fighting stave: a special weapon for battling the supernatural that had been handed down through generations of Meredith's family. It was deadly but elegant-looking, the hilt covered with jewels, the ends spiked with silver, wood, and white ash, and the needles steeped in poison. Matt eyed it warily. â€Å"Wel ,† said Meredith, looking away, â€Å"the Suarez family has always been good at keeping secrets.† She began to move through a tae kwon do form: back stance, double fist block, left front stance, reverse middle punch. She was graceful as a slim black cat in her workout gear. After a moment, Matt capped his water bottle, climbed to his feet, and began to mirror her movements. Left double front kick, left inside block, double-handed punch. He knew he was half a beat behind and felt shambling and awkward next to her, but frowned and concentrated. He'd always been a good athlete. He could do this, too. â€Å"Besides, it's not like I was bringing my prom dates down here,† Meredith offered after a cycle, half smiling. â€Å"It wasn't that hard to hide.† She watched Matt in the mirror. â€Å"No, block low with your left hand and high with your right hand, like this.† She showed him again, and he shadowed her movements. â€Å"Okay, yeah,† he said, only half concentrating on his words now, focused on the positions. â€Å"But you could have told us. We're your best friends.† He moved his left foot forward and mimicked Meredith's backward elbow blow. â€Å"At least, you could have told us after the whole thing with Klaus and Katherine,† he amended. â€Å"Before that, we would have thought you were crazy.† Meredith shrugged and dropped her hands, and Matt fol owed before he realized that the gestures weren't part of the tae kwon do form. Now they stood side by side, staring at each other in the mirror. Meredith's cool and elegant face looked pale and pinched. â€Å"I was brought up to keep my heritage as a hunterslayer a deep, dark secret,† she said. â€Å"Tel ing anybody wasn't something I could consider. Even Alaric doesn't know.† Matt turned away from Meredith's mirror image to gape at the real girl. Alaric and Meredith were practical y engaged. Matt had never been that serious with anyone – the girl he'd come closest to loving was Elena, and obviously that hadn't worked out – but he'd sort of figured that, if you committed your heart to somebody, you told them everything. â€Å"Isn't Alaric a paranormal researcher? Don't you think he would understand?† Frowning, Meredith shrugged again. â€Å"Probably,† she said, sounding irritated and dismissive, â€Å"but I don't want to be something for him to study or research, any more than I want him to freak out. But since you and the others know, I'l have to tel him.† â€Å"Hmm.† Matt rubbed his aching side again. â€Å"Is that why you're pounding on me so aggressively? Because you're worried about tel ing him?† Meredith met his eyes. The lines of her face were stil tense, but a mischievous glimmer shone in her eyes. â€Å"Aggressive?† she asked sweetly, fal ing back into the tiger stance. Matt felt an answering smile tug at the corners of his mouth. â€Å"You haven't seen anything yet.† Elena surveyed the restaurant Judith had picked with a kind of bemused horror. Beeping video game machines vied for attention with old-fashioned arcade games like Whac-AMole and Skee-Bal . Bouquets of brightly colored bal oons bobbed over every table, and a cacophony of song rose from various corners as singing waiters delivered pizza after pizza. What seemed like hundreds of children ran loose across the floor, shrieking and laughing. Stefan had walked her to the restaurant, but, eyeing the neon paint job with alarm, he'd declined to come in. â€Å"Oh, I shouldn't intrude on girls' night,† he'd said vaguely, and then disappeared so quickly Elena suspected he'd used vampiric speed. â€Å"Traitor,† she'd muttered, before warily opening the bright pink door. After their time together in the graveyard, she felt stronger and happier, but she would have liked some support here, too. â€Å"Welcome to Happytown,† chirped an unnatural y cheery hostess. â€Å"Table for one, or are you meeting a party?† Elena repressed a shudder. She couldn't imagine anyone choosing to come to a place like this by themselves. â€Å"I think I see my group now,† she said politely, catching sight of Aunt Judith waving to her from a corner. â€Å"This is your idea of a fun girls' night out, Aunt Judith?† she asked when she reached the table. â€Å"I was picturing something more like a cozy bistro.† Aunt Judith nodded toward the other side of the room. Peering over, Elena spotted Margaret, happily whacking away at toy moles with a mal et. â€Å"We're always dragging Margaret to grown-up places and expecting her to behave,† Aunt Judith explained. â€Å"I thought it was time she got a turn to do something she enjoyed. I hope Bonnie and Meredith won't mind.† â€Å"She certainly looks like she's enjoying herself,† Elena said, studying her little sister. Her memories of Margaret from the last year were of strain and anxiety: During the fal Margaret had been upset by Elena's fighting with Judith and Robert and by the mysterious happenings in Fel ‘s Church, and then, of course, devastated by Elena's death. Elena had watched her through the windows afterward and seen her sobbing. She'd suffered more than any five-yearold should, even if she didn't remember any of it now. I'll take care of you, Margaret, she promised fiercely and silently, watching the studious concentration on her sister's face as Margaret practiced a little old-fashioned carnival violence. You won't have to feel like that again in this world. â€Å"Are we waiting for Bonnie and Meredith?† Aunt Judith prompted gently. â€Å"Did you end up inviting them to join us?† â€Å"Oh,† said Elena, jarred out of her reverie. She reached for a handful of popcorn from the basket in the middle of the table. â€Å"I couldn't get ahold of Meredith, but Bonnie's coming. She'l love this.† â€Å"I absolutely, total y do love this,† a voice agreed from behind her. Elena turned to see Bonnie's silky red curls. â€Å"Especial y the expression on your face, Elena.† Bonnie's wide brown eyes were dancing with amusement. She and Elena shared a look that was ful of al the we're back, we're back, they did what they said and Fell's Church is the way it should be again that they couldn't say in front of Aunt Judith, then fel into each other's arms. Elena squeezed Bonnie tightly, and Bonnie buried her face in Elena's shoulder for a moment. Her petite body quivered slightly in Elena's arms, and Elena realized that she wasn't the only one walking a fine line between delight and devastation. They'd gained so much – but it had come at a very high price. â€Å"Actual y,† said Bonnie with careful cheer as she released Elena, â€Å"I had my ninth birthday at a place very much like this. Remember the Hokey-Pokey Gril ? That was the place to be when we were in elementary school.† Her eyes held a bright sheen that might be tears, but her chin stuck out determinedly. Bonnie, Elena thought with admiration, was going to have fun if it kil ed her. â€Å"I remember that party,† Elena said, matching Bonnie's lightness. â€Å"Your cake had a big picture of some boy band on it.† â€Å"I was mature for my age,† Bonnie told Aunt Judith merrily. â€Å"I was boy crazy way before any of my friends were.† Aunt Judith laughed and waved Margaret over toward their table. â€Å"We'd better order before the stage show starts,† she said. Elena, eyes wide, mouthed, Stage show? at Bonnie, who smirked and shrugged. â€Å"Do you girls know what you want?† Aunt Judith asked. â€Å"Do they have anything besides pizza?† Elena asked. â€Å"Chicken fingers,† answered Margaret, climbing into her chair. â€Å"And hot dogs.† Elena grinned at her sister's tousled hair and expression of delight. â€Å"What are you going to have, bunny?† she asked. â€Å"Pizza!† Margaret answered. â€Å"Pizza, pizza, pizza.† â€Å"I'l have pizza, too, then,† Elena decided. â€Å"It's the best thing here,† Margaret confided. â€Å"The hot dogs are weird-tasting.† She squirmed in her chair. â€Å"Elena, are you coming to my dance recital?† she asked. â€Å"When is it?† Elena asked. Margaret frowned. â€Å"The day after tomorrow,† she said. â€Å"You know that.† Elena glanced quickly at Bonnie, whose eyes were wide. â€Å"I wouldn't miss it for the world,† she told Margaret affectionately, and her sister nodded firmly and stood up on her chair to reach the popcorn. Under cover of Aunt Judith's scolding and the semimelodious sound of their singing waiter approaching, Bonnie and Elena exchanged a smile. Dance recitals. Singing waiters. Pizza. It was good to live in this kind of world for a change.

Learning Outcome/Assessment criteria Essay

1.1Describe how being supported to live at home can benefit an individual? The service users gain a greater sense of normality, they will have more time to spent with loved ones or more likely to get visits from friends and family, they will be able to maintain a little more control and choice over daily routines. the individual service users can be surrounded by there own possessions with which can hold fond memories that are attached to some items from friends and family.individual service users see more:analyse factors that influence the capacity of an individual to express consent Being supported in there own homes, will have less interruptions or noise from other ’tenants or residents’ of the house which can cause or who may confused of situations e.g. review meeting or 1 to 1 personal meetings of how they are progressing in confidents and independence in there own homes. Support for service users makes it possible to maintain their independence and physical ability and encourages individual service users with there disabilities to maximise their own potential and independence in ways which: †¢ maximise their independence and confidence †¢ maximise their rights and choice †¢ maintain their privacy †¢ maintain their confidence in there support received †¢ they are consistent with their personal beliefs and preferences †¢ meet safety requirementshomes. †¢ meet safety r†¢ maintain their confidence in there support received 1.2 Compare the roles of   people and agencies who   may be needed to support   an individual to live at home? 1.3 Explain the importance of providing information about benefits, allowances and financial planning which could support individuals to live at home? 1.4 Explain how risk management contributes to supporting individuals to live at home? 2.1 Identify with an individual the strengths, skills and existing networks they have that could support them to live at home? 2.2 Identify with an individual their needs that may require additional support and their preferences for how the needs may be met? 5.2 Identify any changes in an individual’s circumstances that may indicate a need to adjust the type or level of support?

Lets Be Lefties For The Day Essay

Today I participated in an assignment designed to help the student to â€Å"accept that discrimination exists â€Å" (DeVry College, 2014, week one lecture, p.3). In our society the majority of people are right handed therefore everything is constructed to accommodate that, versus the small minority of people whom happen to be left-handed. Spending the day as a left-handed person was a challenge and lead to a lot of frustration and unaccomplished tasks. I was forced to think about different ways to do things, and also acknowledge how other people may perceive my capabilities and me. Loosing the use of my right hand was debilitating to me. I could not write down anything that was legible, my hand writing resembled that of a child. Trying to eat my lunch was interesting, it comes natural to cut your food with the knife in your right hand, but it’s quite awkward when you use your left hand. Just has an experiment, the whole experience been quite comical to watch myself struggle with the simplest of things. However I did reflect on how other people would see me and how it would affect my performance at work. How would my boss react if she saw me struggling with different tasks? How would she handle it? How would I want it handled? Would I be discriminated against because I was in a minority group? â€Å"Discrimination is the result of longstanding practices and/or behaviors that have a negative impact on members of subordinate groups† (DeVry College, 2014, week one lecture, p.2). We all know that people can adapt and learn different ways. it is crucial to be aware of diversity in a work place. Diversity is in every aspect of our life’s the workplace. America is made up of hundreds of different ethnicities and definitions of self. It is important that managers and professionals relate and understand the cultures, ethnic and gender differences. But Affirmative Action and the Department of Labor have made it more difficult for employers and companies to discriminate against a  person on the grounds of cultural, ethnic and gender differences. The American workplace has no choice but to adapt and embrace diversity. The U.S Department of the Interior mandates that all managers and supervisors have a minimum of 8 hours annually of equal employment opportunity and diversity training. Diversity is a non-stop processes, no two people are exactly the same and each person brings with them different experiences and new ideas (Kirkman &Shapito, 2001). By providing education and training to the managers it helps foster more cultural sensitivity and the avoidance of stereotypes. As a supervisor or manager it is important to encourage people to be themselves, because everyone works better when they feel appreciated and accepted. Productivity is important to every company and performance will improve if people feel supported in their workplace. (Kirkman & Shapito, 2001). References Chamberlain College of Nursing. (2014). SOCS350 Cultural diversity in the professions: Week 1 lecture. Online Publication.f Nursing (2014) Individual discrimination vs Institutional discrimination Lecture Week 1. http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/national-origin.html Kirkman, B., & Shapiro, D. (n.d.). The Impact of Cultural Values on Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment in Self-Managing Work Teams: The Mediating Role of Employee Resistance. Academy of Managment Journal, 3(44), 557-569.

Edward Snowden Essay

Does anybody like to be watched? At face value, nobody wants other people to know their secrets and possibly use those secrets against them and surely nobody want all their online information recorded and their phone call wired. So why is the National Security Agency (NSA) carefully taking down everything we do with their giant yeottabyte-computers deep in the Utah Desert? We know about this NSA scheme because of the leaker Edward Snowden who has been recently granted a one-year temporary asylum by the Russian government. Why Russia granted the asylum and why Snowden is even there can be tied to three basic concepts of intercultural communication, those of culture & social group, perspective, and cultural relativism. Edward Snowden was a â€Å"security contractor at the NSA for the last four year, employed by several private contractors† (Economist 8840, 23). After announcing that he leaked the information that the NSA is using a program code-named PRISM, which collects an unknown quantity of e-mails, internet phone-calls, photos, videos, file transfer, and social-networking data from the technology giants such as Google and Facebook, Snowden boarded a plane flight to Hong Kong. According to his followers, Snowden first fled into the arms of the Chinese and then the Russian because of the harsh treatments Private Bradley Manning, the leaker of military secrets to WikiLeaks, received. On August 1, Snowden â€Å"finally managed to break free of his confinement at the transit zone of Moscow’s international airport† after he received his asylum on Thursday. In theory, this event is deeply connected to three concepts of communication: culture & social group, perspective, and cultural relativism. The three concepts are all concepts that are based on an intercultural point of view, because they all represent our culture and the dif ferences it has with other cultures. Our culture is as distinct from other cultures as two different people, they think differently, and interpret and act in accordance only to their own maxims and perspectives. The government’s perspective is very different from Snowden’s perspective, without their perspective being different, Snowden would not have done what he did, or the U.S. would not be chasing him around the globe. In addition, if the Russian Government did not recognize cultural relativism, Snowden could never dream of getting an asylum from Russia. Our culture is a key factor of why the Snowden affair even began. Because our culture can be considered quite a zealous security culture, we impose such rules that social communities and  other culture may not approve. After â€Å"September 11th 2001, George Bush tipped the balance too far from liberty toward security† and the balance stayed off ever since (Economist 8847, 11). Due to the common American way of life, people prefer a way of living in which they receive the most amount of comfort. If you walk up to an American and ask him what he thinks is important in life, one of his many answers will be the enjoyment of life. Snowden is no exception, and thought that doing something that would potentially stop the government from watching us and make himself feel more comfortable when he use a phone is totally acceptable. While the government is thinking about tracking down potential criminals, Snowden is thinking about why he is being watched and record and wired every second of his life except when he is asleep. Snowden’s perspective is the same as the government in that they both want the best for the people, but they differ widely on how that is to be achieved. Snowden believes that in order for the people to be free and genuinely happy, they must be given the right of doing what they want without certain constrains such as having their telephone record collected when they are not suspected of crimes. On the other hand, the government believed that the more America knows, the better it is at defending itself. Due to the fact that Snowden had a different perspective from the government, he â€Å"handed over ‘thousands’ of classified documents† and showed Americans what the government is doing behind their backs and in front of their faces (Economist 8840, 23). Even though there has been questions regarding why Russia granted Snowden the asylum, it can be explained easily by the communication concept of cultural relativism. Cultural relativism recognizes that cultures vary in how they think and behave as well as in what they believe and value. This clarified the point that Russians do not think as Americans and their gover nment functions differently. If Russia were to think like the American government, it would have never looked for â€Å"trouble† with Snowden. Americans consider their own welfare above all other things; due to that, when the American government grants asylums to â€Å"criminals† desperately wanted elsewhere, the government rarely think about how it is affecting the other countries. Now, when the American government is put in this situation, it automatically assumes that all action done for Snowden’s benefit is for American’s detriment. On the Russian point of view, what they are doing may actually be a way to keep the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Security-Prioritized Americans† from going to war with others for no good reason. It is posisble that Russia thinks that it is wrong for a country to be a hypocrite, and that the American government should â€Å"learn a little lesson† from Russia’s asylum grant. Edward Snowden would not have done what he did without his culture, his social group, and his perspective. On the other hand, Russia would not grant an asylum if they did not recognize cultural relativism. Over all, the Snowden affair has been a controversy between the people and the government. The people have to apply all the communication concepts to use in order to make the future of America the best possible, and the government has to make its best judgments based on the people’s decisions. Therefore, people should all learn be better communicators, thus become better citizens, and help their country at such times of need as this.

Capital Budgeting Problems Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Capital Budgeting Problems - Article Example Rather than that it is easier to the investment. This is due to the difficulty the future organization face in calculating the future benefits; most organizations normally do not undertake new investments. These judgements can be undertaken if the assets are quantifiable. The benefits attached to the intangibles can only be judged by the educated senior executive of the organizations and investments in such projects can be made on the basis of the beliefs of the organizations heads. The investments in these projects should be formally budgeted on the other hand it is strongly recommended to undertake periodic reviews of the outcomes and benefits attached to these projects. With investment in value delivering projects it is also important to invest in organizational skills and system since they affect the value. Activity Based costing system is used to achieve the organisation's objectives by supporting decision-makers inside the enterprise. Internal decision-makers are employed by the enterprise. These internal decision-makers create and use internal accounting information in order to undertake cost cutting and enhance the business profits (Meigs, Williams, Haka & Bettner, 1999). The development of effective management accounting systems although has played an important part in dealing with the problems discussed above but also it has given rise to the problems of downsizing and cost cutting. There are several factors, which were identified to have influence on the structure of these systems. These include differentiation degree of integration (internal & external) and the configuration of the organisations. Some researchers reveal contextual relationship between the above mentioned factors the management accounting system and information systems. (Daft and Mac intosh 1978; Khandwaila, 1972) Although many theories have been put forward in order to find out the efficient allocation of resources of the organizations but each of them has different drawbacks attached to them. Open theories: Open theories address all the social, psychological and structural factors. According to the open theories organisations are the organisms which take inputs from the environment and give outputs. Open systems undertake the analysis of all the different disciplines and levels. The open theories address all the aspects such as political social and technological extending its scope from other theories, which are confined only at studying the economic consequences. Cybernetics: covers the techniques applications. The cybernetics theories contend goal oriented behaviour and emphasise the change of role of individuals according to the situation. The main drawback of the theory is that it doesn't provide a universal solution and fails to provide specified guidelines for the individuals about their behaviour in different scenarios. (Aney, 1980) Social

Cultural Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cultural Issues - Essay Example The cultural variety today becomes a very significant issue in the research field of international relations, first of all for the best understanding of laws of social life, an organization of statehood and management in complex communities, prevention and resolution of conflicts. There is no doubt that cultural factor is obviously present in the modern policy of international relations. Robert Garson (â€Å"extra information†) states: â€Å"issues of culture, rights, and justice drive international relations and international politics in a certain direction†. Moreover, according to Garson, culture is very important because: The cultural variety today becomes a very significant issue in the research field of international relations, first of all for the best understanding of laws of social life, an organization of statehood and management in complex communities, prevention and resolution of conflicts. There is no doubt that cultural factor is obviously present in the mo dern policy of international relations. Robert Garson (â€Å"extra information†) states: â€Å"issues of culture, rights, and justice drive international relations and international politics in a certain direction†. Moreover, according to Garson, culture is very important because:†¢ â€Å"It is the key to our social and ultimately individual identity†;†¢ â€Å"if to look at the rhetoric of international politics, that rhetoric is actually wrapped up in cultural phrases. People talk of themselves as being French or Tanzanian or American, they use these identities†;†¢ â€Å"culture is actually one of the organizing principles of most political communities†.For the first time, the question on cultural variety arises in world politics after the First World War I when the countries-winners have formulated the doctrine of self-determination on an ethnocultural basis as the mechanism of the abolition of imperial states of Austria-Hungary, O ttoman Turkey, Imperial Germany and Imperial Russia. A certain formula of "national self-determination" gradually began to gain a foothold as the international norm of state formation.  There was an idea that the society should be culturally homogeneous.

Logistics and E-Commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Logistics and E-Commerce - Essay Example Products and services ordered over internet require more delivery trucks on the road to homes and businesses. This is where Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) relevance to E-commerce is to be construed. Intelligent Transport System is defined as the application of information technology to the surface transport system. ITS covers all modes air, sea, road and rail and components of each mode – vehicles, fixed, infrastructure and control and operational systems. ITS seeks to improve the existing transport system rather than adding vehicles physically resulting in congestion. ITS stresses on reducing traffic congestion, thus reducing travel time, reducing sound and air pollution and also avoiding delays in delivery consequently keeping in time with production schedules (Jerzy Kisielnicki, 2002 ). â€Å"It often seems that net is changing every aspect of our lives, yet in other ways, it has had little effect. There are two opposing ideas of what effect of the net will have on supply chains and logistics. One view suggests that increased efficiency will pay rewards for all parties in a supply chain. The other view is that the net will overwhelm the supply chains, spot markets will make it impossible to plan and instability will dominate. But we have seen stability even during recessions in most of the economy. Important point to note is that web enabled supply chain may be the future but a manufacturer survives on the quality of the goods and relationship with customers and suppliers.

Intercultural communication class- Intercultural learning report Essay

Intercultural communication class- Intercultural learning report - Essay Example Apparently, proficiency in the host culture language is a prerequisite for any intercultural communication. The theory seeks to establish whether unique attributes or group memberships define individuals from an individual culture (Communication for Governance & Accountability Program 1). Moreover, the theory explores whether individual achievement and gratification are more important than unity a cultural group. Apparently, collectivism culture is more useful than the individualism culture as seen in international universities where international students from China record higher grades compared to American students. The theory has developed my knowledge on cultural diversity where I have been interacting with people from different cultures with the aim of understanding such cultures and borrowing the best cultural values. The theory compares minimum status differences with the preference for strict social hierarchies (Communication for Governance & Accountability Program 1). It relates to the acceptance of unequal distribution of power by the less powerful (The Hofstede Centre 1). The theory was significant in my project since it helped me to understand the powerful effect of Thailand culture on communication (College of Marin 1). For example, I established that Thailand people respect their King. Indeed, my Thailand project investigated the degree to which Thailand people consider themselves masculine or feminine. Thailand depicts a feminine society that respects women and allows them to work for a living (The Hofstede Centre 1). Cultural shock is very popular among international students who experience the American culture for the first time. The cultural shock relates to the immediate need for knowledge of American culture and English proficiency. However, I started to understand the new cultures since I wanted to belong to the environment. I established the good and bad things about the American and Thailand culture that

Utilisation of Electrical Energy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Utilisation of Electrical Energy - Assignment Example The average consumption of electric energy around the world is approximately 19 % of the total electric energy produced. This calls for the specialized improvement in the lighting efficiency to save energy which translates to conservation of the environment. Different environment requires different lighting luminaries. The choice of a specific lighting luminary in a given environment depends on several factors. Some of the factors that influence the choice of lighting luminaires in given environments include the availability of natural light, the intensity of light required, the availability of energy sources – in this case electricity – among others. This paper discusses the common discharge luminary in different environments. The chosen environments include office building, an indoor – 5 –a – side – pitch, and Cul-de-sac street lighting Office Building For efficiency lighting in an office building, there must be sufficient source of light. This implies that the lighting luminaries used must have a high light intensity. Since the light is always switched on, the luminary must have the capacity to save energy. Considering this factors among others, the best luminary suited for an office building is Fluorescent Lamp. This is the best choice due to the following advantages: Fluorescent lights are cheap Fluorescent lamps generally have a very good luminous efficacy Fluorescent lamps have a very long lamp life (Ranges from 10 000 hours to 16000 hours). This implies less maintenance costs They come in large varieties of CCT and CRI Fluorescent Lamp Construction, Operation and Associated Circuitry The associated circuitry of fluorescent lamp is shown in figure 1 below. Figure 1. The associated circuitry of a fluorescent lamp. Construction and Operation In a fluorescent lamp, light is predominantly produced by fluorescent powders which are activated by ultra – violet radiation originating from mercury. This type of ligh t source is characterized by low – pressure gas discharge light source. Physically, the lamp is composed of a long tubular pipe that contains an electrode on both sides. This tubular pipe is filled with low pressure mercury vapour which is enhanced with an inert gas, in this case, argon, for starting. The emission of the light occurs in the ultraviolet region. The wavelength of the energy emitted falls in the range of 254 – 185 nanometres. The ultraviolet radiation produced is, then, converted into light by the phosphor layer which is coated on the inside of the tube. Most of the initial photon energy, 65 %, is lost by the dissipation since one ultraviolet photon produces only one visible photon. Moreover, the final spectral of the light that is distributed can be varied. This is by different combinations of phosphors. The CCT (Correlated Colour Temperature) of fluorescent light varies from 2700 Kelvin to 6500 kelvin. On the other hand, the colour rendering indices var ies from 50 to 95. Different fluorescent lamps have different luminous efficacy depending on their construction. The latest fluorescent lamp has a luminous efficacy of 100 lm/W. This excludes the ballast losses. The operation of a fluorescent lamp is shown in figure 2 below. Figure 2. The operation of a fluorescent lamp. Fluorescent lamps have an ever increasing current. This is harmful since it can destroy the lamp (National Industrial Pollution Control Council. Electric and Nuclear Sub-Council, United States. Dept. of Commerce, 1972). Thus, to correct this, it is designed in such a way that it limits the lamp current. This is seen in instances where it displays the negative voltage to counteract the ever increasing c