Db1 managing high performance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Db1 managing high performance - Research Paper Example I prefer the free reign type of leadership to the autocratic. Free reign leadership style is motivational to employees, and it gives them room to exchange ideas within themselves and even work towards the same goal. Autocratic does not give the employees room to participate in the decision-making process, exercising of individual leadership styles hence influencing negatively on worker talents and skills (Gino, 2013). While working with Digg Company, I observed the management styles employed by the company director, Mr. Willy to be laissez-Faire. Mr. Willy delegated duties, responsibilities coupled with adequate authority to his junior staff, gave them room to take part in the decision-making process, and without strict supervision. It helped the company meet its set goals within the period; employees felt encouraged and motivated. On the contrary, Mrs. Helena, the sales representative of Frontier Marketers Company, where I started my career, designed an autocratic style that did not achieve success (Benincasa, 2012). She harshly directed her employees, fired and hired without warning. It led to employees feeling inferior, could not contribute much to organization’s development, and soon losses struck the company. Benincasa, R. (2012, JUNE). 6 Leadership Styles, And When You Should Use Them. Retrieved OCT 8, 2014, from FC leadership: http://www.fastcompany.com/1838481/6-leadership-styles-and-when-you-should-use-them Nayab, N. (2011, SEPT 28). Examples of Companies with Autocratic Leadership. Retrieved OCT 8, 2014, from Bride Hub Project Managment:

Martin King and Henry Thoreau Essay Example for Free

Martin King and Henry Thoreau Essay Martin King and Henry Thoreau both write persuasive expositions that oppose majority ideals and justify their own causes. While this similarity is clear, the two essays, Letters from Birmingham Jail by King and Civil Disobedience by Thoreau, do have their fair share of differences. Primarily in the causes themselves, as King persuades white, southern clergy men that segregation is an evil, unjust law that should be defeated through the agitation of direct protesting, and Thoreau, writing to a more broad, non addressed audience, and focusing more on the government itself, contends that at its present state, with the war with Mexico and the institution of slavery, that one should do as he does and refuse to pay government taxes that support such evil practices or traditions. While both Thoreau and King prevail in establishing a firm impression for what they strongly believe in, they each succeed in their persuasive efforts through different means. Chiefly, in the way that King draws emotional appeal with the usage of a burning passion and devotion, and Thoreau, while still making it evident that he is devoted in what he believes in, draws more emotional appeal through being more distressed and concerned than naively hopeful and optimistic. However, similarities remain to be as numerous as differences as both Thoreau and King bring credibility or ethical appeal to their assays essentially with allusions to Christ and the Bible. First, Kings emotional appeal is what above all contrasts his essay with Thoreaus. As virtually everything else; the theme of disobeying unjust laws, their admiration for the minoritys viewpoint, and even, coincidently, where they wrote their essays prison, is all the same. King makes two references to conversations shared with his children. Once with his little girl who wants to go to the public amusement park and is quickly developing tears in her eyes as her father has to sadly explain the reality that black children arent allowed in Funtown. Promptly once again, King refers to being forced to somehow concoct an acceptable answer to his five year old sons question why do white people treat colored people so mean?. King does not stop there with his ability to throw his readers into the harsh emotional realities that he had to face. While answering the same question of why we cant wait in regards to protesting, King refers to the tragic sadness of how his wife and mother are almost  never granted with the respectable title of Mrs and how his own name has virtually been transformed from Martin Luther King to Nigger Boy John in the heartland of discrimination in the South. The rhetorical use of detail is Kings second element that he takes advantage of to draw such tremendous, but necessary emotional appeal. With his despairing response to the clergy mens appraisal of the policemens ability to maintain peace and order when he asserts with great detail that maybe they wouldnt be so warmly supportive if they would have been in the streets to witness the police slapping Negro men and boys with sticks and pushing and cursing old Negro women and girls in such a cold-hearted and cruel fashion. Furthermore, Kings account of what the South would be like if blacks sided more with the Black Nationalists than himself brings emotion to all that contemplate his perception of streets flowing with blood during the central time of the otherwise inevitable racial nightmare. Thoreau, on the other hand, never consents to revealing such frightful nightmares and makes only one brief reference to his children. Instead, Thoreau draws emotional appeal through many different techniques in the art of persuasive writing. Most predominantly, with despaired and concerning rhetorical questions such as when he asks about established governments viewpoint on great men, why does it always crucify Christ and excommunicate Copernicus and Luther, and pronounce Washington and Franklin rebels?. And again when he provokes the question of how men assert their grievances when he asks How can a man be satisfied to entertain and opinion merely and enjoy it?. As stated above, Thoreau and Kings great persuasive similarity is in the way they give their essays ethical appeal. They both repetitiously make use to references of the Bible. King first asserts that he is in Birmingham for the same reason that the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the Gospel of Jesus. Once again, in comparing his civil disobedience to that of Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego when they refused to obey the worship laws of Nebucadnesser. Finally King affirms to not being offended by the criticism of being called an extremist by the thought of how many great extremists there where in the past, such as Abe Lincoln, Martin  Luther, and Jesus Christ. Thoreau in the very same manner and with many of the same figures, continues with his own set of biblical allusions. He subscribes to the verse of Christ and the Herodians when they ask him about his stance on taxes and Christ replies to give Caesar what is Caesars, and to give God what is Gods. And then, more broadly, Thoreau poses the question of why after eighteen hundred years of being written, no legislator in America or anywhere else has taken advantage of the science of legislation revealed in the New Testament. In conclusion, both Thoreau and King succeed in establishing their points on the benefits of civil disobedience. I feel that King does succeed farther with his inclusion of more passionate emotion and easier to understand, heartfelt metaphors. Though it is debatable that the scientific and matter of fact tone Thoreau uses ultimately make his case more credible by establishing his work as not only a great personal exposition, but also a considerable scientific exposition that could be considered among the ranks of Thomas Paines Common Sense or even Machiavellis The Prince.

Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour Essay -- Kate Chopin Story Hour Ess

Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" In â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin, the author depicts how someone can be trapped in an unproductive and unsatisfying reality because of other’s thoughtlessness, exploitation, and domination. When combined with the contemporary society’s belief, presumably the later half of the 19th century, a further understanding of Chopin’s thoughts and feelings can be realized. Mrs. Louise Mallard, the victim and messenger of this story, is the image of such a person. Her relationship with her husband is so oppressive and limiting that even death is considered a reasonable means of escape. The condition of life for Mrs. Mallard is terrible, yet for some reason she doesn’t seem to come to the full realization until her husband death. This leads one to believe that was a common place for women to be unhappy in their marriage and have no conventional means of escape (divorce). However, Chopin doesn’t directly make that point. Many women are in se arch of freedom from their marriage and they believe the only way to be free is to experience the death of their husband. Mrs. Louise Mallard is a repressed married woman that has a heart condition and the reaction to her husband’s presumed death is a sign that she is unhappy. After hearing the tragic news she goes up stairs and looks out an open window and notices â€Å"new spring life†, the delicious breath of rain†, and â€Å" countless sparrows tittering in the eaves.† As she looks out the window among th...

Maori Culture Essay

Abstract The Maori, which means â€Å"ordinary or common,† arrived in New Zealand in the 14th century. Polynesian by descent, they came from the mythical land of Hawaiki, believed by many experts to be a combination of places, including Tahiti, Samoa, Hawaii and the Cook Islands. Upon arriving in New Zealand, the Maori dubbed the picturesque land Aotearoa, or â€Å"land of the long white cloud.† The Maori Culture The Maori like many other Pacific Islanders started their journey in a canoe. Living on an island afforded the Maori with a unique and diverse culture that is still evident in Modern day New Zealand. In the next few pages I will give you a brief glimpse of the Maori way of life then and now. I will discuss the belief and value system, gender roles, healing the sick and also the impact of Colonialism on the Maori way of life. There are three basic beliefs and values of the Maori. I nga wa o Mua, Whakapapa and Mana. I nga wa o Mu. Maori believe that ancestors and supernatural beings are ever-present and able to help the tribe in times of need. The Maori world view is to look in front of us to the past for guidance as that is where we came from. It was because of this philosophy that the Maori did not conveniently forget about the Treaty of Waitangi once it was signed. Through facing the past they can learn from past mistakes and not repeat them. This concept is totally reversed in other cultures, who try to encourage them to forget about the past and to put things behind them Whakapapa Whakapapa translated means genealogy. The Maori believe that everything and everyone are connected and therefore a part of their Whakapapa. Whakapapa includes genealogies of spiritual and mythological significance, as well as information about the person’s tribe and the land he or she lives on. The Whakapapa is passed down orally in the form of stories. One of the most famous stories is story of the creation of Aotearoa. Aotearoa was pulled from the sea by the demi god Maui. Maui was the last of five brothers and was known to be clever. He hid in the canoe of his brothers and when they would not give him bait to fish he took his magical hook and slashed his face and smeared the blood on his hook so that his blood would attract the fish. Smelling the blood the god of the sea gave Maui his biggest fish. Maui asked his brothers to not cut up and eat the fish until proper arrangements had been made to appease and thank the gods for their gift. While Maui was on land trying to pull the boat to shore his brothers started to cut the fish because it started to move. That is why Aotearoa the fish and the mountains and the valleys are where Maui’s brothers tried to cut the fish. Mana According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Mana is â€Å"Among Polynesian and Melanesian peoples, a supernatural force or power that may be ascribed to persons, spirits, or inanimate objects. Mana may be good or evil, beneficial or dangerous, but it is not impersonal; it is never spoken of except in connection with powerful beings or things. The term was first used in the 19th century in the West in connection with religion, but mana is now regarded as a symbolic way of expressing the special qualities attributed to persons of status in a hierarchical society, of providing sanction for their actions, and of explaining their failures†. The Maori believe in three forms of Mana. The first type of Mana is the Mana that you have when you are born. This Mana comes from your Whakapapa and can attribute to the rank and status of your descendants. This Mana is not only the ancestor themselves but also the deeds that they did and the skills, traits and abilities taught to them by their tupuna (elders). The second type of Mana is Mana given to you by other people. Today there are people who seek Mana and deliberately go around trying to gain Mana by telling people about their own importance. There is a Maori saying: â€Å" The Kumara does not talk about its’ own sweetness.† But Mana seekers do exactly that. Humbleness is a very highly valued trait in the Maori world. Many of the great leaders are very humble people, hence part of their greatness. The Maori people sing their praises, thereby heightening their Mana. You will never hear the great leaders singing their own praises. It is not that they are trying to be humble; it is that they just are. The third type of Mana is Mana from the group. The best example I could come up with is the Mana of the marae. The marae is the sacred courtyard that you must be formally invited to enter for the first time. The marae is where challenges are met and issues are debated. When you stay on a Marae all are treated well and fed great food. When the visitor leaves they tell everyone about the great time they had thus increasing the Mana of the marae. If they tell everyone they were treated ill and unkind then the Mana of the marae decreases. Traditional Maori folklore focuses on oppositions between pairs, such as earth and sky, life and death, and male and female. From the time of creation the original couple, Rangi (sky) and Papa (earth) were locked in sexual union until the god Tane was able to push them apart and provide for the creation of human life. So as you can see opposition existed before the creation of human life according to Maori traditional stories. It then would suffice that opposition would exist throughout Maori culture. Premarital sexual relationships were considered normal for Maori adolescents. Both males and females were expected to have a series of private relationships before they married. When Maori females became sexually active, they were to publicly acknowledge this so that they could become tattooed. Tattooing marked their ritual and public passage into adulthood. It was also considered extremely attractive and erotic. Tattooing among the Maori was highly developed and extremely symbolic. Maori facial tattoos were created by two methods. One was by piercing and pigmenting the skin with a tattooing comb. The other was by creating permanent grooves in the face with a chisel-like instrument. . Females were also tattooed in Maori society. Female facial tattooing was known as ta ngutu. Designs were placed on the chin and lips. When it comes to sickness and healing in Maori culture things were very different before Colonization. In traditional times before the colonization of New Zealand, Maori saw science and religion as the same entity and believed that illnesses were caused by supernatural sources. Maori had a good concept of anatomy, physiology and the use of plants for healing; however there was an undefined distinction between the mind and body. Maori believed an evil spirit or a type of witchcraft would attack an individual to cause ill-health as a punishment for breaking the tapu (sacred restriction) of the family that the spirit belonged to. This type of illness was called mate atua (disease of the gods) since there was no obvious physical cause. The individual would experience pain, weakness, loss of appetite, malaise, fever and occasionally delirium due to possession of the spirit. When Captain James Cook colonized New Zealand in 1830 he brought with him, evasive plants and animals as well as guns, alcohol and diseases that the Maori were previously exposed to. New Zealand’s isolation meant that the Maori people lacked immunity to bacterial and viral infections that were common in other countries. The Maori found that their healing methods were ineffective against the new diseases and had to rely on the medicines of the missionaries. The effectiveness and popularity of the missionaries’ medicines assisted in the conversion of Maori to Christianity. It appeared to the Maori that the Christian god had superior powers and this attributed to the health and prosperity of the Europeans. The fundamentals of Maori society, culture, religion and medicine became strained as religion was involved in their everyday lives and many of their beliefs were based upon it. The people began to lose their Mana due to the shift of religion and the spread of Western knowledge undermining the tohunga’s ( spiritual leader) authority The downfall of the whare wananga (school of learning) was also due to conflict between Maori religion and Christianity. In 1907 the Tohunga Supression Act was passed due to concern being raised over the practice and safety of some tohunga. Maori healing was seen as ‘dangerous’ by Western modern medicine as it was not scientifically proven. The Tohunga Suppression Act was repealed in 1962 however this had little significance as some tohunga had practiced throughout the 20th century especially in remote rural areas of the country. Tohunga are still significant in current Rongoa Maori however modern tohunga have not been trained in traditional methods giving them a position of authority and prestige however they are still recognized as experts in their field. Many modern tohunga showed potential in their childhood by spending time with their elders and learning tribal and cultural lore. They then became an apprentice under an established tohunga to learn their expertise Current Maori healthcare is based on a holistic model that incorporates the physical, emotional, family and spiritual aspects of health. Each aspect must be treated or used to ensure full recovery of a patient. The current function of modern tohunga is varied. Conventional medicine is incorporated into the tohunga’s practice however traditional methods of karakia (chants) and inoi (prayer) are still extensively used. Native plants for medicinal purposes are widely used however application of uses varies between each practitioner. References 1. Franklin- Barbajosa, Cassandra. â€Å"Tattoo: Pigments of Imagination.† National Geographic News. March 7, 2008. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0412/online_extra.html 2. Maori.org.nz. http://www.maori.org.nz/ 3. â€Å"Moriori.† Encyclopedia Britannica Online. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9053755/Morior 4. The Legend of Maui. http://www.sacredtexts.com/pac/maui/maui04.htm 5. The Definition of Mana. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mana 6. Maori Colonization. http://www.heritagehistory.com/www/heritage.php?Dir=eras&FileName=britain_11.php

Fresh Food Compared to Canned Food Essay

Eating is something that we do on a daily basis, which makes the food that we choose to consume an important part of our health and life style. Eating food that is unhealthy for us, as well as consuming to much food can lead to numerous health risks. When we eat, we typically take the easy way out and consume foods that are unhealthy. So, when we are out at the store deciding what food we should purchase think of the benefits you would get from something fresh or something canned. We should all take a minute and consider the flavor, health benefits, and the cost of what we are about to digest. Fresh food is something that seems to have a significant advantage when it comes to flavor. If we are going to choose fresh foods over canned we will be enjoying the foods natural flavor and taste rather than chemically processed foods. Fresh foods contain vitamins as well as antioxidants that are all natural, which gives it the natural flavor. Canned foods do not have as much flavor, most of the time chemicals are added which takes away from the taste and flavor that the food has naturally. Canned foods are more likely to have artificial flavor. Health is another factor to look at when considering what type of food to we should consume. When we choose to eat canned or processed foods we are not receiving all of the healthy and natural nutrients that fresh food gives. Processed foods tend to contain large amounts of sodium, which can contribute to health risks such as high blood pressure. While fresh foods often provide us with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which is what we need to help us function on a daily basis. (See Reference) Money can be a factor when purchasing food which is why cost is the final difference between canned and fresh foods that we should consider. When buying fresh foods especially, if the food is in season, we will see a significant price difference. The price difference between the two is caused by all the processing that a canned food has to go through to be able to last longer on the shelf. Yes, having the ability to go to the store and buy a â€Å"TV dinner† for dinner would be easier than preparing it yourself; however, the cost will probably be higher. Basically, it is our choice in what we want to consume food wise but flavor, health benefits, and cost should be taken into consideration. Fresh food has better taste and is not artificially flavored, if in season may cost less, and can also be healthier for you than canned foods. Anything though is better than choosing the easy way out. Take time and consider everything. References Retrieved from: http://www. livestrong. com/article/260270-nutrition-differences-canned-foods-vs-fresh-produce/.

Cuba essays

Cuba essays The Cuban revolutionaries, led by Fidel Castro, took over the Cuban government on December 2, 1959 and put a strict communist regime into effect. In the midst of the cold war, this Soviet ally so close to American soil is a major cause of fear. The revolution was the outcome of the oppressive rule by Batista y Zaldà ­var, Fulgencio. Batista was a dictator, much like Castro later turned out to be, who took away the "human rights" of his citizens, and effected some other social reforms. Castro overturned the dictatorship of Batista on December 2, 1959 and at first seemed to be a moderate leftist. However, once in power he became increasingly radical, executing and imprisoning thousands of political opponents, nationalizing industry, collectivizing agriculture, and establishing a one-party socialist state that drove large numbers of middle- and upper-class Cubans into exile. He was especially hostile to the United States, which had been friendly to Batista and had frequently int ervened in Cuban affairs. After the Castro government seized U.S.-owned oil refineries, sugar mills, and electric utilities in 1960, the United States stopped buying Cuban sugar and imposed an economic embargo on the island nation. The United States backed an unsuccessful attempt by Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro in 1961. In the early 1960s Castro openly embraced Communism and formed close ties with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), relying increasingly on Soviet economic and military aid. However, when the Soviets began to allow some free enterprise, Castro disagreed and broke away from the Soviet Union. This led to a severe decline in the Cuban economy, and loss of support of as many Cuban citizens for the communist system. Fidel Castro remains in control today, not letting people in or out of Cuba. ...

William Shakespeare Essays (1384 words) - Incidental Music, Prospero

William Shakespeare Essays (1384 words) - Incidental Music, Prospero William Shakespeare One may find it ridiculous to contrast between Shakespeare and existentialism in its 20th century form, however one must keep in mind, that existentialism does not appear as a single philosophical system. It is more an attitude of life, a general vision - existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre is known to have stated that existentialism was never invented, it has always existed as the ultimate foundation. Upon that light, why not seek the foundations from the work of the forefather of all dramatists? It is above all na?ve to claim Prospero?s Epilogue in Shakespeare?s play The Tempest a mere conventional appeal for applause or the stripping of the imaginary glamour built up by the plays magic. Even the greatest of artists would rather give away his life than surrender his art to be judged solely by the public. Art for an artistic genius is practised for its own sake; art for the purpose of art. Existence for the sake of existence itself - stripped of meaning, of value and of subjective interpretation. In its bear meaningless form, something still remains: the necessary Natural Law, a philosophical concept considered the basis of human well-being, a system of the values that determine human existence. Throughout The Tempest Prospero?s character portrays an image of a nearly Nietzchean superhuman capable of disclaiming authority, killing God. He is in control of every situation and event as if the chain of causes and effects would be a conductible melody waiting for an artist?s touch. On the other hand he is very human: a wronged duke and a father, a symbiosis which Shakespeare displayed with the use of Prospero?s garment as a theatrical tool. An artist is the creator, the maker of realities yet he remains human, an animal with feelings and urges, ties only waiting to be cut. The view implied is not far from the ideologies that emerged from the great suffering of the second world war: a man is capable of constructing himself a framework of personal and social meaning, but his true animal nature remains unchanged. In the heart of existence, life has no predefined meaning, it is a mere passage of survival from necessary birth to necessary death. Prospero's and his daughter's situation on the island was hopeless, however Prospero had chosen a function for his life - revenge. Prospero created a meaning for his life, built a synthetic reality to keep him sane on the path towards the finality of human death. Early existentialism begins to appear. The literatory image behind The Epilogue of The Tempest greatly involves the attitude and interpretation of art. Having constructed a window or more or less a door to an imaginary world for the audience, Shakespeare has succeeded in fusing art and reality. Upon that light it is incomprehensible to assume his need to address the subjective yet neutral third party, the audience - shatter the synthetic reality. However, The Epilogue is a beautiful and humble ending to a story filled with strong magical elements - the control is given to the audience, they are given Prospero?s magical garment. The passive third party is given a choice of interaction, chance to rise beyond spectatorship. An interesting aspect to The Epilogue of The Tempest is the fact that it was Shakespeare?s last play - the final words of a great artist. Due to the lack of historically trustworthy biographical information of Shakespeare?s character, it is difficult if not impossible to determine the effect of his life situation to the message itself. Whether justified or not, The Epilogue seems like a farewell - a humble artist handing over his life to the audience to which he has dedicated his entire life. When examining The Epilogue with the restriction of intertextuality, one is forced to focus on the character of Prospero. Why does he leave a farewell, why does he become the ultimate link from the world of the play to the world of the third party, the audience. His importance as the narrator of The Epilogue creates a third dimension to his character traits, he becomes the God-figure that seems limited to living on a island yet he can perform metaphysical leaps between dimensions. The person speaking is the author himself, for in

Weathering Defined and Explained

Weathering Defined and Explained Weathering is the gradual destruction of rock under surface conditions, dissolving it, wearing it away or breaking it down into progressively smaller pieces. Think of the Grand Canyon or the red rock formations scattered across the American Southwest.  It  may involve physical processes, called mechanical weathering, or chemical activity, called chemical weathering.  Some geologists  also include the actions of living things, or organic weathering. These organic weathering forces can be classified  as mechanical or chemical or a combination of both. Mechanical Weathering Mechanical weathering involves five major  processes that physically  break rocks down into sediment or particles: abrasion, crystallization of ice, thermal fracture, hydration shattering, and exfoliation. Abrasion occurs from grinding against other rock particles. Crystallization of ice can result in force sufficient enough to fracture rock. Thermal fracture may occur due to significant temperature changes. Hydration the effect of water predominantly affects clay minerals. Exfoliation occurs when rock is unearthed after its formation.   Mechanical weathering does not just affect the earth. It can also affect some brick and stone buildings over time.   Chemical Weathering Chemical weathering involves the  decomposition or decay of rock. This type of  weathering doesnt break rocks down but rather alters its chemical composition through carbonation, hydration, oxidation or hydrolysis. Chemical weathering changes the composition of the rock toward surface minerals and mostly affects minerals that were unstable in the first place.  For example, water can eventually dissolve limestone. Chemical weathering  can occur in sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and it  is an element of chemical erosion.   Organic Weathering Organic weathering is sometimes called bioweathering or biological weathering. It involves factors such as contact with animals- when they dig in the dirt- and plants when their growing roots contact rock. Plant acids can also  contribute to  the dissolution of rock.   Organic weathering isnt a process that stands alone. Its a combination of mechanical weathering factors and chemical weathering factors.   The Result of Weathering Weathering can range from a change in color all the way to a  complete breakdown of minerals into clay and other surface minerals. It  creates deposits of altered and loosened material  called residue  that is ready to undergo transportation,  moving across the earths surface when propelled by water, wind, ice or gravity  and thus becoming  eroded. Erosion means weathering plus transportation at the same time. Weathering is necessary for erosion, but a rock may weather without undergoing erosion.

The Gait Cycle In Relation To Plantar Corns Essay

The Gait Cycle In Relation To Plantar Corns - Essay Example Karl, B. 2013 (online article) asserts that corns and other plantar calluses cause limitations in walking, inability to carry out daily normal routines as well as an increased risk of falling to those affected. Corns are mainly resolved through a surgical removal that cuts them off. The feet being an organ of movement has to always be on the move with a normal person making 3 000-5 000 steps per day and an active person making 10 000 steps according to Biomechanics of walking 2012. Barney, S. 1995 in an online article asserts that gait simply refers to the style or manner of walking as opposed the actual process of walking. The gait cycle, is the time interval involved for one foot to make a step, it starts when the foot leaves the floor and ends when the same foot returns to the floor. The gait cycle encompasses two stages, the stance and swing stages Barney, S. 1995. The stance stage happens when the foot is on the floor and entails about sixty percent of the walking process. The swing stage happens when one foot is mid-air and the other foot is on the floor. The corn on metatarso-phalangeal joint affects the normal gait pattern resulting to an antalgic or abnormal gait. This leads to adjustments which Whittle, M. 1996 refers to as compensations or consequences. This is because the foot with the corn tends to avert spending the required time interval on the floor.

RYAN AIR THE LOW FAIR AIRLINES Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

RYAN AIR THE LOW FAIR AIRLINES - Case Study Example On the one hand, in August 2006, an Air Transport World magazine reported that Ryanair was the most profitable airline in the world, based on its operation and net profit margins, and on a per-airplane and per-passenger basis (Higgins 2007: 2). In November 2006, the company announced new record half-year bottom line of â‚ ¬329 million for the first half of fiscal 2007 (Higgins 2007: 2). Furthermore, traffic increased by 23 per cent to 22.1 million passengers, while yield jumped by 9 per cent as total revenues increased by 33 per cent to â‚ ¬1.256 billion (Higgins 2007: 2). In addition, even as fuel costs increased by 42 per cent to â‚ ¬337 million, Ryanair’s after-tax margin increased by 1 point to 26 per cent (Higgins 2007: 2). Ryanair expects high demand in the future, so it plans to expand routes and its fleet. On the other hand, Ryanair faces legal battles and acquisition challenges for its Irish rival, Aer Lingus (Higgins 2007: 1). Ryanair also faces stiff opposi tion for its union-busting policies and long working hours and low salary, although it claims the opposite (Higgins 2007: 6). There are, additionally, environmental challenges that threaten to impinge on Ryanair’s low-cost, no-frills business model. These environmental threats can increase operational costs. This paper analyses the case of Ryanair. It evaluates Ryanair’s strategy compared to competitors, by analysing its low-cost business model through the stakeholder approach analysis. It also determines the key internal and external issues of Ryanair. Furthermore, it evaluates O’Leary’s leadership using the transformational leadership framework. Finally, it examines the sustainability of Ryanair’s future strategies. 2. Evaluation of Ryanair’s strategy compared to competitors Ryanair’s business strategy compared to competitors will be analysed using the stakeholder approach. 2.1 Stakeholder approach The society, in general, is becomi ng more concerned of the role that business plays in managing stakeholder relations and responding to the environment. Many customers also prefer to deal with companies that actively reduce their ecological footprints (Rueda-Manzanares, Aragon-Correa, and Sharma 2008: 188). Similarly, shareholders, as well as financial and insurance companies, seek to lessen liabilities associated with environmental risks that come from corporate operations, such as pollution and harmful human health effects. The European Union has, in response, as well as the United Kingdom (UK) passed environmental regulations, sanctions, fines, penalties and legal costs for companies that are not operating in an environmentally responsible manner (Henriques and Sadorsky 1996 cited in Rueda-Manzanares et al. 2008: 188). These political institutions recognise that stakeholders clearly know their rights and responsibilities and are willing to generate partnerships and networks that can result to win-win situations. Companies that neglect crucial stakeholder relationships, however, may compromise competitiveness in the long-run, particularly now in a globalised world, where stakeholder interests matter (Rueda-Manzanares et al. 2008: 188). Stakeholder theory has rise amidst the public clamour for corporate governance and business ethics (Elms et al. 2010: 405). The theory can be rooted from the integration of business strategy and ethics and gained greater attention from management scholars for the past fifteen years (Damall, Henriques, and Sadorsky 2009 cited in

Product Design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Product Design - Assignment Example Although the basic design concept of producing a product in answer to a consumer need has remained relevant and valid, so much has changed in the objectives, processes, methodologies and techniques to arrive at the end product. Kassi reports that in the beginning of the old era some 250 years ago, the focus was more on product quantity than quality as the demand for products was not yet developed and the production processes were crude. Certainly, there was emphasis on cost reduction but this was without regard to the quality of the end product, an attitude that was carried through till the beginning of the scientific era and on to the period when industries began mass producing. The scientific managers carried forward their time-motion studies, process analysis and queuing theories which consequently became seeds for the moving assembly line, linear programming and statistical sampling that were being used in mass production. This mass production system became vogue up to the latter part of the 20th century, by which time the market has fully bloomed and demand has ripened for new products. This heightened demand signaled the beginning of quality in production, but the moving production line was not up to par with the costs it involved. Hence, new methods were sought and thus began the use of computing, automation and lean production systems that ushered in such concepts as just-in-time, CAD design, electronic data interchange and TQM, among other late concepts. (Kassi, 2008). Inside that process of evolution, equally evolving was product design as it is now known. It is the aim of this paper to take a close look at product design and examine its role in the modern configuration of business, particularly as it is being promoted to take on a responsibility in achieving competitive advantage for a business firm. Product Design As a general concept, product design would simplistically refer to the process by which new products are designed and produced. But Achenie et al (2003) look at product design as a series of steps leading to the completion of a product that is ready for use. The steps involved are define the needs, generate ideas to meet the needs, select the best idea and manufacture the product (Achenie et al, 2003). On the other hand, Synthesis Engineering Services may be a biased information source for this research but it would be worthwhile to look at their conceptual presentation of the steps in product design. Their presentation shows a very clear picture of the whole process from identifying the bright idea to defining the requirements to information gathering and planning to design to prototyping to production (Synthesis, 1996). This sequence is, in fact, aligned with what Luecke (2003) offers as a process involving the generation of ideas, evaluation of these ideas, development of the selected ideas and conversion of the ultimately chosen ideas to useful products. It is easy to see that product design is the key process, if not a strategy, in the overall effort of an organization to achieve outstanding end results. Cresswell et al (2004) agrees that it is in product design where new products or product improvements emanate and take form. Looking at it another way, product design is the driving force of a company’s initiative at creativity and innovation. Luecke (2003) believes that, if innovation is what will put the

Marriage in A Doll's House by Ibsen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marriage in A Doll's House by Ibsen - Essay Example Through this dilemma, and Nora’s husband’s actions, Ibsen shows a very different view about the roles of individuals in a marriage. He does this by exploring the concepts of love, trust, respect, and equal rights in Nora’s marriage. In marriages nowadays, almost all western countries accept that the husband and wife should equally respect. However, after reading A Doll’s House, I came to know that perhaps this must not have been the case in earlier times. From Act one itself, it is obvious that Nora’s husband, Torvald Helmer, does not treat his wife as an intellectual being. He speaks to her in the second-person and through name-calling, rarely referring to her directly. For instance, when Nora comes home, Helmer calls out â€Å"Is that my little lark twittering out there?† When Nora replies, Helmer once again refers to her in the same circuitous way, by asking if his â€Å"little squirrel (was) bustling about†. It is impossible not to notice this aspect in almost all of Nora’s and Helmer’s conversations. He speaks to her as if she is a pet, an animal with which one speaks one-sidedly without any expectations of intelligent conversation. According to me, this shows that Helmer does not see Nora fit enough to refer to her directly, and thus shows that he does not respect her that much. Another aspect in Helmer’s and Nora’s conversations that show his lack of respect for her is the way he treats her as a child. Although many would state that Helmer speaks to his wife kindly, I believe that he does so in a very patronizing manner. This can be seen by the way he is always lecturing her on her habit of spending too much money. Helmer even goes as far as trying to control Nora’s diet, when he asks her, â€Å"Hasn’t Miss Sweet Tooth been breaking rules in town today?†. Some might find that these two are a very sweet couple who talk so lovingly, but it is hard to ignore tr aces of contempt which appear in Helmer’s tone and actions. For instance, when Nora asks him to come and check out all the goodies she has bought, he at once calls out from his study â€Å"Don’t disturb me†. Such a change in his tone also shows the fatherly way he acts with Nora. A marriage is mainly based on love and trust, as well as respecting the other half. However, Ibsen has showed that there is no trust factor in the marriage of this play’s protagonist. This can be seen by the way Nora is so adamant is hiding the macaroons that she has bought for herself. I personally found it very strange that a wife should want her husband not to find out that she has bought a small packet of sweets (especially when he appears to be in a good mood and is insisting), even though she informs him of all her other purchases. This speaks volumes about Nora’s marriage, and it is here that Ibsen first introduces the ‘no-trust’ factor. In addition to this, Nora also hides another fact-which is far more significant than a packet of macaroons-from her husband. This fact is her borrowing of money to help her husband when he was sick, without letting him know about it. Money is another factor that plays a major role in the aspect of marriage shown in A Doll’s House. Ibsen confirms how it comes between the two individuals in a marriage by showing how it was one of the main causes behind the dissolution of Nora’

Lab Report - Precision and Accuracy Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

- Precision and Accuracy - Lab Report Example The determiner of accuracy is the percentage error, which is valued at 0.06%. Some of these include the lack of experience and poor technique, which actually both go together for when there is lack of experience, the immediate result would be poor technique. Poor technique may be attributed to the parallax error, or the failure to put the eye at a level which is aligned properly to the volume mark of the pipette. This means that if one is looking up the pipette, one can see a meniscus placed too high when it appears to align with the volume mark. In the same way, if one is looking down at the pipette, the meniscus will then be too low when it appears to align with the volume mark. In fact, aside from errors in the placement of the eye with reference to the volume mark, lack of experience and poor technique also translate as the failure of properly aligning the meniscus with the volume mark. ... his means that it would be very hard to control the force by which the solution should be ejected out of the pipette, thus the delivered solution may be slightly more than what is expected. Although there is a standard amount of force when it comes to delivering the solution out of the pipette, the deviation from the standard is brought about by individual differences as no two or three people can exactly deliver the solution out of the pipette using the same amount of force. Besides, this force is too little and is very hard to quantify and estimate physically. Another possible source of error or deviation from the absolute value of the solution is the possibility that the pipette is dirty or the solution is contaminated, thus there is a possibility that tiny droplets of the solution are left on the walls of the pipette resulting in the delivery of too little solution (â€Å"Sources of Error in Pipetting†). Moreover, dirt in the pipette, no matter how little, may cause a slig ht obstruction in the flow of the outgoing solution thus there is also a possibility that the pipette amount of solution is less than what is expected. Another possible source of error or deviation from the absolute or expected value is the possibility of a broken or chipped pipette, no matter how small the break is (â€Å"Sources of Error in Pipetting†). Such a break may cause a disruption in the natural flow of the liquid out of the pipette, thus the outgoing solution is also less than the expected amount. Part B: Conclusion The volume delivered by the pipette was calculated to be 9.99+/- 0.02 mL. The slight change of +/- 0.02 mL is due to a number of factors such as differences in time elapsed during transfer of liquid, possible change in temperature, possible change in evaporation rate, lack of

True View and Fair Presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

True View and Fair Presentation - Essay Example Countries like UK, EU, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand have opted to adopt the 'true and fair view', whereas United States preferred to adopt GAAP standards. (Hopwood, Page, & Turley, 1990) While 'Present fairly in accordance with GAAP' took its origin from the US financial reporting regulations in 1939 (McEnroe & Martens, 1998), UK Companies Act 1947 introduced the concept of 'True and Fair View' for the first time in the UK. (Parker & Nobes, 1994) However the latest version of the International Accounting Standard - 1 (IAS 1) which became operative on or after 1st July 1998 recommends the adoption of both the reporting standards. IAS - 1 requires a fair presentation and disclosure in compliance with the IAS and in cases where there is a misleading element in the compliance to the IAS, the reporting can adopt a limited 'true and fair view' to override the fair presentation. (IAS 1, 1998) This paper examines whether the 'fair presentation' requirements of IAS - 1 undermine the UK's adoption of the view of 'true and fair' in the reporting of the financial statements. There is no authoritative definition of the term 'true and fair view' and some of the approaches to the definition have considered the concept in relation to the individual components of the terms in isolation. (Cowan, 1965) Chastney (1975) suggests that either of the terms does not presuppose the other and the also doubts whether the combined effect of the term amounts to more than the effect of the individual terms. Parker and Nobes (1991) found that majority of the auditors had made a distinction between both the terms 'true' and 'fair'. They also concluded out of their survey on the UK Directors that most of the directors considered both terms are synonymous. Both the terms 'true' and 'fair' have been defined in a precise and exact manner. "The nature of truth, whether it is absolute or relative, whether it exists as a reality, an incontrovertible thing, or as an abstraction, whether it is dependent or independent of the believer/observer and whether any statement can be proven or merely falsified are all aspects that that have been applied to accounting theory and research." (Covaleski & Dirsmith, 1990; Chua, 1986) Meaning of 'Fairly Presented, In Accordance with GAAP' Just like the terms 'true and fair view' there is no precise definition available of the term present fairly in accordance with GAAP' which can be considered as the American Equivalent of 'true and fair view'. Mano et al (1996) observe that the term may mean: The reports presented fairly and also in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles

Lab Report - Precision and Accuracy Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

- Precision and Accuracy - Lab Report Example The determiner of accuracy is the percentage error, which is valued at 0.06%. Some of these include the lack of experience and poor technique, which actually both go together for when there is lack of experience, the immediate result would be poor technique. Poor technique may be attributed to the parallax error, or the failure to put the eye at a level which is aligned properly to the volume mark of the pipette. This means that if one is looking up the pipette, one can see a meniscus placed too high when it appears to align with the volume mark. In the same way, if one is looking down at the pipette, the meniscus will then be too low when it appears to align with the volume mark. In fact, aside from errors in the placement of the eye with reference to the volume mark, lack of experience and poor technique also translate as the failure of properly aligning the meniscus with the volume mark. ... his means that it would be very hard to control the force by which the solution should be ejected out of the pipette, thus the delivered solution may be slightly more than what is expected. Although there is a standard amount of force when it comes to delivering the solution out of the pipette, the deviation from the standard is brought about by individual differences as no two or three people can exactly deliver the solution out of the pipette using the same amount of force. Besides, this force is too little and is very hard to quantify and estimate physically. Another possible source of error or deviation from the absolute value of the solution is the possibility that the pipette is dirty or the solution is contaminated, thus there is a possibility that tiny droplets of the solution are left on the walls of the pipette resulting in the delivery of too little solution (â€Å"Sources of Error in Pipetting†). Moreover, dirt in the pipette, no matter how little, may cause a slig ht obstruction in the flow of the outgoing solution thus there is also a possibility that the pipette amount of solution is less than what is expected. Another possible source of error or deviation from the absolute or expected value is the possibility of a broken or chipped pipette, no matter how small the break is (â€Å"Sources of Error in Pipetting†). Such a break may cause a disruption in the natural flow of the liquid out of the pipette, thus the outgoing solution is also less than the expected amount. Part B: Conclusion The volume delivered by the pipette was calculated to be 9.99+/- 0.02 mL. The slight change of +/- 0.02 mL is due to a number of factors such as differences in time elapsed during transfer of liquid, possible change in temperature, possible change in evaporation rate, lack of

Extension on lead acid accumulators or lithium rechargeable batteries Coursework

Extension on lead acid accumulators or lithium rechargeable batteries - Coursework Example Introduction Rechargeable batteries such as lead acid accumulators and lithium accumulators are applied in number of operations. For example, lead acid accumulators are mainly used to start engines such those of cars and motorcycles among others. They are also used to store solar energy in situations where solar panels are used as sources of energy. Regardless of the fact that they are widely used in the above mentioned operations, none of these lead acid accumulators has been incorporated with instruments (pre-installed meters) such as ammeters and voltmeters that show amount of power (amount of available current or voltage respectively) that is available (Benson 2006). This has forced users of these devices use external voltmeters or ammeters to measure amount of voltage or current that is available respectively. Also, during charging operations these accumulators are not able to show whether they are fully charged or not; this may lead to overcharging and consequently reduction in life of the accumulators (Benson 2006). It is, therefore, important that these accumulators be fitted with pre-installed meters (ammeters and voltmeters). ... This will be possible since the proposed product will be fitted with a screen or analogue indicator that is capable of showing amount of charge available in an accumulator and the level of charge while the accumulators are undergoing charging operations. This paper, therefore, has proposed extension on Rechargeable batteries such as lead acid accumulators and lithium accumulators. The extension is such that the newly produced lead acid accumulators and/or lithium accumulators are fitted with instruments capable of measuring levels of both available current and voltage. These instruments maybe ammeters or voltmeters (they may also be either digital or analogue provided the required information is displayed effectively). The proposed extension is expected to enable users know whether their accumulators are charging or not or whether they are full while being charged on or not. Analysis of the market Whenever any new product is to be released into the market for the customers, an extens ive and detailed market research should be carried out. It is normally carried out in order to make informed decisions regarding what the customers want, and how they would view the proposed modification (Cole& Kelly 2011). If a product is released into the market without necessarily carrying out proper market research, problems that would have been avoided may affect the market as well as sale of the product; thereby impacting negatively on the producers of the product (Anderson 2007). Therefore, carrying out market research is imperative when a new product or a modified product is to be released into the market. The data that may be collected during market analysis include: how the customers would perceive the modified product, the current market size of the current

Charles Perrault Bio Essay Example for Free

Charles Perrault Bio Essay Charles Perrault is a famous French poet and author recognized for writing the Mother Goose fairy tales. He was the seventh child from his father Pierre Perrault and mother Paquette Le Clerc, born on January 12 of 1628 in Paris, France and then died and indefinite death which means it is undefined that was on May 16, 1703. He was a Roman Catholic. He married Marie Guichon in 1672 when she was nineteen years old, with her he had three children and when delivering the third one Marie passed while giving birth in 1678, which left them to be married for only six years. After her death Perrault never remarried. Career wise Perrault didn’t start out as a poet; he was actually a lawyer who was in charge of royal buildings in 1660. Perrault also took a huge share in the making of the Academy of Sciences and the renewal of the Academy of Painting. But then later on he worked in the Academic Franà §aise where he played an important role of literacy disagreement as many know today had to do with the clash between the Ancients and the Moderns, to which Charles coincided with the Moderns. Perrault then decided he was going to spend the rest of his lifetime promoting the education of literature and the arts. Where then he started to become a well-known as a poet with stories such as â€Å"Red Riding Hood†, â€Å"Puss in Boots†, â€Å"Cinderella†, and â€Å"Donkeyskin†. â€Å"Donkeyskin† is a famous French literacy and was republished by Perrault in 1697 with a little help from Andrew Lang another popular poet. â€Å"Donkeyskin† was the French version of Cinderella. There are plenty of versions of â€Å"Donkeyskin† but Perrault’s is the most well-known and made him popular.

Customer Satisfaction By Measuring Service Quality Tourism Essay

Customer Satisfaction By Measuring Service Quality Tourism Essay Rationale of the study: The measurement and management of service quality are fundamental to the survival and success of service companies (Legcevic, 2008). The hotel sector is a large segment of the service industry which provides services and accommodations to a wide range of customers. To make sure that a hotel is satisfying its customers needs, it is necessary to measure service quality periodically to identify areas in need of improvement. There are several methodologies used for measuring service quality, but this research study shall employ one of the more popular models called the SERVQUAL model. This theory was developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry. They were early researchers studies about the concept of quality (Jain and Gupta, 2004). The SERVQUAL model was created to measure service quality as perceived by the customer (Parasuraman et al., 1985). According to Shangri-La Hotels Annual Report of year 2008 and 2009, the occupancy rate of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok has declined continuously (Shangri-La Asia Limited, 2008, Shangri-La Asia Limited, 2009). The most likely cause of this problem is the political instability that hit Thailand recently. On the other hand, it is possible that this decline in the number of customers was a result of a decline in service quality. Even though the Shangri-La Hotel continued to emphasize customer needs and provide excellent service to their customers, it is still crucial to measure service quality to ensure that the customers are satisfied with the hotels services and responsiveness to customer needs. The result of measuring service quality also helps management to understand exactly what their customers expect from the hotel and the level to which they are satisfied with their experience at the hotel. This measurement model functions as a tool to promote communication between the hotel man agement and their customers. This research was conducted to observe customer perceptions about hotel services by measuring service quality using the SERVQUAL model at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. The benefits of this research are not just to understand the level of customer satisfaction; but moreover, it can use as a guideline to enhance service quality and promote customer loyalty. Title of project: A Study of Customer Satisfaction by Measuring Service Quality; A Case Study of Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok Statement of research problem: A continual decline in the number of hotel customers over the past few months has had a direct effect on the hotels income. The main factor which is believed to have caused this decline was internal political instability in Thailand. In an effort to transform a crisis into opportunity, this is an appropriate time to observe customer perceptions of service quality in order to help hotel management improve quality and prepare their business for when the situation returns to normal. Project objectives: The objectives of this research are as follows: To measure service quality of Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok by using SERVQUAL model, To understand the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality, and To gain a clearer understanding of customer perceptions of service quality from Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok in order to improve hotel service quality in the future. Conceptual framework: Figure 1: Conceptual framework Reliability SERVQUAL Dimensions Responsiveness Customer Satisfaction Assurance Empathy Tangibles Scope of the study: The scope of this research focuses on measurement of service quality at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok by using the SERVQUAL model which considers service quality from the following five dimensions: a) reliability, b) responsiveness, c) assurance, d) empathy and e) tangibility. The sample population would be a random sample of 100 hotel customers during the period from July to August, 2010. The survey technique would employ the use of questionnaires. This study focuses on the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality. Definitions of terms used in the study: SERVQUAL model: An instrument for measuring service quality comprised of five dimensions such as: a) reliability, b) responsiveness, c) assurance, d) empathy and e) tangibility. Parasuraman summed up that customers perceive service quality by comparing their expectations with the actual organizational performance, and they evaluate service quality in different dimensions (Parasuraman et al., 1988). Service Quality: A product or outcome of all the staff managers of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok working together to satisfy their customers. In other words, high-quality service is a service that meets or exceeds customer needs and expectations (Wisniewski, 2001). Customer Expectation: is prediction service of customer that hotel should be provides to them. Predict service directly influence customer satisfaction evaluation (Zeithaml et al., 1993) Customer Perception: A feeling or sense possessed by the customer which is derived from their experiences at the hotel. Customer Satisfaction: The level to which a customer perceives that their expectations were met in the transaction with the hotel (Hallowell, 1996). Assumptions: A customer who receives a high level of service quality from the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok is more likely to be satisfied with the overall level of service at the hotel. Limitations: Size of sample: The political uncertainty in Thailand during the past several months resulted in a decrease in the number of tourists all over Bangkok. Furthermore, the occupancy level at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok has been suppressed due to a reduction in room availability for internal renovations. The limited number of hotel customers may limit the sample size, leading to sample error. Time frame of data collection: The time frame is a major problem for this research because the research time table is quite short, especially considering that this season is the low season for tourism in Thailand. Since the tourist numbers are much lower than during high season, it could be difficult or impossible to reach the appropriate sample size. Human ethics considerations: This research is being conducted for educational purposes to learn about customer satisfaction at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. For this reason, the hotels management is allowing researchers to collect data from their customers. Therefore, the researchers should not force the customers to complete the questionnaire if they are hesitant. The questionnaire is being designed so that it does not contain sensitive items which would make customers feel uncomfortable. Practical significance: Measuring service quality is more difficult than measuring the quality of manufactured goods because the nature of services is intangible (Bergman and Klefsjo, 1994). The SERVQUAL model is an efficient tool to help measure service quality and clarify customer satisfaction. The result of this research would be useful for the Shangri-La Hotels management and staff members so that they can better understand their customers level of satisfaction with perceptions about the hotels services. It will help hotel management in their efforts to maintain and improve hotel service quality. In addition, other hoteliers and organizations within the service industries sector could adapt this research to use as basis for studies into their own organizations. Background information: Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is a well-established Asian hotel chain in major cities throughout Asia, Oceania and The Middle East. The headquarters is located in Hong Kong. Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok is one property of many properties of Shangri-La Company, located in the Silom district, has a total of 799 rooms including serviced apartments and other facilities such as restaurants, conference rooms, spa, swimming pool and tennis courts (Shangri-La Hotel, 2010). Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok is located in a convenient place next to the Chao Phraya River which is the main river of Thailand, and is only half an hour from Suvarnabhumi Airport and 10 minutes away from central business by BTS Skytrain. For these reasons, this hotel has the ability to attract numerous tourists. Furthermore, Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok is connected to Sathorn Pier, so tourists can take public boats or long tail boats to travel to and visit several kinds of tourist attractions easily such as the Temple of Dawn, the Grand Palace, the Flower Market and Khaosan Road. There is a high diversity of tourism industries which promote the economy in this district and along this river. However, in recent years, the Thai economy has experienced difficulty for a variety of reasons. Figures 1 and 2 compare the performance of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in the period from 2007 to 2008 with the period from 2008 to 2009. Table 1: The Shangri-La Hotel Weighted Average Room Yield 2007-2008 Source: Shangri-La Asia Limited (2008) Table 2: The Shangri-La Hotel Weighted Average Room Yields 2008-2009 Source: Shangri-La Asia Limited (2009) The figures above show that there was a significant decline in the performance of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Thailand in 2008 compared with 2007, and this decline in performance continued into 2009 with a drop on average room occupancy. According to the 2008 Shangri-La Asia Limited Annual Report, occupancy and RevPAR for Shangri-La Hotels decreased in 2008 by 15 and 10 percentage points respectively (Shangri-La Asia Limited, 2008). Moreover, the overall weighted average RevPAR for Shangri-La Hotel and Resorts Thai properties decreased a further 11 percent in 2009 (Shangri-La Asia Limited, 2009). The global financial crisis, the extensive renovations at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok and political uncertainty are cited as the main reasons for this decline. Literature review: There are several pieces of literature regarding studies of service quality which say that if a customer had a pleasant service experience, they would probably use that service again and would be likely to invite their friends or tell someone else to utilize those same services. In the same way, if customer had a poor service experience, they generally never forget about it, and many customers will complain and go elsewhere (Assael, 1987, Farrington et al., 2009, Peter and Olson, 1987). Word of mouth is a powerful communications tool. Customers may tell others whenever they experience poor service quality, and this would have a direct effect on the organizations image resulting in an eventual decrease in revenue. The power of this communications tool has always been evident from the past until the present. Consequently, organizations must always ensure that their service quality is the most pleasant and best to generate customers satisfaction. This is because the backbone of service organization growth is not just a high quality product or pricing strategy, but it is also the combination with good customer service. Nowadays, companies increasingly emphasize service quality and customer satisfaction throughout, so that they can increase customer loyalty, because it has determined that high customer loyalty is key to success in their market segment(Cronin et al., 2000). Service quality is widely studied and useful in service industries(Carman, 1990, Collier and Bienstock, 2006, Cronin and Taylor, 1992, Cronin et al., 2000, Gronroos, 1984, Parasuraman et al., 1985, Parasuraman et al., 1988). Many scholars have taken an interest in service quality issues because of their intangibility, which makes them very difficult to measure (Bergman and Klefsjo, 1994). For these reasons, several researchers created a model to help clarify the measurement of service quality. The most popular and extensively used models are Gronroos Service Quality Model and Parasuramans Gap Model (Legcevic, 2008). It could be describes of each model as following; Gronroos Service Quality Model splits customer perceived service into two dimensions: 1) technical quality, and 2) functional quality (Gronroos, 1984). 1) Technical quality or outcome quality is what customer receives as outcome of the process in the resources. Functional quality is how customer receives from technical outcome (Legcevic, 2008). Parasuramans Gap Model indicates that five gaps exist between management and customers during the service delivery process (Parasuraman et al., 1985). For my research, I will employ the SERVQUAL scale by using gap scores to help measure service quality. Service Quality: Today quality become recognized as a strategic tool to enhance and improved business actual performance both of goods sector and service sector. The key factor to success in service industry is service quality. The purpose of service quality is to satisfy the customer. Hence, service quality and customer satisfaction influence each other. As mentioned in the beginning, service quality is defined as a product or outcome resulting from all members in the organization trying to satisfy their customers (Wisniewski, 2001). Service quality also could be defined as crucial decision-making criteria for service consumers (Cronin et al., 2000). Customers evaluate service quality by comparing organizational performance with their expectations (Zeithaml et al., 1993). However, Parasuraman proved and indicated that there is a problem with customer perception of service, because five gaps exist between the customer and the service provider during service delivery. The figure below illustrates the Service Quality Gap Model by Parasuraman. Figure 2: The Service Quality Gap Model Source: Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1985) According to figure as above, it could be describes each gap as following; Gap1: Service provider not knowing what the customers expect Gap2: Service provider not selecting the right service design Gap3: Service provider not delivering to service standard Gap4: Service provider not matching performance to promises Gap5: The difference between customer expectations and customer perceived service (Legcevic, 2008) A gap which may occur between customer expectation and customer perception is not the only measurement of service quality. However, it is a determinant of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction. If the service providers response to customer needs is below their expectations, the customer would estimate that the quality is low. SERVQUAL Scale: The main benefit of the SERVQUAL instrument is that it helps management to measure the quality of service by comparing customers expectation of service and customer perceived service which categorizing each problem facet into five dimensions. It lets them classify the problems into dimensions, helping management to focus on the problems and improve service quality in the right way when some elements of service are found to be lacking. The SERVQUAL model was created by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry in 1985. The 1985 version consisted of ten dimensions. The model was further developed, and in 1988 it was refined into five dimensions. The SERVQUAL model has been widely used as an efficient instrument for measuring service quality in many service industries (Asubonteng et al., 1996). The five dimensions are: 1) reliability, 2) responsiveness, 3) assurance, 4) empathy and 5) tangible. According to Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1985), they defined each dimensions as follows: Table 3: SERVQUAL 5 Dimensions Reliability: Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately Responsiveness: Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service Assurance: Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence Empathy: Caring, individualized attention the firm provides its customers Tangible: Physical facilities, equipment, and appearance of personnel (Parasuraman et al, 1985) The most important dimension that the customer used to evaluate service quality is the reliability dimension (Legcevic, 2008). Parasuraman developed a set of questionnaires using 22 parallel questions to measure customers expectation of service and customer perception of service in the five dimensions. The measurement uses a Likert Scale with seven levels ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The service quality measurement of each pair of questions uses performance minus expectation. A positive score represents positive service quality (Parasuraman et al., 1988). Quality = Performance Expectation Nevertheless, there are numerous of academic studies which do not support these five dimensions. These studies determined that problems occur with this measurement method. Chen (2008) argued that SERVQUAL should add more dimensions to give the result more validity and credibility (Chen, 2008). Carman (1990) argued that each dimension should not be general because each service industry is different. Therefore, this model could not be used in the same format across industries (Carman, 1990). Although, there are weak points existing in SERVQUAL model, the concept of dimensions is still useful and when anyone interested in service quality issue, one choice which remind is SERVQUAL scale because its great to demonstrative power (Jain and Gupta, 2004). Then, it is used frequently today. SERVPERF Scale When discuss about SERVQUAL scale, it can not forgot to talks about SERVPERF scale as well. SERVPERF is one of service quality measurement scale. The results of both scale (SERVQUAL and SERVPERF), when compare these method to each other, the result which occurs are quite similar. However, there are differences in measuring process. Moreover, it is difference in reliability. To classify divergence between SERVQUAL scale and SERVPERF could be concise explain as following; SERVQUAL use customers expectation of service and customer perceived service to find service quality while SERVPERF use only customers perception for consideration. Cronin and Taylor (1992) compare between these two scales a found that SERVPERF is enough for measure service quality. However, the SERVQUAL scale is effective than SERVPERF scale because it provide more pragmatic diagnosis of service quality (Jain and Gupta, 2004). Customer Satisfaction: There are plentiful researchers studies on customer satisfaction. The definition of customer satisfaction is also diverse. Pizam and Ellis(1999) states that customer satisfaction is a psychological concept relating to a feeling of pleasure and well-being which is a result between needs in mind and an appealing product or service (Pizam and Ellis, 1999). The sense of satisfaction brings about positive attitudes which leads a customer seek that satisfying experience again (Assael, 1987). Customer satisfaction also has an influence on corporate survival. Naumann (1995) states that in order to attract a new customer, an organization has to pay costs in the form of time and resources equal to approximately five times that which is necessary to retain an existing customer (Naumann, 1995). Therefore, it leads the organization to determine quality as the ability to retain existing customers. However, not every customer will perceive the same level of satisfaction with the same level of service, because their sense of satisfaction is related to word of mouth communication and their past experiences (Pizam and Ellis, 1999). All people have had different experiences, thus they also have different objectives, needs and expectations. To ensure that the organization provides a high level of service quality, customer satisfaction surveys are necessary. Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Bery (1994) suggested that product quality, service quality, and price are each factors that encourage satisfaction (Parasuraman et al., 1994). Customer loyalty develops when customers become satisfied with these different factors provided by the organization (Farrington et al., 2009). The following is a conceptual framework showing the connection of each element which involves customer satisfaction. Figure 3: A Conceptual Framework for the Effects of Perceived Product Quality, Service Quality, and Pricing Fairness on Consumer Satisfaction and Consumer Loyalty Customer Satisfaction Product Quality Perceived Product Quality Perceived Service Quality Service Quality Customer Loyalty Perceived Price Fairness Price Source: (Bei and Chiao, 2001) Understanding the critical elements described above, how they are related, and how they help the organization is a foundation to success in the service industry. Data required: The data required for this study would be based in information collected from Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok customers. This research also requires the use of SERVQUAL as the main model to help measure service quality. Furthermore, may utilize some other theories from journal articles and textbooks which are related to this research. Other sources of information may include Shangri-La Hotel and Resorts information, particularly with regards to general information and occupancy data as required supporting in this research. Data sources: This research will utilize the following two types of data: Primary data: The primary data for this research will be collected from 100 hotel customers who stay at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok for least one night. The guests will be selected by simple random sampling technique, and they will fill out questionnaires regarding hotel service quality. Each questionnaire shall contain three parts: the first part will be general information of respondent, the second part will be about the expectations and perception service quality, and third part is level of satisfaction of the customer. Secondary data: The secondary data will be gathered from literature such as journal articles, textbooks, Shangri-la Hotel, Bangkok data and hotel website sources. The process of data collection shall be conducted from July to August, 2010. Data collection techniques: This research would be collects the data from 100 of customers of Shangri-La hotel, Bangkok who stay at the hotel at least one night. The researcher would be select population sample by employ random sampling method and using questionnaire as the tools. The measuring service quality instrument in this research is SERVQUAL. The questionnaire composes of three parts as following; First part is about demographic data of customers; 1) gender, 2) age, 3) country of resident, 4) reason for stay, and 5) why they selected Shangri-La hotel, Bangkok as a place to stay. Second part, it would be focusing on customers expectation of service quality (customers expectations) and received service quality (customers perceptions), in this area customer would answer both of these two aspects into SERVQUAL dimensions. This research would use Likerts scale to measure into five point scales. Likerts scale is a instrument to help measure attitude and opinion (Laerhoven et al., 2004). On the customers expectation question side and customers perception question side would be ask customer to give rate ranging from Strongly Disagree 1,2,3,4,5 Strongly Agree. Third part would be ask customer one question about their satisfaction of overall hotel service quality. In addition, researcher would leave the area for customer to add any recommendation. Data analysis: As for this research would be use R software (R Development Core Team, 2009) to help analyze questionnaire survey. Then would be using descriptive analysis and present it as table form, pie chart, and percentage calculated would be show. The standard deviation (SD) and mean are also would include. Timeline: Researcher has 13 weeks to process this report. This research process began on May 22, 2010. Due date of research proposal is on June 20, 2009. As for research final report is require to be submit on August 22, 2010 Table 4: Timeline Research Methodology: The precise measurement of hotel service quality is vital in order to be success in the hotel business. Because it helps hotel management to understand the hotel service quality level which hotel staff provide to customer. Without an appropriate measurement, it would be difficult to understand the expectation and satisfaction of customer and moreover, it would be difficult to create the strategies to upgrade hotel service quality. This research survey adopted the questionnaire 25 parallel items from (Mey et al., 2006) which is proper use to measure in hotel service quality industry, instead of using the original SERVQUAL questionnaire of 22 parallel items which establish by (Parasuraman et al., 1988). This research uses the quantitative as the main methods. Refer to the questionnaire, this research intends to identify and analyze the gaps between customer expectations and customer perceives service quality. The objective of this paper is to measure customer satisfaction and hotel service quality of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. The questionnaire survey was divided into three categories. The first category was demographic data and travelling characteristics of respondents. The second category was to investigate the customer expectation and customer perception regarding hotel service quality by using SERVQUAL dimensions. In this part of questionnaire were on 5-point Likert scale ranging from Strongly Disagree 1,2,3,4,5 Strongly Agree. The last category was asked one question about the overall satisfaction regarding the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok service quality. Generally, the five stars hotel even in Bangkok had a strong policy which concern with guest privacy issues and not allowed the external people to do survey in the hotel. However, the researcher had been trainee and employee at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok for two years; with this reason, the hotel was confidence and permits the researcher to do survey eventually, because the hotel saw that this research survey would gain more benefits to the hotel than disadvantage. The Sampling The researcher faced the problems during doing the survey; the questionnaire survey prepared for customer at the hotel check-in/ out counter. In the beginning front office attendant was given the questionnaire survey to customers when they are check-in and aim to get it back after they are check-out. Most of customers got the questionnaire survey from front officer, but indeed they are not completed it questionnaire. To reduce uncompleted questionnaire, the front office attendant was change to given questionnaire survey to customer during they were checking-out instead, and return it from customer promptly. However, the front office attendant was not enforced customer to fill out the questionnaire, if they were reluctant. The samples were 100 hotel customers who stay at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok at least one night. However, the researcher collected data from 100 hotel respondents as aims. Results and Analysis: The questionnaire composes of three sections as following; First Section It is about demographic data of customers; 1) gender, 2) age, 3) country of resident, 4) reason for stay, and 5) why they selected Shangri-La hotel, Bangkok as a place to stay. Demographic Data Gender of respondent According to result, it indicated that the majority of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok customer were female than male. Female were 63% and male 37%. There were female customers almost 2 times of male customers. See table 5. Table 5: Frequency and Percentage of Gender Gender Frequency Percentage Male 37 37 Female 63 63 Total 100 100 The result of elaborating on male and female were showed in figured below; Figure 4: Gender of hotel customer 2. Age of respondents This research survey classifies the age of hotel customer into 4 categories; 1) below 30 years, 2) 31 40 years, 3) 41 50 years, and 3) above 50 years. The result indicated that the majority of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok customer were between 31 40 years (60%), were below 30 years (28%), 41 50 years (9%), and above 50 (3%) respectively. See table 6. Table 6: Frequency and Percentage of Age Age Frequency Percentage Below 30 year 28 28 31 40 year 60 60 41 50 year 9 9 Above 50 3 3 Total 100 100 The result of elaborating on age of hotel customer was showed in figured below; Figure 5: Age of hotel customer Resident country of respondent According to result, it indicated that the majority of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok customer was had resident country in China (13%). Also were USA (12%); Japan (10%); Australia, Thailand and Singapore (7%); UAE (6%); England, German, Hong Kong, Italy and Korea (5%); India (4%); Canada (3%); Span and France (2%); Belgium and New Zealand (1%) respectively. See table 7. Table 7: Frequency and Percentage of Resident Country Resident Country Frequency Percentage Australia 7 7 Belgium 1 1 Canada 3 3 China 13 13 England 5 5 France 2 2 German 5 5 Hong Kong 5 5 India 4 4 Italy 5 5 Japan 10 10 Korea 5 5 New Zealand 1 1 Singapore 7 7 Span 2 2 Thailand 7 7 UAE 6 6 USA 12 12 Total 100 100 The result of elaborating on resident country of hotel customer was showed in figured below; Figure 6: Resident country of hotel customer The main objective of respondents for staying at Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok The result showed that the most of the hotel customer come to stay at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok significantly for leisure as main objective (84%). And also for business (16%). See table 8. Table 8: Frequency and Percentage of Objective for Stay Objective for Stay Frequency Percentage For Leisure 84 84 For Business 16 16 Total 100 100 The result of elaborating on objective for Stay of hotel customer was showed in figured below; Figure 7: Objective for Stay of hotel customer Reason of Select Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok for stay This research survey c

Computers in the Classroom :: Teaching Education Essays

Computers in the Classroom Computers are everywhere in the world today. Everywhere that you turn you are going to see some form of a computer. Computers are found in every work place and are used by many different people. It is very important these days that everyone learns the basics for using a computer because most jobs or professions will require some computer knowledge in order to be qualified for many positions. The profession I am looking to get into is the teaching profession. I am hoping to teach business classes at the high school level and that is why I am majoring in education and business at Lake Superior State University. Computers have a very important role in teaching and in business. Some business people will tell you that the computer is the single most important business tool. Without the Internet or spread sheets, the business world as we know it today would be very different. Although computers have an enormous role in business what I would like to discuss is the impact of computers on Teaching. About all full-time regular public school teachers report that they now have access to computers and the Internet and it has become a normal part of classroom activity in most places. Computers are very useful tools for teachers and they could change the way classes are taught in the future. There is no need to worry, I am not hinting that there will be some sort of computer programmed robot teaching kindergarten, but I am referring to the great benefits of computers in the classroom. The amount of information accessible is amazing and can really assist the teacher with lessons and such. Also computer programs like word processors and spread sheets are very helpful to the students; not to mention the positive effects some educational games have on children. These games which are played on computers are every teachers dream; they make learning fun and enjoyable for the student. One problem which arises when considering computers in the classroom is that many teachers did not grow up with the technology of today and are not fully capable of operating a computer and therefore steer away from them. According to a new survey released by the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics, teachers with more than 32 hours of professional development are twice as likely to use computers as are teachers with no such training.

A unique Training Program at UPS

Mark Colvard, a United Parcel Manager in San Ramon, California, recently faced a difficult decision. One of his drivers asked for 2 week off to help an ailing family member.But company rules said this driver wasn’t eligible. If Colvard went by the book, the driver would probably take the days off anyway and be fired. On the other hand, Colvard chose to give the driver the time off. Although he took some heat for the decision, he also kept a valuable employee.Had Colvard been faced with this decision 6 months earlier, he says he would have gone the other way. What changed his thinking was a month he spent living in McAllen, Texas. It was part of a UPS management training experience called the Community Internship Program (CIP). During his month in McAllen, Colvard built housing for the poor, collected clothing for the Salvation Army, and worked in a drug rehab Center.Colvard gives the program credit for helping him empathize with employees facing crises back home. And he says t hat CIP has made him a better manager. â€Å"My goal was to make the numbers, and in some cases that meant not looking at the individual but looking at the bottom line. After that one month stay, I Immediately started reaching out to people in a different way.†CIP was established by UPS in the late 1960s to help open the eyes of the company’s predominantly white managers to the poverty and inequality in many cities. Today, the program takes 50 of the company’s most promising executives each summer and brings them to cities around the country.There they deal with a variety of problems from transportation to housing, education, and health care. The company’s goal is to awaken these managers to the challenges that many of their employees face, bridging the cultural divide that separates a white manager from an African American driver or an upper-income suburbanite from a worker raised in the rural South.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do you think individuals can lea rn empathy from something like a 1-month CIP experience? Explain why or why not.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How could UPS’s CIP help the organization better manage work life conflicts?3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How could UPS’s CIP help the Organization improve its response to diversity?4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What negatives, if any can you envision resulting from CIP?5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   UPS has 2,400 managers. CIP includes only 50 each year. How can the program make a difference if it include only 2 percent of all managers? Does this suggest that the program is more public relations than management training?6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How can UPS justify the cost of a program like CIP if competitors like FedEx, DHL, and the U.S. Postal Service don’t offer such programs? Does the program increase costs or reduce UPS profits?   

Is the Uk political system democratic? Essay

â€Å"A government of the people, by the people, for the people.† The word democracy comes from the Greek words â€Å"demos† which means the people and â€Å"kratos† which means authority, or power. A democratic political system is one in which the ultimate political authority is vested in the people this means that all eligible citizens are able to participate equally either directly or through elected representatives in the proposal, development, and creation of laws that will change and shape everyday life. A democratic country aims to have an accountable government that serve the best interests of the people it is governing. The UK is a liberal democracy which ensures that citizens should be able to influence governmental decisions made. The UK’s governmental system contains no written constitution. This means that theoretically the government are free to pass any legislation as long as they have the majority in parliament which could be easily achieved if the party has a large majority of seats. This means there is no safeguard for laws that can be altered or new ones that could be created. This is very undemocratic as the government therefore have too much power. The government is also in possession of other powers such as the royal prerogative that allows the prime minister to go to war without consent from parliament. An example of where this was used was the Iraq war in 2003 which was heavily resented by a large majority of the public. The most important thing is that true democracy is participatory democracy, where members of the public are effectively members of the government by voting directly on policies. However this is difficult to administer and as a result most modern democracies are representative. The public chooses who they wish to possess power and trust that person to devise policies that will benefit them. A representative democracy can easily become an elected dictatorship if the population’s views are not heard. Considering it from a purely political stance, democracy is power to the people, which establishes itself through the vote. We vote on members of the Commons but not on the Lords. We vote on local representatives but not party leaders. We vote on people but not policies. We vote people into Parliament but not out of it. We vote for a particular party but our second choices are not considered. We vote on only that which we are asked to vote on. We cannot ensure policies are maintained throughout a ministerial term by our vote. Evidently our democracy is far from flawless, and this is not even considering the social aspects of its meaning, i.e. the extent to which we are free police barraging of public protesters and Rupert Murdoch’s mass media control showed us that we are not quite as free as the democratic terminology seems to suggest. You could say that the UK can be made more democratic through a proportional electoral system, compulsory voting, a removal of unelected members of Parliament and more referendums. But it seems in these examples, more democratic is inversely proportional to more efficient. Proportional electoral systems may confuse voters and will result in less strong government, compulsory voting would cumber us with the careless votes of those uninterested in politics and therefore would not be an accurate representation of what the population wants a removal of unelected members of Parliament may increase political bias and reduce the expert value of the Lords. Referendums may be subject to people who do not know what is best for the country, and even then only those who set the agenda of democracy can be understood as a process of people governing their state and managing community affairs all together, based on consensus. The UK is in many ways not democratic. Firstly, the UK amongst many other countries claims to be a democracy. This would suggest that UK citizens have effective influence over government and over decisions that affect them. However there has been much controversy over this claim some arguing that power lies in the hands of just a few and others standing by the allegation that power in the UK is widely distributed. Secondly, First Past The Post has had a big impact on UK democracy. The system we use to elect our MPs has a real impact on how politics works in The UK. It has a direct effect on whether politicians truly represent us and whether we can hold them to account if they let us down. The defeat of the 2011 Alternative Vote (AV) referendum means it is now more important than ever to discredit our failed system and we are continuing to build the case for change at Westminster. This in turn means any of our votes just don’t count. Millions of people have no chance of deciding who their MP will be. And our votes are wasted by the system. Additionally, parties continue to focus all their time, money and effort on a handful of ‘marginal seats’, so just a few thousand voters can decide who runs Britain. As Jean-Jacques Rousseau highlighted in The Social Contract democracy in its political sense can only be efficient when the general will of the people is the same as each and every individual will. Here he argues that this can only be achieved through a classless society with censorship and civil religion. As democracy in modern society is now taken to be equal to freedom its efficiency as a political system is halted by its connotative meaning. This means Rousseau’s method of effective and true democracy would be considered undemocratic in the modern world. Britain may not be truly democratic but it is as democratic as it can be whilst maintaining the constancy and competency of its political workings.

Since human individuals

Psychology has made great strides in the development of principles and methods and the discovery of facts which find useful application in various aspects of everyday life. The objectives of psychology are : (1) to understand human behavior; (2) to predict human behavior by means of observation and experiment; (3) to influence or alter the behavior of he individual or group in desirable ways so that he can achieve the goal he desires (McLeod, 1998). Psychology is the scientific of human behavior and mental processes; a study which is of considerable interest to almost all people.In the pursuit of this study is the important feature of understanding the goals or objectives. To describe, explain and predict behavior and if possible control or modify it, are the main objectives of this scientific discipline. These objectives confine as well as broaden student’s approach towards a deeper perspective of the field in the sense that he/she will have a grasp on the variety of subject matters that psychology provides, the advances or breakthroughs it has attained, its inadequacies and shortcomings, as well as forthcoming challenges the discipline faces.Since human individuals are complex and changing, the study is fascinating yet possesses a certain degree of difficulty. Fascinating because it explores all the facets of being human and possessing a certain degree of difficulty because of its multifarious sub-disciplines. Behavior is described and analyzed (McLeod, 1998). On this basis, an attempt to predict behavior is possible, and although this may not thoroughly and completely be accomplished in some endeavours, the basic understanding then is that there are certain expectations concerning how any person would act or decide upon things that are within his conscious awareness.Psychology is of great importance to man since psychological problems are common to group relations, in whatever framework a person or group of individuals come from (McLeod, 1998). The wo rk of a counsellor is a privilege since the counselee or client will be unfolding his life and makes himself vulnerable to a stranger. It is not an easy choice to make hence, all the training and knowledge would be indispensable to help the client reveal and trust himself to another. Counselling is not a very easy job.But it can be facilitated well when there is a clear vision of what and how it unfolds in the relationship that is established with the client (Nelson-Jones, 1988). A healthy personality does not mean it does not have any difficulties at all. It means that a person has the capabilities to withstand any turmoil or stress that come his way. He has learned the skills to make him adjust to the internal and external stresses; minimizing conflicts from within and without but in a healthy and normal functioning way.Personal growth occurs in the context of self-insights; insights concerning the workings of one’s mind in relation to the structures and stimuli around the person. The self-insight is very significant and crucial to the client for him to be able to work well with those who are there to assist in his recovery and eventual personal growth (Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980). The important thing is that of flexibility and resiliency on the counselor’s part when to apply or implement the theory (i. e., person-centred in this case) in the context of the client. It starts with the identification of specific problems and especially the root causes (Lishman, 1994). When this is confidently achieved, the therapist is actually midway to attaining his/her goals which includes not only the relief of the symptoms that the sufferer is currently experiencing but especially the reduction of the occurrence if not altogether eliminated. The specific treatment goals are likewise essential and it helps in the remaining aspects or levels of the process.The diagnostic part by itself in most cases is considered therapeutic since many clients have experi enced immediate relief. In addition, another important ingredient in the process is to identify effective reinforcers which help people in crisis for instance or those in acute and chronic mental and emotional anguish to sustain their plan for change and control of their disorders. Helping the client set up a kind of self-help management program is a very effective strategy to pursue within the relationship (Smith 1997, 2004). Nature of the therapeutic approachWithin the person-centred approach human nature is understood as that of the individual possessing to the innate capacity of man towards growth, health and fulfilment which means that man is basically good and equipped to face many obstacles in life. Client-centred therapy avoids the imposition of goals on the patient or client during therapy. It is the client who takes the lead in the session and of the conversation. It is the job of the therapist to create the conditions conducive to the client’s positive judgment of those experiences that are intrinsically satisfying to the client.The ‘goal’ then is to reach the point where the client desires to be a good and â€Å"civilized person. † Unconditional positive regard enhances this atmosphere however, and although the goal may be difficult to achieve, unconditional positive regard eventually, according to Rogers, encourages even the â€Å"`unbehaved† to conform or even transform (Corey, 2004; Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980). Anchored on Carl Rogers’ theory on the person-centered approach of understanding behavior and applying such an understanding to the â€Å"healing† process, the concept of congruence is among the highlights of this renowned theorist’s perspective.It is understood as a concept which usually starts or initiated by the therapist or practitioner and modelled to the client whereby the former displays more of the real person that he/she is and reducing denial of the real struggles or fe elings that tend to be kept inside (Smith, 1997; Rogers, 1951; Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980). In the process, the client learns to unveil the real self rather than assume a facade which not only masks the real problems, make the therapeutic relationship increasingly difficult (Rogers, 1959).Rogers probably in his long years of exposure to different clients or patients, found commonality in his interactions that help facilitate better recovery and congruence as modelled by a therapist eventually gained its place in his approach. Application or Action Point: Case study: â€Å"Mrs. Todd was admitted to an elder care home following the death of her husband and at the request of her daughter, aged 70, who could no longer manage. Six months after admission Mrs Todd refused to get out of bed for a week, saying that there was no point.During the sensitive questioning by the residential social worker revealed that Mrs Todd had never come to terms with the loss of her husband. On top of t his she had been unable to put into words her grief, plus the perception that she had lost control independence, despite high-quality care in the home, had resulted in confused thinking, distortion of grief and withdrawal. † There are some â€Å"steps† that had been coined by Rogers to put the theory in â€Å"action, so to speak. However, it is imperative that the progression of the helping relationship is not forced or hurried.The goal in this case is for Mrs, Todd to be â€Å"influenced† by the counsellor’s sense of optimism which means that these positive characteristics must somehow rob off on the client. Roger’s understanding is that helping someone can only be most effective when the person is encouraged or has moved on from a state of despondency to vitality regardless of her/his circumstances. This is the primary reason that Roger’s extensive discussion also revolves around the congruent self (Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980).One imp ortant aspect of the person-centred approach is the empathy that should be exhibited by the counsellor/therapist. Carl Rogers (Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980) initiated the model with the premise that within each person is the capacity to eventually surpass any obstacle with the help and support of critical people. The unconditional positive regard which when cultivated by a therapist is believed to be very crucial to the recovery and healing of the patient.There is curative value to the skills which, importantly, shall comprise the approach that the therapist takes in the course of their healing relationship. In the case of Mrs. Todd whose state of discouragement and grief had not been overcome will be a point of reference for the counselling setting. The person centred therapist is a believer that when given time, a patient-listening-ear and other skills, help for Mrs. Todd is to tap the inner strength that she possesses can be had.The goals of therapy include the readjustment of a person’s understanding of himself, becoming aware of the discrepancies of his real experiences and real self versus the projection of other’s viewpoints and rubbing these onto him, thereby affecting the person of the right attitude and perspective of what life is truly all about (Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980). Because the emphasis is on the uniqueness of the individual, it goes beyond the mere acceptance of the real worth of the self. It also accepts that there are realities in life that need to be accepted but the individual must transcend above these unwelcoming encounters.The importance is to accept as well that one’s choices and decisions are important and the person must accept his responsibility of the consequences of his actions (Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980). One important aspect of the person centered approach is the empathy that should be exhibited by the counsellor/therapist. Carl Rogers initiated the model with the premise that within each p erson is the capacity to eventually surpass any obstacle with the help and support of critical people. The unconditional positive regard which when cultivated by a therapist is believed to be very crucial to the recovery and healing of the patient.There is curative value to the skills which, importantly, shall comprise the approach that the therapist takes in the course of their healing relationship (Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980). The therapeutic nature of the person centred therapy to help this person get the insights, not only to the death and the sense of loneliness and seemingly abandoned feelings at this point in her life, but especially to the fact that other lives are affected as well is not easy as it may seem when one uses this approach. Mrs. Todd must wade through her confusions, her feelings of despondency and the sense of hopelessness.What is actually happening when there is a gradual realization of these issues and the hope that the future may hold for her, is that t he practitioner is more than a crutch and a pole that pulls the patient. The therapist with or without the conscious awareness of the patient is her source of strength and resolve to weather the seemingly heavy burden ahead of her. That is why for many, this approach has become widely used; it is to an extent a very successful model in the field of psychotherapy (Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980).The client or person-centred therapy is persuaded that a person is only understood from the point of view of his or her own perception and emotionality or feelings, also known as the phenomenological world. It takes time to be able for the therapist to look into how Mrs. Todd, in this particular case, experience events not just at the events that Mrs. Todd is experiencing; i. e. , her problems and her seemingly hopeless outlook. Mrs. Todd‘s phenomenological world is a major determinant of behavior and what makes Mrs. Todd’s unique from other patients (Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980)The person-centred therapeutic goals attempt to empower the patients or clients to increasingly be made aware and accepting of the real self’s true beliefs and worth and condition the person to realize these –worth and self-acceptance within the therapeutic relationship. The management then is not impossible but neither is this easy. Specifically, the counselee or patient must want to heal or believe that there is going to be curative effects in the process. It presupposes that he/she must learn to trust the therapist in his/her capabilities as well in leading or facilitating the changes or modifications.It is very much essential that (in the perspective of a cognitive-behaviourist) that the client understands ownership to the deeds and choices in thought patterns he/she made are crucial to the recurring or occurring condition that s/he experiences (Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980)). Moreover, the identification of specific treatments or interventions according to the diagnosed issue will be accommodated and implemented based on the chosen treatment modalities fit with the therapeutic approach utilized.Another contention of this approach is that the therapist should never attempt to manipulate the circumstances for Mrs. Todd. What is important is that Mrs. Todd should create conditions that will empower her to make decisions of her own. The premise of this approach lies in the belief that when a person like Mrs. Todd is no longer concerned with the evaluations, preferences and demands that others make upon her, she will then be released to spur on and live according to the expected innate tendency to self-actualize or reach her potential self.Many of those who use this approach however, do not usually strictly use the pattern that Rogers indicated in his model. In this case, a counsellor’s personality and disposition must merge well with this approach. This is because, the skills needed are at times individual in nature; the crucial a spect then is how some of the strategies must be patient to put up plain unconditional positive regard (Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980). There is no hundred percent guarantee that Mrs.Todd will be able to fully heal in every aspect of her struggling life. Her problems can be real as she has to cope with the loss that can no longer be restored. So much so that it is not easy in the individualistic society that America is and become confined in a home or institution whose caregivers may be distant. When a therapist pursues the client with tenacious determination to enable and empower the patient, it is not impossible that the likes of Mrs. Todd will have her life back and find meaning even in the twilight of her years.Conclusions It is always worthwhile to spend ample time thinking and studying the many-faceted dimensions of human persona, from physical to moral and psychological areas among others. It has contributed a lot to my personal understanding of self-awareness and the devel opment of the consciousness and sensitivity of what other humans like me are going through. It caters to a deeper understanding as well as acceptance of people’s frailties, and also their strengths. ~Nature and Importance of therapyBehavior is described and analyzed. On this basis, an attempt to predict behavior is possible, and although this may not thoroughly and completely be accomplished in some endeavours, the basic understanding then is that there are certain expectations concerning how any person would act or decide upon things that are within his conscious awareness Psychology is of great importance to man since psychological problems are common to group relations, in whatever framework a person or group of individuals come from.Although an immediate relief is very helpful, this may not always be the case in most illnesses. The goal as mentioned is to provide long-term reduction of the symptoms and the occurrence of the disease altogether if possible. The management t hen is not impossible but neither is this easy. Specifically, the counselee or patient must want to heal or believe that there is going to be curative effects in the process. It presupposes that he/she must learn to trust the therapist in his/her capabilities as well in leading or facilitating the changes or modifications.It is very much essential that (in the perspective of a cognitive-behaviourist) that the client understands ownership to the deeds and choices in thought patterns he/she made are crucial to the recurring or occurring condition that s/he experiences (Seden, 1995). ~Promoting therapy Psychotherapists believe that therapy contributes a lot to the improvement of the psychological condition of the client (Seden, 1995). Therapy can come in many varied forms and the use of these or any of these has been proven to be of vital significance to clients from various walks of life and with myriads of problems or mental and emotional challenges.Therapy may be long-termed analyti cal experiences or encounters or brief problem-oriented treatment/intervention. Whatever the case, these consultations and in-depth interactions and activities between a practitioner therapist and the client in most cases, are beneficial (Burnard, 1992, 1994). The relationship here is that the therapist and client relate in a cordial and friendly manner and the therapist propels the conversation in an energized tone (Hough, 2002). This sets the pace for the client to talk about themselves, how the feel about anything and everything surrounding their lives.More to that, this intricate relationship and dialogue with the therapist assist the client to hear themselves and how they experience themselves, how the therapist experiences them, how they experience the therapist as an individual and friend and so on Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980) Needless to say this kind of therapy can be very tricky to use especially in the case of two opposite sex. It may yield a counter transference and the therapeutic distance. This may impede on the effectiveness of the therapy.It is therefore important that the therapist be very self aware of himself and objective through out the whole process of therapy. He should be in close monitoring of the evolution of the relationship with the client and on the look out for potential obstruction or abuse of power during the sessions of therapy (Smith, 1999, 2004; Rogers, 1980). This is not only a requirement in gestalt psychotherapy but basically in all psychotherapies. It is required by law that the therapist should always keep a therapeutic distance from the client because a breach in observing that distance is tantamount to abuse.This is because in therapy the client is usually vulnerable to the therapist and may feel pressured to please the authority (therapist) although in the real situation, this would be atrocious. This means that if not in the jurisdiction to the therapist to choose for the client what is morally right or wrong sin ce the foundational basic of this therapy is that the client is responsible and is capable of charting his/her own course and behavior. Basically, in this therapy it is not about the ‘should’ and ‘should nots’ so to speak since this impedes on spontaneity and the integration of wholesome self awareness (Brearley, 1996).Reference:Burnard, P. (1994) 2nd ed Counselling Skills for Health Professionals. London: Chapman & Hall. Burnard, P. (1992) Effective Communication Skills for Health Professionals. London: Chapman & Hall. Brearley, J. (1996) Counselling And Social Work. Buckingham: OU Press. Hough, M. (2002) A practical Approach to Counselling, 2nd edn. London: Prentice Hall. Lishman, J. (1994) Communication in Social Work. Macmillan. McLeod, J. (1998). Introduction to Counselling. Buckingham: OU Press. (Chpt 1) Nelson-Jones, R. (1988) Practical Counselling and Helping Skills (4th Ed).London Cassel Rogers, Carl . R. 1951. Client-Centred Counselling, Boston: H oughton-Mifflin. Rogers, Carl . R. 1959. A theory of therapy, personality and interpersonal relationships, as developed in the client-centered framework. In S. Koch (ed. ). Psychology: A study of science. (pp. 184-256). N. Y. : McGraw Hill. Smith, M. K. (1997, 2004) ‘Carl Rogers and informal education', the Encyclopaedia of informal education. [www. infed. org/thinkers/et-rogers. htm. Seden, J. (1999). Counselling Skills in Social Work Practice. Buckingham: OU Press.